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THE

HORTICULTURAL REGISTER.

EDITED BY

JAMES MAIN, A.L.S

VOL. V.

LONDON:

PUBLISHED BY W. S. ORR & CO., PATERNOSTER ROW.

MDCCC XXXVI,

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PAXTON’S

HORTICULTURAL REGISTER,

JANUARY, 1836.

HORTICULTURE.

ON THE SHRIVELLING OF GRAPES.

Battle Abbey , Nov. 20, 1835.

Sir,— -Various are tlie opinions as to the cause of the disease often
seen in grapes, called shrivelling or shanking : different writers on this
important subject attribute it to different causes. As information is
called for, I will endeavour to pen down my views on the subject.

The vine, like all other things belonging to the vegetable creation,
requires time before it can be possessed of a maturing principle, or at
least time for that principle to be well organised, so as for the whole
vine to be brought into a regular course, that every part may act in
strict conformity with each other. Now with regard to young vines, or
vines that have been recently planted, if they are called upon to bear a
crop of grapes before their roots are established, the disease of shrivelling
is sure to follow, for it is impossible for grapes to be brought to maturity
while the roots of the vine are out of order ; for on the well-establish¬
ment of these (the roots) the whole strength of the vine must depend.
It is worthy of remark that the disease first shows itself at the points
of the bunches, and the extremities of the shoulders. Now, allow me
to ask why it commences at these parts of the bunches first ? It appears
to me that it is the nature of the vine to put forth all the powers of
which it is possessed to bring its crop to maturity ; and in so doing
its strength becomes exhausted, and consequently those berries which
are furthest from the vine are deprived of nourishment first. As a
proof of what I have stated to be the cause of grapes shrivelling on
young vines, I shall bring the following circumstance before you and
VOL, V. - NO. LY. R

ON THE SHRIVELLING OF GRAPES.

your readers. Four black Hamburgh grape-vines were planted into
a new border, and brought into a new house; the first year that these
vines were allowed to bear fruit, two of them were permitted to bear
nearly double the quantity of the other two, and the result was, that the
two vines which bore the least quantity brought their fruit to a high
perfection, but the fruit on the other two vines was small, and not of so
good flavour or colour, — shrivelling also made its appearance at the
extremities of the bunches ; and I must here state, that the vines
which bore the great crop were not standing together, nor those which
bore the small quantity ; but there was first a vine with a large crop,
then one with a small ditto, the next with a large crop, and the last
with a small ditto. Now I will leave the reader to judge for himself
what the cause of shrivelling was in this case, and I think that he
will say that two of the vines were allowed to bear above their strength.
Now this disease is often seen in vines of middle age, and also in old
vines, and of course it will be asked what the cause of it is in vines of
these ages? To which I answer, there are more causes than one that
will bring it on vines of this description. Sometimes it is from starva¬
tion, that is, the border in which the vines are growing is either natu¬
rally poor, or it has been exhausted by them : now, in a case like this,
the roots are deprived of food, and of course cannot supply the crop.
A cold saturated border will bring it on, by rotting off the young
fibrous roots, which of course must deprive the vine of that portion of
nourishment which is absolutely necessary to bring its fruit to maturity.
Digging and cropping the border, if great care be not taken, will also
contribute to the above disease ; but it is brought on oftener by over¬
bearing the vines than it is in any other way ; for it is the nature of the
vine to aim at bringing its fruit to maturity, and in so doing it labours
hard under a load above its strength, which injures its vital powers, and
throws it into a state of debility which it sometimes takes years to
recover from. No person can do justice to a vine, unless he knows
something of its fruit-bearing powers. I must here state another cir¬
cumstance, which I was an eye-witness to a few years ago. Two white
Syrian grape-vines were growing in one house at the side of each other,
and on these vines the disease of shrivelling had made considerable
havoc : the gardener of course was anxious to find out the cause, and
prevent it, if possible ; and after his opinions had been given, the next
year he tried the following experiment, which proved quite effectual.
When the bunches were formed so as to see which wrere the best to
leave, they were reduced from one vine, so as to leave only a moderate
crop on it, and the other vine was allowed to bear a large crop as usual.
Now the grapes on the first vine were brought to maturity, but those

OX THE LATERAL ACCRETION OF THE STEMS OF SHRUBS, Ac. 3

on the latter were very much attacked with the disease. I could bring
other cases of a similar kind, but I fear that I shall intrude too far on
your pages. When I commenced this paper, it was my intention to
have entered a little into what I consider to be second causes, and to
have shown in what way they often help the disease forward ; but
time forbids at present. Should the above remarks meet with your
approbation, and if any more will be of use, I will forward them at a
future time. Yours, truly,

Wm. Denyer.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE LATERAL ACCRETION OF THE STEMS OF

SHRUBS AND TREES.

Having lately had an opportunity of reading and making some obser¬
vations on Mr. Hoare’s excellent treatise on the culture of the grape¬
vine on open walls, we were particularly struck with that gentleman’s
ideas concerning the origin and subsequent accretion of the alburnum
of the vine deposited during the summer growth. And although we
are well aware that Mr. Hoare’s ideas on this point of vegetable phe¬
nomena are in accordance writh a very great majority of vegetable
physiologists, we cannot help thinking that there is some misconception
on this point of vegetative development, which it is necessary should
not remain under any kind of doubt.

It is true that wTe have heretofore alluded to the same subject repeat¬
edly, and in several different publications. In these publications our
own ideas have for the most part been stated hypothetically, and pro¬
bably so obscurely that they have not attracted much notice, except by
those who only gave their opinion by a civil, but at the same time an
ominous negativing shake of the head. At the risk, however, of being
tedious by “ thrumming on the same string,” we venture to return to
the subject, in the hope that some one of those who only shake the
head may be induced or provoked to set the matter at rest for ever.

The passage to which we have alluded stands in Mr. Hoare’s treatise
and runs thus : — “ The leaves attract the sap as soon as it reaches their
vicinity, and by one of the most wonderful jrrocesses that can he con¬
ceived, the result of exquisite organisation, elaborate and prepare it,
and render it fit for the nourishment of all the parts of the plant. The
sap, after being thus prepared, is called the proper juice of the plant.
It then returns downwards betwixt the bark and the alburnum, and in
its descent is distributed laterally to every part of the plant, until it
finally reaches the extremities of the roots. During its descent, a con-

* o *

OX THE LATERAL ACCRETION OF THE

siderable portion of it is expended in the formation of a concentric layer of
woody substance betwixt the bark and the wood on every branch, and
also on the stem, which layer becomes the new alburnum/’ pp. 86, 87.

The gravamen of this passage is neither more or less than that
wood, with all its complicated structure of fibres, cells, and ves¬
sels, is formed by, or generated from, the (t proper juice” of the plant.
On this statement a very natural question arises, viz. How can
this be ?

Before attempting to answer the question, or to examine the state¬
ment to which it refers, it may be as well first of all to describe the
phenomena of the growth of the new alburnum, as it appears to the
eye during the summer months.

In early spring the new alburnum is scarcely discernible, having
neither appreciable consistence nor apparent organisation ; but as the
season and growth advance, it becomes conspicuously visible, and per¬
fectly distinct as well from the liber on its exterior, as from the last
year’s alburnum on its interior side. It separates these two members,
the former being raised off from the latter by the incipient alburnum,
which is of a viscous consistence, and is then called cambium by
botanists.

Soon after midsummer the new membrane begins to show, when
examined by a magnifying glass, faint signs of organisation. The lon¬
gitudinal fibrous tissue, and sap or air vessels which lie in the same
direction, together with the horizontal lying cells among which the
fibrous and vascular apparatus are embedded, begin to be visible ; and in
a month or six weeks following, the new alburnum is complete as to the
formation of its parts, and continues hardening into timber in the
course of the autumn. Before the new layer of alburnum ceases to
grow, its exterior surface is sloughed off, to form the new liber or inner
bark, which ever after remains distinct.

In order to observe this process, a smooth-barked, free-growing tree
must be chosen. Into and through the bark of this, weekly or monthly
incisions must be made, to expose the growing alburnum, and to watch
its changes from a state of colourless lymph up to perfect wood ; or, by
observing how a wound made in pruning is gradually covered by this
same membrane, a goodidea may be formed of its progressive increase
and change from its first to its last condition.

This description of the summer growth of the alburnum has been
verified by so many eminent naturalists, and, moreover, is so obviously
evident to every one who attends to the accretion of a laying tree, or
looks at a transverse section of a branch or stem after it is felled, must

STEMS OF SHRUBS AND TREES.

he convinced of the truth of the above description of the manner of its
annual growth.

There is, in fact, no difference of opinion respecting the manner of
the growth; but there are many conflicting opinions as to the origin of
the new alburnum. While one insists that it is dilatation of the former
year’s alburnum, another as confidently asserts that it springs from the
liber. A few declare that it is formed by a tissue of fibres which
descend from every bud on the branched head ; while all these notions
are considered untenable by another and very influential class of physi¬
ologists, who maintain that the new concentric layer of alburnum, as
well as all the other parts of the tree, are formed of the elaborated or
proper juice. To this class the ingenious as well as the ingenuous
Mr. Hoare seems to belong ; and however perfectly natural it was for
that gentleman to apply to one of the very first authorities fcr the
tenets of his physiological creed, we are far better pleased with the
relation of what he himself has observed as the immediate cause of
well-ripened wood being covered with plump and fruitful buds, viz.
solar light and heat, and full air, than attributing the same effects to
inspissated sap absorbed in its passage down to the roots.

But another difficulty occurs : if we can believe and declare that the
elaborated sap is organisable,” and. that timber, flowers, and fruit
can be formed of it, we are in the same breath affirming that an organ¬
ised body can be formed out of a pure homogeneous jluid — a pheno¬
menon which we verily believe has never yet been manifested among
the most wonderful mutations of nature.

We see the sap of plants in all the forms of pure water, mucus, gum,
and resin ; the latter so concreted and hard as to resist the action of
edge-tools : but never in any state, whether within or out of the tree,
is ever any sign of organisation apparent ; nor are there any of what
may be called the materials of organisation present, namely, detached
fibres, cells, or vesicles floating or otherwise contained in the mass,
which, by the general law of attraction, might by possibility be brought
into orderly contact, and compose a living being.

No ; to have a rational idea of the origin of either wood, or flowers,
or of fruit, we humbly conceive that we must descend to the common
origin or rudiment of all vegetation, and all its parts. And what do we
learn by such investigation? We see a pre-existing embryo, whence
arises all subsequent expansion and development. From a seed a
perfect plant springs up, which, when it has acquired a certain bulk,
exhibits sue essively all the parts of which it is composed. These
parts are at first so minute, that they are invisible to the naked eye.

6 ON THE LATERAL ACCRETION OF THE STEMS OF SHRUBS, &c.

being colourless 3 but by careful dissection and optical assistance, they
may be detected ; and their identity only disappears when the strongest
magnifying microscopes fail. We can detect the plumula and radicle
in the smallest seed ; we can observe the incipient shoot, with its leaves
and flowers, depressed into the small compass of a bud, whence they
are developed in time ; but their identity is as certain and appreciable
while in the seed or bud, as they are after they are elongated to three
or four feet in length.

If, then, every exterior part of the plant has rudimental existence
before expansion, why should we not conclude that the internal annual
accretion of the alburnum has a similar origin ?

The only argument which can be brought against this hypothesis is,
the inconspicuousness of the incipient alburnum during winter. Then,
indeed, its identity is rather to be conceived than perceived, being only
a thin coating of glairy matter, covering the outer side of the former
summer’s alburnum, and within the liber. But as there are many
other vegetable productions which are equally inconspicuous in winter,
and yet arrive at considerable bulk in summer, this argument has no
force. That it exists, and is quickly active in early spring, is obvious
from the success of grafting at that season. It is this that forms the
living cement which unites the graft with the stock, and in summer
is that plastic membrane which receives the inserted bud in its
embrace.

Taking all these circumstances into consideration, we can come to
no other conclusion, than that the alburnum is generated from a pre¬
existing membrane, and cannot be formed from any accumulation or
mutability of the sap. That the sap is compounded of different
qualities incident to the plant ; that it is transfusible throughout the
system ; that it fills, distends, and, in many cases, consolidates the
ligneous frame, are all self-evident facts, which need not be further
insisted on. -

It only remains to add, that we earnestly recommend this subject to
the consideration of our readers ; and should any of them see cause for
objection to any part of the above statement, we shall feel obliged by
any remarks they may be pleased to hand to us. And should our
observations meet the eye of Mr. Hoare, whose name we have made
free with, and he have any corrections to present, we should feel
extremely happy to attend to anything falling from that gentleman’s
pen. —Ed.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

LETTER VII.

The walk which runs parallel to the bottom w'all of the kitchen-
garden, cutting off the melon-ground therefrom, is continued through
to the pleasure-ground on each side. The garden may thus be entered
by company without passing through the courts of offices, which are
always to be avoided if possible. The stables may be visited by the
same route, if desirable.

That you may have a clearer idea of the disposition of the kitchen-
garden, & c., I have sketched an outline of the boundaries, walls, and
walks, which will render my descriptions at once more brief and
explicit.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

The melon -ground, you see, is separated from the kitchen-garden by
what is called the south border walk, and a narrower border behind a
neatly- clipped evergreen privet-hedge, which forms the north or back
boundary of the melon-ground. The hedge is about seven feet high,
and serves as a sufficient and necessary screen to the dung and litter
often necessarily lying about in such a place. The situation of the
melon-ground, as has already been alluded to, is particularly con¬
venient, as being near the stables, and also near the cart inlet from
the park, by which leaves, mould, tanners’ bark, or anything else, may
be laid down for the purposes of the gardener. The wall against the
stable-yard supports a range of open sheds, in which mushroom-beds
are made, or compost or bark is laid to be kept dry. The vacant parts
of these sheds are also convenient for holding hotbed lights not in
use, dower-pots, mats, and various implements required on the
spot.

The pine-pits and cucumber and melon-frames are placed in one,
and occasionally in two ranks, parallel with the hedge, and about twelve
feet distant therefrom. The frames for forcing culinary vegetables,
strawberries, &c., also range with the others, so that the whole has a
neat and orderly appearance. Wide-paved trenches are made in the
ground for the reception of the earliest crops of cucumbers and melons,
the beds being made within pigeon-holed walls, with two-feet spaces
all round for the reception of linings when necfessary.

Cucumbers are never forced early, because there is generally a winter
supply for the table obtained from plants grown in boxes against the
back wall of the pinery. The gardener makes what he calls “ a seed-
bed” about Christmas, to raise plants to be put out at two or three
different times in the course of the spring. His earliest frame is one
foot narrower than the common size, and the lights for this are glazed
in lead. The compost he uses is one-third fresh light loam, one-third
leaf-mould, and the other third of dry well-decomposed dung. He
forces chiefly by linings, and is particularly careful to keep up a brisk
moist heat, always allowing as much fresh air as possible. His supply
of fruit begins about the end of March, and continues till after
midsummer.

From nine to twelve lights of melons is the usual quota cultivated.
For these the beds are very substantial, the frames large, and the com¬
post strong loam, highly enriched with dung. These beds begin to
yield about the first of June. Besides these common hotbed produc¬
tions, many articles are raised on dung-heat ; as asparagus, potatoes,
carrots, cabbage-lettuce for stewing, radishes, and all other salad plants.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

Strawberries are also extensively raised in hotbeds,, and in great per¬
fection. The gardener bestows much attention on the preparation of
the dung intended for hotbeds ; it is repeatedly turned, mixed, and
moistened, if necessary, until the whole mass is of one uniform state,
and free from all rankness of scent, and chance of violent heat, which
it might evolve after being put together in a bed. This preparation
is either made in the dung-hole of the stable-yard, or brought within
the melon -ground by the gate which forms the communication
between.

The melon-ground is well sheltered, which is a great advantage ;
and though it has not the earliest sunshine, in consequence of the trees
to the eastward of it, still the beds receive the sun’s rays as early in the
morning as they may be safely uncovered.

I asked the gardener whether he did not think the whole range of
framing could be heated by hot water ? He answered that, though he
had had no experience of the hot-water system, yet, from what he had
seen and heard of it in the neighbourhood, he was convinced that a
range of hotbeds could be worked by a properly-constructed hotbed
apparatus, as well as any other forcing-house, A central boiler of
sufficient capacity, with mains leading right and left, with branches
furnished with stopcocks, and laid to traverse under and round each
division of the range, is quite practicable, and, no doubt, would answer
well. The most difficult part of the plan would be in forming a suit¬
able table or platform to contain the bed of soil in which the plants are
intended to grow, and which would be sufficiently permeable to heat
and vapour, so necessary to the healthy and quick growth of the plants.
But this difficulty, he thought, might be easily overcome by stout
bearers, iron-grating, and long littery dung, to support the bed of earth.
Beneath this there would be a vacant space, in which the branch-
pipe should traverse to and fro, before being led into the returning
main.

Such a scheme as this would be particularly suitable where stable-
dung or other fermenting material was scarce, and fuel plentiful ; and
it would certainly save much labour in the ordinary processes of hot¬
bed management, besides being less liable to those accidents which
often, under the greatest care, assail the sensitive inmates of a duno*
hotbed.

Mushrooms are raised upon beds made under the shed against the
wall of the stable-yard, and in the usual manner. A first bed is made
in September, and a second in about three months afterward. The
dung of which these beds are made is particularly well prepared pre¬
vious to its being put into form ; it is rather dry than otherwise when

roL. v.— no. LV.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

used, as a moderate steady temperature is requisite. The bed is very
firmly beaten together when made ; and when the lower part is about
milk- warm, nodules of spawn are inserted just within the surface of
the bed, pressing the dung closely over them. In a week afterwards
the lower part may be earthed ; and when the heat of the top is suf¬
ficiently abated, that also is spawned; and soon after the whole is
covered with about an inch and a half of good fresh loam from a pas¬
ture, and of such a temperament as to moisture, that it may be patted
compactly together without kneading. A mushroom-bed so made
requires attention to maintain a regular heat, which is done by the
quantity of covering employed. If rather above new-milk heat, a very
thin covering will suffice ; but if lower, a thicker coat of both dry straw
and mats may be required. Success depends entirely on the right state
of the dung, the critical moment of putting in the spawn, and the
subsequent equable degree of warmth kept up by means of thick or
thin coverings.

I am afraid I have detained you too long in the melon-ground with
dry practical matters : but let us proceed into the garden. Before
entering it, allow me to say something of the south wall and border.
The wall is about eleven feet high, which is quite high enough for
properly-trained trees, and for the size of the garden. Trees of a
dwarfish, or rather of a dwarfed habit, are invariably more fruitful on
walls than very vigorous growers ; and if the whole height be not
covered, it is only so much good costly brick-work thrown away.
Some sorts of fruit-trees, indeed, such as pears, vines, or cherries, will
in time clothe a much higher wall ; but the extra quantity of fruit
gained from large trees never makes up for the trouble of training, and
pruning, and gathering the crop. High walls are considered service¬
able as yielding shelter and warmth to the interior of a garden. This
is partly true, but only to trees on the leeward side ; and for culinary
vegetables highly walled-in, they actually suffer for want of venti¬
lation.

The south wall just mentioned is covered with the different varieties
of the apricot from end to end, great quantities of this fruit, in one
shape or other, being required for the use of the family. The trees are
chiefly what are called half-standards : that is, the proper stocks are
budded at the height of five feet from the ground, and the trees for
ever after present a clear stem of that height before branches diverge.
The latter are trained in all directions from the point of divergence —
downwards, horizontally, obliquely, and erect. The first and second
positions, I am told, are the most fruitful, and the last the least. This
difference is easily accounted for ; — the current of the sap is most

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

impetuous vertically, and hence the centre of the tree is filled with
strong barren shoots ; whereas those branches which are led away from
the perpendicular, having a more moderate growth, are consequently
more fruitful. The length of clear stem up which the rising sap must
flow, is also considered inductive of a slower motion of the current ;
and hence a diminished quantity is received into the branches, causing
also additional fertility.

The wall is pretty well covered with these trees ; and when the
flowers are defended from frost by small twigs of yew or silver fir,
generally yield great crops of green thinnings for baking, and ripe for
the table, jam, and preserves.

The border is but lightly cropped. The earliest transplanted peas
are always raised close under the wall, and the open part of the border
is cropped first with radish, lettuce, and other salad plants, and after¬
ward with dwarf kidney-beans.

The principal entrance into the garden is by an old-fashioned iron
gate at the bottom, from whence the first view of the whole is very
imposing. The middle walk, as well as the general surface of the
garden, is regularly, though gently, acclivous ; and all the longitudinal
lines of walls, walks, and espalier rails, being perspectively converging
to the centre of the vinery, presents such an orderly display of regu¬
larity as cannot fail to gratify the eye, while it exhibits the beauty of
order. In this picture the hot-houses are the principal object, and are
seen to great advantage from the iron gate. The upper windows of the
gardener’s house are just seen over the vinery, and its hipped roof forms
a fine apex to the whole range of glass. Add to this the fine back¬
ground of lofty trees, which on all sides appear to embrace, without
shading, and shelter, without suppressing, the garden from every wind
that blows.

As the garden is neither on the highest nor on the lowest part of the
sloping ridge on which the house and all its accompaniments are placed,
the situation is well chosen. Had it been on the summit, it would
have been too much exposed to the fury of winds from all quarters ;
and had it been placed in a low and dank valley, colder air and sharper
frost would have often cut off or retarded the tender firstlings of the
year. As the coldest air always slides down a declivous surface, the
lowest situations are consequently constantly the coldest ; even the
lower end of the garden I am describing is always more chilly than
the upper end ; and were it not that the palisade gate at the bottom
allows the fleece of cold air to escape out, it would be much more and
injuriously so. Whether an open-work gate was preferred for this
station, as an outlet for frosty air, is uncertain ; but it is a lucky inci-

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

dent, and is well worth imitation in the arrangement of all kitchen-*
gardens occupying the side of a hill.

The borders, both within and on the outside of the wall, are eleven
feet wide, to correspond with the height of the wall, which is a kind
of general rule in laying out gardens. The walks are all five feet wide,
except the middle and the upper cross ones, which are six. On the
interior sides of the side and end walks, and on each side of the middle
and cross walks, there are borders four feet wide, edged with box next
the gravel, and with espalier rails within.

The espalier rails, as they are called, are of the simplest construc¬
tion, being nothing else than a rank of six-feet stakes, selected for the
purpose by the woodman when felling underwood. These, after being
trimmed, pointed, and charred at bottom, are driven, by line, one foot
two inches into the ground, and connected at top by a narrow ledge, or
fillet of soft tough wood, by nails driven into each stake. Only per¬
fectly straight and smooth stakes are used ; they are rather more than
an inch in diameter, and when correctly driven and headed by the fillet,
really look very light and neat. The fruit-trees, consisting of pear,
apple, plum, and cherry, are planted on the side next the walk, and
are mostly trained with one or two upright stems, with horizontal
branches fastened to the stakes by 'willow twigs, or any kind of durable
string.

Paths surround the quarters within the espaliers, and are separated
from the ground appropriated to common vegetables by edgings of
parsley, strawberries, or some other low-growing plant.

In the centre of the garden there is a basin of water, supplied from
the general pipe -which conveys the same from a spring on the hill
above, serving in its course the little lake in the pleasure-ground, the
gardener’s house and liot-houses, the basin just mentioned, a trough in
the melon-ground, all the offices, and the mansion-house itself.

The walls of the garden are planted on both sides with fruit-trees of
ail the common sorts for which wall treatment is necessary. *The south
aspect, at the ends of the hot-houses, is covered with six of the best
sorts of peaches and nectarines : of the former, four dwarfs, and of the
latter, two riders between the dwarfs, to cover the upper part of the
wall. On the borders in front, and about six feet from the wall, are
planted a rank of fig-trees, six on each side, pruned in the bush form,
and kept pretty low. The roots of these trees are well mulched in
summer, and covered in winter, and their branches have a temporary
covering of mats in severe frost. With such care bestowed, they gene¬
rally bear plentifully.

The west aspects are appropriated to peach, nectarine, fig, and a few

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

apricot trees ; the east aspects bear plums, cherries, and French pears ;
and the north exposures are chiefly covered with morello cherry-trees,
with currants in the intervals.

There are many different styles of training practised in this garden ;
most of the trees on the walls are trained in the fan manner, the prin¬
cipal leaders being at good distances apart, and the intervals kept
moderately filled with young wood. Such as bear their fruit on the
last year’s shoots, as the peach and morello cherry, are trained in right
lines, in all directions from the top of the stem, whether they be dwarfs,
half-standards, or riders. Pears, plums, and several sorts of cherries,
bear their fruit on what are called spurs, as well as on young shoots of
one or two years’ growth ; and therefore the trees are allowed to divide
themselves into a certain number of principal branches, trained first
obliquely, and afterwards horizontally along the wall, in order that they
may not too soon surmount it, and so require to be cut back. When a
tree has acquired a good size, or has covered the space allotted to it,
much skill is required to keep it stationary, and at the same time
fruitful. This can only be done by 'preventing a summer growth of
useless breast-wood, rubbing off every misplaced, redundant, or useless
bud in the months of May and June, which threatens to come forth
only to induce an unnecessary energy in the roots, and divert the sap
from the fruitful parts of the tree. 'A few only of those summer-
shoots are preserved, and laid in close to the wall, but stopped about
midsummer. By these manipulations the trees are kept in a moderate
state of healthy growth and consequent fruitfulness. This rule of
fruit-tree culture is always everywhere bestowed on peach and necta¬
rine trees, but seldom on inferior fruits, though equally applicable to,
and as necessary for them : indeed all trained trees require this atten¬
tion, because they are ever endeavouring to regain their natural forms
by the production of strong shoots on and in the near neighbourhood of
the stem. To prevent such growth requires constant vigilance, for it
serves no good purpose to prune them off after they are produced, as is
too frequently the custom.

The espalier trees are almost all trained with one upright stem, with
lateral branches about a foot apart, trained horizontally. This form of
training is adopted for its neat symmetrical appearance and suitableness
for espaliers. The trees, however, are very subject to " run riot” in
the summer months, and be disfigured by a multiplicity of barren
shoots, if they be allowed to come forth. I shall next lead you into
the hot-houses, but, for the present, adieu.

A. B.

REVIEW OF BOOKS.

A Practical Treatise on the Cultivation of the Grape Vine on open
Walls. By Clement Hoare.

Having been particularly called on to give our opinion of this work
(page 4J1? Vol. IV.), we procured a copy, and have perused it with
attention. We had conceived a high opinion of the work from the
commendatory terms in which we had heard it spoken of by competent
judges ; and we are happy to avow that, on turning it over, we have
felt no cause to alter our previously formed opinion.

The book opens with a brief history of the vine, and of its intro¬
duction into Britain, and shows how extensively it was cultivated
in early times, compared with what it is now. This neglect of
the vine the author seems to consider as a national misfortune ; but the
very circumstance is presumptive proof that, as a national or com¬
mercial concern, vine-growing and wine-making never were profitable
concerns in this country. Wine was never considered a necessary of
life for the labouring classes ; they required copious draughts of liquor
of a more invigorating and substantial character than even the best
wine, doled out in tiny modicums by the hand of prudence, or that a
regard for sobriety could allow to be partaken of by the thirsty and
fatigued labourer ; besides, a few fleeces of British wool would com¬
mand as much of the richest continental wine as ever was required for
medicinal or festive purposes, without either the labour of growing the
fruit, or the expense of manufacturing the wine at home. Add to this
the fact that the finest fruit is never used as an article of diet in this
country, as it is in warmer latitudes ; and therefore grapes were never
valued but as a luxury in England : and hence the neglect of the vine
as a profitable plant. There is yet another circumstance which may
have operated to discourage the cultivation of the tree, namely, the
rule of political economy which enjoins to “grow necessaries and
import luxuries ; ” a rule which has been observed by our legislative
government respecting several other articles besides that of wine —
tobacco, for instance.

Mr. Hoare, it seems, is not a professional gardener ; but, neverthe¬
less, he has, by much well - directed observation, acquired a most
respectable stock of the best ideas of practical gardening respecting the
culture of the vine. He appears to have read much, though not every¬
thing, that has been written on the subject, otherwise he would have
known that his principles have been long and steadily acted on by all
the first-rate professors of the art. Notwithstanding this, in strict

REVIEW OF BOOKS.

justice we willingly confess that we have never met with a treatise in
which the open-wall culture of the grape vine has been described with
more accuracy, or which contains more sound practical knowledge.
Indeed the book is written with much more didactic precision than
those written by professional gardeners ; because, perhaps, the latter
write for those who are supposed to know somewhat of the matter,
whereas the former addresses himself to those whom he considers entirely
ignorant of the subject.

Like every gardener who knows his business, Mr. H. propagates his
trees by layers in pots or cuttings ; he transplants at the proper season,
and in the most proper manner ; he forms his vine-borders according
to the best and oldest established rules, compounding the most suitable
materials, affording enriching substances which yield a steady and per¬
manent supply, allowing only a moderately deep but extensive hori¬
zontal range for the roots, and applies dry or liquid top-dressings in
the most judicious manner. He moreover pays particular attention to
gain a large volume of effective roots, before allowing his young trees
to exhaust themselves by premature fruitfulness ; and this attention is
constantly bestowed in every stage of the life of the tree. That which
an experienced pruner judges of by a previous knowledge of the state
of a vine, and by ocular demonstration of its capability to bear fruit, our
author has, by dint of persevering attention, ingeniously taught himself
to determine with precision — the capability to bear of every individual
tree under his care; and this is by a very simple test, namely, taking
the girth of the stem close to the ground. For his manner of ascer¬
taining this, we must refer our readers to the book itself, as we think it
hardly fair to transcribe what we consider a very valuable feature of
the little volume. Fixing on the diametric bulk of the main stem as
a mark of the extent and powers of the root to nourish prolific shoots,
and mature a proportionate quantity of fruit, we consider the verv
best criterion which could be selected, to enable the pruner to judge of
the number and lengths of the shoots whence the next summer’s crop
is expected.

But what we consider by far the most valuable part of the book, and
for which its author deserves the thanks of the public, is his adoption
of the alternate long-shoot mode of training, so long and so success¬
fully practised in hot-houses, for vines on walls in the open air. It
teaches every labourer to prune his vine as he prunes his raspberry
plants. The established root of the latter annually throws up a birth
of young shoots, while those of the preceding year are yielding fruit.
When this is gathered, the shoots which bore it are all cut away, and
at the same time as many of the new shoots are selected and preserved

REVIEW OF BOOKS,

as the primer thinks the roots and the healthy amplitude of the shoots
promise to yield a fair crop. The only difference in the procedure is,
that, while the raspberry produces its new shoots directly from the
crown of the roots, the vine must be trained at first with arms turned
right and left close to the ground, to form a base whence all the future
shoots arise, replacing each other in alternate succession. The num¬
bers of the bearing-shoots are two, four, or six, according to the known
power of the root, or the thickness of the main stem, which always
guide the manager both as to the number of the shoots, and also of the
number of the promising buds on each ; for, respecting the latter,
Mr. H. is quite cognisant of the old custom of thinning out redundant
buds, as well as unnecessary shoots.

Mr. H. expresses surprise that this simple method of treating the
vine, which he admits is commonly practised in liot-houses, has not been
adopted for those on open walls. We will not be certain, (not having
the books at hand to refer to,) but we think both Forsyth and Aber¬
crombie advised this mode of training the vine in the open air, or at
least a very similar modification of it. But the fact is, grapes pro¬
duced in the open air of this climate were never held in much estima¬
tion at the tables of the opulent, and therefore were never an object of
special regard in superior gardening. Continental travellers assert that
they never meet with a thoroughly ripened grape from off the open
walls in English gardens ; but, under the management of Mr. H., his
grapes are not only perfectly ripened, but highly flavoured, and, more¬
over, arrive at such a size as is but seldom seen in our best-constructed
vineries. This is an advance indeed, and one of the most valuable
discoveries of the present time.

We are quite aware that by the concentration of the vegetative
powers of a healthy plant, any limited number of its parts will be
greatly, if not monstrously enlarged ; and that if a large system of
roots be permitted to produce only a few shoots, instead of a great
number, the few will be correspondingly amplified in circumferential
bulk, in size of foliage, as well as in size of fruit. By these means it
is quite probable that, in connection with Mr. Hoare’s incessant and
superior manner of summer manipulations, his fruit may arrive at the
extraordinary size and perfection which he states them to do under the
care he bestows.

While we highly approve of the principles on which our author has
founded his practice as a vine-dresser, we deem it only applicable, in
a limited degree, for a private family. Eight or ten trees managed as
Mr. H. directs, would be as many as could be conveniently attended
to, and would yield as much fruit as could be used while in season.

REVIEW OF BOOKS.

For wine-making, or on the premises of a market-gardener, trees may
be put in in any number, and walls covered to any extent ; and for
either the purpose or the profit, no better practice could be adopted.
But the weekly, we may say the daily attendance and labour required
by a long vine- wall, with the shoots trained either upright, horizontally,
or serpentining, would be a serious drawback on the value of the crop.
Training the leaders, stopping the laterals, pinching off tendrils, thin¬
ning the bunches, and regulating the foliage so as to obtain the requi¬
site degree of shade as well as solar influence, would be an Herculean
task, to be performed by the enthusiasm of an amateur, perhaps, but
could hardly be imposed as part of the daily duty of a private gardener,
without extraordinary assistance.

We can hardly find words to express how highly we approve of
every practical rule laid down by Mr. H, relative to the wall-culture
of the vine ; they are all excellent, and conformable with the best
practice of experienced men. What he has advanced concerning the
formation of alburnum, the generation of fruit-beds, and the elabo¬
ration of the sap, all being invisible processes, is not, perhaps, so con¬
vincing. But as these are, we venture to say, borrowed ideas, (and
from the highest authorities too,) they do not, nor should not lie at the
author’s door and moreover, right or wrong, as they do not affect in
any way his practical directions, the}7- cannot be considered as any
blemish on the face of his very excellent treatise.

We may add in conclusion, that though the book be professedly
written for the open air vine-grower, cottagers, and suburban house¬
holders, we are most certain that it will be a welcome treat even
to every first-rate horticulturalist ; for unless a practical man be
thoroughly acquainted with the principles of vine-culture, as set forth
in the volume, he cannot by possibility be competent to cultivate vines
under glass.

The book contains only 164 pages, and is divided into fifteen sections
or chapters, viz. Introduction — Observations on the present method of
cultivating Grape-Vines on open walls — On the Capability and Extent
of the Fruit-bearing Powers of the Vine — On Aspect— On Soil — On
Manure — On the Construction of Walls— On the Propagation of
Vines — On the pruning of Vines— On the training of Vines — On the
Management of a Vine during the first five Years of its growth — -
Weekly calendarial Register — General autumnal Pruning— On the
Winter Management of the Vine— A descriptive Catalogue of twelve
sorts of Grapes most suitably adapted for Culture on the open wall.

In this list Mr. Hoare includes the Frontignacs, the Black Prince,

VOL. V. - NO. LV.

REVIEW OF BOOKS.

and Black Muscadine ; sorts which are often imperfectly ripened even
under glass.

Introduction to the Science of Botany, illustrated on an
entirely new Principle , by a Series of highly -finished Delineations of
Plants coloured to represent Nature ; including characteristic Details
of the Physiology, Uses , and Classification of the Vegetable Kingdom.
By Chas. F. Partington, author of various Scientific Works, and editor
of the “ British Cyclopaedia,” See.

The book and its accompanying illustrations are tastefully got up,
and intended for the lecture-room. The figures are on strong paste¬
board, each provided with a stand for placing on a table, and intended
to be seen from a distance. Linneean botany is the theme, and the dry¬
ness of its systematic details is relieved by pleasing narration and
interesting observations. For private reference in the family drawing¬
room, the elegant book, ornamental case, and fourteen coloured delinea¬
tions, will be a most suitable applique ; and for provincial lecture, or
reading-rooms, the whole will be found eminently useful.

We append a few sentences from the beginning of the first lecture,
as a specimen of the style in which the book is written.

“ A scientific acquaintance with the vegetable kingdom now forms
an essential portion of human knowledge ; and systematic botany,
which, even in the last century, was little more than a dry detail of
abstruse terms, without either instruction for the student, or interest
to the general admirer of this beautiful portion of natural history, has
now become a most delightful subject of scientific research. In the
present day we do not, as in the olden time, merely catalogue the
names of plants that surround us, but the botanist becomes acquainted
with their attributes and properties ; neither is the study of the vege¬
table kingdom an isolated science, as it forms a part of the philosophy
of the universe ; and we see the hand of creative goodness as clearly in
the wonderful organisation of the humblest lichen, as in the towering
luxuriance of the cedar which o’ershadoweth the mountain.

Some writers have affirmed that botany is valuable only to the natu-

« »

ralist ; but a very brief examination of the science will serve to show
that the data on which it is founded should be taught among the first
principles of utilitarian knowledge, as there is scarcely a plant on the
face of the earth that may not, in some measure, be made available in
supplying the wants of man.”

The Agricultural and Horticultural Annual for 1836;
or Annual Register of the most important Discoveries and Improve¬
ments in Farming , Gardening , and Floriculture , with practical

REVIEW OF BOOKS.

Details , fyc. By Baxter and Son, Lewes, Sussex, authors of the

Library of Agricultural and Horticultural Knowledge,” &c.

While so many new books, under the name of Annuals, are every
year brought forth at this season, it is not at all to be wondered at that
the Messrs. Baxter should conceive that a volume of a more useful
character would be acceptable to the public. While the others are
chief y devoted to mental amusement and refined sentimentality, the
book before us aims at something more valuable, namely, the practical
knowledge of the kindred arts of farming and gardening. It has no
pretensions to originality ; the essays which it contains are selected
from the best modern publications, and with very good discrimination.
The idea of making the book a register of the discoveries and improve¬
ments of the past year, is also good, and particularly to those who are
not general readers.

The embellishments to the volume are two specimens of Mr. G.
Baxter’s new-invented branch of art in “ printing in oil colours,” which
are very beautiful, and a good proof that this species of graphic art will
be highly useful for publications in which landscapes, animals, or plants
require to be represented.

It appears that Messrs. Baxter contemplate continuing this descrip¬
tion of annual ; and if so, we would wish to see it less bulky, and with
as many illustrations of the best breeds of cattle as can be afforded at
the price ; and, we presume, if got up for the farmer’s parlour, rather
than for the landlord’s drawing-room, it would have a more extensive
sale.

British Flowering Plants, with the scientific and English
Names , Linncean Class and Order , natural Order , generic and spe-
cfic Characters, References to the most popular Botanical Works,
Localities, Time of Flowering, Descriptions of the Plants, and Dis¬
sections showing' the essential Characters. By W. Baxter, A.L.S.,
F. H.S., &c., curator of the Oxford Botanic Garden, and author of
iC Stirpes Cryptogam se Oxoniensis.”

This is an excellent little work for any one wishing to become
acquainted with English Botany. A coloured figure of every genus,
with accurately drawn dissections, magnified, if necessary, are given on
each plate. The descriptions are full, as well as clear, and so plain,
that he “ who runs may read.”

Although the work, when complete, will not be “ a cumbrous tome,"
it requires no small labour in compiling and arranging, because the
author gives all the best authorities, as 'well as synonymes and localities,
most useful adjuncts to such a work. To young gardeners we can

PLANTS FIGURED IN BOTANICAL PERIODICALS.

recommend it as well worthy their attention, as it is a descriptive list
which every beginner may peculiarly make his own, by “ ticking off”
every plant he meets with in his walks.

NOTICES OF PLANTS FIGURED AND DESCRIBED IN THE FOLLOWING

BOTANICAL PERIODICALS, VIZ.

PiOWARDs’ Botanical Register for December, 1835, continued
by Dr. Lindley.

1. Elichry sum bicolor. Two-coloured Elichrysum. “ A beautiful
new hardy annual, introduced by Mr. Low, of the Clapton Nursery.”
It is a native of Van Diemen’s Land, and very much resembles some
of the Gnaphaliums, with which genus the Elichrysums were formerly
united.

2. Macradenia triandra. Triandrous Long-gland. An orchideous
plant, a native of Surinam. The foliage and manner of flowering are
much like many others of this curious order of plants, and require
similar culture, in a warm moist stove.

3. Coccoloba virens. Green sea-side Grape. A hot-house plant,
which flowered in the hot-house of Sir Abraham Hume, at Wormley-
bury, two years ago. The foliage is handsome, and the flowers are
borne on racemes, like those of the berberry.

4. Oxalis Piottce. Piotta’s Oxalis. A beautiful little frame peren¬
nial, and very attractive when grown in a pot, the surface of which it
covers. It is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, whence it was
obtained by Mrs. Marryat, through Italy. It is at present possessed
only by that lady and a few of her friends.

5. Ochranthe arguta. Five-toothed Pale-bloom. A native of
China, which flowered in the Horticultural Garden in March, 1826.
The plant died soon afterward, and has not since been re-introduced.
Dr. Lindley is “uncertain to which order in the natural system it
belongs, but for the present has placed it in Hypericacere anomalce.

6. Rhododendron pulcherrimum. Lovely Rhododendron. A garden
variety, obtained by Mr. Waterer, of Knaphill, between R. arbor eum
and caucasicum. There is another variety, called R. Nobleanum, very
like the above in all respects, except that its flowers are of a brilliant
rose-colour. r< Both are amongst the handsomest hardy shrubs in
cultivation.

PLANTS FIGURED IN BOTANICAL PERIODICALS.

7- Galcitella punctata. Dotted Galatella. A hardy herbaceous
plant, belonging to Composites. It is a native of Europe, and grows
well in our shady borders, forming a thick bush about two feet high.

8. Eulophia lurida. Lurid Eulophia. Another orchideous curi¬
osity, which Dr. Lindley says is one of the easiest of cultivation of
the whole exotic tribe of the genus. It is found growing on trees at
Sierra Leone, and grows freely in a moist stove, if placed on a rough
stone.

Sweet’s British Flower-Garden for December, 1835, con¬
tinued by D. Don, Esq.

1. Silene regia. Scarlet Catchfly. A very showy plant, belonging
to the natural order Carijophylleoe. This plant was discovered by Mr.
Nuttall, who regards it as the most splendid of the genus. It is a
hardy perennial, thriving in a moor-earth and loamy soil, but rarely
ripens seed in this country.

2. Lupinus bimaculatus. Twin-spotted Lupine. A very pretty
perennial Lupine, from Texas, in Mexico, where it was discovered and
sent to this country by Mr. T. Drummond. This species is well dis¬
tinguished by its cylindrical woolly pods, and, like its congeners, well
deserves a place in every flower-garden.

3. Calliopsis Drummondii. Drummond’s Calliopsis. A beautiful
North American annual, possessing all the striking character of its ally,
the C. bicolor, (formerly Coreopsis tinctorial) but from which it is
specifically very distinct.

The plates of the three preceding plants are from drawings by a
Miss Mitchell, who promises to excel as a flower painter.

4. Phlox Drummondii. Drummond’s Phlox. This very handsome
herbaceous plant, Mr. Don says, is remarkable as being the only annual
one in the genus, exhibiting by that character, as well as by having the
upper leaves frequently alternate, a near approach to Collomia, which
differs only in its stamens projecting beyond the mouth of the tube. It
is a native of Mexico, discovered there, the seeds collected, and sent
home last spring by the late Mr. T. Drummond. The plant flowered
in Dr. Neill’s collection at Edinburgh, and the plate was engraved
from a drawing by Mr. James Macnab of the same place.

Paxton’s Magazine of Botany for December, 1835, contains—

1. Dendrobium moschatum. Musky Dendrobium. A very splendid-
flowering orchideous plant. The flowers, when fully expanded, mea¬
suring nearly three inches across, and finely variegated in colour.

ON BLIGHTS.

2. Rondeletia speciosa. Handsome Rondeletia. A very ornamental
shrub, native of the West Indies. The dowers grow in showy tufts on
the points of the branches, and are high-coloured.

3. Calliopsis bicolor atvosanguinea. Deep- coloured Calliopsis.
This is a variety having larger dowers and deeper colour than its proto¬
type, and therefore is worthy the notice of the flower-gardener.

These figures and descriptions are followed by a valuable paper on the
construction and various modes of heating hot-houses.

Smith’s Florists’ Magazine for December, 1835, contains —
beautiful figures of the Verbena Lambertii and V. melindres on the
same plate ; also Amaryllis Belladonna , var. pallida ; the Royal Ade¬
laide Dahlia ,* and the Early Blush and Tasselled yellow Chrysanthe¬
mums. They are all beautifully and faithfully drawn and coloured,
and their history and practical directions for their culture given with
each plate, very much enhances the value of the work.

We see by the newspapers that a plant of the Lnculia gratissima is
now in full dower in the conservatory of Messrs. Lueombe, Pince, and
Co., at Exeter. This, a genus named and described by the late Mr.
Sweet, is a native of Nepaul, and one of the most agreeably fragrant
of plants.

MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE.

On Blights.-— There is nothing so destructive to a fruit garden as
blights; nor is there anything in the business of gardening which
requires more of our serious attention and endeavours to guard against.

Blights are often caused by a continued dry easterly wind for
several days together, without the intervention of showers, or any
morning dew, by which the perspiration in the tender blossoms is
stopped, that in a short time their colour is changed, and they wither
and decay; and if it happens, that there is a long continuance of the
same weather, it equally affects the tender leaves, as from the same
cause perspiring matter is thickened and rendered glutinous, which
closely adhering to the surface of the leaves, becomes a proper nutri¬
ment to small insects, which are always found preying upon the tender
branches of fruit and other trees, whenever this blight happens. But
insects are not the first cause of blights, as has been imagined by some
naturalists, though it must be allowed that whenever the insects meet

ON BLIGHTS.

with such food they multiply exceedingly, and are instrumental in
promoting the distemper, so that many times when the season proves
favourable to them, and proper care has not been taken to prevent
their depredations, it is surprising how soon whole walls of trees have
suffered by contagion. The best known remedy for this distemper is,
to take in the spring, just before the buds begin to burst, two pounds
of soft soap, one pound of black sulphur, eight ounces of tobacco, a tea
cup full of urine, three tea spoonsful of oil of turpentine, and one
ounce of nux vomica, to which add four gallons of rain water, boil
them together till about the consistency of paint, to be put on when
about milk warm with a brush, such as is used for painting. If
attacked in the spring or summer, take one pound of black sulphur, one
pound of soft soap, and four ounces of tobacco, to which add four
gallons of rain water, to be put on with a sweeping brush, and used
milk warm ; the garden engine may be used freely over the trees when
the fruit is fairly set, with pure water, as long as is thought necessary,
to clear them if possible from this glutinous matter, so that the respi¬
ration and perspiratiou may not be obstructed ; but whenever the
operation of washing the trees is performed, it should be early in the
day, that the moisture may be exhaled before the coldness of night
comes on, especially if the air be frosty ; nor should it be done when
the sun shines very hot upon the walls, which would be likely to scorch
the tender blossoms.

Another cause of blights in the spring arises from sharp hoar frosts,
which are often succeeded by hot sun-shine in the day time ; this is
the most sudden and certain destroyer of fruit that is known ; as the
chilly air at night hurts the tender parts of the blossoms, and the sun
shining hot upon the walls before the moisture is dried from them,
which being in small globules, collect the rays of the sun, a scalding
heat is thereby acquired, which scorches the tender parts of flowers and
other parts of plants. The method to prevent this mischief is, to
cover the walls with bunting or canvass, fastened so as not to be dis¬
turbed by the wind, and suffered to remain on during the night, but
taken off every day when the weather permits ; although that method
is thought by some to be of little service and may be really prejudicial
if the trees be too long covered, or incautiously exposed, yet when this
covering is used properly, it frequently proves a great protection to
fruit-trees ; and if the covering be fixed near the upper part of a wall,
and be fastened to pullies so as to draw up or let down occasionally,
the operation will be easy and the success will sufficiently repay the
trouble.

ON BLIGHTS.

There is another sort of blight that sometimes happens later in the
spring, in April or May, which is often very destructive to orchards
and plantations, which has hitherto baffled all attempts to prevent it — -
this is called a fire blast, and in a few hours not only destroys the
fruit and leaves, but very often part, and sometimes entire trees ; this
is supposed to be effected by volumes of transparent vapours which
approach so near to a hemisphere in the upper or lower surface, as to
concentrate the rays of the sun so as to scorch the plants or trees ;
against this enemy there is no guard.

Another sort of blight — But that blights are frequently no more
than an inward weakness or distemper in trees, will evidently appear,
if we consider how often it happens that trees against the same wall,
and aspect, and enjoying the advantages of sun and air, with every other
circumstance which might render them equally healthy, are very often
observed to differ greatly in strength and vigour ; indeed, we gene¬
rally find weak trees to be blighted, when vigorous ones in the same
situation escape, which must be in a great measure ascribed to their
unhealthy constitution. This weakness in trees, therefore, proceeds
either from the want of sufficient supplies of nourishment to maintain
them in perfect vigour, or from some ill qualities in the stock, or
distemper of the buds or scions, which they had imbibed from the
parent trees, or from mismanagement in pruning, &c., all which are
productive of distempers in trees, and of which they are with difficulty
cured. Now, if that be occasioned by weakness in the trees, we should
endeavour to trace out the true cause ; first, whether it has been occa¬
sioned by bad pruning, which is often the case ; for, how frequently
do we observe peach trees trained up to the full extent of their
branches every year, so as to be carried to the top of the wall in a few
years after planting ; when, at the same time, the shoots for bearing
have been so weak, as scarcely having strength to produce their flowers,
this being the utmost of their vigour, the blossoms fall off, and many
times the branches decay, either the greater part of their’* length, or
quite down to the place from whence they were produced ; whenever
this happens to be the case it is ascribed to a blight. Others there are
who suffer their trees to grow fast, as they are naturally disposed
during the summer season, without stopping the shoots or disburden¬
ing the trees of luxuriant branches, by which means two, three, or four
shoots will exhaust the greater part of the nourishment of the trees all
the summer, which shoots at the winter pruning are entirely cut out,
so that the strength of the trees is employed only in nourishing useless
branches, and they are thereby rendered so weak as not to be able to

ON BLIGHTS.

preserve themselves ; but should the weakness of the trees proceed
from a fixed distemper it is the better way to remove them at first ;
and after renewing the earth, plant new ones in their places ; for if the
soil be a hot burning gravel or sand in which your peach trees are
planted, you will generally find this to be the case after their roots have
got beyond the earth of your border, for which reason it is much more
advisable to dig them up and plant fresh ones.

At this time we shall merely add some important directions concern¬
ing the proper management of fruit trees. There are many persons who
suppose, that if their trees be kept up to the wall or espalier during the
summer, so as not to hang in disorder, and in winter have a gardener
to prune them, it is sufficient ; but this is a mistake, the greatest care
ought to be employed in the spring, when the trees are in vigorous
growth, which is the only proper season to procure a quantity of good
wood in the different parts of the trees, and to displace all useless
branches as soon as they appear, that the vigour of the trees may supply
such as are designed to remain, which will render them strong, and
more capable of producing good fruit. If all the branches were per¬
mitted to remain, the most vigorous would imbibe the greatest share
of the sap, whilst the rest would be starved, and only produce blossoms
and leaves ; for it is impossible any person (however well skilled in
fruit trees) can reduce them into any tolerable order by winter prun¬
ing only, if they have been wholly neglected in spring. There are
individuals also who do not entirely neglect their trees during summer,
as those before mentioned, but resort to what they call summer pruning,
neglecting them at the proper season, which is in April or May, when
their shoots are produced, and only about midsummer go over them,
nailing in ail their branches, except such as are produced fore-right
from the wall, which they cut out, and at the same time often shorten
most of the other branches. This is an entirely wrong practice, for
those branches which are intended to bear in the succeeding year
should not be shortened during the time of their growth. This
stopping will cause them to produce one or two lateral shoots from the
eye below the place where they were stopped ; these will draw much
of the strength from the buds of the first shoots, whereby they are often
fiat, and do not produce their blossoms ; but if the two lateral shoots
are not entirely cut away at the winter pruning, they will prove inju¬
rious to the trees, as the shoots which thev produce will be what the
French gardeners call water-shoots, and if suffered to remain on the
trees till midsummer, will, as already has been observed, rob the other
branches of their support ; besides, by shading the fruit all the spring,
and when the other branches are fastened to the wall, the fruit, by being
vol. v. — -NO. LV.

26 OBSERVATIONS ON THE PROPOSED GARDENERS’ SOCIETY.

so suddenly exposed,, will receive a very great check, which will cause
their skins to become tough, and render them pulpless.

These remarks apply principally to stone fruit and grapes : pears and
apples being much harder, do not suffer so much.

Your’s very respectfully. Wm. Mathers.

Wanlep, 1835.

[We insert this paper with pleasure, because it contains some very
excellent remarks on the summer management of trained trees ; and
also because it alludes to two or three points about which there are
some doubts, we would recommend to the attention of our readers.
The first point is, whether the attack of insects be the effect or trie cause
of disease? The next point is, how is it that, if the sun’s rays fall on a
frosted plant, the destruction is more extreme than if the plant were
kept shaded by a canvas or bunting covering, or if even thawed off by
water before the sun shines on it ? Another question may be put con¬
cerning the “ jir e-blast” and whether it can possibly be caused by any
accidental combination of vapours floating above the earth ? That con¬
stitutional weakness attracts and favours the depredations of insects,
there is no doubt, and we quite agree with Mr. Mathers, that the cause
of such weakness should be sought out and remedied as he proposes. —
Ed.]

Observations on the proposed Gardeners’ Society. — The
formation of a society for the diffusion of scientific knowledge among
young gardeners, is a topic which several of the young men in this
neighbourhood have for some months past been trying to agitate, and it
gives me great pleasure to see the subject is now on the qui vive in the
literary world. The article in your last number, from the pen of Mr. A.
Walker, is excellent as far as it goes, and it is to be regretted that so com¬
petent an individual did not enter more into the detail of his proposition.

It is a moral disgrace, a kind of general odium on the metropolitan
gardeners, to think that while the tradesmen and mechanics have been
forming their reading societies, debating clubs, mechanics’ institutes, &c.,
&c., the gardeners comparatively have been slumbering. But in their
extenuation, I may be told, there are gardeners’ societies in the vicinity
of London. True! I believe there are two; one at Acton, and the
other at Stamford Hill, or somewhere thereabout ; and I am also
informed that there is a reading society connected with the establish¬
ment of Messrs. Low, at Clapham. And what have these societies
done ? Have they published a report showing the advantages of such
associations ? or have they held out any encouragement for young gar¬
deners to become members ? I fancy not, or it is more than probable I
should have heard of it.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE PROPOSED GARDENERS’ SOCIETY. 27

I have been at the meetings of the Acton Society several times, and,
considering their limited means, and the short time the society has
been formed, they have certainly got a very respectable library. But
the advantages, I am sorry to say, are monopolised by master gar¬
deners; for, as far as is known to me, there is not a single journeyman
gardener connected with the society. But, not to descant too severely
on a society that may be considered as yet “ in the bud,” and which I
believe is the first society of the kind that has ever been formed in the
united kingdom, I shall pass on to state what, in my opinion, ought
to be the great principle of the new society. I deem it essential that
no respect he paid to persons — that gardeners of all denominations ,
from the head gardener to a nobleman , down to the apprentice in a
commercial garden, he at all times admitted, and enjoy the same pri¬
vileges. This will appear a rather radical proposition, but it is the
ce great level” to which all who are desirous for the advancement of
gardeners and gardening must succumb. I also think the society should
be as much as possible a debating one, for it is an appalling fact, that
in argumentative powers gardeners, as a body, are very deficient. It
is not required that we should become regular orators (if we do, all the
better), but it is absolutely necessary that we should be able to express
ourselves on all professional subjects with clearness and precision;
for, observes a recent writer in the “ Gardeners’ Magazine,” In
addition to facility and correctness of expression, it is particularly
advisable that an artist, in whatever department he may be, should
possess a well-grounded and perfect controul over his own temper and
feelings. By this self-command, united with a suavity of manners
and firmness, he may often save his employer from falling into absur¬
dities, and his own works from mutilation. We very well know that
an opinion, when stated with gentleness and in a pleasing manner, does
not appear the same as when arbitrarily advanced, and thrust upon us,
as it were, by force. It is very difficult indeed to withstand truth,
when it is supported by a mild and gentlemanly address. Prejudice
almost always yields to it, and corrected ignorance retires abashed from
the contest. ” And as it must be admitted that there are few pro¬
fessions so exposed to absurd innovations as Horticulture, it becomes
necessary that we should prepare ourselves to meet such exigencies ;
and as such preparations can only be made by acquiring extensive
literary knowledge, I hope we shall not any longer remain indifferent
on the subject, but meet as a body and lay the stepping-stone of a society
worthy of gardening and of the nineteenth century.

28 OBSERVATIONS ON THE PROPOSED GARDENERS’ SOCIETY.

It is to be regretted that much dissension still exists among both
old and young, respecting the advantages and benefits of book
knowledge, some contending that, because there are some things
that cannot be learned from books, we ought to give up books alto¬
gether, while others assert that periodicals have done much injury to
gardening, and that they will ultimately be the ruin of its professors.
Without entering into any formal refutation of such sophistry , I feel
no hesitation in asserting that the present improved state of gardening
is wholly due to the dissemination of knowledge through the press.
Books are the very soul of improvement. “ They enhance prosperity and
alleviate adversity ; they people solitude and charm away occupation.
They, like flowers, equally adorn the humblest cottage or proudest
palace. They can delight without the aid of selfishness, and soothe
without the opiate of vanity ; please when ambition has ceased to
charm, and enrich when fortune has refused to smile.” — It is books that
enable us to—

“ Sit and hold converse with the mighty dead,

Sages of ancient times, as gods revered,

As gods beneficent, that blessed mankind
With arts and arms, and humanised the world.”

In the first Vol. of the Register, p. 677* there is an excellent article
on “ The advantages to be derived from the formation of a Gardeners’
Society,” by R. F., and as I have reason to believe that the same 'writer
will again take the field, I shall not enter into any further detail, but
leave the subject to his superior abilities, and in conclusion, I can only
say that, as far as my humble abilities admit, I shall be most happy to
render every assistance towards the formation and promotion of a
society which has been long wanting, and in whose progress I foresee
a new era in the annals of horticulture ; and I am. Sir, yours very
respectfully, W. P. A.

The Gardens , Chiswick House , December 5th, 1835.

Sir, — For the information of your correspondent, Mr. Walker, or any
other gentleman who may take an interest in such things, I send you a
copy of the rules of a Gardeners’ Society which was established at
Acton, on the 1st of October, 1832. Up to the 7th of September last,
the receipts of the society were 251. 186-. 2d., and its expenditure 2 51.
1060 7 d. The meetings are held at a private house, for which is paid
11. 10s. per annum, the rest of the money, amounting to little short of
20/., has been expended in useful books.

ASHFORD’S BOTANY.

Since tlie commencement of the society, papers have been read at
the meetings by the members on the following subjects : — On the
culture of Cineraria, Mignonette, Primula sinensis, Love Apple,
Chrysanthemums, Grape Vines on the open wall (two papers). Horse¬
radish, Sea Kale, Broccoli (three papers), Geraniums, Figs, Mush¬
rooms, and Peach Trees ; the cultivation of potatoes from seed, and
on the formation and utility of an herbarium.

By a by-law passed in August, 1835, every member is bound to read
a paper to the Society, in his turn, at the monthly meetings.

Any further information that you or any of your correspondents may
require, shall be cheerfully furnished at any time by. Sir, your obedient
servant, Joseph Stapleton, Hon. Sec.

Acton, December 12 th, 1835.

Sir,— You will oblige me much by inserting the following short
remarks in your Register.

I have been much disappointed in my expectations, having hoped to
see F. F. Ashford continue his system of botany, which was very
instructive to many young persons whom I have the pleasure of
knowing, as well as interesting to myself. I hope F. F. Ashford has
not been deterred from pursuing his benevolent design by the remarks
from a constant reader 3 which were published in the Number for July,
p. 263. I consider those remarks to be ill-judged, as Mr. Ashford
would most likely have completed his short introduction to botany, for
such I consider it, in a few following numbers, but which is now incom¬
plete. I would not trouble you, Sir, with these remarks, had not some of
your younger readers been disappointed ; and hope that F. F. Ashford
will be so kind as to continue his remarks on the Study of the Science
of Botany, which I consider quite deserving a place, as it is, in fact, a
very concise and easy introduction to Botany, which is so generally
studied in the present century : and to my knowledge Mr. A.’s remarks
have been the first stimulus to a few young friends of my acquaintance.
Yours truly, lai«x>(3os.

Derby , December 8 th, 1835.

[In reply to the above observations of our correspondent Jacobus,
we have to state, that Mr. Ashford’s Botany was discontinued merely
because it engrossed too many of our pages at that time, and also
because many of our readers required more variety of practical subjects.
The remainder of Mr. A.’s Botany is, however, still on hand, and it is
more than probable that it will appear in an abridged form as soon as
we can find room for it.- — Ed.]

SYMPHYTUM ASPERRIMUM.

Symphytum Asperrimum ; OR; Prickly Comfrey, — A new
species of green food for cattle. A hardy perennial of gigantic growth;
introduced from Caucasus; as an ornamental plant; in 1801; by Messrs.
Loddiges, of Hackney; as specified in Curtis’s Botanical Magazine;
where it is figured; No. 929. Horses, cows, sheep, pigs, and geese
may be fed with it ; and as it is of wonderful growth, and may be cut
successively from April to October, it may be cultivated to great
advantage. For horses, to be putin the racks, spread on pastures, or
the green stalks to be cut with chaff, it will be found most useful. Two
out of three will take it at once, the others will soon follow, and when
once the taste is acquired, they will never leave it. Cows do not take
it at first so freely as the horse, but soon take it and are eager for it.
For sheep or lambs it is very good ; they will take it freely, the latter
before they are a month old. It is a very early plant, and immediately
follows the turnips. The first crop of leaves to be fed off before the
flowering stalks rise, care being taken not to feed too hard, so as to
damage the crowns of the plants. Spread on pastures, put in racks or
folds on fallows, it will be found of great service. For pigs it is very
useful ; they eat it freely and do well. Geese will eat it as soon as
hatched. It will grow in all soils and situations, superior to any other
plant, and may be planted by the sides of ditches, in any waste corner,
fields, orchards, gardens, &c., where only useless rubbish grows. The only
expense is, the purchase of a few in the first instance, as it may be
increased to any quantity, and, once established, will last for ever. I
know some that have stood more than twenty years, and are as full
of vigour as they have ever been. It is now ready for cutting
(March 31st). I have cut it when more than seven feet high, and as
thick as it could stand on the ground. I once cut and weighed one
square rood ; the average was seventeen tons, three cwt. per acre. I have
no doubt but that in the course of the year the produce would have been
thirty tons. I cannot say what effect continual cutting may have on
this plant, or on the land, for many years together ; but as faivas I have
experienced, it does not weaken the plant. I have cut it three times
in one year, and found it equally strong the following spring. The
proper distance for planting it is from two to five feet square, accord¬
ing to the quality of the land. It may be planted at any time of the
year, but, like other herbaceous plants, is best when in a growing
state. See a letter to Lord Farnborough, signed Dr. Grant, in the
Northampton Herald and General Advertiser, Saturday, October 10,
1835.

ON THE CULTURE OF THE DAHLIA.

On the Culture of the Dahlia. — In looking over the last
number of the Register, I found a few remarks on the Dahlia worthy
of notice. Before making any observations on the subject, I beg leave to
state that there is a custom prevalent among the growers of that flower,
to choose a particular spot for its cultivation, and beyond the limits of
which it is but sparingly seen. The same spot is annually prepared
with old hot-bed manure, or with some other compost, as convenience
may suit; and as such situations are well chosen for seeing the flowers
together, and to the best advantage, it should always be properly pre¬
pared for their reception, and for this special reason — a dahlia should
never he grown twice in the same kind of soil. The plant delights in
fresh maiden loam ; and if the old spot be annually chosen for the col¬
lection, the soil should consist of at least two-thirds new soil, digged in
two spades deep, and well mixed with the old. This is necessary for
the plant, in order that the roots may have scope to descend in quest
of moisture, so essentially necessary to bring their numerous flowers to
perfection. Two advantages are the consequence of this extra labour ;
first, dry weather does not much affect them ; and, second, the flowers
are more perfect, as well in size as in colour. I would also recommend
that, when dahlias are planted in borders, or in clumps of shrubbery,
they be well covered from the rays of the sun, which is liable to scorch
and injure the roots ; the covering, moreover, assists to bring forth a
profusion of bloom.

Chelsea, 14 th December. Andrew Walker.

P. S. The following are a list of the best dahlias cultivated by
myself and an eminent grower in my neighbourhood : —

Lord Derby

Willmot’s Superb

Forester

Metropolitan Blush

Fisherton Rival

Beauty of Camberwell

- Perfection

Spring-field Rival

Gloria Mundi

- — Calypso

Queen of Dahlias

Bride of Abydos

Solomon

Veitch’s Adelaide

Cedo nulli

Purpurea elegans

Claude Lorraine

Coronet

Bishop of Winchester

Sir Francis Burdett

Mrs. Wilkinson

Granta

Wells’ Aurea

Elpliinstone’s Polyphemus

Lilac Perfection

Ariel

Wells’ Polyphemus

Lady Fordwich

Westland Marquis

Glory

Plat’s Clio

Grandis

Sir Robert Peel

Vandyke

Rubra compacta

Othello

Richardson’s Janus

Jackson’s Rival

Perfection

Wells’ Lady of the Lake

Highland Hero

Venosa

Alba grandiflora

Lady Anne

Hermione

Lady of Oulton

Richardson’s Emma

Hon. Mrs. Harris

W ells’ Enchantress

Cock’s Invincible

32 ON THE ASSIMILATING AND ELABORATING POWERS OF PLANTS.

On the assimilating and elaborating Powers of Plants.
—Every plant with which we are acquainted contains some predomi¬
nating specific principle., detectable to some one or other of our senses,
and by which the individuals or whole tribes are known from each
other. In speaking of the essential qualities of plants, they are desig¬
nated sanative, or poisonous, or insipid ; or, in other terms, they are
dietetic, or medicinal, or necessary in the arts.

That these different vegetable qualities are elaborated by the internal
structure or organisation of the plant, is sufficiently obvious ; because
the food of plants growing on the same spot must be very similar in
quality, though it may differ in quantity. It has been supposed that
every different plant selects its own peculiar food, This is pos¬
sible, but not at all probable ; because qualities and distinct chemical
bodies are found in plants, which are found nowhere else. The most
accurate chemical analysis of the soil in which plants are nourished, or
of the water or air by which they are fed, never elicits the presence of
the many qualities found in the plants themselves ; and, therefore, we
can only rationally conclude that it is the structural powers, united
with the vital action of the system, which assimilates the crude food
into the essential qualities of the plant ; for if this be not so, how
is it that the Antiaris or Ipo toxicaria , the Upas-tree, elaborates a
deadly poison, while the Saccharum offieincirum , the sugar-cane, grow¬
ing close beside it, elaborates one of the most wholesome juices? Is
either the poison or the sugar in the soil, or air, or water? We
imagine not.

The essential qualities of every plant are inherent, and continued
from generation to generation ; but how the membraneous structure
which contains the juices, and under the action of solar light, and
heat, and air, changes them from a crude to a perfect state, is one of
those natural phenomena which will probably ever remain inexplicable.
It is easy to surmise that pre-existing qualities may, by amalgamation,
assimilate the newly inducted sap with the properties or* peculiar
qualities of the old. On a very different subject, it has been said
that “ a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump ; ” and the assimi¬
lation of the new with the old sap may take place perhaps in the
same way.

When the elaborating power of living vegetable membrane is con¬
sidered, we cannot avoid comparing it with the apparatus of the
chemist. It is composed of innumerable cells, and tubes, and vessels,
into and through which the juices enter and percolate, at a greater or
less distance from the sun’s light and heat, and, according to their

ON THE ASSIMILATING AND ELABORATING POWERS OF PLANTS. 33

situation, may be variously affected by electric currents, or other of the
great, though invisible natural agents. That exposure to air, light,
and heat has a decided maturing effect upon the juices of a plant, is
manifest from our finding the essential qualities, in most cases, more
concentrated in the bark and leaves than in the interior recesses of the
system ; and every one acquainted with the qualities of herbs, and vve
may add, trees also, knows well that a dry and very exposed situation
serves to exalt and enrich the essential qualities of any plant much
more than in circumstances where air, and light, and solar heat are
denied. Upland hay, cut at the proper season, is always richer in
saccharine matter than that produced in the moist valley ; and that
from the elevated knolls of any one field is always much more salu¬
brious and nutritious than the produce of the lower parts. The sap
drawn from the highest parts of a tree is richer in quality than the
same drawn from the lower part of the trunk. This fact is always
experienced by the manufacturers of sugar from the maple, and wine
from the birch trees. So it is noticed that fruit, as well as herbs, are
found sweeter in a dry than in a wet summer ; and the gardener
always withholds water from his plants which are about to ripen their
crops.

All these instances show that the sap is more or less elaborated,
according as it is more or less exposed to atmospheric influences, to the
character of those influences, and to the extent of the vascular apparatus
through which it has to percolate.

It is well deserving of notice to mark the difference which is perceiv-
able between the state of pure water ascending through dead and living
vegetable membrane or tissue. In the former it is discharged as pure
as it enters : in the latter it comes forth impregnated with the quali¬
ties of the branch or twig through which it has passed. This differ¬
ence can only be attributed to the vital action of the one, and the want
of it in the other.

A good example of the elaborating functions of plants may be shown
from what chemists have discovered by the analysation of the common
liquorice ( Glycyrrhiza glabra), which, besides sugar, contains an
amylaceous fecula, a crystalline substance, a resinous oil, phosphate
of lime, and malate of lime ; and it is highly probable that there are
some plants which elaborate even a greater number of distinct essences
than the liquorice. 7

That the organisation of every plant gives the essential character to
the juices which it contains is manifest, from the circumstance that the
sap absorbed by the roots, and conveyed by the stem of the stock, has

VOL. V. — NO. LVs

A DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF ROSES.

no sensible effect upon the juices, the colour of the flowers, or flavour of
the fruit of the graft. It is true that this has been controverted ;
some cultivators having affirmed that the fruit, produced by scions of
pears grafted on quince stocks, are more austere than if worked on the
common seedling pear stock. But this idea wants confirmation, as it
has never been so far verified as to cause any rule of practice to be
founded upon it.

It is quite true, however, that there must be some degree of affinity,
some measure of congeniality between the stock and graft to insure a
perfect union : and this seems to depend more on the congenerous qua¬
lities of the sap respectively, than on those of the organisation ; because
we often see stocks and grafts very unequally though intimately united,
either the stock swelling to twice the size of the graft, or vice versa .
This not only shows that the sap is connatural, but that the organisation
of the one is more gross than the other ; and consequently, though both
grow at the same time, one is more amplified than the other.

Viewing these observations in connection we arrive at the inference
with which we set out, that all the various productions of plants, and
which are extractible therefrom by one means or other, are elaborated
by the organic structure and vitality of the system. This is a truism
which scarcely requires a statement ; but when we contemplate the
vegetable kingdom, and consider every plant as a living chemical ma¬
chine, by which sugars, oils, resins, gums, &c. &c. are generated and
embodied, whatever may have been our previous ideas of the wonderful
forms and powers of plants must be infinitely heightened by this con¬
sideration of them. Our purest and most grateful adoration may have
been constantly offered to that benignant Being who “ giveth us all
things richly to enjoy;” but how much higher must our conceptions
be of the incomprehensible and Almighty Creator who hath not only
willed all vegetation into form, but endowed it with such powers of
elaboration, as by the combination of a very few precreated fluids , the
most sanative, nutricious, and useful products are provided for all that
lives.

A descriptive Catalogue of Boses, cultivated and sold by
Messrs. Rivers and Sun , of Sawbridgeworth , Herts , for 1835-6.

We announced the receipt of this catalogue when it came to hand,
at which time we had not leisure to look into it ; but having now done
so, we think it but justice to Messrs. Rivers, the spirited cultivators,
to notice it more in detail.

The rose is universally esteemed as the queen of flowers, in which the
most delicate colours and the richest perfume are united. The French

A DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF ROSES.

florists have, within the last twenty years, greatly excelled in ruse cul¬
ture, and particularly in obtaining a vast number of new varieties from
seed. They excel also in their modes of working and manner of
ing the plant ; and so extensively is the culture pursued that it
a distinct branch of nursery business.

We have often admired the perseverance of our neighbours in this
department of floriculture, and have been surprised to see the number
of distinct varieties which were named in their lists ; but we had no
idea that any one in this country equalled, in any degree, the rose-
growers in the vicinity of Paris. The catalogue before us, however,
shows that Messrs. Rivers have followed closely, if not fairly overtaken,
the French roseraieists, as this published list of their assortment clearly
shows.

The catalogue is not a mere rank of names. The sorts are arranged
in groups, under their most distinctive characters ; and much of their
history, and the treatment they require, is given under each section of
the tribe. The sections are, Moss Roses, Provence or Cabbage Roses,
Perpetual or Autumnal Roses, Hybrid China Roses, varieties of
Rosa Alba, Damask Roses, Rosa Gallica or French Roses, select
Roses of uncertain origin. Climbing Roses, China Roses, Tea-scented
China Roses, Miniature or Dwarf China Roses, Noisette Roses,
L’lsle de Bourbon Roses, Musk Roses, Macartney Roses, Sweet
Briars, and Scotch Roses. Besides these sections, Messrs. Rivers have
miscellaneous collections, which are offered at very reasonable prices.

The catalogue is really a very useful monograph of the genus,,
and is well worth the notice of all lovers of this delightful and hardy
tribe. In again attempting a descriptive catalogue of roses,” says
Mr. Rivers, “ I hope to be excused errors which it seems almost impos¬
sible wholly to avoid. Roses vary so much in their form and colour in.
different seasons and situations, as sometimes scarcely to be recognised.

I have seen those two dark varieties, George the Fourth and the Tus¬
cany, lose their colour and become blush ; and changes as extreme take
place in others. What I hope to accomplish is, to give an idea of what
they ought to be in form and colour under favourable circumstances of
soil and situation ; and where there is so much confusion as at present
in the names and arrangement of roses, to be among the first in attempt¬
ing a correct nomenclature. This has become more than ever neces¬
sary, as auction sales often take place in London, in which good names
are appended to the lots, which it is found afterwards the lots do not
deserve. This should be a caution to cultivators against admitting
such into their catalogues till they have proved their accuracy,”

DESCRIPTION OF ROSES,

Description of Roses. — As a continuation of the foregoing notice
of roses, we subjoin the following account from a late popular writer : —

“ Numerous as the roses are, upwards of two hundred species being
known, besides threefold that number of varieties, they are all so similar
in structure that it has been found expedient to include the whole in a
single genus. Various attempts have been made to subdivide the roses
generically ; but even the Lowea of Lindley, though differing in the
organs of vegetation from the other species, cannot be regarded as more
than a sub-genus ; and hence Rosa stands alone.

“ The species which affords the chief garden varieties is R . spinosis-
sima , the Burnet rose, of which there are about two hundred double
and single sorts ; R. Damascene i, the Damascus or damask rose, of
which there are upwards of lifty sorts ; R. centifolia, the hundred-leaf
or cabbage rose, of which there are nearly eighty sorts, besides the very
distinct group of moss-roses (i?. muscosa ), about seven in number (the
Messrs. Rivers have twenty-four), which are varieties of this species ;
R . Gallica, the French rose, of which there are nearly two hundred
sorts ; R. alba, the white rose, of -which there are about thirty sorts
R. rubiginosa, the sweet-briar or eglantine, of which there are eleven
or twelve varieties, and several sub-varieties ; R. comma, the dog-rose,
of which there are seventeen varieties ; R . Indica and sempevf Lorens,
the monthly and Chinese roses, of which there are about forty-nine
sorts ; R. systyla, arvensis , semper virens , mull fora , moschata , Banksia ,
and others, contribute to ornament our gardens and enrich our roseries;
and besides such as are traceable to different species, there are upwards
of seven hundred sorts recorded in our catalogues, the specific connec¬
tions of which cannot with certainty be traced.

“ It would be as foolish to praise as to paint the rose ; it requires no
commendation. Perhaps from such a notion it might be that this flower
was considered the symbol of silence ; for we are told that the goddess
Isis, and her son, Harpocrates, were crowned with chaplets oP roses.

“ Roses are intolerant of smoke, and hence they never thrive either in
or very near large towns. R. canina, or the dog-rose, is grown for the
sake of the succulent calyx-tube that invests its akenia, from which the
conserve of hips, a pleasant pectoral medicine, is made. The petals of
R. Gallica and Damascena are collected for the purpose of making
infusions and a confection of rose petals, both much used in medicine.
Rose-water and the attar of roses are both procured from R. centifolia .
About six pounds of rose leaves will make a gallon of good rose-water ;
but from two hundred to two hundred and fifty pounds weight are
required to yield one ounce of the attar ; hence surprise ceases at its

CALENDAR! AL MEMORANDA FOR JANUARY. 37

being such a costly scents and great inducements are held out for its
adulteration.

The petals of R. Gallica and Damascena are much less fragrant,
when fresh, than those of R. centifolia ; but the latter lose their scent,
while the former become more odorous, by drying. They are likewise
more astringent, and hence their officinal employment.

“ R. Banksia is remarkable for having no prickles.”— Bur. Bol.

CALENDAR! AL MEMORANDA FOR JANUARY.

Kitchen Garden.

Peas. — A pretty large sowing of Charlton, Warwick, or any other
of the early sorts, may be put in early in the month ; and another
sowing of Dwarf Marrows, or Knight’s Marrows, may be sown towards
the end. These, with the sowings of next month, may be considered
the principal crops. Peas do not require very rich ground ; that which
is in middling good heart is the best. Rich ground causes too strong a
growth of straw, and consequently higher sticking than is convenient
in a garden.

Beans. — Full crops of common beans may now be put in ; the
earliest sorts in the beginning of the month, and the later and larger
sorts about the twentieth. Sow also on seed-beds for transplanting.

Shallots, — —These bulbs, together with those of garlic and rocam¬
bole, may now be planted, if not done before. Shallow planting is
best.

Cabbage.— Transplant another piece of cabbage, to succeed those
planted out in October.

Lettuce.-— Transplant from the seed-beds, under glass, a good piece
of coss-lettuce on well-digged, dry, and rich ground. An open spot
is most suitable, and if allowed space, it will arrive at a large size,
and be the first for use in the open air. Small beds of each sort may
now be sown, to furnish plants for future transplanting.

Radish. — As early in the month as possible sow a principal crop of
radish, to follow those raised on hot-beds. A dry border, lying well to
the sun, is the best situation. The ground is divided into as many
four-feet-wide beds as may be required for the family, with fourteen-
inch alleys between. The seed is sown pretty thickly, and the surface
raked smooth, and lightly patted level with the spade. A covering of
short dry litter is immediately put over the beds, four or five inches

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR JANUARY.

thick. When the plants appear, the covering is raked off into the
alleys every mild sun-shiny day, but always laid on again before dark.
While uncovered, they must be guarded from the finches, which
are fond of the seeds. The covering must be employed till all risk
of hard frost is over, even up to the time the roots are fit for the
table.

Spinach. — A bed or two of spinach should now be sown, to suc¬
ceed the winter crop, which latter, if the spring be fine, soon runs
to seed.

Carrot. — A small piece of Early Horn may be sown, to come in
between those raised on a hot-bed, and the principal crop to be sown
in March. Some gardeners sow their radish and this sowing of carrots
on the same ground, as both are the better for covering, and the carrots
will come on after the radishes are drawn.

The cauliflower, lettuce, and all other plants in frames, will require
attention, at this time, to be kept healthy and safe from frost ; and hot¬
beds in work require constant care to maintain the necessary heat, and
give the necessary protection.

Regarding hot-bed forcing, it is quite superfluous to give anything
like directions for their management at this season. To those who
know nothing of the business, our calendarial advice would be of little
service, because we are necessarily ignorant both of the state of the
beds, and of the plants upon them, and without a knowledge of both,
no sound advice can be given. On the other hand, those who are actu¬
ally employed in such business need no advice from a distant quarter.
The whole use of this portion of the Register is only a general remem¬
brancer of the seasonal duties of a gardener, and which mementos,
by-the-by, are very often useful even to the oldest and most practised
hands.

Forcing cucumbers, melons, asparagus, carrot, potatoes, sea- kale,
rhubarb, and all sorts of salad and seasoning herbs, are probably simul¬
taneously going on in dung hot-beds, all requiring a world of care,
skill, and vigilance, which must be redoubled if frost be intense, or
snow-storms prevail. In such seasons, all the out-door work which we
have alluded to above, must be deferred until the return of open wea¬
ther, in which the first favourable opportunities must be seized to
accomplish the several operations.

Fruit Garden.

In this department there is nothing but executing what was advised
to be done last month, in the open air. If vineries and peacheries are

DESCRIPTION OF PLATE.

begun, or about to be begun, these “ bring their work along with
them,” which is unnecessary to point out. The pinery, too, is a con¬
stant object of attention, and especially if the successions are raised on
dung-heat — a custom which is now very prevalent.

Flower Garden.

The business of the flower garden is very light at this time. The
directions given last month are equally applicable now. Chrysanthe¬
mums, in the open ground, have bloomed beautifully this season ; and
the great number of new varieties now in cultivation ranks them as
one of the most estimable of autumn flowers. The Green-house only
requires to be kept free from damp and frosty air. Bulbs, tubers,
roses, rhododendrons, &c., and all other plants in pots, wished to bloom
early, may be now put into heat.

DESCRIPTION OF PLATE.

RODGERS’ UNIQUE GOLDEN CRIMSON BIZARRE CARNATION.

The first notice we had of this very beautiful flower was received
from our valued correspondent, Mr. Dale, of Wirksworth. On receiv¬
ing the drawing, we were forcibly struck with an idea that we had
seen something of the kind before. This impression did not arise from
any doubt we had of either Mr. Dale’s judgment or veracity, nor from
any overweening idea of our own opinion in these matters, for on show¬
ing the drawing to a very intelligent florist, he had a similar idea with
ourselves. After many inquiries, however, and an examination of the
late Mr. Sweet’s “ Florist’s Directory,” (the work in which we ex¬
pected to find the figure above alluded to,) we found ourselves mis¬
taken, there being no such figure, which was sufficient proof that
Rodgers’s plant is indeed a unique variety of carnation. It is certainly
a stranger about London ; the nearest approach to it is one of the
lately introduced yellow picotees.

We shall be glad to have a further history of this interesting plant
from Mr. Dale, who will be kind enough to say with whom it origi¬
nated, whether it can be purchased, and at what price.

REMARKS ON THE WEATHER.

REMARKS ON THE WEATHER

FOR DECEMBER.

From the first to the tenth the weather was beautifully mild; and
while the now numerous varieties of Chinese Chrysanthemums -were
ornamenting every garden and court-yard about London, and market-
gardeners sowing their first crops of radish, reports were received
that sudden frost had not only arrested some of our whalers in the
North Sea, and frozen the upper part of the Baltic and the Rus¬
sian rivers, but was also ravaging the vegetation of Germany, France,
and even that of Spain ! On the latter-mentioned day, however,
winter set in with a vengeance : the thermometer fell above fourteen
degrees below the freezing point, which laid all tender vegetation
prostrate. The frost was equally severe on the eleventh, but soon
after began to relent, and passed away without snow or any rain to
speak of.

This sudden visitation has given opportunity to fill the ice-houses,
and has put gardeners on the alert to protect vulnerable crops, and
also put them on their guard against future attacks, which every
day may be expected ; for though we have had frequent changes from
sharp to mild air since the frost — and changeable weather is always
expected in the last quarter, or about the change of the moon— yet
the present direction of the wind, blowing keenly from the north,
the threatening aspect of the sky, and the cheerless face of the
earth, at this moment partly covered with snow, are all indications
that winter is confirmed, and therefore frigifuges and the festive com¬
forts of the season must enable us to wait with patience the return
of spring.

December 2(jth, 1835.

PAXTON’S

HORT1 CULTURAL REGISTER,

FEBRUARY, 1836.

HORTICULTURE.

ON THE SHRIVELLING OF GRAPES.

January 5th , 1836.

Sir, —In reference to the “ shrivelling of grapes,” I beg leave to add
a few remarks to those of Mr. Denyer, not only with the view of sup¬
porting his statements, but also to mention the result of my experience,
for the benefit of my “ younger brethren.”

A range of houses was placed under my care some years ago, where
the grapes produced had been bad coloured and shrivelled. I forced
them two seasons, and, although those berries which did swell were
well coloured, yet the extremities of the bunches shrivelled. Mr. Judd
had stated in the tf Transactions,” that inattention to airing the houses
was the cause. Several gardeners of high repute, to whom I mentioned
the circumstance, were of the same opinion. As, however, I had been
duly initiated into the routine of forcing, and had attended to these
houses myself, I knew the imperfection could not arise from any such
cause.

From several observations I had made, very similar to those men¬
tioned by Mr. D., I came to a similar conclusion, viz. that it originated
in a want of energy in the root, and which, as he has justly stated,
might arise from a variety of causes. In my case, I conceived it to arise
from a poor, cold border. The border, I was informed, had been duly
drained when it was made ; but, as the situation of the garden was low,
and the subsoil strong clay, and an excavation having been made for the
border, it was not difficult to understand that the roots must suffer from

VOL. v.— NO. LVI.

ON THE SHRIVELLING OF GRAPES.

cold. Moreover, the border was shaded by a row of espalier trees,
which grew a short distance from it. I had not the opportunity of
raising the roots to the surface ; I therefore removed the apple-trees,
lowered the walk at the front of the border, and, as the stems outside
of the house were naked, I laid a covering of decayed leaves and dung
on the surface. By these means the roots were ultimately acted upon
by the genial rays of the sun. Within the houses, I left but a thin crop
of grapes, and a limited supply of wood for the succeeding year. The
result was most satisfactory.

My usual practice now is, to dress the border every summer with
decayed leaves and a little loam. In a cold, wet season, I leave but
thin crops ; in a dry, hot season, good crops. When the latter is the
case, I supply the roots with water most abundantly, without any fear
of paralysing their efforts. The grapes produced are generally admired
for their size, colour, and flavour.

To young gardeners I would say, do not be too anxious for a great
crop in your Jirst effort. Endeavour to ascertain the capabilities of
your vines. Attention to the ripeness of the wood and the circum¬
stances of the place, will very much assist you in this particular. If
you are required to make new borders, elevate them as much as you
conveniently can, particularly if the site be low and damp. A bed of
compost from eighteen to twenty-four inches is quite depth enough.
Extend the roots horizontally, as much as circumstances will admit.

To gentlemen may I be allowed to say, desire to have good fruit
rather than great abundance : make every allowance for local circum¬
stances, and the natural difficulties your gardener has to contend with.
Do not place implicit reliance on the writings or the sayings of any man,
merely because he has obtained a degree of notoriety ; — many write and
talk from no other motive. Mr. Judd, I fear, is amongst the number.
Why, every gardener of ordinary observation knows that when the
“ cuticles of the berries” are acted upon by the sun’s rays, it is by the
concentration of the rays acting like a burning-glass, and injuring only
the part where the focus strikes : hence we see the side next the sun
injured — the other side perfect. I have, indeed, known grapes really
scalded by vapour heated to a great degree ; but that is a very different
thing to the “ shrivelling of grapes.”

As far as I have observed, when grapes are injured from external
causes, the berry discovers it first. In the “ shrivelling of grapes,” the
defect is first exhibited in the pedicle.

G. P. R

ON THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF PLANTS.

The physical frame of vegetables assumes very many, different cha¬
racters as to consistence, structure, and durability. In its simplest
form it is composed of a tissue of small cells, united together by mutual
attraction, or, as it would appear, by a portion of mucus with which
their sides are covered. This mucus is dissolvable in water, because,
when thrown into it, the cells separate from each other, and float
singly. The arrangement of the cells is different in different plants, or
to the form or function of the organ they compose. These organs are
either fibres, or delicate webs, or tubes, all of which are variously placed,
either vertically, obliquely, or horizontally.

Fibres in their simplest state, as seen by the assistance of a micro¬
scope, are formed of elongated cells, united by their ends overlapping
each other as in fig. a : —

These are sometimes single, but frequently are arranged in bundles,
where greater solidity or strength are required. Sometimes fibres are
disposed spirally, involving an empty centre, in which state they are
called spiral vessels, and are found in almost all young shoots.

Fibres give tenacity to the membrane, and form the longitudinal
grain and transverse strength of timber ; they are elongated by the
development of the cells of which their solid points are composed, fig. a,
or by 'unrolling the spiral coils in which they are depressed, fig. c. In
their more or less aggregated state, they form the tough laxity of the
petioles, the substance of the midrib, and all the ramifications of what
is called the nerving or veining of leaves.

Webs. — The cells are also expansible into thin tissues, by lateral
attachment and mutual insertion of their pointed ends, fig. d. In this
state it is seen as the cuticle of stems, leaves, and flowers, or like those
transparent films which invest the coats of the onion bulb. Sometimes

ON THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF PLANTS',

the cells form layers of considerable thickness, and are united like a
honeycomb, either in a vertical or horizontal position. The inner bark
or liber is a tissue of fibres and intermediate cellular matter united, and
discharged from the current year’s alburnum in the autumn. This is so
regularly beautiful in some trees, that it resembles the finest Brussels
lace ; the fibres in crossing each other are inosculated, and remain con¬
nected after the accompanying cells have disappeared.

Tubes are formed of conjoined cells placed in circles, strengthened
lengthways by fibres passing upwards through them ; they (the tubes)
are sap-conductors, or receptacles of gaseous fluids or common air.

The woody axis of a tree is formed by these different organs com¬
bined, the fibres and the tubes having a vertical, or at least a direction
from the root outwards, and the cellular fabric lying in horizontal strata
between.

The elementary matter of which the membrane or coats of the cells'
are formed, we cannot name, it being a compound substance formed
by the union of several chemical bodies, its normal structure being
endowed with the wonderful power of subdivision and extension, and
changeable from a small mass of succulent membrane up to a consider¬
able volume of ligneous matter, and by annual accretion arrives at a vast
bulk. It is a creature of Almighty power and Omnipotent design, no
less astonishing in its organic forms than in its organic action.

The manner of accretion by extension of vegetable membrane is
most wonderful. The elongation of a fibre takes place by the consecu¬
tive enlargement of the cells from the base upwards, there always
remaining at the point an interminable number developable in future,
or as long as the growth continues, as represented in fig. a, page 43.
A tissue or web is expanded by the enlargement of the incipient cells
lying in the inner edge of the margin, or hem, as it may be called, and
in which hem there also appears to be an indefinite number of expan¬
sible cells, which may or may not be inflated, fig. d, page 43. The
tubes or openings seen in a cross section of a stem, (not the spiral ves¬
sels already mentioned,) appear to be incidental passages, formed by the
currents of sap or air passing through them, rather than identical organs
of themselves, seeing that they have no regular boundaries.

Besides the longitudinal organs of a stem already alluded to, there are
other very conspicuous members which enter into its composition; these
are what are commonly described as medullary rays, and have been sup¬
posed to be the diverging tracks of buds from the pith to the exterior of
the bark; but later observers have discovered that they are, in fact,
convergent partitions of dense cellular tissue, which divide the circum-

ON THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF PLANTS.

ferent layers of wood into angular sections. Their use is to connect
the concentric layers of wood, and perhaps to admit or allow the passage
of fluids from the circumference to the centre of the stem.

Vegetable membrane varies not only in consistence, but in durability.
The lower orders of plants are mostly cellular, that is, composed entirely
of simple cells, without fibres or elongated vessels to give them either
tenacity or durability. Their growth is rapid, and they as quickly dis¬
appear by decomposition in the open air. But the membranes of vascular
plants become woody, and, when the cells are filled with concreted sap,
remarkably durable, more especially when converted to use, and kept
free from the action of the weather; even some of the cellular es, as the
fungi, for instance, if gradually dried and kept free from moisture, will
retain their form for a great number of years ; and many of the musci, if
kept in a dry and dormant state for scores of years, will recover vitality
as soon as they are moistened with water. This is only mentioned as a
proof of the durability of vegetable membrane, even in the lowest grades
of plants.

When we turn to the vascular dicotyledonous tribes, we find many
instances of extreme ponderosity, hardness, and durability ; so weighty
that it will not swim, as lignum vitce ( Guaiacum officinale ), and which
maybe instanced also as an example of both hardness and durability, even
when buried in the earth. Both box and yew timber are remarkable
for their closeness of grain and lasting properties, both while the trees
are standing, as after they are felled. Oak timber is very durable, and
so is that of many of the coniferce. Solidity is acquired by the close¬
ness of the cellular and vascular structure, as is exemplified in the sorts
of wood above named, and if the fabric be well filled with coagulated
juice, ponderosity will be added.

But another question has been mooted ; it is, whether the durability
depends on the density of the grain, or on the qualities of the sap it
contains ? The durability of pine timber evidently depends on the
slowly evaporative and preservative quality of the sap. The same,
perhaps, may be said of oak, not, indeed, from the resinous character of
the sap, but from the styptic and tanning principles contained in the
heart-wood itself.

Experiments have been made on different kinds of timber, by sub-
mitting small portions of them to the action of an acid menstruum.
The least durable is soonest decomposed; the parenchymous or cel¬
lular parts are first dissolved, and the fibrous tissue remains, and is
last destroyed. By this means beautiful skeletons of slips of wood,
seed-vessels, and leaves, are readily obtained. It has been said that a

ON THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF PLANTS.

slip of the Brazil wood, tried by this test, came out as colourless, light,
and fragile as a piece of willow.

In the government dock-yards they have machines for proving the
strength of timber, in order to estimate its comparative value or fitness
for particular purposes. Scantling of three or four inches square, and
three or four feet long, are laid on two immovable props, somewhat
less distant from each other than the length of the pieces to be tried ;
weights are heaped upon the middle of the piece till it breaks ; the
flexure and number of pounds' weight under which it breaks being
noted, is the proof of its comparative strength. This, by-the-by, is
proof of the toughness of the timber, rather than of its durability,
because it is well known that in many kinds of timber the latter pro¬
perty may exist where the former is wanting. Lignum vitse and ebony
are very lasting, though fragile ; bamboo is both very flexible and very
durable; willow and ash are flexible, but by no means lasting.

Cleft scantling is always found more durable in the open air than
that which is sawn ; the reason is, the saw dismembers the grain, while
the wedge does not.

Timber, particularly oak, is found of very different quality when
brought to the artificer ; the heart-wood is only valuable. This has
had time to become as compact as possible, and to be thoroughly
impregnated with its peculiar tanning principle. The alburnum or
white wood of oak is the least durable of any ligneous production, and
therefore is always slabbed off as useless for any permanent purpose.
Much has been written on the cause of the inequality of oak timber ;
indeed it has become a question of very great national concern. While
beams in ancient cathedrals, piles of ancient bridges, and even the
timbers of stranded ships which have lain buried up for ages, are found
as sound as ever, some of our lately-built and noble ships of war have
been condemned, or have required extensive repair, ere they left the
stocks.

Many conflicting opinions have been offered as to the cause of this
misfortune ; in general it has been alleged that the oak lately used in
the king's and merchants’ yards, has been prematurely felled, or used
before it has been properly seasoned. Others suppose that the old
English oak ( Quercus navalis, robur , or pedunculata) has been partly
banished by a spurious variety, of similar appearance, but of far less
value as timber for ship-building ; and, to guard against this unfor¬
tunate substitution, it is only necessary to observe, that the “ true
naval oak is easily distinguishable from the others growing wild in
Britain, by the acorns being seated on long stalks, and the leaves sub-

ON THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF PLANTS. 47

sessile, or without any ; while the inferior oak has sessile acorns, and
leaves with lengthened foot-stalks.” — Burnett. Figs, a and b .

Others believe that it is the soil on which the tree grows which
imparts the durable quality to the wood ; and hence it has been said
that, unless oak grows on land having a substratum of blue clay, or
loam strongly impregnated with iron, the timber will be inferior. The
same opinionists add that, since it has been so much the fashion to
plant oak for the embellishment of country seats and improvement of
estates, and, consequently, on all kinds of well-prepared soil, whether
fit for the tree or not, has been the cause of much worthless timber
being thrown on the market.

There is yet another idea on which some very able arboriculturists
have differed, and this is relative to the quickness or slowness of the
growth. One maintains that the quicker the tree arrives at a market¬
able bulk, the better the timber will be both as to strength and
durability. A directly opposite opinion is held by others, wrho say
that the slower the growth the closer the grain ; and, of course, they
think that the timber must be at once both more solid and more
ponderous.

Ship-builders and carpenters have been applied to to decide this
question, but they, knowing nothing of the growth of trees, wTere
incompetent judges. Timber-dealers and purveyors of timber for the
navy seem to lean to the first opinion, namely, that wherever the
trees grow most freely, there the finest timber is met with ; and
they mention several districts of heavy land where the finest oak
is grown.

That the quickest grown timber is coarser in the grain, is very
obvious, and that it is also stronger and more durable, is highly pro¬
bable, because it is the amplitude and consequent strength of the fibrous
tissue which constitutes the excellence of timber, and not the cellular
portions, which, though they are more dense, and work more mildly

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

under the plane, are, nevertheless, sooner decomposed *, whether in an
acid or by wear and tear in a ship.

Another cause has been found for the modern inferiority of all timber
used in buildings, viz. the more-than-ever prevalence of the dry rot
( Merulius lachry mans') ; for it is by this despicable plant that many
hne ships and noble buildings have been ruined, and their timbers com¬
mitted to the flames. This plant is extremely variable in its appear¬
ance, often resembling a thin layer of cotton. The fructification is
rarely developed ; — when perfect, the sinuosities of the under surface
are not excelled in beauty by any work of art or nature. Drops of
clear water stand in the sinuosities like tears, and hence the specific
name. The roots, or rather the branches of the plant insinuate them¬
selves into the interior of the wood, bursting every cell, and decompos¬
ing every fibre in their progress, to live on — it is supposed, the half-
elaborated sap remaining in the vessels.

Various preventives of the dry-rot have been recommended and
tried with more or less success. Whatever was known to be inimical
to vegetation was applied, as hot lime, salt, &c. ; but as it could be
only the exterior of scantling that was impregnated with these applica¬
tions, the central parts were still a prey to the Merulius . Mr. Kyan’s
preparation of timber for using in places liable to the rot, maintains
its celebrity in public estimation ; but there are some doubts of its
effects on the health of the crews of ships in warm latitudes this,
however, remains to be proved ; in the meantime, it is a most useful
invention.

Timber is apt to rend, if sawn up and put to use too soon. The
aqueous portion of the sap is gradually exhaled, and as this escapes, the
timber shrinks. We have known elm cut up into weather-boarding
for a barn, continue shrinking for twenty years after being put up.
This shows that timber should be seasoned slowly, and, if possible, in
the shade.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

LETTER EIGHT.

My dear Sir,— Although the substance of my last, the present,
and perhaps that of my two or three next letters, be not in strict
accordance with the title under which they are written, yet, as I have

* The cellular partitions in pine timber are more durable than the vascular parts,
because they are fuller of concreted resin.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

before told you, every particle of information which I can pick up
during my sojourn here is particularly interesting to myself, I hope the
trouble I am imposing on you of reading dry practical matter relative
to gardening or other rural affairs, will not be deemed irksome, especi¬
ally if you be pleased to consider that gardening and farming are sources
whence flow most of the substantial gratifications of a country seat.
Indeed, without these, the most attractive and beautiful dispositions of
the landscape gardener are no better than a set of fine pictures hung
upon a wall ; and that garden artist or architect who designs the one
without a special regard to the others, must have a very imperfect idea
of his business ; in short, is altogether unfit for the profession.

At the end of my last we were just about to enter the hot-houses;
the first, at the east end of the range, is the pinery, a building
calculated to fruit about four dozen of plants. It is heated by a smoke
flue and common furnace, placed in a shed behind. Some pains have
been bestowed on building the flue, in order to equalise the evolution
of heat. The first part, which crosses the east end, is built with
building bricks on bed ; the front with the same on edge ; the farther
end, and three turns against the back wall, are built with paving
bricks on edge. The cross flues are carried through the front wall,
but stopped there by a stone slab, for removal, to cleanse the flue
of soot. The front and back flues are similarly fitted with stones
at the end. The bark pit is four feet and a half deep, surrounded
with a thin wall of brick-work, and finished with a stone curb.
Tanners’ bark is the fermenting material used in the pit, and is
sometimes mixed with oak leaves to qualify the heat.

Single grape vines are trained under each rafter, and managed in
the alternate long-shoot manner ; that is, each tree has, during
the summer, only two branches or shoots ; one bearing fruit, and
the other shooting up alongside to take its place, and do a like
duty in the following summer. When the first has yielded its
crop, it is cut away, and its substitute takes the place. x4t the
commencement of the next year’s growth, a successor is chosen from
among the buds which spring from the head of the old stem, and
as near to the base of its predecessor as possible. Soon as the choice
is made, all the other buds offering themselves at the same time are
rubbed off, in order that the fruitful branch and young aspirant may
engross the whole vigour of the root. During its summer growth
it is carefully kept in place, and regularly divested of tendrils, and
the points of the laterals, which are pinched off above their first
joint. The young shoot, so treated, rises to the full length

VOL. V. — NO. LVI.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

of the rafter, and, if its growth be very strong, is turned a little
way horizontally and stopped.

When the fruit is all gathered from the bearing branch, it is
immediately pruned off close to the place whence it proceeded the
year before ; and when the foliage on the successor begins to wither
and fall it is pruned. The apparent strength of the shoot and its
perfectly ripened condition, (which is judged of by the firmness,
the hardy brownness, and short-jointed character of the wood,) are
the indications which direct the pruner as to the quantity of fruit
which may be reasonably expected from it in the ensuing year. He
has the entire power of the root to rely on, there being no rival
but the young successor to be supported. But lest he should
estimate the capability of the tree too highly, he thinks it best
to err on the safe side; and therefore thinks well to deprive the
shoot of two-thirds of its buds at pruning-time. By this mutilation
he confines, or rather compels, the tree to perform only one-third
of what it is naturally inclined and constitutionally organised to
do, and thereby insures a perfect and vigorous development of the
reserved buds. Add to this the advantage of a regular distribution
of the energy of the vine by this dis-budding ; because, by retaining
number one, which is the topmost after the shoot is shortened, (say
to somewhat less than the length of the rafter,) and numbers four,
seven, ten, and so on, all the way to the bottom, exactly one-third
of the buds will be left, and these alternating right and left with each
other in the utmost regularity.

It is very seldom that a shoot so treated fails to break all the way
down ; the topmost buds certainly burst first ; but they being
immediately stopped beyond the second bunch of fruit, do not con¬
tinue to pump up the sap from below, and rob the lower buds.
Besides, if the gardener suspects anything of the kind may occur,
he prevents it by bringing down the feeble shoot from a vertical
to a horizontal position, along the bottom of the rafters, and keeping
it there till all the buds are moving, when it is returned to its proper
place under the rafter.

As the buds burst and the fruit bearers have gained the length
of four or five inches, the tender bunches scon appear ; they are
then closely watched, and as soon as two or three are visible, the
point of the shoot is pinched off above the first joint beyond the fruit.
And here the judgment of the manager must be exercised, in
apportioning the crop to the probable capability of the tree : if he
thinks two bunches enough on every shoot, he leaves them ; but

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

if the vine be full of power, he allows three to be matured. By
thus stopping every bearing-shoot, and pulling off every barren one,
(except the succession, which is also encouraged by the same stopping,)
the whole remaining strength of the vine is thrown into the scanty
foliage and the crop, which last is thereby brought to the greatest
perfection.

The next manipulation to which the trees and crop are subjected,
is stopping every sign of unnecessary growth from the bearing shoots
or elsewhere, and thinning the bunches of redundant berries when
they are about the size of peas.

This is a tedious though necessary business, and particularly so in a
pinery. The fruit, however, is greatly improved in appearance as
well as in flavour by the expedient.

The culture (in regard to the degree of heat and moisture) of the
principal crop in the, house, namely the pines, does not differ much
from what is necessary for the vines. If there be sufficient bottom
heat in the pit, general watering over head is as necessary for the
pine plants as it is to prevent the attack of red spider ( acams ) on
the vine. A damp atmosphere is necessary for both, provided there
is sufficient heat and fresh air given at the same time. The pine
delights in a warm and moist, and rather shady atmosphere while
the plants are increasing in bulk; but when the fruit is ripening off
moisture should be withheld : and this agrees with the vines, which,
generally, are ripening their fruit at the same time.

Having given you a particular account of the management of the
vine in the pinery, I must now advert to the management of the
pines. This I shall do, as nearly as I can, from the information
derived from „the old Gardener, who is my special preceptor in all
these practical matters, and I shall quote his words as nearly as I can
remember them.

The celebrated pine-apple plant ( Ananassa sativa ) is said to be
a native of South America, and in its culture here it is indispensibly
necessary that the heat of its native climate be afforded to encourage
its growth and mature its fruit. The plant sometimes ripens seed, by
which new varieties are produced, but new sorts are very constantly
being introduced from the West Indies. When a stock of plants
is once obtained, it is easily kept up by young viviparous progeny
produced by the old plants.

Each fruit bears at least one crown, sometimes several, as well at
the base of the fruit as on its apex. The principal or largest of these
are sometimes nursed up to be fruiting plants ; but the chief dependence
for young successors are the suckers which rise from the base of the

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

stem,, at the same time the fruit is ripening, and when the latter
is cut, are very soon after separable from the mother plant.

Suckers are generally preferred to crowns, because they gain bulk
sooner, and of course are sooner ready to yield fruit ; and besides,
strong suckers are often partly rooted before they are dissevered from
the parent, especially if some of the lower leaves from among which
they rise be pulled off, and the bases of the suckers be covered up with
sifted bark, or, what is better, fine loose leaf-mould. It is an old
custom to allow the fresh wounds of both suckers and crowns to become
dry before they are placed in pots of soil to strike root ; but as this
causes a loss of time, the drying period should be short ; and indeed is,
perhaps, not at all necessary if they be at once stuck into dry sifted
bark or leaf-mould on a suitable heat. Sometimes they are partly
rooted on the bark-bed among the old plants ; but the regular course
is, soon as the requisite number of suckers are selected, they are potted
in small pots and plunged in old bark on a dung hotbed previously
prepared for them.

There is no succession pine-stove at this place, the gardener pre¬
ferring to raise all his succession plants on dung heat, which, he says,
expedites their growth and keeps them free from the different kinds of
noxious insects to which the pine plant is liable in dry heat. Very
small pots are first used, and the plants are shifted frequently into
larger and larger till they are large enough to go into the fruiting
house. Fresh hotbeds are also made from time to time for their
reception as they advance in size, and linings are constantly applied
to keep up a lively bottom heat. Indeed, from the time the plants are
first potted in the summer up to the first of March following, they
must be kept constantly excited to grow vigorously by every kind of
means. A bottom heat varying between seventy and eighty degrees,
is always maintained : and the air in the bed never below sixty, to
which it is kept by coverings on nights, and when the sun shines the
temperature is raised to eighty degrees, and kept at that by giving air
on all such occasions. A lively bottom heat, constantly maintained, is
the chief point to be attended to ; for while this is kept up, copious
waterings may be given without fear of injury, and which at the same
time creates that fine humid heat which is so favourable to the plant.
Another thing : the steam arising from a dung hotbed, impregnated as
it is with a considerable quantity of ammonia, so hurtful to almost all
other tender vegetation, appears to be even nourishing to the hardy
foliage of the pine plant ; and hence the practice of rearing the
successions on dung heat.

As the original ball of earth in which the crown or sucker was

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

planted., is increased in size at each subsequent shifting, cultivators
have made it a rule to release the roots from this exhausted soil, in
order that the plants may produce a new set in fresh compost, to
enable them to take a renewed growth during the summer, and be fit
to go into fruiting pots in the following October. This is performed
about the beginning of March, by shaking off all the old ball of earth
from the roots ; and at the same time cutting away all the dead roots
and a part of the dead bottom of the stem. If there be any new active
roots, they are preserved, and a few of the bottom leaves are pulled off
to permit the ejection of new roots, which are always produced higher
and higher up the stem, and on which the future growth entirely
depends. Thus relieved from the old ball, the old useless roots, and
some of their bottom leaves, the plants are repotted pretty deeply in
rather smaller pots, and in previously prepared good fresh loam mixed
with one-third good rotten dung, and immediately replunged in a fresh
bed made to receive them.

Here they receive the ordinary attention and necessary culture,
namely, the proper bottom heat, water always according to their state
of growth, fresh air, and necessary covering at night.

About the first of October, the fruiting house is got ready by turning
and sifting (if necessary) the old bark, adding the requisite quantity of
new, so as to raise the bed about six or eight inches above the curb.
As the plants are shifted for the last time into the fruiting pots,
they are brought and plunged at proper distances in the pinery to
produce their fruit.

A few general observations remain to be added relative to the pine
plant. Constitutionally it rises from a seed, a sucker, or a crown,
developing its leaves in succession, by the assistance of new sets of
roots, which consecutively proceed from stations higher up the stem,
the first leaves and roots as regularly dying off. When arrived at a
certain stage of growth, the fructification appears, and at the same
time living progeny, in the shape of suckers, &c., are produced to
continue the species. Time, or the age of the plant, has no effect
either in accelerating or retarding the appearance of the fruit. A small
young plant of only a few inches high, if its exterior members be
either chilled by cold, or scorched by heat, will be immediately thrown
into fruit, and thereby become useless. It is this constitutional
peculiarity of the plant that renders pine -forcing a matter requiring
the application of considerable skill and great attention. And in the
process the grand object is to force the plants into the greatest possible
size, in order to yield full-sized fruit in the shortest possible time.

The gardener finds the old Queen to be one of the most tractable of

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

the many varieties now in cultivation ; and of course a great majority
of his stock consists of Queens. He has, however, a few later fruiting
sorts, as the Black Jamaica and Montserrat, to come in after the
general crop is over ; and if he wishes to have a few start early, he
refrains from disrooting them at the time the rest of the collection
undergo that manipulation.

You cannot fail to observe that twenty-four calendar months are
required to grow and fruit the regular crop, so that pine culture is a
continual round of labour and attention ; for even in the heat of
summer, this tropical plant may be hurt by too much sunshine, and
mid-day shading is necessary. It is for this reason that the eastmost
division of the range of hothouses is chosen for a pinery ; the higher
roof of the vinery intercepting much of the afternoon sun from the
interior of the house.

We step out of the pinery into the vinery, a house of larger dimen¬
sions, particularly in length of rafter or slope of the roof on which the
vines are trained to a wire trellis. The border for vines, both of the
vinery and pinery, is made upon a bottom of compact, dry gravel,
eighteen inches from the surface. The soil of the border is composed
of mellow loam, road-sand, lime-rubbish, leaf-mould, and old hot-bed
dung intimately mixed together. The border extends outwards from
the front of the buildings, above twenty feet, so that the walk, &c., is
made over part of it. And this circumstance the gardener thinks no
detriment to the roots which may pass beneath ; on the contrary, he
imagines that the sun’s heat, attracted and retained by the surface
coat of gravel, is rather grateful and stimulating to the roots than
otherwise.

The vines are planted on the outside of the front wall ; the stems
being led through openings close to the surface, and raised to the
trellis within. One plant is placed to each rafter, so that each
individual vine occupies a space of the roof equal to the distance
between the rafters.

By introducing so many plants, two or three advantages are gained.
In the first place, a greater variety of sorts is obtained ; secondly,
a more lengthened vintage ; and, lastly and principally, each tree
being confined to a moderate space, and consequently to a limited
extent of bearing wood, none of the trees are ever weakened by
maturing a full crop, nor does the growth of the head ever demand
more nourishment than the roots are always able to supply. It is
a rule which is applicable to all fruit trees, and particularly to the
vine, that the supplying powers of the root should be always somewhat
superior to the demands of the head, whether those demands be for the

NOTICES OF INSECTS HURTFUL IN GARDENS.

mere extension of the branches, or for the support of a crop of fruit.
It is for this special reason that the growth and crops of the trees
I am describing, are always kept subordinate to the roots on which
they depend.

The manner of pruning the trees here is very different from the
method pursued in the pinery. Each tree has either three or four of
what may be called principal branches, which are led directly up to
the top of the house. This length they have gained in former years ;
and when they rise inconveniently high, they are cut back to the next
promising branchlet below. These principal branches are not naked,
but furnished with lateral branchlets, about fourteen inches apart from
each other, all the way from bottom to top. These branchlets have
been formed by the skill of the pruner in bygone years. They are the
bearing parts of the tree, their points being every year extended by
portions of bearing shoots ; and when they interfere, the knife makes
an opening by preferring the shoots rising from below.

This method of pruning, is not exactly what is called “spurring in;"
it is rather what may be called long-spur pruning, as no particular
length of shoot or number of buds at the base of it, are fixed on as a
rule in pruning the trees. The size and appearance, together with the
space it has to occupy, determines what should be done by the knife ;
the number and lengths of the shoots left to bear, are always ap¬
portioned to the known ability of the tree, and so as to have an equal
distribution of the fruit over the wdiole trellis.

The summer management of these trees consists in stopping every
shoot as soon as it shows two or three bunches of fruit, and at the joint
beyond the uppermost bunch. All tendrils are also displaced, as well
as every unnecessary shoot ; the bunches are also carefully thinned.

The vinery is never forced early ; and always very moderately.
The trees are frequently and forcibly washed with the engine before
they flower, and very frequently afterward, up to the time the fruit
begins to change colour. Vv7 ashing healthy vines, besides keeping them
free from the red acarus, can never do harm, provided they have
always heat and fresh air enough. Yours faithfully, A. B.

ENTOMOLOGY.

SHORT HISTORIES OF INSECTS HURTFUL IN GARDENS.

That some knowledge of the insects which prey and breed on plants
is necessary in gardening, no one will deny ; and to be 'able to distin¬
guish those which are injurious from others that are really serviceable,

NOTICES OF INSECTS HURTFUL IN GARDENS.

is a useful portion of knowledge. Many have an idea that all insects
are hurtful, and, therefore, are doomed to destruction wherever found •
but no gardener would destroy the larvae of the Coccinellidce, if he knew
that they, as well as the perfect insects, live chiefly on the Aphides.
The Ichneumon flies lay their eggs in the soft skin of the cabbage and
other caterpillars, by which means great numbers of these pests are
annually destroyed. And were it not that many tribes of insects are
destined to prey on others, the latter would become so numerous, that
every green leaf and every species of green fruit would fall a prey to
their ravages.

Of the many insects found in gardens, the Aphides, from their num¬
bers, and from the great variety of plants on which they live, are, per¬
haps, the greatest enemy of the gardener, though no one is more easily
extirpated, provided timely and proper measures be taken to kill or
banish them. They are as troublesome in forcing-houses as in the
open air ; in the former, they flx themselves on vines, peach, and
nectarine trees, on strawberry plants that are forced, and almost all
other plants taken in to be forwarded, whether for the flowers or fruit.
In the open air, they destroy or very much tarnish our finest rose trees;
they attack peach, nectarine, plum, and cherry trees on walls, and, if
suffered to remain unmolested, will destroy the trees entirely. When
this happens, it is usually attributed to blight, the common name for
all defects of fruit-trees, whatever may be the cause, whether from
neglect, mismanagement, mildew, or insects.

The Aphides are produced by what some naturalists call animalcular
generation ; that is, as they explain it, not only is a mother-insect
impregnated by the male, but all her progeny also for nine or ten gene¬
rations ; hence their astonishing fecundity and increase in a very short
space of time. In the autumn they are oviparous, laying their eggs in
patches firmly glued together round the bases of buds, or in any hollow
of the bark. In this state they appear to be indestructible by frost,
because, as soon as the warmth of spring commences, they come forth
in myriads, leaving their little glutinous cases behind. In the summer
they are viviparous ; and then the parturient females may be seen in
the act of bringing forth their young in rapid succession ; so that if
only a single female be seen on the point of a shoot, she is soon sur¬
rounded by a numerous family.

That the Aphides are easily killed by fumigations of tobacco-smoke
is well known to every gardener ; or the trees sprinkled with snuff or
tobacco-water from time to time, will keep them off. But the grand
object of the gardener ought to be the prevention of the attack ; and
this can only be done by applying a wash in the autumn, as soon as the

NOTICES OF INSECTS HURTFUL IN GARDENS.

fruit is gathered, to prevent the mother-insects from choosing the plants
so washed as a place for nidification, for, if this could be accomplished,
there would be no early appearance of the young broods in spring.
Soap-suds and tobacco-water we consider as good as any other wash
invented to keep off the aphides, more especially if the ground under
the trees be now and then dusted with soot, which is always offensive
to insects seeking the sweets of either foliage, flowers, or fruit.

Such nauseous applications can only be used before the flowers or
fruit appear, as the scent of the one, and the flavour of the other, would
certainly be deteriorated by any portion of these ingredients remaining
upon them. Fumigation may be employed to within a fortnight or
three weeks before the fruit is ripe, as the taint of this on the trees is
much sooner dispersed. Cherries on walls are often sadly disfigured by
the aphides; their excrement, called honey-dew , falls on the fruit,
and, being of a clammy consistence, every particle of dust sticks to the
smooth skin of the fruit, rendering them unfit for the use of the table,
unless they be thoroughly washed in water. Such trees should be well
fumigated as soon as the fruit are as large as marrow peas ; and should
the aphides appear after this on the points of the shoots, they should
be immediately trimmed off.

A fumigating cloth made of light canvass, and large enough to cover
a wall-tree, an espalier, or a low standard, is a most useful appendage
in a garden ; indeed it is impossible to keep wall-trees free from these
insects without fumigating bellows, cloth, and a powerful garden water-
engine.

There are many different species of aphides, and of different colours,
which, it would appear, is owing to the quality of their food. On the
rose and many other plants they are green; hence the common name of
green fly ; on the elder and common garden bean they are black ; on
some geraniums they are red ; and on crack-willow they are grey, and
of a very large size, which is a very distinct species. A mealy sort
attack cabbages and turnips in dry summers, and the common green
species sometimes fall on the common field-pea in such numbers as posi¬
tively to destroy completely the crop, leaving the surface of the ground
white with their sloughs, and where there are also myriads of the little
two and seven-spotted lady-birds devouring the aphides which remain on
the ground after the podless straw is raked off. On one particular
occasion, we could not but observe, at the same time, the vast concourse
of summer-birds which congregated in the field to assist in the destruc¬
tion of the aphides ; — black-caps, garden-warblers, white-throats, lesser
white-throats, three sorts of willow- wren, &c. &c., all attended by their
young, had here a sweet and rich feast.

VOL. V.-— NO. LVI. I »

NOTICES OF INSECTS HURTFUL IN GARDENS.

Greenhouse plants are subject to the visits of aphides, and, as this
place cannot be fumigated without destroying its sweetness, the in¬
fected plants should be removed to a close frame, and fumigated
there.

Ants are always found in company with the aphides ; indeed, the
appearance of the former gives the first intimation of the presence of
the latter. The object of the ants is to collect the honey-dew, and
they may be observed to push about the unwieldy bodies of their pur¬
veyors very roughly, in order to get at their excrements, or to compel
them to void it. Whether the ants prey on the bodies, is questionable ;
for, though they may be often seen hurrying homeward with a young
aphis in their jaws, it is said by naturalists that this capture is not for
the purpose of killing and eating them, but for the purpose of placing
them on some plant more contiguous to the ant-hill, to save labour. If
this curious circumstance in the history of the ant be true, (and we
cannot say it is not,) these little republicans may be proposed as
examples of sagacity, as well as of industry , to man.

Ants are not very annoying to the gardener ; it is true, they like a
bit of ripe melon, peach, or pear ; but this should be allowed for the
great good they do in cleaning the trees of honey-dew, and for destroy¬
ing a good many of the green larvse of the Tortrix. They are, however,
culpable in another affair which may just be mentioned .-—there are
very few hothouses but contain a colony or two of ants ; and when fire
is put thereto in spring, it awakens the ants from their winter doze ;
forth they come in quest of food, and, if they can find nothing else
in the peach-house, they fall upon the anthers of the opening flowers,
and make a prize of them for their young, or to place in the public
granary at home. We have seen this depredation repeatedly, but
believe it happens more from necessity than choice, as they never
touch an anther if they can find their friends, the aphides in the
house.

Some of the aphides are so nearly allied to several species of coccus,
that they often receive each other’s names. We cannot at present say
exactly what the generic distinctions are, or whether they have been
already defined. On this point we would beg the assistance of some
one of our entomological readers, had they leisure so far to oblige us.
It is a shame that, at this time of day, we hear one acute naturalist
call the American blight the Aphis lanigera, and the next we meet,
equally well versed in insects, declares it to be the mealy coccus.

(7o be continued .)

ON GARDENERS’ SOCIETIES.

MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE.

On Gardeners’ Societies. — Sir, I have read with much plea¬
sure the different letters in your two last numbers respecting the
formation of a gardeners’ society in the neighbourhood of London, con¬
vinced, as I have long been, that such an institution would have a
powerful influence in promoting the improvement of horticulture, and
in elevating the characters of its professors. Too long have we, by
our mean envy, our petty jealousies, our contracted prejudices, and our
gross partiality, allowed a stain to rest upon the character of a pro¬
fession once at least distinguished for the intelligence and moral worth
of its members; too long have we, in consequence, retarded the advance¬
ment of science, the cultivation of intellect, the diffusion of benevo¬
lence, and the progress of improvement in the practices of our art.
True it is that there are many noble exceptions ; true it is that there
are men who, in spite of the sneers with which their labours have been
met, and the dark insinuations which have been circulated by puny
minds respecting their motives, have still continued their investiga¬
tions, and, animated with a spirit of diffusive benevolence, have com¬
municated the results to their thankless brethren. True it is that
there are individuals who, keen in the pursuit of knowledge, and
anxious for the spread of philanthropic principles, eagerly receive as a
boon every fresh piece of valuable intelligence, and rejoice in contem¬
plating every judicious system for the elevation of humanity, be the
imparter of that knowledge, the author of that system, who or what he
may. But is such conduct general ? Are such principles in common
operation ? I point you not in answer to that still large class in whom
the spirit of inquiry has never been aroused from its slumbers, who feel
perfectly astonished how their brethren should pester their brains about
such things as salts and gases, science and philosophy. Such men do
but little harm, and that of a negative kind ; but it is no negative
injury inflicted upon the progress of improvement, when men, profess¬
ing themselves to be anxious for the promotion of enlightenment, allow
a principle of envy to gain such an ascendancy over their better feel¬
ings, that they scruple not to undervalue, nay, sneer at the labours of
others ; not because they can pick a fault with a sentiment which has
been uttered, or a proposition which has been made, but merely because
the authors of these labours belong not to a certain circle, within the
bounds of which these sapient critics either believe all wisdom to reside,
or would willingly confine every particle of information, and every
display of intelligence. Hence, if a well-written, good-meaning essay

ON GARDENERS’ SOCIETIES.

should appear in a gardening periodical, inquisitiveness is called imme¬
diately into exercise to ascertain the author. If it should be the work
of a gardener in some celebrated establishment, it passes, with very
little scrutiny, as sterling truth ; if the effusion of some intelligent
journeyman, the merits of the essay are tossed to the winds, while his
presumption is spoken of in the most contemptuous terms ; or if it
should be the production of a gardener holding a small or formerly
unheard-of situation, who, feeling his own deficiencies, advocates the
formation of something like mutual instruction societies, vituperative
exclamations are immediately put in requisition, while some of the
swiftest footed of their would-be mightinesses scour the country, not
more breathless with haste than with proclaiming ( aperto ore ) the
infatuation of such an individual imagining for a moment that they
would consent to impart to him the results of their experience, or
humbly condescend to go to him for instruction or improvement.

I reluctantly advert to these things, not only for the purpose of
exposing such a deteriorating principle, but also for the purpose of
impressing upon the minds of those individuals who, like W. P. A., are
anxious for the formation of societies upon a liberal extended principle,
that they need not be disappointed, if many whom they have reckoned
upon would never countenance their meetings. However extended my
views respecting what such societies might finally become, I deem it to
be of importance that a commencement should be made upon the simple
principle of mutual instruction, as thus a society, or a branch, may be
formed wherever a sufficient number of individuals can be collected.
The only indispensable qualifications necessary for members of such
unions are, first, that a man feels himself to be ignorant, and, secondly,
that he feels that his acting upon the principles of true benevolence is
absolutely essential to his happiness and enjoyment. Thus qualified, a
man will freely communicate, without ostentation, what he knows;
listen patiently to the sentiments of others, however homely the manner
of expressing them ; treat with gentleness, yet with honest plainness,
those ideas which may appear to him untenable ; submit his opinions
to the test of scrutiny and the touchstone of investigation, never
rejoicing more than when convinced of an error, knowing that from the
arena of discussion, and the conflict of opinion, truth in all its brilliancy
shall finally triumphantly emerge.

But what is to be done ? Let every gardener impressed with the
importance of such measures, lose no time in tendering his name as
willing to become a member of a central society, or to endeavour to
form a branch in his own neighbourhood. It is true that there are great
difficulties in the way, but they are not so great as they have been ; we

ON GARDENERS’ SOCIETIES.

are improving, although slowly. Nearly four years ago this subject
was adverted to in the Gardener’s Magazine ; more than three years
since it was introduced into the Register, and not one remark was
elicited upon the subject. No sooner has the matter been broached
now , however, than it has immediately been supported by two intelli¬
gent correspondents, and, what is most cheering of all, one of them the
secretary of a society already in existence. Still, however, it must be
evident that, for the formation of a society worthy of gardening, and
worthy of the age of improvement in which we live, private individuals
can do but little. If gentlemen fond of horticultural pursuits would
give such an institution their countenance, approbation, and support ;
if nurserymen would impress the importance of it upon their young-
men, and, although unable to take much part in its transactions,
become at least its honorary office-bearers ; if the editors of the garden¬
ing periodical press would give it their sanction and support, and
become at least honorary or corresponding members ; then, with such
assistance, the institution would succeed; without such aid, it will
never progress beyond mere agitation. The approbation of individuals
like myself just goes for nothing. It is melancholy to review the many
gentlemen’s establishments and nurseries round London, where many
men are employed, and yet not one vestige of an approach being made
to a system of mutual instruction— no, not to the formation of a
library, as at Clapton, which, to young men, must be of very great
importance.

But can nothing be done now ? ' Cannot you give your advice ?
Cannot your experience of the world enable you to determine whether
such an institution is likely to succeed ? One exists, and a flourishing-
one too, at Acton. I am glad its articles are not exclusive. Perhaps
the want of young men, the monopoly to which W. P. A. refers, may
be more owing to their apathy and indifference, than to any desire of
the members. Could not this society be considered as a central one ?
Mr. Stapleton has promised every information. Would the Society, in
the meantime, admit to its meetings all those from a distance who feel
interested in such matters, as honorary members ? I submit these
hints to Mr. Stapleton’s attention, and conclude this long letter with
expressing my conviction that, when such institutions become generally
prevalent, not only will a new era appear in gardening, but a new era
in the moral and intellectual character of gardeners, by the expansion
of mind to which they will give rise, and the subversion of the struc¬
ture of narrow-minded selfishness, for raising on its ruins the beautiful
edifice of uncompromising justice, based upon impartiality, and cemented
with flowing benevolence and brotherly affection — Yours, &c.

Hyde Park Corner , -Jan. 15, 1836. Robert FiSH.

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

To the Editor.

Sir, — In conversation with an acquaintance of yours the other day,
lie apprised me of what I was not before aware of, namely, that you
had, in your earlier days, made a voyage to China, in quest of certain
plants, natives of that country, and had succeeded in introducing a few
of them, which are now among the chief ornaments of our gardens. I
asked whether you had ever published any account of the results of
that voyage, but was answered, “ Nothing further than some short
papers in the Gardener’s Magazine, and what was communicated to
botanical friends seeking information about Chinese plants.”

Being myself interested in obtaining the history of every known
plant, and also a subscriber to the Horticultural Register now under
your special management, I beg leave to suggest whether a series of
papers describing your observations, made in the course of that voyage,
might not be an amusing, and, I doubt not, an instructive narration to
your readers. It would give you not only an opportunity of describing
the herbs, shrubs, and trees vou met with, but also the tropical scenery
and effects of climate, of which untravelled readers can have but a very
imperfect idea.

Trusting you will excuse this application from a stranger to your
person, though not to your wTritings, and hoping that what I have
taken the liberty to suggest will not operate as an irksome or disagree¬
able task, I remain, Sir, your obedient servant,

Exeter . Dec . 20, 1835. G. B.

In compliance with our correspondent’s wish, we have transcribed
the following memorandums: —

Reminiscences of a Voyage to and from China, in the
Years 1792-3-4. — The writings of Kempfer and Thunberg who had
both visited the eastern parts of Asia, particularly China and Japan,
gave glowing descriptions of the vegetable riches and beauties of that
distant region of the world. These accounts created a strong desire
among European botanists to procure living specimens of those
foreign plants. The direct path to China was open, and trading ships
from all the maritime nations of Europe, made frequent voyages to that
extensive empire. Seeds could easily be purchased at Canton; but
the buyers being totally ignorant of the Chinese names of the plants
particularly wanted, the same worthless things were brought to Europe
repeatedly, which been received a thousand times before. Very
beautiful drawings of their flowering plants ivere often received in
Europe on the manufactured goods of China ; and the curiosity
excited by the figures executed on screens, cabinet goods, & c., raised

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 63

a demand for drawings of flowers whicli could be purchased in every
stationer’s shop in Canton. Collections of these were received by the
East India Company about 1780,, and among them appeared the tree
pceony, nelumbium speciosa , double camellias, magnolias, azaleas, &c.
These drawings only served to redouble exertions to obtain living
plants : as it was found even when really valuable seeds were pro¬
cured in China, they perished ere they arrived in England.

His Majesty George III., Margaret, Duchess of Portland, lords
Coventry and Tankerville, Sir Joseph Banks, and many others, en-
couragers of botany, and lovers of plants, w7ere constantly using their
influence with the officers in the East India Company’s service to
introduce both seeds and living plants from China. But no private
individual took more interest, or exerted himself more strenuously in
the matter, than the late Gilbert Slater, Esq., of Low Layton in Essex.
This gentleman was extensively connected with the East India Com¬
pany, being managing owner of several of their ships ; and of course
was in constant communication with the supercargoes at Canton, while
he possessed the greatest influence with the commanders of his own
ships.

Mr. Slater wrote and published a small tract of directions for
collectors, with figures of the boxes, and manner of packing the plants
for the voyage home. These he distributed among his officers and
friends of the trade, and used every means in his power to accomplish
an object, which as an amusement was a principal pursuit of his
comparatively short life.

His country-seat at Low Layton (now we believe Mr. Barclay’s)
had extensive gardens, where every description of garden building for
the preservation of exotic plants was erected, and where forcing was
carried on in all its branches. The houses contained a fine collection
of stove, greenhouse, and conservatory plants ; the moor-earth borders
were filled with the largest specimens of American plants that could
be purchased: and floriculture was conducted on a most extensive
scale. Every new imported plant soon found its way to Mr. Slater’s
collection, and it was moreover enriched by several Chinese and East
Indian plants of his own introduction, as the Hydrangea hortensis,
Eriobotrya Japonica, Euphoria Litchi and Longana, Volkameria
coccinea, Rosa semperjlorens, &c , &c. It may be here mentioned that
Mr. Slater always divided whatever he had of value with Sir Joseph
Banks for the Kew collection, as a safer means of preserving what
might be received,

Every year large boxes of Chinese plants were received at Low
Layton, not a tithe of which were found alive, and such as survived

64 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA

the voyage, were only the same sorts as had been received frequently
before, and therefore of no value.

Tired with these disappointments, Mr. Slater resolved to send out
collectors in his own ships, whose care of the plants while homeward
bound, was deemed the only chance of getting them alive to their
destination. Accordingly he engaged a young man then (1789)
employed in his garden, to take the trip. This young Scotchman whose
name we have forgotton, embarked in the Carnatic Indiaman, Captain
Corner, bound to Madras and China ; but was unfortunately drowned
on the outward bound passage in the Straits of Malacca. A successor
was immediately inquired for; and we being then (1791) foreman of
the houses and flower garden, accepted the appointment and joined the
Triton, Captain Burnyeat at Gravesend, in the autumn of the same
year.

To a young man naturally fond of botany, and which was then
becoming a principal branch of the business to which we had been
brought up, having an ardent desire of seeing foreign countries, and
ambitious of the honour of being instrumental in the introduction
of new plants, the offer was most fascinating, and more especially as
the duty was to be performed under the protection of one of the kindest
and most generous of masters, and in the company of several officers
whom we had previously known.

We received instructions from Sir Joseph Banks written with his
own hand, as to self-government in the ship, and when on shore ; as to
the choice and manner of keeping seeds, and treatment of plants on
board the vessel. Similar and excellent advice I also received from the
late W. Aiton, Esq. of Kew ; and his son, the present W. T. Aiton, Esq.
(who was present at our last interview), expressed himself envious of
the station in which we were then placed. Every botanist, whether
amateur or commercial, made a point of seeing and wishing us
success ; some of them, escorting us to the hoy which carried us to the
ship.

Our situation was in the Captain’s steward’s berth, the best, except
one, in the ship ; and having nothing to do in the business of working
the vessel, (except what we chose to do when all hands were called,)
we were treated and passed our time like a passenger.

The late worthy Mr. Conrad Loddiges begged of Mr. Slater to be
allowed to send out four boxes of common hardy plants differently
prepared and packed as an experiment, to ascertain which best bore
the vicissitudes of the voyage to Madras. The first were apple, pear,
plum, and rose trees packed in moss, in a close deal box which w’as not
to be opened till our arrival in India, and while on the voyage to be

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

kept in the hold. The others, consisting of the same kinds with the addi¬
tion of a few peach, gooseberry, and currant trees were potted in com¬
mon soil, and placed in boxes, one of which was placed upon deck, and
the others in the stern gallery. These were our outward bound charge ;
and to which were added a large box of earth, planted with large roots
of mangold wirtzel, as thick as they could stand together, for the
purpose of yielding an occasional dish of greens for the captain’s table ;
and also two square tablets to be covered with thick flannel, on which
we raised a handsome dish of small salad, for every Sunday throughout
the voyage; a stock of radish and mustard and cress seeds being ship¬
ped for the purpose before leaving England.

We also carried out three sacks of moss ( Sphagnum palustre )
to pack the plants in while at Canton. The number, size, form, and
fittings of the boxes were to be made to our order in China, as by the
time we got there we could observe what spaces could be best spared,
and which would be completely out of the tvay of working the ship.

Our passage from Gravesend round to Torbay, was by no means
pleasant to a landsman. Besides the ship’s crew, the orlop deck was
filled with a numerous detachment of East India Company’s recruits,
who had been recently enlisted in Ireland, nine-tenths of whom were the
very scum of Dublin ; and a most unruly set they were. Soon after
rounding the South Foreland, many of the men, both sailors and
soldiers, were observed to be drunk. The fate of the Halsewell was
then fresh in memory ; the officers immediately commenced a search
for the contraband spirits, which caused a dreadful commotion in the
ship. The officers however were victorious, every keg which was
found in private hands was consigned to the deep, and all disorderlies
were sent to their hammocks.

Proceeding down Channel, we encountered a heavy gale, in which
the boltsprit was sprung, which caused us to bear away for Torbay, to
refit. Here we lay for a week or ten days ; and it was not before the
thirtieth of January that we took our departure from the Land’s-End.

Here in a few words we may relate an instance of the mental
weakness of sailors : the ship had just touched the ridge of a sand¬
bank, before coming to anchor in the Downs ; she also struck a sunken
wreck off Beachy Head ; afterward, the boltsprit was sprung, so that
by the time we cast anchor in Torbay the hardy tars considered all
these mishaps as certain omens of a disastrous voyage. And so much
did this idea prevail, especially among the old and able seamen, that
half of them would have deserted the ship, if they had been allowed an
opportunity.

We had a fine leading wind, which carried us quickly from the
VOL. V. — NO. LVI

REMINISCENCES OF A VO A AGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

British shore, and through the Bay of Biscay, with very little canvas,
only the foresail and fore and main-topsails close reefed.

On the eighth day after leaving England, we had approached the
latitude of Madeira, which island the captain had resolved to call at ;
but on opening his sealed orders was peremptorily directed to proceed
to the Cape of Good Hope without delay, with despatches for the
Dutch Governor.

Before arriving at this latitude, the air was sensibly warmer. The
gooseberry plants were first in motion, and in a few days after were in
flower, but these quickly dropped ofl*.

The north-east breeze, or rather gale of wind, which wafted us from
England, carried us to the equator, which we crossed (with all the
usual and ridiculous formalities) exactly that day month, from the
Land’s-End : an extraordinary quick passage. Here we were be¬
calmed for a few days ; and here the heat was oppressive, usually
from 85 to 90 degrees of Fahrenheit. All the exposed plants were in
full leaf, and had made shoots two or three inches in length ; and
though the roots were kept regularly watered, and the tops sprinkled
every evening, the growth was feeble, the colour of the foliage pale,
and in size diminutive.

A calm on the line, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the clear
blue sky thinly sprinkled with white tufty clouds, the blazing sun,
the sea as smooth as glass, forming a mirror eighty miles in diameter,
without an object on its surface to attract the eye, save, perhaps, the
sudden lunge of the dolphin in pursuit of the flying fish, which rise in
shoals before him, or occasionally the heavy form of the stupidly
audacious and prowling shark by the ship’s side ; all these circum¬
stances, seen and felt for the first time, can scarcely be described in
sober prose. They are most interesting to every mind previously
acquainted with the theory of geography, meteorology, astronomy, and
navigation: and, besides the daily occurrences among a jovial and
healthy crew, of between three and four hundred persons, made our
little floating world far from being either an irksome prison, or dis¬
agreeable abode.

The favouring south-east trade wind bore us south-westward towards
the coast of Brazil, and doubling the small uninhabited, though beau¬
tifully verdant, island of San Trinidada, on the South American shore,
gave a fresh departure for the Cape of Good Hope.

The plants during the whole time we were crossing the torrid zone,
were constantly excited beyond their powers, and we need hardly
explain to our readers the cause. So recently transplanted, they had
not stamina to withstand the exhausting heat, nor could they enjoy

ON THE PHENOMENON OF DEW.

the refreshing coolness of night, as felt in temperate climes. Even the
large tubers of mangold wirtzel were dried up, and thrown overboard ;
but small salad was grown expeditiously, and in great plenty.

Sailing south-eastward down the South Sea, every day presented
new objects of admiration ; and every night, new constellations. Among
the former were troops of enormous whales, tumbling past the ship,
and the wandering albatrosses (called by the sailors Cape sheep),
skimming the ocean hundreds of miles from land. Of the new celestial
objects, the southern cross, and the three Magellan or imaginary clouds ,
were most remarkable. The latter are always best seen in a clear sky;
the two white ones are only large nebulae separated from, and of the
same hue as, the milky-way; the other is an oval spot in the middle
of the galaxy, quite free from stars, hence it appears like a black
cloud.

By and by the cloud-capped table land of the Cape hove in sight,
and shortly after we anchored in the harbour of Cape Town, among a
considerable number of trading ships, chiefly French, but which were
all off next morning. The secret of the despatches then came out, viz.,
we carried out the declaration of war against France, and which news
was communicated to the commanders by the Dutch Governor.

The same morning we went on shore, and were immediately intro¬
duced to Mr. Francis Masson. This was a most interesting interview ; we
had all the botanical news of England to relate, and he had to tell of,
and show us, his new acquisitions. This was indeed a treat, more
especially in a stroll we took to view his collection in a small enclosed
recess under the Table Mountain. There we saw, for the first time, the
Nymphcea cerulcea, which Mr. M. had just previously added to his
collection ; many species of Stapelia and Heaths which he had dis¬
covered and collected at the same time. He showed also a lar^e
assortment of seeds ; for a small packet of which we offered a bag of
dollars, but he was honourably proof against the temptation.

We dined together at a table d’hote, where the Governor, and a great
many officers, civil, naval, and military, were present. Eating, drink¬
ing, and smoking, had no charms for us then : we had another walk in
the afternoon, and visited the public garden, a rectangular area of two
or three acres, but much neglected. A few orange trees, and the
myrtle hedges, were the only things worth looking at. Mr. Masson
left the tavern late, and we rejoined the ship early the next morning.

( To be continued.')

On the Phenomenon of Dew. — That there are different opinions
held relative to the formation of dew, appears from what has been
written on the subject. The theory propounded by the late Dr. Wells

OX THE PHENOMENON OF DEW.

is very generally received, being adopted by some of the first meteorolo¬
gists of the day, whose assent may be taken as proof that the Doctor’s
opinion is no longer hypothetical, but founded on demonstrable facts.

I presume not to question the correctness of the Wellian ideas, nor
do I take up the pen to criticise or dispute the truth of any account of
the phenomenon heretofore published ; all I intend to do in this paper
is, to describe^ the natural appearance of dew, as it is seen by every
attentive observer, in every season, and under every circumstance of
wind and weather, and which will serve to confirm all previous accounts
which are true, or correct, perhaps such as are irrelevant.

From the earliest pages of recorded knowledge, we read not only of
the morning and evening dew, but of the falling dew. Historians,
and particularly poets, whether ancient or modern, in alluding to this
beautiful meteor, always describe it as falling . To account for its
precipitance and condensation, it was long held as probable, that ex¬
halations from the earth during the day were raised, and sustained in
the atmosphere by the heat of the sun while above the horizon ; but
as soon as set, and his beams of heat and light withdrawn, the exhala¬
tions, becoming heavier as they are cooled by the night air, fall again to
the earth, forming those pearl-like globules of the purest water attached
to the point of every blade of grass and tender leaf, and to the salient
angles on the margin of every leaf.

Dew is more or less abundant according as the air is clear and cloud¬
less, and more or less calm. When wind prevails, no dew is formed
on exposed plants, but on those only which grow in sheltered places ;
neither is any formed, whether windy or calm, on grass-land parched
by long-continued drought, though, at the same time, it is most copious
on moist ground, and on the margins of lakes and rivers.

Dew-drops are not distributed indiscriminately, but on healthy vege¬
tation only : dead or sickly plants carry no dew. If a healthy plant of
grass, for instance, be growing in the midst of a thousand sickly ones,
the first only will be dewed. This is often strikingly visible in gar¬
dens, and particularly in the business of forcing. In a vinery, the
leaves of all the vigorous-growing trees are, on mornings, beautifully
fringed with dew ; but on weak and stunted trees no drops appear.
In hotbeds, when the young cucumber or melon plants are progressing
prosperously, they are seen to be finely embellished with dew-drops
when uncovered on mornings. In both these cases the dew is formed
under every degree of temperature between thirty-five and ninety
degrees of Fahrenheit’s scale.

In the open air, when the sky is cloudy, and a strong breeze of wind
prevails, no dew is formed on any exposed plant or place ; but if any

ON THE PHENOMENON OF DEW.

part of a moist meadow happen to be covered by a garden-hand or bell-
glass, or by any impervious covering, transparent or opaque, a copious
dew will be found beneath, while the herbage around is quite dry.

If two pieces of arable or garden ground be sown at the same time,
and with the same kind of seed, but having been differently prepared
for the crops — one of the pieces by trenching, say eighteen inches deej),
and the other by common digging only — the seedlings will rise on both
at first equally strong ; but the plants on the trenched part will not
only outgrow those on the digged ground, but will always be seen to
carry much more dew, though both are exposed to the same atmospheric
influences. The same effect may be seen on waste or on uncultivated
lands, where a stratum or bed of rock lies near or just within the sur¬
face. Over the bed of rock dew is always less plentiful than it is where
there is no rock, or where it lies at a greater depth.

Dew-drops are iridescent when seen between the sun and the eye ;
and when a person’s shadow is, on mornings, thrown on a bedewed sur¬
face of grass or young corn, a halo or glory appears to surround the head
of the observer’s shadow.

Dew is formed during clear frosty nights as plenteouslv as it is in
warm weather, only, in such a chilled state of the air, each floating
vesicle of water is frozen either before or immediately after it is united
to the previously-formed globules on the green herbage.

It has been already observed, that dew-drops are attached to the
points and acute angles of the leaves of all healthy plants near the sur¬
face of the ground. The presence of dew upon a plant is the strongest
indication of its perfect health and luxuriance. What, it may be asked
is the cause of this ? Is it because the acute angles, being more promi¬
nent, catch the floating vesicles more readily? We may easily conceive
that, when a larger globule of dew is once formed, it will readily attract
the smaller globules or vesicles floating near it, and so become larger
and larger, till it falls by its own weight. But may not these attrac¬
tions and condensations of the vapour be caused by some inductive
power of the vegetable organisation ? Electric or gaseous currents of
some kind may be absorbable by the plant, and the points, as they
always contain the end of a vascular branch of the structure, may
exhibit some inhaling agency which may carry the vesicles of vapour to
the inlet.

I am the more inclined to suggest these questions, because, although
dew-drops are most commonly seen on the acute angles of leaves, they
are not always so disposed. The leaves of the common nasturtium, or
Indian cress ( Tropceolum majus ) are what botanists call peltate, that
is, the foot-stalk is fixed, not in the edge, but to the centre, whence

ON THE PHENOMENON OF DEW.

atmospheric veins diverge outwards to the margin. At the point of
each vein there is a slight indentation in the margin, and in this the
dew-drop is suspended, showing that it is attracted by some action of
the vein of the leaf, rather than by the more prominent parts of the
margin.

Dew begins to be formed as soon as the solar beams are withdrawn,
and is increased till sun-rise, when it is gradually exhaled away. That
the dew-drops are condensed vapour, is self-evident ; but whether this
vapour descends from the atmosphere, or is evaporated from the earth
by the radiation of the sun’s heat, united w’ith that subterranean heat
which is ever escaping from the surface, (together producing, by the
escape of heat, that extreme cold on the surface,) is not so evident,
though, perhaps, the preceding observations, if faithful, may assist
those, who contemplate the phenomenon, to arrive at a pretty sound
conclusion. The evaporation from the earth is often beautifully visible
on damp ground on serene evenings in summer and autumn, lying like
a thin cloud on the steaming surface after a hot day, and, doubtless, is
ever rising whether visible or not.

But there are other condensations of atmospheric moisture which
should be considered in connection with the foregoing observations on
dew, as they are phenomena perfectly distinct from each other. Water
is soluble in air, and unites with it so intimately, that its transparency
is not in the least diminished, or it is buoyant in the atmosphere, in a
vesicular state, and takes the appearance of mist or clouds. A change
of the temperature of the air produces a change of the condition of the
water floating in it ; that which is in a state of perfect solution becomes
vesicular, and that which is in the form of clouds is condensed into
larger drops, and descends as rain. So all solid bodies on the earth
being often colder than the air, attract from the latter both its
heat and aqueous particles, condensing the water into large drops on
the surface, which coalescing run in little streams to the ground.
During a season of frosty wreather, all solid bodies, as stone, marble, or
metals, are cooled down according to the intensity of the frost, and, on
a return of warmer weather, these solid bodies wrill be continually
covered with moisture till their temperature becomes equal to that of
the air. This circumstance is frequently witnessed in summer, as well
as in winter. All solids, as the stones and pavement in the streets or
around buildings, become cool during nights ; and such as lie out of
the morning rays of the sun, will continue to attract moisture till nine
or ten o’clock, or till their temperature is equal to that of the air.

All these instances of the condensation of vapour are the effects of
that general law of nature, by which all fluids tend to an equilibrium.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE ROOFING OF HOT-IIOUSES. 71

the colder body constantly receiving the particles of heat which float
(surrounded by a vesicle of water) in the surrounding medium. Such
condensations, however, cannot with propriety be called dew, though it
is very common to say, “ the marble is dewed.” A decanter of cold
wine or water brought to table in warm weather, is said to be “ soon
dewed ; ” but the processes are dissimilar. In the last-mentioned
instances of condensation, there is great disparity in the temperatures
of the dewed body and the medium whence the moisture is drawn ;
whereas, in respect of those slender, unsubstantial leaves of grass which
carry most dew, it cannot be supposed that their lower temperature is
the attractive quality, because, if the experiments made by naturalists
with delicate thermometers be true, the interior of free-growing plants
is always of higher temperature than the air around them ; and in the
case of the hotbed dews there both the vapour and the plants are equal
as to temperature. It is true that the lowest stratum of the air in con¬
tact with the surface of the ground, is necessarily colder (in consequence
of radiation and evaporation) than the superstrata ; yet it does not
follow that the leaves of healthy vegetation immersed in it are still
colder, to attract and condense water as a block of marble does.

Whatever may be the cause of the formation of dew, and whatever
the source whence its globules are collected, I need not endeavour to
explain by mere conjecture; the foregoing description of the pheno¬
menon, under the various circumstances in which it appears and dis¬
appears, will serve to assist the inquirer who has pleasure in the study
of meteorology. J. W.

Observations on the Roofing of Hot-houses. — The earliest,
and by far the most common, forms of glass roofs for hot-houses, are
lean-tos against a wall more or less elevated in front. Such roofs are
generally laid at about an angle of 45 degrees from the horizon ; this
pitch being considered most receptive of the rays of light, and equally
safe from leakage of rain, or from the direct pelting of hail-storms.
Nar row houses for forcing peaches, are usually covered with single
lights, the whole length of the rafter : wider houses, as graperies, have
two tier of lights, the upper tier sliding down over the other, with low
glazgd fronts and ends.

This form is the most simple, and, as already said, the most common.
Many opinions are held as to the proper angle in which sloping roofs
should be laid ; and some persons have been at the pains to calculate
the angles of incidence of the sun’s rays, from his rising to his setting,
for every day in the year upon a plane surface ; and all this to ascer¬
tain which inclined angle would intercept the greatest number of the
rays. We know not that any great good has resulted from the conclu-

OBSERVATIONS ON THE ROOFING OF HOT-HOUSES.

sions come to by the calculators. But we know well that it was long
ago suggested, that all forcing houses should have a roof facing three
ways, viz., one graduated towards the east, to receive the morning sun,
one towards the south, to intercept the mid-day, and another sloping
to the west, to catch the setting beams. A modification of this scheme
has been acted on ; and some beautiful conservatories "were so built
fifty years ago. These buildings had glazed upright ends in the com¬
mon way, and next to the ends had five or six rafters and double
lights laid also in the common way ; but from these points the back
wall began to rise, and the front was carried outwards circularly ; so
that the middle of the building was swelled outwards and upwards,
much more than the two ends. The exterior of these buildings was
handsome, and the interior was convenient, in so far as that plants of all
heights had ample space ; and the sides of the swell certainly admitted
more both of the morning; and afternoon sun into the house. But the
construction had defects : the lights which sloped laterally allowed
every heavy shower to be thrown diagonally to the lower side, which
either found its way through under the side of the sash, or was pre¬
cipitated with force over the front gutter. Another thing, the centre
lights were so large and heavy, that, though counterpoised by cast-iron
weights behind, they were always a great plague to be let down,
or be got up.

This plan was only an approach to the curvilinear roofs, which soon
afterward came into fashion, and as erected at Messrs. Loddiges’, and
many other places. Light, that grand and indispensable agent in the
development and maturation of vegetable productions, was deemed
everything for plants shut up in buildings ; and hence the rejection of
clumsy wooden rafters and sash-bars, and the substitution of those of
cast-iron. Here perhaps the lover of new symmetrical forms, and the
iron-founder together, got the better of the plain common sense of the
gardener (ourselves among the rest), who knew well that without
light no plant can thrive ; but also knew that there may be excess of
light, and particularly between the hours of eleven and three in the
afternoon, of cloudless days ; so that any part of the structure, which
mitigates the sun’s ardour during these hours, is an advantage rather
than otherwise. Still it must be confessed, that a good thing may be
refused, but which cannot be commanded ; a single mat, or an awning
of thin canvas, may qualify the sun’s light and heat (for we cannot
well have the first without the second also), but by no means can we gain
an intenser degree of light than the face of the sky happens to give us.
And if therefore a house be constructed to admit at all times the great¬
est volume of light, it is well, provided there is at the same time

OBSERVATIONS ON THE ROOFING OF HOT-HOUSES.

convenient means for shading when necessary. What would the pine-
grower do without the means of shading ? His plants would become
stunted, contracted in volume, and yield smaller, though probably
higher flavoured fruit. Hence a high and well lighted pinery is not
so well adapted for the growth of pines, as a low and somewhat gloomy
pit. In the native country of the pine-apple, as well as all other
tropical plants, they cannot have more than twelve hours’ light, in the
longest day of their summer, whereas, in this country, during the
principal period of their fruiting, they enjoy from fourteen to seventeen
hours’ sunlight, besides long twilights, which they do not have at home.
And this may be one reason why pines, as well as other exotic plants
require shading, in the middle of our summer days. It may be
answered that, if tropical plants have more sun in our summer, they
have less in our winter, and therefore there is something like equalisa¬
tion during the year. True : but as light is only one of the general
influences received from the presence of the sun, and as we can supply
the other by art, it does not appear that pines particularly suffer
from want of sunlight during our short days.

The object of the hot-house builder should therefore be to gain the
morning light until eleven forenoon, and retain it as long as possible
after three in the afternoon. And in the interval between these hours
more shade should be thrown upon the plants, than there is before
eleven and after three. This can only be done by opposing the opaque
parts of the roof to the noon-tide sun, and placing the transparent
parts so that the sun’s rays shall not pass through at right angles.

That this has been accomplished by Mr. Paxton at Chatsworth, as
well in a greenhouse lately built, as in the design for the conservatory
intended to be built, we can affirm from a plan and elevation of the
first, and from a model of the second, both of which we have seen and
examined. Of this entirely new plan of roofing, we are in hopes of
being able shortly to give figures in the Register, to be supplied by
Mr. Paxton himself, but in the mean time we shall close this paper
by some slight description.

In order to give a faint idea of the construction of the roof, let us
suppose that a hot-house is to be built in the common way, against a
north wall of a garden, but to be covered with a Paxton roof (as we
shall take the liberty to call it). Two sets of rafters, or principal
bearers, are required ; every other one being supported, say three feet
higher than the intermediate ones. Of course there is, or may be, two
plates, one three feet above the other in the back wall, into which the
rafters are, or may be, dove-tailed for the better security of the building.
The upper and under bearers are united by smaller ones, to bear the

VOL. v.— NO. lvi.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE ROOFING OF HOT-IIOUSES.

glazed lights or sashes, which are fixed ; and these falling east and
west from the higher to the lower rafters or principals. Thus the
•whole length of roof will be formed into ridges and valleys ; and the
front eaves will present a series of little glazed gables, This form of
roof renders gutters necessary in every valley, and pipes at the bottom
of each, to carry off the rain, and melted snow water from the roof.

By this disposition of the glass lights, it is obvious that the greater
part of every ray of light from the eastward will be admitted, and
also the same from the west. And, moreover, the heat of the meridian
sun will be so far qualified by the shadows of the bearers, the short
rafters, and frames of the lights, together with the refracted transmission
of the rays through the obliquely lying glass, that no extreme degree
of heat need be feared in the middle of the day, nor yet will there be
any prejudicial want of light at any time.

We know not how such a house is ventilated, but, besides the
facilities afforded by the upright front and ends, many simple con¬
trivances may be thought of to allow the escape of over-heated air.

In the further consideration of this new method of roofing hot¬
houses, we have, in the first place, to notice how far it may, or may not,
be suited to the changes of weather experienced in this climate. On
a first view, its liability to collect and retain an inconvenient load of
snow, seems to be the most material objection ; because, although a
coat of snow is soon melted off a forcing house, yet, as it would keep slip¬
ping down into the gutters, attention will be required to keep them free.

In the second place, how will such an irregular roof suit the plants
cultivated under it ? The irregularity of a roof can make no difference
to plants not trained to it, such as pines and collections of stove or
greenhouse plants ; but for a vinery it does not at all appear to be con¬
venient, because though a wire-trellis could be made parallel to the
surface of glass, still, from its wavy position, it would be, we think, at
least inconvenient to the vine-dresser. The same objection may be
made to training peach-trees on such a roof; but we are not aware of
any other defect or inconvenience to which the plan is liable.

It may be thought, perhaps, that all the advantages alluded to
might be gained by placing the forcing-house north and south, instead
of east and west, and covering it with a common roof, falling both
ways, and to build at the north end a high sheltering wall. This
would receive all the benefit of fore and afternoon light ; and would
also be as shady in the middle of the day, as the other more complicated
roof. But, as we are yet imperfectly acquainted with all the merits of
the Paxton roof, we shall add nothing further concerning it, till we
re-examine the promised drawings.

(To he continued .)

PLANTS

FIGURED

IN BOTANICAL PERIODICALS.

NOTICES OF PLANTS FIGURED AND DESCRIBED IN THE FOLLOWING

BOTANICAL PERIODICALS, VIZ.

Edwards’ Botanical Register, continued by Dr. Lindley
The January number contains —

1. Cosmelia rubra. Red Cosmelia. A handsome greenhouse plant,
with the habit of an Epacris, and belonging to the natural order Epa-
cridece. The dowers are terminal at the points of the twigs, and mostly
hanging downwards ; their colour is reddish purple ; their form a
bellying tube, three-quarters of an inch in length. It is said to be
partial to marshy places on the south coast of New Holland. It belongs
to the fifth class and first order of Linnaeus.

2. Lasthenia Calif ornica. Downy Lasthenia. A small syngenesious
annual, flowering about six weeks, at different periods of the year,
according to the season at which the seeds are sown. It is a plant of
very little beauty.

3. Aristolocliia fcetena. Stinking Birthwort. A West Indian plant,
which flowered lately in the stove of Mrs. Marryat, at Wimbledon.
Like all other Birthworts, the flowers are grotesque in shape, and,
like some of them, diffuse a most abominable scent. The flowers
are large, and so marbled with purple and dirty yellow, that they are
a puzzling and tedious task for an artist to represent properly. This
genus, placed in Gynandria Hexandria by Linnaeus, gives a title to
one of the natural orders of Jussieu, viz. Aristolochacece.

4. Pleurothallis picta. Painted Pleurothallis. A small orchideous
plant from Demerara, somewhat similar, but different from, P. Grobyi.
This species, though in all its parts diminutive, is, like many other
small plants, very curious and beautiful when closely examined. Its
tufts of foliage are rapidly formed under good management; but it
seems to require the close atmosphere of a bell-glass.”

5. Hibiscus Rosa Sinensis, Single-flowered Chinese Rose-mallow.
The double varieties of this plant have been long in our collections ;
but the single one is comparatively rare, and much more beautiful than
the double sorts. It is common all over India as well as China.

6. Pimelea ligus Irina. Privet-leaved Pimelea. This is a hardy
greenhouse plant, readily multiplied by cuttings, but requires much
fresh air in winter, otherwise it is liable to damp off.

7. Dendrobium densiflorum. Dense-flowered Dendrobium. “ This
lovely orchidea says Dr. Wallich, in his splendid Plantce Asiaticce,
“ comes so near to Roxburgh’s Dendrobium clavatum , that I should
consider them as identical, if he had not ascribed bulbs to his plant, of

PLANTS FIGURED IN BOTANICAL PERIODICALS,

which ours is entirely destitute. In the Calcutta garden, the two
plants maintain that character, although in other respects they are alike.
It is possible that, under particular circumstances, the bulbs, or pseudo-
bulbs, may become elongated into clavate stems ; and, if so, the Silhet
plant would be the same species with ours from Nipaul.”

Beautiful as our specimen is, “ it is still inferior to what is pro¬
duced in India ; so that cultivators have still a point to gain in respect
to this charming species.”

Dr. Lindley adds accounts of other species found near Sidney Cove,
m New Holland.

Sweet’s British Flower-Garden, continued by D. Don, Esq.
The number for January contains —

1. Agrostemma Bungeana. Dr. Bunge’s Scarlet Campion. A hardy
perennial, requiring a loamy soil, and is increased by seeds, which it
ripens freely. The drawing was made by Mr. James Macnab, from a
plant which was received from Messrs. Booths’ Flotbeck Nurseries,
near Hamburgh, by Dr. Neil, of Edinburgh. Mr. Don thinks it is a
native of Asiatic Russia.

2. Verbena rug os a. A didynamous perennial, belonging to the
natural order to which the genus gives a title. It is a very showy
border plant ; was raised from seeds received from Buenos Ayres by
Mr. Cameron, curator of the Birmingham Botanic Garden. It is allied
to V. venosa, but is perfectly distinct by its stalked leaves being cor¬
date at the base, and having hairy corollas, &c.

3. Nierembergia calycina. Large-calyxed Nierembergia. Linnsean
class and order, Pentandria Monogynia ; natural order, Solanece .

“ This remarkable species, which combines entirely the habit of the
group Petunia with the corolla of the normal Nierembergice , was
gathered by Mr. Tweedie on the banks of the river Uruguay, in the
republic of Buenos Ayres ; and from seeds transmitted by him the
plant was raised in the Botanic Garden at Glasgow, in 1834.

4. Daphne odora : var. rubra. Red-flowered fragrant Daphne.
An erect, evergreen, bushy shrub, about two feet high, imported from
China about four years ago, and flowered in the collection of Mr.
George Smith, nurseryman at Islington, in the latter end of November.
It appears to be pretty hardy, and is a valuable acquisition, being
finely scented. The flowers are purple, and appear in heads at the
points of the branches.

Paxton’s Magazine of Botany, for January, contains—

1. Lxora Bandhuca, one of the most beautiful species of this most

QUESTIONS AND ANSWER. />

beautiful genus of plants. It is a native of India, and flowers frequently
in the stove.

2. Calceolaria Hopeana. Mr. Hope’s new Slipperwort. This is
one of the most showy of the genus, the flowers being very large and
numerous. The colour is yellow, without much variegation ; but the
gracefulness of the truss, and the amplitude of the flowers, compensate
for want of deep colours.

3. Manettia cordifolia. Heart-shaped-leaved Manettia. A beautiful
climber, and well worth a place in everv stove collection. It belongs
to the natural order Rubiacece.

4. Maxillaria Deppei. Mr. Deppe’s Maxillaria. A fine-flower¬
ing orcliideous plant, lately introduced, and has flowered in several
collections.

This number also contains the history and culture of the Sugar-Cane.

Smith’s Florists’ Magazine, for January, contains —

The Elizabeth and Homer Tulips 3 Young’s Earl Grey and Lancaster
Lass Carnations; Phlox Drummondii ; Perfection Pelargonium ; and
the Rhodochiton volubile. They are all beautifully drawn and coloured,
and, as usual, accompanied with very valuable remarks as to their
history and culture.

To the Editor of the Horticultural Register.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWER.

Sir,— -I ought to apologise for troubling you with my letter and
queries; but as I dare say that you have other subscribers who are as
ignorant as myself, and as your good-nature must be in frequent requi¬
sition, I venture to apply to you, trusting that you will, either by letter,
or through your Register, give me the information that I ask.

The garden which I have just come into possession of contains about
fifty yards of glass, divided into three houses. The vines have been
planted above thirty years ; during the last twenty they have had no
other attention than common pruning. W ha we wish to know is,
whether an addition of compost will be sufficient, without having
entirely new plants. And if you w^ould give me a few hints how a
piece of ground, (fifty-four yards by twenty-four,) surrounded by a
wall, can be made a pretty pleasure-garden of, I shall be more than
obliged to you.

Perhaps you would also make known to me how I may propagate the
white Banksia Rose, as I do not find the usual cuttings to succeed with
that variety.

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR FEBRUARY.

ANSWER.

We have pleasure in answering our correspondent by observing, that
in respect to the vines, if they are still healthy., they only require proper
pruning, to be made as fruitful as ever. Their age is no detriment,
provided the knife be judiciously used. Much, however, depends on
the condition of the border ; it should be dry, of an open porous cha¬
racter, and be moderately rich. If poor from neglect or cropping the
surface, it may be easily made rich enough by merely breaking up the
surface with a fork, (not a spade,) and covering it with two or three
inches thick of rotted dung, the juice of which will be washed down by
the rain.

Respecting the little walled garden, we can only say that, if fruit-
trees be on the walls, they probably must be cared for by not choking
them with shrubs, although flower-borders may do no harm. If there
be no fruit-trees, then as much variety as possible should be given to
the spot, by giving it a general carpet of turf, carrying a sand or gravel-
walk wavingly round the outside, hiding the walls and walk from the
windows, if any look into it, and Ailing the centre with irregular-shaped
clumps of shrubs, and beds and knots of flowers, to give variety and
interest to the whole.

The rose mentioned is best propagated by layers. — Ed.

CALENDAR I A L MEMORANDA FOR FEBRUARY.

KITCHEN GARDEN.

Our memoranda for last month are still available, as it is more than
probable that but little of what was then advised to be done has been hi the
interim executed. This necessarily leaves more to be done hi the present
month, and, therefore, every mild and sunny hour must be taken advantage
of. At this time we have 'only to renominate the different things mentioned
last month, with the additional advice, that, if no sowing has been done
during January, double quantities must be put hi now. This applies chiefly
to peas and common beans ; and, besides the sowings of the latter in the
open ground, a quart or two may be sown on a little heat under glass, or hi
boxes to be placed hi heat for transplanting about the beginning of April.

Transplant cabbage and lettuce, if not already done, as soon as possible ;
and even if done in the past month some more of each should be put out at
the end of this.

The first planting of early potatoes may be put in upon a dry south border

CALENDAR! AL MEMORANDA FOR FEBRUARY.

towards the end of the month. Place the sets, whether whole or in pieces,
five inches deep, and in rows thirty inches apart. The tops of this planting
may perhaps he killed by night frosts in April or May : but, nevertheless,
they will yield tubers at an acceptable time.

Many different things must be sown in this month, as cabbage of sorts,
savoys, cauliflower on a moderate hot-bed ; celery under a hand-glass on a
south border, or in a box placed in a frame or hot-house ; carrot for an early
crop ; parsley and Hamburg parsley, a single drill of red beet ; spinach to
succeed that sown in Autumn ; a bed of leeks towards the end of the
month for transplanting ; parsnep, various sorts of lettuce, radish, and small
salad herbs twice.

Ail kinds of crops in rows or drills will require hoeing among, and some
of them may require earthing up. The action of the hoe assists to dry the
surface, and renews the cultivated face thereof, as well as assists the growth
of the plants.

It is not yet too late to do many things advised to be done in the three
preceding months ; such as transplanting fruit trees, making new plantations
of horse radish, or liquorice, where required ; carrying on manure or pre¬
pared composts ; trenching, &c., &c.

The business of the melon ground and forcing houses now engrosses the
principal part of the time, and much of the care, of the gardener. One
excellent rule in the management is, never to defer doing what is necessary
till the necessity is actually visible. The business of gardening is based on
forethought ; and he who cannot foresee what is likely to happen a week or
two before the instant day, is by no means well calculated for the duties of
forcing. We have lost, or seriously injured, many hotbed crops by merely
delaying to apply till Saturday a lining which should have been put up on
the Thursday before. Experience teaches what is necessary for every plant
artificially treated, and practice enables a man to judge from ordinary
feelings whether circumstances are favourable, especially as to the necessary
temperature ; still a thermometer may be consulted with advantage even by
the most experienced hand.

The stove, green-house, and flower-garden, require the usual superintend¬
ence. The latter may still undergo any necessary alterations and improve¬
ments, as to reducing or enlarging beds, or clumps ; dividing the overgrown
stools of perennials and planting new sorts ; the beds of bulbs and tubers being
carefully defended against hail-storms and severe frost. About the end of
the month dahlia seeds may be sown, and raised on a little heat, and so may
all other annual or other plants which are wished to flower early. Seeds of
both greenhouse and hothouse plants are also best raised about this time in
order to meet the summer. Another set of flowering shrubs may be brought
into heat to succeed such as are fading.

REMARKS ON THE WEATHER.

RODGERS’ GOLDEN CRIMSON CARNATION.

Was raised in Kent, a few years ago, from seed procured from Brus¬
sels ; it remained a year longer than usual before it flowered ; for some
time Mr. Rodgers had considerable difficulty in raising a succession, and,
when he removed to Derbyshire, one pair was all he had. From these
another pair was raised, which I purchased.

Some time since, in writing of this carnation, I stated that it did not
readily strike from layers ; but I now find if layered in sand and leaf-
mould it strikes root well ; indeed it will bloom better if grown in this
soil than any other.

Mr. Rodgers has now a few pairs to dispose of, at one guinea per pair.
In conclusion, I beg to state, that the plate is an exact copy of the
flower, no petals were taken out, in order to make it more perfect.

George T. Dale.

WirTcsworth , Derby , 14 tli Jan., 1836,

REMARKS ON THE WEATHER

Never do we remember to have seen so frequent ancl extreme
changes of weather as have taken place since the date of our last
remarks. Within the space of twent}r-four hours, the thermometer
has ranged from 14 degrees of frost to 12 degrees above the freezing
point, that is from 18 to 24 degrees of Fahrenheit’s scale. This
variableness has not only been felt in one locality, but, as appears from
the newspapers, all over the kingdom. At this moment, some of the
western counties are covered with snow, while in the south we have
neither frost nor snow : on the contrary, some days are as mild and
genial for vegetation as an April day. And in Spain and in the south
of France, frost has been severe, and ice plentiful.

These extreme changes in this country have redoubled the labour
of the gardener, in defending his tender things on nights, and exposing
them on mild days : for as much damage may be sustained from
unnecessary coverings, as from complete exposure. These mild and
open intervals have allowed opportunities for getting in the peas, beans,
and other seeds required to be put in, during the first month of the
year — transplanting of trees, shrubs, and culinary plants, and all
manner of ground-work have been advanced, and though the business
of the kitchen-garden is not so forward as it was last year, it is never*
theless as forward as it is in ordinary seasons.

The Eranthus hyemale, and Helleborus niger , are both now in full
bloom ; and most of the bulbs are pushing vigorously.

January 24th, 1836.

PAXTON’S

HORTICULTURAL REGISTER,

MARCH, 1836.

HORTICULTURE.

ON THE SHANKING OF GRAPES.

Wirksworth, Derby, January 14 th, 1836.

I have read with great pleasure and interest, the numerous
paragraphs which have of late been written on this disease. An
excellent paper appeared in your November number, also in your last ;
but these throw but little light on the subject after all ; indeed, I think
till lately sufficient attention has not been directed to it.

Very numerous are the opinions as to its origin; the favourite
opinion seems to be that it proceeds in a great measure from weakness.
Here I would observe that the shrivelling, or I should rather say the
withering of grapes produced from weakness, is in my opinion a very
different disease from shanking. Mr. Judd has made some excellent
remarks on this subject. The shanking takes place almost as quickly
as a tree withers when struck by lightning. A person who has closely
watched this disease, will have observed, that he may go into his house
and see his grapes all looking well, and he shall return in three hours
and find the fruit struck with this vexing disease. Now did it proceed
from weakness, the shrivelling would be more gradual. My opinion
on this subject is very similar to Mr. Judd’s, indeed I am inclined to
think that nothing but damp and noisome vapour could produce the
effect; and here I would observe that most gardeners are afraid of
giving their vines too much air. I am convinced in most cases they
might give them much more, and with great advantage. If I may be
allowed to use the expression, I should say the shanking in grapes was
a very similar thing to a paralytic stroke on the human body ; its effects

VOL. V. - NO. LVII. M

ON THE WHITE TOKAY GRAPE.

are nearly the same. Mr. Ayres asks, if the disease proceeds from an
over-moist and over-heated atmosphere, would not the syringing and
shutting up of vineries in the afternoon, produce the same effect as the
over-heated condensed moisture of the'morning ? To this I would reply
— no question about it, if the house was the least inclined to be damp.
The great error which has kept back further discoveries with regard
to this disease, is, I am inclined to think, the confounding of the two
together.

As my paper is exhausted, I will in a future number, if you think
this worthy of admission, say more on the subject.

G. T. Dale.

ON THE WHITE TOKAY GRAPE.

Sir. — In the last number of your Register, I observe a paper upon
the management of the White Tokay, or Muscat of Alexandria grape,
with a view to the well setting of its blossoms. My motive for writing
this little notice, is to correct the mistake of confounding these two
grapes, and supposing them to be the same : an error, which, as it
tends to increase the already too much confused list of grapes, calls for
immediate correction.

The White Tokay, really the genuine Tokay (there being but one
white variety) is a very choice grape, of a vinous flavour ; bunch
small, very compact with no shoulders : this latter is at once a
distinguishing feature from the Muscat, which in the extent of its
shoulders, frequently renders the bunch as broad as long. The wood
of the Tokay is very white, that of the Muscat is of a rich red brown ;
the leaf of the former is stiff and very downy, in the latter it is large
and pendulous.

At the garden of a nobleman, where I lately lived, (who is well
known for his excellent taste in the grape,) both varieties grew side by
side in the same stove ; and from recollection I have given this de¬
scription.

Those of your readers who possess Lindley’s Guide to the Orchard
and Kitchen Garden, will And the Tokay grape accurately described.

I hope A. B.’s mode of treating the Muscat will be tried by those
who have the convenience : few grapes set so indifferently ; which
clearly points out the necessity of some peculiar treatment: the same
with the Black Damascus ; Stilward’s Sweetwater ; both which I have
seen fail in a lire heat of 70 degrees. The foliage of each seems
invariably to suffer in a high temperature.

A Young Gardener.

METHODS OF TRAINING FRUIT-TREES.

ON THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF TRAINING FRUIT TREES ROUND
THE QUARTERS OR COMPARTMENTS OF KITCHEN-GARDENS.

Planting single fruit trees irregularly over the surface of a kitchen-
garden, is an old but exploded custom. They proved injurious to the
under crops, and, subjected to no order of training, always gave the
garden a wild look instead of one of neatness and regularity. On the
other hand a kitchen-garden entirely destitute of trees, has a bald
unfinished appearance which is equally unpleasing.

To have fruit trees symmetrically trained, and which do not usurp
too much space, is what would occur to every one as most desirable,
and accordingly the old French and Dutch fashion of espaliers was very
early adopted in this country. And so indispensible wrere espaliers
considered formerly, that the most expensive rails, as they are called,
were in many places erected for the trees. We have worked in a
garden where the espalier rails were made by carpenters of the best
yellow deal, with top and bottom rails, into both of which the uprights
were all morticed, painted light blue, and fixed in stone pattens.
Moreover, at each corner there wTere lock-up gates, of no manner
of use, but of much trouble to the foreman, who had to see all
these gates were locked every evening. And, what was worst of all,
the construction was bad ; the uprights being so large, that it was
impossible to keep the trees in proper form, unless nails and shreds
had been used.

Many different forms of espalier rails have been invented, and of
either wood or iron : but none answer the purpose better than rough
six-feet stakes, pointed and charred at bottom, driven by line fourteen
inches into the ground, and connected at top by a ledge of some kind
of tough wood. The stakes are about ten inches from each other, and
along them the lateral branches are trained.

The most common form of training on espalier rails, is that called
horizontal, that is, with an upright stem, and the branches led right
and left in pairs therefrom. This is the most symmetrical and suitable
for the purpose ; very little ground is occupied, and espaliers so trained
are profitable and neat boundaries to the quarters of a garden. They
are easy of access, either for pruning, training, or gathering the fruit ;
and the trees are perfectly safe from being damaged by wind.

To form a tree intended to be trained in this manner, maiden plants
one or two years from the graft are chosen ; and, the ground being well
prepared for their reception by trenching, &c., are planted opposite a

METHODS OF TRAINING FRUIT-TREES.

stake, to which the most central shoot is always trained. Two lateral
shoots are tied down horizontally, about eight or ten inches from the
ground^ annually continued outwards from the stem as far as they will
gO; or until they have reached to the outside of the space the tree is
intended to cover. Thus the young tree consists of only three shoots
during the first year. At the end of the first year the central leader is
pruned down to about a foot long, and this on the following summer
will, or may be allowed to, produce three shoots, the topmost to be
trained upright, and the others, one on each side horizontally. This
method of pruning down the upright, and leading the laterals horizon¬
tally, is continued year after year, until the central shoot reaches the
top, when, if the two last laterals are high enough, it is entirely pruned
off.

When a young tree is very vigorous, the desired form may be more
" expeditiously obtained, by making the upright produce two pairs of
laterals, instead of one pair. This is done by stopping the upright
when it has attained the length of twelve or thirteen inches. This,
will happen, perhaps, about the beginning of J uly ; and will cause
three other shoots to be produced during the Autumn, to be trained as
before. We have seen a young Jargonelle pear tree managed so as to
produce three pairs of laterals in the course of one summer; but this is
not a common case.

Some practitioners prefer having two stems rather than one, because
it diverts the upright current of the sap into two channels, and thereby
induces a slower growth, which is favourable to early fruitfulness. In
this plan, a young tree having four shoots is planted between two
stakes. These receive the two middle shoots to form the uprights,
and the two outside shoots are tied down horizontally. The uprights
are annually pruned down to furnish laterals year after year till the
form is complete.

Whether with one or two stems this style of training always looks
neat ; and, when the trees are also fruitful, is preferable to any other,
whether on a low wall or espalier. But it requires considerable skill
and almost hourly attendance during the summer, to accomplish this
desirable result. The natural tendency of the tree is to rise upward ;
and instead of the buds which come forth from the stem and branches
being formed into flowers, they are chiefly produced into barren shoots.
A strong growth of these are annually produced, and for the most part at
right angles to the branches ; and therefore, departing so entirely from
the style of training, must necessarily be pruned off to maintain the
symmetry of the tree. If this luxuriant summer growth be allowed,
it at the same time strengthens and extends the roots by prompting

METHODS OF TRAINING FRUIT-TREES. 85

them to increased action in the following year ; a circumstance rather
to be avoided than encouraged in a fruit tree.

To obtain the desired form and induce fruitfulness, the vigour of
the tree must be checked, by preventing all extravagant growth in the
summer ; and with this view the trees must be frequently inspected
during the months of April, May, and June, in order to rub off every
bud threatening to come forth in a wrong place. And of those suffered
to remain to form spurs, they should be stopped as soon as they have
gained a length of six or seven inches. The leading shoots at the
point of the branches are never stopped till they have gained their
utmost limit, or till they interfere with other trees.

This dismemberment, performed annually, soon gets the whole
system into a stunted or stationaiy state, and until this state of an
espalier be acquired, it is never sufficiently fruitful.

As trees trained as espaliers are those called spur-bearers, and which
spurs bear the flowers, they are particularly cared for in pruning ;
always preserving those nearest the place whence they issue, so as to
keep them snugly in line, and not dangling too far from the branches.
The senior Mr. Harrison has given excellent directions on this branch
of pruning fruit trees, and well worth the consideration of all engaged
in the business.

Espaliers are planted at various distances, according to their natural
volume ; but as the quality of the soil always determines the growth,
it is not easy to fix a rule for inter-distances. In a kindly loam of
middling quality and of moderate depth, the distances may vary from
fifteen to thirty feet ; the nearer distances for plums and apples,
the greater for pears and some sorts of cherries. Some trainers inter¬
mix the branches of proximate trees ; in which case they may be
planted at first, nearer together. But it is a good plan to have super¬
numeraries ; the trouble of removing a tree from between two over¬
bearing, or valuable neighbours, is not great, and besides it gives
opportunity for selecting those most worthy the station.

Whether trees be trained in the above described manner, or in any
other way upon a rank of stakes, it is, it must be confessed, unnatural;
and many have thought, particularly among the French gardeners,
that to see each tree insulated has a better effect on the eye of the
spectator, as well as more natural for the trees to receive atmospheric
influences on every side.

(To be continued .)

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

LETTER NINE.

Dear Sir, — In my last letter I led you through the pinery and
grapery ; I must now drag you through the peach-house into the open
air. The peachery has the same form, and is of the same dimensions,
as the pinery. The flues are built and conducted in a similar manner ;
and the means of admitting fresh air by the front lights sliding in
grooves, and the upper lights of the roof moveable by lines and pullies,
are also on the same construction.

The back wall is covered with a light trellis, leaning back over the
flue, and covered with rider peach and nectarine trees from end to end ;
none of their branches being trained downwards lower than about four
feet from the ground ; because if lower than this neither the shoots nor
fruit ripen kindly, in consequence of their distance from the glass and
want of sufficient air ; besides being too much shaded by the row of
standard trees which occupy the middle of the house.

The trees on the trellis are trained in the usual manner. The prin¬
cipal branches being laid out divergingly, like the ribs of a lady’s fan,
' and the bearing shoots are laid in the intermediate spaces. The great
art of pruning a peach-tree in such a situation is, to keep up a continual
series of young shoots, rising from as near to the summit of the stem as
possible, to be led outwards to succeed the older branches, which may
require to be cut out. This principle constantly acted on renders a
peach-tree a perfect proteus, because it cannot remain for two years
together exactly of the same form, or containing the same number of
parts. The constitutional habit and manner of bearing of the tree
renders this constant selection of its last produced shoots necessary,
because on these only the flowers and fruit are borne.

On a well managed peach-tree, the shoots formed in the preceding
summer are regularly dispersed over its whole expanse, and this is
accomplished not so much by a judicious pruning in the winter, as by
a proper selection of the rightly-placed buds and shoots soon after the
commencement of the summer growth. At that season every healthy
bud on the tree begins to move ; if all were permitted to remain, the
powers of the tree would be very unequally distributed. Some of the
shoots would be misplaced or too strong, and the greater number would
be too weak and unfit to bear a crop in the following year. But to
prevent all such irregularity the gardener pays constant attention to
direct the growth in its first stage ; he selects only a certain number of

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

rightly-placed shoots to be trained to the trellis, to bear the next crop,
and at the same time displaces every redundant or useless shoot. -By
this means the shoots which are left acquire the necessary strength, and
the fruit then on the tree its full size and flavour.

The apparent health and strength of the trees is the criterion by
which the manager judges of the number of fruit they should be
allowed to ripen. A couple of fruit on every square foot cf the trellis
is a fair crop ; and to this number they are reduced as soon as the crop
is fairly set. More or less, however, may occasionally be considered a
proper burden to be matured, according to the state of the tree, or
to what the crop was in the year before.

The trees occupying the middle are trained as standards with the
natural form of head. The stems are about two feet high, with
branches extending all round. The heads are kept rather thin, and
much care is bestowed in reserving the most conveniently placed
bearing wood, and supporting or keeping them in due position by
slender props stuck in the ground, or tying the shoots to each other by
strands of matting.

All the trees are healthy, and seldom fail to yield fair crops. The
house is never forced very early, nor immoderately ; the object being to
have a good, rather than an early, crop. The temperature from fire-
heat begins with about fifty degrees, and is raised gradually till the fruit
are stoned, and ripened off with about seventy or seventy-five degrees
of heat. Fresh air is daily admitted, and the trees are frequently and
forcibly sprinkled with water, or steamed, by pouring it upon the flues.
If the green fly appear the house is fumigated with tobacco; and,
if mildew assail, strong soap-lather is applied.

The soil in which the trees are planted is a fine mellow loam, and is
kept in heart by additions of the same occasionally, and with always a
surface covering of decayed dung all the autumn, when the trees are
exposed to the open air.

Fig-trees, and vines in pots, are set in all the houses ; together with
Frencli-beans and strawberries regularly. Cucumber plants raised in
September are planted in a set of boxes placed on the back flues of the
pinery ; their shoots are trained on the back wall, and they seldom fail
to yield a fruit, now and then, throughout the winter.

The business of all the houses is so systematically arranged, and duly
performed, that it seldom happens there is any disappointment either in
the expected amount of crops, or from loss of health in the plants.
One very material thing which tends to secure this success, is the
steady character, the long service, and happy situation of the old
gardener, who neither fears nor wishes a change. He considers himself

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

—and is considered by all, as one of the family a connexion which
only extreme infirmity or death can dissolve.

There are no espalier trees across the upper end of the garden imme¬
diately in front of the hot-houses, but instead of them there is a double
range of strawberry beds, which have a very neat architectural appearance.
The beds are formed upon ridges of rich loamy compost, the surface is
covered with paving bricks, laid like steps along the sides and ends,
with vacancies left for the insertion of the plants. Along the crown of
the ridge a narrow channel is formed to receive water, whence it
percolates into, and down the sides, of the body of earth. The paths
round the beds are laid with foot paving-tiles, and the beds are renewed
alternately with young plants every second or third year.

The advantages of growing this delightful fruit in this manner are
several. In the first place, the fruit are always perfectly clean and
perfectly ripened from the reflective surface of the bricks ; they are also
easily gathered, and less liable to be preyed on by insects ; and slugs,
snails, and earth-worms are banished by two or three lavings of lime-
water, applied just before the flowers come forth. To company wishing
to help themselves these raised beds are particularly convenient, and the
general cleanness and comfort about them makes such exercise doubly
inviting.

There is no other object in the kitchen garden which claims to be
particularly noticed, nor is it necessary that I should describe the
various operations and methods of culture pursued here. All that need
be added is an expression of admiration and approval of the regular
routine of business incessantly carried on, in obtaining every product of
a well conducted kitchen garden.

The slips on each side of the walled garden are useful appendages ;
not only because they allow both sides of the wall to be used for wall-
fruit, but because they give space for the reception of fruit-bearing
trees and shrubs, which would disfigure or injure the crops of the com¬
partments within the walls. And, moreover, sheltered and useful
borders are gained for the culture of extra crops of the more valuable
dwarf-growing vegetables. For the latter purpose the borders next the
walls are employed. Parallel thereto are gravel walks, six feet wide,
to admit a cart when necessary. The space between the walk and
holly-hedge, bounding the pleasure-ground, is occupied by three rows
of fruit-trees, as follows: —

At the distance of seven feet from the edge of the walk stands a rank
of dwarf apple-trees, twelve feet from each other, reaching the whole
length of the garden. Behind these, and at a proper distance, there are
two rows of raspberry plants, of equal length ; and farther back, and

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

near the hedge, stands a row of black currants. These fill up the east
slip.

The apple-trees are all the dwarfer growing sorts, and are kept
pruned like a bush ; not allowed to rise higher than about six feet, and
every means taken to check luxuriant growth and preserve a dwarfish
habit. This induces fruitfulness, while they are constantly under com¬
mand of both eye and hand. Such a rank of trees at equal distances,
and of uniform size, are highly ornamental when in bloom, and a rich
spectacle when bending with fruit. To keep them in the desired cha¬
racter certainly requires much care, but they are well worthy the labour
bestowed.

The raspberry and black currant-trees behind, are pruned in the
usual manner ; but the former are trained to a slight post and double
rail fence, placed close behind the row of plants.

The west slip is planted in an exactly similar manner, but the kinds
are not the same. The front row are dwarf pears, cherries and plums,
and the three back rows are gooseberry and common currants. Rows of
strawberries are planted within a foot of the walk in both slips, and some¬
times rows of late broccoli are dibbed in between the ranks of trees.

This disposition of the slips is convenient in having the different
kinds requiring the same treatment near together, and their occupying
the strip of land between the pleasure-ground and kitchen-garden forms
no very incongruous step from the one to the other.

I have next to speak of the orchard at the top of the garden. This,
as you will perceive by the outlines already sent you, is a semicircular
space of ground, of which the width of the garden is the diameter. The
ground was prepared by trenching about sixteen inches deep, the soil
a mellow loam on a dry gravel. The trees are planted in curved lines
ranging parallel with the exterior boundary. The outer row are baking
pears, avalnuts, caroon cherries, and damson plums, as being the tallest
growers. The next row within, are the tallest growing sort of apples,
and the other more central rows are the dwarfer kinds. In the
openings all over the surface, filbert-trees trained like low bushes, are
dotted, together with two or three mulberry-trees. The whole orchard
is in grass, and mowed occasionally ; the trees are generally healthy,
and when the season is favourable they bear plentifully.

Thus have I given the various features of the kitchen and fruit
gardens, from which you may have gained as perfect an idea of this
portion of the estate as is necessary in conveying to you a general view
of the whole. Our next excursion will be in the park.

Yours, &c. A B.

VOL. v.— NO. L vi i.

ENTOMOLOGY,

ENTOMOLOGY.

The next insect whose depredations are seriously injurious to fruit
trees and other plants, is what is commonly called the Red Spider.
Acarus tcilarius , Lin. This however is a misnomer, as the insect is not
a spider at all ; but because they have the power of forming something
like a web, when allowed to remain long on the same leaf, they
have had this name given them. They belong to the apterous genus
Acarus of Linnaeus, and of which there are many species, some of
them so exceedingly minute as to be scarcely visible to the naked
eye. One species, supposed to be particularly partial to the leaves
of kidney-beans, will however leave this food for the delicate skin of a
young lady or child, into the pores of which they will insinuate their
little beaks, and seat themselves for days together, causing considerable
irritation and inflammation, and at the same time safe from every effort
of the sufferer to dislodge the little pest, or even to see, without a
magnifying-glass, the cause of the teasing sensation. This is called
the Harvest-bug , by those who perhaps never saw the insect, or
know that they may be extracted by the point of a muslin needle.

The gardener’s enemy is a size larger than this ; but they are much
oftener discovered by their depredations, than by their bulk, either
individually or collectively. When very young they are colourless,
when half grown they are red, and when full grown dark brown.
They infest peach, nectarine, and vine trees, both in the house and in
the open air; and are often troublesome in hotbeds, on the leaves of
cucumbers and melons. Stove-plants are particularly subject to them,
and especially on some of the spinous succulents, which neither admit
of them being brushed or washed off.

This insect injures plants by puncturing the cuticle of the leaves
and tender shoots, and very probably by sucking the juices, as after
their attack the leaves become paler, and cease to have a healthy
appearance. Indeed, the whole tree puts on a sickly habit, and con¬
sequently the fruit are small and tasteless. When suffered to increase
and establish themselves, on a vine-leaf for instance, they make for
themselves little bridges of fine silk-like webs, from one prominence
on the surface of the leaf to another, along which they journey for¬
wards and backwards. The web seems to be a defence against
moisture, but whether it be spun from the mouth, as by some caterpillars,
or from the abdomen, like the common spider, is uncertain. It is
not intended, like that of the spider, for entrapping prey, but rather as
a kind of dry nest for their eggs or young.

Water and a moist atmosphere is their bane, and more especially if

CHARACTERS OF THE GENERA OF APHIS AND COCCUS 91

water be forcibly applied ; by this they are dispersed and annoyed, and
if frequently so disturbed are at last completely banished. It is also
said that if a house infested by them be filled with steam, raised from
highly heated flues, and closely shut up for an hour or two, they will
be destroyed; or if the house be filled with the fumes of sulphur smeared
on a hot flue, the result is equally fatal to the Acarus.

By these means, timely and repeatedly administered, plants in
houses may be kept free from this little plague, and so frames may be
defended from them ; but if they take to peach or other trees on the
open walls, the garden water-engine must be in frequent requisition
to disperse them.

The above history relates to that species of Acarus better known by
the name of Red Spider. Several others are found in gardens and
fields, but they are unnoticed except by entomologists, because they do
no very visible mischief. Some of them live among decayed vegetable
matter, and others on the leaves of grass. Those yellow patches seen
in the herbage of a meadow in the month of October, are caused by
colonies of these Acari, which deprive the grass of its colour.

The deciduous bark of the vine forms a safe hiding-place for insects
of this small size during winter ; and therefore there is not a more
beneficial practice in the culture of that plant, than ^keeping it
constantly free from the loose strips of dead bark.

We know nothing of the economy or natural history of this genus of
insects, further than js stated above. Whether oviparous, like the
spider, or viviparous, like the Aphis during summer, is to us unknown.
An entomologist who has leisure, and who can have access to a peach -
house during the three first months of forcing, and furnished with
a powerful glass and a good share of acuteness and patience, might
probably (if it be not done already) see into their economy so far as
to be able to assist the gardener either to keep them off, or to destroy
them in the first stage of their life.

An equally pernicious insect among stove-plants, is another one called
the Thrip. It is of a pale greenisli-white colour, smaller and longer
shaped, and more active than the Aphis.

( To he continued.)

Sir, — In your last number I perceive that you request information
as to the characters of the genera of Aphis, Coccus, dye. Should no
one else have responded to your call, the following descriptions are
much at your service.

The British destructives in question belong to the order Hemiplera

9-2 CHARACTERS OF THE GENERA OF APHIS AND COCCUS.

of Linne, and are arranged by modern Entomologists under four
families : —

4. Psyllidhe, Latr. containing the genera Psylla, Geoff.

(Chermes, Linne ,) and Livia, Lat.

5. Thripib.e, Steph. ? containing the genus Thrips of authors.

6. ApHiDiE, Leach , containing the genera Aphis, Linne ; Erio-

soma, Leach ; and Aleroydes, Lair.

7. Cocciile, Leach , containing the genera Dorthesia, Bose,

and Coccus, Linne.

These genera may be made out with very little attention, by the
following characters, and by the assistance of the figures referred to,
which will nearly all be found in English works. I leave the detail
of the injuries occasioned by them, and the remedies for those injuries,
to your able pen. At the same time, I would suggest, that any
remedy applied for the destruction of these pests, can only prove
effectual when the young are just hatched, and leave the mother ;
for nothing short of scraping them off the plants will avail, after the
females have settled for life.’’

I. Fam. Psyllhle, Lat. Ordo Hemiptera, Linne.

Antennae, with ten or eleven joints; legs formed for leaping.

Both sexes with wings.

1. Gen. Psylla, Geoff. ; Chermes, Linne.

Snout (rostrum) bent under the breast ; antennee longer
than the thorax ; wings four, deflexed ; thorax gibbous ;
feet formed for walking and leaping.

Ex. P. Buxi, Linne. Wood's Illustrations of the Linnean
Genera of Insects, vol. i. p. 114, pi. XL.

Twenty-four indigenous species have been described or
indicated in various works ; but this, doubtless, falls very
short of their actual number.

2. Gen. Livia, Latr.

Antennee shorter than the thorax, the base much thickened
even to the middle ; thorax with the anterior segment
transverse, straight.

Ex. L. Juncorum, Latr. Sam. Ent. Comp. pi. V, f. 11.
Inhabits rushes. But one British species known.

V. Fam. Thripida:, Steph . ?

Antennae eight-jointed.

1. Gen. Thrips, Linne.

Snout (rostrum) secreted within the mouth ; antennae the
length of the thorax ; body linear ; abdomen inclining
upwards; wings four, straight, long, incumbent on the
back, narrower than the body, slightly crossing.

CHARACTERS OF THE GENERA OF APHIS AND COCCUS. 93

Ex. T. Physapus, Linne . Wood, vol. i. p. 118,, pi. XLII.

It is not improbable but that each genus of flowering plants (if
not each species) may have a species of Tlirips peculiar to it ;
British writers, however, have noticed but nine species of this genus :
they are all, doubtless, injurious to plants in bloom. The above
example is said to inhabit rye, and to destroy the spikes.

VI. Fam. Aphids, Leach.

Antenna with six, seven, or eight joints ; females generally

wingless.

1. Gen. Aphis, Linne (Plant-louse).

Snout (rostrum) bent under the breast ; antenna longer
than the thorax ; ivings four, or wanting ; feet formed
for walking ; abdomen mostly furnished with two horn¬
like processes.

Ex. A. Ros^e, Linne. Wood, v. i. p. 112, pi. XXXIX.

These pests are exceedingly prolific. Reaumur proved by experi¬
ment, that one Aphis may be the progenitor of 5,904,900,000 descend¬
ants, during its life ; and further supposes that in one year there may
be twenty generations. For its history, and many very curious and
interesting details, see the sixth volume of the Linnean Society's
Transactions; Bingley’s Animal Biography (12mo ed.), vol. iv. p. 73,
and Extracts from Reaumur and others, respecting this, and allied
species and genera in Rennie’s Insect Architecture, Transformations,
and Miscellanies.

But forty-eight British species have been noticed. It is not impro¬
bable but that nearly every species of plant may have its peculiar
species of Aphis.

2. Gen. Eriosoma, Leach.

Sjiout (rostrum) bent under the breast; antenna short and
thread-shaped (filiform) ; body covered with a soft down or
wool.

Ex. E. Mari, Leach ; Laniger, Illiger. 2 Hort. Trans.
162. pi. XI. Rennie’s Insect Miscellanies, p. 179. figs.
a. b. c. '

<c The Eriosomata form what are called improperly galls, on the
stalks of trees near their joints, and knobs, which are in fact excres¬
cences caused by the efforts of nature to repair the damage done to the
old trees, by the perforation of those insects, whose bodies are covered
with down.” — Leach.

Twelve species only have been enumerated; no doubt they are much
more numerous.

3. Gen. Alekoydes, Latr.

Snout (rostrum) bent under the breast ; antenna six-jointed.

94 CHARACTERS OF THE GENERA OF APHIS AND COCCUS.

short, and thread-shaped (filiform) ; wing-cases and wings
of equal size ; body mealy ; eyes two, each divided into
two.

Ex. A. Chelidonii, Latr. Reaumur s Genera Insectorum,

pi. XXIII. f. 18.

I am not aware of any English figure of this insect. One species
( A . Proletella , Latr.) is said by Kirby and Spence ( Introduction to
Entomology, vol. iii. p. 89,) to lay 200,000 eggs. The species are
very minute, and many have probably escaped observation ; five only
having been named.

VII. Fam. CocciDiE, Leach.

Snout (rostrum) only in the female ; wings in the male,
but no wing-cases ; female wingless.

1 Gen. Dorthesia, Bose, (scale bugs).

The body of the animals of this genus is covered by a number
of cottony or waxy laminae, which partly cover each other, and are
arranged usually in a triple series. In character and habit allied
to Coccus. ”

Ex. D. Floccosa, De Geer. Memoir es pour servir a V Histoire
des Insectes ; par Charles de Geer, vol. vii. p. 604,
pi. XLIV. fig. 26.

I know of no figure in any English work ; six species only of this
genus have been noticed in Britain.

2. Gen. Coccus, Linne. (scale bugs).

Snout (rostrum) bent under the breast ; antenna thread¬
shaped (filiform) ; abdomen of the males with twTo long
bristles (setae) ; icings in the males two, erect ; females
without wings.

Ex. C. Fragarge, Gmel. ? Phil. Trans., vol. cli. pi. X.

Some interesting notices of several species of Coccus occur in
Bingley’s Animal Biography (I2mo ed.), vol. iv. p. 78 et seq.
Rennie also states some facts from Reaumur, Insect Transformations,
p. 87, and has figured C. cacti at p. 89.

Upwards of twenty species are natives of Britain, and doubtless
many more would reward the assiduous collector.

I cannot agree with you, at p. 57, that the colours of the different
species of Aphis, are owing to the quality of their food. They are
doubtless distinct species, and their food has nothing to do with
their colour ; although age may, in a slight degree. In both animals
and plants we find that individuals of very diversified colours affect an
identity of pabulum.

Yours &c., A

February 1 6th, 1836.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER TO THE EDITOR.

MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE.

Extract of a Letter to the Editor. — Sir,— Pray allow me to
make a few observations on your paper relative to the “ physical struc¬
ture of plants ” in your February number. In that paper you have
quoted Burnett, and given sketches of that author’s distinctions of the
Quercus pedunculata and Q. sessilijlora (page 47). This is all very
well, but on turning over the Gardener’s Magazine, received at the
same time, I got my eye on an excellent paper on the subject of
oak timber, written by W. Atkinson, Esq., than whom there is not,
perhaps, a better judge of the qualities and properties of timber in the
kingdom. Here, however, I felt sorry to observe that Mr. Atkinson’s
ideas were at variance with your own, or, if you please, with your
authority, the late Professor Burnett. Now, ,as you yourself have
properly observed that this very subject is of national importance, it is
highly necessary, that there should be no shadow of doubt to perplex
the mind of the planter whether of the twain ” he should prefer,
while in the act of planting for posterity.

Should you be pleased to excuse this little critique, and receive it in
the spirit in which it is written, I shall feel gratified ; more especially
if it elicit from your pen any further remarks on this interesting
subject. I am, Sir, yours, &c., A. S.

Berks , 5th Feb , 1836.

In answer to the above friendly observations, we can affirm with
great truth, that we really feel under obligation to A. S. for his hint ;
as on turning to the Gardener’s Magazine ourselves, we find his remarks
perfectly justifiable as to the discrepancy of the ideas to which he has
so candidly alluded. And we would be extremely culpable indeed,
were we by any inadvertence to disseminate error on such a vital ques¬
tion. The fact is, we have been long acquainted with this controverted
point as to the identity of the true old English oak, whether the
Quercus robur be what is called pedunculata , or that designated
sessilijlora ; whether these be species, as some botanists make them,
or only mere varieties, as others conceive them to be, and for this reason,
that the distinctions are often present on the same tree.

Amidst this uncertainty about the oak, we certainly did refer to
Burnett’s Botany, not because we considered that lamented author as
a first rate authority as a practical botanist ; but knowing his indefati¬
gable industry as a learned compiler, and knowing that he had pre¬
viously published Amcenitates Quernece , we naturally concluded that he

EXTRACT OF A LETTER TO THE EDITOR,

had consulted all the best authorities on the subject, and therefore
quoted him.

But we do not consider botanists., whether practical or literary, so
good judges of timber as a gentleman like Mr. Atkinson, whose busi¬
ness has so long and so directly led him to study the comparative
character of the different kinds of timber used in buildings ; and
from the particular attention which he has paid to ascertain which
species or variety of British oak is really the most durable, we cannot
for a moment doubt but that his conclusion is correct.

The “ silver grain/’ alluded to by Mr. Atkinson and many former
writers, are, we suppose, the concentric rings of cellular membrane
which distinguish or divide the annual growths from each other ; and
are, we apprehend, what the workmen call “ the flower of the wood ”
when exposed by the plane. These divisions are all nearly of equal
thickness in the same butt of a tree which has grown freely ; but they
differ very much on panels cut from the same butt. If a panel be
cut directly through the pith, the graining, or flowering of the wood,
will appear in nearly right or wavy lines from top to bottom ; but
if cut from near the outside, or just within where the slabs were
sawn off, then the cellular divisions, or silver grain, occupy full one
half of the whole surface after it is planed ; and merely because in the
first case the saw passes through the divisions at right angles, whereas
in the last case the saw cuts through obliquely, and consequently
exposes more of the circumferential dimension.

Mr. Atkinson remarks that the Q. pedunculata presents more
of this silver grain than the Q. sessiliflora , in parts (we suppose) cut
from the same parts of the butts respectively. This we cannot doubt ;
and the reason may be, that the former has thicker or more substantial
cellular divisions than the latter, it being impossible there can be a
greater number, especially as Mr. A. adds that the sessiliflora appears
to grow as fast as the other. Another thing which may tend to increase
the silver grain of the pedunculata , is, the well-known circumstance
that the common oak makes two growths in the course of the summer,
namely, the spring and midsummer shoots ; and as the tree makes a
pause before the midsummer shoots come forth, that pause will be
marked by a thinner concentric line or division, when the timber
is worked up. We have examined many oak trees for the purpose of
guessing their age by counting the concentric layers, and, if we did not
pay attention to these intermediate midsummer lines, we were very
liable to over-date the age of the tree.

We can corroborate what Mr. A, has advanced respecting the

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 97

difficulty of distinguishing the timber of the sweet or Spanish chestnut,
from that of the old English oak ; and we have been informed by an
intelligent carpenter, employed in the repairs of Westminster Hall,
that both these kinds of timber are met with in the oldest parts of
that building, but so like in the grain, ponderosity, and sound con¬
dition, that they could not be distinguished from each other but by
a very simple test, namely, by wetting a chisel in salt and water,
and striking it into the wood : if the tool came out and remained
bright, the wood was chestnut, but if stained of a dark colour, the
wood was oak.

This story we give as it was reported to us by a most respectable
man ; but we think that if such a test was known to one, it must also
have been known to many ; and that as Mr. A. does not seem to be
acquainted with either the test or the circumstance of chestnut timber
existing in Westminster Hall or any other old building, we would
rather be inclined to doubt the truth of the carpenter’s story.

Thus the long-continued controversy about the identity of the
British naval oak, and all doubt concerning the true sort, is now,
happily, at an end. We, therefore, particularly recommend to all
collectors of acorns for sowing, to pay attention which sort they
gather from, to choose the stalkless acorns, and not those on long foot¬
stalks. The same advice we would urge on nurserymen, on whom a
heavy responsibility will rest if they knowingly raise and sell Q. pedun-
culata, for the Q. sessilijiora.

We hope our correspondent will accept this our reply, as a correction
of anything which we ourselves may have advanced on the subject, or
have quoted from others ; and with repeating our thanks to A. S.
(with whom we have a desire to be better acquainted,) for pointing out
the discrepancy, we remain, his obedient servant. — -Ed.

Reminiscences of a Voyage to and from China — ( Continued ).
The Cape of Good Hope is no less interesting to the botanist, than it
is to the navigator. To the latter it is the extreme southern point of
Africa, round which is the highway to the riches of the East, and to
the former it is the habitat of as great a variety of vegetable productions,
as is found on any equally extensive portion of the earth’s surface. The
botanical stranger is first struck by the appearance of the British oak
shading the streets of Cape Town ; and on the level between the town
and the Table mountain, finds it the principal tree of the groves. In
the enclosures, orange and lemon and other European fruit-trees
prevail ; and under them, water-melons and many varieties of the
Cucurbitacece cover the ground. The native plants on the uninclosed

VOL. V. - NO. LVII.

REMINSCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

spots are, Protects , Mimosas, Ericas, SfC. ; but the chief station of the
Ericece is the tops of the mountains in this very mountainous country.

Among other European fruits, the Dutch planters have not forgotten
the grape-vine ; extensive vineyards exist in the interior, from
which considerable profits accrue to the planters, who drive a pretty
fair trade in Constantia and Cape Madeira wines for exportation.
These vineyards we had no opportunity of seeing, but were told that
the same culture is bestowed as is practised in the vineyards on the
banks of the Rhine.

The ship’s course from the Cape was easterly, and in about 40° south
latitude, until the longitude of Madras was gained ; and luckily, at
this very point, the south-east trade-wind was met, which carried
us directly north, past the east side of the Island of Ceylon, to our
destined port.

On our arrival at Madras (3rd April, 1793) the whole of the plants
were in a sad mutilated condition. The sudden transition from the
cold of a British winter into the heat of the torrid zone, within the
space of twenty-eight days, excited them into a rapid growth, which
their roots were not in a condition to uphold, and the shoots and leaves
they did put forth, being of the most delicate texture, withered
altogether in doubling the Cape. And though some of them showed
signs of returning health when we again crossed the tropic of Capricorn,
few of them were worth carrying on shore at Madras. Gooseberries
and currants quite dead ; peaches and nectarines dead down to the bud,
and their stocks hardly alive. Pear and apple trees looking pretty well ;
these last were sent on shore and presented to the Nabob of Arcot, then
living in the vicinity of Madras.

The closely packed box which had been kept in the hold, agreeably
to the wish of Mr. Loddiges, was opened on our arrival here, and found
a complete failure. Every particle of moisture was exhaled; and the
juices of every plant had vanished, except in one instance, which was
in a thick stump of the root of a common laurel. Had means been used
to keep this box in a damp state, I have no doubt that many of the plants
would have arrived in a recoverable state.

As the plants which we carried out were only for the purpose of
experimenting upon, no regret or disappointment was felt at their
failure. Their fate taught us that European plants intended for such
a voyage should be such as have been established in pots for a year or
two before they go on board ; and instead of leaving Europe in the
depth of winter, a better season would be nearer midsummer.

Our approach to the Indian coast was most interesting, and any one
who considers the length and difficulties of such a voyage must be

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 99

astonished at the accuracy with which the ship was navigated to her
anchorage before the landing place at Madras ; for it did not appear
that, from the moment we bore up from the latitude of forty degrees
south till we cast anchor on the coast of Coromandel, the vessel had been
navigated a hair’s breadth out of the direct and nearest course. Full

justice cannot be done to such a commander unless we are acquainted
with all the disturbing causes which affect a ship’s course. The flow
and ebb of tidal and other currents, the variation of the compass, the
errors of lunar tables and charts, and false estimate of a ship’s trim,
are all circumstances for which correct allowance must be made in
order to be able to -keep the vessel in her right course. That this was
done with the greatest exactness we - were witness to, nor at this
distance of time has the impression of admiration we then felt
entirely subsided.

Madras has no harbour, but has an open roadstead on an extended
level shore, covered chiefly with groves of cocoa-nut trees. Landing
through a heavy surf is not a pleasant matter to a timid stranger ; for
though there is no serious fear of loss of life, there is every chance of
a good ducking. The skill and amphibious character of the poor
naked creatures, who guide the large tub-like boats on the tops and in
the shallow valleys between the impetuous waves, is our security ;
and they seldom fail in taking advantage of a careering 'wave to land
high and dry upon the beach.

Stepping on terra Jirma after what may be called a three months'
voyage gives wonderful alacrity to the mind which had long panted to
be again among green leaves and flowers. The crowds and different
castes of officious dubashes in their effeminate muslin dresses which
surrounded us — the port-authorities — and the massive ramparts and
numerous buildings, forming a stately stronghold of British dominion,
which received us were scarcely noticed ; our eyes were turned to other
objects, and fixed on the lovely Neriums then in full bloom, — the
Hibiscus JRosct sinensis and lofty Carica papayas which grew in some
of the court-yards of the houses in the fort.

Favoured by being attached to the captain’s household, we had no
care about either lodgings or board, and in this way being settled at
once, had only to hire a personal servant, and palanquin boys to carry
us whither we wished to go.

We have no wish to lengthen this narrative by matter extraneous to*
the main object of our mission, but cannot help adverting to our
sufferings during the first night of our residence at Madras. Like all
other voyagers on their first visit to almost any place between the
tropics, we were apparently a rich treat to the musquitos, which literally

100 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

fill the night air with their numbers and noise. Sleep fled from our
pallet ; and though we had taken the precaution to anoint every
exposed part of our body with lime-juice, yet long before the return of
morning we felt that we were ornamented with many embossings
which we never had before. The musquito of India and the large
spotted-leg gnat of England are the same species.

On the next day after our arrival we received an invitation from
Dr. James Anderson, Physician-General to the Forces, to pay him a
visit of a few days at his villa near Madras. This we willingly
accepted, and not only for reconnoitring the woods and jungles of the
country, but for the pleasure of seeing the Doctor’s fine collection of
plants, which he had collected from all parts of hither India. We met
a most cordial reception, as well from the Doctor himself as from his
nephew, Mr. (afterwards Dr.) Berry, who was then staying with him.
Both these gentlemen were good botanists, and from them we learned
many particulars relative to transporting seeds and plants.

Dr. A. was then busy in introducing the silk-worm and its manage¬
ment into that part of India, and had large buildings and many hands
employed in the business, and, when we were there, with every
prospect of success.

We were also invited to visit J. Call, Esq., who had fine gardens
laid out in the English manner — groups of trees, and clumps and
borders of shrubs and herbaceous plants of all the choicest natives of
India, as well of the adjacent countries.

We also visited the venerable Nabob of Arcot at his palace a few
miles to the westward of Madras. His Highness had some idea of
sending us to Arcot to superintend the planting of the apple trees
which had been presented to him. We had the honour of conversing
with his Highness in English about the treatment of European fruits
in India in the midst of his courtiers. He was then about eighty
years of age, and certainly the most majestic personage we ever saw.
There was every sign of oriental grandeur within the palace, but
nothing to attract the eye of a botanist. His stud of elephants and
collection of royal tigers were, however, imposing sights to a stranger.
Having explained to one of the linguists what should be done with
the trees, the idea of our proceeding to Arcot was abandoned.

We were next invited to spend a few days at an estate belonging to
Mr. Solicitor General Popham, at Vellore, thirteen miles to the north¬
east of Madras, to assist that gentleman with our advice in forming an
extensive plantation of the Bourbon species of the cotton tree. Here,
in the midst of extensive jungle, and where cultivation had not much
changed the natural face of the country, we remained three weeks.

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 101

and did the proprietor considerable service, for which he amply
rewarded us.

Returning to Madras, we were immediately ordered on board ship.
A great change had taken place. The Governor-General Cornwallis
had determined to attack the French settlement of Pondicherry.
General Braith waite was ordered to invest it with troops by land,
while our ship and two other Indiamen which had arrived out after us,
were taken up and fitted out as frigates to form the blockade of the
place. We were put under the orders of Rear-Admiral Cornwallis,
who then commanded the Minerva frigate, the only British ship of
war then on the Indian station. This was an arduous though not a
dangerous duty for the crews of the blockading ships. Preventing
supplies intended for the place was mostly night work; but no
resistance was offered to our boats in the performance of the duty of
seizing an unarmed open boat, loaded with a few buffaloes and a few
bags of rice.

After lying before the place for a week or ten days, in which time
we saw all the operations and some of the calamities of a regular siege,
the Triton was suddenly ordered away to Calcutta to escort the
Governor-General to the seat of war. We were soon at anchor in the
mighty Ganges, and lay at Kedgeree until the Marquis and suite
embarked in two other ships, and joining us, we all three returned
first to Madras again, and next day to our station before Pondicherry.
The place in a week afterward capitulated, and the British flag floated
over the captured town.

After this event we were set at liberty to prosecute our voyage ; and
at last sailed from Madras in company with the Royal Charlotte, Capt.
Price, and Warley, Capt. H, Wilson, all bound to China.

The reader will excuse this rambling account of the movements of
the ship, instead of details of the botanical discoveries we made, which
is the more immediate purpose of our narrative, but we cannot do the
one well without introducing somewhat of the other. We have a
list of the names of plants we met with in Hindustan now before us,
but which we think unnecessary to transcribe, not only because it
would take up too much space, but also because it would only be a
transcript of a great majority of stove plants which may be seen in
any exotic nurseryman’s catalogue. We shall, however, select a few,
not for their novelty, as they have been long in British collections, but
because we consider them among the most splendid flowering plants of
that part of India ; and which, moreover, might be cultivated to greater
perfection in this country than they have heretofore been. These are
as follow :■ —

102 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

Renealmia exaltata ; Nyctanthus sambac ; Justicia coccinea ;
Eschynomene grandifiora ; Ixora coccinea ; Nerium Oleander ; Plu-
mieria alba el rubra ; Cerbcra laurifolia ; T aberncemontana coronaria ;
Gardenia Jlorida ; Gloriosa superba ; Bauhinia raceinosa ; Poinciana
pulcherrima ; Averrlioa bilimbi et carambola ; Eugenia Jambos ; Lager-
strcemeria Indica ; Bombax Ceiba ; Hibiscus Rosa Sinensis ; Thespesia
populnea ; Erythrina corn Uoden drum, &c. The above are what may
be called the most ornamental plants in the gardens about Madras ;
and though many of them are occasionally flowered in our stoves in this
country, no conception from these specimens can be had of their
glorious appearance in that climate.

Their fruits are excellent and numerous : the shaddock, or pom-
melmoe, as it is called by the Portuguese residents, is the most
magnificent of fruit trees — the bulk and very regular rotundity of the
head, the amplitude and deep green of the foliage, and the size and
rich colour of the fruit, combine to make it one of the most attractive
of plants. Next the mangoes, guavas, dates, jacks, limes, cocoa-nuts,
&c., of the woods, and the pine-apples of their gardens, are all in
abundance. Their culinary vegetables are yams of excellent quality,
rice (the staple food of the country), the unripe fruit of several species
of Solatium ovigerum , or egg-plant, and those of Averrhoa carambola .
As greens they use the leaves of Arum, or Caladium esculentum, and as
spinach the leaves of the Amarantus oleraceus.

Our direct course to China lay through the Straits of Malacca,
that is, between the large island of Sumatra and the Asiatic main.
This narrow sea is studded with numerous small islands and islets,
all of which, as well as the continental shore, bear a thick and lofty
mass of luxuriant vegetation. At some distance within the entrance
into the Strait from the Bay of Bengal, lies Pulo Penang, or Prince
of Wales Island, then an infant settlement belonging to the East India
Company. Here we remained for a week or ten days, during which
period we were almost constantly on shore, roaming about as far as we
durst venture into the woods and wilds of the island.

The character of the trees, shrubs, and herbage on this fertile spot
is much like that which prevails over all that part of the East. The Tec-
tona grandis is one of the largest trees. Palms abound, and particularly
the areca, which yields the betel-nut, and from the prevalence of which
the island has its name, Pulo Penang, signifying the Island of betel-nut
trees. Here are also many varieties of the genus Ficus, of very large
size, together with Michelia, T amarindus , Artocarpus , Anacardium ,
Annona , Bombax, Calophyllum, Carica, Caryophillus, Citrus, Dios -
corea , Eugenia, Garcinia, Laurus, four species, Lycium, Mangofera ,

GARDENERS’ SOCIETIES.

103

Melicocca, Guilamlina , Musa, Myrislica , a wild species bearing
inferior nuts, and many other well-known genera.

Among the plants new to us we find memorandums of a tree pro¬
fusely covered with spikes of flowers resembling those of the Catalpa
in Pentandria Monogynia ; a shrub as showy as the Rhododendron
poniicum, belonging to Decandria ; another shrub with procumbent
branches covered with dark purple pentandrious flowers ; a beautiful
tree with smooth compound leaves like those of the walnut, and
bearing long pendent racemes of bright yellow flowers, Decandria
Monogynia.

We collected many seeds and specimens at this place, but could
take no plants on board. This island, from its rich soil and non¬
liability to drought, promises to be a fine field for the introduction of
every valuable plant found in the same latitude, as spices, dye- stuffs,
drugs, &c., and besides the hills are said to contain some rich veins
of tin. (To be continued.')

Gardeners’ Societies. — In our two or three preceding numbers
there have appeared communications from several of our readers on the
subject of gardeners’ societies. They all regret the apathy of their
brethren relative to such associations ; and consider it a serious loss to
the whole fraternity that there is no such thing on the western side of
the metropolis, where there are so many nurseries and gardens employ¬
ing many young men in pursuit of their business, and who would most
probably be glad to unite themselves with such a society. Some
associations of the kind already exist in the eastern and northern
suburbs, and therefore the want of something similar on the western
side is most severely felt. It is astonishing, they say, that while
almost every other grade of the labouring population have their clubs,
or fixed places of resort to meet their brethren, the gardeners alone are
a dispersed flock of individuals, without any bond of union or common
means for facilitating either professional or even social intercourse.

Trades’ unions are happily almost done away with ; but they have
still their houses of call. These associations are formed for very dif¬
ferent purposes than would appertain to a society of practical gardeners.
The former are for defining and protecting their professional rights,
real or imaginary. The latter would be for personal intercourse,
mutual instruction, and rational as well as profitable recreation.

Man is a social being, and in the intervals of labour must rely on
his own resources for amusement, either by reading or by seeking con¬
genial society, where he may relieve his mind of cogitated ideas, or
refresh or improve it by the oral intelligence of others. If he seek

104

ON GARDENERS’ SOCIETIES.

this recreation in the mixed society of a tavern (and such may always
be found), he most likely will either be disgusted by the reveries of a
pothouse politician, or annoyed by the private squabbles of the neigh¬
bourhood, in which he has no concern. But provide for this person a
private room, where he might always find new books and occasionally
meet a company of brethren, he would feel himself at home ; because
he would be among those who, like himself, are in quest of mental and
professional improvement, all equally willing to give and receive infor¬
mation, all intent on the same objects, and all progressing to the same
goal. Even the ordinary conversation of a company of men engaged
in the same occupation must be mutually advantageous : many obser¬
vations may be made in conversation merely as simple reports, and if
corroborated, or differently accounted for by any of the hearers, might
lead to the establishment of a practical principle, unthought of or
unnoticed before.

Now, if such accidental results flow from unpremeditated conversa¬
tion, how much more might be expected from conversation conducted
under judicious regulations ? A previously agreed-to code of rules
would declare the privileges of members taking a part in the conversa¬
tion or proceedings of the society ; and these rules attended to by the
members, nothing but the strictest decorum would prevail. Besides, in
this case, many would come prepared with a question tobe discussed (and
put either orally or written), or with an answer to what had, perhaps,
been before mooted in the society. Such opportunity afforded for mutual
interrogation and reply, for statement and re-statement, for propositions
and disquisition, would be a high intellectual treat ; and would, more¬
over, exercise and habituate the mental faculties of the members to look
for causes as well as the effects of practical rules of gardening, as well
as of all vegetative phenomena occurring in their business.

In short, such a society, well organised and conducted, would be
attended with many advantages to both old and young men ; for, besides
the mere pleasure of social intercourse, it would diffuse benevolence
and promote good fellowship — virtues particularly necessary among
the fraternity of gardeners.

Seeing then how useful such an association would be, we would
rejoice to see something of the kind set on foot in the proposed district,
and readily promise that whatever preliminary steps be taken towards
the accomplishment of the object shall be duly announced in the
Register. — Ed.

On Gardeners’ Societies. — Sir, — It gives us much pleasure to
see in your two last numbers the lively interest which has been taken
upon a subject, which must be of vital importance to every friend of

ON GARDENERS’ SOCIETIES.

105

horticulture. It is a cheering thought, that the spirit of improvement
is propelled with accelerated movements ; and still more so, when 1 am
able to inform those friendly to the cause, that Mr. Fish's excellent
letter has been the means of awakening the minds of two distin¬
guished individuals, members of the L. H. S. and Z. S., who have come
forward to give their approbation and support to the cause ; being
fully convinced that public spirit is a perennial source of happiness to
men, who, by embracing every opportunity to increase and encourage
the operation of this noble disposition, and despising that narrow¬
minded selfishness, which has been alluded to in a former letter, and,
moreover, opposed to that class of individuals who are still the enemies
of gardening periodicals, or any other publication which has for its
object the enlightenment of its professors. Such sceptics tell us
these works have been the ruin of our profession. What, I would ask,
would have been the intellectual state of society had it not been for
those publications ? They have rendered the fountains of information
accessible to all, and given opportunity to the poorest of our race to
slake their mental thirst at those streams of intelligence, which are,
and will be, the means of elevating the intellect of man to a state that
nothing but superior minds are able to appreciate.

Such calumniators must be informed of their error before their pre¬
judice and delusions are dispelled, as now the “ schoolmaster is abroad,”
ignorance is a deep reproach, and individuals who can sufifer opportunities,
which they have within their reach, to pass without taking advantage of
them is a pitiable spectacle of doltish inanity. Cultivate then a taste for
improvement ; and in order to this, there must be a thirst after informa¬
tion, as it is a well-known fact, that knowledge is power, and if it were
not so, it is pleasure : it gives weight to character and procures respect ;
it will enable us to form an opinion with correctness — to state it with
clearness— -to offer it with confidence — and to enforce it with argument :
it enlarges the sphere of our usefulness by raising the degree of our
influence. It is a pitiable thing to see rational beings so irresolute as
almost to wish they could exchange reason for instinct, in order that
they might be spared the trouble of thinking. Those, however, whose
minds are differently framed need not be deterred from an attempt to
accomplish the object first alluded to, and which so many think
desirable. A steady resolution, under the impression that it is our
duty to be serviceable to each other, whether that duty be pleasant or
irksome, should banish all lukewarmness, and encourage us to proceed
in forming such a society as promises so many advantages.

Yours, &c. A. Walker,

Chelsea , 1 5th Feb. 1835.

VOL. V. — NO. LVII. P

106

IRREGULAR METAMORPHOSIS OF PLANTS.

Irregular Metamorphosis of Plants. — It is probable that
all plants have a particular range, in some cases more extended than in
others, to which they are best suited in consequence of their consti¬
tutional peculiarities, which become visible from the effect produced
by a change of situation, although not appreciable otherwise. The
two great agents by which they are affected, that is to say, soil and
atmosphere, will, in their natural situations, be nearly uniform. And
as long as this uniformity of the conditions under which they exist
continues, their structure will remain unchanged : but let an alteration
take place 3 their atmosphere, for instance, change from that of the
valley to that of the mountain ; the soil from alluvial deposit to chalk
or slate, and the mean temperature under which they are formed fall
several degrees ; or, remove a plant from its native spot and cultivate
it in the rich soil of a garden for several generations, thus submitting it
to the effect of what may be called domestication. Under such circum¬
stances, an alteration will be produced in the structure of the plant,
which will become manifest by external characters. This is what is
called irregular metamorphosis, and may be considered the cause of the
endless varieties of form into which garden plants are continually sport¬
ing. In a wild state, the varieties are comparatively rare ; while, on the
contrary, new forms, miscalled species, are always starting up in every
botanic garden. In the garden of Berlin, Link states, that Ziziphora
dasycintlia , after many years, changed to another form, which might
be called Z. intermedia .

But although there is no reasonable doubt that irregular metamor-
phosis does take place in consequence of some change in the conditions
under which plants are formed, the cosmica momenta of some writers,
yet it is certain that we are entirely ignorant of the specific causes by
which metamorphoses are effected. We know that the cellular tissue,
and the secreted matter or proper juices, are what chiefly manifest
their sensibility of change ; but beyond this, we know absolutely
nothing whatever. In this want of information, the simplest manner
of treating this subject is to take the parts of vegetation in succession,
and to state what is known of the irregular metamorphosis of each.

The roots and tubers undergo a vast variety of changes ; some of
which are the effects of domestication, and others produced in wild
individuals. Some grasses, when growing in situations more dry than
those to which they have been accustomed, acquire bulbs, as if laying
by reservoirs of nourishment to meet the casual want of a sufficient
supply of food. Other roots sport, when domesticated, into various
forms and colours, as is familiarly exemplified in all those which supply
our tables. In the turnip the form varies from spherical to depressed.

IRREGULAR METAMORPHOSIS OF PLANTS.

107

oblong, or fusiform ; the epidermis from white to yellow, purple, and
green. The celery, the root of which is fibrous when wild, produces,
under domestication, a fleshy round root like a turnip, known in gar¬
dens by the name of celeriac. The common potato, the colour of
which is usually yellow, produces a variety deeply stained, not on the
skin only, but through its whole substance, with purple. The parsnep
varies from fusiform to spherical ; and there are hundreds of instances
of the same kind, of which everybody must be aware.

Metamorphosis of the stem is much less frequent than that of the
root. The stems of the common cabbage are naturallv hard and

stringy ; but in a variety, called by the French, Chou moellier , the stem
is succulent and fusiform ; and in the Kohl Rabi it forms a succulent
tumour above the ground, in form and size resembling a turnip. In
alpine situations the stem becomes shortened in proportion to the
elevation at which it is produced, but it lengthens in low humid situa¬
tions. Domestication has rendered tall stems more dwarf, and dwarf
stems taller ; the common dahlia, the mean height of which may be
estimated at six feet, has been reduced by cultivation to a stature not
exceeding three. Cabbage and many other culinary plants have
undergone a similar change ; wdiile the common hemp has sported into
a gigantic variety twice the usual size. The stems occasionally be¬
come bundled, that is, take the appearance of a number of separate
stems connected together, side by side, as in the common cock’s-comb,
Celosia. This was formerly believed to arise from the union of several
stems ; a manifest error, as an inspection of a dissected stem will prove ;
it is an extremely irregular formation, somewhat analogous to that
which constantly obtains in Bauhinia.

The leaves undergo a thousand metamorphoses, of which a few only
need be noticed. They become succulent and turn inwards, forming
what gardeners call a heart, as in the cabbage and lettuce. Their
parenchyma extends more rapidly than the veins and margins ; this
produces puckering, . as in curled leaves. If the parenchyma and mar¬
gin are together produced in excess, we then have what gardeners call
a curl, as in the plants known by the respective names of curled
greens, curled cress, curled endive, &c. If this tendency to parenchy¬
matous dovelopment proceed much further, the surface is not merely
puckered, but processes arise from it like small leaves. Scotch kale is
an instance of this. Occasionally in compound leaves an unusual
number of leaflets is produced, as seven instead of three ; a double
pinnate leaf in some roses in lieu of a simple pinnate one. In other
plants the reverse occurs ; there is a dahlia which constantly produces
simple leaves in room of compound ones.

108

IRREGULAR METAMORPHOSIS OF PLANTS.

In flowers irregular metamorphoses are extremely common : they
consist of a multiplicity of the petals, of a transformation of the petals
into stamens., and a change in colour or in scent. In roses the multi¬
plication of petals is the nearly universal cause of the double state of
these flowers ; in the rose ceillet and many anemones, impletion depends
upon the conversion of petals into stamens.

With regard to colour, its infinite changes and metamorphoses in
almost every cultivated flower can be can compared to nothing but the
alterations caused in the plumage of birds or the hair of animals by
domestication. No cause has ever been assigned for these phenomena,
neither has any attempt been made to determine the cause in plants.

We are, however, in possession of the knowledge of some of the
laws under which change of colour is effected. A blue flower will
change to white or red, but not to bright yellow ; a bright yellow
flower will become white or red, but never blue. Thus the hyacinth,
of which the primitive colour is blue, produces abundance of white and
red varieties, but nothing that can be compared to bright yellow ; the
yellow hyacinths, so called, being a sort of pale yellow ochre colour,
verging to green. Again, the ranunculus , which is originally of an
intense yellow, sports into scarlet, red, purple, and almost any colour
but blue. White flowers which have a tendency to produce red will/
never sport to blue, although they will to yellow ; the rose, for example,
and chrysanthemums , It is also probable that white flowers with a
tendency to produce blue will not vary to yellow.

Scent varies in degree rather than in nature ; some plants which are
but slightly perfumed, as the common China rose, acquire a powerful
fragrance when converted to the variety called the sweet-scented ; but
there is no decided difference of scent among varieties of the same
species.

Metamorphoses of fruit are very common, and administer largely
to the wants of mankind. They consist of alteration in colour, size,
flavour, scent, and structure. The wild blue sloe of our hedges has,
in the course of ages, by successive domestication, been converted into
the purple, white, and yellow plums of our desserts. The wild crab is
the original from which have sprung the many coloured and excellent
varieties of apple ; some of which are scentless, others scented like the
pine-apple and rose. In peas the parchment-like lining of the pod
occasionally disappears, and the whole substance of the seed-vessel
consists of lax succulent membrane.

Having thus passed in review the irregular metamorphoses of plants
through all the different parts, there still remains a subject on which
it is requisite to say a few words. This is the permanency of such

1C9

OF THE SMALLER SPECIES OF ALGiE OR FLAGS.

metamorphoses, or their capability of being perpetuated by seeds. It
is a general law of nature that seeds will perpetuate a species but not
a variety j and this is no doubt true, if rightly considered : and j et it
may be urged, if this be so, how have the varieties, well known to
gardeners and agriculturists, for many years been unceasingly carried
on from generation to generation without change ? The long red, and
round white radishes of the markets, for instance, have been known
from time immemorial in the same state in which they now exist.
The answer is this : a species will perpetuate itself from seed for ever
under any circumstances, and left to the simple aid of nature ; but
accidental varieties cannot be so perpetuated ; if suffered to become
wild, they very soon revert to the form from which they originally
sprung. It is necessary that they be cultivated with the utmost care ;
that seed should be saved from those individuals only in which the
marks of the variety are most distinctly conspicuous ; and all plants
that indicate any tendency to throw off their peculiar characteristics
should be rejected. If this be carefully done, the existence of any
variety of annual or perennial plant may undoubtedly be prolonged
through many generations ; but in woody plants this scarcely happens,
it being a rare occurrence to find any variety of tree or shrub producing
its like when increased by seed. — Bindley s Introd. to Botany.

Of the smaller Species of Alg/E or Flags. — The slimy matter
often seen on rocks and stones, on hard gravel walks, and on damp wralls
and cellars, or on the glass of windows, garden pots, and so forth, and
which is often so minute as to be lost to ordinary vision, consists of
curious and most admirable vegetable structures. All the green pul¬
verulent coating, seen on old trees and palings, is also found, by micro¬
scopic observations, to be composed of an infinite number of small
plants, of an exceedingly primitive formation.

The slimy masses, known as Will-o’-the-Wisps, or Nostocs, are
instances of other allied species, some of which are called by country
people “ flowers of heaven ; ” a name which they deserve more than
many that are often given to plants, if it be true, as the old herbalists
declare, that “ infused in brandy, they cause a disgust to that liquor
in those who drink of it:” for, as Johnstone adds, they 'would then
become “ an excellent remedy for the yotatores summi

Not one of the least curious of the lowly flags, is the “red snow,”
which excited so much attention on Capt. Ross’s return from the North
Pole, in 1819. This phenomenon seems in some cases to depend upon
the sudden appearance of a very minute plant, which the microscope
shows to consist of small cells, filled with a red fluid, and which is
referred to a genus named, from its very simple structure, Froto-coccus =

ON THE SMALLER SPECIES OF ALGH5 OR FLAGS.

This plant, as well as the Palmella cruenta , or gory-dew, Lepraria
kermesina , or bloody rain, with many others called reeks, or earth-
sweats, as well as certain minute animalcule e, will sometimes suddenly
appear in such great abundance, as even to tinge pools of water with
the hue of blood, to make red stains on the sea shore, and to discolour
considerable tracts of ground, so as to simulate red snow, or dew,
or rain ; and such in fact the appearance is vulgarly supposed to be.
These occurrences are often regarded by the ignorant as of sinister
omen ; indeed whole towns have been occasionally alarmed with the
report, that, in the course of a single night, the water of their pools
had become changed to blood ; and the dismay was not relieved until a
philosopher exhibited to the eyes of many, the minute corpuscles which
had wrought the change of hue, and which were easily separable by
filtering the fluid.

Palmella cruenta, or gory dew, is common in many places ; I found
it abundantly, during 1831 and 1832, at Oxford; and it is frequently
observed in damp situations, forming broad indeterminate patches, of a
deep rich purple, with a shining surface, as if blood or red wine had
been poured over the stone or ground. During dry weather it con¬
tracts, grows dull, and disappears : but after rain spreads anew,
resumes its sanguine colour, and becomes conspicuous even to the most
incurious eye. Its history affords (says Johnson) an easy explanation
of a phenomenon considered supernatural by monkish chroniclers, and
to which Drayton, in his notes to Poly-Olbion, refers. “ In the plain near
Hastings, where the Norman William, after his victory, found King
Harold slain, he built Battle Abbey, which at last grew to a populous
town. Thereabout is a place, which, after rain, always looks red,
which some have attributed to a very bloody sweat of the earth, as
crying to heaven for revenge of so great a slaughter.”

But not only have we, at times, showers of the so-called red or bloody
snow, rain, &c., and gory dew, ice, and so forth, produced as above
explained, but occasionally these storms and dews are found of different
colours, as green, blue, and yellow. These analogous phenomena are
owing to plants not very different in their nature : the blue to Byssus
cobaltiginea, the green to Palmella holryoides , and the yellow to
Lepraria candelaris, or chlorina.

Besides the gory dew, Palmella cruenta, which is similar in its
structure to the red snow plant, other low vegetable productions have
been noticed by different authors, as possessing a similar colour ; such
are the Lepraria kermesina, which, by the way, is considered only
a particular state of the red snow plant itself, and the Byssus cobalti¬
ginea . These are always found in situations in which they are exposed

ACTON GARDENERS’ SOCIETY.

Ill

to the intense action of light, such as vast plains of snow, or masses of
glittering limestone : whence it is inferred, that the colour of the red
snow is attributable to the action of light, modified in some mysterious
manner by the nature of the body on which it strikes ; in confirmation of
which hypothesis, it is remarked, that, when Lepraria kermesina is
found under the stems of trees, stones, or in the crevices of rocks, where
light can scarcely gain admittance, its colour gradually passes from red
to green.

These simple plants, some of which constitute the so-called red
snow and hail, and rain, and dew, and others which consist of one
or several cellules, distinct or coadnate, give way to more advanced
and regular structures in the Confermnos. or Boneworts ; and these
again to the higher grades immediately contingent, known familiarly
as sea-weeds, lavers, or kelp-ware. — Bur. Bot.

The above is extracted from the first lecture on botany, delivered at
the King’s College by the late Professor Burnett, and, with the rest of
the course, recently published. As a teacher of the science of botany,
the late Professor adopted that of synthesis. (( Such a demonstration
begins with the simplest plants ; with those which have the fewest and
simplest parts ; with vegetables consisting sometimes of only a single
organ, and thence gradually proceeds to develope their combinations in
the more complex structures, as each additional organ is added or
involved ; until at length the most elaborate organisms, which,
considered by themselves, would seem intricate and obscure, are ren¬
dered clear and intelligible, from many of their intimate component
parts having been previously examined in detail, and in their distinct
and independent states.”

Other teachers pursue an opposite course, beginning with the
highest, and ending with the lowest grades of vegetation. By this
plan, it is said, a knowledge of the science, or at least of plants, is
sooner attained ; because the first being more gross, and consequently
more perceptible and tangible, are easier comprehended and stored in
memory, than by studying, in the first place, mere atoms of vegetation
which are wholly microscopic. There is something like plausible
reasoning in this, but it is no better reasoning than is used bv those
who assert that a language may be learned without the drudgery of
studying the rules of grammar : or, that a person may be an able
botanist, without knowing one iota of either vegetable organography
or physiology.

Acton Gardeners’ Society, established on the 1st of October ,
1832. — The objects of this Society are to improve its members in the
scientific knowledge of gardening, by forming a library of useful books
to be circulated among the members ; by meetings at stated inter-

112

ACTON GARDENERS’ SOCIETY.

vals for mutual discussion, and reading papers on useful subjects,
and by providing a collection of specimens for the inspection of the
members.

RULES.

I. That a Treasurer, Secretary, and Librarian be chosen annually,
to perform their office gratis.

II. That each member of this Society meet at the usual place of
meeting, on the first Monday in every month, at seven o’clock in the
evening, from the first Monday in October till the first Monday in
April, and during the summer months at eight o’clock precisely.

III. That each member shall subscribe one shilling per month, and
that all arrears be paid up at the first meeting after every quarter-day.

IV. That each member may propose a book, and if that book shall
be approved of by the majority of the members, it shall be bought as
soon as our funds will admit.

V. That the books shall be circulated among the members ; and
that every member shall send his book to the usual place of meeting,
by half-past eight o’clock in the evening, on the first and third Monday
in every month, or pay a fine of two-pence, and one penny per day for
every day he detains a book over that time. The books shall be ready
to be forwarded by nine o’clock.

VI. That all books purchased are to be the exclusive property of
this Society, to form a library, which is to be under the care of the
Librarian, the Treasurer, and Secretary for the time being.

VII. That if any member lose a book belonging to this Society, he
shall pay the full value of it. That if any member damage a book, he
shall pay such a fine as the majority of the members shall agree to ;
and that if any member lend a book belonging to this Society, to any
person not a member of it, he shall forfeit two shillings.

VIII. That if any member create a quarrel, so as to disturb the
harmony of the company, his conduct shall become the subject of con¬
sideration at the next meeting ; and a majority of the members deciding
on its impropriety, he shall pay two shillings and sixpence, or be
expelled the Society.

IX. That if any member refuse to pay any of the before-mentioned
fines, or shall attempt to evade any of the rules, he shall be immediately
expelled the Society.

X. That all fines be paid within one month, and go to the general
fund.

XI. That any person desirous of becoming a member of this Society,
must be proposed by one member and seconded by another, at one of
the regular meetings, the election to take place by ballot, at the next
succeeding meeting ; such person will then be admitted a member,

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

113

unless a majority of black balls appear against him. Any member so
admitted shall pay two shillings and sixpence admission money.

XII. That this Society shall never be dissolved so long as three
members remain. Treasurer, Mr. Clews.

Secretary, Mr. Stapleton.
Librarian, Mr. James.

Admitted a member 18

Secretary.

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

Edwards’s Botanical Register, continued by Dr. Lindley.
The February number contains: —

1. (Enothera humifusa. Pencilled Evening Primrose. *f A pretty
little hardy annual, creeping close to the ground, forming a plant a
foot in diameter, and shedding its seeds very freely.” It is said to be
a native of America, and first described by Nuttal. It is the
(E. concinna of Don, and the Boisduvalia concinna of Spach in
Ann, des Sci.

It appears that this last-named author has been lately employed in
revising the genus (Enothera by cutting it up into four, five, or more
new genera, quite unnecessarily ; and for which he has received a most
severe lecturing from Dr. Lindley. “ Upon what grounds,” says the
Doctor, ff it will be asked, is all this change effected ? Why, upon this :
Mr. Spach has made the prodigious discovery that in some species of
(Enothera the seeds have a thicker skin than in others, that their skin
is even occasionally pitted : he has further ascertained that the seed
vessel is not always of the same shape, but that it is narrow in some and
broad in others, tough in some and tender in others, now broadest at one
end, now at the other ; and he has even found out that some (Enotheras
have eight ribs, others twelve, and others only four in their capsules ! ”
Dr. L. continues, “ Can anything be well imagined more perfectly
absurd, or more pregnant with mischief than such doings as this ? If
there be any meaning in the word genus, and if it has any intelligible
application, it must be the representation of some special simple type
of organisation which differs from all other types : just as an order is

the representation of some more compound type of organisation .

If the example of writers like Mr. Spach were to be followed, syste¬
matic botany would be resolved into its original elements : books would
consist of mere masses of species ; all power of analysis would be at an
end, and the great objects of classification would be annihilated.

VOL. V.— NO. LVII. Q

] 14

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

“ A proneness to disturb existing nomenclature is very commonly
alleged against modern botanists in a mass, and is looked upon by the
public, who are much inconvenienced by it, as a besetting sin in
modern natural history. That there is a good deal of prejudice, mis¬
conception, and no small degree of ignorance in this popular outcry, I,
or any botanist, could easily prove ; for it is impossible that, in a science
of observation, the ideas of any man should remain fixed and immove¬
able. As new objects are discovered the necessity of new systematic
combinations become evident, and the ideas of botanists change accord-
ingly, the visible result of which is occasional changes in nomenclature.
Genera are thus materially affected from time to time, and new species
as they are discovered render the creation of new genera necessary, into
which some of the species of the old genera are very often transferred.”
We have quoted thus far merelv to show Dr. Lindley’s opinion of
unscientific intermeddling, and also to show how far changes of
nomenclature (so much complained of by the public) are justifiable.

2. Oncidium Russellianum. The Duke of Bedford's Oncidium.
This is a very beautiful orchideous plant, introduced from Rio Janeiro
by the Hon. Capt. J. Roos, R. N., who presented it to the Duke of
Bedford, in whose stove at Woburn it has lately flowered.

3. Bartonia aurea . Golden- flowered Bartonia. A very beautiful
lialf-hardy annual, discovered by Mr. Douglas in California, and raised
in the garden of the Horticultural Society, where it flowered in July
last. The plant belongs to the natural order Loasacere, but only
flowers in perfection under very bright sunshine.

4. Sarcochilus falcatus. Falcate, or sickle-leaved Sarcochilus. A
small but handsome flowering orchideous plant from New Holland,
first described by Dr. Brown, and drawn from specimens which
flowered in the stoves of Mr. Bateman and Messrs. Loddiges. It is
said to be a rare plant.

5. Brunonia australis. Southern Brunonia. A most interesting
new perennial, introduced by Mr. James Backhouse in 1834. The
drawing was made from specimens received from Mr. Lowe of Clapton,
and the Messrs. Backhouses of York. In appearance it is very like
our wild Scabiouses, but is delightfully fragrant. It may require the
protection of a frame in winter.

6. Celosici coccinea. Scarlet Cockscomb. A new species or variety
of the C. cristata, from Asia. Its head of flowers is a short cone, very
brilliant, and much hardier than the common cockscomb.

7. Cooperia Drummondi. Drummond’s Cooperia. “ This is a
very singular little bulb, and was discovered in the province of Texas,
in North America, by poor Drummond, whose early death is deplored
by all who feel interested in bringing to light the unexplored riches of

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

115

the vegetable creation.” This plant has been described by the Hon.
and Rev. W. Herbert, who has named it Cooperia in compliment to
Mr. Cooper, gardener to Earl Fitz william at Wentworth House, a
practical botanist and cultivator of the very first rank.

8. Kageneckia cratcegifolia. Cratsegus-leaved Kageneckia. A
very pretty half-hardy evergreen shrub, native of Chili, and flowering
in this country in June. Hitherto it has been treated as a greenhouse
plant, but it is supposed hardy enough to bear our winters if placed
against a south wall. It belongs to the natural order Rosacece.

Sweet’s British Flower Garden. Continued by D. Don,
Esq., Professor of Botany, King’s College, London. The number for
February contains : —

1. Iris spuria. Late-flowering Blue Iris. A species long cultivated
in England, but seldom met with except in botanical collections, though
few of the genus are more deserving a place in every flower-garden. It
was considered a hybrid by Linnaeus, who therefore called it spuria.

2. Adesmia pendula. Pendulous -fruited Adesmia. A curious
creeping perennial herb, native of dry sandy pastures in the province
of Buenos Ayres, raised from seeds transmitted by Mr. Tweedie by
Dr. Neill of Edinburgh. It has flowered in the Chelsea Botanic
garden, and borne seeds freely.

3. Saracha viscosa. Clammy Saracha. A shrubby plant belonging
to Solanece , raised in the Chelsea garden from seed received from
Berlin by Mr. Anderson. It flowered and ripened fruit in the open
border. It is nearly related to Solatium, and requires the protection
of a greenhouse in winter.

4. Lycium Afrum. African Box Thorn. An erect, much branched,
rigid, thorny shrub, bearing during summer a profusion of rich purple
tubular flowers, without other protection than the face of a west wall.
It also ripens seeds.

Paxton’s Magazine of Botany for February contains : —

1. Solanum crispam. Curled Nightshade. A rough-looking plant,
but bearing fine tresses of showy flowers. It is nearly hardy, and looks
best trained to a wall.

2. Aristolochia trilobata. Three-lobed Birthwort. This, like the
rest of its congeners, is a climber, bearing large purple fantastic-shaped
flowers, emitting a disagreeable scent. The flowers are fugitive, but
there is a long succession of them.

3. Poinciana pulcherrima. Beautiful Flower-fence. One of the
finest stove plants, and deserves a place in every collection. It is one
of the most elegant ornaments of Indian gardens, and, if cultivated in
the best style, — that is, allowed plenty of pot and house-room and
high temperature, — flowers readily. It belongs to the natural order
Leguminosce .

11(3

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

4. Oncidium divariccitum. Divaricated Oncidium. A Brazilian
orchis, producing a long dangling spike of purple and yellow dowers,
issuing from under the round pseudo-bulbs which bear the leaves.

Besides the above plants, which are described and figured, this
number contains some valuable botanical and practical assays on the
following subjects:- — Remarks on the Viola tricolor; on the Genus
Thunbergia, particularly of the Alata ; on the Advantages of early
Planting this Spring ; Culture of the Genus Pctpaver ; Culture of the
Hydrangea hortensis ; Culture of the Trevirana coccinea and Mi -
mulus cardinally ; Culture of the Genus Macuna, or Cow-Itch; Cul¬
ture of Amaryllidece ; and Observations on Propagation by Cuttings :
all which practical matter renders the number one of the most valuable
of the work.

S.uith’s Florists’ Magazine for February contains : —

Madame Mermond and Helicon Hyacinths ; Camellia Japonica
candidissima ; Anne Boleyn and Superb Pinks ; Gladiolis natalensis ,
Natal Corn-flag, commonly called G. Psittacinus. This elegant work
maintains its character for faithfulness of drawing and accuracy of
colouring, and, moreover, has the advantage of not only containing
the old, but also the new ideas on the art of floriculture.

Botanical and Gardening Notices, viz. —

The exhibitions of the Horticultural Society of London are fixed for
the 14th of May, the 11th of June, and the 9th of July next.

The first exhibition of the Sheffield Horticultural Society is to take
place on the 4th of May; the second on the 25th of May ; the third
on the 22nd of June ; the fourth on the 3rd of August ; and the ffth
on the Wednesday in the week after Doncaster Races. Reports of
these and other exhibitions we shall endeavour to obtain, for the
information of our readers.

The Hon. and Rev. W. Herbert is preparing for publication a revi¬
sion of the Natural Order Amaryllidce, a work much wanted, and
eagerly expected by the botanical world.

Professor Bindley is engaged by Messrs. Ridgway to commence
Sertum Orchideum ; or “ A selection of the most remarkable of the
Tribe, in a manner worthy of their interest and beauty.”

David Don, Esq., Librarian of the Linnsean Society of London, is
appointed Professor of Botany in the King’s College of London.

Professor Lindley is appointed Demonstrator, Examiner, and Libra¬
rian to the Apothecaries’ Company of London.

Mr. Loudon, in the Gardener’s Magazine, quoting from the Bristol
Mirror, announces that a Zoological Garden is about to be formed in
the vicinity of Bristol, which, in connection with the Botanic Garden
lately laid out by Mr. Forrest, will make that city as attractive for
rational amusement as it has so long been for its trade.

117

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR MARCH.

This is one of the busiest months of the year in every department
of gardening. The seeds of many of the principal crops must now be
committed to the earth, and every part of the’ garden should be put
into trim order.

Kitchen Garden. — The knowledge of the quantities of culinary
crops sown in the preceding months serves to regulate the kinds and
quantities now to be sown. If quantities of peas and beans commen¬
surate to the demand have already been sown, similar quantities will
now require to be put in to keep up the supply. And to secure such
supply different varieties of the same kinds should be from time to
time sown. If the same kinds of peas and beans are preferred, a
sowing of the necessary quantity should be made every fortnight.

In sowings of these crops at this time of the year, they are some¬
times put in with the view of having other crops interlined, an
excellent plan when the ground is limited in extent. In this case, the
first crops should be drilled at greater distances apart ; say, for the
stronger growing sorts of peas, four and a half or five feet ; and for
common beans four feet asunder. These crops are never augmented by
being too close together in the rows ; and putting them in at good dis¬
tances adds to their fruitfulness, and leaves a good space for the intro¬
duction of double rows of savoys, cabbage, or broccoli in the summer.

If peas or beans have been raised in pots or boxes they may be
safely transplanted before the end of the month ; drills should be
opened to receive them, and, being removed carefully, placed at proper
distances in the drills, and immediately earthed up. The state of the
wTeather will best determine when this work should be done, as well
as indicate whether they may require a little wrater when planted, or
need a slight covering afterward.

In sowring peas at this season, there is an old rule which may just
be mentioned, viz.: — “to sow the next crop as soon as the previous one
appears above ground.” This holds good through the present month,
and perhaps the first fortnight of the next ; but after that time the
increasing heat of the season renders sowing at longer intervals
necessary. Former sow-iugs, if advanced any height, so as to be shaken
by the wrind, should be carefully earthed up. Keen March wrinds are
often hurtful to exposed crops of peas, by withering or breaking the
slender stalks.

Cauliflower. — If the wreather be inviting towards the end of the
month, prepare the ground on which to put out the plants which have
been under hand-glasses or in frames during winter. They require rich

118

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR MARCH.

ground, und spaces thirty inches from each other. The plants under
handglasses must still have the advantage of them at night, only
raised on brick-bats ; and when warm rain falls they should be wholly
exposed during the day. Seedlings sown last month, if fit to handle,
should now be pricked out on a slight hot-bed ; by this means of
getting them forward they may give heads in August. If no spring
plants have been raised, sow immediately either on a little heat or
warm border.

Leeks . — If a seed-bed has not already been sown, let this be done
forthwith.

Savoys. — Sow a seed-bed about the end of the month to come in
early in autumn.

Cabbage. — Sow seed-beds of all the different sorts to supply plants
to be set out as soon as fit. Transplant more from the autumn sown
beds, loosen the soil, and draw earth to the stems of the earliest crops.

Potatoes. — Towards the end of the month plant another piece of
early dwarf, or ash-leaved kidneys on a light dry border.

Broccoli . — In the last week of the month sow small quantities of
the early white, the dwarf sulphur-coloured, and the tall purple sorts
for summer transplantings.

Turnip. — A first crop maybe sown about the twentieth; if sown
earlier they run to seed before they are sufficiently bulbed.

Celery for a full crop may be sown in the fourth week, on an open
warm spot ; and if any seed was sown on a hot-bed last month, the
plants should be pricked out on another in this. Celeriac may also be
sown at the same time.

Pcirsnep. — Sow a full crop early in the month, either in drills or
broad-cast: and about the same time a full crop of carrot in the same
manner. Both require deep light soil. Open situations also suit them
best.

Onions. — This is the proper season for sowing the main crops.
Onions like fresh ground — may be sown in drills or otherwise, but
the seed should be well trodden in. Those sown in autumn may now
be transplanted on a rich open spot of ground.

Continue to sow all sorts of salad plants, as radish of sorts, lettuce
of ditto, nasturtiums, small salading, &c. ; also pot-herbs. Sow basil,
love-apples, and capsicums in pots or pans in a hotbed. Sow also
another piece of spinach, and small beds of coriander and chervil, if
required ; also dill, fennel, borage, sorrel, &c., to be transplanted about
the end of May.

Asparagus beds will require the spring dressing, by slightly forking
over the beds, raking them smooth, and marking off the alleys by line,
to receive rows of cauliflower, lettuce, or other crop. Asparagus seed

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR MARCH.

119

may also be sown at this time, to raise young plants for future use ;
and if new plantations are required, now is the proper season.

Artichokes must now have their spring regulation, by levelling
down and digging the ground among them, reducing the stools to a
moderate number of the strongest shoots, and slipping off all redundant
suckers, which may be used to form new plantations, which also may
be done in this month.

When the general business of cropping is over, all unsightly cover¬
ings of litter used during winter should be removed, all vacant borders
and pieces of ground digged and prepared for cropping, and the face of
the garden put in order ; then, as a finish, the wralks may be turned,
and all set to rights for the summer.

Wall Ti 'ees. — The peach and nectarine trees which had their shoots
loosened from the wall in the autumn, must now be pruned, and nailed
again just before the flowers open. Our reasons for this procedure were
given in November ; and there is, in most seasons, much advantage in
keeping the flowering backwards at this time, when night frosts may
still annoy. All other pruning not yet done, should be finished without
delay.

Flower Garden. — This is a busy month in the flower garden.
The whole surface must be got smooth and in order for sowing hardy
annuals, and the tender sorts sown in hotbed heat, preparatory to
getting them forward for planting in the open ground as soon as the
season permits. Dahlia seed may be sown, and the old tubers should
be now placed in leaf-mould on a mild hotbed, or in the back of a
stove, to raise shoots of which young plants are made for flowering.
All greenhouse plants which flower in the open borders in summer and
autumn, should now be propagated by cuttings and slips, and placed on
a little heat to forward them. To particularise every plant which may
be so treated, would form a very long list ; and the flower gardener will
not be confined to such sorts as are usually so treated, but to every
other which he may deem suitable for the purpose. Many are more
splendidly flowered in the open air than in the greenhouse. All the
bed-fkuvers, particularly tulips, now require attention, lest they be
damaged by hail-storms or frost. All potted Hoovers, as auriculas,
carnations, pinks, &c., should receive their spring top-dressings and
regulation. Successions of all sorts of hoovering shrubs, bulbs, &c.,
may be placed in heat, and a full stock of everything provided for a
full show in summer and autumn.

120

REMARKS ON THE WEATHER,

REMARKS ON THE WEATHER

Since our last, the weather in the neighbourhood of London has
continued exceedingly variable, hardly two days and nights together
remaining at the same temperature, or having the same character.
Upon the whole, however, it has been rather favourable for gardening
business than otherwise. Not so in the western, and probably the
northern counties of the kingdom, which have been visited by heavy
falls of snow, so that in some places the roads were almost impassable.

Hereabout we have had violent gales of wind from the north and
eastward ; the latter dammed up the river Thames, so that at high
water all the lower parts of the banks were inundated, and much
damage done in cellars and warehouses at the east end of the metro¬
polis. These gales and high tides have been followed by sharp night
frosts, which render coverings for everything in frames as necessary as
they were in the depth of winter. There is one advantage of frosty
weather at this period, which is, keeping in check the shoots and blos¬
soms of fruit-trees, which might otherwise be prompted to come forth
too soon, and so be in jeopardy from the night frost of April and May.
All preparation should, during the next month, be made against night
frosts, as well as against bright sunshine, which is equally destructive
to tender blossoms against walls in early spring.

The season hitherto has been more winterly than we have had for
several years past ; and if severe frost be as useful for the destruction
of insects as it is supposed to be, we may expect less annoyance from
them during the ensuing summer than in past years ; but it is exceed¬
ingly doubtful whether frost kills any insect, or the eggs of insects
which are injurious in gardens.

February 24 th, 1836.

Just as our present number was going to press, we received a copy of The
Annual Dahlia Register for 1836, containing particulars of the introduction,
mode of cultivation and management, &c. &c., with upwards of Fifty highly-
coloured Figures , of dissimilar dahlias, consisting chiefly of very superior new
flowers. By an Amateur. Wright’s, Haymarket. We have only room at present
to observe, that this is a most splendid undertaking.

ERRATA IN LAST NUMBER.

Page 64, eleventh line from top, for 1791 read 1792.

— 70, top line, dele the word atmospheric.

— 73, fifteenth line from top, for general read genial.

— 77, ninth line from bottom, the word what is misprinted.

PAXTON’S

HORTICULTURAL REGISTER,

APRIL, 1836.

HORTICULTURE.

THOUGHTS UPON THE CULTURE OF THE PINE-APPLE.

BY A Y'OUNG GARDENER.

I have perused with great interest many papers and treatises upon
the subject of this plant, and have been led to the conclusion that its
cultivators, however successful they may be in practice, have not
cleared up many doubts on the proper treatment of the pine during
the winter, which suggest themselves to the mind of one who has
observed the various theories and directions which are now afloat. Let
any reflecting reader take up the volumes of the Gardener’s Magazine,
that great repository of horticultural communications during the last
ten years, and turn to the several articles upon pine culture, including
the direct opinions expressed by the conductor himself, and he will be
surprised to see how very contradictory they are.

In the first volume, page 426, 1 find what may perhaps be pronounced
the best and clearest article on the general culture, from the sucker to
the fruiting plant, by Mr. Greenshields. The winter temperature of
the earliest period is directed to be kept from fifty to sixty degrees,
while in the second winter, when the plants are in the fruiting pots, its
medium is from sixty to sixty-five degrees. The closing observation is
the one, however, which requires the greatest attention, because it leads
to the consideration of that most important question. Should all plants
— should, the pine-apple in particular — be brought to a state of rest at
some period of its growth ? ef It may here be observed,” says the
writer, te that no pine-plant should be checked in its progress, for the

VOL. v. — NO. LVIII. R

122 THOUGHTS UPON THE CULTURE OF THE PINE- APPLE.

consequence of checking is always a premature and weak production of
fruit.”

Now it must not be forgotten that Mr. Knight, the President of the
Horticultural Society, had distinctly said, that, as he did not wish his
plants to grow during winter, he kept his stove cool, (forty-eight to
fifty degrees,) and its atmosphere very dry; a treatment diametrically
opposite to that which he gives in the growing seasons of spring and
summer, when excessive heat (eighty to one hundred and ten degrees)
is maintained by fire and sun, accompanied by a state of extraordinary
moisture, amounting nearly to that of a vapour-bath.

The following note is added to Mr. Greenshields’ paper, and imme¬
diately succeeding the passage quoted above, which, if not written by
the conductor, had at least his sanction : — ee This last observation
deserves the particular attention of gardeners, as it applies not only to
pines, but to the whole class or order of vegetables termed by botanists
Monocotyleclones ”

Here, then, we perceive that a state of constant growth, without
interruption or check, is insisted upon by the skilful pine-grower of
Englefield-house, and sanctioned by the conductor of the Gardener’s
Magazine !

But (at page 242, vol. v.) we find the following passage, which
occurs in the Notes and Reflections during a Tour in France: — “ As
the pine-apple is, or ought to be, kept in a dormant state during the
winter, the diminution of light, in consequence of such a covering,
would not be an insuperable disadvantage,” &c. This remark accords
with the following, from, I presume, the same pen (vol. vii. p. 540) : —
“ As points of culture and management in hothouses, we have seen
reason for recommending the application of the principle of giving all
plants a winter, or period of rest once a year, at the time when they
are, from habit or circumstances, in the most dormant state, instead of
keeping them, pine-apples and bulbs more especially, continually
growing. The best dormant season for pine-plants is during the three
winter months, unless for such as are intended to come into fruit, or
to ripen their fruit, at that season.”

From these statements I am constrained to suppose that Mr. Loudon
has observed facts which have led him to depart from his opinion, that
the pine ought to be kept slowly growing at all times. Be this as it
may, the practice of many gardeners stands opposed to the theory of
giving rest to the pine ; and, not to multiply quotations, I would refer,
on this point solely, to the circumstantial article (in vol. ix. p. 303) on
Cultivating the Fine-Apple, by Mr. T. Appleby, wherein we find
a register of the temperature of the stoves for every day in the year :

THOUGHTS UPON THE CULTURE OF THE PINE-APPLE* 123

the author also distinctly says, at page 305, It is always an object
with me to keep all the plants slowly growing at all seasons of the
year.’'

But on the other side, that of torpidity and dormancy , there is a
notice on the culture of the pine-apple in the neigbourhood of Monza,
in Italy, where it is said that the gardeners let the temperature of their
stoves fall in the winter as low as one degree of Reaumur (thirty- four
and a half degrees Fahrenheit, or to within two and a half degrees of
the freezing point): no injury is thereby caused ; and it is asserted
that the writer saw the finest pines so produced.

After this introduction of my subject, I feel called upon to state a
few facts, which may help to determine the proper temperature that
ought to be maintained during the winter ; and the subject of this
interesting inquiry divides itself into two parts : — the first refers to the
winter temperature of those plants which are commonly called nurse
or succession pines ; the second to that which ought to be maintained
for plants in the fruiting -pots, intended to mature their fruit in May,
June, and July.

1st. The suckers are potted early in autumn, and growing fast till
the end of October; artificial heat will subsequently be required, and
maintained to between fifty and sixty degrees by linings alone, if pos¬
sible, in preference to fire. This gentle heat will be sufficient to keep
the plants slowly growing during the winter. It is at this period that
I humbly conceive all the force of the opinions expressed by Messrs-
Greenshields and Appleby applies, inasmuch as any check the plants
may receive by being thrown into the dormant state at this critical
period, from cold , will, ten to one, lead to premature formation of the
fruit, upon the first application of heat after the shift in February.

This remark affords me an opportunity to state a circumstance which
has recently come under my own observation, and which is conclusive
of the important fact, viz. that pines, whether they are able to support
thirty-four and a half degrees, or not, without injury, or even with
advantage, may be seriously injured by cold.

A small collection plunged in leaves, in a brick pit well glazed, with
three good linings formed of leaves, was destroyed by the severe frost of
Christmas. The linings suddenly became cold, and the weather was
so extremely piercing, that, notwithstanding the lights were covered
with double mats and close-fitting deal boards, several degrees of frost
entered the pit, and the plants, upon examination, were found to be
quite decayed at the collar.

A pit of fine successions, a few miles from here, protected by dung
linings, and mats at top, covered deeply with litter, was so injured,

124 THOUGHTS UPON THE CULTURE OF THE PINE-APPLE.

that scarcely one plant in six will live. The gardener is an able
grower, but he could not prevent the suddenness of the attack. In
conversing with him, he gave it as his decided opinion, that a pine-
plant will bear and survive half a degree of frost, but no more; that
no injury will be done at thirty-four or thirty-five degrees, as to health ;
but that, to provide for the future welfare of plants, which, after the
first shift, should grow with the utmost rapidity till they reach their
fruiting-pots, fifty or fifty-five degrees ought to be supported through¬
out the months of November, December, and January of the first
year.

2nd. Of the winter temperature for firuiibig-pines I have offered my
opinion, which, I believe, coincides with that of many skilful culti¬
vators, that the pine, after the spring shift, ought to be carried through
all the future stages of growth with the utmost rapidity, up to the
time that they are in their fruiting-pots at the end of the second
October (for I am here speaking of fruiting the plants in eighteen
months). Then I venture to suggest that, during November and
December, the temperature of the stove should never, with sun , reach
higher than fifty degrees : the bed in which the pots are plunged will
gradually decline, and it need not be renewed till the fruit is ripe.
The plants will thus become quite dormant, but under a degree of cold
which will not injure their texture ; yet this dormancy will become a
check fully sufficient, I imagine, to throw the plants into fruit, without
exposing them to those severe changes of temperature which they are
too frequently subjected to by those who induce fruit by drying the
plants off, with a fire-heat of seventy or seventy-five degrees, in the
very heart of the winter, and then suddenly saturating the soil of every
pot with water. Surely this is departing widely from the treatment
which is indicated by our climate, where every thing, indeed, as respects
the management of plants under glass, is unnatural. If the pine is
rendered quiescent in the torrid zone by drought, it is under the influ¬
ence of a burning sun ; but here, at Christmas, all is cold, severely
frosty, or very wet, with a great want of light. Is it not, then, evident
that we ought to check by cool treatment, since we cannot have light ?
and trust to that first effort which, under a gentle and gradual excite¬
ment by fire, or the light of the sun in spring, increases; which will cause
an appearance of renewed growth that will precede the starting of the
fruit. As the heat is raised, the moisture of the atmosphere of the pit
should be increased, till at length, when the plants show fruit, (the
first sign of which is an enlargement of the breadth just at the base of
the leaves,) the heat and moisture can scarcely be applied in excess ;
the growth of the fruit will then be prodigiously rapid, much more,

ON THE SHRIVELLING QF GRAPES.

125

I imagine, than if a temperature of sixty or seventy degrees had been
maintained through the dark months of November and December.

The conclusion I arrive at is this, that during the first winter, and
the whole period of the growth of the herb, no check ought ever to be
permitted; but that, during the early part of the second winter, tor¬
pidity, brought on carefully by low temperature, is surely the safest
means that can be resorted to, to promote large and well -grown
fruit.

The extent of this communication may require apology ; I hope it
will be found in the importance of the inquiry; and if it be favourably
received, I will venture to trespass on your pages again, on the subject
of a method (which I have seen practised) of growing the pine so as to
produce fine fruit in a few months after the separation of the suckers.

A. L. A. T.

ON THE SHRIVELLING OF GRAPES.

March 2nd, 1836.

Sir, — I am very glad to find that the disease in grapes, generally
known by the terms “ shrivelling,” or C( shanking,” is apparently call¬
ing forth the attention of your readers, as I am sure the growers of that
valuable fruit will look with great pleasure and interest upon anything
calculated to throw light upon the cause of it, or the means of prevent¬
ing it ; and as information derived from experience is generally more
valuable and practical than from theory, I take the liberty of troubling
you with the result of my observations upon the subject.

It is a very common opinion that the disease is produced by inatten¬
tion to giving air to the houses sufficiently early in the morning ; and
I have known instances in which a decided alteration for the better has
been produced in the appearance of the vines by its being attended to,
after the shrivelling has made its appearance ; but the effects have
never been such as to satisfy my mind upon the point, and I am much
more inclined to think with Air. Denver upon the subject.

The great objection to the curvilinear iron -houses has always
appeared to me to be the difficulty of admitting air in sufficient quan¬
tity ; and, of course, if the want of air is the cause of the shrivelling
in grapes, one would expect to find it more in such a house than in one
of wood, where air is easily obtained to any extent ; but this is not the
result which my observation confirms.

I have two houses, each about forty feet long ; one of them has a
curvilinear iron roof, and the other is formed of wood, in the common

126 ON THE PRACTICABILITY OF RENOVATING FRUIT-TREES.

way ; and last summer having been very dry and hot,, was certainly a
strong test. In the iron house I had a very moderate crop in quantity,
but the quality was very superior, and I had no appearance of shrivel¬
ling in the bunches ; but in the other house, although air was admitted
night and day during the greater part of the summer, the crop, which
was unusually large, was half destroyed by shrivelling, and very few of
the berries on the bunches were well- flavoured.

I think these facts go very far to prove that the want of air is not
the cause of the disease. But there is another circumstance which
tends in favour of the common opinion — I mean, the fact that the
disease is never found in the open air on walls ; at least, I never
remember to have observed it.

In common with many of your readers, I beg, in conclusion, to say,
that further remarks from Mr. Denyer cannot fail to be acceptable ;
and I trust the subject will call out many more of your practical
readers. I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

R. G.

ON THE PRACTICABILITY OF RENOVATING OLD FRUIT-TREES
BY CUTTING BACK AND RE-GRAFTING.

Fruit-trees in orchards and in gardens, whether trained as espa¬
liers or on walls, are liable to become stunted, mossy, and unfruitful
from old age. When in this state, they only encumber the ground,
become unsightly, and moreover, if they do bear a few fruit, it is small
and inferior in quality. When fruit-trees arrive at this feeble state, it
becomes a question with the owner whether the whole should not be
rooted out and replaced by young ones. It is very probable that the
generality of gardeners would approve of this mode of renewing the
collection ; for, by retrenching the borders, and adding a fresh supply
of proper soil, and choosing a set of young healthy trees as successors
to the old worn-out ones, the walls or espaliers would soon be again
replenished, and but little time would be lost.

But, without dwelling on the great labour and expense consequent
upon the renewal of the borders, replanting, &c., it might be worth
while to inquire whether the same result might not be compassed in a
much more convenient, and as certain a manner, by re-grafting the old
trees, or by simply cutting back the old branches to induce the produc¬
tion of young shoots, "which may be trained in the same manner as
before.

We have seen both these schemes practised most extensively in old

ON THE PRACTICABILITY OF RENOVATING FRUIT-TREES. 127

gardens with the best success. In one case, nearly one hundred pear
and apple trees, which had been planted about fifty years, and which
were trained horizontally as espaliers, but had become irregular and
unsightly, were ordered to be renewed by grafting. It was considered
best that each tree should be done at twice — that is, one half of the
branches in the first year, and the other half in the next. Each alter¬
nate branch was sawn off at about four inches from the stem, and
grafted in the first year, and the intermediate branches were done in
the same way in the second. This plan was adopted for two reasons ;
the first was, that the roots might not be too much checked by remov¬
ing all the branches at once ; and the second, that the garden should
not be disfigured by ranks of branchless trunks for any considerable
time ; besides, the reserved branches yielded a fair sprinkling of supe¬
rior fruit in the first year, while the first grafts were shooting vigor¬
ously between them, and began to bear a few fruit in the third year.

In the fourth and fifth years, the symmetry of the trees was restored,
and the grafts proved much more prolific than either young shoots from
the old stem, or those of young-planted trees would have been ; indeed
this is the principal advantage of double-grafting, as it invariably
induces a greater prolificacy in the shortest time.

The manner in which the grafting was performed was the most
simple of all, namely, “ rind-grafting,” or grafting under the bark. The
branch intended to receive the graft was first sawn off to the length
already mentioned, the saw being directed obliquely, so that the upper
side of the branch should jut out a little over the lower side, in
order that the face of the wound made by the saw should be towards
the earth. The graft was prepared by forming its lower part like a
wedge, the lower side, however, being cut away only, so as to expose
the pith and half the woody axis of the scion. The upper side of the
same was left covered with its bark, only pared off along the edges, in
order that the inner bark of both graft and stock might be placed in
contact.

The graft being thus prepared, its place was got ready by first slit-
sing the bark of the stock where the graft was to be inserted ; and with a
little instrument called a messenger, made of bone, and exactly of the
form of the prepared graft, the bark on each side of the slit was raised
at once by thrusting the messenger inward. Thus an opening was
made for the reception of the scion, as soon as the messenger was with¬
drawn ; and when thrust home, received a binding of matting, and,
clayed immediately, the operation was finished.

This simple and easy method of grafting is expeditiously done, and
seldom fails. The only care required is in the summer after the graft

128

ON THE PRACTICABILITY OF RENOVATING FRUIT-TREES.

has made shoots, to secure it against being blown out of its place by the
wind. The best security is to tie a rod from the stump into which the
graft is inserted, along the espalier stakes, and to which rod the leading
shoot is kept trained as it lengthens during the summer.

Re-grafted trees never grow so strong, nor do the branches extend so
far as at first ; but they are much more prolific : the natural vigour of
the tree being subdued by double working, induces moderate growth
and fruitfulness at the same time. Indeed, when the seasons are
favourable at blooming time, and if insects can be kept off, more fruit
are likely to set, than a tree of such moderate growth may be able to
bring to perfection ; but this is a circumstance for which an easy
remedy is found in a timely thinning of the crop.

The stems of the trees above alluded to were, at the time they were
re-grafted, cleared completely of all their old scabrous bark, in order
to relieve the stem of any constriction, and all the rugged, exfoliated
parts which might form a harbour for insects and their eggs. This
decortication is always salutary, whether trees be grafted or not.

Espalier trees are certainly renewable by grafting ; and, of course,
wall- trees are equally so. We well remember an instance of several
fine old crasanne, colmar, and St. Germain pear-trees being renovated
by different means in the same garden, and about the same time. Some
were cut back, and re-grafted in the way already described ; others
were simply cut back, but not grafted, trusting to the young wood which
would be produced to replenish the wall. Two others, very large col¬
mar pears, on a south-east aspect, whose branches were trained out six
or seven yards on each side of the butt, were effectually renewed by
simply cutting smoothly off every old spur from the branches, leaving
the latter, as the operator expressed himself, like “ bare poles.” Abund¬
ance of summer shoots was produced as usual, along the whole length
of the branches ; of these a proper selection was made and laid in, the
supernumeraries being displaced. The reserved shoots became bearers
as soon as possible ; that is about the third year, and continued to be
afterward very fruitful.

We had not the pleasure of seeing those trees after these different
operations were performed ; but, being particularly interested in the
anticipated results, had regular reports of their progress for six or seven
years subsequently, and learned that all the schemes succeeded to the
entire satisfaction of the manager.

If such or similar expedients answer in one place, they may cer¬
tainly succeed in others ; and were such practice sufficiently known
and executed, there need never be seen immense fruit-trees occupying
a large surface of walling or espalier rails, yielding nothing but annual

ON THE PRACTICABILITY OF RENOVATING FRUIT-TREES, 129

growths of summer shoots, only to be cut away, with only an occasional
sprinkling of fruit near the extremities of the branches. We seldom
enter an old garden without seeing barren old trees crying aloud for
such manipulation ; particularly pear and cherry-trees, which might
easily be brought into a bearing state by some one or other of the means
above alluded to.

Some trained fruit-trees are liable to become naked of spurs, or
bearing wood at bottom. This defect may be remedied, either by
priming back, or by inserting buds or grafts on the naked parts. Peach
and nectarine-trees are sometimes liable to this inconvenient deformity ;
and they of all others are (as far as our own experience has gone) the
most difficult to be made to break into young shoots from the bottom of
naked branches We know that it has been long ago advised to make
an angular incision subtending to a point, whence a shoot is required to
issue : indeed, we have tried this, but without success. Inserting buds
into such old limbs seldom succeeds, because of the thickness of the
bark, which makes the operation impracticable. But we have often
had our doubts anent this difficulty ; whether or not, we have gone the
right way about the business ; because we have no difficulty in budding
a shoot or branch one, two, or three years old ; but, if much older, the
operation is imperfectly performed, by reason of the thickness of the
bark, and to its much firmer attachment to the alburnum. If, there¬
fore, the bark be made as thin as is necessary in the first place, there
would be no difficulty in putting in a bud at the proper season. We
would therefore advise to shave off all the outer layers of bark in one
season, and put in the bud in the next.

It must be considered, however, that stone-fruit trees are impatient
of wounds, if made at the wrong season. If such shaving off the bark
were done when the sap is without motion— that is, in winter — and so
deep that the sap-vessels of the inner layers of bark were lacerated, the
sap at its rising would ooze out and be coagulated into gum, and thereby
injure the vital membrane by stopping the healthful current. But if
such disharking were done in the summer, less damage would ensue ;
the inner layers would be soon healed, and left in good condition to
receive a bud or buds in the following July or August.

We are sorry to add that we have never tried this scheme of budding
an old branch of a peach or nectarine ,* but we have no doubt that it
is practicable and well worth a trial ; and as such we particularly
recommend it to the attention of our readers, some of whom may be
induced to give the scheme a fair trial, and thereby originate a new and
useful expedient in the management of wall-fruit trees.

Heading down old trees in orchards is a good old custom. Large
VOL. v. — NO. JjV.Hl .

130 ON THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF TRAINING FRUIT-TREES,

standard cherries submit to this operation with the best effects. Apples
and pears are also decapitated successfully especially if the roots be
sound and in a congenial soil. In the cider countries, re-grafting old
trees is the business of even the common carpenters ; who with their
hand-saw, and a knife of a peculiar make to prepare the cleft for the
reception of the graft, will re-branch a polled tree in a very few
minutes, receiving payment only for the grafts which take. By this
method of renewing a tree, the labour of planting a young one, and
expence of fencing it against cattle for several years, are dispensed
with ; and that it is also a most convenient process for substituting a
valuable and desirable sort for a worthless or inferior one, is sufficiently
obvious.

Upon the whole we may observe, that notwithstanding the great
advances which have already been made in the management of fruit-
trees, there may yet be some things which, if known, are not enough
practised ; or probably, there may be new discoveries yet to be found out.
Many years ago, it was customary to raise apple-trees from cuttings ;
and we knew a man who used to raise very fine peach-trees from layers.
These practices are now laid aside, since the great advantages of graft¬
ing and budding have been so fully proved, in rendering trees at once
more dwarfed in habit, and consequently more prolific.

Connected with this subject, we may mention an improvement of
one kind of tree by grafting it on another. The jargonelle almost al¬
ways grows too luxuriantly when confined as an espalier; but if grafted
on an autumn bergamot, its luxuriance is checked, and it then becomes
a moderate grower, and at the same time a plentiful bearer, though the
fruit are never so large.

ON THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF TRAINING FRUIT-TREES ROUND
THE QUARTERS OF KITCHEN-GARDENS.

{Continued from page 85.)

In order that the hedge-like appearance of fruit-trees, trained as
espaliers, might be obviated, and that they might receive every advan¬
tage of air and light and refreshing showers, it was deemed an im¬
provement to allow each tree a sufficient space on a marginal border
to assume its natural form of head and irregular disposition of branches,
with this special proviso, that each tree should always be kept in a
snug bush -like form, without interfering with each other, or without

ON THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF TRAINING FRUIT-TREES. 131

allowing them to shade too much of the ground below, or give the
garden a wild woodland look. This plan, besides being favourable to
the natural growth of the trees, offered another advantage, namely, the
chance of bearing greater crops of fruit from the more numerous
branches, and more extended spray of the head.

This method of planting and treating fruit-trees has been neatly and
successfully executed in many gardens, and during the first ten years
of their growth really look very well ; and, while in bloom, or bending
with fruit, are beautiful.

The dwarfest growing varieties of the different sorts should be chosen
for this mode of training. We say training, because, although the
trees be allowed to take their natural form of head, its regularity, as to
thickness or thinness, and proper position of the branches, must be
regulated by the pruner. Such shoots as have a tendency to grow out
of bounds must be stopped ; and so must those which are not suffici¬
ently furnished with spurs. Those which may grow across others must
be brought into their right places by ties ; and the whole head be so
thinned by pruning out, or thickened by cutting back, that a rotund
and well-balanced head may be always maintained.

When the trees have arrived at the required height, say five or six
feet, (for they should not grow higher,) and have got into a bearing
habit, they may be easily kept in order and in good form ; but such
trees are aspiring, and have a natural tendency to grow larger ; and, if
not fruitful, this tendency to luxuriance is still further prompted by
the necessity of keeping them in regular order by the knife. Such
vigorous growth can only be checked by severe stopping and disbudding
in the months of May and June ; or by lifting the tree, and replanting
it in October, or by the old custom of “ ringing.” Speaking advisedly,
and from long experience, we know that summer stopping and timely
disbudding will check luxuriance ; but we know, |also, that this busi¬
ness is very often neglected at this busy season (May and June) of the
year ; and as the best alternative, we know that ringing the stem
close to the ground is the most effectual expedient which can be had
recourse to in order to bring pear and apple trees into bearing as soon
as possible.

Our own practice was as follows : — The trees, which had been twice
headed down in the nursery, were planted in well prepared loamy soil,
about fourteen inches deep, lying upon a hard gravelly bottom, at the
distance of about seven feet from each other in the row. They were
dwarfs, with clear stems of a foot high. The first shoots were pruned
down to obtain a sufficient number of branches to rise all round, and at
proper distances from each other ; and always with a view to the bush

J32 ON THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF

TRAINING FRUIT-TREES.

form. In three years they had gained the desired figure ; and., in
general, about four feet high. A few flower buds were formed on each
tree j and to accelerate this habit, the stems were all deprived of a ring
of bark about two inches from the surface of the ground. This*
operation was done with a woodman’s rasing-knife, which made an
opening about the sixth part of an inch wide, and as deep as to
remove a thin slice of the alburnum. This separation of the bark had
the desired effect. The exertions of the roots were checked ; and, of
course, the expansion of the head became at the same time moderate,
which was favourable to the development of fruit-buds.

The wounds on most of the free-growing trees were nearly healed
again at the end of the year ; those that were completely so, were re¬
opened with the same tool in the following spring ; and one (a Dutch
eodlin) growing much stronger, and overtopping the rest, was treated
much more severely, by having a ring, nearly half an inch wide, re¬
moved all round. The weaker -growing sorts, as the nonpareil and
golden pippin, required no farther check for several years.

The effects of the ringing .became more and more visible every suc¬
ceeding year ; and the rasirig-lmife was used occasionally, as the quick
healing, and consequent extra yigour of individual trees required it.
The Dutch eodlin, before alluded to, was, in the fifth year, the smallest
tree in the row ; a proof that it had been handled too roughly ; a per¬
fect re-union of the severed bark not having taken place. But to
recover the tree, a fillet of bark from another was neatly let in across
the original wound, tied and clayed, and united the bark as before.

We have already said that trees trained in this way look extremely
well during the first ten or twelve years ; and our reason is, that after
that time the bottom spray is liable to die off, the strong growing trees
become tumpy, naked at the bottom, and unsightly, and then require
some such treatment as is mentioned in the preceding article.

Another way of training trees planted along walks, or round the
compartments of a garden, is one borrowed from the French, and called
by them the distaff form. In this method of training a central stem is
carried upright, whence side branches diverge from bottom to top, the
lower ones extending about three feet, more or less, from the stem ; and
those higher up, shorter and shorter, gradually, so that the whole tree
assumes a conical form. A rank of fruit-bearing cones are very orna¬
mental, because the branches are confined to a drooping position, one
falling over another, from top to bottom ; and thus, without shading
each other, or depriving each other of full air. The hanging position
of the branches induces fruitfulness ; and, if the whole system can
be kept in a very moderate state of growth, the plan is good, as

ON FORCING CUCUMBERS WITHOUT DUNG

133

well as ornamental. This method of training is best adapted for
pears ; and it is said that the French gardeners excel in thus
training them : our more humid climate is not so suitable, because
the ranker growth of trees is ever counteracting the design of the
trainer.

Another manner of training fruit-trees on narrow borders to stand
singly, thereby breaking the uniformity of an espalier rail— and,
although occupying but a small space, admits of branches being trained
to any length without stopping — is also a fashion borrowed from the
French, but which is only partially followed in this country. It is called
the bush form by the French, though, in fact, it is more like a barrel
noth its hoops. A young dwarf tree is planted in the usual way ; four,
five, or six shoots are reserved for the future principal branches ; and
these, when a circle of stakes are driven into the ground about eighteen
inches from the stem, are led out and trained spirally round on the
outside of the stakes, year after year, as far as they will go. The
' stakes are about live feet high, and are kept in place by a hoop at top,
to which they are nailed or tied.

Trees so trained are firmly defended against wind ; and the branches
being led in such a tortuous position are, if the season allows, generally
prolific. This plan is, however, more fanciful than useful. It is
neither so convenient as the common espalier, nor is it so elegant as
the distaff form ; and certainly not so natural as the common bush-forin
already described.

There are several other fanciful forms in which fruit-trees may be
trained ; the inventors wishing to make the trees ornamental as well
as profitable. Hence the weeping-ash, or open-umbrella form, &c>

ON FORCING CUCUMBERS WITHOUT DUNG.

Sin, — In the second volume of the Horticultural Register, page 204,
Mr. Joseph Harrison has given 6 a description of a pit for growing
cucumbers wiihoul dung throughout the whole year.” And in a note
it is stated that alterations were in progress, which, when completed,
should be furnished to the public through u The Register. ’*

As I have always had great difficulty in procuring a sufficient quan¬
tity of stable manure for hot-beds, my attention is naturally drawn
with some interest to any plans which may be suggested for obviating
it ; and, although it has been long delayed, I trust Mr. Harrison will
yet favour your readers with an account of his improvements ; and also
the result of his extended experience in the use of the pit, which I am
sure cannot fail of being interesting to very many of your readers, as it

134

ON FORCING CUCUMBERS WITHOUT DUNG.

is to the observations of men as extensively and practically engaged in
horticulture as Mr. Harrison, that we must mainly look for practical
improvement. I am, Sir your obedient Servant, A. Z.

Sir, — I beg to trouble you with a description of a pit for cucumbers
and melons, heated by hot water, which I have had in use for nearly
four years with success ; and, as I rather think of erecting another, I
should be obliged to you, or any of your readers, if they can suggest
any improvements. The only objection to the plan which has sug¬
gested itself to me is the expense of the heating apparatus in the first
instance.

The pit is about twenty feet long by six feet and a half wide, and
has six lights. It is built of brick, nine inches thick below the ground,
and four inches thick above it.

At one end of the pit, within the wall, is fixed a small boiler; and
from the surface of the water a four-inch pipe is carried just long
enough to go through the back Hue and brickwork ; and to this is
attached a wrought-iron triangular pan or trough, three feet wide and
one foot deep in the centre, and without any covering. From the
opposite end of this pan (which extends nearly to the other end of the
pit) a pipe is fixed, which returns along the bottom of the pit to the
bottom of the boiler ; so that, in fact, the apparatus is nothing more
than the common hot-water apparatus, with the pan I have described
substituted for the upper pipe.

About six inches above the top of the pan, cast-iron rafters are laid
across the pit, about one foot from each other; upon these, small
faggots are placed about one foot thick ; and on the faggots, grass sods
with the turf downwards ; and upon these, the earth for the melons or
cucumbers.

The quantity of water in the boiler and pan being very large in
proportion to the heat required, of course it need not be raised to
near the boiling point ; and it has the additional advantage of retain¬
ing its heat a long time.

When the earth in the bed is once sufficiently warmed, I generally
have the fire lighted about five o'clock in the afternoon, and it requires
no further attention after six, so that the consumption of fuel is
very little indeed ; and I have several times watched the heat in the
bed for three weeks together, and have ascertained by one of the self¬
regulating thermometers that, without trouble, the variation may be
confined to about four or five degrees.

I am. Sir, your obedient servant, R. G.

P S. If any of your readers wish for any further particulars, I shall
be happy to communicate them.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

135

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

LETTER TEN.

Dear Sir, — In my two or three preceding letters, I have engaged
your attention with some details of the kitchen garden ; its disposition,
together with some account of the routine of business pursued in it;
all circumstances which, though constituting the main, business of the
gardener, ought not to be unknown to the general designer of a place
like this. An ostensible connection should bind every the smallest part
with every other part, so that the useful should be so intimately
blended with embellishment that all should conspire to form a har¬
monious whole.

That this has been steadily kept in view by the original designer of
Fairfax Hall, I hope you begin to perceive from what I have already
written ; and trust that this will be still farther evident when you
learn what remains to be related.

I have now to give you, first, a general view of the park, and the
manner in which it has been improved — that is, changed from its
ancient agricultural face, to a rich and extensive expanse of lawn, orna¬
mented by groves of stately trees, valuable woods, and coppice. An
inconsiderable streamlet, formerly occupying a straight ditch under a
hedge, is now expanded into a beautiful lake containing several
acres, studded with three little islets, and occupying the lowest dip
of a valley to the westward of the house. The hedges which chequered
the opposite banks and gently swelling knolls of the surface into squares,
more or less regular, have disappeared ; and the general face of the
park is at once interestingly undulating, and beautifully smooth and
verdant.

I have already stated that the higher parts of the brows and their
sides, which slope towards the house, are generally planted ; and the
winding dips between are only partially furnished with groups, or
single trees, but without hiding their windings, or screening their
actual depth or extent. Crowning the knolls with trees adds to their
elevation, and, moreover, gives greater apparent depth to the little
valleys between. The tameness of groups, or open groves of trees,
standing on smooth turf, is often complained of by people of real taste
as too prevalent in English parks; and, indeed, has been, from an
improper love of smoothness admitted as a kind of principle in modern
landscape gardening. Hence the opprobrious names of f‘ levellers and
shavers bestowed so unsparingly on the Brownists. To obviate this

13(3

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

defect, my friend here, or rather his predecessors, have formerly taken
good care that such a fault should not generally prevail ; because in
every plantation there is abundance of the native holly, hawthorn,
and juniper, which adds greatly to the massive beauty and intricacy, as
well of the interior as of the margins of the groups and woods. The
thicker masses of wood are never entirely insulated, but appear to
be connected by intermediate trees and shrubs, which creep out
between.

Nor do the various plantations in this park fall under the ban of
those same critics who have derided with so much severity the Brown-
ists’ notions of placing a round clump of firs or other trees on the top
of every hill or little eminence ; and sometimes scattering them in¬
discriminately over the whole face of a large domain, with much
greater regularity than good taste wishes to witness. The different
masses of wood have been placed, as already noticed, with special
reference to the views from the house, if within range of the eye ; and
in the back grounds they have been arranged with reference, to the
green rides which traverse over the outskirts of the park, and to afford
the best views of the surrounding country ; and with reference,
also, to the nature and acclivity of the ground so occupied. On the
confines of the park, as well as on seme portions in the interior, are
considerable breadths of coppice or underwood, through which the
green rides are led. The underwoods are fenced from cattle, and are
not only profitable, but indispensable appendages as a cover for game,
and for furnishing a great variety of useful stuff for the farm, garden,
and mansion-house.

The predominating sorts of timber trees in the park are oak, elm,
and beech ; some magnificent specimens of all these are met with, and
particularly in the neighbourhood of the house, both within and with¬
out the pleasure ground. Some of these stand singly, and some are
grouped with consummate skill ; a skill which must have been exer¬
cised at a far distant date. But even if these specimens are only the
remains of an ancient wood, which might have covered this spot, their
preservation is highly creditable to the fine taste of the then proprietor.
For it is those trees which, intermingling over-head, dank the principal
vistas which lead the eye down into the lower grounds, and up the
opposite brows of the park, thereby producing what landscape-painters
are so much delighted to depict, viz. a shady and strongly marked
foreground , and a distant and luminous off. scape.

Among the other kinds of forest trees, the Spanish, or sweet chest¬
nut is plentiful ; large masses of them are planted together. Single
trees of the horse chestnut are also scattered about. The formal, and

landscape gardening.

137

sweet-scented lime is distributed near the house, either singly or in
groups, and many American forest-trees, as oaks, for their bright
.autumnal tints ; and maples and larch, for their fresh yellow verdure
in the spring, are disposed in various tufts, where they are backed by
foliage of a darker hue. Fir trees are but sparingly introduced ; and
such as stand in the park are at a distance from the house.

In my first letter I believe I told you that a valley, commencing a
little way within the principal entrance into the park, descended,
and, widening as it descended across the south front of the mansion,
was lost in a larger valley, which descends nearly parallel to the west
front. In the bottom of this last-mentioned hollow, a small rivulet
stole along to the southward. Its source was on the high land t©
the northward of the house ; and though never a very abundant
•stream, it was never altogether dry.

The idea of raising a dam across the valley where there was a ford
and foot-bridge, at about half a mile below the house, and by that
means obtain an expanse of water, was a very natural wish of a pro¬
prietor who had a painter’s eye. The idea was carried into execution,
and a most interesting feature of the place has been created. The dam
is so concealed by, trees and bushes, that its artificial character is com¬
pletely hidden ; and, though the excess of water be too inconsiderable
to form a cascade of sufficient importance for full exposure, it may be
heard gurgling away among some large and rough stones fixed in the
lower face of the dam. The banks of the lake, as well in outline as in
height, are very irregular, and well designed and executed. Little
promontaries here and there jut into the water ; some are bluff-pointed,
and planted with trees and shrubs ; others die smoothly off into the
water’s edge. Alders, weeping-willows, and poplars, with reeds and
other aquatic herbs, occupy in irregular tufts and masses the margin of
the lake, and so naturally are these disposed, that no stranger would
suspect that the whole is a work of art. Here are no £f tame banks ’
to offend the fastidious eye ; no parallel edges nor canal-like form to
shock the feelings of the connoisseur of the gallery. The surrounding
land all dips towards the water, except only at the south end, where
the surplus steals away ; and this lower part being rather^ thickly
planted, the lake appears embosomed in surrounding slopes on all
sides.

This is the character which all made pieces of water should bear ;
because, if their surface appears higher or even as high as any of the
adjacent ground seen at the same time, its artificial character is at
once proclaimed, and its natural beauty impaired. The middle of the
lake is so deep that it is a perfect fence against cattle wading across ;

VOL. V.-— NO. LVIII. «r

138

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

yet there are several shallow shores on both sides, at which the cattle
drink, and often in the summer months congregate under the shade of
the overhanging trees, to cool their limbs, and escape from their tor¬
mentors, the gad-flies, and Conops calcitrans.

The management of wrater is one of the most difficult operations of a
landscape gardener’s profession. Brown’s great work of lake-making at
Blenheim, will transmit his name with honour to posterity ; but many
of his minor attempts, as well as those of his followers, are perfectly
jejune and ridiculous. In some places, small natural pools have been
drawn out to represent a winding river, passing before the drawing¬
room windows, with both extremities deeply hidden in evergreen shrubs;
■while the stillness, colour, and sluggish appearance of the water betrays
at first view its stagnant character. At other places, these accidental
ponds, or small brooks, are formed into a rectangular “ sheet of water,”
or curved canal, with smooth and trimly cut edges, as vapid and bald
as a field of snow. These doings are really childish ; because whatever
is done by a garden artist, should either be boldly acknowledged as a
work of art, and executed accordingly ; or, if nature is to be imitated,
it should be on such a scale as not only to impose on a stranger, but
to delight the eye, and satisfy the mind of the proprietor, whose taste
and money have accomplished the work.

Besides the vivid reflections from the sky, and the deeper ones of the
trees, and cattle, and figures on its banks, the lake is useful in other
respects ; as affording the pleasure of rowing, or sailing a handsome
cutter, and the amusement of angling : nay, more ; by putting in a
draw-net occasionally, a fair haul of trout, jack, and tench, are caught
to supply the cook ; and what are not wanted are transferred to a lock¬
up stew, constructed at the head of the lake.

At the head of this piece of water, the scenery is pleasingly varied
by a change of trees. The course of the rivulet above the lake, is^down
a narrow kind of dell having rather steep banks. The carriage road to
the back entrance into the park, passes over a neat stone bridge of three
arches, near the head of the lake, whence the latter is seen to great
advantage. The banks, both above and for a little way below the
bridge, are planted with Weymouth pines, which here grow luxuri¬
antly, in consequence of their roots reaching the water, and ranging in
the peat- earthy soil by the sides of the brook. A few fine weeping-
willows skirt the pines, and hang partly over the water; and the bridge,
viewed from any point below, appearing placed in a recess, looks ex¬
tremely well, being so decidedly connected with that element which
renders bridges at all necessary. A bridge without water is like a ship
in the midst of a city ! Sometimes, indeed, the crest of a bridge, or a

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

139

mast of a sailing vessel, may be admitted into ornamental scenery to
mark the existence of water which cannot be seen ; but bridges oil dry
land, and masts and sails without hulls, are tricks which no person of
taste should have recourse to.

Viaducts across a dry ravine are allowable, as an easy passage from
bank to bank, as the one already described over the entrance into the
court-yard (there erroneously called a bridge), but they are both in
appearance, and for their use, very different from abridge.

The lake is peopled with a family of swans, as well as several sorts
of wild fowl, particularly in winter. Several sorts of foreign ducks
have been tried, but the tyranny of the male swan soon drives them
away. The swans breed every year. A bundle of straw is laid on one
of the little islets, which the hen puts in order, and lays, sits, and hatches
two or three pairs of cygnets in the season. Twelve months afterwards
the parents drive away their young ; and it is a good plan to remove
them quite, as the male bird is a most relentless persecutor, especially
to those of his own sex. The fish, besides those already mentioned,
are eels, roach, perch, dace, and miller’s-thumbs, which afford a rich
feast for the herons frequenting the spot.

Below the lake are very rich meadows on each side of the brook,
extending to the outside of the park ; and the higher ground on
each side is finely wooded. The right hand brow, which is most
distant from the house, is covered with an extensive plantation of
evergreen trees, chiefly firs, relieved in front by evergreen oak, larch,
and a few deciduous trees, planted lower down on the hill, and which
have a most striking effect as seen from the house in the leafing
season.

The whole of the higher ground beyond the lake, as seen from the
house, is also finely enriched by masses and groups of trees, from and
beyond the summit down in some places to nearly the edge of the lake;
and all the way from the plantation of firs just mentioned, to other
plantations of the same kind and character, surrounding the game¬
keeper’s cottage at the back entrance gate. This last portion of the
park is, however, quite out of sight from the house, by reason of the
intervening woods.

Our next tour shall be round the green rides, which are quite ex¬
tensive enough for a morning ride, either on horseback, or in the pony-
chaise, which is kept for the purpose, and often used by the ladies of
the family. Your’s truly, A. B.

ENTOMOLOGY,

240

ENTOMOLOGY,

OF THE THRIP.

We ended our notice of this insect by saying that it is of a pale
greenish white colour, smaller and longer shaped, and more active than
the aphis ; and we are happy in being able to add, by the kindness of
our friend A, a scientific description of this little insect.

Okbo Hemipteka, Linne, Fam. V. ThripidjE, Steph., Gen. 1,
Thrips, Linne. Snout secreted within the mouth ; ciniennce, the
length of the thorax ; body, linear ; abdomefi, inclining upwards ;
wings, four, straight, long, incumbent on the back, narrower than the
body, slightly crossing.

A powerful microscope must have assisted the entomologist to write
such a description, as the insect in question is but just visible to the
naked eye. They live chiefly on the leaves of various hothouse plants,
and occasionally on those of forced French-beans. They prefer the
under side of the leaves ; and their bites on the cuticle resemble those
made by the acarus*, and with similar effect upon the general health of
the plants on which they prey ; the leaves become pale and somewhat
distorted, and drop sooner than if they were free from this annoyance. If
they once establish themselves in a collection of stove plants they are
not easily eradicated ; and we have often noticed that they are most
injurious to those plants which have the most delicate foliage; and
particularly those having pinnated leaves, as Tantarnulus, Poinciana,
and the like ; so that whatever means are taken to expel them,
whether a strong suffocating effluvia, or an offensive wash, is equally
destructive to the foliage as to the insect. An ammonious vapour,
so destructive to many insects, is equally destructive to delicate
vegetation.

Strong and long-continued fumigations of tobacco, frequent syringing
with water, and steaming, we have seen tried in vain. But we have
often thought that these intended remedies failed in consequence of the
infested plants being kept in the bark bed while the insects were
undergoing the ordeal ; for it is very probable that many of them were
among, or might leap down and hide in the bark until the noxious
fumes or vapour have gone off. We are rather inclined to believe
that this might be the case, from an instance which came to our

* “ The red spider cannot exist a moment in an atmosphere where sulphur in a volatile
state is suspended ; and a very small quantity washed upon the flue where it is warm but
not very hot suffices : for that substance must never be ignited.’’-— Salisbury Hort .
Trans, vol. i. 297. A

ENTOMOLOGY.

141

knowledge of an orange house having been cleared of both red spider
and thrips by a long-continued steaming from flues made exces¬
sively hot for the purpose. Here there was no bark bed, or other
shelter for the insects to hide in, but the naked paved floor, and
that nearly flooded with water, and in which they probably perished.
The steaming was certainly intense for several hours, but it was
effectual.

Were it possible to hit on some glutinous wash which would in the
first place entangle and arrest the insects for a day or two, and being
of innocuous quality when first applied, and scale off when dry, so that
the stomata or pores of the leaves would not be too long closed — would
be, one would imagine, a good remedy. Perhaps even simple gum-
water, diluted to so thin a consistence as to be applied by a common
syringe, might be effectual. It contains neither acrid nor pungent
qualities to endanger the health of the plants ; and if it be not liable
to remain too long as a varnish upon the foliage, might answer well.
It would certainly be a much more agreeable application than
either tobacco or brimstone, in a collection of sweet plants or fruit-
trees.

Soap-water we would consider another good application ; and this
not for its bitter quality derived from the alkali in its composition,
but from the unctuous nature of the grease, which drying on the
leaves, and also on the bodies of the insects, clogs their action, and
disgusts, perhaps, their palates.

Lime-water, impregnated with sulphur and tobacco juice, is
strongly recommended as a defence against the attack of insects, or as
an effective means for their expulsion. This, however, is more
adapted for trees iu the open air, than for delicate plants under glass ;
but a weak mixture of these ingredients might be useful even in the
stove. At any rate, all the above applications are worth a fair trial ;
for something very simple may at last be discovered to rid us of
this insignificant plague. Our friend A advises attacking the in¬
sects in their earliest stage of existence ; and it is with this view
that we recommend glutinous applications as a means of preventing
migration.

Of the American blight — This blight , as it is called, has borne
many different names since it was first noticed as so destructive to
apple-trees in our orchards and gardens. It has been called the
frothy insect, the mealy coccus, the mealy aphis, the woolly aphis
(A. lanigera), the woolly coccus (C. lanigera ), &e. But it seems to
be settled by Leach, who makes it the second genus of his family
aphiile, under the name of eriosoma, in allusion to its woolly ap»

142

ENTOMOLOGY.

pearance. The species so detrimental to apple-trees is the eriosoma
mall because of its predilection for all the varieties of the common
crab, cultivated and uncultivated. These insects seat themselves along
the under sides of the branches, and under any prominent part of the
bark, and appear to live on the juices of the tree, by puncturing the
cuticle, which soon becomes exfoliated, deformed, and unhealthy. The
insects quickly spread themselves over the whole tree, and if not pre¬
vented, eventually kill it. We have seen in the eastern corner of
Hertfordshire, crab-tree hedges entirely destroyed by the woolly aphis.
The young are exceedingly minute, so much so that we are convinced
they can penetrate along the sap vessels of the bark ; for little nodules
are formed, and covered with healthy bark at considerable distances
from the parent’s station ; and on these being removed by the knife,
the colonies are discovered forming a new abode, over which the bark
bursts, and permits their irruption into the air, where they breed and
assume their woolly habit, which seems to be a protection against
rain.

Dr. Leach’s description of the insect is: — snout bent under the
breast ; antennae short and thread-shaped ; body covered with a soft
down or wool. This covering, however, is not firmly attached to their
bodies, like hair or feathers, as it may be brushed off with the slight¬
est touch ; and one singular property is that of their juices or blood
being coloured like cochineal, which indicates an alliance with the

COCCIDAL

The usual remedy for clearing an infected tree is by first dis¬
lodging the insects by a stiff brush ; paring off all the rough and

dead bark, especially where they have fixed themselves, and painting
the whole trunk and branches with a wash made of hot lime and
water. This is certain death to all, both old and young ; care being
taken that every cleft and cranny be well filled with the lime. Any
other unctuous application laid on with a hard brush would perhaps
do equally well. Trees so doctored require looking to, lest any again
make their appearance ; which if they do the washing must be re-

Mr. Rogers, in his excellent work on fruit-trees, recommends anoint¬
ing the trees with a wash composed of soft soap and warm soft water,
applied with a painter’s bush, which he always found effectual if

applied with care. This wash must necessarily be exceedingly an¬

noying to the insects, as preventing all their movements, even if it be
not fatal to them at once.

It has been said that this insect was introduced into England by a
( soi-disant ) foreign nurseryman who lived in Sloane-street, Chelsea,

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 143

about 1790 ; but from its being plentiful on crab-trees, nearly in the
centre of the kingdom a few years afterwards, it is likely to have been
brought long before. The apple-trees at St. Helena, were, in 1794,
quite eaten up by the Eriosoma. The same insect, or a species of it,
attach themselves to the roots of stocks and worked apple-trees in
public nurseries ; and there do extensive damage if means be not em¬
ployed to extirpate them. An insect of similar appearance and habits
is~often met with on the roots of dandelion, endive, and lettuce, and
especially 011 those of old plants.

Another family of the gardener’s pests, are the coccid^e. Generic
character : Snout only in the female ; icings in the male, but no wing
cases ; female wingles .

1. Genus dorthesia, Bose, are scale bugs; the body is covered by
a number of cottony or waxy laminae, which partly cover each other,
and are arranged usually in a triple series. In character and habit
allied to coccus.

2. Genus coccus. These are also scale bugs, having a snout bent
under the breast ; antennee thread-shaped ; abdomen of the male with
two long bristles ; wings in the males two, erect ; females without
wings.

These insects infest the pine- apple plant, occasionally peach-trees,
and grape-vines ; orange-trees, and almost all hothouse and greenhouse
plants, having firm and durable foliage. Sometimes one species of
them is seen on the smooth bark of pear-trees, and on that of the
black willow, and young ash-trees in woods.

( To be continued .)

MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE.

Reminiscences of a Voyage to and from China ( continued
from page 103.) — We left Pulo Penang, and proceeded eastwards
toward Malacca. This passage, through a narrow sea, was most in¬
teresting. On the left hand, the kingdoms or principalities of Queda,
Malayo, and, more in advance, Siam, were covered with luxuriant
vegetation to the water’s edge. To the right, the extensive and thinly-
inhabited island of Sumatra was distinctly seen, and, like the opposite
shore, was thickly covered with continuous jungle and lofty woods.
The navigation was tedious, and the weather very unsettled : violent
squalls and thunder-storms were succeeded by dead calms ; and as the
ship met, or was carried out of the safe channel by various currents.

^44 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

the kedge-anchor was often had recourse to. to keep her in due course.
During this part of the voyage we had frequent opportunities of wit¬
nessing those awful phenomena, water-spouts. On one occasion, while
passing two small islands, called by sailors the “ Rabbit and Coney,"
live water-spouts were visible at the same time, all luckily at consider¬
able distances, the nearest falling into the sea about five miles off. We
thought from repeated observation, that those stupendous columns,
which seemed to join heaven and earth, are easily accounted for. In
a temperature of from 85° to 95° under a vertical sun, the exhalations
raised from the sea, and especially from the wood-covered and damp
surface of the adjacent lands, was most copious ; surcharging the air
with vast accumulations of clouds, all highly electrical. Here and
there lightning descended, followed by torrents of rain ; the surround¬
ing heavily loaded air suddenly converged to the vacated space ; con¬
trary and impetuous currents were generated, which, impinging on each
other in oblique directions, the strongest would necessarily involve,
though partly opposed by each, all the others into a whirling motion.
The grosser parts tending to the centre of the vortex, and coalescing,
form the aqueous column which we see slowly descend. They are in
fact the effect of partial tornados ; if the tornado begin high and in
the region of the clouds, the water spout descends ; but if on the sur¬
face of the sea, the crests of the waves are caught up, and the column
actually ascends. The spout is not solid, but hollow ; and if they come
athwart a ship, it is not so much the weight of water that is to be
dreaded, as the violence and cross action of the wind.

The ship being frequently at anchor, we were indulged, wffen very
near land, with the jolly-boat and rowers, to examine the trees which
were impending over the water, (for we durst not go on shore,) many
of which were most desirable and new to us. On one occasion w7e
gathered large branches of the magnificent Barringlonia Indica, than
which there cannot be a more ornamental plant, its large wffite flowers
being conspicuous a mile off.

The Malaya shore appears to be very level for a good way inland,
and appears to consist chiefly of fine rich alluvial soil ,* and, were it
cleared of wrood and jungle, might be, by cultivation, one of the richest
districts of India. By this clearance the climate would be improved,
by rendering it drier, and consequently more healthy. Indigo, spices,
rice, and sugar would be staple commodities ; and it would appear that
the last grows spontaneously here, because some of the miserable and
ferocious -looking natives came along side in their rude canoes, calling
out “juggary ah," wdiich turned out to be small parcels of raw sugar
wTrapped in part of a plantain leaf, and bound on their heads to keep

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

145

it dry. This they bartered with the seamen for a ragged handkerchief
or an old knife.

We arrived at IVIalacca on the 24th of October, 1^93, a considerable
town on the Malaya shore ; it was then in possession of the Dutch,
who had a pretty strong citadel, and a small body of troops. There is
but very little ground, except the glacis of the fort, cleared, and there¬
fore the woods near the town are very grand. We were on shore several
days, and lived at a very respectable hotel, kept by a magnanimous
Dutchman, whose steward spoke pretty good English. This man was
our guide into the gardens and fruit and vegetable markets of the
place ; and we were delighted with every thing we saw, especially the
fruits, many of which we had not hitherto seen. Luckily, we were at
this place when many of the fruits were in perfection, and, at the same
time, many of the plants in flower. Among the latter, the TEscliyno-
mene grandiflora is in every garden ; the flowers are large, and dis¬
posed along the young shoots, from which they hang. They are
perhaps the largest of all papilionaceous flowers; the standard projects
over the other parts an inch and a half in length, and is of a fine purple
colour ; the wings pale pink, rather spear-shaped, and bending inwards ;
the keel large, and variegated with yellow, pink, and purple ; stamens
long, bent like the keel ; anthers yellow ; pods somewhat jointed. This
fine plant shoots up very quickly, but never becomes a very large tree.
Among many other trees seen in the environs of Malacca, the Michelia
cliampacci is one of the most conspicuous ; it grows to a large size, and
was, at the time of our visit, profusely covered with yellow flowers.
Besides the indigenous plants, some of the settlers have many others in
their gardens from other parts of India and the South-Sea Islands,
The bread-fruit was here in great perfection, but, in our estimation,
not near so good to eat as their yams, ( Dioscoreci ,) nor yet as a British
frosted potato, the flavour of which it very much resembles. Their
other fruits are, however, excellent ; for, besides those mentioned as
common at Madras, they have the incomparable Mangosteen ( Gar -
ciiiia inangostana ) in great plenty. This fruit resembles a large
pomegranate, having both calyx and star-shaped stigma persisting. The
outside shell is of a dark purple colour, enclosing a delicious trans¬
parent pulp, surrounding the seeds. Besides the super-excellence of
the fruit, the tree and foliage are beautiful. The growth is decus¬
sate, and forms a handsome middle-sized tree, of a bluntly conical
outline.

We purchased four other sorts of fruit in the market, but did not see
the plants which produced them, the sellers having brought them from

VOL. V. — NO. LVIII. U

146 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

the interior of the country. The first is called by the natives Diilcoo ;
an egg-shaped fruit, about the size of an apricot, of a pale peach
colour. Interiorly it resembles the Mangosteen, but neither the calyx
nor stigma is, like that, persisting. The flavour is very little inferior
to the Mangosteen, and is by some palates even preferred. The second
is called Rambosteen by the Dutch ; it is small white fruit, having an
outer rind, and pulp, and seeds like the Mangosteen, but grow together
in bunches. The third is called Baduc by the natives, and J ambosteen
by the Dutch. This fruit is of a rich crimson colour, much echinated,
that is, covered with soft prickles, including a transparent pulp of good
flavour, and a single flat seed. We supposed this to be the rose-apple
( Eugenia Jambos, or Malacensis ) of authors, this country being the
region of Eugenia and its closely allied genera. The fourth is called
Courangi , a small fruit, with a brittle shell enclosing a single seed,
surrounded by a dry melting pulp, in flavour like a tamarind.

We could get no plants of the above, except a couple of Mangosteens ;
but W’e laid in a good stock of seeds of all, many of which remained
sound through the greater part of the voyage home, as we tried them
in pots in different latitudes ; but seedlings are ill fitted for a sea
voyage.

We left Malacca with our head and hands full of one thing or other,
having a largish assortment of seeds, and specimens, and fruit in spirits,
and soon after had a box of very promising seedlings, but which last all
perished in the Chinese seas.

On the second or third day after leaving Malacca, we met with an
incident which we must be excused alluding to. On doubling a head-
land about ten or fifteen miles to the westward of a dangerous rock in
the Straits of Sincapore, called Retro Blanco by the Portuguese
navigators, and which the East India Company’s commanders are not
permitted by the rules of the service to pass in the night , we came
suddenly upon a French frigate and her six or seven prizes, taking in
water on the Malayan shore. The Triton, together with the other two
ships under the command of Captain Price, of the Royal Charlotte,
immediately gave chace. The Frenchman cut and run, recalling his
watering party, who abandoned their casks and some of their boats in
the utmost confusion. The frigate fled away towards the Straits of
Sunda, and his prizes were soon overtaken ; and, on firing a few guns
at them, struck their colours, and were one after another taken posses¬
sion of. The largest prize, a Dutch corvette of rather a formidable
appearance, (and a match for any Indiaman single-handed,) which had
been taken by the Frenchman the day before, after firing a few ill-

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 147

directed guns, struck her colours also. This was a bloodless affair ;
and by this time the ships, being near Petro Blanco , came to anchor
for the night. The next morning our prizes were given up to their
respective owners: the French prize-masters and their men were dis¬
tributed among the crews of the three Indiamen, and were carried as
prisoners of war to China.

We had now entered the Chinese seas, just at the commencement of
the Tonfoon , or stormy season. We were prepared for the worst, and
before we had gained the middle of these seas we met a Tonfoon in
earnest, when the ships parted company. For eight days the Triton
lay-to under a mizen stay-sail, with topmast-yards and topmasts struck,
the sea breaking over us every minute. When the weather moderated,
we found ourselves on the west side of the Philippian Islands, and not
far from Manilla. We then resumed our course towards Macoa, and
arrived there one day before the Royal Charlotte, but one day later
than the War ley , which ship we found at anchor in the mouth of
Canton river.

The first view of the coast of China is certainly very prepossessing
to a stranger ; the general face of the country is, as far as the eye can
reach, an almost level tract of rich alluvial land, highly cultivated, and
intersected by numerous canals, which answer the purpose of highways
in the “ celestial empire.” But this level is beautifully diversified by
a great number of conical hills which are scattered over the country,
some of which are cultivated or covered with trees to the very top.
W hether these peaks have been raised by volcanic action, or have been
formed by the abrasion of a superincumbent sea, we cannot say ; but
from the uniformity of their outline, and the character of their sub¬
stance, it is evident that they have all been formed by the same
agent.

We had an opportunity of going on shore a few miles up the river,
to examine a picturesque-looking dell at the bottom of a hill, surrounded
by lofty trees and shrubs. We found it to be an ancient quarry of
granite, worked out with much ingenuity and labour, the whole face
of the rock being cut into steps from the bottom to the top, so that
blocks of any portable length and width could be had for the purpose
of the builder without much trouble of chiselling into form. The trees
were, Lauras sassafras and L. camphor a, intermixed with Olea fra-
grans and many other low trees and shrubs, as the Hydrangea , Clero-
dendrum , &c. In another day we passed the second bar, and the Bocca
Tigris . a Chinese fort on the left bank of the river, and soon after was
moored at Whampoa, among a great number of ships of different

148 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

nations, (except French,) in which number were the Lion British ship
of the line, and the Hindostan Indiaman, then recently returned from
the Y ellow Sea, where they had landed Lord Macartney and suite,
and were waiting the return of the embassy over-land.

On the same afternoon we proceeded to Canton in a Chinese barge,
along with the captain s establishment, and were safely lodged in the
British Hong, where we constantly resided for three months.

Our first business wras to deliver our letters of introduction ; one was
from Sir Joseph Banks to Hr. Duncan, Physician to the Company’s
supercargoes at Canton ; and another from T. Evans, Esq., of Stepney,
to — Arthur, Esq., the Company’s Inspector of Teas at the same city.
From these gentlemen -we received much valuable advice, as well in
regard of the plants we were in quest of, as of the means of procuring
them, and the manner of dealing with the nurserymen.

We were advised to visit first of all the picture-shops. This was
an excellent plan ; for there we purchased a good many well-executed
and faithful drawings of many of the plants we particularly wanted,
and by them we were enabled to explain to Samay (“ the old gardener,”
as he was called by the English residents) what we wanted. At first
he brought a few true sorts, but mixed with a few false ones ; the
latter were instantly rejected. Samay was astonished, having never
met with such a customer before ; he even appeared careless about
dealing with us afterwards ; but when he was told that a few dollars
were no object, he relented, and afterwards always brought what was
wanted, or told us at once that such and such plauts could not be had
at Canton.

During the voyage out, we had accurate dimensions of the vacant
places about the ship in which boxes of plants might safely stand ;
and calculating their capacity as to the numbers they would contain,
we had only to make a selection of the most valuable for transportation.
Giving orders for the construction of the boxes, procuring cane baskets
to shift the plants into, and preparing a compost for them, were the
first of our proceedings at Canton.

We had with us a copy of Kcempfer’s Amcenitates Exoticce, as well
as Thunberg’s Illustrations of Koempfer's Japanese and Chinese Pro¬
vincial Names of Plants ; but though wre got some of the plants by
the figures given of them by those authors, the attached characters were
of no use, the most learned of the Chinese declaring that the charac¬
ters wTere “ old men s writing.” We were often beset by seedsmen,
who offered us boxes of many different sorts of seed put up among rice-
meal, neatly folded in showy yellow paper, and superscribed writh fine

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 149

characters. Their charge was one dollar per box, for rubbish not worth
one farthing, consisting of rape, radish; amaranthus, &c., and which
these regular traders had had by them perhaps for many previous
years. Our despising such bargains; and exposing such impositions, we
hope ruined the trade of those panders to the gullibility of Europeans*

We were very much confined in our perambulations about Canton,
by the systematic jealousy of the Chinese authorities. We saw none
of their nurseries ; but; by*special favour of some of the Security Mer¬
chants, we were; in company with themselves, allowed to visit some of
their finest gardens ; — that of Monqua, in the southern suburb, and
the large garden and palace of Shykinqua , on the north side of the
river. The latter was almost a public resort for Europeans while we
were there, as it was getting ready for the reception of Lord Macartney
and suite, as his residence while at Canton.

The style of Chinese gardening, like all their other arts, is peculiar;
they have no idea of spacious landscape; there is a littleness in all
their designs ; they have a desire for a small part of every the grandest
features of nature : lakes, where a mackarel would be puzzled to turn ;
rocks which a man may carry away under his arm ; aged trees fifteen
inches high ; and thick forests of pines composed of equisetum. Of
whatever extent the ground may be, it is all divided into little squares,
parallelograms, or irregular areas of a few square yards or perches.
These compartments are surrounded by low brick walls, having a fiat
coping, on which are placed flowering plants, in fine glazed porcelain
pots. The paths are often composed of fiat stones, not two of which
are on the same level, if near together. A great deal of trellis-work
are in the gardens, either appearing like the remains of former fences, or
as coverings of naked walls. If a ditch or artificial hollow be in the
garden, it must be crossed by a semi-circular arch of four or five feet
span. Their little tanks of water are not considered beautiful until
they are completely covered with ducks’- meat (Lemna) ; in short,
there are so many childish freaks which constitute the beauty of a
Chinese garden, that it is astonishing so clever and civilised a people
can be gratified with such puerile efforts of unnatural taste. As far,
however, as their collections of flowering plants decorate a garden,
the assemblage is enchanting. Their Magnolias, Bombaces, Azaleas,
Camellias, Ixoras, Paeonias, &c., not to mention the great variety of
herbaceous and aquatic plants natural to the country, are indeed mag¬
nificent ; indeed one of the finest traits of the Chinese character is their
fondness for flowers.

( To be continued .)

150

REVIEWS.

The Annual Dahlia Register for 1836, containing particulars of
the introduction of the Dahlia into this country ; mode of cultivation,
and management ; the properties of a good fower ; arrangement of
stands for shows, show flowers, fyc. ; and upwards of ffty highly
coloured f guv es of dissimilar Dahlias, consisting chiefly of very su¬
perior new fowers, with catalogues of growers. Also specimens of
several old flowers, with an alphabetical index of seven hundred varie¬
ties of the Dahlia ; and an account of exhibitions held in England
and Jersey in 1835. By an Amateur. H. and W. Wright, Hay-
market.

This is, indeed, a splendid publication, and must have cost a consi¬
derable sum in getting up. To the lovers of this now extensively cul¬
tivated and fashionable flower, the book will be a great treat. Above
fifty of the finest varieties are lithographed by Hullmandel, accurately
drawn, and beautifully coloured ; and as they are represented, the re¬
gularity of the petals is astonishingly exact, and more like the reflec¬
tions in a kaleidoscope, than the regularity of nature. No doubt the
figures are faithful, and the execution reflects very great credit on the
artists employed, whoever they may be.

Nor are the pictures all ; many very excellent rules for their culti¬
vation are given in the shape of extracts from Mantel's Floriculture ,
and from the Horticultural Journal. In the preface the author states,
a We have figured nothing in this work but what has passed our
own hands, which were taken from blooms while in perfection, and
may be relied on as true and correct specimens of the original flowers
they represent. If the advantages we contemplate should be derived
by our friends through the medium of this work, which we hope will
be the case, we have in contemplation such arrangements for our next
publication as, we have no doubt, will be more satisfactory to them,
and of greater utility to the public.”

Thus it appears that the present is only the first of a series with
which we are to be treated. Undoubtedly, if the dahlia rage conti¬
nues, and if cultivators continue to be as successful in raising new
varieties, as they have been during these last seven years, there is
ample room for a Dahlia Annual, and we wish the scheme every
success.

Every public dahlia grower should have a copy, if for no other

REVIEWS.

151

purpose than having the figures to place in a glazed frame, for the
inspection of customers ; and the private cultivator ought to have
the book as a memorial of what has already appeared, and as a
standard by which new ones may be judged of when they do
appear.

The practical instructions are from Mantel, which states that
(( it has been computed not less than twenty thousand seedling dahlias
are raised annually in this country. The facility with which they
may be raised — the comparatively short period which intervenes
between the time of sowing and that of flowering — and the great
success which has hitherto attended this mode of propagation, will,
no doubt, account for the extensive cultivation of this highly esteemed
flower.

“ The dahlia is also propagated by cuttings and by divisions of the
crown ; and new and beautiful varieties are constantly raised from
seed. The seed is usually obtained from the finest double flowers ;
but some successful propagators prefer that procured from semi-double
varieties ; and we believe some of our finest dahlias have been raised
from semi-double seedlings. The seed should be collected early in the
season, as soon as the blossoms have withered, and the receptacles are
sufficiently dry.

t( If desirable, the seed may be collected late in the season/and when
the receptacles are in a green state, in which case they should be
divided and placed in a window, or in any dry warm situation ; and if
the seeds be allowed to remain in the calices, they will retain their
vitality better than if detached from the receptacle.

“ The seeds should be sown in large pans or pots about the middle of
February, and placed in a hotbed frame. The young plants require
to be potted off singly into the smallest sized pots, soon after the coty¬
ledons are above ground, and when the first pair of leaves are suffi¬
ciently developed. They should then be placed in the frame nearly
close to the glass, to prevent them from being drawn up weakly. When
of sufficient size, they may be re-potted, placed in a cold frame, and
protected at night till the middle of May, that being the period for
planting them in the open air.

“ Those who propagate extensively, sow the seed in hotbed frames
the beginning of March ; and during the month of April, instead of
potting, set out the seedlings on a slight hotbed, covering them at
night with mats, until the planting-out season arrives. With the
view of obtaining new varieties, some propagators transfer the pollen
from one flower to another, by means of a camel-hair pencil ; in which

152

REVIEWS.

case, the flower intended to receive the pollen should be covered with
a fine gauze bag, a day or two before the flowers expand; and the
covering be continued a few days after the operation is performed, lest
flies defeat the object of the cultivator. This mode is seldom prac¬
tised, because mixing the plants in the common way answers very
well.

“ Cuttings may be made about the end of February, or beginning of
March. The old roots should be placed in a hothouse, or hotbed,
and the tubers covered with sand, or finely-sifted tanner’s bark, leaving
only the crown exposed. They will soon put forth shoots ; these should
be carefully detached when about two or three inches in length, and
planted singly in small pots, filled with a compost of equal parts of
■well-decomposed leaf-mould, hotbed decayed dung, fine sand, and
sifted garden mould ; after the cuttings are inserted, they should be
put into a mild hotbed, carefully shaded from the sun, and protected
at night by mats. If, in applying linings of fresh dung to the bed,
steam should enter, the plants will be liable to damp off, unless the
lights be sufficiently raised to allow the steam to escape. In about a
fortnight, or three wreeks, the plants may be removed to a cold frame,
and gradually enured to the open air.

Where only a limited supply of strong plants is required, we have
recently discovered that the finest plants are produced by detaching
the young shoots when about two or three inches high, so as to include
the cluster of buds surrounding the base of each shoot. Some care is
necessary in this process ; the shoot should be held near its base, by
the finger and thumb ; and by a slight motion of the hand to and fro,
it will be detached from a kind of socket. If the operation be adroitly
performed, the base of the shoot will present a convex surface, sur¬
rounded by a number of incipient buds ; and a corresponding conca¬
vity will be found in the crown of the tuber, whence the shoot has
been extracted. Plants raised by this mode not only produce the
finest flowers, but the crowns invariably break the following spring ;
which is not always the case with plants raised from cuttings in the
ordinary manner : it has been asserted that the cause of failure has, in
many instances, arisen from the removal of the incipient buds at the
base of the leaves of that portion of the cutting which is usually inserted
in the grounds.

ci There can be no doubt, however, if the buds be removed, the cutting
will readily strike root, producing luxuriant foliage, and a profusion of
flowers. But although the new tubers are numerous, and fully formed,
it will, on inspection, be found that they are merely attached to a

REVIEWS.

hollow stem, and consequently, the crown being absent no buds can
possibly be developed by any subsequent treatment. It is, therefore,
important, if the perpetuation of the plant be required, that the buds
be not removed.”

Besides these rules for the propagation of the plant, very full direc¬
tions are given for its subsequent management in planting out, staking,
pruning, taking up the tubers, and storing, &c. &c., for which we must
refer to the work itself. We cannot omit, however, giving one more
extract relative to the comparative merits of a perfect flower. “ The
flower should be erect, and stand completely above the foliage; for if
the peduncle be short, so that the flower be hidden among the leaves,
it will not be displayed to advantage.

“ Form, colour, and size, are considered the essential properties of a
fine dahlia.

“ 1. Form. — All good judges allow that perfection in form consists in
the near approach to a hemisphere. The Springfield Rival may be
given as an instance of the nearest approximation to a perfect flower :
it is, however, too flat in the centre, and the outer petals are reflected
It is essential that the outline should form a true circle, and conse¬
quently, the petals should be regularly disposed, rounded, smooth at
the edges, or rose-leaved, and slightly concave, but not so much so as
that the back of the petals should be seen in front. Those flowers,
whose petals are narrow-pointed, notched, or fringed, as well as those
that are flat, or convex — however desirable for the flower border — are
objectionable as show-flowers ; as are also those which, when fully
blown, exhibit the eye or disk. In some dahlias the petals, near the
centre, converge and conceal the disk, which when the flowers are
fully expanded becomes exposed : these are, therefore, pronounced by
florists imperfect flowers.

“2. Colour. — As regards colour much depends upon taste; but seifs
(i. e. flowers of one colour) of whatever colour they may be, should
be bright and distinct. In striped, spotted, tipped, or variegated
varieties, the colours should be well defined, and every petal uniformly
and distinctly marked. Those that are pounced, blotched, variously or
irregularly marked, are inadmissible as show-flowers.

“3. Size.-— -When other properties are equal, size will determine the
preference ; but in judging of a good dahlia, form must have the pre¬
eminence, then colour, and lastly, size: bu tin no instance should either
form or colour be sacrificed to size. The relative proportions of excel¬
lence in these criteria have thus been estimated : form three, colour
two, size one.” — These proportions have been fixed by the censors of
the Metropolitan Florist’s Society. In short, the book contains, we

vol. v. — NO. lviii.

REVIEWS.

J 54

venture to say, every thing necessary to he known respecting the
dahlia, as well as where the best sorts may be purchased, together with
the present prices.

A Summary of Practical Farming : with observations on the breed¬
ing and feeding of Sheep and Cattle ; on Rents and Tithes ; and on the
present state oj Agriculture . By C. Hillyard, Esq., President of the
Northamptonshire Farming and Grazing Society. Dicey, Northamp¬
ton ; and Ridgway, London.

It has been said, that f‘ a great book is a great evil.” This charge
certainly does not apply to the excellent little tract before us, as it
contains only fifty-two small octavo pages. But small as it is, it
embraces matters of the greatest national importance ; all set forth,
not only concisely, but in the clearest practical manner. It is not a
book of gardening, but it is a book for all those gardeners whose duty
it is to manage the farm, as well as the garden of their employers :
and many have this task imposed on them, who never expected to
have such matters to attend to ; for this reason every young gardener
should be acquainted with the contents of this little pamphlet.

The eminence of the author as an agriculturist, his feelings and ideas
as a landlord, his intimate knowledge of the situation of British tenants,
and of the claims and deserts of the British labourer, all qualified by
the kindly feeling and patriotism of an English gentleman, stamp
every thing he has advanced with more than ordinary value. The
whole is a tissue of practical truths, embodying the pith and n: arrow
of almost all that is known, or need be known, relative to the manage¬
ment of what is called a turnip -land farm.

We will only make one extract of the author’s opinions, on a sub¬
ject which at this time is generally interesting to all -C£ Very low
prices for agricultural produce will certainly be beneficial to some
classes ; but the question is, will such low prices, with our high taxa¬
tion, be for the general good ? I think not ; for the lower the value of
the produce of the soil, the higher, in reality, it makes the amount of
the national debt, and thus adds to the weight of taxation upon that
class which pays so great a portion of the interest of it. If the incomes
of landlords are to be reduced by their rents being lowered, to corre¬
spond with wheat at five shillings per bushel, (which would lower bread
to five pence per four pound loaf,) and tenants are not to be able to get
more than a bare subsistence, the manufacturers must find the demand
for their goods very materially lessened. Whether with such low
prices of produce, and, consequently, such a reduced circulation of
money , a sufficient amount of taxes can be raised to continue paying,
for any length of time, the full amount of interest of our enormous

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

155

national debt, I leave to the consideration of those who are competent
to form a more correct opinion on the subject than I am. Some
newspapers,” the author adds, “ are continually giving statements of
the comparative prices of wheat in England and on the continent. It
is not the price of food in any country that proves whether it is cheap
or dear; the proof is the relative value which the wages of the labour¬
ing classes bear to it but this these papers studiously avoid doing,
truth not being their object.

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

Edwards’s Botanical Register, continued by Dr. Bindley. The
March number contains : —

1. Stanhopea insignis. Noble Stanhopea. This is certainly one
of the finest of the order Ovcliidece , or, as it is now pronounced and
written, Orchidacea:, and of that natural order it belongs to the section
Vandeje. It was described as Epidendrum grandijiorum by Humb.
and BoJipl, ; as Anguloa grandiflora by Kunlh ; and by its present
name by Hooker and Lindley. The plant has been before figured,
both in the Botanical Magazine and in the Botanical Cabinet; but
the subscribers to the Register cannot but be gratified with this figure,
as the flowers and dissections are represented with great accuracy.

The plant is a native of South America, and is one of those which
produce their spikes in a dangling position ; and therefore it requires
to be potted high up in the pot, lest the sides obstruct the escape of the
flower-stem.

2. Kennedia glabrata. Smooth-leaved Kennedia. A greenhouse
climber, belonging to the natural order Leguminosce ; introduced into
this country from New Holland, and flowered last year at Mr. Knight’s,
King’s Road, Chelsea. The flowers are bright scarlet, with a green
spot, bordered with brown at the base of the standard.

3. Tristania macrophylla. Large-leaved Tristania. An Australian
tree, which flowered last year in the collection of Richard Harrison,
Esq., of Liverpool. With that gentleman it became a bush four feet
high, and discharges its bark like the Arbutus Andrachne. The plant
belongs to Myrtacece ; the solitary flowers bear some resemblance to
those of the barren strawberry, but the foliage is good and showy. Dr.
Lindley has added some account of the five other species of the same
genus, from information communicated by Mr. Allan Cunningham.

4. (Enothera serotina. Late-flowering Evening Primrose. This

! 56

■\T<fV ' ' ' jTi

f\ O i jlv^ILo

BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

plant has a very striking resemblance to many of its congeners. “ It
is considered, with reason, to be a mere variety of (E. fruticosa, from
which it differs more in habit than in any precise characters ; its leaves
are narrower and longer, its stem much less erect, and the leaves
and inflorescence are not so far separated as in fruticosa.” The
(E. sc ratin': continues flowering into November. In a note under this
plant. Dr. Lindley has withdrawn some of the asperity with which he
had treated Mr, Spach in the last number, of the Register, for his inter¬
meddling with this genus, but without retracting any part of his general
opinion as to the mischievousness of unnecessary changes of nomen¬
clature.

5. Corysanthes macranlha. Large- flowered Corysanthes. “Accus¬
tomed as we are now become,” says Dr. L., ff to strange forms among
orchideous plants, I doubt whether any species has yet been seen more
remarkable for its unusual characters than that now represented. When
the plant blossomed in Trinidad, the flowers appeared so extraordinary
to those who saw them in the Botanic Garden, that they supposed
them to be artificial. It has, however, lately flowered in the collection
of Mr. Knight, of the King’s Road; and it proves to be in all respects
the same as the specimen sent to Dr. Hooker. Each dower is placed
at the end of a long, stiff, cylindrical, furrowed ovary, and, when
expanded, measures somewhat more than six inches from the tip of one
sepal to that of the opposite one.” The remainder of the description
occupies nearly a page of the Register ; for such is the grotesque figure
and uncommon formation of the different members of the flower, that a
description is no easy task. Nor is the representation of it by the
pencil an easy affair ; for in giving the outlines of some of the parts,
others are so fore-shortened, that no just idea can be conveyed of the
structure by the most accurate pencil.

6. Lobelia decurrens. Wing-stemmed Lobelia. Introduced some
years since from Chili, although not yet very plentiful in our collec¬
tions. It is described as not quite hardy enough to bear our winters,
though it grows and flowers vigorously in a moist and shady peat
border. The flowers are pale purple, and are thickly set on a leafy
spike.

7- Alstroemeria aurcmtiaca. Orange- flowered Alstrcemeria This,
like the other species, is a very ornamental plant, and has been accu¬
rately described by the Hon. and Rev. \V. Herbert. It is almost
hardy, living through our winters with a very slight protection. The
stems do not entirely die down, but the old ones are succeeded by a
new birth every spring- The tortuous position of the leaves is very
conspicuous in this species.

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

157

Sweet's British Flower-Garden, continued by Professor Don.
The March number contains : —

1. Mandr agora autumnalis. Autumn-flowering Mandrake, This
is a native of Italy, whence it was introduced into this country by the
Hon. W. T. H. Fox Strangways, and specimens of it supplied from
his collection at Abbotsbury in December last. Every body has heard
of the Mandrake ; but it is very uncommon in English gardens, though
well deserving a place in every herbaceous collection : both foliage
and flowers are strikingly beautiful. It belongs to the natural order
SolanecB.

2. Narcissus conspicuus. Showy Hoop-petticoat Narcissus. Among
all this early-flowering and elegant tribe of bulbous plants, no one is
more attractive than this ; its slender foliage and ample flowers having
that member called the nectarium, or disk, disproportionally produced,
certainly makes it well deserving of its specific name. The late Mr.
Haworth separated this plant from the true Narcissus, under the name
of Corhularia conspicua. This separation Professor Don does not
entirely sanction, though unwilling to condemn decidedly the opinion
of such an authority.

3. Phacelia congesta. Tufted-flowered Phacelia. An annual herba¬
ceous plant, a native of Texas, where it was gathered by the late Mr. T.
Drummond. Seeds were transmitted to the Glasgow Botanic Garden,
and to Dr. Neill, of Edinburgh ; at both places plants were raised, and
at the latter place a drawing was taken for the Flower-Garden. It
continues in flower throughout the summer and autumn, and ripens
seed freely in the open border.

4. Zephyr anthes Drummondi. Drummond’s Zephyranthes. “ An
elegant bulbous plant, (belonging to Amaryllidece ,) gathered in Texas
by the late Mr. T. Drummond, to whose memory we have dedicated
the species. The drawing is from the pencil of Mr. James Macnab,
taken from a plant which flowered in the garden of Dr. Neill, of
Edinburgh."’

Messrs. Ridgway, of Piccadilly, announce a publication of figures
of all the finest of Ge rani ace iE, to be executed in a very superior
manner, by the first artists, and to be published in numbers, containing
three plates each, every alternate month ; with full directions for their
cultivation.

158

CALENDARIAL MEM OR AND A FOR APRIL.

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR APRIL.

Kitchen Garben. — The principal business of the kitchen gardener
in this month, is attending to the crops which are already progressing,
and putting in other crops to succeed those sown last month. The
times for sowing crops during this month, depends very much on the
appearance and progress made by those of the same kinds sown in
autumn, or in the early months of the year. If these remain very
backward, in consequence of the severity of the winter, or other casu¬
alty, the sowings of this month may be delayed till the previous sow¬
ings have advanced sufficiently far as to warrant putting in succes¬
sions at this time. This observation applies particularly to peas and
common beans, which, to have in perfection, the consecutive crops
should succeed each other very regularly. If all the previous sowings
are above ground, sow in the first, and again in the third week.

Kidney Beans. — Towards the end of the month a first sowing of the
early dwarf-speckled sort may be put in, on a dry warm-lying border.
Some gardeners make it a practice to sow twice in this month, not¬
withstanding neither the first nor second sowings can be much
depended on, because a very slight frost in the beginning of May will
kill both, if above ground ; still, if either escape, they will yield pods
at an acceptable time. A much safer and more certain way is to sow
in one-light boxes thickly, whence they may be transplanted into the
open ground as soon as the May frosts are no longer to be expected —
say about the middle of the month. Some ingenious practitioners, who
have the convenience of forcing-houses, sow French beans for planting
out much earlier, both dwarfs and runners ; and by keeping the plants
very dry, and stopping their leading shoots as often as- they come forth,
induce a dwarfish habit; and, as soon as put out in the open air, show
flowers immediately, and supply the table much sooner than any later-
sown crop.

Cauliflower. — The observations made last month are applicable now,
if any of the directions have not been executed. Those under hand¬
glasses will now be growing rapidly, requiring the glasses to be tilted,
and refreshings of manured water occasionally given to assist the
growth. If seedlings raised on heat in February be gaining strength,
they also should be assisted by water, or whatever else will expedite
their growth, in order to their being planted out for good. About the
middle of the month, sow a seed-bed for raising plants for the Michael¬
mas crop.

Broccoli. — At the same time, separate seed-beds of ail the different
sorts of common broccoli may be sown also ; and likewise all other

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR APRIL.

159

sorts and varieties of the same tribe of plants; viz. cabbage, savoy and
red ditto, Brussels sprouts, Scotch kale, and all the other sorts of
broccoli.

Turnips. — A good piece of turnips may now be sown on an open
light spot of ground ; celery on a warm border ; lettuce, radish, and
all other salad-plants twice in the month.

Potatoes. — This is, perhaps, the best season for planting potatoes ;
if planted earlier, their tops may be frost-bitten in May ; and if
planted later, a dry summer (as last year) prevents the production of a
full crop.

Additional sowings of onions, carrots, and several other culinary
plants, may be made in this month, but which it is unnecessary to
particularise.

Fruit Garden. — The pruning, nailing, and tying being all finished
in this department, the only circumstance now requiring attention is
the protection of the blossoms of peach, nectarine, apricot, plum, and
cherry trees, against night-frosts and bright sunshine. — For our opinions
on this very important part of the fruit-grower’s business, we beg to
refer our readers to what appears in our number for May, 1835. —
Grafting may still be performed, especially if the grafts have been cut
for some time previous.

Flower Garden.— -This is now becoming more interesting than it
is at any other time in the year. Many bulbous flowers are in bloom,
and many others fast advancing to their greatest beauty. An opening
flower has more attraction about it than a full-blown one, and for this
reason : — imagination assists our perceptions in the first case, but not
in the second. The auricula stage, and the tulip and hyacinth beds, as
well as those of anemones and ranunculuses, are all becoming, day after
day, more interesting, and consequently require every care of the
manager. Some will require top-dressing ; others propping, or shad¬
ing, or watering : and many preparations must now be made to per¬
petuate the gaiety of spring throughout the summer and autumn
quarters.

The Dahlia and Chinese Chrysanthemums claim especial care at this
season. —For the treatment of the first, see our review of “ T he Annual
Dahlia Register ’’ in this number, in which some pertinent extracts
will be found. — The old stools of Chrysanthemums may be divided, if
not already done ; the most likely slips potted ; or cuttings may be
made of them for the like purpose, for the service of the greenhouse,
conservatory, or other place, and against open walls, where they blow
well till destroyed by frost. Obtaining dwarfer-growing and more bushy
plants for the greenhouse, is done by layering the shoots later in the
season, at which time the process will be noticed.

100

REMARKS ON THE WEATHER.

According to the old saying, March u came in like a lion;5’ but
whether it will fc go out like a lamb,” does not yet appear. At the
beginning, there was much snow in the western counties, and every¬
where a rather unusual fall of rain. The equinoctial gales, which
commonly occur between the eighteenth and twenty-fourth days of
the month, set in as early as the eleventh, and continued with con-
siderable violence for several days afterward. Meteorologists consider
that from tables formed from actual observations of many years, and
with the best instruments, the mean evaporation during the month
exceeds the mean quantity of rain which falls by forty-eight tenths of
an inch ; but, as far as we have yet experienced, the fall of rain will
greatly exceed the amount of evaporation. This result is not con¬
sidered favourable to vegetation generally, more especially to the crops
of the fields. Hence another old saying, that t<r a peck of March dust
is worth a king’s ransom because, from the long-continued cold and
moisture of winter, plants become dormant or languid, and, of course,
are rapidly recovered, and put into healthy action, by the drying winds
and increasing temperature of the first month of spring.

Almond trees about London were half blown on the eighteenth,
and on the nineteenth and twentieth the air was so mild as to bring
forth the female wasps to find a place to breed in, and the brim¬
stone and peacock butterflies in search of food. Since then the air
has been colder, with frequent showers of rain or sleet, which keeps
everything in gardens backward. There have been, however, no serious
night-frosts lately ; and while the weather continues so changeable,
they are not so likely to occur, though they should always be dreaded,
and averted, if possible, by the gardener.

March 'Ihth , 1836.

PAXTON’S

HORTICULTURAL RE GIST ER,

MAY, 1836.

HORTICULTURE.

THOUGHTS UPON THE CULTURE OF THE PEAR.

Nottingham , February 24th, 1833.

Sir, — Considering, from the prevailing character of your work, that
you rather encourage than otherwise communications from corre¬
spondents, who, though not professionally skilled, are interested in the
main objects of your publication, I trouble you with a few observations
on a subject upon which you have promised some further directions
and information. Among the fruits upon which you treat, I think the
pear well deserving more attention than it usually meets with in most
gardens. This may be accounted for without any imputations on the
conductors of them. The culture of it does not require that scientific
knowledge and professional education which the successful management
of the vine, pine-apple, &c., demands, and, consequently, does not
excite that emulation and inquiry which have led to so much better an
acquaintance with the habits, qualities, and improved production of
more favoured fruits. But if the merit of the fruit constitute the
fairest claim to attention, I greatly doubt whether the pear may not
compete with many of those which are only produced at much cost and
trouble. Whenever a really good pear has appeared at table, furnished
by the gardener at its proper season, and at its matured period of
ripening on the shelf, and not sent in at haphazard by the housekeeper
to “ make a dish,” it has seemed to me to have been as generally and
as much enjoyed as our more exotic fruits. And it has this advantage
over some of them, that whereas the different sorts of the peach and

VOL, V. - NO. LIX.

162

THOUGHTS UPON THE CULTURE OF THE PEAR.

nectarine, however selected, can scarcely have their season protracted
beyond four or live weeks when grown in the open air, yet if, in the
selection of the various sorts, due attention be paid to the period of
their ripening on the tree and after being gathered, pears may be
furnished of the finest quality for about ten months out of the twelve :
this, too, at such little trouble and expense, especially when not re¬
quiring a wall, as to be within the reach of every class of society,
where there may be the command of a few roods of ground — a great
consideration with every liberal mind. To promote this (in my opinion
desirable) point, I am anxious to engage your assistance and that of
your practical correspondents in ascertaining as far as possible the
merits and qualities of the different varieties introduced of late years,
when grown in the midland and northern counties, and especially as
standards and espaliers, though of course any fresh information
respecting their treatment, when trained against walls, would also be
an acceptable addition. For the purpose of obtaining practical
information on this head, I venture to suggest to such of your readers
as may feel an interest in the subject, and will not grudge the trouble,
some such table or register as I have myself adopted for a few seasons,
and from which 1 add an extract in illustration.

•

4-3

fee

4-3
— >

Where prc
cured.

Names.

Situation a
Aspect.

When in 1

blossom.

4-2

r->

When broi
to table,

How long
perfection

1831

Thirsk

Passe Colmar

S. Wall

Mar. 15

Sept.

162

Oct. 30

to Nov. 30

3 821

York

Cliaumontelle

E. Wall

Oct.

220

Nov. 10

Jan. 4

1826

Ditto

Standard

Dec. 4

3 830

Leigli

Court

Doyenne gris

E. Wall

Sept.

120

Oct. 4

Oct. 20'

* One accidentally left on the tree (sound and firm) till November 10th.

The first and the last show the early age at which they bear.

Regarding the chaumontelles, I wish to remark, that, although
No. 15 was planted against an east wall in the year 1821, and grew
well, yet it bore fruit for the first time only the same season as
No. 15 A and another standard did, though planted five years later,
and though the fruit of the first exceeded considerably the latter in
size, yet not, I thought, in flavour. As another proof that the present
use of the knife in wall-training considerably retards the growth of the
tree and the production of fruit spurs, I may mention that of two
Ashton Town pear trees, of equal size and good condition, planted five
years ago, the one placed in the orchard as a standard blossomed
abundantly last year, and would have borne a crop but for a severe

THOUGHTS UPON THE CULTURE OF THE PEAR.

163

frost in the middle of April ; whilst the other against an east wall had
not attained half the size, and had not above two or three infant spurs.
Now if some of your observant correspondents would once in two or
three years favour you with a return of similar memoranda, with their
remarks, adding, at the same time, the nature of the soil, subsoil,
elevation, and aspect of their orchards and gardens, it might, I conceive,
be the means of furnishing very useful directions to all, in the neigh¬
bouring counties, desirous of securing the best and most productive
varieties. It would save trouble to have their observations directed
chief y (when so many sorts under so many names are cultivated) to
those excellent Flemish and French ones not long introduced, and of
which your two lists, page 834, vol. i. and page 485, vol. ii., contain an
ample list, and, indeed, I must hope, of the best, as in my small
collection I find I have twenty-five out of the thirty (not bakers)
mentioned in the last, and forty-one of the former. Of many of these,
my trees being mostly very young, I cannot speak from my owui
experience, but I can most highly of those already named in the
preceding table, and also the Glout Morgeau, Marie Louise, Napoleon,
Winter Nelis, Vallee Franche, and the Beurres Diel and Easter, and
particularly for their early and free bearing. The Urbaniste, too,
usually held to require a wall, bore abundantly and good fruit as a
standard last year, when almost all the blossoms of others were
destroyed by the frost of April 16th. All those against my walls were
effectually protected by coverings of calico cloth sewn together, two or
three breadths, according to the height of the wall ; being only 2-|c/. or
2 fc/. per yard, two feet wide : the expense is trifling, and as my curtain
are readily drawn aside every morning, the closeness of the texture is
not objectionable. I will not trouble you with my mode of putting
them up. Every one prefers his own, and it might make a tedious
letter yet more tedious. I shall only add respecting them, that later
in the season I protect my ripe currants with them, and, after being
washed and folded, they are spread over the pears in the winter on the
shelves, which issists in preserving them. Woollen nets, or any nets,
I am convinced ire of little or no use in keeping off frost ; but whatever
article be used, it should be dipped, for durability, in Mr. Kyan’s
anti-rot composition — corrosive sublimate and water — the proportions
I forget, but, probably, you know them.

Whilst speaking of protection from frost, I must take the opportunity
of mentioning a beautiful and cheap article made here {eight feet wide ,
at 10c/. per yard !!) by Mr. Brough, of Pelham-street, which he terms
his “ conservative” lace-net. It is an effectual guard against wasps
and flies, when placed before fruit-trees, and, being so very open, most

164

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

valuable, when applied on light frames, for excluding them from
grape-houses or admitting air.

Since writing the last few lines, I find Mr. Kyan’s composition
cannot be used without infringing upon his patent ; my recommendation
of it was found in the “ Arcana of Science,” a work worthy your
attention, published annually.

Regarding the training of trees, I shall leave that in better hands,
recollecting your promise, merely confining myself to the recommenda¬
tion of using very fine copper wire, instead of shreds, for the smaller
branches, and such as are not growing too vigorously, in which case, if
not loosened in time, the wire is apt to cut into the bark ; it should
not encircle the shoot, but being about four and a half inches long, the
centre part wrapped twice round the root of the nail, then the two ends
brought vdde of each other and loosely over the shoot, and each end
wdiipped round the head of the nail, then loosened as the branch
increases. The wire being so fine does no injury even if left on,
breaking from exposure to the weather in a certain time. The nails
should never be drawn out, if not in the way.

Should you think any suggestion in this letter worth notice, or likely
to lead to any good, you are at liberty to insert any part of it in your
publication, or make what use of it you like. My only object is to
draw more attention to a fruit, not so much regarded as, in my opinion,
it deserves. Your obedient servant,

Pyrophilos.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

LETTER ELEVEN.

My Dear Sir. — I have no doubt you will agree with me in the
opinion that the pleasure of equestrian exercises, free from the dust
and constant annoyance of a public road, is one of the highest gratifica¬
tions arising from the possession of so extensive a park as this.
Between the hours of breakfast and dinner I very often accompany
my friend, and other members of the family, in taking a morning ride,
cither in the park or over the adjacent farm. The latter is a ferine
ornee, on the plan of Shenstone, having hedge-row elms and green
headlands, traversible by either riders or drivers : — but of this more
hereafter. The park, you will easily conceive, is a delightful field for
enjoying a quiet ride ; — no obstructions of gates or fences (unless you
choose to pass through the coppice for the sake of variety), nor are you.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

165

except in those coppices, condemned to keep a beaten or prescribed
tract, but, with all the freedom of an inhabitant of the air, you can turn
wherever fancy leads, or to whatever object may attract your attention.
Should you wish to look out upon the surrounding country, you have
only to gain some little knoll or eminence which surmounts the park
pales. If the heat of the sun be oppressive, you may thread your way
through the open groves, or wind your course along the shady side of
the open glades. Here is no continuous circumscribing belt to confine
and drag along the listless perambulator, impatient of such control ;
no obtrusive barrier, or menacing boundary to check your steps. In
short, the ever- varying combinations of woods and lawn are so pleasingly
disposed that you are instinctively, as it were, led from scene to scene,
with increasing interest, to the point whence you set out.

This style of enriching and embellishing the outskirts of a park is
infinitely better than that of surrounding every one with a meagre
strip of plantation, called a belt by Brown and his imitators. This
indispensable feature of the Brownian style of improving a park by
planting, had three very obvious faults ; it was always too long, and
too narrow, and in general, being planted with an intermixture of the
same kind of trees, had always a tedious and uninteresting effect,
whether seen from within or without. The belt appears to have been
adopted at first as a means of marking, more ostensibly, the extent or
boundary of the park, and as a sign of the appropriation of the land it
circumscribed to the more immediate use of the proprietor. The idea
of carrying a ride through it was very natural, because it was not only
having a ride of the greatest possible length within the park, but also
allowed the owner an opportunity of observing at pleasure the progress
made by his young trees.

When belts were young, they were much less an eyesore than they
became after fifteen or twenty years’ growth : the trees then began to
get naked at bottom, and the sky being seen through, among the naked
boles, declared at once their destitution of two of the principal beauties
of a wood, namely, depth and massiveness . And as the belt very
frequently occupied the highest ground, or horizon, they became
exceedingly ugly, and, of course, were condemned by every eye of
taste.

This, at one time very fashionable feature, together with its defects,
has been studiously avoided in planting the park of which I am writing.
The real boundary, or park-paling, is never visible from any command¬
ing station ; and is generally placed on lower ground than the surface of
the park immediately within. This gives a freedom to the eve in
riding round the verge of the park ; and, as the plantations are

166

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

variously placed as regards their distance from the real boundary,
no idea is given of its proximity by any lineal disposition of the
trees.

I cannot, however, convey to you any thing like a perfect idea of
the beauty and great variety of ever-changing scenes, which strike
the eye and arrest the attention of the beholder, in making a tour of
Fairfax Park. The advancing and receding masses of wood ; the
opening and closing of the glades and vistas, sometimes extending
quite across the park, or shut up at shorter distances, ever shifting
with the position of the spectator, are circumstances which constantly
employ and please the mind of the perambulator.

Various objects, within as well as without the park, serve to
heighten the value of this sylvan scenery. Within, there are cattle
sheds, having some little architectural character bestowed on them ;
now and then we have a glimpse of the mansion-house, or of the lake,
with its accompaniments ; and in many places there are seats for
pedestrians. Every object of interest in the country around, may also
be seen from some one station or another, from within ; — such as
churches, castles, or distant prospects. So that while enjoying the
idea of privacy and security, which a ramble in the park never fails
to excite, these preclude not the roving eye which inclines to look on
the world around.

The rides in the park are considerably extended by gates, in various
directions, opening to the country around, but particularly into the
farm, already mentioned. This is a very complete concern, of about two
hundred acres, kept on hand for the service of the establishment ; and
is managed by a steward, who resides at the homestead, about a mile
to the north-westward of the hall.

The management and stocking of the park is very intimately
connected with the farm ; indeed, from what I have previously told
you of the former, of its groves, and lake, and rides, &c., I should not
be surprised if you have formed an opinion that the whole is a large
expanse of barren pleasure-ground. But I can assure you, from what
I have learnt, that the park is fully as profitable as the arable land,
and without its assistance the farm would be scarcely worth cultivation.
It enables the steward to keep a vast herd of all kinds of profitable
live stock, whence ample supplies of the richest dress are afforded for
the arable land, and which, in consequence, is doubly productive. All
the hay consumed on the estate is grown in the park : a line of iron
hurdles divides the meadow ground, below the lake, from the high
pastures, nearer the house ; and remain till the hay is cut, made, and
carried. A principal part of this is carted to the homestead, but there

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

167

is always a large rick made in an enclosure, where there is a winter
foraging yard, at the bottom of the park.

The live stock, depastured in the park, are Scotch and Welsh cattle,
South Down sheep, and there is always a number of yearling colts and
fillies, as well as heifers, bought in every year, to have a winter and
summer run, and grow into money. The pasture is not rich enough
for the larger breeds of cattle and sheep ; though of the first, a few
Herefords and Durhams are purchased in the autumn, for stall-
feeding ; and of the second, a score or two of Dorset or Wiltshire ewes
are purchased at the same time, to be fed off with their lambs on
turnips. There is also kept in the park a small herd of the fallow
deer, more for ornament than for any profit made of them. They
are great favourites with the ladies of the family, and a plaything
for the keeper, who, however, can send some very prime venison to
table in the season.

I have imbibed so much of the elements of agriculture and rural
economy since my sojourn here, that I should hardly be afraid to
become a farmer myself, if the business were again a profitable one.
But I can see pretty clearly, that unless I had just such a park,
or an equal extent of meadow and pasture to keep live stock on —
had free access to a long purse — and held at a pepper-corn rent, my
humble name would soon figure in the gazette.

The farm, I understand, is cultivated on what is called the four-
course system — the rotation of cropping one field for four years will
give you an idea of the whole. The first year, a clear fallow and
dunged for turnips, — these are fed off by ewes and lambs, and wethers
folded, between the first of November and middle of April, in ordinary
seasons. As soon as the turnips are off, in the second year, the ground
is prepared and sown with barley and clover, and with or without
rye-grass, mixed. In the third year, the clover is mown once or twice,
and made into winter fodder ; and about Michaelmas the ley is
ploughed, and sown with wheat, which completes the course. As
soon as the wheat is carried in the fourth year, a part of the stubble is
dunged and sown with winter tares, to be cut green, in the spring of
the fifth year, the ground the tares occupied falling into the fallow.
This is the usual routine of cropping a turnip-land farm, and is very
generally adopted.

The farm is fitted with every necessary building ; the dairy is
elegant, and always well supplied, from a select drove of Ayrshire
and small short-horn cows ; the fields well proportioned, and divided
by hedge and ditch fences. There is a fair sprinkling of timber trees
in the hedges, and some of the angles of the fields are planted.

168

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

which gives the whole a very dressy look ; and when fully cropped, a
ride along its green head-lands must be as interesting to a visiter as
any other portion of the estate.

I dare say you begin to perceive that a complete country seat is com¬
posed of many different parts, all contributing to the comfort and
convenience, as well as to the pleasure and profit, of the possessor.
Without such arrangements as belong to the architect and landscape
gardener to create, and which always ensures, or have a tendency to
ensure, every domestic and, at the same time, every out-of-door agree¬
able convenience and befitting disposition, no honour can redound to
the artists, nor satisfaction to their employer. As I have stated before,
the utile must be so blended with the dulce that no sacrifice should be
made entirely for the sake of the last, nor no poverty of design be
allowed to prevail or disfigure the natural beauties of the place for the
sake of the first. Because you may observe from the description I have
endeavoured to give, that the ornamental plantations are every year in¬
creasing in value, and at a higher rate than any other crop or crops which
could be raised in the same time upon the ground they occupy ; and,
moreover, their tasteful disposition adds a vast additional value to the
estate, independent entirely of the value of the timber they contain.
Neither can the extent of pasture land be said to be a waste of good
ground ; for calculating on the great number of live stock it constantly
maintains, it probably pays as well as if it were under the plough. In
these instances, therefore, no sacrifice of the local or natural value of
the land is made to the detriment of the proprietor.

The lake, indeed, may be objected to as a waste of good meadow
land, and so it is ; but when we consider how much the beauty, and
consequently the value, of the estate is enhanced by the existence of
such a splendid feature, no one can deem it an extravagant luxury ;
more especially as it contributes so much to the rational gratification of
its generous and amiable possessor.

I have intentionally mentioned all those particulars belonging to this
well- designed country seat, to show how many things should engage
the attention of a landscape gardener, who may be employed to lay out
a new place. You and I used to think that the decorative part was the
only proper province of the ground improver, or landscape gardener, or
whatever other title he assumed ; that his special business was only to
beautify the place by smoothing what was rough, clothing what was
naked, putting in order irregularities, or curving what was stiffly
straight ; in short, to make pretty pictures of whatever or wherever
he could, and by all means to give a dressy or holiday -look to every
thing he touched, and to every disposition he made ; and all this only

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

169

in the immediate vicinity of the house, or on what may be called the
pleasure-ground. Such, I say, was what I considered the principal
duty of a landscape gardener ; but since I have been here, I begin to
see that that charming art involves matters of much greater moment
than the mere embellishment of the place.

A beautiful residence has always its charms, and constitutes a prin¬
cipal part of its value, but beauty alone is not enough ; more especially
as it need never be unaccompanied with more substantial excellencies
In the country. There is a heartfelt and lasting gratification to the
mind of a proprietor who has embellished his country seat to his utmost
satisfaction, and is sensible that no sacrifice has been made of its natu¬
ral or real value. When he annually finds that the returns from the
improved productive parts pay all the charges of the dressed or unpro¬
ductive parts. When, in fact, the land-steward pays all expenses of
Iiis gardens, of his park, and of his stud, besides supplying the family
with every description of farm produce. These are material matters to
the country gentleman whatever his fortune may be ; because, besides
saving, there is a peculiar pleasure arising from the use of what is
grown or fatted by one’s own means, and an independance of markets
and tradesmen particularly satisfactory.

It has been with such views that the estate of Fairfax Hall has been
designed, for such are surely the effects of the well-balanced disposi¬
tions and union of the sweet with the useful. That it has come
gradually to what it is, there can be no doubt ; but the general plan
has been -well conceived and executed is very evident. The genius of
the place has been well studied ; the general surface is gently undulat¬
ing, and consequently simply beautiful. With this character, there¬
fore, every thing superinduced must correspond, and this has been
done with very good judgment. The simple Grecian style of the
buildings, the soft-featured and fresh verdure of the most conspicuous
trees, and the general smoothness of the turf, all convey the idea of
unmixed beauty. Nothing bearing a picturesque character would have
been admissible here. A castellated or a Gothic mansion on such a
spot would have been horrible ; nor could all the art and all the powers
of man been competent to have moulded the natural features of this
place, so as to have made them harmonize with such an object. And
yet how often do we see such egregious mistakes committed ? In one
place a splendid Corinthian palace built in a mountainous country,
amid rocks and cliffs and deep ravines; in another, a gloomy Gothic
pile set among some of the loveliest scenes of nature ! This is bad
taste ; and the architect who could suggest such an incongruity is unfit
for his profession ; and the employer who could take such advice, will

VOL. V. — NO. LIX. Z

170

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

have just cause to repent when, perhaps, it is too late. It must be
admitted, however, that it very often happens that the employer fixes
the style of architecture himself ; he resolves to have a castle, an abbey,
or an Elizabethan mansion to live in, while totally regardless of whe¬
ther his place be suitable or not for either cf those styles of building ;
but having formed such a resolution, it would be a strange thing indeed
if he did not find some architect or other to give him a plan. Thus
many anomalies of the kind are executed where pure taste is wanting
or not exercised.

I have been led into the foregoing remarks by having seen in the
neighbourhood of this place a gentleman’s residence highly ornamented,
but in quite a different style from that of Fairfax Hall.

This is the celebrated - Abbey, now the property of, and con¬

verted into a splendid country residence for, a gentleman of the most
polished taste. As part of the original buildings, as they stood in the
time of Henry VII. still remain, a principal new part has been added
and finished in the original style of architecture in which the abbey
was first built. Its situation is in a narrow valley and on the bank of
a lively little stream. We enter the place from the eastward through a
lofty Gothic arch and massive iron gates flanked by high walls. Pro¬
ceeding along the approach or carriage road to the house, the new visi¬
ter is kept a considerable time in suspense by passing through a dense
thicket of lofty trees and holly underwood, causing a kind of solemn
gloom, till he arrives at the end of a fine Gothic corridor which leads to
the principal door of the abbey. This approach is very well managed ;
for, passing through twilight from the outer gate and coming so sud¬
denly upon an imposing mass of building, compoed and ornamented in
Bernasconi’s best manner, strikes the stranger most forcibly ; and, on
entering the apartments, we are surprised at their amplitude, and the
massive character of the furniture, and fittings-up of the interior.
Every object within reminds you of times long past, but at the same
time they are all vamped up in every modern elegance. As a retreat
from the busy scenes of life, it is highly in character. There is no
prospect from the windows, the views from each being all confined and
only penetrating a little way into the depths of the surrounding woods,
which are chiefly composed of pines and cedars and other sombre
tinted trees. There are about three or four acres of lawn of the freshest
green turf surrounding the house, on which stand a few immense oaks,
large cedars of Lebanon, and some very ancient mulberry trees.

It appears from the mounds still traceable about the buildings, that
they were once surrounded by a moat, the usual appendage to religious
establishments in early times. This, however, is now all filled up

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 171

except the side to the eastward of the abbey, along which there remains
a part of the ancient terrace-walk, which, no doubt, once encompassed
the whole. From this terrace- walk a stranger perceives, for the first
time, that the river issues from under an arch nearly opposite the corri¬
dor before mentioned, and that it is tunnelled under the approach, in
order that no anticipation of the existence of water may be had till the
house is reached.

The kitchen garden lies to the westward and somewhat in the rear
of the house, is walled around, and at the front wall, which is exposed
to the dressed lawn ; there is a bit of pleasure ground planted with
shrubs and flowers.

The view from the south windows down the valley, with the river
sparkling here and there, is the best, and, though bounded by lofty
woods on each side, is very interesting ; but the view from the lower
end upwards is truly and magnificently picturesque. From hence the
abbey appears in all its grandeur, occupying a little eminence in the
middle of the valley ; its various members of buttresses, pinnacles,
turrets, embattled parapets, projecting mouldings, with their deep sha¬
dows, together with the glistening vanes of the turrets, altogether pre¬
sent an object of the most imposing character ; and being embosomed
in “tufted” headed trees, contrasting so well with the prevailing per¬
pendicular lines of the Gothic architecture, is a most harmonious asso¬
ciation, and a subject worthy the most expert disciple of Claude Lorraine.

(To be continued.')

MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE.

Reminiscences op a Voyage to and from China ( continued
from page 149). — So much is the love of flowers predominant in China,
that almost every window-sill and every bit of a court in front or yard
behind the houses of the shopkeepers and tradesmen are filled with
plants either in the ground or in pots of different shapes, sizes, and
colours. Some of the finest specimens of the Chinese magnolias we
met with in the back courts of some of the merchants’ houses ; and in
such confined places there are what they call complete pleasure-gardens
to be seen. We will describe only one of these, to serve as a sample of
their taste.

In a back court belonging to Sinchong, the great china-ware
manufacturer, we saw one of these gardens on a very small scale indeed.
It occupied one corner of a paved yard, and consisted of a little irregular
pool of water, in a nook of which grew a Leinfaa ( Nelumbium spe -

172 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

ciosum), and in another, a fine plant of the Tow-cow ( Alpinia nutans).
The pool was surrounded by rugged stones, and an arch of the same
was carried over to represent the mouth of a rocky cave. Between,
and in the cavities of the stones, plants of the black bamboo were stuck
here and there, to hang over the water, and roots of asparagus, which,
with their slender and regularly branched stems of different heights,
represented groves of trees. Around, and on the shelves of the stones,
dwarfed trees, in pots covered with fragments of rock, were placed, and
partly covered with moss and lichen and pieces of algee brought from
the sea shore, altogether forming a spectacle of the most grotesque
character. Such things wre saw in many other places ; and we verily
believe that if a Chinese had a field of ten acres to beautify in his
own style, it would be covered with the same kind of little fanciful
freaks repeated a thousand times over.

Their kitchen gardening is all carried on in the open fields surrounding
the city, and, from what we saw of the preparations making for the
summer crops, we conclude that they are upon the whole excellent
kitchen gardeners. Not a weed was to be seen, and they are at very
great pains in keeping their land in heart by manuring. Night-soil
and the scouring of canals and ditches is their customary dress; for, in
a country where no domestic animals are kept except pigs and aquatic
poultry, the husbandman cannot easily be supplied with manure.
They grow Batavian endive, in very great perfection ; likewise the
rhizomas or under-ground stems of the arum indicum (?), which is a
staple commodity with the market gardeners, and seems to be an
indispensable article in Chinese cookery. The tuberous roots of the
water-lily which they drag out of their numerous canals is another
plentiful vegetable in the markets, and which they use in the same
manner as the foregoing, i. e. as an ingredient in their stews.

The Company’s officers had a kitchen garden of their own about three
miles distant from the city on the north side, and in which they
endeavoured to get the native gardeners to grow as many of the
European vegetables as their skill or the climate would permit. Some
things they grew, we believe, pretty well, but they could not grow
onions to please their employers, persisting in the unnecessary expedient
of growing them year after year from offsets instead of from seed. The
gentlemen of the factory had leave of the Hoppo (governor) that we
should proceed with one of his officers and an interpreter to the garden,
and give the necessary instructions for sowing the seed, &c. The
gardeners were apprised beforehand of our intended visit, and, on our
arrival at the ground, we were met by half a dozen very respectable
looking men. Our directions were quickly given : they attended to

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 173

every word that was said with that provoking kind of expression on
their countenances which bespoke the most extreme incredulity. We
repeated our advice again and again, but got no answer but a loud
horse-laugh, and their national maxim of No can do : Europe fashion
no do in China. We left them as conceited as ever, and, no doubt,
while they pitied us in their minds, laughed heartily at the circum¬
stance of a Europe fool-man being sent so far to talk foolishness.

Howbeit, we had our reward in seeing so much of the open
country. We passed through several villages, where we were objects
of much curiosity to the women and children, who cautiously peeped
from behind their doors (which are hung on hinges at the top), but
shut them close while we passed. Their cottages were, however,
remarkably clean and neat, and the inhabitants appeared in comfortable
circumstances. But we had other objects to attend to. The country
is pretty well wooded, especially near the villages, and consisted
chiefly of Laurus cassia and sassafras, Sterculia platanifolia,
Euphoria litchi and longana, Guarea grandifora, Averrhoa caram-
bola, &c. But the most magnificent tree, both for its size and the rich
colour of its flowers, which decorated all that part of the suburbs of
Canton at that time (beginning of March), was the Eombax ceiha or
silk-cotton-tree. The flowers, like many other Chinese plants, appear
before the leaves, are about the size of a middling tulip, and of a bright
scarlet colour. They are thickly set on the branches, so much so, that
the trees, at the distance of half a mile, appear mantled in this con¬
spicuous colour. The tree, in the colour of its bark, size of bole, and
ramification of the branches, resembles the largest walnut trees of this
country. The timber is much used by the carpenters for various
purposes, among others, that of making coffins, which are formed by the
four rough slabs cut off by the pit-saw, and just nailed together again,
head and foot pieces being afterwards added. We mention this,
because on this excursion our path lay through a carpenter’s yard,
where we saw many very large butts of this tree ; and, immediately
after, over a burying-ground, where we saw the recently-placed coffins
only covered with a thin turf, which did not even confine the stench
arising from the corrupting bodies. It is the custom, it seems, to
expose the coffins for a certain number of days, after which they are
removed to a square brick building in the middle of the burying-ground,
and there, bodies and coffins together, consumed to ashes by fire.

We passed a plantation of tea, which did not occupy more than an
acre and a half of ground. It seemed a smaller leaved variety than
either of those called green and bohea, known in this country. The
ground was quite free from weeds, and the bushes were about four feet
high, and planted at distances of about six feet apart. They were

174 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

very branchy, and had a feeble, stunted look, caused, no doubt, by the
defoliation to which they are so often subjected. Tea is very little
cultivated about Canton, and this, the interpreter told me, was only
kept for the private use of the owner.

The whole arable face of the country is uninclosed, no part of the
surface being lost by either fences or high roads. Canals answer the
purpose of the latter, and footpaths serve for the former. Nor are
fences necessary where no cattle are depastured, nor where neither
waifs are sought or strays intrude. Tanks or ponds are in every
garden, not only for supplying the crops in dry weather, but for
fattening a few fish for sale.

It was not the season of the year for seeing the crops of their
kitchen-garden grounds, and we therefore know much less of their
productions and modes of culture than if it had been at midsummer or
in the autumn. They break up the surface with large hoes, and
smooth it with rakes, and the manure is applied from a pail and a
wooden spatula. In the northern provinces, and, particularly, for
preparing land for rice, draught oxen and ploughs are used, but nothing
of the kind is seen about Canton. Nor did we see a horse all the time
we were there except one, and that was a white pony rode by a mandarin
of the first rank.

The policy of the Chinese government in prohibiting the importation
of foreign food and all kinds of luxuries, necessarily compels the
numerous population to cultivate every square yard of ground for their
ordinary subsistence. Notwithstanding this restriction on the appetites
of the community, no nation in the world, perhaps, live better than the
Chinese. They have what may be called two dinners in the day, at
ten in the morning and four in the afternoon, both most substantial
meals. They use boiled rice instead of bread, and their standing
dishes are stews, in which several kinds of vegetables are sliced, and
always enriched with pork or duck or goose, which has been previously
roasted, and afterwards cut into small pieces for the stew. For drink
at these meals they have tea, but without either milk or sugar : indeed,
tea is partaken of at all times in the day, but never as a meal. After
the afternoon dinner, very little business is done by those engaged in
trade, that time being given to play, smoking tobacco, and drinking
Samskoo, an ardent spirit of the nature of arrack.

This description is of what we observed among the mercantile
people at Canton. To the tables of the more opulent people we had
no access, but we were told their style of living is very similar to that
described; but when they give entertainments to European gentlemen,
the table is spread and furnished in the European style.

Let us now turn to the preparations made for packing and transplant-

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 175

ing the plants. There were two places in the ship allowed us to stow
the boxes. The first was the stern balcony, which was deemed a very
suitable station, being airy, shady, and completely out of the way of
working the ship. The second and principal place was that portion of
the poop deck extending from the skylight aft to the stern-knees, and
between the two middle tier of hen-coops. This space had a fixed
frame erected over it, and covered with moveable planks ranging fore
and aft, to be kept on when the business of the ship required, and taken
off entirely at all other times. Besides this planking, which formed a
platform for the men to stand on when necessary, we had canvas
curtains to cover the whole platform when the spray was dashed over
that part of the ship. See the annexed figures.

REFERENCE,

Fig. I. The frame of the awning.

Fig. 2. The frame covered with canvas. One side down and fastened when necessary.

End canvass turned back to shew the ends of the boxes within. The other
side of the canvass rolled up.

Fig. 3. One of tire boxes, two feet ten inches long, two feet wide, and two feet ten
inches high, having strong handles at each end, and a part of one of the sides
moveable downwards on hinges for admitting more air.

Fig. 4. Manner of packing the plants.

The height of the frame in all cases should be below a right line passing
between the crutch or stern-rail abaft to the top of the forward rail of the poop, that
the boxes or frame may not be in the way of unshipping the driver-boom or ruizen-
yard.

176 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

When we made our selection of plants, we preferred placing them
in strong cane baskets of a proper size rather than putting them into
glazed China pots, because the latter we thought were too attractive
of heat and less pervious to air or moisture. The plants were placed
in these baskets as soon as received, and kept in a shady yard till they
were packed in the boxes a few days before the ship was to sail. The
boxes had all double bottoms, both pierced with a good many holes.
The second bottom, on which the plants stood, was necessary, lest the
sea water in washing the deck should reach the roots.

The moss which we brought from England was used in packing the
plants ; each basket was plunged in it, with a thin covering of the
same over the surfaces. Thus placed, the baskets were secured by
cross ledges of wood to keep them steady while on their way to their
berths in the ship. A few plants of the Pceonia moutan were received
as presents to Sir Joseph Banks and our employer Mr. Slater, and
which were kept in the pots just as they were received. These were
all kept in the stern balcony during the voyage.

The plants selected for bringing to Europe were as follows : — Six
plants of the Pceonia moutan, three varieties, viz., yellow, pale purple,
and red. One of the pink or pale purple ones was kept in the pot in
which it was received, the others were shifted into baskets, and placed
in the boxes along with the other plants. Besides these, we had the
charge of two or three others, as before said, addressed to Sir Joseph
Banks for the Kew collection. Some of these plants had been brought
to Canton the year before ; others arrived while we were there. The
former, being better established in the pots, bore the voyage home much
better than those which had been shifted.

V ery little is known of these highly-valued plants by the nurserymen
at Canton. They are natives of and much cultivated in the province
of Nankin, whence good specimens are annually sent as presents to
Canton, just before they come into bloom. These, when done flowering,
are for the most part thrown away, as it is believed they will not flower
a second time at Canton. This is not necessarily so, either from the
nature of the plant or from the difference of the climate, but it is very
likely to be so from bad usage and neglect. We turned out several
which had just arrived from Na?ikm, and found them most barbarously
used. It appeared they had been raised from the open ground, and
out of strong alluvial soil, having all the points of their thick finger-like
roots docked short off to fit a small pot for the convenience of carriage.
Plants so roughly treated may retain inherent power to bloom once,
but much good nursing would be required to make them blow in the
year following. In short, it seems the Nankinese treat their pczonies

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 177

as we do potted carnations in Britain, — when the flowering is over, and
the layers removed, the old root is thrown away.

There are wonderful stories current at Canton about the vast
varieties of the peeony which are known in the northern provinces of
the empire. There, they say, the cultivators have them of all colours,
even blue and black ! That they have many varieties of the herbaceous
sorts, is more than probable ; but that they possess such a variety of
the shrubby sorts, is extremely doubtful.

The next most desirable family of plants were the camellias : of
these, we purchased four plants of the double-striped, three of the
double white, and three of the double red. We heard of and got
drawings of the single white, called by them chasanqua , but Samay
the gardener said, it being a wild Alpine plant, was not in cultivation.

All the camellias are called cha faa , that is, tea jlower, probably
from resemblance, and the sorts are contradistinguished by the
adjectives houng, red, pack , white, &c. The common single red
( C . Japonica ) is extensively cultivated in pots, few dwelling-houses
being destitute of them. As the petals adhere at the base, and are
deciduous together, they are repeatedly replaced on the points of the
leaf-buds, so long as they retain their form and colour.

When the palace of Shykinqua was prepared for the reception of
Lord Macartney, the gardens were profusely furnished with flowering
plants in pots. But as the embassy arrived later than was expected,
many of the camellias had shed their flowers. But on the day of his
Lordship's arrival the camellias were as blooming as ever with borrowed
flowers from other quarters !

Constantly industrious and indefatigable as the Chinese florists are
in the culture of ornamental plants, they have nothing like (we have
lately been told) the vast variety of their favourite camellia which are
now common in Europe. A view of Loddiges’, or Knight’s, or
Chandler’s collections, would throw a Chinese florist into hysterics,
and send him home wringing his hands in envious despair !

The list given by Ksempfer of the camellias ( Tsubbaki ) seen by
him, are, besides the above mentioned, one with pale flesh-coloured
flowers, with white spots ; another with double red flowers, the five
outer petals large, the inner shorter and plaited, with many stamina
degenerating into petals ( Warratah ?) ; another with single scarlet
flowers, the outer petals heart-shaped. Kaempfer also mentions the
C. sasanqua, or, as it is pronounced by the better-informed Chinese,
sancha yu, that is, mountain tea oil tree , an oil being expressed from
it, with which they anoint their hair, and the leaves are used for

VOL. v. — NO. LIX.

A A

178 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

seasoning food. This plant was brought to Europe by Mr. Haxton,
Lord Macartney’s gardener. The above out of Kaempfer’s list were
not known at Canton when we were there in 1794.

The next genus of importance to us was Magnolia. Three plants
of the M. conspicua or Yucklan, two of the M . obovata , called by us
purpurea , and one of the M.fuscata, were purchased. These are all
very common in the gardens about Canton. The two first come into
flower there about the middle of February and some time before the
leaves are expanded. The M. pumila was introduced by Mr. Slater
before 1789.

The ( Tokune ) Azalea sinensis were eagerly sought. Two species
only could be procured; one, the red-flowered, accurately described
and figured by Kaempfer, and the lovely white flowering one. A
portable plant of each were with some difficulty obtained : the white
one, wre think, cost five dollars. According to Kaempfer, there are
many species or varieties of this beautiful shrub both in Japan and
China : he speaks of no less than fourteen bearing different flowers,
but they, except the two we found, were not known at Canton. The
Chinese azaleas are decandrious , and, in this respect, differ from their
North- American congeners. The sexual system would therefore place
them in different classes ; but by the natural system they are associated
in the same order in which their exterior semblance and habit so plainly
indicates they should be. In the absence of both the sexual and natural
systems at the time Kaempfer wrote his Amcenitates Exoticee , we do
not suppose all the plants which he has denominated Tsutsusi are
really azaleas , although they may be all belonging to Mho dor ace ce.
Besides, from the facility with which this tribe sport into each other
by art, the same variegations may have happened accidentally on the
wilds of Mount Sakanosta, or in the gardens of the city of Jedegua in
Japan.

We noticed in private houses small branches of the azalea , cut from
the tree just before the flower-buds open, blooming beautifully in water,
and even before they were in flower in the gardens. The Chinese
blow many of their flowering shrubs and trees in this manner.

W e found three species of Ixora at Canton, viz. the coccinea, alba ,
and purpurea. They are all great favourites of the people. The first
is called par excellence the Canton Moutan, and is seen in almost
every house ; but, being no stranger in British collections, we contented
ourselves with buying only single plants of the alba and purpurea.

There are several species of Begonia in China, but they being all
under ground when we were there, we learned very few particulars

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 179

concerning them. We, however, procured a few tubers of the
B. discolor , which we brought home. They are called Haitang by
the Chinese.

We met with several very curious Epidendrums (as we thought
they were) during our stay. One is called Macklan, or, as it may be
rendered, black lily. This is now the Cimbidium sinense of Lindley.
The Chinese grow these plants to a very large size by keeping them in
large pots among the richest mud-like loam : so placed, the stools
become very large, and produce flower stems of great size and height.
We saw one magnificent specimen as it was carried along the street to
the house of a mandarin to whom it was presented, or by whom it was
purchased. The scape was at least five feet high, with flowers rather
thinly set from the top nearly to the bottom. Such a specimen,
diffusing so fine a scent, the nurseryman told me was worth one
hundred dollars, that is, above twrenty pounds sterling ! and he added
that such prices were often given for superlatively fine plants even of
the commoner sorts. The Stunlan, the Epidendrum ensifolium of
Linnaeus, is very common. Stslan is another beautiful Epidendrum,
producing a spike of a few but very elegant deep purple flowers. We
offered five dollars for a small plant, but which sum was refused. The
Epidendrum which they grow in baskets for sale is called Tulan, and,
probably, is the Aerides odoratum of Louriera. We found drawings
of several other orchideous plants, but which, not being in cultivation,
could not be obtained.

There are a great many plants belonging to the natural order
Malvacece in China. The Hibiscus rosa chinensis is everywhere met
with, but this wras an old acquaintance, and, therefore, neglected. We
found, however, the //. ros. chin.fl. plen. alba , called by them Pack-
fat -song, which we brought home.

The Moutlee is one of their favourite plants. This is th e Nyctan-
thus or Jasminum sambac of Linnaeus, of which they have several
varieties. We purchased one which we were told bore purple flowers,
but of this we had no subsequent proof.

A common wild plant called Chou moutlee, that is, the bastard
moutlee or sambac , from the similarity of scent, is the Clerodendron
fragrans of Ventenat. This we procured at Macoa, and brought
home.

Two herbaceous plants which we purchased for Kaempferias, called
Luckstham, were brought home, and, after flowering in England,
had several names, as Niobe, Hemerocallis, &c., but are now the
Funkia subcordata et ovata of Sprengell : they are both hardy. The
latter flowers freely, the former less frequently. Our spring is perhaps

180

ON THE DESCENT OF THE SAP.

too damp for their tubers, which, if taken out of the ground and kept
dry for a month or so, might perhaps expedite their flowering in
summer.

We got one plant of the hoitong, the Cydonia Japonica of
Persoon. This plant had been introduced several years before by
Mr. Slater, but repeatedly lost by being treated as a stove plant.

( To be continued .)

Hyde Park Corner , 20 th April, 1836.

On the Descent of the Sap. — Sir, — -I feel much surprised
that, after all the methods you have taken to excite an investi¬
gation of the merits of the physiological theory which you have
promulgated, that as yet not one of our writers upon this interesting
science has taken the least public notice of your remarks. Many
reasons might be assigned for deterring individuals like myself from
calling in question the validity of your opinions ; but no apology
can be pleaded by those who, whatever may have been their own
personal investigations, have at least joined issue in the opinions of
others, and published and inculcated these opinions for the purpose
of instructing us in the science of our art. Scarcely has the smallest
work emanated from these scientific instructors, that contains not, as
a recommendatory set off, a high-flown compliment respecting our
stupidity and prejudice, and yet they have allowed the opinions of a
practical man, with whom, according to their own showing, we are
most apt to identify ourselves, to pass unnoticed and unchallenged,
although these opinions have a direct tendency to demolish the whole
of that theory which they have inculcated. For myself, I pretend not
to possess that intimate acquaintance with the subject which could
qualify me for passing a proper judgment ; and, indeed, I much doubt
if ever I shall arrive at the knowledge of a defined general principle
applicable to all cases of vegetable development, since the more I have
investigated the phenomena of vegetation, the more have I become
convinced that different tribes are regulated in a certain degree by
systems as diversified as their nature. Approving, howrever, of your
anxious desire to have your opinions investigated, I venture to make a
few remarks and inquiries, confident that you will exercise your
accustomed good feeling and indulgence, and give us a farther detail of
your views, as at present we possess not sufficient data to pronounce
that you are right or wrong.

Waiving minor details, I conceive that the peculiar views you enter¬
tain have a reference chiefly to the motion and properties of the sap,
and the existence of a newly discovered member named the indusium or
vital envelope.

ON THE DESCENT OF THE SAP.

381

After carefully reading your remarks upon the motion of the sap,
and your objections to the different theories, I do not perceive that you
have advanced any one of your own. You confess that all your
experiments have led to negative rather than affirmative conclusions.
This is certainly very candid. You say, however, that you do not
deny occasional or partial sinkings of the sap. Upon what principle
do you then account for these partial sinkings ? I really do consider
it more philosophical, and more in consonance with the phenomena of
organised existence, to admit at once a principle of regularity of move¬
ment, than to consider that these wonderful developments are effected
by any process bordering upon being fortuitous. You seem to abjure
the opinion of the regular descent of the elaborated sap, merely because
you cannot account for it upon the general laws of fluids and mechanics.
I make little doubt but we shall find, as we become better acquainted
with vegetable anatomy, that the flow of the sap takes place in unison
with the principles of fluids and mechanics ; but shall we on this
account come to the conclusion that these laws have any other connexion
with organised existence than that of being wholly subservient to its
purposes? Admit that vegetables are endowed with a vital principle,
and you must allow you are then treating of something vastly superior
to a mere machine or the most perfect chemical apparatus. The
circumstances connected with ligatures and ringing, to which you
frequently refer, go far to confirm a descending as well as an ascending
fluid, and that both are in constant operation. If, as some allege,
every part of a plant has the power of elaborating and appropriating to
itself the necessary supply of sap as it rises from the roots — an opinion
in which you seem partly to concur- — how comes it that, in the case of
ringing, the plant almost invariably attempts to heal up the deficiency
by making advances from the upper side, while little or no advances
are made from the under side — if it proceed not from an accumulation
of sap that has been stopped in its downward course ? Here it may
be asked, how, upon this principle, there should be any advances at all
made from the under side. There is certainly a difficulty in accounting
for this at first sight, but it is greatly removed when we think of the
abundant proofs we possess, that there is in the vegetable as well as in
the animal economy not merely an accommodating principle, enabling
plants to suit themselves to circumstances, but a powerful energy ever
ready to be put in requisition for the healing of a wound, making good
a loss, or maintaining an existence. A host of interesting confirmatory
facts might easily be adduced. Besides, we are agreed that, besides
the leading channels through which the sap flows, it also is diffused
in every direction through the vascular and cellular texture, and,

182

ON THE DESCENT OF THE SAP.

therefore, though believing that the presence of sap, after being
elaborated in the leaf, is necessary to vigorous accretion, there is no
anomaly in perceiving a slight advance upwards from the under side of
a ringed stem, since we know that the bark possesses in itself an
appropriating elaborating principle, as upon removing a piece of bark
from one plant, and filing the space accurately with a piece from
another of a different variety, although it be destitute of any bud, the
wood formed under it in every successive year would be of the same
quality as the identical plant from which it was taken.

After mentioning these facts, I would not ask you to believe that
the fresh layers of liber and alburnum are formed fortuitously from
the descending sap; but I would ask you, granting meantime the full
benefit of your indusium , if you do not consider that sap necessary to
its vigorous development ? If not, then I desire to know upon what
principle you can account for the facts, that the under side of a ringed
stem increases not equally with the upper ; that upon making two
annular incisions on a stem, and leaving a space between them
destitute of a twig or a bud, this space will make most trifling advances
either upward or downward ; that trees bleed freely in spring before
their leaves are expanded, and in the end of autumn, when they are
falling or withering ; that a twig stripped of its leaves in the growing
season, if it does not die, makes no addition to its substance ; that a leaf
and lateral shoot together, taken from a vine-branch, tend to render the
buds in their axil abortive in a succeeding year ; and, not to be tedious,
that I have witnessed the industrious cottager obtain few tarts from his
rhubarb plants this season, from having pulled the leaves too closely
in the last ? The determination of these points I conceive to be of
more importance, as respects the practices of gardening, than the
establishment of the indusial membrane. I have as yet had no proofs
of its existence so far as my organs of vision are concerned, and, there¬
fore, for the present, I must remain rather sceptical, unless I identify
its existence with the inner layer of the liber. Besides, though plausible
at first sight, I am not convinced that granting the existence of such a
member throws any additional light upon the secret processes of
vegetation. I think you must grant that the descending fluid must be
present, even upon your own system, to enable the indusium to develop
the fresh layer of alburnum and liber. Grant this, and we need little
more concession. It is true that some represent the regular mutations
and accretions of plants as merely accidental, but, abjuring such a
system, I see nothing more unphilosophical in supposing that the plant
has an inherent property, by virtue of its vital principle, of appropriating
a portion of the descending sap to the formation or expansion of what

ON THE DESCENT OF THE SAP.

183

it contained in embryo, than in supposing that a certain membrane
imperceptible to the eye should possess the power of becoming in
succession a pulpy, gelatinous mass ; then imparting to this mass the
properties of organisation, dividing it into liber and alburnum ; and,
finally, peacefully taking up its abode between them unchanged or
self-produced, ready to perform the same operation in the following
vear.

I fully agree with you, that nothing is produced without its seed or
propago, but I conceive there is a difference in treating of a plant being
produced from a seed, and holding the necessity that every expansion
of that plant should take place in a manner exactly analogous. Grant
that vegetation is regulated by a principle of life, and it becomes as
much the province of that principle to make an addition annually to
the size of a ligneous plant, as it is the province of life in the animal
economy to enlarge the size of the members of the body, and change
their constituent parts, through means of the nutrition or food which it
has received and digested. Almost every gardener is conversant with
the fact, that the vital principle is peculiarly active in the inner layer
of liber, but he will not trouble himself much respecting your indusium,
if the knowledge of its modes of operation will not enable him to
perform better his different operations. I suppose you would at once
admit the descent of the sap, if the tumour above an annular incision
were found to contain a simple bland fluid instead of cambium or
alburnum ; but if such were the fact, I should consider it as a proof
that the vital principle was unable to appropriate the food at its disposal
to the purpose of additional growth. The fact to which you refer,
that, in the case of wounds, the sap which is exuded becomes not
cambium, but resin, gum, canker, &c., is no proof that it is impossible
the sap should be changed into wood through processes applied to it
when circulating in the tubes of an organised being. The appearance
which the sap presents when exposed to the atmosphere but proves the
existence of disease and the infliction of injury ; and to expect in such
cases the formation of wood, although in other circumstances it might
have become so, would be as inconsistent as to expect to see the blood,
flowing from a wound in our own body, becoming converted into bone,
muscle, and flesh, because aware that that fluid is the agent employed,
by the principle of life, not merely for enlarging these different sub¬
stances, but continually changing them in their constituent parts. I
grant you that we cannot account for the change of sap into alburnum
upon any chemical principle, any more than we can account for the
mutation of blood into bone ; and I would at once deny with you the
possibility of its conversion, did you convince me that chemistry

184 A FEW OBSERVATIONS ON GARDENERS’ SOCIETIES.

governed and was not subservient to life. But if you remain sceptical
upon this point, because you cannot account for the phenomena upon
chemical principles, 1 should like to know if you have discovered by
the analysis of your indusium the constituent parts of liber and
alburnum ; if in the farinaceous substance of a seed you have ever
detected the ligneous consistence of a tree ; or, after a seed has been
deprived of vitality, you have been competent, by any chemical process
you could devise, to effect one of those interesting changes which took
place so naturally and yet so wonderfully in every case of healthy
germination? ‘My time being quite expired, and I suppose your
patience put to a severe test, I must conclude, and remain, &c. &c.

Yours truly, Robert Fish.

A Few Observations on Gardeners’ Societies. — Sir, — -
In looking over the last numbers of the Horticultural Register,
I find to my great surprise much valuable space occupied with
the establishing of gardeners’ societies, which are advocated in very
strong terms. Many of your readers regret there is no society of the
kind on the western side of the metropolis; it is so, and I believe it is
no great loss. But, Sir, I tell you what we have that the writers are not
aware of, we have the finest market gardens in the world, where vege¬
tables are grown to astonish every gentleman’s gardener who is fortu¬
nate enough to see them. Young gardeners brought up in gentlemen’s
gardens know very little about growing good vegetables ; and I believe
I may state, with some truth, less about cropping their ground.

The evenings are now getting long, and there will be two or three
hours to spare after work in the nurseries. I would advise those young
men who may be employed in the different nurseries at the western
side of the metropolis to take a walk through the market gardens, and
make observations on what they see going forward there.

If they are employed at Knight’s, on the King’s Road, it will not be
far for them to visit the gardens of Mr. Robert Bagiev, on the Fulham
Road, or Mr. Charles Bagley, at Sands’ End; or if employed at Whit¬
ley’s, on the King’s Road, the Messrs. Fitches, of Parsons’ Green,
might be visited ; there they would see such a style of gardening as
would truly astonish them. Mr. Alexander Dancer’s gardens are close
at hand, and also Mr. Robert Matyear’s. If at Lee’s, of Hammer¬
smith, let them visit the Fulham fields, as they are called, or any of
the extensive gardens that the western side can boast of, it would do
more in giving them a proper insight into their business, than if they
were members of twenty different gardeners’ societies. Young men
may be accused of apathy in not coming forward to establish societies,
but where are they to get the money? the greater number of them

A FEW OBSERVATIONS ON GARDENERS’ SOCIETIES. 185

come out of the country parts of England, Scotland, and Ireland,
where they have been receiving very low wages, and out of that they
have, in many instances, to pay the gardeners a certain fee. The life
of a young gardener is a life of privation : he comes to London, and
before he can get employment in a gentleman’s garden, it very often
happens he has to pay a second fee to the gardener who may employ
him. Aye, as much as ten guineas, though he may have paid fifteen
guineas before his arrival in London, and all this to qualify him for
twelve shillings a week, or at most between twenty-five and thirty
or forty pounds a year and his board, the half of which sum he
must spend in clothes and washing ; where then is the young
gardener to get money to keep up gardeners’ societies, or what want
has he of them, when he can improve himself without them by
practical observations. This he can do about London. The peri¬
odicals may be amusing and instructive to young men in the country,
but they very often contain irrelevant matter. If you were to impress
on the minds of young gardeners the importance of visiting the market
gardens, and thereby improving themselves, you would confer a lasting
benefit on them, much more than by advocating gardeners’ societies so
strongly, and could fill up the space, which I consider is now entirely
wasted, with much better and more interesting articles in your (but for
them) valuable Register. I remain yours, &c.,

J. H. Burnham.

Fulham , March 14, 1836.

The foregoing letter was received too late for insertion in our last,
but we give it a place in the present, not, however, because the writer
ei throws cold water ” on the projected formation of a gardeners’ society
on the west side of London, but because he advises a mode of improve¬
ment easily accessible to all. We lately took an opportunity of
speaking in the highest terms of the excellent system of market gar¬
dening prosecuted by the very persons to whom Mr. B. alludes, and
we fully agree with him in every thing he states commendatory of
their practice. That a knowledge of market-gardening cannot be
attained in a nobleman’s or gentleman's place in any of the three king¬
doms is perfectly true ; and because the two systems are widely dif¬
ferent : in the one, unbounded supplies are required in any or in every
day of the year, in the other, a very limited, but daily supply must be
had, and often by very limited means. The market gardener has no
objection to dispose of the whole of any one crop in one market day ;
but the private gardener neither can nor must he do this, for otherwise
the green-larder would be very irregularly supplied. The manner of
cultivation pursued in market gardens is, however, well worthy imitation

VOL. V.-— NO. LIX.

£ B

186 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY OF BOTANY TO MEDICINE.

everywhere; and we unite with Mr. B. in saying to all young gar¬
deners — look about you. On their behalf we have a request to make,
and we know of no one to propose it to more able to comply than
Mr. B. himself; and that is to give a sketch of their practice in
raising any one crop ; or, what would be better, giving the rotation of
cropping on any given quarter or compartment of a market garden, for
the space of five, seven, nine, or eleven years, or for whatever term
includes their usual round of successional cropping.

Mr. B. will excuse this direct appeal to him ; and as he appears to
he a “ready scribe,” we are sure that the task will not be difficult, nor
any way disagreeable to him. — Ed.

The Importance of the Study of Botany to Medicine. By
C. Johnston, Lecturer on Botany at Guy’s Hospital. (From the
Analyst.) — Reverting to the state of the medical profession some twenty
or thirty years back, and the ignorance of too many of its self-elected
practitioners of the most essential requisites for a pretender to the
healing art — a knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the human
frame, and the symptoms and treatment of the various diseases by which
its functions are liable to be interrupted and impaired, the denizen
of the present time has much reason to congratulate himself upon the
revolution which it has undergone since that period — a revolution that
has contributed towards rendering even the uncertain tenure of mor¬
tality less precarious, by securing to him the advice and assistance
of persons expressly qualified by their education for that purpose.
The impudent system of quackery, so often held up to ridicule at the
present day, was certainly not without its parallel formerly in the
so called medical profession, when, after a longer or shorter period spent
in pounding and compounding, the capability of administering both
simples and compounds seemed naturally to follow. The lengthened
and important course of studies required at the present day, does not
wholly preclude the possibility of a man of inferior talent entering the
profession ; but we have still the satisfaction of knowing that a complete
blockhead has not the same opportunity that he once had of placing
himself in competition with the man of ability and liberal education.

Of the various branches that bear upon medical science, Botany
seems to have been the most backward in arresting the attention
of those intrusted with the superintendence of medical education.
The improvement of this latter has been progressive ; and the im¬
pression of the high importance of those studies, that led to a knowledge
of the structure and functions of the animal body, of the practice of
medicine, of chemistry, and materia medica, caused them, under the
then existing circumstances, to precede that of botany. Hence, indeed.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY OF BOTANY TO MEDICINE. 187

long after the establishment of schools for the tuition and preparation
of candidates for medical licence, it continued to be considered as a
mere adjunct of the latter class, materia medica. As such it was
confined in this country, at least, to the notice of the plants of the
pharmacopoeia ; and as regarded his progress in a science now so
complex, the student of medicine, thus tutored, resembled the preacher
who could read but only in his own book. He might have learned to
know the drowsy poppy of the garden, perhaps even to trace its
relation with the gaudier crimson tenants of the corn-field challenger,
the drastic hellebore, the foxglove, night-shade, and conium of his
native land ; but was rarely capable of extending his lore to the more
distant affinities which characterise the vegetation of a different clime ;
and therefore ill-calculated to avail himself of their valuable, or to
avoid their baneful, properties : still less to add, by observation and
experiment, to the most useful department of that science, to a
knowledge of which he would, probably, pretend.

Among the several causes which have led to a more extended
application of botany to the purposes of medicine, the establishment of
the Medico Botanical Society may certainly lay considerable claim to
public notice. During its career, the attention of a large portion of
the junior members and aspirants of the profession has been directed by
it to the importance of a subject which, but for their attendance upon
its meetings, would, probably, have remained a matter of indifference
to them. I say of indifference — because the extensive facilities afforded
to the mere mechanical practitioner, and of such there are unfortunately
still too many, by the vast commercial machinery of this ever active
and enterprising nation, has rendered him, in a great measure,
independent of his own resources. He gives an order to his druggist,
depending upon the latter for the correctness of its execution ; and as
to any thing farther, why — as an unworthy disciple of Esculapius
not long since replied to a friend of mine, who ventured to hint that
too violent medicine had been administered to an infant — “ There is a
book called the pharmacopceia, in which the art of compounding
medicines for every disorder, and even the proportionate doses for
every age, are duly set down, I always consult that book before
I prescribe, and therefore. Madam, cannot be under a mistake.”
So that, really, with a good druggist, named bottles and jars, and
Thompson’s Dispensatory upon his counter, such a man may do
a good stroke of business, as the mercantile phrase has it, with very
little judgment, but a great deal of satisfaction — to himself. For the
sake of their patients, I fear very few such attend here ; for they would
learn, at least, that drugs will vary very greatly in quality — that the

188 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY OF BOTANY TO MEDICINE.

bark, the root, the herb of the same species, gathered at different
seasons, do not contain the same principles ; this, at one period, is an
active medicine, at another, next to useless; and besides, if chicanery
will practise upon the immediate necessaries of life, the commerce of
medicine is not likely to be wholly free from its impositions.

Experience has shown that not only the imported articles of
materia medica, but even those of home growth, are often the vehicles
of fraud that renders negative, if it does not totally subvert, the
intentions of the adviser. The leaves of the senna are mingled
with those of several other plants, of less valuable and of deleterious
quality ; the lithontriptic and diuretic properties of the uva-ursi, are
supplanted by the simple astringency of the vaccin. vit. id. : and even
the bark of the tree of life itself — the highly prized cinchona — is
vilified, and its restorative virtues abused, by the cupidity of the
fraudulent and grasping trader, who scruples not to impose upon his
ignorant customers that of other trees of inferior worth. Now even
in the state in which these and numerous other vegetable substances
are submitted to the inspection of the faculty, a knowledge of botany
will often afford a test of no small importance in the choice of an
article which a person proposes to prescribe and administer, where his
fortune, and, what is more valuable to a medical man, his reputation,
is at stake. Even a very few years since, how few in this country were
possessed of a sufficient share of that knowledge for such an
application of it. Men who had risen to the highest rank in their
profession, scarce knew a nettle from a crowfoot j and the capability of
not confounding a mullein with a foxglove, seemed almost a miraculous
stretch of botanical acquirement for a doctor, to one who had heard, in
a very learned assembly too, a yellow gentian, in full flower, hailed as
a splendid specimen of digitalis. Such ignorance, however, was
pardonable in the accomplished who betrayed it — in one educated at a
period in which the utility of botany was not even dreamed of, as
a necessary part of the study for a physician. Now, however, who
would be justified in pleading apology for overlooking or slighting the
advantages it offers ? Surely no one is ignorant that the structure of
the vegetable frame is determined by laws as absolute, as invariable in
their action, when left to the guidance of nature, as are those which
govern the development of the various species of animal existence ; and
as the mighty genius of comparative anatomy, the highly talented and
lamented Cuvier, could, by his magic touch, bid the disunited and
scattered bones of a thousand different individuals arrange in the
original order of the frames they once gave form to and supported ; so
the botanist, practiced in the intricate lore of vegetable anatomy and

SOUTH LONDON FLORICULTURAL SOCIETY.

189

physiology, reads often, in the venation of a leaf, or the texture of
a hark, the character of the plant to which it belonged, in opposition to
that of others whose products may he mingled with them.

Had he in addition to the structure and economy of the more highly
organised plants, traced that of the descending series to the lowest verge
of vegetable vitality, and observed the varied forms of both, such
circumstances would not be devoid of utility ; because the presence of
certain tribes of plants indicate the kind of soil or rock to which they
are invariably found attached. Plants are also geographically dis¬
tributed ; the chief habitat of the Ericae is in the South of Africa.
To the same station the pelargoniums and mesembryanthemums belong;
the whole of the aloes is also found there except one in the West
Indies. In South America the cacti prevail, and oaks and magnolias
embellish the northern latitudes of that continent. Of the roses, not a
single indigenous species is known either in South America or Africa.
Other natural groups and their species are found only at particular
elevations above the level of the ocean. And though some of the epiphy¬
tic lichens are found to be indifferent to temperature, others are only
capable of existing at a certain mean, and their presecne, therefore,
upon the dried bark would be indicative of the natural site of the tree
that produced it. We are yet, however, but as children in regard to
our knowledge of the mutual dependence of organic beings upon each
other ; and still more so when we view them in connection with the
complicated chemical and mechanical agency with which their ex¬
istence is amalgamated.

South London Floricultural Society. — An exhibition of
flowers, flowering shrubs, and fruit, by this Society, took place on Thurs¬
day, the 7th April, at the Horns Tavern, Kennington ; and although
the weather was so extremely unfavourable, the supply of specimens
was abundant and beautiful beyond description. Most of the eminent
growers and amateurs contributed largely ; amongst others, the
names of Messrs. Young of Epsom, Gaines, Catleugh, Chandler, &c.,
stand pre-eminent : in fact, we are fully borne out by the unanimous
opinion of the meeting, that the display was equal to anything of the
kind ever seen. The exhibition was continued in the evening, and a
lecture was delivered by Mr. Johnston, lecturer on botany at Guy’s
Hospital. The attendance was highly respectable and numerous.
The chair was taken by Earl Stanhope, the president, for the first
time since his election to that office. The lecturer took a general
view of the nature and growth of flowers and plants, describing
minutely their internal and external formation and arrangements,
their properties, and the manner of their forming and depositing their

190 SHROPSHIRE AND NORTH WALES NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY.

seed. He adverted to the manner of their classification and arrange¬
ment by the older botanists, as compared with the mode and manner
of Linnaeus, whose different orders he fully displayed. The lecture
gave the greatest satisfaction to the meeting, who only regretted that
want of time compelled Mr. Johnston to abridge it. At its close, his
Lordship addressed the meeting, stating the gratification it afforded
him of presiding over a society of that description, complimenting the
ordinary chairman (Mr. Stiff) and the committee on the unprecedented
success which had attended their exertions, and assuring them that he
should be most anxious to support and promote their interests ; and
concluded with announcing that their other shows would take place
at the Surrey Zoological Gardens, in the months of June, July, and
September, when, from the number of influential growers and
amateurs who have enrolled themselves members, it is confidently
expected they will excel any thing of the kind yet produced.

Exhibitors: — Messrs. Harding, Gaines, Fairbairn, Catleugh,
Hidolph, Saddlier, Clark, Chandler, Iliff, Laycock, Love, Lidgard,
Hill, Conway, Redding, gardener to Mrs. Marryatt, Wimbledon House ;
Smee, Buchanan, Dickson, Bowler, Cooper, Young of Epsom, Rogers,
Young, and Little. Prizes were awarded to Harding for auriculas ;
to Dickson for best seedling ditto ; Harding for polyanthus ; to Lowe
for hyacinths ; to Chandler for miscellanies ; Young of Epsom for
best specimen plant ; Saddlier for best pears, and Conway for cucum¬
bers. Extra prizes to Redding for a fine specimen plant ; Catleugh
for geraniums ; Little for hyacinths, and Mr. Lowe for best bulbous
plants.

Shropshire and North Wales Natural History Society.
(From the Analyst.) — The first general meeting of the members of
this Society was held in the temporary Town-hall, Shrewsbury, in
November last, and was attended by a numerous assemblage of the
rank and respectability of the county, who evinced the deepest interest
in the proceedings.

The president (the Venerable Samuel Butler, D. D. F. R. S.
Archdeacon of Derby) opened the business of the day by delivering the
following powerful Address : —

tft The most important agent in the natural world is light, which,
with its concomitant, heat, sets in motion all the animal and vegetable
world, arrays the whole creation in its variety of gorgeous hues, vivifies
the dormant seeds of plants, and causes even inert matter to assume
new combinations and new affinities, and to ferment, as it were, with
the germ of vitality. What light is to the material, knowledge is to
the intellectual, world. Nay, we even use the word metaphorically,

SHROPSHIRE AND NORTH WALES NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 191

when speaking of the operations of the mind. But, as in the case of
inert matter, some fermentation takes place before it assumes a more
beauteous arrangement in a crystallised or prismatic form, so, in that
of mental improvement, the first rays of light which are let in upon
the uncultivated mind are apt to cause a peculiar commotion upon it.
They act upon it as the Spirit that moved on the face of the chaotic
deep, and do not bring the confused and indigested mass into order
without a strange and often a violent perturbation. Hence we shall
find that, whenever a sudden and vehement impulse is given to the
operations of the mind, men become restless and self-willed. In their
desire to advance in the pursuit of objects heretofore unknown to
them, they are hurried forward by a tumult of impatience and delight ;
and in their eagerness to outstrip their teachers, they rush impetuously
to the goal, they overlook or overleap many previous necessary con¬
clusions, and, mistaking the first rays of light which beam on their
understandings for the brightness of meridian day, they become filled
with self-sufficiency and self-will, the two greatest obstacles to
philosophical investigation and intellectual improvement. These
observations appear to me not inapplicable to the present moment.
There is a great, a general movement in advance throughout the
civilised world, and such an impulse cannot be given to men’s minds
without important results, nor without considerable agitation. Mankind
may be considered at present as under a sort of moral and intellectual
ferment, from the influence of the first beams of knowledge shining on
their minds, and rousing a confused and inert mass into action ; and
before any organised or well-regulated arrangement can take place, we
must expect the smooth and the rough, the cold and hot, the moist and
dry, the dense and rare, to come into collision, and contend with each
other for the mastery. This agitation cannot at once subside, and
while it lasts we can look for little actual advancement in science ; but
when it becomes composed and arranged, just as in the defecation of
any other fermentive process, we may expect the happiest effects.

“ Prejudice and presumption are so closely allied to ignorance, that,
where the former exist, we may always expect to find the latter, and
they are the greatest foes to sound philosophy and scientific improve¬
ment. We may observe this on all occasions, and not least in the
attacks which have been made, by mistaken zeal, upon the new science
of geology. For my own part, I do not see how the scriptural account
of the creation is more impugned or invalidated by the inquiries or
discoveries of geologists in the present age, than it was, onlv two
centuries ago, by those of Galileo, who, in that enlightened age,
suffered the penalty of a long imprisonment, and nearly incurred the

192 ANSWER TO “ A SUBSCRIBER FROM THE COMMENCEMENT.”

severer torments of death at the stake, for asserting those truths which
no man thinks now of denying, and which have been confirmed and
established by the still more important discoveries of our own immortal
Newton. That most able and highly-gifted individual who now adorns
the University of Cambridge, and that college in it which has to boast
the names of two of the greatest philosophers of any age or country —
for what can be greater than those of Bacon and Newton ?— and whose
own name, hereafter, will be added to a list of worthies unexampled in
the annals of science, and claiming the admiration of the latest
posterity : he, I say, who has made the geology of this country, in
particular, the object of his special attention — and after this description
of him it is needless to add the name of Professor Sedgwick — in that
matchless and profound discourse which he has published on the studies
of the University — a work which, in a small compass, contains volumes,
and which can never be too much read or too seriously reflected on —
has abundantly and unanswerably replied to all such objections. It
will never be found that real science is at variance with scriptural
truth. It may help us to a better and clearer interpretation of those
truths which are recorded in scripture, but never will it impugn the
sacred oracles or promote the cause of irreligion or infidelity. If it
enlarges our views of this wonderful creation ; if it enables us more
clearly to understand the mechanism of the world we live in, and the
admirable contrivances for the preservation of the creatures which
inhabit it, and the unerring laws by which the worlds around us are
moved, and governed, and retained in their several orbits, or in their
dependent systems ; it can only lead us to contemplate with more
reverential awe the inconceivable power and majesty of that Infinite
and Almighty Being who called them into existence by his single
fiat, f who spake the word and they were made, who commanded and
it stood fast/

“ With these views, then, let us approach the great book of creation,
and apply ourselves to study its pages with feelings of gratitude and
veneration towards Him who formed it. Of love for the goodness, of
reverence for the power, of awe for the majesty, of admiration for the
wisdom displayed in all his works, of thankfulness for our own creation,
for our preservation, and for all the blessings of this life ; and let us
remember that this world is but a passage to another, and that natural
religion is but the portal by which we may approach to that which is
revealed.”

Answer to “ A Subscriber from the Commencement.”
— We would advise that the whole area within the walls be first
trenched fifteen inches deep, laying the surface level. When all the

ANSWER TO “ A SUBSCRIBER FROM THE COMMENCEMENT;’ 193

largest stones (if any) are picked off, cover the ground with a good coat
of dung, and another composed of small chalk, marl, loam, or earth
of any kind within reach. The thicker these materials are laid on and
digged in, the richer the future service of the ground will be, either
for the growth of culinary vegetables or fruit trees. If only a moderate
quantity of loam or mild clay be procurable it should be chiefly
bestowed on the borders intended for wall-fruit trees. It should be
particularly kept in mind that, on such a deep subsoil of gravel, every
exertion should be made to render the garden immediately pro¬
ductive, and this can only be done by making the gravelly surface,
necessarily made by the operation of trenching, as rich as possible.
Gradual amelioration will be made in the course of years ; but a
substantial foundation should be laid at first.

When the whole area is thus trenched, enriched, digged and levelled,
•the next thing is laying out the walks and quarters. A walk four feet
wide should encompass the whole at the distance of twelve feet from the
wall; in order to correspond with the height of the wall; but which
we must remark is two feet higher than it need have been for so small
a garden. If desirable the garden may be divided into quarters
by -walks of the same width crossing each other at right angles in the
middle of the plot.

The South and West aspects of the walls may be planted with
peaches, nectarines, and vines. Of the two former, dwarfs may be
planted at fifteen feet distances, with standards or riders between each
couple, to occupy the upper part of the wall. The East and North
aspects should be planted with pears, plums, and morella cherries.
The first and last at eighteen feet distances, and the second at about
twelve feet apart from each other.

The best peaches for such a garden are the Early Admirable, Early
Galland, French Mignon, Violet Hative, Noblesse, Royal George, and
Late Admirable. The best Nectarines are the Elruge, Claremont,
Roman, Newington, and Peterborough. The most useful pears are
the Petit Muscat, Sucre Vert, Jargonelle, Bon Chretien d’Ete,
Autumn Bergamot, Swan’s Egg, White Beurre, Brown Beurre,
Gansel’s Bergamot, Marie Louise, St. Germain, Dnchesse d’Angouleme,
Crassane, Colmar, Chaumontelle, and Beurre Diel. The best Plums
are the Jaun Hative, Early Primordian, Morocco, Early Orleans,
Fotheringam, Green Gage, Orleans, LaRoyale, Coe’s Golden Drop, and
Magnum Bonum. If a choice of materials can be had for compounding
fruit borders, see what has been advanced on this subject in our
Number for October 1835. And as to the manner of planting and
different modes of training fruit-trees round the margins of Kitchen-
garden quarters, see the two last Numbers of the Register.

VOL. v. — no. lix.

c c

J94

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

Of Gooseberries we do not know any better than the Warrington ; but
as there are a few others which come in about the same time, we may
just name them : — Brundet’s Atlas, Farmer’s Roaring Lion, Mathew’s
Alexander, Tillotson’s Seedling, Pitmaston Green Gage, and Walnut
Green.

The Muscat of Alexandria grape is altogether unfit for a greenhouse ;
nor can any treatment it may have in such a place ever bring it
to perfection ; because the high temperature it requires at the time the
plants are housed would ruin the latter. The other musk flavoured
grapes which would have a better chance of ripening in the greenhouse,
are the White, Black, and Grizzly Frogntiniacs, or Frontinans as they
are now called. The attendance required by grape vines depends on
the manner they are pruned and trained: but they certainly need
looking over twice in the week. The expense of fuel it is impossible
to estimate ; because that depends on the state of the weather, and the
kind of fuel employed. Say half a bushel of coals per diem. — Ed.

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

Edwards’s Botanical Register, continued by Dr. Bindley.
The April number contains : — -

1. Angrcecum caudatum. Long-tailed Angraecum. A most re¬
markable new species imported from Sierra Leone by Messrs. Loddiges.
Like other orchidece , the flowers are of a remarkable shape, and having
spurs nine inches long. The plant is difficult of culture, and is yet

very rare in the country.

* •

2. Kennedia Stirlingi. Sir James Stirling’s Kennedy. A grace¬
ful green-house trailing plant, native of the Swan River. The leaves
are broad and pale green, fringed with weak hairs. The flowers are
scarlet, blooming in pairs, and appear in April.

3. Cratcegus microcarpa. Small fruited Thorn. It is a native of
North America, and perfectly hardy. Its value as an ornamental
plant consists in the neatness of its foliage and beauty of its scarlet
fruit. As the genus Cratcegus has been but little noticed by botanists,
Dr. Bindley announces that he intends figuring the whole of them
(*. e. foliage and fruit) in the future numbers of the Botanical Register,
as a genus of plants deserving of more notice than has hitherto been
bestowed on them.

4. Cratcegus heterophylla. Various-leaved Hawthorn. This is
another ornamental thorn which is well worthy a place in every
collection ; it is an abundant flowerer, and, like its congeners, bears a
profusion of scarlet haws in the autumn.

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

195

5. Maxillaria rufescens. Brownish Maxillaria. A native of
Trinidad, imported by Mr. Lowe, of Clapton. Was first flowered at
the Duke of Devonshire’s, at Chatsworth, in 1834, and, since, in other
collections. It is the same species which is called by some M. fucata.

6. Godetia lepida . Smart Godetia. A pretty new annual found
in California by Mr. Douglas, and was raised in the garden of the
Horticultural Society in 1835. This plant was formerly ranked
among the CEnotheras till separated and made a new genus by Spach,
with several other new genera from the same old genus. Dr. L.
thought that several of Spach’s new genera were merely fanciful, but
admitted that that botanist had valid reasons for separating the present
plant, and, therefore, has adopted his generic name Godetia.

7* Oxyura chrysanthemoides. Ox-eye-like Oxyura. A plant
belonging to Compositce, and made a new genus by M. De Candolle,
and by him placed “ in the subdivision Madiace , of the division
Galinsogece , of the subtribe Helleniecs , of the tribe Senecionidece,
of his first series Tubulijlorce , which nearly answers to the
Corymbiferce of Jussieu. ” VI It has been said that the more the
natural orders of plants are divided, the easier the study of the science
will be. Here then we have an instance of supka-sub-division,
which cannot fail to lead the student to the proper point of the
system. This plant has very much the aspect of chrysanthemum
coronarium. It is a hardy annual, flowering in August and September,
and ripens seeds in abundance.

Sweet’s British Flower-Garden, continued by Professor Don.
The April number contains: —

1. Nemophila insignis. Opposite- leaved Nemophila. A very
pretty annual, native of California, whence it was sent to the Horti¬
cultural Society, and raised in the garden of that establishment. The
genus was established by Nuttall, who found the original species,
N. phacelioides, near Fort Smith, on the Arkansa.

2. Zenobia speciosa. Showy Zenobia. A beautiful hardy American
border-plant, where it well deserves a place among the Kalmias,
Ledums, &c., from the same quarter of the world. It has been known
in this country for nearly forty years, and described as Andromeda
speciosa , or A. casstnefolia, or A. pulverulenta. According to
Sprengel, it is nearly allied to Enkianthus of Loureiro, but is now
established as above by Professor Don, in his second subtribe Andro-
medece , of the natural order Ericacece.

3. Rhododendron jlavum ; var. coronarium. Garland Rosebay.
This splendid shrub was called Azalea pontica by Linnaeus and many
of his followers, and Chanuerhodendros pontica by Tournefort, It

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

has been lately introduced into this country by Mr. Knight, of the
King's Road, Chelsea, along with many others of the same tribe. This
is said to be the handsomest of the yellow-flowered kinds.

4. Campanula Loreyi. Lorey’s Bell-flower. A most elegant and
showy annual of easy culture, thriving in almost any kind of soil, where
it will continue itself by shedding seed. It is a native of Italy, and
has been in our collections about ten years. There are two varieties.

Paxton’s Magazine of Botany for April contains: —

1. Eschscholtzia crocea. Saffron-flowered Eschscholtzia. A more
showy species than the E. Californica. It may be propagated by
divisions, or, which is better, by seed, sown as soon as ripe, on a warm
spot, where the seedlings will stand the winter without protection.

2. Ipomea Horsfallia. Mrs. Horsfall's Ipomea. The seeds of this
elegant plant were received either from India or Africa. It is a
climber, and is covered in autumn with a profusion of red flowers. It
belongs to Convolvulacece .

3. Musa Cavendishia. The Duke of Devonshire’s Banana. This
interesting new species of Musa is said to be a native of China, and
it is supposed that there is only one other plant of it in Europe.
Mr. Paxton has been fortunate in fruiting it at Chatsworth ; and, from
the very full account given by Mr. P., it promises to be a valuable
addition to our stock of tropical fruits. The other species of Musa
which have been long in our collections, and frequently fruited, are
such majestic plants, that very few stoves are lofty enough to allow of
their rising to their full and fruiting height. But this new acquisition
yields its fruit when only a few feet high, so that any common-sized
stove may contain as many plants as will yield a supply of fruit for
the table for several months. Mr. P. has given in this number not
only an accurate coloured figure of the flowers and fruit of the M. Caven¬
dishia, but has added an interesting history of the other species hereto¬
fore known in European collections. The oldest one of our stoves is
the M. paradisiaca of the East Indies, but the commonest cultivated
species in the West Indies is the M. sapientum or banana. Shady
walks of these are attached to every plantation and to every house or
cottage in Jamaica. As the banana is perennial, and ever throwing up
a succession of young stems, some one or other of the plants are yielding
fruit the whole year round, and this is very often the chief part of the
food of the owner and his family. Three dozen of the fruit are
sufficient to serve one man a whole week instead of bread, and will
support him in warm countries much better. When boiled or roasted,
they are used in the place of bread, and eaten with fish or salt meat.
When ripe, tarts are made of them, or the fruit is sliced and fried with

CALEXDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR MAY.

197

blitter, or dried and preserved as a sweetmeat, or converted into an
excellent marmalade. The young shoots are eaten as a delicate
vegetable, and the old stems when shredded or chopped up are excellent
manger meat for cattle.

From the foregoing remarks, it will appear that the banana is not,
even when mature, a rich luscious fruit like the peach, or mango, or
pine-apple, but rather resembles in quality and consistence some of our
beurre pears. Those we have partaken of in India, we thought very
little, if at all, superior to the Psidium pyriferum. But, as we have
a natural antipathy to all sweet fruits, our judgment is not to be relied
on. The fruit of the banana, however, when produced in this country,
and whether appearing in the second course at table or in the dessert,
will always be considered as a rare luxury.

This number of the “ Magazine of Botany” contains also Hints on
the Illicium floridanum ; Culture of the Ixia tribe; Treatment of
Rhododendron arhoreum ; Hints on Thunhergia, of which nine species
are noticed ; together with Remarks on Astrapcea ; — all very valuable
information for the cultivator of exotic plants.

Smith’s Florist’s Magazine

Contains the Anemonefora and Rosa Mundi Camellias ; Rhodo¬
dendron campanulatum , a fine Nepalese species introduced by Dr.
Wallich; the Miss Miller and the Emperor of China Picotees ; and
the Solon and Esther Tulips. The letter-press accompanying these
beautiful figures is full of the necessary information respecting their
cultivation and history.

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR MAY.

Kitchen Garden. — Continue to sow once a fortnight succession
crops of Knight’s marrowfat peas and the most desirable sorts of common
beans. Earth up and stick the early-sown crops of those which are
sufficiently advanced.

Dwarf Kidney Deans may be sown at least twice in this month,
and, about the middle, sow a full crop of the runner kinds. If either
dwarfs or runners have been sown in boxes or frames for transplanting,
they may be transplanted into drills about the 15th.

Canlif ozvers. — Those under hand-glasses may be henceforth fully
exposed ; the earth drawn to form basins round the plants, to admit of
them being supplied with manured water, to increase the size of the
heads. Towards the end of the month another seed-bed may be sown
to raise plants for autumn and winter service.

198

C A L E X I>A RIAL MEMORANDA FOR MAY.

Broccoli. — If any early-sown seedlings be fit to transplant, it may
now be done. Deep and ricb ground is required, in order to have
heads of good size. It is impossible to have fine broccoli on poor land,
and, to have strong stocky plants, it is a good plan to give them a
month’s growth in a second nursery-bed before they are put out for
good. A small bed of the Siberian sort may be sown towards the end
for the latest next spring crop. The middle of the month is a good
season to sow the green and early purple Cape sorts, and Grainge’s
early white, to come in during the autumn. At the end, sow the
green close-headed for winter use.

Carrots. — A moderate-sized piece of this vegetable should be sown
in this month for drawing young in summer. The principal crops will
require thinning towards the end, and must be kept constantly free
from weeds.

Spinach.— Sow once a fortnight.

Onioyis. — Sow the silver-skinned for drawing young for salads, and
a bed or two thick for picklers. Thin and weed the principal crop
sown in March. If thinned by the hoe, the soil should not be deeply
loosened, as onions always bulb better on firm than on loose ground.

Cabbage and savoys for autumn use should now be planted out, and
a trench or two may be got ready for the first crop of celery.

Radish of different varieties, lettuces and small salad herbs may be
sown twice in the month, and, about the end, a small bed of the green-
curled endive. The different sorts of lettuce should be frequently
transplanted from former sowings to secure a constant supply.

Turnip. — Sow another piece of the earl)'- Dutch or stone sorts, to
succeed those sown last month. Turnips for genteel tables should
always be young ; they are in the highest perfection, as well in con¬
sistence as flavour, when about two and a half inches in diameter.
The white Norfolk, an agricultural variety, are seldom seen in gardens,
but they are highly valued by the cook for their superior sweetness, if
not too large.

Beet. — The different sorts will require thinning, leaving the red ten
inches apart, the green and white somewhat closer.

Potatoes . — In some families, young potatoes are required all the
year round. The smallest early varieties, such as the Early Frame
and Early Batson’s, are the most suitable sorts, because of these
acquiring a degree of wholesome maturity wTien very small. A few
may be therefore put in from time to time, up to the end of July, if
the old tubers can be kept dormant so long. We have known the
earliest hot-bed potato plants, which were gradually robbed of their
first tubers as they became fit for use, continue to produce others

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR MAY.

199

even till the end of summer, and not only from the original roots, but
from the young tubers themselves, without the assistance of either
green stem or leaf !

Cucumbers , Vegetable Marrow , and Gourds. —It is presumed where
hot-bed forcing is carried on, that the seeds of these several exotics
have been already raised and potted ofif in readiness to be ridged out
about the middle of the month. For the mode of management, wre
may refer back to what appears in our calendar for May last ; but, to
save trouble, we may here repeat that trenches or square pits, two feet
wide and as much in depth, are filled with well -prepared stable dung
beaten pretty compactly together, and immediately covering it with
about eight inches of dry rich compost. As soon as the heat has risen
and warmed the compost, place hand-glasses three feet apart along the
middle of the trench or rank of pits, and under each a pot of plants is
placed a little deeper in the compost than the depth of the pots. The
plants are carefully turned out of the pots without disturbing the ball
of roots, and the compost is pressed close round and partly over the
ball, so as to press the stems a little outwards. A little water is then
given and the glasses put on ; they are covered and shaded in the day
till they have taken fresh root ; after which the plants only require a
little fresh air every day by raising the south front of the glasses on a
brickbat, and shut down at night.

As this is rather a late spring, it should be considered that the
sowings of the two former months will be likely to come in too much
together, and, therefore, the successions of this month should be some¬
what delayed. The state of the preceding crops, however, will always
enable the sower to hit the most proper time.

Fruit Trees. — All trained fruit-trees should be carefully looked
over in this month ; supernumerary and all misplaced shoots should be
rubbed oft’ before gaining strength to exhaust unnecessarily the juices
of the tree ; and distorted leaves (the work either of insects or mildew)
should be picked off and buried or otherwise destroyed. Apricots,
peaches, and nectarines particularly stand in need of this manipulation.
The symmetry and perfect health of the tree depends entirely on the
regulation of the growth, which can only be made in this and the next
month. Although this care be usually only bestowed on the wall-fruit
just named, yet all other trained trees may be much improved by such
regulation at this season.

Whatever covering may have been employed for the protection of
the bloom should not be wholly removed till about the 20th of the
month ; and if the weather be then dry and warm, frequent sprinklings,
or washings rather, with water or soap-suds, will be beneficial to fruit-

200

REMARKS ON THE WEATHER.

trees, whether on walls or otherwise. Wherever slugs are expected to
be injurious, as on strawberry-beds, &c., they should now be well
drenched with lime-water. This repeated two or three times at
intervals of a few days, will banish them entirely.

No memoranda need be put down concerning forced fruits,
whether in hot-beds or in houses. These require unceasing vigilance,
and it is but rarely indeed that anything relative to them is forgotten
by the manager.

Flower Garden.— -Sow successions of hardy annuals and biennials,
and thin and transplant some of those sown in March. Tender annuals,
dahlias, &c., lately potted and in frames, must be guarded by mats
against the cold of nights, and shaded, till they are well rooted, from
the sun by day. Such as are intended to be put out in the open air
should be gradually hardened by raising the lights before they are
finally put in their summer stations at the end of the month. For the
particular management of the Dahlia, see our last number, page 150.
All stage and bed flowers now require attention in shading, propping,
and defending from insects. Carnation seed may be sown. A few
ranunculus roots may be planted to flower in August, and new beds of
violets made. Greenhouse plants may be gradually shifted, preparatory
to their being set abroad, about the 25th. Camellias should be kept
in a higher temperature during this month, in order to throw them into
a flowering state. Cuttings of heaths and other ornamental plants
may now be put in, and rose-trees cut back to obtain a later bloom.

REMARKS ON THE WEATHER.

Ever since the date of our last remarks the weather has continued
exceedingly changeable and accompanied with a good deal of rain.
Luckily no very intense night frosts have occurred to hurt the blossoms
of wall-trees, or those of standard plums and pears. In the neighbour¬
hood of London, plums appeared to be fully blown about the 17th, and
pears, particularly the earliest sorts, are now profusely covered with
flowers. The frequent showers by which the opening buds are drenched
will serve to check the increase of insects, and very likely assist in
setting the fruit ; and, should no sharp frost occur, the present prospect
of a crop is favourable. Apricots on walls, whether covered or not,
ha^e set well ; and the present appearance of fruit-trees in general
(except those that bore heavy crops last year) look promisingly.

The season is backward, and there is now a great want of greens of
all kinds except spinach. A few spring cabbages have been brought
to market, but they are very small. Coleworts are also extremely scarce.

April 24th, H36.

PAXTON’S

HORTICULTURAL REGISTER,

JUNE, 1836.

HORTICULTURE.

ON HEATING HOTBEDS BY HOT WATER INSTEAD OF

STABLE DUNG.

Many proprietors of gardens and lovers of gardening are obliged to
forego many of the early products of the garden, from the difficulty of
obtaining stable dung enough for their ordinary purposes. Other
fermenting materials, as leaves or tanners’ bark, are equally incon¬
venient or expensive to procure ; and, therefore, it has been long
anxiously wished, by many persons, that some substitute for hot dung
could be applied in the culture of cucumbers and melons.

In our April number, page 133, our correspondent A. Z. begs for
information on this point ; and, luckily, another valued correspondent
put it in our power to give a description of a pit for cucumbers and
melons heated by hot water, and which had been successfully worked
for several years, adding a promise, that if any further information
were required, he would willingly give it. On behalf of our corre¬
spondent A. Z., we begged of R. G. to give us a plan and section
of his pit, and which he has been kind enough to hand to us for
publication.

The general description of the length, width, and manner of fitting
the interior, may be learned by turning back to page 134, with this
explanation, that the boiler is surrounded by a fine; and when it
is said that “ a four -inch pipe is carried just long enough to go
through the hack fiue and brick-work ,” the writer means, through the
flue and brick-work which surrounds the inner end of the boiler. This

VOL. v. — NO. LX.

I) D

202 SECTIONS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF HOTBED PITS.

will be better understood by referring to the annexed plan and section
of the west end of R. G.’s pit.

Notwithstanding this pit and apparatus answers the purpose, Mr.
R. G. thinks, and we agree with him, that it is capable of being much
simplified ; and, at the instant we were writing these remarks, we
received from a friend the plan of another pit, erected for a similar
purpose, by Mr. Weekes, for Sir Francis Shuckborough, of Chelsea.

SECTIONS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF HOTBED PITS.

203

In this, there is no iron pan for holding water under the bed, but a
brick-work semicircular trough, lined with the best water-tight com¬
position. In this trough, which extends the whole length of the pit,
a loop of two-inch hot-water pipe is laid, being fed from an elevated
cistern above the boiler, as seen in the annexed sections. The purpose
of the elevated cistern is to obtain another circulation of hot water to
warm the air above the plants, when necessary, by pipes laid on breaks
of the back and front walls, as shown in the section.

Both the pipes are fed from the cistern, and return below into the
boiler ; and the cistern being above the level of circulation, accelerates
the motion of the heated fluid. The water in the trough, through
which the pipes in both plans are laid, is sufficiently heated to be
constantly evolving steam, which, penetrating through the stage and
body of earth, excites the plants into vigorous and healthy growth,
and with far greater certainty and regularity than can, without much
care and labour, be obtained from dung or any other fermenting
material.

The plan of working hotbeds by hot water has been yet but partially
adopted ; the scheme may be said to be yet in its infancy ; but from
the favourable results already reported of its efficiency, no doubt but
improvements will be made in the heating apparatus, by increasing the
capacity and powers of the boiler to answer many purposes at the
same time.

We shall recur to this subject on some future opportunity, or as
soon as we have matured some ideas which are now floating loosely in
our mind. *

204

FURTHER REMARKS ON THE POTATO.

BY GEO. T. DALE, WIRKSWORTH, DERBYSHIRE.

Having promised to say something more on the Potato, I now do
so. It has been said by a celebrated individual in the horticultural
world, that the early potato may be planted at almost any period of the
year, and a crop ensured. The same person maintains, that if the top
of the plant be cut off by frost, it is of little or no consequence, as there
always remains sufficient productive power in the potato to produce
others. This opinion I must beg leave to controvert. For every¬
thing there is a season ; and even granting it matters little at what
time potatoes are planted, yet it must follow, as a matter of course,
that if the top of the plant is cut off, it must weaken the powers of
the same in producing tubers, as an extra effort has to be made.

It is absolutely necessary, from the time the seed-potatoes come out
of the ground, that they should be as much as possible at rest, to ensure
what I should call a good crop. This is only to be done by being par¬
ticular as to where and how your seed is laid by for the winter. So
tenacious is the potato as to heat, that a very low degree will immedi¬
ately set its powers at work.

Much has been said with respect to setting the potato whole or cut.
I was well acquainted with a scientific horticulturist who for twenty
years was trying experiments on the potato. After that period, — indeed
long before the expiration of that term, — he had come to the conclusion
that the best crop was obtained by setting whole. Indeed, strange as
it may appear to some, I knew an individual who, by setting a single
potato whole, produced, by great pains in cultivation, the extraordinary
number of seventy pecks in one season. This is a fact that I am aware
will be disputed by many ; but all who do so, I refer to my friend,
Mr. Stafford Wellesley, whose authority will, I imagine, be sufficient:
indeed, I am convinced it is possible to produce more. So much for
its productive powers, if properly managed. I should recommend early
potatoes to be set about two inches deep, and only to be earthed up
once slightly. With regard to the later crops, I should say, do very
little more : allow all the sun that you. can to get to the rootlets. I
think, three times out of four, harm is done by injudicious earthing up.
Most early potatoes produce their tubers as near as they can to the
surface ; indeed they often lie above the ground. Seeing this is the
nature of the plant, why earth them up as most do, making either a
trench for the wet to drain into and scab the potato, or exclude the
sun from the tubers, in spite of all their efforts to get to it. The

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

205

winter potato I would plant a little deeper, and earth up slightly.
I feel convinced much of it does no good To cottagers, small gar¬
deners, &c., I would recommend saving all the refuse of their gardens,
such as leaves, cabbage-stalks, and everything of that sort, to lay up to
rot through the winter : if they have moss near, get that also. This
will answer every purpose of stable-manure, and will cost nothing but
a little trouble.

May 2nd , 1836.

I was passing by a cottager’s garden a few days since ; he was busily
employed setting his potatoes, many of which had shoots two or three
inches long. I observed, as he planted them, most of them broke off.
I asked him if he thought they were good seed ? He said they were
such as he had always planted ; but he had often had poor crops. I
explained to him how it was. The man seemed quite surprised, but
much pleased, and determined in future to adopt a different plan.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

LETTER TWELVE.

Dear Sir — I ended my last with a short description of the view of
the abbey, as seen from the lower end of the front lawn. This is a
truly picturesque scene. The irregular course of the river winding
along its abrupt banks and natural channel — in one place rippling
over a pebbly shallow — in another, arrested in a glassy pool — gives
animation ; while the stately and venerable trees which skirt the woods
on each side, overtopped by the pines and firs which crown the heights,
seclude, 'while they protect, the principal object in the picture. The
site of this ancient establishment, like all others of the same character,
commands all those circumstances which were, at the time of their
foundation, considered indispensable — namely, shelter from the rigours
of a northern climate ; a command of water, by which, in those turbu¬
lent times, the buildings could be secured by an impassable moat,
except by a drawbridge ; and, at the same time, the moat served as a
stew or nursery for fish, so necessary to a Catholic ecclesiastical com¬
munity. The land in its immediate vicinity being, like the bottom of
all valleys or sides of rivers, exceedingly rich, answered well for kitchen
gardening and the culture of fruit-trees, so necessary also for such an
establishment. Its situation in a valley gave, moreover, a better view

208

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

of the declivous surface on both sides, and of the hanging woods, or
other objects thereon.

In modern times, when a country residence is intended to be built,
the choice of a proper site requires a good deal of consideration. On a
first survey, it often happens that the most beautiful part to look at
from a distance, is recommended as the best station for a house. This,
though a very natural, is a deceptive impression ; because the beautiful
ground cannot be all seen from the windows of a house built upon it.
If, indeed, a proprietor wishes to make his house an eye-trap, to arrest
the attention or provoke the envy of the public, or to form a fine picture
for himself to take a walk or ride to look at ; then he has only to place
his house on some commanding brow overlooking the turnpike-road ;
but he, it is likely, may have cause to repent placing his house on that
beautiful brow, as soon as he looks from its windows.

It is very often remarked by those who have not studied ,the subject,
when they see a house surrounded by beautiful hills, that it is mis¬
placed, conceiving that, if it had been placed on the higher ground,
it would have looked better. So, indeed, it might, if the house, as a
piece of architecture, be only considered ; but, as much more beautiful
scenery may be formed on an acclivous, than on a declivous, surface,
no one would sacrifice pleasing views, as seen from the windows, upon
an ascending surface, for any upon a descending slope, which the
inmates must go abroad to see.

But, on the other hand, as the love of prospect is said to be an inhe¬
rent principle of the human mind, a castellated mansion, on a com¬
manding eminence, has certainly most attractive charms. Where the
surface sinks away on all sides from the ramparts or windows, and
commands a distant horizon circumbounding an extensive tract of
country, stretched out like a map before the spectator, with all its
interesting objects of towns, villages, public and private buildings —
such a range for the eye is at all times most gratifying ; and though
the lord of the castle, unlike the proprietor of a secluded house, may
see but little he can call his own, he has the privilege of overlooking
that of others.

Both situations have advantages peculiar to themselves, and these
are differently regarded, according as the proprietor is an admirer of
extensive prospect, or content to sojourn in

“ An unseen, unseeing dell.”

The abbey to which I have called your attention belongs to the latter
description, and, considered as a quiet retreat, is most perfect of its
kind. It is shut out from the garish eye of day — a sort of extra-mun-

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

207

dane abode, the history and character of which is ever exciting an
association of ideas of events, and customs, and opinions of other days,
particularly to the antiquary, or to the man of studious habits.

I returned to Fairfax Hall much gratified with my visit to this
unique residence, and full of reflections on what the abbey once was,
when governed by a lordly abbot, attended by a number of canons,
monks, and other clerical orders, besides seculars and servants, all
supported by princely revenues for the practice of devotion, for dissemi¬
nating true religion, for relieving the poor, and sheltering the weary
pilgrim — all long ago suppressed, and fallen into other hands.

Some of the most extensive estates, and many of the most splendid
private mansions in this kingdom, are the remains of those ancient
ecclesiastical establishments. Some are converted into noblemen’s
palaces, others are baronial halls, and very many are now only farm¬
houses ; but wherever such vestigia are met with, — whether those of an
abbey, monastery, or priory, — there we are sure to find three valuable
concomitant circumstances — namely, a fine situation, rich land, and
pure water.

I mention this as a striking proof of the extreme care which was
bestowed in fixing on eligible sites for those establishments, and of the
great cost, which was voluntarily subscribed, for completing their erec¬
tion, and bestowed in their endowments. To found and endow a reli¬
gious house was, in those days of bigotry, considered as the highest
instance of Christian zeal, and the most excellent mark of Christian
duty.

But these establishments introduced indirectly a few national im¬
provements, of which the advantages are enjoyed at the present day.
Ornamental gardening was introduced by the Italian monks, and many
fine varieties of orchard and wall fruit, as well as methods of culture,
were brought over by the natives of France and Germany. The Italian
or Dutch style of landscape gardening was first executed in the gar¬
dens of colleges, and in those of ecclesiastical corporations. The avenue,
the clipped evergreen hedge, the geometrical parterre, the terraced
gardens, with flights of stairs in the open air, were all designed by
foreigners, and from thence copied into the private residences of the
nobility and gentry in different parts of the kingdom. The remains of
some of thes§ topiary gardens still exist ; but not being approved by
modern taste, are rapidly disappearing.

Several of the French pears and grape-vines introduced about that
time — i. e. during the reigns of the Seventh and Eighth Henrys- — are,
in all probability, still in our collections, and certainly many of our
culinary and medical plants.

208

ENTOMOLOGY.

On re-entering the park of Fairfax Hall, I noted the following
memoranda : — The back entrance-gate is on a similar plan to that
of the principal ; but both it and the keepers lodge adjoining, are in a
somewhat less ornamented style. It is placed on a cross road leading
from the town of — - to the county town of - , and as con¬

venient for travelling to either of those places, as the main entrance
is for proceeding to the former, or to the metropolis.

The keeper’s house is a roomy and comfortable dwelling — not a mere
architectural box , like too many of those diminutive whims called
porters’ lodges. Attached to it there are various offices, as kennels for
greyhounds, pointers, and spaniels, and a^compact yard, and sheds for
fattening a few deer.

We rode into the stable-yard of the mansion house, through the
tunnel leading thereto ; and at the inner end, and a little to the left, I
noticed, for the first time, the paved platform and door of the ice-house,
which I was told is an arched excavation under that part of the
pleasure-ground, and consequently plantedkwer with evergreen shrubs.

On dismounting, I expressed to my friend the great gratification I
had had from our morning excursion ; and he, with his usual kindness,
promised me another treat of the same kind, to see a place belonging to
a noble friend of his, of a very different character. After I have had
this promised pleasure, I shall again/ trouble you with a few remarks.
Meantime, believe me to be yours truly,

A. B.

ENTOMOLOGY.

NOTICES OF INSECTS DESTRUCTIVE IN GARDENS.

{Continued from page 143.)

The coccus, or white-scale insect, often attacks the pine-apple
plant, especially those in a stunted state of growth. Many different
remedies have been recommended for their destruction, among which
one of the most common is soot and sulphur finely ground together,
and dusted over the plants immediately after being sponged with soft
water, in which a little [tobacco liquor has been infused. The powder
should be allowed to fall into the axils of the leaves, and low down upon
the stem, where the insects often congregate. Some add a little stone
vitriol and camphor, both pounded to the soot and sulphur, and throw
it on the plants by means of a hair-dresser’s puff. After thus dressing

ENTOMOLOGY.

209

the plants, it is advisable to keep them for a few days in a high moist
temperature, which will either kill or banish every enemy of the

plants.

The latter part of this prescription is, perhaps, the most effectual
for driving the insects ; and, indeed, it is now found, that, to recover
sickly pine plants, and free them from insects, it is only necessary to
put them upon a brisk stable-dung heat. The ammonious gas arising
from the dung appears to be at once fatal to the insects, and nutritious
to the plants. This circumstance has induced many pine-growers to
raise, not only their successions, but also their fruiting plants, entirely
on dung heat.

Many stove-plants are liable to be preyed on by the coccidts ; and if
at any time they are not in free growth, or are particularly delicate in
their shoots and foliage, they may be freed from the insects by being
removed to a dung hotbed for a few days. The only thing to be
guarded against in making such a trial is, not to expose delicate plants
to the steamy heat of dung, which assuredly would be as fatal to the
plants as to the insects. Orange-trees, myrtles, camellias, and all such
firm leathery-leaved plants, may bear such a fumigation for a short time
safely ; but no herbaceous-leaved plant could sustain the effects of the
effluvia but for a very short time.

When hothouse or greenhouse plants are seized by the scale, they are
usually removed by a stick thinly pointed at one end, and a bit of
sponge tied on at the other, with which the scales are loosened, and
washed off with a weak solution of tobacco or quick lime in soft water.
This, however, is a tedious process, and only effectual to stop the
increase, rather than extirpate the insects. Frequent steaming, and
sprinkling with water offensive to them, are the best preventives.
Succulent plants, which cannot safely be drenched with water, should
be fumigated by some noxious vapour, as sulphur, or the like, in a
frame by themselves. A fumigating frame, of rather large dimensions,
should be an appendage to every establishment where exotic plants,
whether useful or ornamental, are kept ; it would be found very useful
for many purposes of the garden, for which neither a pit nor common
frames without risers are adapted.

A species of coccus is sometimes met with on peach, nectarine, and
grape vines under glass. The females become very large in the spring ;
the hinder part of the scale is raised up to allow a white cotton-like
bag of their young to grow, and afterwards escape. At this time they
are easily removed by the back of a knife, or by a hard brush.

The coccidce which infest forest-trees, - — as the poles of ash and
the red or broad-leaved willow, — -are of two kinds : the scales of the one

VOL. v.

NO. LX.

E E

210

ENTOMOLOGY.

are elongated ovals ; the other has crescent-shaped scales ; and these
two are often seen on the same tree. Sometimes one or both are met
with on the smooth bark of pear-trees in gardens. To get rid of them
in gardens, it has ‘been advised to wash the whole tree with urine or
salt and water late in the day, when a sharp night-frost is expected.
The water freezing over and among the scales, raises them from the
bark, and they are discharged entirely by the first thaw.

The Altica nemorum , a coleopterous insect, is what is commonly called
the turnip-fly, so destructive to the field crops of that invaluable agri¬
cultural plant. The economy of this national scourge is as yet but
imperfectly known, and therefore no effectual means have been yet dis¬
covered to prevent their depredations. They appear in gardens on
radish, turnip, cauliflower, and other cruciferous plants, but are never
very injurious here, because such small seed-beds being frequently
visited, and easily dusted with a little slaked lime or dry ashes, the
flies are by these means kept off. The turnip-fly, or beetle, is most
destructive in its perfect state ; but the larvae of some other coleopte¬
rous insects are, in some instances, very annoying in gardens and
nurseries. Those of the May-bug, or tree-beetle ( Melolontha ) are, in
some parts of France, so numerous, that they destroy whole quarters
of rose-trees in the public nurseries. They always choose light puffy
soil to lay their eggs in ; and, as their grubs remain three or four years
in the ground before they assume the winged state, they have time to
do much damage to the roots of trees and other plants. The larvae of
the hoary beetle and rose-chaffer are also injurious to the roots of
plants ; but they are never in this country seen in very great numbers,
they being kept under by rooks, jackdaws, and magpies, which seek for
and eagerly devour the grubs as well as the perfect insects. It is a
remarkable instinct which guides these, as well as many other insects,
to fly chiefly in the evening, to avoid their natural enemies.

The mire-worms, so injurious to the bulbs of the florist, are said to
be larvae of the Staphylince and Elatridce, and are captured by burying
raw potatoes, turnips, or apples in the ground infested by them : these
they will prefer to the bulbs ; and, if examined from time to time, the
grubs may be caught and killed.

The millepede ( Armadillo vulgaris ) is a troublesome insect to gar¬
deners, and particularly injurious to cucumber, melon, and other tender
plants in hotbeds. The usual method of getting rid of them is by
placing an old shoe stuffed with hay moistened with sugared water
over-night in the frame, and shaking out the captured insects into a
pot of water every morning; and this continued till all are caught.
Relative to this insect, we are happy in the opportunity of presenting

ON THE STUDY OF THE SCIENCE OF BOTANY.

211

a letter just received from our friend, Mr. H. Lake, of Uxbridge,
reporting an easy means for destroying the millepede ; it runs thus: —

Sir, — There has long been a great desire by all cultivators of the
cucumber and melon, to exterminate the insect, Armadillo vulgaris , or
millepede, from the frames.

“ I am happy, therefore, to be able to inform them, that, by the
use of carbonic acid gas in the frames, not only will that formidable
insect be extirpated, but the plants will also be greatly assisted in
growth.

“ If you think it worth while to give the particulars an insertion
in your periodical, I shall feel great pleasure in presenting them
to you. “ I am, Sir, yours truly,

“ H. Lake.”

“ Uxbridge , April 20 th, 1836.”

We shall feel much obliged to our friend Mr. Lake for his promised
information, as the mode of applying the gas will be of great service to
many of our readers. — Editor.

(To be continued .)

BOTANY.

ON THE STUDY OF THE SCIENCE OF BOTANY.

BY F. F. ASHFORD.

( Continued from p. 261, Vol. iv.)

Classis XVI. — Monadelphia.

Monadelpliici, derived
from monos, one, adel-
phos, a brother, consist¬
ing of plants that bear
flowers which are bisexual, furnished with stamens connected into
one body at their base, but dividing upwards. This class consists
for the most part of Malvaceae and Geraniacece. Of the former, the
major part are of little moment, consisting, in a great measure, of weeds
and worthless shrubs of various parts of the world ; among them, how¬
ever, are some plants both of interest and ornament, especially the
beautiful Astrapcea , and the various species of Bornbax and Hibiseus.
The Gossypium, so important as producing the material of cotton, and
Adansonia, or Baobab tree of Africa, remarkable for its immense size

212

ON THE STUDY OF THE SCIENCE OF BOTANY.

and use as an article of food, are found in this class. The Geranium,
Camellia, and Passijlora, are also genera of much beauty, the latter
yielding some delicious fruits. The characters of this are,

1. Calyx, a perianthium always present, persisting, and in some
genera double.

2. Corolla pentapetalous, heart-shaped, the sides of which lap each
ne over the next, contrary to the motion of the sun.

3. Stamina, the filaments united below, but distinct upwards ; the
exterior ones shorter than the interior. The anthers incumbent.

4. Pistillum, the receptacle of the fructification, prominent in the
centre of the flower ; the germen erect, surrounding the top of the recep¬
tacle in a jointed ring ; the styles are all united below in one substance
with the receptacle, but divided above into as many threads as there
are germins; the stigma spreading and thin.

5. Pericarp ium, a capsule divided into as many loculaments as there
are pistilla.

6. Semina, reniform, or kidney-shaped.

The orders of this class, which are seven in number, are derived

from the number of stamens, the styles being now discarded from
distinction. Orders seven, viz. :

Triandria ; Tigridia pavonia.

Pentandria ; Hermannia jlamea.

Heptandria ; Pelargonium tricolor.

Octandria ; Ailonia capensis.

Decandria ; Geranium Walla ch ian u m .

Dodecandria ; Pentapetes ovata.

Polyandria ; Camellia japonica.

Classis XVII. — Diadelfhia.

Diadelphia, taken from dis,
two, adelphos, a brother, or
brotherhood, meaning that this
class is furnished with bisex¬
ual flowers, having their stamens
united into two bodies. With regard to the importance of dia-
delphous plants, as applicable to the purposes of mankind, they may
be said to hold the very highest rank. All the numerous varieties of
pulse, whether eaten by men or cattle, as peas, beans, haricots, cara-
vances, lentils, and others, are all produced from plants of this class.
The best of our artificial grasses, such as clover, lucerne, saintfoin, &c..

ON THE STUDY OF THE SCIENCE OF BOTANY.

213

belong to various diadelphous genera ; and also a large proportion
of ornamental trees and useful herbs.

The characters of this class being different from any other., I have
given them at length.

1. Calyx , a perianthium monophyllous, campanulate, and withering,
the base gibbous, the lower part thereof fastened to the peduncle ; the
upper part obtuse and melliferous ; the brim quinquedent ate, acute,
erect, obtuse, unequal ; the lowest odd denticle longer than the rest ;
the upper pair shorter and farther asunder ; the bottom of the cavity
moist, with a mellious liquor, including the receptacle.

2. Corolla, termed papillionaceous, unequal; the petals expressed
by distinct names, viz. :

Vexillum , the standard, a petal covering the rest, incumbent, greater,
plane horizontal, inserted by its claw in the upper margin of the recep¬
tacle, approaching to a circular figure when it leaves the calyx, and
nearly entire along it, and especially towards its extremity, runs a line
or ridge that rises up, as if the lower part of the petal had been
compressed ; the part of the petal next to the base approaching to a
semicylindric figure, embracing the parts that lie underneath it ; the
disk of the petal is depressed on each side, but the sides of it nearest
to the margin are reflexed upwards. Where the halved tube ends, and
the halved limb begins to unfold itself, are two concave impressions,
prominent underneath, and compressing the wings that lie under
them.

Alee, the wings, two equal petals, one at each side of the flower-
place underneath the vexillum, incumbent with their margins, parallel,
roundish, or oblong, broader upwards, the upper margin straight, the
lower spreading into a roundness, the base of each wing bifid, the lower
divisions stretching out into a claw inserted into the side of the recep¬
tacle, and about the length of the calyx, the upper shorter and
reflexed.

Carina, the keel, the lowest petal, often bipartite, placed under the
vexillum and between the wings, boat-shaped, concave, compressed on
the sides, set like a vessel afloat, mutilate at the base, the lower part of
which runs into a claw of the length of the calyx, and inserted into the
receptacle; but the upper and the side lacinice are interwoven with the
part of the ala that is of the same shape ; the form of the sides of the
carina is much like that of the ala, and so also is their situation, except
that they are lower, and stand within them ; the line that forms the
carina in this petal runs straight as far as the middle, and then rises
gradually in the segment of a circle; but the marginal line runs

214

ON THE STUDY OF THE SCIENCE OF BOTANY.

straight to the extremity, where, meeting the carina, they terminate
obtusely.

3. Stamina , the filaments, of two different forms — a lower one that
involves the pistillum, and an upper one incumbent upon it ; the
former, from the middle downwards, is cylindraceous, membranaceous,
and split lengthways on its upper side : but the upper half terminates
in nine subulate parts, that are of the same length with and follow
the flexure of the carina of the corolla, and of which the intermediate
or lower radii are longer by alternate pairs ; the upper filament is subu¬
late-setose, covering the splitting of the cylindraceous filament incum¬
bent upon it, answering to it in situation, simple, and gradually
shorter ; its base is detached from the rest, and prepares an outlet for
the honey on each side. The antliera, reckoned altogether, are ten ;
one on the upper filament, and nine on the lower, each of the radii
being furnished with a single one ; they are small, all of one size, and
terminate the radii.

4. Pistillum, single, growing out of the receptacle within the calyx ;
the germen oblong, roundish, lightly compressed, straight, of the length
of the cylinder of the lower filament which involves it ; the style subu¬
late, filiform, ascending, having the same length and position as the
radii of the filament, among which it is placed and withering ; the
stigma downy, of the length of the style from the part turned upwards,
and placed immediately under the anthera.

5. Pericarpinm, a legumen, oblong, compressed, obtuse, bivalved,
with a longitudinal suture both above and below ; each suture straight,
though the upper one falls near the base, and the lower one rises near
the top, and opens at the upper suture.

6. Semina, a few roundish, smooth, fleshy, pendulous, marked with
an embiso that is a little prominent towards the points of insertion.

7- Recepiaculum , the proper receptacle of the seeds, which are very
small, very short, thinner towards the base, obtuse at the disk that
fastens them, oblong, inserted longitudinally in the upper suture of the
legumen only, but placed alternate, so that when the valves have
been parted they adhere alternately to each valve. Orders four, viz. :

Pentandria ; Monnieria trifolia .

Hexandria ; Corydalis solida.

Octandria ; Poly gala myrtifolia.

Decandria ; Templetonia retusa.

( To be continued.)

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 215

MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE.

Reminiscences of a Voyage to and from China ( continued
from page 180). — Among the many flowering plants which were new
to us, we could not overlook the early-flowering and fragrant La Moe,
called by us Calycanthus (Chimonanihns fragrans), one plant of which
we procured. This shrub is much esteemed by the Chinese, not only
for its fine scent, but for some medical quality it is said to possess, as
an antidote against the virulence of the small-pox. We had no means
of learning how, or from what part of the plant, the medical quality
was extracted, or how administered ; but only the simple fact, that it
is held in repute for its remedial virtue, as allaying the danger of this
loathsome and, among that smooth-faced people, dreaded disease. This
circumstance may be worth the attention of some member of the Medico-
Botanical Society, as the plant is now plentiful in this country. We
did not learn that any other species or varieties of it were known at
Canton.

Another favourite climbing shrub, and which would be an acquisi¬
tion as a conservatory plant in this country, is one called Engchorv. It
is employed as a treillage or court-yard plant at Canton ; has elliptical,
entire, smooth, pale-green leaves, and numerous yellow polypetalous
flowers, which are also sweet-scented. It is probably either a Magnolia
or a Michelia. The plants we had of it perished on the voyage home.
We think we have seen a small plant of the Engcliow in the collection
of Mr. Tate, of Sloane Street, which he told us he had lately received
direct from China.

We bought another flowering shrub, called Chee by the Chinese
nurserymen. This flowered on the voyage, and proved to be the Spircea
crenata of Besser.

The Nelumhium speciosum is a famous Chinese plant, and plentiful
in the canals all over the country. We did not think it necessary to
encumber the ship with living plants, but brought home plenty of the
seeds, which we previously knew would readily vegetate in any stove.
We believe this fine aquatic was first flowered in England by Mr.
Rangecroft, at the late Duke of Portland’s, at Bulstrode, in the year
1790, which plant we saw before our departure for India. Some of
the finest specimens we saw in China were in pots, and placed as
thanksgiving offerings on the altars of the places of worship, for mer¬
cies vouchsafed.” We understood that these offerings were presented
by women after their “ confinement.”

216 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

We got several plants of the Toiv-Cow — a half-aquatic, very common
in the gardens at Canton. This plant was in Mr. Slater’s collection
for several years before our visit to China, and was then, from the
appearance of its foliage, considered to he an Amomum ; but it was at
last flowered by Mr. Wykes, at Messrs. Grimwold’s, Kensington ; after
which it got into every collection under the names of Glcbba, Rene-
almio ; but at last was settled by Roscoe as the Alpinia nutans.

The Bomhax ceiba, already alluded to as a highly ornamental tree,
being in British collections long before our voyage to India, we took
only one plant on board, which, however, was lost on the passage home.
As this tree grows freely, and is easily propagated by cuttings, it
deserves some other and better treatment than it has hitherto had in
our collections. Being deciduous, and presenting in winter a hardy¬
looking aspect in the neighbourhood of Canton, we had great hopes
that it might be brought to a flowering state in Europe, by being
planted on a warm border, or against a south wall. This we have
never had an opportunity to try ; nor do we know whether it has been
tried by any one else, who has had our advice on the subject ; but
surely the tree deserves a place in a warm conservatory or palm-house,
where, if planted in a large pot or box, in good loamy compost, it may,
perhaps, be nursed up to a flowering bulk, and show its splendid blos¬
soms. We know not whether the plant be susceptible of being worked
in any way : that is, whether it could be budded or grafted on itself or
other congenerous stock ; if it could, the operation wrould expedite the
period of flowering. But should such means fail, other expedients, to
induce a dwarfish habit, might be tried, as keeping it long in the same
pot, allowing it but little water, investing the stem with a tight band¬
age, or any other repressive means which would not quite kill the tree.

Many cultivators possess the means of making such experiments, and
these may avail themselves of the hint. If a nurseryman, having a good
stock of young plants, could flower an old one, his young stock would
quickly disappear. The same means may be practised with many
other tropical trees which have not yet flowered in our collections.

Another very beautiful tree attracted our attention, of which we
purchased a drawing, and saw many beau°pots of the flowers in almost
every private house and church we entered during a festival which, if
we remember rightly, was called the “ Feast of Lanthorns” happening
about the end of February. This, in the language of the country, is
called Tauchongj but of which not a single portable plant could be had
for either love or money. Our slight stock of botanical knowledge only
enabled us to mark it in our list as Andromeda arborea, as we were

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 217

not then acquainted with Loureiro’s writings, nor that that missionary
had already named it Enkionthus quinqueflora.

We were told that many large trees of it grew at some distance from
the city, whence the country people brought bundles of the flowering
spray, to sell in the streets to every one who was devout enough to be
at the expense to decorate the domestic image of his deity, Joss, at
that festival.

The tine-flowering plant called Hong-qua is very common in the
gardens. This is the Volkameria Indica , introduced and first flowered
by Mr. Slater, in 1791.

The Yong-too is a useful culinary fruit in China, which we found
at almost every place we touched at in India, and already mentioned
as the Averrhoa Carambola. This plant was introduced by Mr. Slater,
in 1792, and soon afterwards by the late Duke of Portland.

We made all possible inquiry concerning the great staple commodity
of Chinese commerce, the celebrated tea-plant. Nothing satisfactory
could be learned from the Chinese nurserymen ; but Messrs. Duncan
and Arthur told us that neither of the sorts called Green and Bohea are
the kinds cultivated in the tea-country. We saw two boxes of living
plants consigned to Calcutta, at the instance of the East India Com¬
pany, which were brought direct by Sir George Staunton from the
tea-country, and said to be the true cultivated sort. We could see
nothing in which they differed from the common variety called Bohea,
except that the leaves were smaller and rounder, which we attributed
to their recent removal. Much difference of opinion exists among
travellers vdio have visited China, as to whether or not the various
descriptions of marketable tea be gathered from the same variety or
not. We were told that all the different kinds and qualities in the
shops may be manufactured from the same bush — the different times
of gathering and different processes of curing making the difference in
quality, colour, &c. This we heard repeatedly asserted by intelligent
Chinamen and others in the Honourable East India Company’s service ;
but a most respectable writer in the Gardener’s Magazine, and who had
been in China himself, denies the possibility of green and black tea
being produced by, or manufactured from, the same species. Unluckily
for those who are desirous of ascertaining the fact, the writer alluded
to has left the question where he found it, neither informing how the
leaves of one sort become black in the process of firing, and those of
another remain pale green.

It has often been proposed as a question, whether tea could be culti¬
vated and manufactured in other countries as well as in China ? There

VOL. v. — NO. LX.

F F

218 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

is no doubt but that the plant will thrive equally well in soil of similar
quality, and in the same latitude, either north or south of the tea-
country in China ; but whether it can be manufactured equally
cheap , is the gravamen of the question. The southern slopes, or along
the base of the Himalaya mountains, though too far from a shipping
port perhaps, might be an eligible locality; but whether the population
there are sufficiently numerous, and as industrious as the Chinese, is
uncertain. But, no doubt, all this matter has already been canvassed
by the Company.

That other leaves are mixed with the true tea, in some particular
descriptions of it, is perfectly manifest. This is not done to increase
the quantity, but to improve the scent ; and for this purpose those of
the Olea fragrcins, a very common plant in China, is said to be
employed. This ought to be a caution to informers against tea-dealers
in this country.

The above-named plants formed the majority of the contents of the
nine boxes packed at Canton, and received on board the ship at the
second bar, (a station in the river where all large vessels complete their
cargoes,) about the first of March, 1794. The plants were then all
looking prosperously, allowance being made for their recent shifting,
from which some of them had not quite recovered.

Before leaving China, we may put down a few general observations
relative to that interesting: countrv, and which are more or less connected
with the objects of our mission.

Concerning dietetic plants, the dead season at which we resided at
Canton prevented us seeing all they cultivate ; but, of roots, we saw a
few small potatoes, convolvulus batatas, yams, beet, carrot, scallions,
water-lily, one or two sorts of arum, a sort of turnip, ginger, turmeric,
and the earth-nut, or water-chestnut ( Trapa bicornis ). Of leaves, we
saw white beet, a sort of German greens, lettuce, endive, spinach, the
sweet olive for seasoning ; Amarantus oleraceus , two or three varieties ;
several sorts of sweet herbs, and tea, of course • Of legumes and grain,
we only saw the seeds of the water-lily, dry peas, calavances, rice, and
maize.

Of fruit they have a great variety. In no part of the world are
oranges, and, indeed, all the citrus tribe, seen in greater perfection.
A variety of orange, called, from its superiority, the Mandarin,” is
very excellent : when perfectly ripe, the rind separates entirely from
the pulp, the latter coming out whole when the former is cut. At the
stalls in the streets, the sellers will allow a buyer to take as many as
he pleases for a few cash , (a small copper coin,) provided the former are

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 219

allowed to retain the peels, which are carefully preserved for some
purpose or other. There are several tropical fruits, as the Musa
paradisiaca, pine-apples, quavas, dates, tamarinds, together with
pomegranates, grapes, apricots, plums, peaches, including the little
dwarf one ( P . nana) ; pears from the northern provinces, but infe¬
rior; melons, cucumbers, and several sorts of gourds, chestnuts, olives,
& c., besides a few which are peculiar to that empire, as the litchee
and loungan (Euphoria), and loquat ( Eriobotrya ). They have
also a fruit, resembling a plum, called Kisumchu , which is probably
an Anona ; another called Pack-lam , a beautiful tree, having tine
large pinnated leaves, and bearing drupaceous fruit about the size of
a damson-plum. The Gaura trichoides is also ranked among their
fruit -trees.

Of their dwarfed trees. — We have already observed that the
Chinese are remarkable for their taste in wishing to have even the
most stupendous objects in nature in miniature : mountains, rocks,
lakes, rivers, aged trees, must all be represented and modelled upon a
scale of a few inches. The former are formed of natural fragments
curiously and fantastically cemented together, leaving water-tight hol¬
lows and little channels to represent lakes and rivers. The dwarfed
trees are, however, very curiously trained, requiring considerable
skill, and a considerable period of time, to get the trees into the
desired form.

The trees which they commonly choose to train as dwarfs are, their
native juniper (J. Chinensis), he dwTarf elm (IJlmus pumila) , and the
Indian fig ( F . Indica ). The means employed in dwarfing these plants
are, — keeping them always in the same pot — allowing but little earth
for them to grow in, the pot being half filled with rugged stones, which
jut out of the surface; — among these some of the roots are brought out,
twisted together, and the points again buried in the soil : no more
water is given than but barely keeps the plants alive. The bark of
the stem and branches is torn and mangled in all manner of ways ;
sometimes a branch is slipped from the stem, but not entirely off, so as
to hang downward, and kept in that position by wire. By wires, also,
the tortuous direction of the shoots are given ; and being repeatedly
stopped, and the half of every leaf cut off, tends materially to check
all vegetative inherent vigour, and in time produces a vegetable
cripple. When the native vigour is thus subdued, the plant becomes
subject to moss, lichens, and every weather-stain so desirable on such
an object, to give the idea of hoar antiquity to a plant only of ten
or a dozen years’ growth. Such dwarfed trees are considered valuable ;

220

ON THE USE OF SODA.

and some of the merchants imagine that they cannot make a more
acceptable present to a European friend, than one of those dwarfed
trees !

Orange, shaddock, and some other fruit-trees are kept in pots for
ornamenting their shops or parlours ; and if they happen to be desti¬
tute of fruit, others are fixed to the branches, to deceive the spectator.
Many flowering-plants are treated in this way, as has already been
mentioned ; it is a species of self-deception which appears delightful
to the minds of a nation of men who are by no means wanting in either
natural acuteness or sagacity..

Our social intercourse at Canton was far from being disagreeable.
The presence of the British embassy, together with the officers and
parts of the crews of nearly three-score Indiamen, of different nations,
made the streets of Canton an amusing and busy scene. We met
several old schoolfellows, and several officers of the embassy we had
known in England, particularly the two botanists belonging to the
embassy, Messrs. Haxton and Stronach, the former of whom, we believe,
is still a member of the Linneean Society of London, though retired
from professional business.

( To be continued.)

Sir, — I have sent you an account of an accident which has occurred
to me ; and if you think it worth a place in your Register, I shall be
glad to see it, because I do not think it is generally known.

In May last I planted out some Vegetable Marrow and Pampions
against a piece of wall, merely to hide it, not being able to get dung to
the place without disturbing other things. I scarcely expected them to
grow. A piece of common soda that I had in my pocket fell into the
watering-pot ; being called away, I forgot to empty the water, making
sure that the alkali of the soda would be too strong. In about a week
they shot out. I assure you the fruit were larger than those from the
same seed I left on the bed of dung.

S. R., a Subscriber.

P. S. I mean to try the effect of soda on natural Cucumbers this
year.

[We have long entertained an idea that soda, or pearl-ash, diluted
in water, might be serviceable to vegetation, and particularly in pre¬
venting or curing the attack of mildew. We would caution our corre¬
spondent against making the solution too strong, which would certainly
be fatal. —Ed.]

MEANING OF THE TERMS ENDOGENOUS AND EXOGENOUS. 221

On the Meaning of the Terms Endogenous and Exogenous,
as used by Botanical Writers. — In the language of botany, and
especially by those writers who treat of the natural system, the above
terms are in frequent use, as designating the different manner of
growth exhibited in the two grand classes, Monocotyledonece and
Dicotyledone<% — that is, plants which rise with one or two seedleaves,
or cotyledons. To beginners in the study of the science, or even to
those who are readers only, every term should be explained ; and,
therefore, it is only necessary to observe that the terms are compounds
of two Greek words, viz. Endogenece, from endon, inside, and geinomai ,
to grow — that is, growth proceeding from within ; and Exogenece , from
exo, outside, and geinomai , to grow — that is, growth upon the exterior :
consequently all plants which are increased by the addition of new
members from within, are called Endogenous ; and those which are
enlarged by additions on the outside, are designated Exogenous.
Modifications of the same terms have been used by some vegetable
physiologists, to express the passage of fluids through the membranous
partitions of plants. If a fluid issue from within, it is said to be
exosmose ; but if inducted, it is called endosmose.

Familiar examples of each character will be the best way of explain¬
ing them ; and, therefore, it is only necessary to select two well-known
plants belonging to each — say, for instance, the common oak, and the
equally well-known tulip.

That the diametric bulk of the stem or trunk of an oak-tree is annu¬
ally enlarged by new layers of bark and wood on the outside is per¬
fectly evident. The heart or centre of the axis of wood is first formed,
and the layers of the circumference last ; the term exogenous is, there¬
fore, properly applied in speaking of the manner of accretion of that
tree.

All other trees and shrubs which rise from their seed, and are
enlarged like the oak, belong to Exogenece. This manner of growth is
necessary to the well-being of the plants themselves ; because, if an
exogenous plant receive any external injury, the wound is soon closed
again by the new growths of bark and wood. The same constitutional
property of the vitality being seated on the exterior, is of the greatest
importance to the cultivator, because it is this circumstance which
renders all our operations of budding, grafting, layering, and raising
young plants from cuttings practicable, which could not be accom¬
plished were the vitality seated in the interior of the system. The
living membranes of the graft and stock being placed in contact with
each other, form the desired union ; and in the processes of layering,

222 MEANING OF THE TERMS ENDOGENOUS AND EXOGENOUS.

or striking plants from cuttings, it is by exposing a part of this mem¬
brane to the soil which induces the protrusion of new active fibres
therein.

The expansion of an exogenous plant is, therefore, a uniform swell¬
ing, as it were, of its exterior, from the time it rises from the seed,
till it has acquired its utmost stature ; the first-formed parts — that
is, the centre of the trunk, and the exterior surface of the bark-
falling to decay, while the latest formations are extending gradually
outwards.

Now let us turn to a type of those plants which are denominated
endogenous — the tulip, for example. Of this plant, we see it dormant
in one season, and growing in another. Its vital, or rather its accres¬
cent membrane is not seated on the exterior of the bulb, but within
and at the bottom of it. At the commencement of the growth, we see
the outside of the bulb composed of certain parts which have only a
temporary existence for the protection of the fructification within. In¬
stead of these external parts becoming enlarged during the spring
growth, they are destined to decay, and almost wholly disappear at the
end of the growing season. Watching the progressive development,
we see the leaves and the stem bearing the flower all rise from the
interior of the bulbous stem, all of which die and fall off at the end of
the season, leaving a successor, not upon the exterior of the plant, as
takes place in the oak, but in the very centre of the system, to come
forth in the next year. All other plants, having bulbous stems and
fibrous roots, are constituted and developed in a similar manner.

Asparagus is an endogenous plant, with what is called a bundled
root. The incipient stems first appear as conical buds on the crown of
the roots, and their development appears as nothing else than a simple
elongation of the parts originally depressed in the bud, and differing in
no respect from the development of a shoot of an oak or any other tree.
It may be urged that the whole of the stem of asparagus is produced
from the interior of the crown, and so far may be called endogenous ;
but this process is not different from that of a shoot of a dicotyledonous
tree, which may also be said to proceed from the interior of the branch.
Asparagus, however, is associated in the natural order As'pliodclecs,
where many of its congeners are truly endogenous ; and, moreover, all
being monocotyledonous, justifies the connexion.

But there are many other plants which exhibit the endogenous struc¬
ture and development much more conspicuously than asparagus, as the
Musacece, Pandanea , and Palmce. In the plants of these orders all
the growth, from the evolution of the first leaf or frond to its utmost

ON VEGETABLE ORGANOGRAPHY AND PHYSIOLOGY.

223

limit, proceeds from the centre — from the very heart of the stem. The
latter appears to be formed by the united bases or footstalks of the
fronds, and is as large in diameter when only one foot high, as, in the
case of some of the Palms, when they are sixty or seventy feet in
height. There is no lateral expansion of the stem in the successive
years of the growth, like that of exogenous stems ; so that the boles are
perfectly cylindrical, and remarkably tough, as the whole appears to be
a connected mass of strong ligneous fibres, extended perhaps the whole
length of the stem. Nor are there any internal marks in the grain of
the wood, to indicate either horizontal or vertical intermissions of the
growth, as is so visible in the stems of Exogence.

These are the distinctions to which the terms endogenous and exoge¬
nous refer, and are particularly useful in descriptive botany, by super-
ceding a multiplicity of words, which, without such terms, would be
necessary.

Reply to certain Strictures on Vegetable Organography
and Physiology, by Mr. R. Fish. — Sir, — It is always a flattering
circumstance to an author to find that his book has been read with
attention by one who, from his intimate acquaintance with vegetable
phenomena, must be considered a competent judge of whatever is said
or written on the subject. For the attention bestowed on the perusal
of the book, and for the free and sincerely candid remarks you have
been pleased to make on some of the statements therein contained,
accept our best thanks ; and, pray, rest assured that no animadversions
you have made, or hereafter may make, on anything advanced in that
work *, will ever give its author the least uneasiness ; on the contrary,
he courts investigation, being in good hopes that the more the subject
is studied and examined, the less he has to fear the results of experi¬
mental and practical inquiry.

Your manner of treating the subject is equally creditable to yourself
as it is gratifying to us. You do not, like some individuals deservedly
high on the scale of botanical science, and whom you have so pointedly
alluded to, throw down the book with contempt, and only mutter a few
words of pity for the visionary writer ; on the contrary, you state your
objections clearly and fairly, agreeing wdiere you can, and civilly mark¬
ing what you deem inexplicable. This is legitimate criticism, and
what no author, however high he may stand in his own good opinion,
can be offended with. We, therefore, thankfully offer a few words in

* “ Illustrations of Vegetable Physiology.”

224 ON VEGETABLE ORGANOGRAPHY AND PHYSIOLOGY.

reply, in the hope of showing that you have argued from assumed,
rather than from incontrovertible, premises ; and that, if you will quit
those uncertain positions, and take purely neutral ground, are-investi¬
gation will bring you much nearer to the goal of nature and true
philosophy.

Had we leisure just now to turn over the book, we could from thence
muster sufficient answers to everything you have boggled at ; but
besides the want of time, we feel it unnecessary to reply to every par¬
ticular (involving too much egotism) which seems to thwart your pre¬
viously settled opinions concerning the nature, motion, and powers of
the sap ; for, so long as you believe that the sap is elaborated in,
instead of by, the leaves, and attribute all accretion to its organisable
properties, so long must your mind be “ steeled proof” against the
reception of a contrary doctrine. And what proof, pray, has yet been
had that the sap regularly descends, or that it is organisable ? Can
you or any one else bring forward a single indubitable proof of such a
fact? You may think it f<r more philosophical, and more in consonance
with the phenomena of organised existence, to admit at once a prin¬
ciple of regularity of movement, than to consider that those wonderful
developments are effected by any process bordering upon being fortui¬
tous ; ” but true philosophy attends only to facts, and can admit no
principle of imaginary movement, how plausibly regular soever it may
seem to be.

You refer us to the swelling of a stem above a wound or ligature, as
a proof of the descent of the sap : as well may you assert that the
descent of the roots into the ground is a proof of its subsidence, for they
are exactly similar movements. But we have, as you know, advanced
so much already on this circumstance in our book and elsewhere, to
show that it is not owing to any constant or periodical descent of the
sap alone , that any further disquisition would be nauseating, as well
as fruitless, if what has been already said fails to convince.

Although you find no difficulty in accounting for the extension of
new wood and bark from the upper side of a wound on the stem of a
tree, you seem to be puzzled to find a good reason for its increasing
from below. You believe that the increase above is caused by an
accumulation of the descending elaborated sap, while you do not seem
to consider that the ascending current has any such expanding power,
attributing the increase there to some accommodating agency of the
vitality of the system. This we cannot gainsay, because we know of
no accommodating power, save the expansion of the vital membrane,
which is always ready to repair a fracture in any part, or in any direc-

ON VEGETABLE ORGANOGRAPHY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 225

tion, whether upward, downward, or laterally. That the bark
possesses in itself an appropriating elaborating principle,” is wholly
unknown to us ; and the proof adduced in support of the allegation is
not at all conclusive, because the union of the transferred piece with
that to which it is removed, depends entirely on the manner in which
it is raised from the parent stem. If all the layers of bark, with the
vital membrane or indusium attached, be removed to a cavity made in
another tree to receive it, a union will take place, and the subsequent
effects will be as you have stated ; but if the living membrane be not
removed with the first, nor cut into in forming the new place, no union
can possibly take place ; because every layer of bark, from the moment
it is perfectly formed, and takes the name of liber, ceases to be imbued
with life ; and though it, for a year or two, be employed in the conduc¬
tion of the fluids, it retains no vital energy to unite with any other
body. Neither the last-formed layer of inner bark, nor the last-
formed layer of wood, retain a particle of vitality after they are once
formed.

You ask — “ Do you not consider the sap necessary to the vigorous
development of your indusium ? ” Most assuredly we do ; but we are
equally sure they are not identical, although, in the absence of either the
one or the other, no increase or expansion can take place. The first
may be called the soul, and the other the growing part of the body of
the plant. You seem to conclude, that if a man knows how to graft,
or bud, or propagate plants by the usual means, it signifies nothing to
him to know which member of the plant it is that forms the union, or
ejects the new roots. We admit that a man may be an excellent gar¬
dener without knowing a tittle of vegetable physiology ; but how would
he be laughed at if he were heard to declare that the union of the graft
and stock takes place by the inosculation or adhesion of the two libers
or the two alburnums ; or that all new roots were produced by or from
those members ! You say you have doubts of the existence of the
indusium, because you have never seen it. What ! never seen the
cambium of those writers whence you have apparently borrowed the
tenets of your physiological creed? Why, it is as visible all the
summer as is any other member of the stem ; and, during that season,
you may identify it with the liber then forming, if you please, but not
with that of the former year.

You appear to have no doubt but that a purely homogeneous and
elaborated sap may be changed into wood and bark, though you cannot
admit that an already organised member, scarcely visible in the winter,
can be expanded into perfect form and consistence before the following

VOL. v.-— NO. LX.

G G

226 ON VEGETABLE ORGANOGRAPHY AND PHYSIOLOGY.

autumn. Surely you have forgotten that every animal and vegetable,
nay, every different part composing these organised bodies, have exist¬
ence long before they are visible to the naked eye, or even to the best
microscopes. You lay great stress on the agency of the 'principle of
life in vegetables, and speak of it as if it were a thing or member of the
plant, endowing it with physical power, so that it can “ make annual
additions to the size of a ligneous plant.” But this, you must be
aware, is impossible. We know nothing of life but as an effect, or
motion ; and motion is not a thing which can either add to or abstract
from the body or frame which it expands and vivifies. Remember,
amplification is not creation.

You have, we beg leave to add, puzzled yourself unnecessarily with
the comparison between the sap of plants and the blood of animals,
admitting the difficulty of accounting for the change of the former into
alburnum, on chemical principles, and adding that it is exactly like
“ the mutation of blood ” into the bones of animals. But here you are
in the clouds ! for who has ever proved that bones are formed of blood,
or that wood is formed of sap ? Depend upon it, they are both mere
assumptions : and, because blood and sap are the nourishing fluids of
both the animal and vegetable systems, the actual formation of the
solids have been attributed to be only mutations of the fluids, while it
is well known that both are formed simultaneously.

You desire to know whether by the analysis of the indusium, we
have discovered the constituent parts of liber and alburnum? We
answer that, in the earlier stages of its growth, these parts are too
minute and colourless to be seen distinctly ; but, towards the end of
August, they begin to be visible, and shortly afterwards complete. So,
if in the beginning of this month you had dissected the embryo~fruit in
a peach-flower, although you might detect the faint form of the stone
and kernel, it is not likely that you could distinguish the thin film
which envelopes the latter ; but who would, therefore, deny its exist¬
ence ? Another question of similar import is added, viz. whether, e: in
the farinaceous substance of a seed, we have ever detected the ligneous
consistence of a tree?” It would be very wonderful indeed if we did,
because, as you must know, the ligneous membranes of the future plant
do not lie among the farinaceous matter of the cotyledons, but on the
point of the plumlet and little radicle situated between. Your last
challenge, about whether we could, by any chemical process, bring a
dead seed to life again? must go unanswered; for, though we might
try our hand on a seed or a plant which had been asleep for a hundred
years, we could not attempt the resuscitation of the dead.

ON VEGETABLE ORGANOGRAPHY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 227

Having gone over the contents of your very searching letter, we have
to thank you for some very civil things you have stated in it, and to
advise, if you ever again turn your mind to the subject, to surrender,
if possible, those prepossessions which, from the tenor of your letter,
appear to obstruct the entrance of whatever does not entirely accord
with your first impressions, which, as the “ wise ones ” say, are ever
the strongest.

One thing we have overlooked, and that is, concerning what you say
of the effects of mutilation. The first example is that of a space of the
bark, without a twig or bud, insulated by having annular rings cut out
above and below, remaining almost stationary, while the stem above
and below the incisions is increased as usual. Secondly, that trees
bleed freest in spring and autumn. Thirdly, that a shoot stripped of
its leaves in the growing season, if it does not die, makes no addition to
its substance. Fourthly, that a leaf and lateral shoot together taken
from a vine-branch, tend to render the buds in their axil abortive in a
succeeding year; and, lastly, that if a rhubarb plant be divested of too
many of its leaves in this year, it will not develope so many in the
next. Now it appears that these several well-known particulars are
brought forward as proofs that all increase of the substance is from
matter which descends, and prepared through the instrumentality
of the leaves. Now we happen to believe just the contrary. We
are compelled to believe, from the natural constitution of a plant,
that it is destined to draw its nourishment chiefly from the ground,
through the agency of the roots. This nourishment is naturally
invited up by the transpiring action of the leaves, and the vacuums
produced by swelling buds, lengthening shoots, and craving fruit. The
sap is, moreover, elaborated in the various organs, and assimilated to
the essential qualities by the action and influences of the atmosphere,
and the current or currents of it are accelerated or retarded according
as there are vents for its reception. If the outlets, therefore, be
dammed up by constriction, or stopped or reduced by mutilation, either
stagnation or diversion into other collateral channels, as happens to a
shreded vine, must be the natural consequence. The providing and
expending organs are naturally inclined to balance each other ; and
when such an equilibrium exists, healthy and regular development
takes place in all plants in a natural state. But if art interferes to
maim the bark, reduce the size or number of healthy leaves or shoots,
or abridge the number or length of the roots, derangement follows, to a
greater or less degree, according as the violence or mutilation is more
or less extensive.

This is the general law of vegetable development ; and on an intimate

228

TERMS USED IN DESCRIPTIVE BOTANY.

knowledge of its various processes, and how far these may be assisted,
moderated, or checked constitutes thewholb art and mystery of garden-
ing ; indeed, as every plant becomes a new being from the instant it is
taken in charge of the cultivator, it behoves him not only to know how
to encourage and engross his plants by adding rich nourishment to the
roots, and allowing due degrees of air, light, and heat to the head ; but
he must also know how to counteract the natural tendencies of his
trees especially, so as to make them answer the purpose of their cul¬
ture in the best manner, and in the shortest time. This knowledge
may certainly be gained by experience, and by the advice of a practical
master ; but the tyro will do well to add to this the study of vegetable
physiology, by direct observation and experiment, taking nothing for
granted, but what will admit of practical proof (or as near an approach
to it as can possibly be had) : this will shield him from all fanciful
dictation, or imaginary notions on the subject. — Ed.

Notices of certain Terms used in Descriptive Botany. By
A. W. — In every department of human knowledge there are certain
conventional terms which are used by scientific writers which are not
always, or readily, understood by many readers into whose hands the
Horticultural Register may fall. For the sake of such readers, I have
proposed to myself to give a short list of the scientific terms applied to
the principal members of a plant, and which are in most frequent use,
hoping they may be of some service to your younger readers. In
following out this idea I shall commence with the

Radix, the root, which is that part of the stem or axis of the plant
which descends into the ground, or into any other substance or body
on which the plant may grow. In some cases roots are exserted into
moist air, whence they absorb the requisite nourishment. The divisions
of the root are designated

Radiculje, and are those parts of the main root which proceed
laterally from the principal. These are again subdivided into what
are called

Fibrillje, or fibres, which are the most attenuated and active parts
of the root, their points being called spongioles.

If the part immediately beneath the surface is very much enlarged,
or swollen, it is called

Tuber. These are various in shape, as the spindle-shaped, the
spherical, the turbinated, &c.

Between the root and the stem there is a point which may be called
the base of the stem, and consequently is the crown of the root. This,
by some writers, is called

DETAILS RESPECTING THE DEATH OF MR. DOUGLAS.

229

Collum, or the neck ; others name it rhizoma, or root-stock ; or
fundus plantce. English and German writers call it the life-knot, or
collet. The stem above the collet is the

Truncus — that part which elevates and bears the branches, rami,
and the spray or twigs, called ramuli. When a stem is herbaceous,
it is called caulis ; hence stemmed plants are said to be caulescent;
and if stems be wanting, they are called acaulis. Woody stems are
named

Trunci arborei, and consist of several distinct concentric parts,
all of which have proper names. The outer one of these is called
cortex , or bark ; the exterior of which is named epidermis ; and the
inner surface is known by the name of liber. Next, within the liber,
is the last-formed layer of wood, which is called the alburnum , or
white wood. This embraces all the internal layers of hard wood,
lignum , formed in former years. These united form the axis , or
woody trunk of the tree or shrub ; and when cut across horizontally,
rays, converging from the bark towards the centre, appear to unite the
annual layers of wood, and are designated radii corticules.

In the centre of all is placed the medulla , or pith, composed of
cellular matter, large, and occupying the greater part of the bulk of
young shoots, but becoming less and less visible as the age of the tree
increases.

Underground stems are called sarmenta , or runners, which at
joints, nodes , put forth fibres, and send up shoots, slolones. Susculi
are the stems or branches of mosses ; and turiones are the shoots of
the present year, not yet fully unfolded.

I shall trouble you with the explanation of a few more terms, the
first leisure hour I have to spare,— being yours, &c., A. W.

Farther Details respecting the Death of Mr. Douglas,
extracted from the Gardeners’ Magazine. — “ The following particulars
of this most terrific occurrence are taken from the Mirror , for March
26, 1836. The editor acknowledges having copied it from Ke Kumu
Hawaii , a mission newspaper, published at Honolulu, Oahu, which
was lent him by a subscriber to the Mirror. This newspaper is
printed at the mission press of Oahu, and in the native language of
the Sandwich Islands, except the paper relating to Mr. Douglas,
which is in English. It appears that the lamentable event occurred
on July 12, 1834, six months sooner than was supposed to be the
case.

“ The document is dated Hilo, Hawaii, July 15, 1834, and is

230

DETAILS RESPECTING THE DEATH OF MR. DOUGLAS.

addressed to Richard Charlton, Esq., his Britannic Majesty’s Consul
there. Intelligence of this distressing event reached Hilo on the
morning of July 14, when a native came up, and, with an expression
of countenance which indicated but too faithfully that he was the
bearer of sad tidings, inquired for a Mr. Goodrich. On seeing him,
he stated that the body of Mr. Douglas had been found on the moun¬
tains, in a pit excavated for the purpose of taking wild cattle, and
that he was supposed to have been killed by the beast which was in
the pit when Mr. D. fell in. Upon further inquiry, this person related
in substance as follows: — f That on the evening, the 13th instant, the
natives who brought the body down from the mountain, came to his
house at Laupahoihoi, about twenty-five or thirty miles distant from
Hilo, and employed him to bring it to this place in his canoe/ Mr. D.,
it seems, left Kohala Point during the previous week, in company with
an Englishman as a guide, and proceeded to cross Monena Kea on the
north side. On the 12th, Mr. D. dismissed his guide, who cautioned
him on parting to be aware lest he should fall into some of the pits for
taking wild cattle, describing them as being near the places to which
the animals resorted to drink. Soon after Mr. D. had dismissed his
guide, he went back a short distance to get a bundle which he had
forgotten ; and as he was retracing his steps, in some fatal moment he
fell into a pit in which a bull had previously fallen. He was found
dead in the pit by these same natives, who, ignorant at the time of his
passing, were in pursuit of bullocks ; and, on coming to the pit, found
a small hole at one end of the covering of it. At first they conjectured
that a calf had fallen in ; but, on further examination, discovered
traces of a man’s steps, and soon after saw his feet in the pit, his body
being covered with sand and rubbish. They went immediately in pur¬
suit of the guide, who returned, shot the bullock, took out the body,
and hired the natives, at the price of four bullocks, to convey the body
to the sea-shore. He himself accompanied them, and engaged the
natives to convey the body to Hilo, promising to follow immediately,
and bring with him the compass, the watch, (which was somewhat
broken, but still going,) some money found in Mr. D.’s pocket, and a
little dog, a faithful companion of the departed traveller. On viewing
the body, it was found covered with wounds ; and as the accounts were
not very clear, it was, therefore, thought due to the friends of Mr. D.,
and to the public, that an examination of the wounds should be made
by medical men, and of all the circumstances of the case.

“ As neither the guides nor any natives had arrived by the 16th, two
foreigners were despatched to the place where the body was received

DETAILS RESPECTING THE DEATH OF MR. DOUGLAS. 231

on the sea-shore, with directions to search out the natives who dis¬
covered the body, to go writh them to the pit, and, after making as full
inquiry as possible, to report to Hilo immediately. So far as could be
ascertained, the guide was an Englishman, a convict from Botany Bay,
who left a vessel at the Sandwich Islands some years previously : he
had a wife and one child with him, to which circumstance was attri¬
buted his delay. In the meantime, it was feared that the body could
not be carried to Honolulu. In the afternoon, however, Edward
Gurney, the English guide, arrived. He stated, that on the 12th inst.,
about ten minutes before six in the morning, Mr. D. arrived at his
house on the mountain, and wished him to point out the road to Hilo,
and to accompany him a short distance. Mr. D. was then alone, but
said his man had gone out the day before ; referring probably to John,
Mr. Diell’s coloured man. Having breakfasted, Edward accompanied
Mr. D. about three-quarters of a mile ; and, after directing him in the
path, and warning him of the traps, proceeded half a mile farther with
him. Here they parted, thinking he could find the way himself, being
anxious to reach Hilo before the evening.

“ Edward returned home ; but about eleven o’clock two natives came
and told him that the European was dead, and that they had found
him in a bullock-pit. They stated that as they were coming up to the
pit, one of them observing some clothing on the side, exclaimed ‘ Lole!’
and in a moment afterward discovered Mr. D. within the pit, trampled
under the feet of the bullock. Edward ran with a musket and charge,
and on reaching the pit, saw Mr. D. lying on his right side, and the
bullock standing upon the body. He shot the animal, descended into
the pit, and with assistance got out the body of the poor traveller. His
cane was with him, but the bundle and dog were missing. Edward
knowing he had a bundle, asked for it. After a few minutes’ search,
a loud barking was heard at a short distance a-head, on the road lead¬
ing to Hilo, and on reaching the spot the dog and bundle were found.
On further examination, it appeared that Mr. D. had stopped to look
into an empty pit, and also into that where the bullock was taken ;
that, after passing on up the hill some fifteen fathoms, he laid down
his bundle, and returned to the fatal pit ; and that while looking
in, by making a mis-step, he fell into the power of the infuriated
animal that gored and trampled him to death.

“ The body was covered in part by stones, which circumstance is
thought to have prevented it being entirely crushed. After removing
it, Edward took charge of the dog and bundle, and of Mr. D.’s chrono¬
meter, compass, keys, and money found upon him ; and, having hired

232

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

the natives to carry the body to the shore, (a distance of twenty-seven
miles,) accompanied them, and came thence to Hilo. This narrative
clears up many of the difficulties which rested upon the whole matter ;
and, perhaps, it will afford a pretty satisfactory account of the manner
in which Mr. D. met his awful death.” The black man mentioned in
the letter probably lost his way, and perished in the mountain.

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

Edwards’s Botanical Register, continued by Professor Lindley.
The May number contains

1. Oncidium altissimum. Tallest Oncidium. A very beautiful
orchideous plant, found growing on trees, formerly called Epidendron
altissimum by Jaquin.

2. Cratoegus orienialis . Oriental Hawthorn. A very handsome
tree, with large snow-white fragrant vernal flowers, and rich purple
autumnal leaves. The haws are large, five-cornered, and smooth. It
is quite distinct from both C \ odoratissima and C. tanacetifolia , and is
the genuine Oriental Mespilus of Tournefort. It is a native of the
Crimea and the parts bordering on the Black Sea.

3. Orniihogalum chloroleucum. Green-and- white Ornithogalum.
A bulbous plant, found in the vicinity of Valparaiso, whence it has
been brought by Messrs. Cummings, Bridges, and Mathews. It is a
frame bulb, flowering in July. There is no previously described
species that can be confounded with it ; it is more curious than
beautiful.

There is an interesting historical fact connected with the generic
name of the genus, and which Dr. Lindley gives in a note. The name
is compounded of two Greek words, signifying a bird and milk ; so
that it may be rendered birds’ milk : but the corresponding name in
Hebrew has been rendered doves dung ” by our translators of the
Bible, (see second Book of Kings, chap, vi., ver. 25,) an expression
which has puzzled many a commentator. But the true explanation
was given by Linnaeus, in suggesting that the bulbs of Ornithogalum
umlellatum, growing plentifully in Palestine, (hence called the Star
of Bethlehem” by English writers,) is eatable in that country even to
the present day ; and these were the bulbs that fetched so high a price
during the siege of Samaria.

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

238

4. Camellia Japonica Donckelaeri. M. Donckelaer’s Japan Camellia.
A very remarkable-coloured garden variety, said to have been brought
to Holland by Dr. Siebold. This was figured from a plant which
flowered with Mr. Lowe, of Clapton ; but, if we remember rightly, a
plant was brought from Paris last year by Mr. Tate, of Chelsea, and
was figured in some publication — we think, Paxton’s Magazine of
Botany. It is more curiously blotched than any other double-striped
variety.

5. Cratcegus Moroccana. Morocco Plawthorn. Said to be a native
of Barbary, but certainly of Mount Sinai, in Palestine. It is in the
garden of the Horticultural Society.

6. Godelia rubicunda. Buddy Godetia. One of the most showy
of the old genus (Enothera, lately separated therefrom and made a
new genus by M. Spach. Dr. L. states, that, as a hardy plant, it
contrasts well with the G. Lindleyana, (not CEnothera Lindleyana ) ;
thus adopting Spach’s generic name for the Evening Primrose, formerly
named specifically after himself. It is, indeed, a most desirable border
plant.

6. Zygopetalum cochleare. Spoon- lipped Zygopetalum. The Zygo-
petalums are a curious, fragrant, and beautiful genus of the order
Orchidece. Among the species, this is one of the most attractive. The
flowers are ample, much variegated in colour, and diffuse a scent equal
to that given out by lilies of the valley. It is a native of Trinidad, is
grow'ii in earth, in a damp stove, and is successfully flowered in Mr.
Knight’s collection, whence the drawing was taken.

Sweet’s British Flower-Garden, continued by Professor Don.
The number for May contains: —

] . Lathyrus rotundifolius ; var. ellipticus. Round-leaved Ever¬
lasting Pea. A climbing perennial herb, extending to the height. of
three or four feet. It is uncertain of what country it is a native,
unless it be that found in Georgia by Bieberstein. The plant from
which the drawing was taken was communicated by Mr. Cameron, of
the Birmingham Botanic Garden. The plant is altogether smaller
than L. latifolius, and is, on this account, adapted to situations where
that species, from its rampant habits, would be unsuitable.

2. Eutoca Menziesii. Mr. Menzies’ Eutoca. A very beautiful
hardy annual, belonging to the natural order Hydrophyllece, intro¬
duced by the Horticultural Society in 1826, from seeds transmitted
by the late Mr. Douglas. It ripens seeds, if grown in dry
situations.

vol. v —no. lx.

H H

234

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

3. Clematis calycina . Minorca Virgin’s Bower. An evergreen
climbing shrub, producing an abundance -of greenish yellow flowers,
sprinkled over with minute purple spots. It is a late-flowering plant,
and requires the support of a south wall. The specimen figured is
from the collection of the Hon. William T. H. Fox Strangways, at
Abbotsbury, Dorset.

4. Orithyia unijlora . Single-flowered Orithyia. A bulbous-stemmed
plant, belonging to Liliacere. It has very much the habit of a tulip,
and is only distinguished from that genus ce by its distinct and elon¬
gated style.” After its first discovery on the rocky banks of the
Irtych, and other streams which descend from the Altai Mountains, by
Laxman, it was considered to be an Ornithogalum ; but since it has
been received and flowered at the Botanic Garden, Chelsea, by Mr.
Anderson, it has been dissociated by Professor Don, and named
Orithyia, after the fabled wife of Boreas.

Paxton’s Magazine of Botany. The number for May con¬
tains : —

1. Nerium tkyrsijlorum. Dense-flowered Oleander. This, like all
the genus, is a highly ornamental plant ; but it is doubtful whether it
be really a species, or a variety only. However this may be, it is well
worthy a place in every collection, as its large thyrse of flowers renders
it very conspicuous.

2. Ixora grandijlora. Great- flowered scarlet Ixora. Of this exten¬
sive and beautiful tribe of shrubs, this is said to bear the largest truss
of flowers. This alone is a sufficient recommendation of the plant, and
enough to make it desirable in every stove collection.

3. D endrohium moniliforme. Bracelet- formed Dendrobium. A
fine Chinese orchideous plant. Like others belonging to this highly-
valued order, the flowers are remarkable both in shape and colour.

The above are the only plants figured ; but this number contains a
vast mass of practical information of the names and culture of plants;
viz., a select list of stove exotics, with the culture and times of flowering
of each ; to which is added the culture of the genus Edmardsia. Also
an account of all the new and rare plants lately figured and described
in other works on Botany ; together with the botanical operations for
May — as shifting, propagating, &c.

Smith’s Florist’s Magazine.

The May number contains finely-executed figures of the Marcellas
Tulip— a. fine bizarre, at present in high repute. Under this is given

NOTICES OF FLOWER-SHOWS.

235

the best rules for the cultivation and management of tulips in general,
with a figure of a convenient awning for a tulip-bed, and directions
for its erection and use. There is also an excellent defence of the
florists’ 'peculiar taste in estimating the merits of flowers, show¬
ing that their taste respecting them is quite as rational as that of the
cognoscenti respecting pictures.

The next figures are those of the Madam Hardy and Village Maid
Roses, with full directions for their culture from the budding (which is
illustrated by figures) to the perfect plant.

The next plate exhibits the Emeline and Princess Frederica
Picotees, with their history, and the best method of propagation and
culture.

The fourth plate presents us with the Achilles Auricula — a most
beautiful florist’s flower, accompanied with full directions for the culture
of this much-admired tribe of plants.

NOTICES OF FLOWER-SHOWS, &c.

On Saturday, the 14th, the Horticultural Society of London
had its first exhibition of flowers and fruit for this year. The day was
deliciously fine ; and, although vegetation is somewhat backward, the
gardens looked as fresh and gay as possible in their young verdure.
The company was quite crowded, as might naturally be expected, by
those wishing a little fresh air. There were three bands in attendance
on this occasion. The display of flowers was one of the least attractive
that we have seen here — a circumstance owing, no doubt, to the pro¬
tracted severities of the season, which repressed vegetation in the open
air, and in hot-houses compelled the use of higher artificial temperature
than is congenial to vegetable life. The whole delicate class of Cacti
and azaleas seemed particularly to have suffered from these unkindly
influences ; the Pelargonium tribe bore less appearance of unhealthi¬
ness ; the fruits looked, comparatively, in better condition ; the speci¬
mens of Hamburgh grape were very luxuriant ; some oranges were
amongst the finest we have known of this country’s growth ; and the
display of cucumbers was alsq good. While we have to remark that
the flowers were less luxuriant in appearance, and more scanty in point
of number, than we have before seen here ; we need scarcely add, at the
same time, that they formed a delightful exhibition. Amongst the
visiters to the gardens we noticed the Ambassador from Qude, who

236

REVIEW OF MU DIE’S ASTRONOMY.

seemed much interested in a display of our northern rivalry with the
brightest floral ornaments of his native land. The following is a list of
prizes adjudged on the occasion : —

Gold Knightian Medal, to Messrs. Rollison, for the best stove
Orchidece ; Mr. Green, gardener to Lady Antrobus, for stove or green¬
house plants, in collections of ten varieties.

Large Silver Medal, to Mr. W. Smith, for greenhouse azaleas ;
Mr. Green, for Cacti in flower; R. Gibson, Esq., for melon Cacti ;
J. Allcard, Esq., for ferns ; Mr. Davis, gardener to Lady Clarke, for
grapes , Messrs. Luscombe and Pine, for heaths ; Messrs. Rollison, for
Asiatic Orchidecc ; ditto, for American ditto ; ditto, for a collection of
stove and greenhouse plants ; Mr. Lane, gardener to J. H. Palmer,
Esq., for a collection of stove and greenhouse plants ; Mr. J. Young, of
Epsom, for a New Zealand plant ; Mr. Green, for a Chinese plant.

Silver Knightian Medal, to Messrs. Wather, for hardy azaleas;
Mr. W. Smith, for greenhouse azaleas ; Mr. James Young, for ditto ;
Mr. Salter, for Amaryillidece ; Mr. Fuller, for ditto; Mr. Green, for
calceolarias ; Mr. Glenny, for ditto ; Mr. J. Wilmot, for cucumbers ;
Mr. Lane, for ditto ; Mr. Falconer, gardener to A. Palmer, Esq., for
Cacti in flower; Mr. Rollison, for melon Cacti ; Mr. Redding, gar¬
dener to Mrs. Marryatt, for ferns; Mr. Wilmott, of Isleworth, for
grapes ; Mr. Mountjoy, of Ealing, for heart’s-ease ; and Mr. Glenny,
for ditto.

Metropolitan Society of Florists. — Fourth show, at Vaux-
hall, on June 16th, or 23rd. Fifth show, July 20th — Carnations and
Picotees — at Vauxhall (members only). Sixth show, August 11th, at
Vauxhall, in honour of the Queen’s birth-day. Seventh show, Sep¬
tember 8th, at Vauxhall. Eighth and last show, September 27th, at
Salthill, near Windsor.

REVIEW OF MUDIE’S ASTRONOMY.

Astronomy for Schools , Families , and private Learners. By Robert
Mudie, author of <( The Heavens ,” The Earth f &c. Orr and Smith,
Paternoster Row.

This is another precious gem from the fertile pen of the talented
author. The purpose and aim of this little volume is to smooth and
render easy the approach to the temple of the skies.

Mr. AX. had often noticed the difficulties which beset the tyro on
the very threshold of the science. The young scholar has no compre-

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR JUNE.

237

hensive idea of either measurable or immeasurable space ; he is so
bound down to his mother Earth, that he can neither divest himself
of an impression of her fixedness, or that the apparent motion of the
sun and other heavenly bodies is not real 5 and far less could he have
any clear ideas of the convolved and visibly contrary motions of the
other planets.

Mr. M. has endeavoured, and we think successfully, to clear away
those clouds which obscure the real positions and motions of the
planetary worlds from the ken of a young pupil, by showing how to
reconcile “ the real motions with the apparent ones, which are, gene¬
rally speaking, the very reverse of the real ones : and unless a beginner
shall be shown clearly, at the commencement of this science, why he
should distrust his senses , he feels some difficulty in getting rid of
scepticism afterwards ; and although he may assent to the words of
the true statement, he continues to have doubts concerning them.”
It is by detaching, as it were, the student from his terraqueous abode,
and placing him high in the ethereal vault, even above the sun itself,
that he may see all the revolving bodies of the solar system at a
glance, which can alone enable him to comprehend the “ mighty
maze.”

It is by this extra-mundane contemplation of the constitution of
the heavens, that the author has infused into this little elementary
work, and with the most perfect plainness, some of the most profound
researches and discoveries of the science of astronomy ; on which
account it deserves to be read and studied by every one wishing to
acquire a competent knowledge of this interesting science.

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR JUNE.

When an editor of a monthly periodical has once gone the circuit
of the months with calendarial remarks, it is usual, and quite natural
for him, when he arrives at the point where he began, to refer his
readers to the corresponding period of the bygone year for seasonal
memoranda. To a reader who keeps the numbers constantly at his
elbow, this may be no great trouble ; but many would find the refer¬
ence inconvenient. We shall, therefore, continue the memoranda, but
in a somewhat condensed form, as we consider a naked hint is
useful, and all that is wanted by a reader constantly engaged in the
business.

238

CALENDAR! AL MEMORANDA FOR JUNE.

Common Beans and Peas. — It is customary to put in the latest
summer crops of these legumes in this month. Of the former, to
small sowings of the Magazan are sufficient ; the first early in the
month ; the last near the end. By placing on damp ground, or assist¬
ing the plants during August and September with water, if the season
be dry, forwards them so as to yield their pods in October and
November. Of peas, two or three sowings may be tried. Prussian
Blue and the Pearl, both dwarf sorts, we always found most suitable
for the last crops, and, coming in so late, say about the first of
November, have been then considered a rarity. Knight’s Marrow may
also be tried in this month ; but these, as well as all other sorts of
peas, are particularly subject to mildew, when the autumn is dry and
warm, and, unless they are copiously watered in September, seldom
come to any good. The bearing and advancing crops of both these
vegetables will now require the ordinary treatment of earthing up,
sticking, &c.

Kidney Beans. — Succession crops of both dwarf and runner sorts
should be put in ; the first at least twice, and the second twice also,
in order to ensure a constant and sufficient supply. Constant and
clean gathering of the oldest pods is a certain means of prolonging the
increase.

Caulijlowers are in perfection. Preserve the colour by shading with
their leaves ; prick out the seedlings intended for the Michaelmas crop,
preparatory to their being planted out for good in July.

Brocoli. — As soon as convenient, all the different sorts of brocoli
large enough for the purpose may be rowed out on rich deeply-digged
ground. If the latest hardy sorts, as the Siberian, &c., be not already
sown, the beginning of this month is not yet too late.

Cabbage. — Another piece may be now put out, and two more small
beds sown, to raise plants for autumn cabbage or coleworts ; also
another piece of savoys, and all other sorts of winter greens. If leeks
are not yet planted, this work should be done without delay.

Celery. — Continue to plant out celery in trenches from time to time,
to keep up a regular supply. Continue also to prick out seedlings
from the seed-beds, to forward them for going into trenches in
August.

Turnips , Spinach, Lettuce, Endive , and salad plants may be sown
twice or thrice in the month. Love-Apples may be put out against
walls or pales. Ridged Cucumbers must be attended to, and treated
with water, air, See. Carrots and Parsnips should be thinned and
kept free from weeds, as well as all other plants in drills or rows.

CALENDARTAL MEMORANDA FOR JUNE.

239

Cardoons may yet be sown. Cease cutting Asparagus after the
middle of the month. Herbs may be propagated ; and the general
business includes destroying weeds, slugs, snails, and all hurtful
insects.

Fruit Trees. — These, whether on walls, espaliers, or otherwise,
require at this season constant attention, not only for the purpose of
displacing irregular growths, but for freeing the trees as much as
possible from the myriads of insects with which they are this year
infested, owing, no doubt, to the very dry summer of the last. Fre¬
quent washings with water or soap-suds, and hand-picking, are the
only and most efficient means to disperse the insects, and in some
measure to prevent the same annoyance in another year. Thinning
fruit is a part of the labour of this month, and lucky are those who
have this business to do. The gooseberry caterpillar appears to be
plentiful, and, if not attended to, will injure both trees and fruit.
Slugs and snails must be banished by drenchings of lime-water, or,
where it can be applied, with hot powdered lime. Birds must be kept
off the early strawberries and cherries ; for, though small birds do
much good in a garden, by destroying thousands of insects with which
they feed their young, they reward themselves by taking a full tithe of
the earliest fruit.

Flower Garden. — Dahlias must now, if not done already, be
placed in their blooming stations. Stakes will be required for their
stems ; their situation should be sheltered rather than shady, and they
should always have a fresh compost of rich loam and road-sand to grow
in. Pot off seedlings, if not already done. Auriculas may now be
shifted ; and Tulip, Hyacinth, and Ranunculus beds may still require
attention, to preserve the beauty of the late flowers, by shading or
other care. Carnations require good nursing, to ensure vigorous growth
and perfect bloom. Tender and half-hardy annuals may be placed in
the open borders, as well as any greenhouse plants that may be spared
for that purpose. Transplant annuals previously sown too thick. Sow
biennials ; and propagate, by cuttings, every plant of which a supply
may be wanted.

Greenhouse plants, now in their summer station, will require water
daily ; and all necessary steps should be taken now, to ensure a full
bloom of every sort of flowering plant, till the frost of winter sets in.

REMARKS OX THE WEATHER,

After a very changeable and protracted winter, a sort of summer
has set in upon us rather suddenly, and without any intermediate
season which might be called spring. Of course vegetation was kept
in check by the first, and too rapidly excited by the drier and warmer
change. East and northerly winds have, however, prevailed, and the
air on evenings has been chilly and ungenial. The flowers of plums,
pears, and early cherries have suffered greatly in all exposed situations ;
and wall-fruit, from the night frosts, are in many places entirely cut
off. Hardly any of the fruit-trees have blossomed strongly : the apple
blossom particularly seems to have been hurt by the cold and wet, while
yet in the bud; for, in looking at an orchard, we can only see a tree
here and there covered with healthy bloom. A sprinkling of the fruit
is fairly set ; but there is no estimating, as yet, the probable amount
of crop.

These casualties, affecting so much the cultivation of fruit, causing
painful disappointment after much expense and care bestowed, and the
strongest hopes excited, will more than ever impress the necessity of
defending fruit-trees from the changes of weather during the time they
are in flower. This is a resolution taken, perhaps, by every cultivator
immediately after any serious loss of fruit ; but, some how or other,
that impression wears off ; and when the time arrives at which such
precaution should be taken, from some favouring aspect of the sky, or
some delusive hope that the present will not be so severe as the former
year, the intended measure is tlelayed till an unexpected frost reminds
the superintendant of his remissness.

We have noticed this season what we have often had proofs of before,
that the flower-buds of peach and nectarine trees are destructible by
frost long before they open or are coloured, retaining, however, just as
much vigour as will enable them to open weakly and drop off. Trees
which we have attended to this spring have been regularly covered
every night with Russia mats, since they first began to swell and show
a little colour ; but, notwithstanding, not a single fruit has set, though
they were very likely trees to bear. This shows that the flowers were
injured before the coverings were applied.

On the morning of the 14th inst. we had, about London, a heavy
and delightful shower of warm rain, happening most opportunely for
seedling crops and fruit-trees. It seems to have been but partial, and
a dry south-easterly wind has again set in.

Lilacs and laburnums are now in full flower ; but the mulberry-tree
(the best index of the advance of the season) is just beginning to be
greenish.

May (lAth, 1836-

PAXTON’S

HORTICULTURAL REGISTER,

JULY, 1836.

HORTICULTURE.

ON THE COILING SYSTEM OF VINES.

We have long had an impartial eye upon the various articles and
letters written pro and con respecting this system. There is much to
be deprecated in the spirit which the arguers on both sides have
assumed, for — as is but too common — a great degree of acrimony
has been indulged in, which in no possible way can be productive of
good.

We are quite confident that the originator of the coiling system —
Mr. Mearns, gardener to his Grace the Duke of Portland, at Welbeck
— conscientiously believed, that, in promulgating his own opinions, he
should impart a knowledge of facts which could not fail to do essential
service, and impart pleasure as well as knowledge, to every cultivator
of the vine. But they who best know this worthy and greatly expe¬
rienced gardener, are well aware that his enthusiasm is pre-eminent ;
what he does — what he espouses — he does and follows up “with all
his might.” This highly-wrought spirit sustains a man while strug¬
gling in an ocean of difficulties, and frequently bears him up : he thus
comes off victorious, and “ more than conqueror ; ” but in some few
instances it induces him to make a premature expose — to wear his
heart upon his sleeve, too much exposed to the eye of criticism.

We would fain lend the help of our feeble arm to support Mr.
Mearns, for we know that grapes may be developed, grown, and com¬
pletely matured, by a coiled shoot of a vine — a regular bearing-shoot —
cut from a wall, destitute of roots, and passed round a No. 12 pot in

VOL. v. — NO. LXI. i i

242

OX THE COILING SYSTEM OF TINES.

December. January, or February. We repeat it. that we know , from
our own individual experience, that perfectly ripened fruit may be
produced by such a branch within five or six months after it has been
introduced into a stove, the pot being filled with light turfy loam, with
or without stimulating manures, and plunged into a gentle leaf-bed.
But while we thus uphold the possibility of effecting so extraordinary
a process, we must candidly avow that we greatly fear nine out of
every ten attempts will prove utterly abortive, and that for several
reasons : — first and foremost, the sap or vital fluids retained in the
system of the amputated branch, be that old or young, (and certainly
one which includes two, three, or four feet of an old-spurred rod, with
an annual short-jointed bearing shoot, with prominent eyes, two or
three feet long, is to be preferred,) is not sufficient to bring to full
development and maturity those processes which are indispensable to
fertility, unless an extraordinary volume of rootlets be rapidly pro¬
truded ; and this great desideratum cannot reasonably be anticipated
under any modes of ordinary treatment ; — a failure, therefore, must
attend the experiments of most persons ; and, as man is naturally
impatient, much bitterness of feeling is but too apt to succeed to
disappointed hopes.

Secondly, Mr. Mearns has made it an especial condition that all the
eyes or buds of that part of the branch which is to be coiled under the
soil, are to be blinded — that is, cut entirely away. In this he has lost
sight of the efficiency of the buds, and has adopted the very method
which, of all others, would tend to defeat the object that he has in
view. Buds are the origin of roots ; and it may be safely asserted,
that, with very few exceptions, cuttings deprived of these systems of
life must fail to establish themselves in the soil : in fact, there are
abundance of facts which tend to prove that buds — those of the vine
particularly so— do not only produce Toots a little below their points
of junction with the stem, but, if placed only a few inches below the
surface of the soil, actually become roots themselves. It was feared
that, were all the buds left on the coiled stem, a forest of young shoots
would be thrown up, which could not fail to prove antagonists to the
principle of growth in the eyes of the single annual shoot intended to
develope leaves and fruit ; but the idea was purely hypothetical, for,
as has been already premised, the greater number of deeply-buried
buds must and would assume the form and office of roots. A few,
indeed — those which would be placed near the surface— might break as
shoots, and rise into the light ; but they would be productive of a
corresponding system of fibrous radicles, and might be removed after
tliev had grown three inches high. We removed several vines from

• c. o

ON THE SHRIVELLING OF GRAPES.

243

pots early in the last spring into an open border, placed the roots in a
convenient situation, and laid the stem in a drill from six to three
inches deep, permitting only a few of the upper buds to emerge from
the ground. The plants pushed healthily, and being taken up in the
autumn, masses of fibres were found at the point of every buried bud,
tracing off to right and left, in very beautiful order. The old roots did
not appear to have extended, and not one shoot had pushed upward
from the layered stem. Mr. Mearns had not experimented for a suf¬
ficient time before he announced his discovery ; he was in haste to
reveal what he assuredly believed would prove a practice of eminent
utility ; and herein he erred, not however, to the effect of wilfully mis¬
leading his horticultural brethren and the practical amateur, but purely
in as much as his enthusiastic zeal led him to anticipate too much.
The world is ungrateful, and he has been subjected to much obloquy
for merely a well-intended, premature solicitude to communicate know¬
ledge. But coiling, though it may and will fail generally to produce
good fruit during the first year, is an admirable process for effecting
the propagation of strong-rooted plants for pot culture.

A vine of old or last year’s wood, coiled from three to four feet in a
sixteen or twelve pot, one eye only being permitted to approach to
within half an inch of the surface, — the whole, however, being covered
with light vegetable earth, made open by bruised bones, and being well
drained at bottom, — will push vigorously, and may produce a shoot
twelve feet long, and nearly half an inch in diameter, in one season.
Such a shoot, well trained, will support from six to twenty clusters
(according to its kind and the shortness of its joints) in the second
year. Does not such an announcement merit praise in lieu of con¬
tumely ? “ Palmarn qui meruit ferat : ” — we offer him our best

thanks, while we unfeignedly regret the consequences of an over-
hasty zeal.

<&i\o<jo(pog.

ON THE SHRIVELLING OF GRAPES.

BY ME. W. DENVER.

Battle Abbey , June 20, 1836.

Dear Sir,— In my former paper on the shrivelling of grapes, I pro¬
mised to say something more on that important subject ; and as some
of your readers seem to wish it, I feel in duty bound to do so. With
this view, I solicit the assistance of all who have studied the nature of
the grape vine, and have had opportunities of seeing this disease ; for,
let it be remembered, the subject is one that concerns both proprietors

244

ON THE SHRIVELLING OF GRAPES.

and gardeners. The disappointment and loss are great indeed to those
who have vineries, and have been expecting their tables to be supplied
with good grapes at a certain period, to find, a little before that time
arrives, that half, or more, of their grapes are destroyed by the disease
of shanking. The gardener, too, feels quite as much disappointed
when he finds, after all the attention he has paid them, and all the
means he has adopted for their preservation, the greater part of the
grapes under his care attacked with this disease.

It is the opinion of many persons that this disease proceeds from the
want of air. This I believe not to be the principal cause of it, but am
ready to admit that it often helps to promote it. We know that when
the human frame is attacked with a disease, that its progress or retard¬
ation often very much depends on the skill of the medical attendant,
and the attention of those that are about the afflicted. So it is with
the disease in grapes. When there is the least appearance of shanking
or shrivelling, great attention should be paid in giving a good and
regular supply of air ; for the closer a house is kept, the faster the
disease will increase ; and the higher the temperature, the quicker
will be the motion of the sap, and the faster the sap will be required
from the roots of the vine; and when their stock is exhausted, there is
no hope for the grapes, for they are past recovery. But, on the other
hand, if attention be paid in giving them a constant and sufficient
supply of air, in a short time the disease will be very much checked,
and ultimately subdued.

I see that your correspondent, Mr. Dale, is inclined to think, with
some others, that shanking is brought on by damp and an over-heated
atmosphere. Now I beg to ask those who are of that opinion, why the
disease does not take place at an earlier stage of the growth of the
grapes? because, whenever I have seen shanking in grapes, it has
invariably been about the time they begin to change their colour, or a
little later. It is very clear, then, that when grapes arrive at this
stage of their growth, neither the wood nor the pedicles are as tender
as they are at an earlier period, and are, therefore, I should think, less
liable to suffer from external causes. Besides, by the time grapes
begin to change colour, most good grape-growers have ceased syringing,
steaming, &c. See., when, of course, there cannot be half the damp that
there is when those processes are in operation.

It is my opinion that the above are only secondary causes. When
the vines are weak, every little unfavourable circumstance affects them ;
but when they are strong, and master of their work, (that is, able to
bring to maturity the crop of grapes they bear,) neither damp nor a
warm atmosphere will hurt them much. There is one great evil but

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

245

too prevalent amongst those who have vines under their care, and that
is, they lay in an unnecessary quantity of wood in the summer. I have
seen vineries where the wood has been laid in three times thicker than
it ought to have been, which of course weakened the vine, and rendered
it unfit to bear and mature good grapes. Besides, all superfluous
wood is supplied from the roots, and must, therefore, necessarily tend
materially to weaken the vines.

I am further of opinion that vines often suffer much from bad
management in the summer. Some persons think this part of the
business but of little consequence; but it should be remembered that
the future crop of grapes very much depends on the present summer’s
management. A few weeks ago I heard a gardener say, that he did
not pay much attention to the thinning-out of the shoots in the sum¬
mer, for he thought it was not of much consequence. Whilst such an
idea as this prevails, it is not to be wondered at that vines are found to
be weak, their fruit inferior, and shanking making great ravages.

In conclusion, I beg to observe to those who are about to plant vines
— be sure to lay your borders dry, (by draining, &c.,) and do not allow
your vines to bear too soon. After they begin to bear, never leave
more on them than they can bring well to maturity. Never lay in
unnecessary wood. Paint the wood-work of the house every year, and
whitewash the walls, putting a little sulphur in the wash. Dress the
vines with a mixture of soft-soap and sulphur : this should be done
after the winter pruning. Syringe the vines often, but not when they
are in flower. After they have begun to change colour, never force
them.

If the above be attended to, shanking will not trouble your vines.

I am, Sir, yours truly,

W. Denyer.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

LETTER THIRTEEN.

The admirer of rural scenery enjoys a continual feast while residing
in the country in the early months of summer. The progress of vege¬
tation is so strikingly observable on every rising morn, that it adds
fresh charms to every object of the garden and field. Were I to fix on
any period of the revolving year at which the beauties of the vegetable
kingdom are in the greatest abundance and variety, I should say
between the twentieth of May and the fifth of June. Within that

246

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

period many of our finest trees, most ornamental shrubs, and thousands
of our most interesting herbs, are then in their highest floral livery.
The flower-garden is then delightful, whether we explore the beds or
borders, or look upon the surrounding shrubberies, or the loftier trees
beyond — all present a richly varied scene of beauty. From the humble
daisies and violets under our feet, up to the lofty and wide-spreading
head of the horse-chestnut, there are gradations of every tint and every
hue. The rhododendrons, kalmias, and azaleas of America, Europe,
and Asia ; the syringas, cytissuses, and viburnums, &c., are all in most
gorgeous attire ; and such as are not yet fully in flower, are all promis¬
ing to add to the general bloom. If we turn into the kitchen-garden,
we see it yielding many of its choicest delicacies ; or if we walk into
the fields, the fresh verdure of the shooting corn cheers the eye, and
swells the heart with hopes of abundant harvests. This season of the
year is not only the most lovely to the eye, but the most gratifying to
the mind ; — every thing appears advancing to perfection, the view of
which generates the most pleasing ideas of success and enjoyment.
Many concomitant circumstances serve to enhance the pleasures of it:
a milder and refreshing atmosphere — the music of the groves — the
bleatings from the hills — the lowings from the meads — altogether form
a concert of rural sounds and rural joy most delightful to the contem¬
plative mind.

It is a matter to be regretted, or rather to be wondered at, that in
this country a great majority of those who possess the most beautiful
estates never visit them at that season when they are most delightful
to behold. The charming season of spring is absorbed in parliamentary
duties, or in the fashionable assemblies of liigh life in the metropolis ;
and it is the custom of many families not to see their country-seats till
all vegetation is on the wane. Autumn, no doubt, has also its charms
in the enjoyment of many products — in the view of the mellow-tinted
woods, so interesting to the poet’s or the painter’s eye ; and the spirit-
stirring excitement of the chace is by many valued higher than all
other pleasures of the country. But though all these add to the enjoy¬
ments of the season, they cannot be compared with the soukexpanding
impressions derivable from a view of nature in the spring.

It was on a morning towards the end of May when I had the plea¬
sure of accompanying my friend on horseback to visit the magnificent

seat of - - Court. The day was delightfully fine, and the road

lying through a richly-cultivated and well-wooded country, the scenery
on each side was of the most pleasing description. Farm-houses, with
their surrounding buildings and orchards, and rectangular well-fenced
fields clothed with promising crops, some of them accurately drilled.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

247

and all looking extremely well, were scattered over the face of the
country ; and little groups of cottages,, with ivy-covered gables, ranged
on the margins of green commons, or crowded round the modest parish
church, enriched the landscape in every direction.

After a pleasant ride of an hour and a half, we approached our desti¬
nation. This was anticipated by observing an extensive mass of oak
woodland inclosed by an ancient wall, which trended away to the right
and left out of sight. Before us was the grand entrance into the park,
which is entered through massive and curiously-wrought iron gates
hung between square stone columns, surmounted by lions rampant
supporting shields, on which were emblazoned the family arms.

The porter’s lodge is on one side, within the wall, and is a roomy
building, covered with a steep roof of thick grey slate, with dormer
windows, ornamented gables, and twisted chimney shafts. Both the
gate and lodge give an idea of massive amplitude, which idea is well
kept up as we proceed into the park. The park itself is extensive,
and all its features are on a magnificent scale. The groves on each
side of the approach, for a considerable distance inwards from the gate,
are immense aged oak trees, many of them in a state of decay ; but
notwithstanding this, their \renerable appearance adds an air of dignity
to the domain. Many of them are covered with ivy to the very top ;
and though this ever-verdant climber appears like an encumbrance on
its aged supporters, the union evinces a connexion of many by-gone
years.

Proceeding onwards we arrived upon the brink of a brow which
commands an extensive view of the park and mansion-house, seated on
an opposite brow at the distance of half a mile. From the point at
which this view opened to us, (and at which we stopped for a few
minutes to survey,) it was easily discernible that an avenue of oak
trees had, at some former time, connected the entrance-gate with the
front court of the mansion, because, although its continuity and close
array are broken by the advice of some recent improver, the trees that
are left show plainly the ancient ranks of the avenue.

This dismemberment of the old avenue is certainly an improvement,
because, in the first place, it visibly divided the park into two parts ;
and the lineal arrangement of the trees in the avenue were in every
respect unlike the natural disposition of those on each side, which
appear to have been originally scattered about by the hand of nature.

As the avenue was dismantled as an object of ornament, and aban¬
doned as a road or approach to the house, a new approach has been
formed in a curvilinear direction to the left, first descending and after¬
wards ascending towards the left-hand angle of the mansion. This

248

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

line of road is well designed, as every part of it seen in advance
evidently trends in t.he direction of the house ; and as from the point
or situation whence it is first, but only at intervals, seen, it is rather
graceful than otherwise ; and as the direction is diagonally down one
slope and up the other, the labour for carriage horses is rendered
easy.

In riding along this approach, many interesting glades become open
to the view on either hand. These are not narrow vistas, but wide,
spacious openings between the equally extensive masses of wood : the
whole has an air of grandeur, as rvell from the amplitude of the fea¬
tures themselves, as from the objects composing them. A very large
stock of deer is kept, and these being seen in various groups scattered
over the park, serve not a little to enrich and give animation to the
scenery.

Except immediately in front, the mansion-house and offices are
embosomed among stately trees, of which a numerous colony of rooks
have seemingly long had possession. I mention this trivial circum¬
stance, not because it is peculiar to this place and no other, but that
the incessant cawing of those clamorous birds convey a somewhat
higher idea of an embellished rural residence than we otherwise should
have. This impression arises from the frequency with which we wit¬
ness rookeries in high trees near the habitations of man ; the first for
safety against climbing animals, and the second to avoid the persecu¬
tions of their natural enemies, the raven and crow, which seldom allow
them a peaceful abode to nestle in in distant or lonely woods.

Though rookeries are common in almost every place where there
are high trees near country-seats, there is, however, here a colony of
birds, which colonies are by no means plentiful in Britain. This is a
heronry, and at no great distance from the house ; and its existence is
a proof not only of the stateliness of the trees, but of their antiquity,
because herons rarely shift their quarters, especially if near a river,
which is the case here. As they are such old residents, and an orna¬
ment to the place, the keeper takes special care that no sportsman or
bird of prey annoys them.

On arriving at the house we dismounted, and entered the front court
of a noble old Elizabethan mansion, consisting of a centre and two
wings of two stories. The principal entrance is under a square tower
of three stories, surmounted by pyramidal turrets at the angles, and a
balustrade parapet. The same kind of parapet is carried along the
eaves of the centre and the two wings. The gables of the latter are
highly ornamented, having bay windows, &c. ; and in the centre of
each wing there are square projections, each containing bay windows,

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

249

one above the other, in many ornamental compartments, similar to
those over the main entrance. At each end of the centre part of the
house are square towers, somewhat lower than the middle one, and
covered with pyramidal slated roofs bearing large gilt vanes.

The whole exterior, from the amplitude of the parts respectively,
has an imposing effect ; nor are the apartments within less striking
from their spaciousness, the massive grandeur of their fittings-up, and
ornamental finishings of the ceilings, cornices, and panelled walls.
The baron’s hall, of “grey renown,” is a noble room, splendidly deco¬
rated with the portraits of the former possessors of the estate, and with
the real coats, and arms, and banners of some ancestors "who distin¬
guished themselves in the wars between the rival houses of York and
Lancaster.

The library is also a spacious room, and contains many thousand
volumes, very accurately classed according to the subjects of which
they treat. One compartment contains divinity, another British and
foreign law, another history, and so forth. Here there are also cabinets
with glazed fronts for objects of natural history, for optical and mathe¬
matical instruments, recesses for globes and maps, &c. &e. The pic¬
ture gallery extends nearly the whole length of one of the wings up
stairs. There is also a fine collection of paintings by the old masters
hung about in other apartments, all of which are on the same magnifi¬
cent scale.

His Lordship, whom vre luckily found at home, and disengaged,
received us with the utmost cordiality, and after an hour’s conversa¬
tion, ordered his horse, kindly offering to ride with us round the out¬
skirts of the park.

We could not have had a better conductor, as his Lordship not only
led us through those scenes which he himself considered the most
interesting, but also described vffiat alterations had been made in his
own time, and in that of his uncle, whom he succeeded.

On leaving the house, I observed that the domestic offices formed a
large square court behind the mansion, thickly environed with forest
trees ; and still farther in the rear, his Lordship told us the gardens
formerly stood ; but that, ci about four-score years ago, it became the
fashion to dislike kitchen gardens near a house ; and to comply with
the reigning idea, and the decrees of the then arbiters of fine taste, my
good uncle, in an evil hour, consented to the demolition of the con¬
venient old garden, and removed it dovm into that hollow on the left,
which we shall see more of presently. My uncle very soon repented
of wrhat he had so precipitately executed ; and I have had much cause
to regret that my garden, in which I always take -delight, is so far

VOL. V.—NO. LX I. K K

250

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

from my house. I consulted/’ added his Lordship, “ the late Mr.
Ripton on the matter, and his advice was4 that the whole be removed
back to the very spot where it had originally stood.”

By this time we had gained the summit of a rising ground which
overlooked the gardens and the valley in which they lay. They
appeared to be extremely well laid out, in a rectangular form, walled
round, and encompassed by a plantation of evergreen shrubs and forest
trees. A range of hothouses extended across the upper end of the
garden, and at the lower end, on the outside, was a small greenhouse
or conservatory, surrounded by an irregular flower-garden. On one
side, near the top, stands the gardener’s house, with a melon-ground
and orchard in front. The whole is enclosed by a lofty hedge and deep
ditch impassable by, and impenetrable to, deer or other cattle.

It was not alone the distance the gardens lay from the house which
his Lordship complained of, but of its greater liability to the visitations
of night frosts in April and May ; for though perfectly sheltered from
wind, and on rather a rich spot of land, there is always more humidity
in such situations, and consequently a lower temperature. This cir¬
cumstance I have alluded to in a former letter ; but it is so often
disregarded in fixing on a site for a garden, that it can hardly be too
often repeated.

It is not easy to guess what good reason could be adduced for
banishing the kitchen-garden from the near neighbourhood of the
house. No one, it is true, would wish to live among leeks, onions, or
cabbage ; but there is no necessity for this in any supposable case. An
owner need not be condemned to walk through his kitchen-garden,
neither should he be debarred looking at his culinary vegetables and
fruit-trees, if so inclined. A well-designed and neatly-kept kitchen-
garden is as gratifying to look at as the gayest parterre, although it be
a gratification of a different kind.

Pursuing our ride, we passed through a diversity of scenery, chiefly
owing to the inequality of the surface. There are no hills certainly,
but there are many beautifully winding hollows of considerable depth,
which, being finely wooded on the sides, have a very striking effect
when viewed from below.

The woods, as their distance is increased from the house, assume
more the character of forest scenery, there being much undergrowth of
wild shrubs and self-sown young trees, forming together the most
interesting and picturesque groups. The closely-nibbled portions of
verdant turf which surrounded and flowed among these groups and
detached parts of the wood, are as varied as possible, and ever forming
the most pleasing combinations. This was, indeed, just such wrood-

ENTOMOLOGY.

251

land scenery as a painter would have been delighted to study and to
depict. There was no mark of artificial regularity — no right lines — no
circles, or other regular figures ; all was the effect of time and acci¬
dent. Majestic trees were associated with some of their own stripling
progeny, and these accompanied by tufts of blooming furze and broom.
The intricate play of the intervening turf, the various altitude of the
trees, and the gradations of higher and lower thorns, holly, and juniper
springing from among the decayed and living ferns, formed in all direc¬
tions scenes which, when enlivened by the bounding deer, were worthy
of a Gainsborough’s talent.

Of this description of scenery a very large portion of the outskirts
of the park consists, and is, indeed, extremely interesting to those who
possess a painter’s eye, and who can appreciate the beautiful associa¬
tions of Nature in her wildest state.

Many writers of the most refined taste, and who have acquired that
taste by the study of the principles of painting, as exemplified in the
works of the great masters of the landscape branch of that divine art,
have long ago insisted that landscape gardeners should, in all cases,
copy as far as possible the scenery (sylvan particularly) as represented
by the ancient fathers of the pictorial art ; or, if they have no access
to the galleries of the great, to become acquainted with the works of
Rembrandt, Poussin, or Claude Lorraine, then they should repair to the
New Forest, where the late ingenious Mr. Gilpin caught and matured
so many of his ideas of forest scenery ; or to that at Epping, or any
other forest, to study the various combinations of trees, shrubs, and
herbs, which might be successfully imitated, not only among the greater
features of a park, but in the pleasure-ground, and even in the flower-
garden also.

{To be continued.)

ENTOMOLOGY.

NOTICES OF INSECTS DESTRUCTIVE IN GARDENS, AND OF A FEW
BIRDS WHICH ARE INSECTIVOROUS.

{Continued from page 211.)

The larvae of many kinds of butterflies and moths are very injurious
by devouring the foliage, and to such an extent that both flowers and
fruit are destroyed. Every one has to complain of the depredations
committed by the gooseberry-moth, the larvae of which defoliate the
trees, and render the fruit austere and almost useless. Those of the

ENTOMOLOGY.

vapour er moth ( Orgyia antiqua ) feed on and disfigure the leaves of
almost every kind of plant they happen to alight upon. The little
grey moth, so numerous on hawthorn hedges, also attack apple trees
in orchards and gardens, devouring the leaves and covering the twigs
with their webs. The tree lackey-moth (Clysiocampci neustrid) are
bred on apple-trees, gnawing the young leaves, which serve them for
food till they assume the chrysalis state. As the caterpillars congregate
in webs, they are easily caught and destroyed by hand. The insect
(Lo zotcema rosavia), so destructive to the foliage and flowers of rose-
trees, are a great plague to florists, as they often totally destroy every
bud on a favourite tree. These insects (the Lozotcenia rosavia ) are
much more destructive, because more numerous, in some seasons than
in others, and to one variety of rose more than others, or in one locality
more than another. In some places, very few of the first rose-buds
ever come to be perfect flowers, owing to the insect eating its way into
the very heart of the bud long before it begins to open. In the present
year these rose-eaters do not appear to be so numerous as usual, as
there is at present a fine prospect of a plentiful bloom.

But to revert to the caterpillars above named, and to many others
which we cannot scientifically designate, and which are equally annoying
to the gardener ; of them we have to notice that many different methods
have been recommended for driving them from their prey. The most
ancient, perhaps, is fumigation, by the combustion of half-dried weeds,
or litter of any kind, burned on the windward side of the orchard or
garden. This as a preventive may be in some degree effectual, as it
seems that these tribes of insects have very keen senses of both taste
and smell, and, therefore, easily annoyed by any noxious vapour, though
not suffocated. But, in the open air, neither smoke nor vapour of any
kind can be directly applied nor confined, except on small plants, and,
therefore, fumigation can only be but partially effectual in banishing or
destroying insects. The effluvium of soot laid under the trees is found
to be offensive to all those insects which are on the wing in search of
sweet or aromatic food ; and many offensive decoctions of bitter, or
otherwise offensive, plants, have been tried as repulsive expedients, with
more or less or no effect. But in all applications of this kind, the time
when used is material. If the parent insects can be disgusted, by any di¬
lution thrown upon the trees, from choosing these as a cradle or nursery
for their young, it would be well, because they may be perhaps easier
kept off than removed after they are seated. Among other things, it
has been advised to wash gooseberry-trees, soon after they have got
their leaves, with the water in which potatoes have been boiled, which
is said to prevent the attack of insects. Some recommend striking

ENTOMOLOGY.

253

the branches smartly with a stick, to cause the caterpillars to drop on
the ground, and then immediately digging the ground to bury them.
But many practical men insist that there is no better plan than hand¬
picking and killing the insects at once, as is done in the case of
earwigs.

On the subject of warding fruit-trees and other plants from the
depredations of insects, we have yet much to learn. When the
economy of our commonly destructive insects is better known, dis¬
coveries may be made that will extend the power of the gardener and
farmer against their common enemies, and which will be of the
greatest advantage to both. The Entomological Society of London
is now directing its views to this application of the science, and the
best results may be expected from the united endeavours of the
members.

Very closely connected with the depredations of insects in gardens,
are those committed by the feathered tribes. For as every insect seen
about a plant is condemned as an aggressor, so many birds while busily
employed in the service of the garden, are ruthlessly scared, robbed of
their nests, or relentlessly slaughtered with the gun.

On this subject we have lately seen an excellent article in the
Quarterly Journal of Agriculture for this present month, from which
we will make a few extracts.

As our subject,” says the writer, “ naturally divides itself into
three parts, inasmuch as birds are decidedly destructive, partially
destructive, or not destructive at all, though alleged to be so, it will
be convenient to treat the three kinds separately, beginning with the
last, of whose habits and food gardeners and farmers (it is presumed)
know much less than they do of the two first.

“ At the outset it is necessary to remark, that many birds not in the
least destructive to the ordinary crops of a farm, often commit con¬
siderable depredations in orchards and gardens : nay, the latter, so far
from being injurious to agricultural crops, may prove of no little service,
as we shall afterwards see. We may notice, first, insectivorous birds,
which do not eat fruits or seeds ; they are but few in number, and, like
the larger carnivorous animals, are thinly scattered, with rare exceptions
live solitary, and do not assemble in flocks.

“ One of the most exclusively insect-eating birds, not uncommon in
most parts of the empire, is the gold-crested wren ( Regulus cristatus ),
the smallest of the birds of Europe. It cannot be mistaken for any
other bird, being of a greenish-yellow colour, while the common wren
is rusty brown with lighter bars and spots ; and though the chiff-chaflf
and the hay-bird are yellowish-green, neither has the golden yellow oil

254

ENTOMOLOGY.

tlie crown of the head which distinguishes this pretty bird. It delights
most in evergreen shrubs and trees, particularly the spruce fir and
cedar, though it is often found where there are but few of them, and
even where there are plenty it never fails to make daily excursions
along the hedges in the vicinity, Hitting about through the thickest
branches, and uttering its small tinkling chirp of tee, tee , teechy, at
every change of position. It is not in the least afraid of being ap¬
proached, most probably owing to its being very near-sighted, a pecu¬
liarity of vision no doubt designed by Providence for enabling it the
more readily to distinguish the minute insects oil which it exclusively
feeds.

“ No farmer would be apt to accuse the gold-crested wren of
injuring his crops ; but when a gardener, unacquainted with their
habits and food, sees them flitting about among his espaliers, his wall-
trees, or his rose-bushes, he will be apt to think they are busy eating
the blossom-buds, as some other birds are well known to do ; while,
on the contrary, they are doing him essential service, by picking up
every straggling plant-louse (Aphis) and bud- weevil which they can
meet with.

“ The species which come nearest to the gold-crest in appearance
and habits, are the wood-WTen ( Silvia sibilcitrix), and the willowT-wren
or hay-bird ( Sylvia Jitis). The chiff-chaff ( Sylvia loquax ) also ranks
with these as an insect-eating bird. All the three are greenish-yellow,
darkest on the back and wings, and lightest on the breast and belly.
Their chief food consists of small flies or small caterpillars, such as roll
up the leaves of trees and shrubs, and particularly the rose-leaf roller
or ‘ worm i’ the bud/ together with the whole of most destructive
species of plant-lice (Aphides). Where these birds are plentiful accord¬
ingly, they may prove of no little service to the farmer in thinning, on
their first appearance, wheat- flies, the blue dolphins, the hop-flies,
and the pea-plant Aphides. This is of great importance, for one of
these insects killed on its first appearance will prevent the breeding of
several thousands.

“ Gardeners are even more prejudiced against the hay-bird in
particular than farmers usually are, and, in some parts of England, it
is opprobriously termed the cherry-chopper , from a notion that it
devours the cherries. That this bird is frequently found on cherry-
trees is most true, and may be seen in pursuit of the destructive
cherry plant-louse, a species which is particularly injurious, commencing
its ravages on the cherry-leaves about the end of April, when the hay-
bird arrives to assist in preventing their increase. Neither cherries
nor strawberries are ever tasted by these birds ; and so far, then, from

ENTOMOLOGY.

235

persecuting and killing these birds, as some gardeners so frequently do,
every means should be taken to encourage them to breed, by protecting
their nests.

The next friend to the gardener is the nightingale, whenever they
resort to gardens, because they are also entirely insect-eaters, devouring
great numbers of the caterpillars and grubs, as well as the moths,
butterflies, and beetles, from which they are produced. Along with
this may be ranked three pretty birds, called chats, viz. the whin-chat,
stone-chat, and the wheat~ear ; but these are field birds, and, therefore,
only indirectly serviceable to the gardener. There are other field birds
deserving the same character, as the pippets and wagtails, which, though
living entirely on insects, seldom visit gardens.

Insect-eating birds, which partially eat fruits or seeds. Those
are principally the common wren, the hedge-sparrow, the red-breast,
chaffinch, house-sparrow, black-cap, garden-warbler, and the greater
and lesser white-throats. All these are insectivorous, but they will
also greedily devour seeds and fruits : of the former, all those of the
brassicce tribe of plants, and of the latter all those called berries.

Of similar habits, and in choice of food, may be ranked the
tomtits, particularly the little blue one ( Varus cceruleus). This is a
prying, impudent, fearless little fellow, capable of subsisting where no
other bird could find food, inasmuch as nothing comes amiss to him of
an animal or vegetable nature, that he can peck into -with his small
black bill, as hard as horn, and as sharp as an awl. With this efficient
instrument, he speedily breaks up the hard wing-cases of all sorts of
beetles, and the envelopes of chrysalides and pupae, and will, to get at
these, dig into the bark of trees like the woodpecker, and also into
their buds. This, however, so far from being a destructive, is a very
salutary habit, for the tomtit does not, like the bullfinch, eat the buds
themselves, but f the worm i’ the bud’ within, discovered by a similar
instinct to that by which the snipe discovers worms beneath the surface
of the soil. Were the worm left in the bud, it would destroy it by
eating out the core, and not only so, but, when arrived at maturity,
would become the parent of a numerous brood of other worms to destroy
other buds. Equally beneficial are the services of this bird in dis¬
covering and devouring the pupae and chrysalides in crevices and
chinks of the bark of trees, like the creeper (CertJiia familiar is) , for
nearly all such found in these situations are from caterpillars, which
have fed on the leaves, and, of course, would give origin to similar
caterpillars, were they permitted to undergo their transformations.

“ The other tits, as, the greater, the cole, and marsh-tits, are all
chiefly insectivorous, but will also eat farinaceous seeds, as, those of

256 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

sunflower, or peck a bit of ripe pear or apple ; but such damage is very
trifling, and is a reward which should not be grudged, considering the
great good they do both to the gardener and farmer. ”

We have added these few remarks on useful birds in gardens, as
connected with destructive insects, as showing how much those little
creatures assist the gardener in freeing his trees and plants from
noxious insects, and in order that he may know his friends from his
enemies, which are often confounded with each other, and suffer
indiscriminately.

MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE.

Reminiscences of a Voyage to and from China ( continued
from page 220). — The ships composing the fleet in which we returned
to England were ordered to assemble at Macao; and when all had
joined, the next day was appointed to weigh anchor, homeward bound.
The fleet consisted of twenty-eight East India Company’s ships, the
Argo British ship of war of forty-four guns, a large Spanish frigate,
and a heavy Portuguese ditto, all under the command of Commodore
Sir Erasmus Gower, of the Lion sixty-four gun ship of the line.

The fleet sailed in two lines, the foreign frigates leading, with the
Commodore in the centre, and a little in advance of the whole, the Argo
bringing up the rear. Thus stationed, and favoured with a fine breeze,
we sailed southward down the Chinese seas.

The day we bid adieu to the coast of China was undoubtedly the
happiest we experienced during the whole trip. We had got a fine
assortment of plants, and of the very kinds we had come so far in quest
of; they were all in high health, and so placed that no ordinary acci¬
dent likely to happen on board a ship, either in working the vessel or
from wind or weather, could befal to prevent their safe transport to
Europe. We pictured to ourselves the high gratification which would
be felt by our worthy employer, to find himself at last in possession of
plants which he had long wished for, and spent much money to pro¬
cure. We anticipated the congratulations with which we should be
received by our personal friends on our return, with such an unique
collection of Chinese rarities ; in short, we considered that the most
important and agreeable adventure which could be undertaken by a
young enthusiast, was already in a great degree accomplished.

The heat of the weather previous to and at our departure from
China, ranged between fifty and seventy degrees, the sky generall3r

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 257

cloudy, with light drizzling rain, which was particularly favourable
to all the so -lately- shifted plants; — every thing was so far pro¬
pitious.

Our passage down (as it is called by navigators) the Chinese seas
was quick, having a fine leading wind and clear tropical sky — the tem¬
perature daily increasing as we sailed nearly southward.

Every one in the least acquainted with vegetation will readily con¬
ceive that this sudden and unnatural increase of heat affected the plants
most seriously, by exciting them into premature action, and therefore
it became our duty to check this early growth by every means we
could devise. The freest-growing plants had the points of their shoots
pinched off, and these at the same time were kept rather dry. The
pssonias showed many flower-buds, but, lest they should be weakened
by blooming, the whole were cut off but one on each plant. The
camellias had several flower-buds unexpanded ; but these, soon as they
felt a warmer sky, together with the confined air of the boxes, dropped
off before they were expanded. The azaleas were extremely affected ;
their attenuated spray crowded with flower-buds, expended, as it were,
every drop of sap in the branches, and much more than the enfeebled
roots were able to re-supply. Shading in the middle of the day, and
frequent sprinkling over-head, were considered necessary, and were
constantly bestowed.

The night air was deemed peculiarly refreshing to the plants, and
this cost us many all-night watches to afford ; for if a squall happened
in the first, second, or even in the morning watch, the platform must
be closed down, lest the men might have occasion to use it in making
or taking-in sail. Regular watering was always bestowed, according
as the plants individually appeared to require it ; and if any of the
baskets or pots became saturated or soddened, the moss was removed
and the surface stirred up.

This narrative is defective in not being accompanied with dates to
most of the occurrences. The fact is, we destroyed our daily memo¬
randum-book many years ago, and at a time when we had not the most
distant idea that ever an extract from it would be useful ; but, from
occasional remarks in other books in our possession, we find that in
three days after leaving Macao, the heat, as indicated by the thermo¬
meter under the awning of the quarter-deck, was eighty-seven degrees,
and never fell below seventy-five till we were approaching the Cape of
Good Hope, nearly two months afterward.

This was the first and severest trial the plants had to sustain, more
especially as every day brought us nearer the equator ; and on nearing
the coast of Borneo, and in a day or two afterward, coasting along the

VOL. V. — NO. LXI. L L

258 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

Island of Banca, the weather became exceedingly changeable, with
frequent squalls and dreadful storms of thunder, lightning, and heavy
rain. Here our collection on the poop required constant attention
night and day ; for with every change of weather, some change or other
it was necessary to make in the covering of our floating greenhouse,
either to protect it from a deluging rain, or fierce sunshine, or from
destruction by the treading of the seamen.

About the 3rd of April the whole fleet anchored within a small
islet on the north-east coast of Sumatra. The former is called North
Island, from its position with regard to the latter, and is a place
usually touched at by homeward-bound East Indiamen, to replenish
their empty butts and take in fire- wood, if necessary. We went on
shore with the watering-party at this place, but met with nothing re¬
markable, or different from what we had formerly observed in the various
places at which we landed in the Straits of Malacca. Like the other
parts of this vast island, it is thick jungle almost to the water’s edge;
a sandy beach, and a small space round the mouth of the rivulet where
the fresh water is got, is all that is clear. A creeping convolvulus (C.
hirtas ?) covers the loose sand thrown up by the waves, and the jungle
is impenetrable to a stranger ; and even where there are openings, it
is dangerous to venture far, as the prowling Malays are always upon
the watch for straggling Europeans, whom they will murder for the
sake of robbing them of their clothes. The embassy touching here
on the voyage out lost one of the artisans, who had stopped for a few
minutes behind the party to bathe.

Although we made no addition to our collection at this place, we
had leisure enough to consider well the state of the plants, and to do
every thing that was necessary to preserve or restore the sickly indivi¬
duals, by examining the state of their roots or changing their berths.
Some were removed from the poop to the stern balcony, and others
brought from thence to the poop ; all were divested of dead or dying
leaves and shoots, and every thing done to keep them under the most
favourable circumstances of exposure, shade, and refreshings of water.
But here first occurred to us the sickening apprehension that trans¬
porting Chinese plants in safety was not so easy an affair as we fondly
imagined when we left Canton. Many were in an extremely exhausted
state; and when we looked forward to the inclement clime of the
stormy Cape, through which they had to pass, we trembled for the
fate of many of our suffering favourites !

We were quite aware, however, of the cause or causes of their
failure. We had several indices before our eyes, which plainly pointed
to the defects of our management, or rather to the unfavourable cir-

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

259

cumstances under which we procured the collection, and the subse¬
quent influences to which they became exposed. All those which had
not been removed from the pots in which they were purchased, were
comparatively healthy, while those which had been raised from the
open ground, or which had been shifted into baskets before coming on
board, were in a feverish state of excitement, and evidently much
exhausted. By preparing them for the voyage, their roots necessarily
suffered some disturbance, though no positive violence ; and before
these had recovered their wonted activity, they were launched, as it
were, from the edge of the temperate, into the midst of the torrid
zone in the course of a few days. This was more than the so-recently-
shifted plants were prepared to withstand ; nor with all our means,
and skill, and constant care, could we check their restless efforts to
waste their natural powers.

There was still some hope left to cheer and dispel our anxious fore¬
bodings ; — we should shortly be under more temperate skies in crossing
the Indian ocean, and we trusted to our well-designed means of protec¬
tion to double the Cape of Good Hope with safety.

While in this sultry clime, and within a degree or two of being
under a vertical sun at noon, in latitude one degree south, (the north
declination being at that time very trifling,) we often thought of the
advice given us by the experienced Sir Joseph Banks. He said that
“ a person, however voluntarily ardent in the pursuit of any object
while in the temperate latitudes, feels very different when exposed to
the great and relaxing effects of tropical climates ; a kind of lassitude
seizes the most determined spirit, and for the love of ease ordinary
duties are often neglected from the pain and dread of exertion.” To
lie stretched out in some quiet and shady situation, is the greatest
luxury ; and no native of a cold climate can have the least idea of how
much the energies of the human frame become neutralised under the
all-pervading solar heat as felt at North Island.

For ourselves, we may confess that we were no more free from such
infirmity than others ; but as our exertions were never required to be
long continued under a burning sun, they were performed with greater
alacrity. On this score we had, at the end of the voyage, nothing to
upbraid ourselves.

From this anchorage the fleet weighed, and stood to the eastward
across the straits of Sunda, which divides the islands of Sumatra and
Java, and anchored again at Angora Point, a roadstead nearly opposite
the town of Bantam, at the western extremity of the latter island.
Here we went on shore, and spent a pleasant day with Mr. Ilaxton of
the embassy, ranging about in the woods and among the enclosures of

260 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

this rather populous spot. We met with no new plants; but Mr. H.,
who was a good entomologist and collector, captured some splendid
insects : among the rest, we remember particularly an enormous green
spider. Many tropical plants were well cultivated here ; among others.,
indigo appeared to be a staple article. The proprietors were Dutch
settlers. Here we met two or three Spanish and Portuguese Catholic
missionaries, whose destitution and squalid appearance was truly piti¬
able. “ Pour V amour de Dieu,” they said, they submitted to every
kind of privation, and could but with difficulty exist in a place rich in
vegetable products certainly, but insalubrious, and where they could
make but few converts.

Sailing from thence about the 9th or 10th of April, we steered a
nearly south-west course towards the Cape of Good Hope. The
voyage through among these Oriental Isles which we had just left, was
most interesting ; every island, from the exuberance of vegetation with
which it was clothed, seemed a paradise. The clear deep blue of the
unclouded sky, and the equally deep tint of the sea in those parts,
added to its extreme transparency, enables the eye to explore the coral
rocks of many various colours, and the fish disporting among them at a
great depth. But such placid seasons are of short duration, for soon
vast masses of electric clouds are formed, lightnings flash, and thunder
rolls. The sudden squall, if unheeded, rends the canvass from the
yard, and drives the ship from her course ; but in a few minutes,
perhaps, all is again calm and serene.

In this “ war of elements,” with the heat averaging about eighty-
eight degrees, our already enfeebled plants became still more feeble ;
and happy, for their sakes, did we feel while bounding away from the
excitable incidents of heat and humidity so common in that part of our
voyage.

When we had proceeded as far as the thirty-second degree of south
latitude, several of the camellias and magnolias were dead nearly down
to the graft, and many had lost their leaves ; but we were pleased to
observe that some of them began to produce shoots from the lower parts
of the branches, which we considered a good sign, it being a proof that
the roots were in action ; and if they could continue to supply as much
moisture from the soil as was exhaled by the warm air, the plants
might eventually survive. Here we also observed that the youngest
plants suffered most — those having the most substantial stems and
branches bearing the changes of weather without so much injury.

In passing the isles of Rodrigues, Mauritius, and Bourbon, we were
visited by some heavy gales of wind, which dispersed the fleet and
delayed our progress. In these cases the seamanship of the com-

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 261

manders, and the trim of the vessels,, were very apparent. While the
King’s ships and the greater part of the Indiamen were close-hauled
to windward^ the foreign frigates were gone many miles, sometimes out
of sight, to leeward ; — of course the whole fleet had to proceed under
easy sail till these ships regained their stations.

These gales were only a foretaste of what we had to expect in
doubling the Cape in the depth of winter ; and unluckily, when we
were approaching the longitude of that place, the wind was contrary.
We were delayed ten days beating round the Cape, sometimes stretch¬
ing as far to the southward as the thirty-ninth degree of south latitude,
where the thermometer fell to fifty-five degrees. But what was worse
for our invalid charge, we encountered two tremendous gales, in which
all the ships had to lay-to — once for two days and nights together, and
during that time was constantly drenched with heavy rain, or pelted
with violent storms of hail ; at the same time a heavy spray was dashed
every minute over every part of the ship, and the vapour raised from
the frothy crests of the waves by the wind pervaded every opening
about the ship.

Under this ungenial state of the weather, the plants were closely
shut up, the weather-curtain being constantly kept down — air being
given only on the leeward side.

When the fleet had weathered the Cape and taken the direct course
to St. Helena, the weather became moderate and very fine. We eagerly
exposed the plants, to see what changes had taken place. We found
that during their confinement many of the leaves had fallen, or were
withered either by the cold or spray. There were no signs of improve¬
ment : and it became perfectly obvious, that as there was still a three-
months’ voyage before us, there were but feeble hopes that more than
one-half of the whole number would ever reach England alive. They
had yet another fiery ordeal to pass through ere they reached their
destination, and there was but little chance that they could be reco
vered by the same means and care which had been but too ineffectually
bestowed during the early part of the voyage.

In this, to us, distressing view of the case, and even at that time, we
immediately began concerting measures for a second voyage to China
on a similar errand. From the instructions we had left with the old
gardener at Canton, we were convinced that he would immediately set
about preparing a collection of desirable plants in pots, to be thoroughly
established therein before they might be called for by the next pur¬
chaser ; and we also left with him a long list (written in his own
language by a very clever linguist whom we employed) of seeds which

262

OF THE RELATION OF VEGETATION TO SEASONS.

were wanted in Europe — many of them fictitious certainly, but by
getting what lie might conceive them to be, some good things might by
such means be accidentally introduced to our collections.

The hope of returning once more to China was a pleasing dream,
and was some consolation to us under our then uneasy feelings of dis¬
appointment. We had, however, still some good things under our
care, and we could only continue to treat them in the same manner as
we had hitherto done.

The fleet wTas now proceeding gaily and rapidly towards St. Helena,
wafted by the south-east trade-wind, and under a beautiful sky sprin¬
kled with light fleecy clouds. On the evening of the 18th of June, the
last signal made by the Commodore was to shorten sail during the
night. “ Right/’ said our commander, when he ordered the signal to
be answered in the affirmative ; — “ right, because we shall be at anchor
before ten o’clock to-morrow morning.”

( To be continued .)

Of the Relation of Vegetation to Seasons. Extracted
from the part Botany, published under the superintendence of the
Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, attributed to the pen
of Dr. Lindley .

“ Repose from growth seems periodically necessary to most plants,
and accordingly we find there is no country without a season of growth
and a season of rest, whether they are called by the name of winter and
summer, or rainy season and dry season. This fact is connected with
several considerations, to which it may be necessary to advert. What
is about to be said has reference to the seasons of the north of Europe :
it is left to the reader to apply the observations to the climate of other
parts of the world.

“ In the winter, we commonly say that all vegetation is at rest — that
the sap ceases to flow, new parts to be developed, and old parts to
enlarge ; but this is not exactly true. It appears from experiment that
vegetation is at all times more or less active, and that we ought to
say that it is languid in winter, and energetic in the spring and
summer. The fact of many plants retaining their leaves, of others
swelling their buds, and of all forming an addition more or less con¬
siderable to the points of their roots during winter, sufficiently attest the
movement of the fluids, and the existence of vegetation even at that
season. This is further proved by the well-known fact, that trees
planted in the autumn become turgid with the fluid absorbed by their
roots during winter; and a M. Biot has succeeded in obtaining a

OF THE RELATION OF VEGETATION TO SEASONS.

263

flow of sap from certain trees, even in the midst of that dreary-
season.

“ But whatever power of attracting sap by its roots a plant may
possess during winter, it is obvious that it has little means of parting
with any part of it again by evaporation at that period of the year ; so
that during the winter the whole of the tissue must gradually acquire
a state of turgidity, which will go on increasing till the leaves and
new branches are developed to carry off the sap, or decompose and
assimilate it.

“ This turgid state is eminently favourable to rapid growth when
vegetation once resumes its activity ; for it acts as a force from behind,
which continually presses upon the new-born tissue, and causes it to
expand. It is well known that after very long winters, or when a plant
has been prevented by artificial means from shooting at its usual season,
its branches and leaves are developed with extraordinary vigour — a
circumstance which has been ascribed to accumulated irritability , but
which is, in fact, owing to the turgid state of the tissue.

It is when the temperature of the air is raised sufficiently high,
that the^ vital energy of a plant is excited, and buds are developed with
their leaves. Light has certainly nothing to do with this phenomenon,
although it afterwards colours and consolidates the young parts ; for if
a plant be exposed to an elevated temperature, in total darkness, its
growth takes place as if in the light. The common experiment of
introducing into a hothouse the branch of a vine growing in the open
air, is another familiar illustration of this fact : the temperature of the
hothouse excites the buds into action, they immediately attract fluid
from beneath them, and thus the whole system is put in motion,
although the vine-plant may be exposed beyond the house to all the
inclemency of the winter. De Candolle has proved by a simple experi¬
ment, that in such a case as this, the fluid consumed by the young
leaves is really attracted out of the earth, and not absorbed from the
atmosphere of the hothouse. If you select a tree with two principal
branches, and two principal roots to correspond with them, and adapt
to each root in the earth a bottle of water, you will find that the bottle
which corresponds with the branch in the hothouse will be quickly
emptied, while that which is connected with the branch in the open air
remains nearly full. It may be supposed that in a natural state of
things, a corresponding effect is produced upon the roots by the warmth
of the surface of the soil, and that they also are stimulated into acti¬
vity ; but it is doubtful whether this amounts to much, if, indeed, it is
of any importance whatever ; for provided only the earth is not frozen,

264 OF THE RELATION OF VEGETATION TO SEASONS.

it appears from experiments that heat applied to the branches alone,
is quite sufficient to determine and maintain all the phenomena of
growth.

“ Once set in action, the branches of a tree go on growing according
to the laws which have now been explained. They and their leaves,
by degrees, gain their full growth ; bark and wood separate, and cam -
bium is deposited between them ; the leaves decompose the Jiuid they
receive, send their jibres down within the substance of the branches,
gradually secrete the substance peculiar to each peculiar species, and
transfer them to the bark ; and, finally , becoming clogged at every pore
by the earthly and carbonaceous matters that are deposited during the
processes of digestion and evaporation, cease to act efficiently as leaves.

ee In this state, they are principally protectors of the young buds in
their axils. If the latter have been formed very early, they are so far
advanced in their growth by the middle of summer, that they have
already arrived at the same state as later-formed buds will be in at
the commencement of another spring. Acted upon by the temperature
of the season, they develope and call into play the same class of pheno¬
mena as took place in the beginning of the spring ; the sap which had
become languid as the leaves became impotent, is again stimulated to
a rapid movement, and is secreted anew in increased quantity. This
is indicated by what gardeners call the running of the bark — that is to
say, the bark and wood of exogens separate spontaneously as in the
spring, depositing a layer of cambium between them. Thus are formed
what are called midsummer shoots, which only occur in plants which
bud very early in the spring.

In the course of the autumn, the increased and prolonged heat and
drought complete the destruction of the leaves, which had already
begun to languish ; and their vital actions are destroyed by the quan¬
tity of foreign matter with which their cells, their stomates, their
vessels, and their intercellular passages are filled, and they drop off.

At this time a plant is nearly exhausted of its fluid sap, the watery
portion of which it had exhaled during the summer and autumn ; all
the parts are dry and solidified, so as to suffer little from evaporation ;
and the roots themselves, having for some time been but feebly in
action, are firm and not liable to be easily broken ; every thing is in
a state of languor, and prepared to renovate the enfeebled powers of
the plant by the slow and gradual absorption of fluid during the
winter.

“ It is in the autumn, then, that both theory and practice direct us to
transplant trees. At that season every circumstance concurs to render

OF THE RELATION OF VEGETATION TO SEASONS.

265

the operation practicable ; but if we wait till the spring, the sponge-
lets which form during winter are likely to be destroyed, and many
causes may call the already turgid plant into growth, before the roots
have had time to form new spongelets.

Ci The seasons of growth and repose are so essential to vegetation,
that, as is familiar to all gardeners, it is scarcely possible to prevent
plants preparing themselves for their annual changes, whatever arti¬
ficial means may be employed to maintain them in a uniform atmos¬
phere, and to protect them from those causes which usually bring about
repose ; and this is certain, that if we can succeed in preventing the
cessation of growth, the plants which are the subject of the experiment
uniformly, in the end, fall victims to the forced and unnatural condition
in which they are maintained.

“ If annual changes in their condition be requisite to the well-being
of plants, so in like manner are the diurnal changes of light and dark¬
ness. If plants were kept incessantly growing in light, they would be
perpetually decomposing carbonic acid, and would, in consequence,
become so stunted that there would be no such thing as a tree, as is
actually the case in the polar regions. If, on the contrary, they grow
in constant darkness, their tissue becomes excessively lengthened and
weak, no decomposition of carbonic acid takes place, none of the parts
acquire solidity or vigour, and finally perish. But under natural
circumstances, plants which in the day become exhausted by the de¬
composition of carbonic acid, and by the emptying of their tissue by
evaporation, repair their forces at night by inhaling oxygen copiously,
and so forming a new supply of carbonic acid, and by absorbing
moisture from the earth and air, without the loss of any portion
of it.

“ Such being the case, we must conclude that plants grow chiefly
by day and this is conformable to the few observations that have
been made upon the subject. Meyer found the stem of a Belladonna
lily, and plants of wheat and barley, grow by day nearly twice as fast
as at night ; and Mulder states that he has arrived at a similar result
in watching the development of other plants.” — Botany, Part IV.,
p. 98.

[As we have had, and shall have, frequent opportunities of descant¬
ing on the growth of plants for the instruction or amusement of our
readers, we think it right, as very different opinions are held thereon,
to glean from every respectable quarter the ideas entertained or pro¬
mulgated by each, in order that steady and rational views may be
acquired of vegetable phenomena, which may be applicable to practical
purposes.] — Ed.

VOL. V. — NO. LXI.

M M

266 ON THE CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT OF FLAX CROPS.

On the Culture and Management of Flax Crops. — (Al¬
though this is a subject of no importance to the great majority of
gardeners, yet as it falls under the head of rural economy, which our
plan of the Register embraces, we hesitate not to give an extract from
an excellent article on flax culture, which appears in the last number of
“ The Irish Farmer’s and Gardener’s Magazine,” just received. — Ed.)

The ground should be so prepared during the autumn and winter,
that it may in the spring be in the best state, and as fine as possible,
in order that the seed may be evenly sown. The land should be
ploughed as early as convenient in the winter ; and if a wet soil, the
furrows should be shovelled in the same manner as after wheat is sown ;
an eighteen-inch ridge is best in such soil. The ground should not be
ploughed again in spring, but should be harrowed as if for clover-seed,
and sown in the same manner. It should then be rolled immediately,
if not very wet, but otherwise as soon as it is in a fit state. If the
ground be not wet or subject to flood, it may be sown flat, and this
mode answers best for dry or poor soils. An idea has prevailed that
flax could only be cultivated with success after potatoes, but experience
has proved that excellent crops may, with proper management, be like¬
wise produced after 'wheat and oats, and may generally be expected
where the ground is good and fresh.

“ The seed should be sown as early as it can safely be done. The
Dutch commence sowing in February, if circumstances permit. In
Ireland, if the ground be in proper order, and the season favourable,
not a moment after the first of April should be lost in getting the seed
into the ground. Great ignorance and prejudice have prevailed as to
the best kinds of seed. Riga, Dutch, American, and English, all
answer well, when they have been properly saved [and not too much
kiln-dried] . But the Irish cultivator of flax may always have at hand
seed equally good, if not superior to any of these, if he will take the
trouble of saving the seed. Seed is saved in the Netherlands as a
matter of course, and even from the finest flax that is imported into
these countries, worth one hundred and fifty pounds sterling per ton.
The best seed is reserved for sowing, and the secondary descriptions
for crushing, &c. The flax which obtained the premium from the
Royal Dublin Society this year, was the produce of Irish flax-seed,
without a change of seed for several years. It is advisable, however,
to imitate the Dutch in this respect, and to change the seed every
third year. They import Riga for that purpose. The precise quantity
of seed should depend on the quality of the soil. Four bushels per
Irish acre may be considered as an average quantity. If the ground
be very rich and strong, four and a half bushels may with advantage

ON THE CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT OF FLAX CROPS. 26J

be sown ; but the quantity should be reduced as low as three and a half
bushels per Irish acre for poor land.

“ The greatest attention should be given to the weeding of the crop,
which should be commenced when the flax is about four inches above
ground. The pains taken in this operation will be amply repaid by
the result.

“ When the seed is perfectly formed, and has become of a brownish
colour, the flax should be pulled and made into bunches, as much as a
man can grasp in one hand ; but, in pulling, the hand should not go
lower than within sixteen or eighteen inches of the ground, lest it
should take up the short flax with the long. If the flax be suffered to
remain beyond the time pointed out for pulling, it deteriorates, as the
oily properties escape, an indication of which is given by the emission
of an odour from the plant.

“ Six bunches, as described, should be laid on each other, viz. the
first, straight on the ground ; the second, aslant across at the root end ;
the third, in a like slant reversed across the second ; the fourth, in a
like slant across the third ; the fifth, in a like slant across the fourth
reversed ; and the sixth, straight along the whole to cover it. The
seed ends should be toward the sun, and the root ends of all should be
together, so as to be raised and to create a slope, in order that the rain
may run off.

“ After remaining in this state to dry and harden, four, five, or six
days, according as the weather may be, every six bunches of the flax,
when dry, should be tied together loosely, in sheaves, taking care to
keep that part of the flax outside which was on the ground. Eight
sheaves should be formed into a stook, the roots downward ; and the
stocks should be ranged in straight files, north and south, in order to
have the full advantage of the sun and wind, and that their removal to
the ripple or store may be facilitated. In this way it may remain
eight, ten, or fourteen days, according to the weather.

“ When the flax is sufficiently dried, the rippling or process of
taking off the seed should immediately take place. This may be
done according to circumstances, in the field, in a barn, or other con¬
venient place.

“ The ripple is an iron pin, about sixteen inches long, one inch
square at the bottom, and gradually narrowing to the top. Sixteen
of these pins should be set angularly, about one quarter of an inch
asunder, in a block of timber four to six inches thick, eighteen inches
wide, and sloped at each side, so as to let the boles [seed-vessels or
capsules] fall the more readily upon the floor, or any canvass sheet, or

2d8 OX THE CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT OF FLAX CROPS.

bag, that may be placed to receive them. In rippling, great care
should be taken to keep the flax even, andpiot to sutler it to entangle.

The safest mode of preserving the seed is to follow the course
pursued in saving clover-seed in England, viz. to form a stack and put
the seed in layers on clean straw until it be convenient to thresh it.
The first layer of straw should be placed on furze-fagots or branches,
and the straw raised at least a foot high thereon, before any seed is
spread on it. The stack should be completed with alternate layers of
straw and seed, and well thatched.

“ After the rippling, the steeping process commences, and this is
the most important process which flax undergoes, and that which is
least understood in Ireland. The steeping~pits should be prepared in
spring or early in summer, and the water should be kept stagnant
therein in order to soften. They should be seven or eight feet wide,
sloping to six feet at bottom, and from three feet six inches to four feet
deep. In their formation or cleansing, a sufficiency of earth or mud
should be thrown on the banks at each side, to serve as a covering for
the flax in due time. If the quantity of flax be considerable, it may
be found convenient to have a range of pits, separated by narrow banks,
between, so that the water can be removed by a shoot from the pit
wherein the flax is about to be first placed, into the adjoining one. The
flax having, after rippling, been bound in sheaves, each as large as two
hands can grasp, the sheaves are to be placed regularly in the steeping-
pit (the water being previously removed therefrom), the root ends of
the first sheaf to the end bank, the root ends of the second sheaf on
the band of the first sheaf, the root ends of the third sheaf on the band
of the second sheaf, and so on, the root end of every layer meeting the
band of the former one ; and all being in an oblique direction. When
three layers are completed, a light covering of sedge, grass, or straw,
should be put on the flax, and not less than four inches of mud on the
grass or straw; then the water from the adjoining pit should be let
over it, by opening the cross bank as far as is necessary, until the water,
having filled the interstices below, rises over the mud, when the cross
bank which separates the pit should be again made good. The mud
should be well puddled, so as completely to exclude the light and air
from the flax; and should any leakage subsequently occur, water should
be supplied until it again rises over the mud. The proper time for
steeping the flax varies from four to eight days and nights, according
to the quality of the flax, the temperature of the weather, and the pro¬
perties of the water and mud. The object of steeping is to detach or
loosen the fiax or bark from the pith or woody part, and the mode of

ON THE CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT OF FLAX CROPS. 2()9

ascertaining whether this be effected or not is, by raising the bark near
the root, and also about six inches therefrom, so as to break the wood
at each place ; and if the wrood can be easily drawn out at the bottom,
the steeping process may be considered as completed, and the removal
of the flax from the pit should take place without delay.

“ This operation should be carefully performed with a fork : each
bundle should be taken separately, and gently immersed in water, to
cleanse it from mud, &c., and then placed on the cross bank or side of
the pit to drain. After this, the flax should be carried to a meadow
recently mown, or to some other convenient place for spreading. The
bundles should be carefully untied, and the flax evenly spread in rows,
observing that the inside of the bundle should be now most exposed.
The time the flax should remain on the grass depends in a great
measure on the weather, and may be estimated at from one week to a
fortnight. It is of great importance that the spreading be equally per¬
formed, because, if the flax be put up in proper order, it will not be
necessary to apply any artificial heat to it previous to scutching, which
is not only ^ saving of expense, but a great advantage to the flax, as
it thereby retains more of its oily properties. Previous to the
removal of the flax from the field to the barn, store, or stack, it
should be again made up into bundles of a convenient size. In this as
in other operations, particular care should be taken to keep the ends of
the flax even.

“ The last process which flax undergoes previous to its becoming a
marketable commodity, is scutching, which is in Ireland performed by
the hand, or at a scutching-mill. It is generally supposed here that
scutching can be best performed at the mill ; but this is a mistaken
notion. In reply to frequent inquiries as to whether there were any
scutcli-mills in the Netherlands, the answer has been that there are
none ; and yet such is the admirable skill and attention of the indus*
trious inhabitants, that they break, scutch, and prepare by manual
labour flax, some of which, in its undressed state, they sell for upwards
of two hundred pounds per ton.”

After giving an account of the culture and profits derivable from
flax as an agricultural crop, the writer continues : — u But there can be
little doubt the increased stimulus which would be given by the advan¬
tageous results of improved management in the cultivation of flax,
would greatly extend its growth over the south and west of Ireland,
where the soil is admirably adapted for it ,* and as it has been clearly
ascertained that flax is not an impoverishing crop, and, moreover, is
peculiarly suited for laying down clover, it does not appear unreason¬
able to suppose that the extent of land under it in this country may be

270

ON GARDENERS’ SOCIETIES.

more than doubled, and the national advantages derived therefrom
proportionally increased.

“ Ireland, from the climate, soil, the abundance of water she enjoys,
and the extent of the population, is probably better adapted than any
other country for the cultivation of flax, and the successful prosecution
of the linen trade. If her sons do their duty, she cannot but take the
lead of all other nations in this important manufacture.”

L. C.

Sir, — I regret exceedingly to observe by the May number of the
Horticultural Register , that your intelligent correspondent Mr.
Burnham has expressed himself unfavourable to the formation of a
Gardeners’ Mutual Instructing Society ; more especially as Mr. B.’s
opinion must tend very considerably to retard its establishment. I
had fondly hoped that the day was not far distant when we should
have had something of the kind established amongst us, based upon
proper principles, and regulated by efficient laws — for elucidating the
science, and investigating the practices of our art ; and that we should
thereby be able in some degree to cope with the mechanics and other
classes of operatives, who, in all parts of the country, possess such
decided advantages over us, and who, to a certainty, are leaving us far
in the rear in reference to literary acquirements. But I fear much
that Mr. Burnham’s castigations on the merits of the projected society
will go far to thwart, at least for a time, the laudable objects which its
projectors profess to have in view.

Mr. Burnham’s primary objection, however, seems to be rested upon
the supposed impracticability of such a society, from a consideration of
the pecuniary debility of the profession; but this ought on the contrary
to act as a stimulus in inciting us to the accomplishment of the object
in view, rather than induce us to retrograde, which we certainly
should, did we consent to follow the dictates of Mr. Burnham.

To be useful and deserving members of society, we must have
education ; and to have the education which a gardener requires
now-a-days, we must have many books, which our present low wages
entirely deprive us of. It therefore behoves us to adopt the most
eligible means which we may be enabled to substitute for the pri¬
vations under which we so unhappily labour. For this purpose, a
mutual instruction society has been proposed, and I have no doubt
but it would be attended with the most happy and beneficial results,
were it once only established, and patronised by a few influential and
resident individuals. The success of an enterprise of this description
does not depend so much upon the pecuniary advantages it may pos-

OX GARDENERS’ SOCIETIES.

271

sess, as it does upon the integrity , assiduity, and well-directed motives
of those who undertake its official management. If, then, Mr. Burn¬
ham admits our last position, his money argument must fall to the
ground.

Mr. Burnham, however, is not satisfied with tearing the society to
pieces, but he must also have a slap at those for which it is more par¬
ticularly intended ; and, among other things, tells us, that “ young
gardeners brought up in gentlemen’s gardens know very little about
growing good vegetables,” and, as he “ believes, less about cropping
their ground.” This, certainly, is a very pleasing discovery, which
Mr. Burnham has had the distinguished honour of bringing before the
public; and “young gardeners” will surely feel greatly indebted to
Mr. Burnham for his good opinion of their professional merits. We
aspirants of the spade are also highly favoured by Mr. B.’s kindly
pointing out to us the numerous emporiums of consummate horticultural
wisdom which we undoubtedly were before entirely ignorant of ; and
where many of the favoured of us, from situation, may go, these “ long
evenings,” to slake our mental thirst by the infallible practices of a
Bagley, a Dancer, &c., and where “ every gentleman’s gardener who
is fortunate enough to visit, may contemplate with astonishment” the
horticultural wonders which our notable London market gardeners
can produce.

But, to be serious, Mr. Burnham deserves credit for the open and
unreserved manner in which he has expressed himself, if not for his
sound judgment in bringing forward such “ irrelevant matter” to
blight the dearly -cherished hopes of those who are interested in the
success of the society : and as Mr. Burnham's objections, when put
together, are but few, I will endeavour, briefly, to convince him of
their entire futility, and that they have a directly reverse tendency to
that which Mr. Burnham intended them to have.

Mr. Burnham tells us, in very “ strong terms,” of the eminently
superior mode of kitchen cropping pursued by the London market
gardeners, and entreats all who have the opportunity to visit these
gardens, and learn from “ practical observation” that which they could
not learn “were they members of twenty gardeners’ societies.'’ Now,
I fully agree with Mr. Burnham in all that he has said relative to the
excellency of the practical operations of the London market gardeners ;
as I have had many opportunities of seeing these gardens, and give their
managers full credit for the superior vegetables which they annually
produce. But I maintain that their success is more to be attributed
to the practical knowledge they have acquired of their respective
gardens, from a long course of years, than from any actual knowledge

272

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

they have of the inherent chemical capabilities of their soil ; and,, con¬
sequently, that their mode of manuring and cropping their ground
may be altogether inapplicable to many gentlemen’s gardens, where the
soil and situation must necessarily vary much. Now the object of this
society is, by means of books* and mutual instruction, to enable its
members to make the science and practice of gardening bear on and be
subservient to eacli other. For instance, if we find by practice any
particular soil favourable to the growth of a particular sort of vegetable,
we, by chemical analysis, ascertain what the constituent properties of
that soil are (which will probably be found to be composed of alkaline
earths and common earths in various proportions) ; then when we have
ascertained this, we are in possession of a quantum of real, useful, and
definite information. But until gardeners understand the science of
gardening as well as the practice of it, they need never expect to be
successful in every branch of their profession. And for young gardeners
to go to see these market-gardens, that they may merely see the
astonishing productions thereof without learning anything of the
nature of the soil and subsoil in which they grow, would be parallel to
an engineer gazing at a steam- coach passing along the road, that he
might understand its internal machinery.

Mr. Burnham acknowledges that “ the life of a young gardener is a
life of privation why, then, should he oppose a society which is so
obviously calcu ated, and ’solely intended, to ameliorate his condition,
by affording him a cheap and efficient means of acquiring a scientific
knowledge of his profession ?

This I believe to be the worthy object of Messrs. Walker and Fish’s
advocacy, as also that of “ W. P. A.,” and I sincerely trust that the day
is not far distant when these intelligent and benevolent individuals
will yet have the gratification and honour of accomplishing what they
have proposed on behalf of their younger brethren, and that their
laudable design will not be defeated by either prejudice or illiberality.

Yours, &c. Lucilius.

Middlesex , MayXAth , 1836.

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

Edwards’s Botanical Register, continued by Professor Bindley .
The J une number contains -

1. Habenaria procera. This is a rare species of the genus, and has
been long marked in the lists of Orchidece by Afzelius and Persoon.

* I believe it is in the plan of the projected society, that there shall ultimately be
a library formed by donations and by a trifling subscription from each member.

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

273

But little was known of it till imported and flowered by Messrs.
Loddiges last year.

This plant is remarkable for its length of spur descending like a rein
or thong ; and hence its generic name. From its resemblance to the
British butterfly orchis, it might with reason be referred to Platanthera ;
but Dr. L. has given a careful description, in which he shows the
difference of structure, and by what it is readily distinguished from
that genus.

It is a damp stove plant, but requires a seasonal management, that
is, keeping it dry when at rest, and particularly warm and moist while
growing.

2. Cattleya labiata. Crimson-lipped Cattleya. This is, without
exception, one of the most showy of all the Orchidece. This species
is a native of Brazil, whence it was introduced near twenty years ago
by Mr. W. Swainson. It has often before appeared in botanical
periodicals, and Dr. L. fears he will hardly stand excused for intruding
it again on the public ; but he pleads as an excuse that such a beautiful
plant cannot be too extensively known.

3. Crataegus Crus Galli ; var. ovalifolia. Oval-leaved Cockspur
Thorn. This is a hardy small tree, a native of North America. Two
varieties are in our gardens, viz. the broad-leaved and the pyracantha-
ieaved. This is less known, and Dr. L. agrees with Mr. Loudon that
it is only a variety of C. Crus Galli. It is sometimes called C.
Pennsylvan ica .

4. Mormodes atropurpurea. Dark -purple Mormodes. An orchi-
deous plant from tropical America, first described by Dr. Lindley.
The leaf-stem is gouty, bearing alternate leaves. The flower- stem
proceeds from a swollen base, bearing a dense spike of deep-purple and
lilac flowers, rather curious than beautiful. From the lugubrious aspect
of the flowers its generic name is bestowed. It differs from Cataselum
and Myantlius in the want of cirrhi upon the column, and from Mona¬
canthus in its lip being membranous and curved upwards, with the
sides turned downwards, like the sides of a saddle, instead of being
fleshy and helmet-shaped. A tender stove-plant, requiring the same
treatment as Catasetum.

5. Kennedya macrophylla. Large-leaved Kennedya. A beautiful
climbing plant, introduced from Swan River, in New Holland, Ly Sir
James Stirling. It was raised in the garden of R. Mangles, Esq. at
Sunning Hill. It is a beautiful ornament in the green-house, if the
branches are trained closely together round and round one or several
props, so that the spikes of pale purple flowers may be brought in
contact.

vol. v. — no. i. XI.

X N

274

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

6. Tricopkilia tortilis. Twisted-petalled Trichophilia. Here we
have again another extremely curious and rather beautiful flowering
new genus of Orchidece.

It was introduced from Mexico, in 1835, by George Barker, Esq. of
Springfield, near Birmingham, by whom it was communicated to Dr.
Lindley. This genus in many respects approaches Maxillaria , but
differs in the column not being reclinate upon the ovary and subtended
by the partially united lateral sepals, in the regular expansion of both
sepals and petals, and especially in the singular column, terminated by
three little plum-like lobes which unite at their bases into a sort of
hood or cap (hence the generic name) that covers over a remarkably
compressed anther.” The lip is pure white blotched with crimson,
the latter tint also occupying the interior of the funnel formed by the
rolling of the lip round the column. It may require similar treatment
as Maxillaria.

7. Lychnis Bungeana. Bunge’s Lychnis. A very beautiful species
described and sent to England last year by Dr. Fischer of St. Peters-
burgh. The flowers are large and of a bright brick red, the petals
being elegantly gashed like many of the other Silenacece to which section
of Caryophyllece the plant belongs. It is not quite hardy, but easily
kept and propagated in a light green-house.

8. Dendrobium macrostachyum. Long-spiked Dendrobium. There
appears to be no end to the genera composing the natural order
Orchidece. This, which bears very long spikes of numerous pale-
yellow flowers disposed in threes together, is a native of Ceylon. Some
years ago a specimen was sent to Dr. Lindley between two sheets of
brown paper, packed in a dry chest. A portion of the specimen
showed signs of life : this was fastened to a damp shady wall in a stove ;
it gradually recovered its colour and began to grow, and from one of
its offspring the present drawing has been taken.

9. Manettia cordifoiia. Heart-leaved Manettia. A hot-house
climber, running to the height of four or five feet, and clothed with a
profusion of scarlet trumpet-shaped flowers in the month of June. It
is easily increased by cuttings, and well worth cultivation. It belongs
to the fourth class of Linnaeus, and to the natural order Cinchonacece .

Sweet’s British Flower-Garden, continued by Professor Don.
The J une number contains : —

I. Kerria Japonica. Japanese Kerria. The double variety of this
plant has been long known in our gardens, having been introduced in
1804, and is now become an universal favourite, and alike the ornament
of the palace and the cottage. The single variety was until lately

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

275

scarcely known, except through a solitary specimen preserved in the
Linnaean Herbarium, and which had been communicated by Thunberg
to his illustrious preceptor. It was introduced from China by Mr.
Reeves, and flowered at the Botanic Garden, Chelsea, in April last.
It was named by Decandolle in honour of Mr. W, Kerr, a collector
sent to China from Kew.

2. Nemophila aurita. Ear-leaved Nemophila. A very pretty
annual, discovered in California by the late Mr. Douglas, and ori¬
ginally introduced to our gardens from seeds transmitted by him to the
Horticultural Society.

It thrives in the open border, requiring no particular mode of treat¬
ment. The drawing was taken from plants in the nursery of Messrs.
Allen and Rogers, Battersea.

3. Rhododendron avhoreum ; var. roseum. This splendid variety
was raised at the late Earl of Liverpool's, Combe House, in 1819, by
Mr. W. Smith, from Nepal seeds communicated by R. H. Jenkinson,
Esq. One of the plants then raised blossomed for the first time in
Mr. Smith’s collection at Norbiton Common, near Kingston, Surrey,
where the drawing was taken in the beginning of April. Dr. Wallich,
writing of this family of plants, imagines that, the two light- coloured
varieties occurring at a higher elevation than the crimson-flowered
kind, — may prove to be more hardy. This, with all the other sorts of
rhododendron, are now arranged in the tribe Rhodoracerz of the natural
order JEricacece of Don. In their native place they rise to the height
of forest-trees.

4. Ribes mcilvacium. Mallow-leaved Currant. An upright
branched shrub, rising to the height of three feet or more, belonging
to the natural order Grossulcicece, a native of California, -where it was
found, and transmitted home to the Horticultural Society by the
lamented Douglas. It is not so showy as the R. sanguineum, but is
certainly worth cultivating in peat and loam soil among other shrubs.

Paxton’s Magazine of Botany. The number for June
contains : —

1. Zygopetalon Mackaii. Mr. Mackays Zygopetalon. This
plant was imported by Mr. Mackay, of the Dublin College Botanic
Garden, from Brazil, about 1827, when it was soon after figured in the
Botanical Magazine. The present beautifully-executed figure is from
a plant which flowered with Mr. Bowe of Manchester last year. It
may be classed among the most interesting of the order Orchidece, and
succeeds with the management usually bestowed on this now fashionable
tribe of plants.

274

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

2. Ipomoea rubro-ccerulea. Reddish-blue Ipomoea. A pentandrious
climbing herb belonging to the natural .order Convolvulacece. The
seeds of this splendid plant were collected by Mr. Samuel Richardson
(an officer attached to the Anglo-Mexican Mining Association) in the
province of Guanaxato in Mexico, by whom they were presented to
J. D. Powles, Esq. of Stamford Hill.

The specimen figured was from the stove of the Birmingham Botanic
Garden, where it flowered profusely. Mr. Paxton thinks that, though
it has been hitherto treated as a stove-plant, it may succeed if planted
in the open air, against a south wall, especially if the wall be flued.

3. Camellia reticulata. Netted-leaved, or Captain Rowe’s Camellia.
This is one of the finest of the genus : the flowers are only semidouble,
but the extraordinary size of the blossoms, and the elegant spread of
the bright rose-coloured petals, make it every way desirable in a
collection. Mr. P. advises it to be grown in rather a stronger soil than
the others, as it is of a more robust habit.

This number also contains a Plan of a new hot-water Boiler and
Apparatus for heating a small Pit, invented by Mr. J. Rogers, junior,
Streatham Common. It is said to be safe, economical, and perfectly
efficient, at an expense of only 4/. os. if made of tin ; but if made of
copper, the cost would be no more than about six pounds.

Next follows a paper on the cultivation of the Brugmansia suciveolens ,
with hints on the practicability of hybridising this with the B. san-
guinea. Also an extract from Rennie’s (( Alphabet of Gardening,”
on the Effects of Situation on the Growth of Trees and other Plants ;
and on “ Plants suitable for grouping in Flower Gardens.” Remarks
on and culture of the genus Tamarindus. Remarks on the Barringtonia
speciosa ; on the Age of Plants ; on the Origin of Weeping Trees.
Hints on the Treatment necessary for a few valuable Green-house
Plants. A list of new Plants figured in Periodicals, Business of
Flower Garden, &c.

Smith’s Florists’ Magazine.

The June number contains — 1. An accurately-drawn and delicately-
coloured foliage and truss of fiowers of Taylor s Glory Auricula. The
directions attached for raising seedlings, &c. are good ; but there
appears some slight discrepancy in the description. 2. A plate of
Narcissi , representing N. bicotor and N. interjectus , two very hardy
species, 3. A plate containing three of the finest Pansies, namely,
Pomona superbci, Count de Sellis , and Desdemona, carefully coloured.
The figures are accompanied as usual with judicious directions and
some very pleasing sentimental observations.

LONDON HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

277

This twelfth number completes the first volume of this beautifully-
executed work ; to which is added, the Index to the Plates, a finely-
engraved Title-page and coloured Vignette, together with a Dedication
to the Princess Victoria, Preface, &c.

LONDON HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

The second exhibition for the season took place on Saturday, and
never was a court more crowded. We do not recollect on any previous
occasion so great a number of visiters, notwithstanding the threatening
aspect of the morning. They who braved the noon were repaid by the
the tranquil serenity of the evening ; and the assembly lingered in the
gardens much beyond the usual hour. The multitudes of flowering
shrubs now in their beauty, the plants cultured and those of sponta¬
neous growth, that decked the edges of the ponds and the grassy lawns,
seemed to have an attraction equal to the more selected specimens
beneath the exhibition awnings.

The prizes were awarded in the following order the first gold
Banksian medal to Mr. Lane, gardener to J. H= Palmer, Esq. ; F. H.
S., for a collection of Alstrcemerias. The same gentleman obtained a
silver Knightian medal for specimens of Amaryllidce, and another for a
collection of ferns, of many varieties of frond, and displaying beauti¬
fully beneath the interesting processes of inflorescence, to repudiate
the title of their class. A rare Chinese plant obtained a fourth
medal.

The second gold Banksian medal was awarded to Mr. W. Barnes,
gardener to G. W. Norman, Esq , for a superb collection of greenhouse
plants. A collection of Alstrcemerias, second only to those of Mr.
Lane, secured a large silver medal for Mr. Scott, gardener to C. Bar¬
clay, Esq. Mr. Green, gardener to Lady Antrobus, obtained one large
silver medal for Calceolarias ; a second for specimens of Cacti .

A large silver medal was adjudged to Mr. Dennis, of Chelsea, for
Melo-cacti ; one to Mr. Brown, gardener to Messrs. Credland and
Clews, for Grapes ; a second for Cucumbers ; and a silver medal for
Strawberries. Sigismund Ruiker, Esq., for a display of stove Orchi-
dece, obtained a large silver medal : a silver Knightian for an Asiatic
plant not named ; and a silver Banksian for a specimen of a greenhouse
plant. To Mr. Rollison, of Tooting, was adjudged a large silver medal
for an American Orchis. One to Mr. Gaines for Pelargoniums ; a
silver Knightian for Calceolarias ; and another for Heartsease. The

278

CALENDAR! AL MEMORANDA FOR JULY.

Pine-apples of Mr. Floud, gardener to J. Guest, Esq., obtained a large
silver medal, and his Melons a silver Knightian medal. Mr. Rivers,
of Sawbridgeworth, for his China Roses, obtained a large silver medal ;
for his hardy Azaleas one Knightian; and for his garden Roses an¬
other. Mr. Fleming, gardener to C. Ranken, Esq., for his greenhouse
plants was rewarded with a large silver medal; and Mr. Douglas, gar¬
dener to Earl de Grey, was honoured with a similar distinction for a
plant from New Holland.

Other silver Knightian medals were adjudged to Mr. Cock, of Chis¬
wick, for Balsams; Mr. Mills, gardener to N. M. Rothschild, Esq., at
Gunnersbury Park, for Cockscombs; Mr. Pratt, gardener to — Har¬
rison, Esq., for Melo-cacti ; Mr. Foggo, gardener to the Marquis of
Abercorn, for Figs; Mr. Judd, gardener to W. Gambier, Esq., of
Sacombe Park, for Grapes ; Messrs. Hill and Colley, Hammersmith,
for Pelargoniums ; Mr. J. Wilmot, Isleworth, for Pine-apples ; Mr.
Nieman, gardener to P. C. Labouehere, Esq., for Peaches and Necta¬
rines; Mr. Glenny, F.H.S., for China Roses; Mr. Redding, gardener
to Mrs. Marryatt, for double Eschscholtzia Californica, and for the
usual rich variety of greenhouse plants, so tastefully arranged as to
mark from whence they came ; Mr. Russell, of Battersea, for a New
Holland plant; and Mr. Hoskins, gardener to J. V. Maubert, Esq,
F.H.S., for Cape plants.

Silver Banksian medals were also granted to Mr. H. Groom, of Wal¬
worth, for an unrivalled display of Calceolarias ; to Mr. Mountjoy, of
Ealing, for specimens of Heartsease; and to Mr. Barnes (G. Norman,
Esq.) for a plant of the Phlox Drmnrnondii , a valuable and pleasing
addition to our list of flowers.

C ABEND ARIAL MEMORANDA FOR JULY.

Kitchen Garden. — The getting in a good stock of winter vegeta¬
bles is the principal business of the month; therefore sufficient breadths
of cabbage, savoys, borecole, and all other sorts of hardy greens, should
be planted out for good. A full crop of celery should now be put out
in trenches or beds ; — the previously pricked-out seedlings will now be
stocky, and in fine order to go into trenches. Now is a good time to
plant the principal crops of broccoli for winter and spring service.
Michaelmas cauliflowers, if not already done, should now be put in
their final station. Endive should be sown twice in the month, and
seedlings from former sowings transplanted consecutively. Lettuce

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR JULY.

279

and all small salad plants should be sown or transplanted, as may he
requisite. Black and white Spanish radish may now be sown ; also a
large bed of carrots, to draw in November or throughout the winter, if
protected from frost. In the last week, sow a full crop of onions to
stand the winter; at the same time sow a large piece of winter spinach.
A large bed of Battersea or sugar-loaf cabbage should be sown about
the middle of the month, to be planted out as coleworts. Turnips may
be sown twice, in order to secure a regular supply.

The growing crops requiring attention at this time are, those need¬
ing the support of sticks, as peas and runner French beans; earthing-
up celery and cardoons ; pruning off side-shoots of artichokes, and
breaking down the stems of those already cut for use ; watering,
wherever necessary ; and gathering whatever is ready for storing — as
shallots, garlic, onions, and all sorts of herbs for drying. Clean and
prepare vacant ground for the reception of winter and spring crops,
&c. &c.

Fruit Garden. — The fruit-trees on walls, and indeed all trained
trees, are ever requiring the assistance of the pruner. To free the trees
from supernumerary shoots, and keep the reserved ones in regular order,
is highly necessary at this time. Insects will be ravaging, if not
banished, and mildew will destroy the points of the best shoots of
peach and nectarine trees, if not kept off by applications of soap-suds
or sulphur. Vines at this time also require constant regulation;- — in
short, the beauty of the trees in this, and their fruitfulness in the
next year, mainly depends on what is done for them in the summer
months.

Flower Garden. — Whatever was omitted to be done in June,
should now be performed without delay. Take up bulbs and tubers
when the leaves are withered ; sow and transplant annuals to bloom
late ; propagate pinks, rockets, carnations, &c. ; divide auriculas, and
re-pot them, keeping them shaded ; also all other plants in pots — as
Chinese primroses, &c. ; stake dahlias, and propagate pansies ; sow
seeds of biennials ; prop Chinese chrysanthemums; regulate the patches
of previously sown annuals ; shift hothouse or greenhouse annuals, &c.
Sowing, transplanting, shifting into larger pots, propagating by layers
and cuttings — propping, shading, and watering when necessary — form
the constant employment of the flower-gardener during this month.

280

REMARKS OX THE WEATHER.

REMARKS ON THE WEATHER.

The current month has been and continues rather changeable: the
former part dry, and often very warm, so that a want of moisture
began to be felt. This parching heat was followed by thunder-storms
and heavy showers of rain. Vegetation, which had been kept in check
by the backward spring and succeeding drought, was suddenly excited
into exuberant growth; and the kitchen-garden, which scarcely afforded,
a month back, a dish of peas, a cauliflower, or even a decent salad, is
now overflowing with everything.

Such circumstances are often experienced in this variable climate,
and there is no guarding against them. Their effects as affecting the
business of gardening, are, bringing in too many crops at once ; and
which were intended and expected to have come in seriatim , during
part of April, May, and June, have, for the most part, come in the
present month. Wagon-loads of vegetables, which were invaluable
some time ago, are now a drug in the markets, and a nuisance in every
street. However, as they will be quickly cleared off, the ground will
be the sooner vacant to receive other crops.

As far as our observation extends, there will be only what is called a
middling, by no means a great crop of fruit this year. In later districts
of the kingdom, the crops may be more abundant than in those, vdiich,
from more southerly situation, or warmer soil, are more liable to suffer
from the night frosts, which prevailed during the flowering season.
But we have no report that this is really the case.

The showery weather with which we are now visited is very favour¬
able for getting in the winter crops of celery, broccoli, &c. as well as for
cleansing the foliage of trees and shrubs, and assisting every thing now
advancing to maturity.

June 24 th, 1836.

PAXTON’S

HORTICULTURAL REGISTER,

AUGUST, 1836,

HORTICULTURE.

ON THE COILING OF VINES.

Welbeck Gardens , 2nd July, 1836.

Sir, — I am certainly much astonished at the scepticism of many
otherwise eminent practical gardeners, respecting the opinions they
entertain of the merits of the coiling system for the purpose of propa¬
gating the grape vine.

I beg to state to &tXo<jO(po£, that he appears to be but little acquainted
with the physiology of the vine, when he would maintain that I am in
error when I cut off all buds upon that part of my coil intended to be
beneath the soil. If he retains those buds, which it seems he con¬
siders rather important to do so than otherwise, he will find that
he will do but little good with his coil either the first or second
season.

I beg to inform him that “ buds are ” (certainly not ) “the origin of
roots.” A vine-cutting coiled into a pot, after being denuded of every
bud or excrescence likely to throw up a sucker, will produce as fine
vigorous roots the jirst season, as if every bud had been present. I
have proved it by variously-repeated experiments on the vine, and
likewise upon blind tubers of the dahlia.

I should be most happy for d>dWo^>oc to honour me with a call, and
I flatter myself that he will then judge differently of the importance of
the coiling system of the grape vine.

Rootless branches, coiled into pots the 19th of last February, have
at this time vigorous bunches of grapes upon them ; and although of

VOL. V. - NO. LXII.

o o

282

ON THE COILING OF TINES.

the choicest sorts, they will be as perfectly matured as any grapes can
possibly be by any other established treatment. I have a fine variety
of White Muscadine, coiled on the above day, and it will perfect ten
fine bunches vigorously and healthy. I had a cutting of some length
from Clumber on the 15th of March last; I coiled six feet into the pot ;
and it will mature seven good and perfect bunches.

The same impulse which prompted me at first to give to the public
the earliest notice of so important a discovery, would at this moment
induce me to do the same, as I still consider it to be an important fea¬
ture in the art of grape culture, by creating an emulation which was in
deed and in truth required ; by simplifying the art, and by showing
that grapes can be grown profitably and successfully by the pot-culture ;
and if you will refer to the Register, you will there find my motive for
ever treating of the subject. I was sorry that any man, or set of men,
should take upon themselves to publicly condemn a system of culti¬
vating the grape which I had long practised successfully, and much
admired for its great interest, simplicity, and importance. To induce
the practice of pot-culture, I then stated that “ it may not be known .
that good grapes can be produced from a rootless shoot the first season,
by coiling a certain length of it into a pot, and plunging it into a
bottom-heat till the fruit are set.” I cannot call to remembrance my
exact expression, and the volume is not by me. The only important
fact which I have discovered since I first noticed it, is the absolute
necessity of retaining the moistened moss round the stems (above the
pot) till the grapes are set ; when they are perfectly safe, the moss can
then be displaced, with all the roots connected with it. At the same
time remove the pots from the bottom-heat to any convenient flue or
stage, so as to be near the light and air.

I have been too long an enthusiastic cultivator of the grape, to have
announced any system to the public which I was not well convinced
would stand the test of ages ; and I would willingly hope that the
cause of failures in the coiling system, by others, proceeds from the
same as that which prevented Mr. Gray from being successful in the
pot-culture, and induced him to condemn the practice so unjustly and
injuriously ; namely, from a rather too lukewarm interest in the novel
practice, rather than a prejudice against the system. I believe there
is no set of men, of the same calling, so friendly amongst each other as
gardeners ; and through my whole life I have taken great pleasure in
their society, and no small degree of interest in their welfare ; and if at
any time I have been of the smallest service to any of them, it has
greatly contributed to the enjoyment of my life.

®i\ocro(])OQ states that “ he knows grapes may be developed, grown,

ON THE COILING OF VINES.

283

and completely matured by a coiled shoot of a vine — a regular -bearing
shoot — cut from a wall, destitute of roots, and passed round a No. 12
pot;” and he repeats it, that “ he knows from liis own individual
experience, that perfectly-ripened fruit may be produced by such a
branch within five or six months after it has been introduced into a
stove.”

Now I beg to state, that in all my enthusiastic practice of forty
years, and extensive correspondence and friendly connexion with
many of the most eminent horticulturists of my time, I never once
heard the coiling of a shoot hinted at by any one, or in any shape ;
and I think, had it ever occurred to Mr. Knight, (near to whose resi¬
dence, at Downton Castle, I had the happiness of residing for nearly
twenty-seven years of the prime of my life,) I must have heard him
remark it. I believe the circumstance had never struck him, or, with
his free and familiar manner amongst gardeners, I am sure that he
would have noticed it ; and I should not have failed of introducing it
many years earlier into practice, under that most amiable and excellent
gentleman’s name, instead of my own. I should have felt a great pride
in doing so, as it might then have been thought better of amongst some
— I would trust, by every one who knew him personally.

“ Take him for all and all, we ne’er shall know his like again.”

Had the practice of coiling shoots into a pot been once but success¬
fully practised, as it certainly has been done here, it would have dis¬
closed so important an event in the culture of grapes, and created such
a degree of interest amongst horticulturalists generally, that, I believe,
had the discoverer been narrow-minded enough (as many used to be)
to desire to conceal it, as an art and mystery, it would very soon have
been publicly known amongst gardeners, if not generally practised till
better known.

My practice alone has been sufficient to prove its importance, and
to be a most interesting feature in the culture of that important
fruit.

I beg to remind my friend ftikocrofyog, that buds retained upon any
part of the under-ground coil of a vine intended to have a portion
retained above, either to produce fruit or vigorous wood, are suckers to
all intents and purposes, and of course are most noxious to the intended
prosperity of the vine: — every bud or excrescence left upon those parts
to be laid beneath the soil, turns out to be nothing but a thief and a
robber, and should never be suffered to exist, if success is intended.
Those who would argue against it, will, like Mr. Fish, be sure of a
failure if they attempt it. QiXoaotyog may rest assured that a bud left

284

ON THE COILING OF VINES,

underneath the soil will add nothing to the commonwealth, but will
monopolise all for its own individual use, and will never, whilst we are
in want of support, give one particle to the well-being of the intended
object, I have long ago tried it. “ Buds will ” (not) turn to roots/'
although they may increase the vigour of those contiguous to them ; —
they serve to plunder the main object, instead of adding anything to¬
wards its support. It is true, the bulk of a tree is most increased by the
greatest proportional quantity of branches and quantity of foliage ex¬
posed to the light and solar influence ; but in studying the economy of
the sap in the coiled vine, I have another object in view. I should
wish that &i\ocro<pog would try his own suggestion, and retain the
buried buds, and he will be much better able to judge whether he or I
be in error.

He states that u a vine of old or last year’s wood, coiled from three
to four feet into a sixteen or twelve pot, one eye only being permitted
to approach to within half an inch of the surface — the whole, however,
being covered with light vegetable earth, made open by bruised bones,
and being well drained at bottom — will push vigorously, and may pro¬
duce shoots twelve feet long, and nearly half an inch in diameter in
one season : such a shoot, well trained, will support from six to twenty
clusters (according to its kind and the shortness of its joints) in the
second season/’ I fear that, unless <htXo<ro0o£ adopts my practice a
little farther than what he states above, he will come far short, the
second season, of producing so many clusters of prime, and of the
choicest kinds of grapes.

I have already stated in the Register my method of successfully per¬
forming that practice, and, therefore, I am unwilling to trouble you
with any superfluous remarks upon the subject. I hope the world is
more enlightened and liberal-minded than when Dr. Harvey dared to
tell the world that the blood circulated. What abuse, what contumely,
and even insults, did he not receive from the faculty of his time ! What
can we think at this period of those learned heads ?

I beg it to be clearly understood, that my first impulse to enter upon
this subject was in defence of the pot-culture of the vine ; and any
discovery to promote expeditious culture is undeniably of great service.
By this method, the fruit may be supplied for the table, in the greatest
perfection, the whole year round, when the proper means and skill are
employed. Even when grown in pots of moss , with common clear
water, excellent fruit are produced. Pot-culture of the grape vine will
soon become one of the greatest pleasures the amateur of gardening can
enjoy. It is the only means of making him early and well acquainted
with the habits of the vine, and of all its choice varieties.

ON THE CULTURE OF THE PINE-APPLE,

285

To recommend this mode of cultivation, and to show how expedi¬
tiously it might be done, has been the grand aim of all I have written
on the subject. This being the case, it is surprising that any lover of
gardening should so far forget himself as to condemn a system which
he has never seen practised properly, nor does not, it is evident, under¬
stand. I am. Sir, your obedient servant,

John Mearns.

[We willingly give place to the above letter from Mr, Mearns,
because, as his ideas respecting his success in coiling vines, published
in f*' The Gardener’s Magazine” and ^Horticultural Register,” have
been attacked through us, and which (though a pretty rebuke to our¬
selves) we gave insertion to from a principle of editorial duty compel¬
ling us to hear both sides ; yet we must disclaim taking any decided
part in the controversy, any farther than allowing Mr. Mearns to
remonstrate and explain. When assertions are made on one hand,
and denials on the other, it is impossible for us to decide which is
right, unless we visited Welbeck, (which Mr. Mearns most urgently
begs us to do,) which we have only to regret is not now in our power,
although we consider the invitation a very strong proof of what is
advanced in the above communication, and for which he has our best
thanks. We have only to add, that our friend Mr. Mearns is mistaken
in his suspicion as to the correspondent with a Greek cognomen.—
Editor .]

ON THE CULTURE OF THE PINE-APPLE.

Sir, — Your kind acceptance of my late paper on the Pine-apple
induces me to fulfil my intention of sending a second in continuation,
wherein I propose to describe a method of growing this exotic which I
have seen practised ; and though it be not new — as it was pursued by
Baldwin, Peter Marsland, Esq., and by several others — it is still very
little adopted. Those who grow the pine-apple on a small scale, or
who wish to do so, must, I think, find the method very convenient, as
only one pit, heated either by dung or fire, will be required.

I must premise by remarking, that the plants so treated were prin¬
cipally of the old Jamaica variety, which, in my opinion, surpasses all
others cultivated. The St. Vincent, or Green Olive, is also a most
valuable fruit ; yet, although so excellent, we seldom meet with either ;
thirty plants of the Queen, or its near varieties, being grown in most
gardens, to one of the two sorts mentioned. The great objection to

286

ON THE CULTURE OF THE PINE-APPLE.

them is their tardiness in fruiting ; but this will be no obstacle to the
plan now to be described.

The fruit being cut in autumn, one sucker, and in some instances
two , were left on each stool ; all the old leaves were removed at the
same time : but this ought to be done with prudence, for the suckers
are sometimes weak ; and in that case, the sudden removal of the
parent leaves will entirely check growth. This appears odd, and by
many will perhaps be doubted ; but it is the fact, that if the sucker
be weak, the entire removal of the old leaves throws, I may say, such
an abundance of sap into it, as to gorge and fairly torpify it : it would,
therefore, be prudent to leave on three or four leaves to most of
the plants; they can do no harm, and in some cases may do much
good. The old stools may be earthed-up or not, as agreeable : those
plants to which I allude were not, but remained untouched in the pit
till the middle of February, when they were taken out, the suckers
broken from the stools, planted in pots according to their sizes, and
replunged in a good bottom-heat — about ninety degrees — with a fire-
heat of seventy degrees. In this situation they soon began to grow,
and in the end of May required shifting into pots large enough for
them to fruit in.

Soon after this shift, the best-grown plants showed fruit, and the
others threw up in succession. Ripe fruit was cut the following Octo¬
ber ; the largest weighed three pounds nine ounces avoirdupois ; it was
finely swollen, as indeed were all — none, if I rightly remember, being
under two pounds in weight.

I have thus described as plainly and correctly as possible the method
I saw practised. The plan has at least simplicity to recommend it, to
say nothing of the quick return to the grower, who has to wait but
twelve months for ripe fruit, and even less ; whereas, in the common
method, it takes from twenty months to three years before the plants
ripen their produce.

It has now become the general opinion, that the quicker the plants
are grown, the better the fruit will be, particularly in size. I have,
therefore, presented a plan to the notice of your readers, which, for
expedition, has not been surpassed by any. I should observe, that
bone-dust added to the soil, if of a sandy nature, appears exceedingly
congenial to the pine-apple plant.

July 9th, A. L. A. T.

The paper on the “ Shrivelling of Grapes ” shall be sent for next
month’s number.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

287

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

LETTER FOURTEEN.

Dear Sir., — I ended my last epistle by stating the opinion of
many eminent men and writers on fine taste, as to what should be
the course of study the landscape gardener should pursue, in order to
store his mind with pure and correct ideas of natural scenery, and so
to be able to apply them in every case where he might be employed.

When we survey the various features which diversify and adorn the
surface of the earth, some, we find, are much more interesting than
others. In one place we have extensive prospect ; in another, an
assemblage of objects which astonish from their immensity, their tower-
ing height, or their profound depth ; — such scenes are said to be sub¬
lime. Other scenes, in which appear a gently-winding river or placid
lake, margined with verdant turf, diversified with scattered masses of
formally-tufted, aspiring, or pendent-branched trees and evergreen
shrubs, with a surface flowing in gentle undulations, and where general
smoothness, softness, and freshness prevail — such scenery, of whatever
extent it may be, is said to be beautif ul. If this kind of scenery, how¬
ever, had a rapid river dashing along in a rugged and tortuous channel ;
if dark granite cliffs started up from an uneven and much-broken sur¬
face in various places, and of different altitudes ; if many grotesque and
thunder-scathed trees were here and there scattered about — some
shrouded in ivy, or surrounded by black-thorns, brambles, burdocks,
and ferns ; if a ruined mill, with its broken water-wheel, appeared on
the river’s brink, and on a neighbouring crag the dilapidated turrets
and battlements of an ancient castle seen high above a base of dark-
tinted pines : and, moreover, were a camp of gipsies, with their half-
naked children, their shaggy dogs and asses seen on the foreground of
such a scene — the whole would be called picturesque. When any por¬
tion of the earth’s surface has been appropriated to the special use of
man, and smoothed and decorated by ranks of trees, clumps of shrubs,
and knots of flowers, showing the predominance of art and studied
design — such scenery has been designated by a well-known author
gardenesque.

These are the different characters of scenery. Sometimes they are
met with distinctly marked, but much more frequently mixed ; so that
the sublime may become merged into the picturesque, and the latter
may be mellowed into the beautiful.

To create any scene deserving t&e character of sublimity is entirely

288

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

out of the power of the landscape gardener; and but few painters
succeed in depicting such scenes, unless assisted by the narrative of
the historian, the visions of the poet, or the unnatural indistinctness
and absurd obscurities of their art.

The creation of beautiful scenery belongs particularly to the province
of the landscape gardener ; and when he has a fair field on which to
display it, and is thoroughly cognisant of its principles, generally
acquits himself with credit. His dispositions are usually pleasing;
but, unluckily for him, they do not attract the fastidious eye of ex¬
tremely fine taste. Neither are beautiful scenes admired by the land¬
scape painter ; their bland smoothness and regularly-flowing lines
offend him ; there is too much sameness of tint, not sufficient contrast,
nor flickering intricacy, to give freedom and licence to his pencil ; and
therefore it is that purely beautiful scenes are seldom painted.

It is the next description of scenery, namely, the picturesque, which
the connoisseur delights to contemplate, and the painter to pourtray.
Such scenery has received its very designation from the circumstance
of its being so often chosen for the canvas ; and it becomes a question
whether the ease of the artist and facility of execution on the one
hand, or any real gratification to either our mental or visual faculties
on the other, have formed the standard by which all painted as well as
real landscapes are judged. This surmise requires, perhaps, a little
explanation. I presume you will agree with me that all regular figures
are more difficult to draw — at least they require much more care in
tracing the outline — than those that are irregular. Any fault in the
latter — a tree, for instance, however differing from the original — cannot
be discovered ; whereas the most trifling defect in the representation
of an obelisk, column, or other regular figure, is, on the most transient
glance, detectable.

To suit the notions of the artist, there are also what are called
painters’ trees— that is, such as are but thinly clothed with leaves,
and these growing in tufts, through which all the ramifications of the
branches may be seen. A tree of a regularly rotund or pyramidal shape,
or if it bears a thick mass of foliage, is an abomination to a painter ;
and therefore nothing but the most irregular dispositions and forms,
the deepest shadows, and warmest varied colours (for uniformity of
colour is also disliked) are considered fit for the pencil.

These being the ideas of painters, and all the most famous pictures
of the old masters being painted in this style, it is not at all to be won¬
dered at that modern critics can relish no real scenery, unless it bears
some resemblance to the standard on which they have grounded their
principles of taste. Of course they advise all landscape gardeners to

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

289

improve their ideas upon the same models, and that they should imitate
as far as possible the compositions of the ancient masters.

But we have next to inquire what it really is in the paintings of
Claude Lorraine, Poussin, and others, which inclines us to look upon
their productions with so much pleasure. Many of them, no doubt,
are only ideal compositions ; and consequently there is no such thing as
comparing them with existing scenes, in order to judge of their faithful¬
ness. Still, even supposing them to be ideal, we cannot withhold our
admiration of the general harmony of their pictures — the well-balanced
light and shade — the imperceptible touches by which the colours are
blended with each other — the happy combinations of trees, shrubs, and
herbs on the foreground — and the numerous interesting objects in the
offscape; — these arrest the attention of the most incurious, and also show
the rich and fertile imagination of the artist. Much of our approbation so
readily bestowed on those matchless works may be, however, only com¬
plimentary to the masterly manner in which the colours are laid on,
and the way in which the objects and figures are disposed. We may
admire the forms of the trees, without being able to say what trees
they are ; we may extol the mild or solemn light thrown over the
whole picture, without being able to guess at what hour of the day or
night it was studied or painted. We, besides, must often make allow¬
ance for the licence of a poetical painter, and for the exuberance of his
fancy, especially in his choosing just such a placid or stormy sky as
will best suit the character of his scene. He may introduce dead or
shattered trees, or other wrecks of nature — ruins of buildings, or other
wrecks of art ; but all this, so allowable and admirable in paintings,
cannot be introduced with propriety into the works of the gardener ;
and thus far the first should not be held up as a model to be closely
followed by the latter.

It is very true, we have heard of dead trees being planted , and ruins
built at a vast expense, by talented and rational men ! But who would
call such freaks pure taste ? If the ruins of an old mansion happen to
stand upon the ground required to be dressed around a new house, they
may remain with propriety, because some local history is connected
with such vestigia, and ideas associated of an interesting kind : but to
build ruins, or, what is said to be a better way, build a handsome
structure having somewhat of an architecturesque character, and then
immediately let it be partly demolished and defaced by the hammers of
the builders! and when this is artificially weather-stained, and covered
with ivy, wall-flowers, verbascums, &c., it must then be fancied a
striking feature of some favourite scene, is quite ludicrous.

VOL. v. — NO. LXII,

P P

290

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

In following so closely the style of the ancient painters, and intro¬
ducing several of the objects which frequently appear in their works,,
many very silly things have been executed. Irregularity has been
^regularised ; smooth sloping banks of turf, instead of being varied
by planting shrubs, have been cut into deep scars, in order to expose
the different strata of the naked soil : trees have been advised to be
planted in the middle of a leading walk, for the purpose of making
the walk trend elegmitly on both sides ! The advisers or performers
of such notable exploits seem to forget that, however pleasing such
circumstances may be as the result of accident, they become ridiculous
when imitated by art.

But, to return from this long digression, how far are those arbiters of
fine taste in the right, when they advise the ground-improver to copy
from the accidental associations of herbs, shrubs, and trees, so con¬
stantly seen in forests, or such woodlands as we were then traversing?
It is perfectly true that we saw in those woods the most beautiful play
of turf, studded with many various and dissimilar groups of trees, all
very naturally associated ; and we admired them not only because
every group appeared to be connected, and placed with special refer¬
ence to others around, but also because the whole presented an interest¬
ing display of light and shade ; some trees being boldly prominent, with
deep and shady recesses between, and all being the effects of mere acci¬
dent, enhanced the value of those wild, though pleasing, associations.

That a wood of great extent, dismembered as it were by grassy
glades, and based in underwood, is much more interesting than an
open grove of stately trees standing on naked turf, is a truth allowed
by every one. This seems to have been the opinion of the old painters,
who very seldom represented single trees, or trees unaccompanied with
shrubs or other undergrowth ; and it justifies the opinion of those who
advise the improvers of park-scenery to repair to forests to take lessons.
But can the same style of disposing ornamental trees, shrubs, and herbs,
be applicable in higher-dressed or pleasure grounds ? The best judges
who have written on the subject answer, (( Yes;” and it is an idea
which has been very generally acted upon, as most of the pleasure-
grounds in Britain are embellished by mixed groups of trees, shrubs,
and herbs : even flower-gardens have been laid out in a similar style,
composed of an aggregation of clumps and groups, of various forms
and size, upon a base of smooth turf.

This is called imitating Nature in her most pleasing forms ; but
these virgin forms of nature are pleasing chiefly because they are un¬
accompanied by every mark of art. And it is objected to our present
style of flower-gardens, that if nature be impaired by any interference of

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

291

art, so no dispositions of art, it is said, should be exhibited as imitations
of nature.

This impression, whether right or wrong, begins to take effect, as
several flower-gardens on rather a large scale have been lately laid out
among us in the old Dutch or geometric style — a style of all others the
most rigidly artificial. It is probable, however, that, except for flower-
plots on a few square yards of surface, it will never be generally
fashionable.

There is yet another idea broached respecting the arrangement of
plants in flower or other pleasure-gardens : it appears to be founded on
the principle that, as all gardens are works of art, so every thing in
and about them should partake of that character ; — plants should all
be grouped according to their kinds and general characters ; trees with
trees, shrubs with shrubs, and herbaceous plants by themselves. In
nature they are found intermixed, and for that very reason they should
be, when cultivated, classed apart, and ranked each kind by themselves.

According to this notion, a public nursery is the true type of a well-
arranged pleasure-garden ; and though it may be considered so by a
rigid lover of order, the eye, which, in viewing the vegetable creation,
is delighted with its endless variety, will be disappointed in seeing
that variety composed of harshly -marked and distinct grades, rather
than in that harmonious amalgamation in which wild vegetation
usually appears. Neither for the continuous beauty of a flower-garden
is this grouping of genera expedient. Many of the herbs are seasonal,
and visible but for a short time ; consequently blanks would be ever
occurring, which would either remain unsightly, or cause considerable
labour to refurnish. There is a happy medium in all things ; and the
pleasure arising from a well-designed and well-kept garden flows
directly from our feelings at the moment, rather than from any abstract
ideas we may entertain as to whether the scene before us be exactly
agreeable to, or consistent with, the rigid rules of pure taste or not.
No one would object to the violet or snowdrop peeping from below the
rhododendron, nor the hollyhock shooting up from among the laurels ;
but if we had seen either rhododendrons or hollyhocks in the wild wood

in which we were riding, they would have been condemned as unso¬
ciable intruders.

In executing gardenesque scenery, the grouping and variety of
forest combinations may be imitated with propriety, but it must be
with very different kinds of plants : no rustic tree or shrub looks well
if associated with cultivated exotics in dressed ground ; nor do the
homely forms of orchard fruit-trees assimilate with ornamental plants.

I am. Sir, A. B.

(To be continued.')

292 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE.

Reminiscences of a Voyage to and from China ( continued
from page 262). — At break of day on the 19th of June., the Island of
St. Helena was visible a-head, at the distance of about six miles. In
the early dawn, it appeared like a vast black cloud floating on the sur¬
face of the ocean. Finding the prediction of the previous evening so
correct, we could not suppress admiration at the accuracy with which
the fleet had been navigated to this lonely speck of the earth, nearly in
the middle of the South Atlantic Sea, and several hundred miles from
the nearest continent of Africa.

Making sail, we neared the island rapidly, our course lying close
round the eastern side, in order to reach the roadstead, which is before
the only landing-place on the north-west angle of the rock. The
nearer we approached this remarkable place, the more were we asto¬
nished at its vast altitude and rugged outline. While yet two or three
miles from the nearest point of its base, the eye must be considerably
elevated to view its topmost peak, from whence we could discern the
signal-guns discharged, but were too far off to hear the report. A signal
announcing the approach of a numerous fleet produces great commotion
on this little world of granite. In time of war, all fly to arms ; in
time of peace, all hurry to their toilets, and proceed to the esplanade to
receive their friends or letters from India.

The anchorage ground requires to be gained by a press of sail, in
order to give the ship head-way to reach high enough on the shelving
ground where the anchor is “ let go,” and then brought head to
wind ; ” for if the ground be missed, a voyage of a month, perhaps,
would be required to regain the same spot. In approaching the anchor¬
age, and close under the beetling crags, great caution is required in
passing the deep and narrow clefts or ravines, as the sudden gusts of
wind through these openings endanger the topmasts if the halliards are
belayed.

All the fleet, however, got safe to anchor, and immediately our inter¬
course with the shore began. Despatches for the Triton were received;
and soon after they were opened, we were summoned into the captain’s
apartments to speak with the purser (our employer’s brother-in-law).
We found him in tears, and he could only articulate, Main, our good
friend is dead!” Little more was said at that interview, but enough
to send us away full of sad rumination to our own berth.

Next day it was determined, concerning the plants, that all which
had any chance of reaching England alive should be kept in their
places, and treated as before ; and any of the most valuable, that were

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 293

in a precarious state, should be sent on shore, and kept in the garden
of some friend who understood their management, until they were
recruited, and an opportunity offered to forward them to England.

Accordingly the Azaleas, white and red flowering, a semi-double red
Camellia, one or two Paeonias, &c., were landed, of which a list was
kept by the gentleman above alluded to. It may be as well to mention
here, that we never could learn what became of those plants, or whether
they were ever brought to Europe.

Of our whole collection, not one-half remained alive on our arrival
here. This failure, conjoined with the sad news we had just heard
from England, gave us no small uneasiness ; but what added to the
poignancy of those heartburnings was, what we witnessed of the state
of the other plants brought thus far in other ships of the fleet. These,
for the most part selected and packed by ourselves, and in the same
manner as we had prepared our own, were now, however, in a far
better condition. Two or three boxes packed for Captain Henry
Wilson, of the Warley , were in excellent order ; many of them had
scarcely lost a leaf. They were placed on the poop, abaft the skylight,
exposed to all weathers, and seldom looked at or watered. Those
packed for Captain Simpson, which stood on the capstan, (and of
course under the awning of the quarter-deck in bright weather,) were
also in good order, and but little damaged. Captain Smith, of the
Minerva, employed us to select a few Paeonias for Sir Joseph Banks,
which he kept in the stern balcony; they were also, on their arrival
at St. Helena, in a fair way of reaching England in safety.

Our reception on shore was here, like what we had experienced at
many other places in India, of the most flattering description. Mr.
Porteus, the Governor’s gardener, invited us to his home, near the
Governor’s country house, on the Table-land of the rock, near its
centre, and on the very spot, we believe, which was afterwards chosen
for the domicile of the Emperor Napoleon. To the Governor’s house
was a garden partly walled, on the plan of an English garden, in which
culinary vegetables and European fruits were attempted to be grown ;
and that the semblance might be more correct, peach and nectarine
trees were trained to the rugged wall — a most unnecessary expedient
in so warm a climate. The orchard fruit-trees were all stunted and
unthrifty, the apples being literally eaten up by the American blight
( Eriosoma mali ), which is exceedingly plentiful on the island. There
is, at the upper end of the town, a spot of four or five acres laid out
and planted as a pleasure-ground, called the Company s Garden. This
contained a choice collection of tropical plants, and was used as a public
mall by the inhabitants.

294 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

We were also fortunate in being invited to the country house of one
of the principal merchants of the place, who had obtained a grant of
land about half a mile beyond the Governor’s house, which he was beauti¬
fying by loosening the rocky surface, and planting it with trees and
shrubs, for the sake of having shady walks, so necessary and refreshing
to the eye, on the summit of an almost naked rock. A conical hill,
within the boundary, was already nearly clothed to the top with thriv¬
ing trees and shrubs. At this place we resided for a week or ten days,
giving our advice about the amelioration of the rugged soil, and obtain¬
ing depth for the reception of the trees, as well as pointing out the
best way of disposing them.

James Town (the only town on the island) is situate at the mouth
of a deep valley or ravine, open towards the north-west. It consists
of one principal street of good respectable houses. The Governor’s
house, offices, guard-house, barrack, and extensive store-houses for the
use of the whole population, are built across the lower end of the
street ; and on the outside of these is the parade, or esplanade, the sea¬
front of which is bristled with heavy guns, forming a battery extending
across the mouth of the valley. There are also flanking batteries on
the heights to the left, and a strong one on Ladder Hill to the right,
mounted with heavy artillery on carriages of an unusual construction,
allowing the muzzles to be so depressed as to fire through any ship’s
deck that comes upon soundings.

The other public buildings are, a church, and not far from it a small
theatre ; there is also a barrack and hospital, and a black town in the
interior. The whole government is military ; and, as all depend on
the public stores, so all are subjected to garrison duty when required.
All except the soldiery follow their own occupations however, whe¬
ther as merchants or artificers ; but they are every one liable to be
called on military duty at the command of the Governor.

Mr. Porteus, though the Governor’s gardener, also held some mili¬
tary rank, and a most intelligent man he was. A principal topic of
our conversation was the fate of the plants we had brought from
China; and he gave it as his opinion that they had been “ killed with
care,” because he had learned from experience that plants can hardly
be kept too dry while on the voyage ; and therefore all our anxiety in
keeping them duly watered and sprinkled, as we would have done in a
British conservatory, was labour lost. Mr. Porteus added that, in such
cases, the parching effects of a vertical sun are never so fatal to lig-

* A group of low huts, where servants of colour, labourers, Sec., reside.

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 295

neons plants, as its exciting and exhausting influence when united
with humidity.

This information came too late for our then purpose ; the error was
already committed ; for though there was still a two-months’ voyage to
encounter, there was no hope that a different proceeding towards our
invalids would have been productive of much good. Our grand object
was to prevent the plants getting worse than they then were, and this
engrossed our subsequent care.

We left St. Helena on the 1st of July, with some feelings of regret,
and with the most sincere sense of gratitude for the favours received
from every one we chanced to meet. We envied our friend Mr. Por-
teus’s situation — the high respect in which he was held by every officer
on the island. Professionally, he appeared settled for life ; as a natu¬
ralist, he was fixed on a healthy spot5 whence he could look towards
both poles of the earth, and with every nation and distant corner of it
had occasional intercourse. He had married a young and beautiful
lady, a native of the place, whose innocent and amiable ignorance of
the ways of the great world was truly interesting ; not so much so,
indeed, as one of her own sex, (also a native of the island,) who had
some years before told the captain of an Indiaman that his arrival in
the Thames must make London very gay ! We have never had the
happiness of hearing of our friend Mr. Porteus since we parted at the
landing-place of the island.

The fleet was increased at our departure from St. Helena by the
Sampson sixty-four, and the Assista7ice fifty, gun ships, besides several
South Sea whalers. The voyage homeward, recrossing the Line, &c.,
was performed without any untoward accident. The plants continued
nearly in the same state in which they had left St. Helena ; they were
too much exhausted to be in any sensible degree affected by the torrid
heat, nor did they present any signs of amendment when we reached
the north temperate latitudes.

During this part of the voyage our mind was chiefly occupied with
our own personal prospects, and what might be our fate on reaching
England. Our fine ideal prospect of again returning to China was
totally abandoned. The patron who alone could have imposed and
made such a re-adventure agreeable to us, was no more ; and we
had only to look forward to the chapter of accidents ” for future
employment and bread.

When the fleet arrived off the Western Isles, the Spanish and Portu¬
guese frigates fired their salutes and left us, we standing on for the
chops of the English Channel, which we made on the 5th of September,
1794.

296 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

At sunset on the 4th, the greater part of the fleet were in sight,
proceeding up the channel with a fine top-gallant-sail breeze, with
thick cloudy weather and light drizzling rain. At the second hour of
the middle watch (two o’clock in the morning), the officer and men
who had the “ look-out ” on the forecastle cried, “ A sail on the lar¬
board bow and in an instant afterward the same voice cried, “ A sail
on the starboard bow ; ” and in the next instant a dreadful shock was
felt. All was consternation and dismay. Two-thirds of the crew and
officers were asleep— all was darkness and uncertainty. The thunder¬
ing noise of the best bower cable running out — the noise of the officers
of both ships giving orders — the calls of our own officers to sound the
well, and fire signals of distress — the rubbing and crashing of the two
ships against each other’s sides — was altogether a scene for half an hour
'which cannot be described. At last our ship was brought up in forty-
seven fathoms water, which brought us head to wind ; and after
much destruction of the rigging of both ships, the stranger fell off,
leaving part of her rigging on our deck. We then found that we had
been run foul of by the Latonci frigate belonging to the grand fleet,
then beating down the channel on a cruize, after repairing the damage
sustained in the glorious action of the previous 1st of June.

When it was found that the ship made no water, orders were given
that the fore-tackles be got to the night-heads to secure the fore-mast,
now deprived of its fore-stays (as the Latona had carried away the
bowsprit, figure-head, both cat-heads, and one anchor which brought us
up). Before, however, the foremast could be secured, or the cable
could be cut to get the ship again before the wind — the ship riding
heavily — the foremast went by the board, falling directly back on the
mainmast. The fall of the whole now appeared inevitable. . The men
on the main and mizzen tops were desired to come down, and every one
on deck were loudly called upon to take care of themselves. At last
the mainmast also went by the board, carrying with it the mizzen¬
mast and every particle of standing rigging abaft. The thundering
noise of such a weight of masts, yards, rigging, and sails, (which were
clewed up, but not furled,) all falling in-board, was most appalling. A
deep silence of a few seconds only succeeded, but neither groans of the
dying, nor cries of the wounded were heard; for although the deck was
crowded with people not an instant before the fall of the masts, not a
man was hurt, the greater number having rushed into the captain’s
apartments while the masts were falling.

Two or three men who lingered in the main-top came down there¬
with, but luckily falling between the hen-coops on the poop among the
cordage, escaped with only very slight bruises. The corner of the

OBSERVATIONS ON THE CHANGES OF SYSTEMATIC BOTANY. 297

main-top was forced through the poop-deck,, and nearly killed an
officer who was nearly under the place. The whole of this catastrophe
happened in little more than half an hour, and from the state of a tower¬
ing well-found ship, was reduced to an unmanageable but still sound
hulk, covered with wreck.

Some of our readers may ask, perhaps, why we have given so long a
detail of this unlooked-for accident to the ship, as having nothing to do
with the transportation of plants ; but they will be able to assign a
reason, and we hope an excuse, for the account, when we inform them,
that on visiting our plants at daybreak next morning, we found the
platform and all the boxes, with what remained of the plants, more or
less crushed under the weight of the main and mizzen masts, both of
which fell directly along the platform, and pressed the whole close to
the deck.

At daylight we found ourselves directly off Plymouth, and in the
midst of the grand fleet under Lord Howe. Several other Indiamen,
as well as King’s ships, disabled like ourselves, were near ; but the
greater part of our old companions had passed up the channel. Lord
Howe, after hailing us and learning the particulars of our disaster,
ordered us to be towed into Torbay by the Venerable seventy-four,
Captain Sir John Ord, to which place the whole of the grand fleet
and disabled Indiamen returned, and anchored on the evening of the
same day.

rj _

(To be continued .)

Observations on the Changes of Systematic Botany.—
It is generally known that systematic botany has been for a good many
years past in what may be called a state of revolution. The great
change introduced by the elder Jussieu, in departing so completely
from the sexual system of Linnaeus, has disturbed the minds, and un¬
settled the early-acquired ideas, of most botanists ; and although the
scheme and principle of Jussieu has been readily and pretty generally
adopted by a very great majority of the highest class of scientific men,
yet, as the labours of that eminent man were not, nor possibly could
be complete, his talented disciples are every day adding what he has
omitted, replacing what has been misplaced, and defining and deter¬
minating what he has left undetermined. It is also obvious that, in
this business of amending the Jussieuan system, botanists of equal
abilities and powers of discrimination, do not always agree in opinion —
not only as to the true generic character of the same plant, but differ
materially respecting the natural order to which it really belongs.

Whether these differences arise from any defect in the system itself,
VOL. V. — NO. LXII. QQ

298 OBSERVATIONS ON THE CHANGES OF SYSTEMATIC BOTANY.

or for want of a thorough knowledge of its details, is perhaps uncertain ;
but it is quite clear that the rules laid down by Jussieu for identifying
the genera and types of the orders instituted by himself, are not so
definite as that ef he who runs may read/’ otherwise there could not
be two opinions respecting any one perfect plant. But the distinctions
between genera, and even between some of the orders, when differen¬
tially considered, are so slight, that there is no wonder that discrepan¬
cies occur amons; botanical authors.

This indefinite character of the new system has induced several
practical botanists to conceive that a yet more simple and perfect
natural system may be devised than that of Jussieu, which would
render the study of the science much more easy and agreeable. When
the author of the natural system was employed in its arrangement, he
sometimes met with a tribe of plants which he considered might have
formed a vast genus , rather than a separate order ; and several bota¬
nists of the present day begin to perceive that making the system less
diffuse would be an improvement.

We quote with much pleasure what Professor Lindley has written
on this subject in his Introduction to Botany,” p. 320. as we believe
it evinces a very just view of the present state of the science.

“ Properly speaking, this system” (the Jussieuan) is subject to
no kind of artificial arrangement : it consists of certain groups called
natural orders, all of which are, or should be, independent of each
other, and the characters of which are derived indifferently from every
part of the plant. But as it would be extremely embarrassing to the
student to acquire a just notion of these groups, unless some mode were
devised of analysing their characters, several plans have been invented
by which the groups have been reduced to a sort of artificial arrange¬
ment, with greater or less violence to their mutual affinities. As all
these plans must, as has been shown, necessarily be linear, the real
affinities of plants must be very imperfectly indicated by them ; they
are, therefore, of no value whatever, except for the purpose of facilitat¬
ing investigation. They must be understood to form no part of what
must be strictly called the natural system ; they may be varied at plea¬
sure, according to the ingenuity of the botanist ; and that will be the
best which is most facile, and which at the same time offers the fewest
interruptions to the series of mutual relations. At present, I think,”
continues the Professor, “ there are few botanists who will deny that
they are all extremely defective ; and that one of the greatest services
that could be rendered to systematic botany, would be to devise some
scheme by which the orders could be better and more naturally
arranged under their primary classes. Whoever does this, will have to

OBSERVATIONS ON THE CHANGES OF SYSTEMATIC BOTANY. 299

divest himself of all the prejudices — and they are not a few — which have
grown up with the system of Jussieu, and that have taken deep root in
the minds of his followers : he must judge for himself upon every single
point that may come before him ; and he must forget that any such
artificial arrangements have existed as those of Jussieu himself, De
Candolle, and others. It is even to be expected that the organs of
vegetation will be, for this purpose, employed even more than those of
the fructification ; and that anatomical characters analogous to those
which characterise the really natural primary divisions of Vasculares
and Cellulares, and of Exogence and Endogence , will be applied to the
grouping, in subordinate masses, of the orders themselves.

“ At present (1832) scarcely any attempts of this nature have been
made, except by Agardh and Bartling ; but the endeavours of those
botanists, however meritorious, are far from coming up to what may be
expected.5’

From the foregoing observations, and from many other opinions
appearing in the literary labours of Dr. Lindley, as in his “ Nixtis
Plantariim ,” &c., it is evident that he sees before him an ideal sem¬
blance of a simpler, and consequently more harmonious, scheme of
systematic botany than that of Jussieu, or at least a simplification of
that eminent botanist’s plan, embracing the essentials alluded to in the
passage quoted above.

The possibility and practicability of such a thing are thus admitted,
and the necessity of it every one must allow is universally evident, on
comparing together the descriptions of different botanical writers. Not
only in the monthly periodicals of our own country, but among the
equally erudite authors on the continent, we can notice discrepancies,
which show that the writers have not all been taught in the same
school, or under the same master.

There is no hope that the remodelling of the Jussieuan system will
ever be accomplished by the labour of any one man ; it should be
undertaken by an association of professors, each of whom should not
only be good practical botanists, but also have at hand a full botanical
library, and, what is still better, a well-selected classified herbarium.
When the principles and the grand outline of the new system are once
fixed and adopted, the details might be completed consecutively, as
leisure or opportunities allowed.

The following extract from the excellent address of Earl Stanhope,
President of “ The Medico-Botanical Society,” for the anniversary
meeting, January 16th, 1836, bears materially on some of the points
above stated : —

300 OBSERVATIONS ON THE CHANGES OF SYSTEMATIC BOTANY,

“ It is only when applied to purposes of practical utility, which are
alone of real importance, and which ought constantly to be the objects
of our pursuit, that botany can be of value; for it would have very
little merit, and have no claims to our attention, if it were to be con¬
fined, as is too frequently the case, to the complete enumeration and
minute description of plants, or even to their systematic arrangement,
which, notwithstanding all the care and industry that have been
bestowed upon it, seems to be still far removed from the perfection
which is so much to be desired, and will, I have no doubt, be ulti¬
mately attained. The imperfection of the present nomenclature and
classification is evinced not only by the multitude of synonyms, but
also by innumerable cases in which the same plant is arranged in a
different genus, by some botanists, from that which others have con¬
sidered it to be more appropriate. Hence arise that uncertainty and
confusion which is so injurious to botany itself, and so inconvenient to
those who study it : and hence we may reasonably infer that the pre¬
sent is not entirely satisfactory, even to those who are the most compe¬
tent authorities upon the subject. Although Linnaeus classed the
whole vegetable kingdom into fifty-seven natural orders, they have
since been increased to the number of two hundred and twenty-nine ,
some of which have been again divided into tribes, sections, and sub¬
orders ; while there are thirty-four orders, each of which contain only
two genera, and about as many other orders comprising only a single
genus, and in some cases a genus which has but one species. While
some plants, like the mignionette, the pomegranate, and the Cohcea
scandens, appear to be thus unsociable, there are others which, notwith¬
standing all their dissimilarities, are classed together ; and the elm,
the hop, the fig, and the nettle, are included by Jussieu in the same
order, and according to what is called a natural arrangement. Accord¬
ing to another classification, the elm belongs to the order Ulmidece ; the
fig, to the Artocarpece ; and the hop, with the nettle, to the U?'ticece.
Classification is the more important, because plants which are similar
in their characters are so likewise in their qualities, and ought to be
arranged in such a manner as to facilitate the investigation by analogy.
The advantages to be derived from that analogy would of themselves
offer a sufficient recommendation to the study of botany, which is also
of extreme utility in establishing those precise and accurate definitions
by which each plant may be recognised, and may also be effectually
distinguised from every other. The study must, however, be pursued
with reference to some practical object, without which it becomes unin¬
teresting to ourselves, and unprofitable to others,”

ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF ICE-HOUSES.

301

On the Construction of Ice-Houses. — A correspondent, whom
we feel willing to oblige, has requested our opinion as to the best and
most convenient form and manner of constructing an ice-house. By
way of answer, we might have referred our correspondent to what we
have written on the subject in our number for December last ; but,
lest he should not have that number at hand, we shall at present make
a few additional remarks, and add here (what was omitted then) two
sections of ice-houses, to which we then alluded.

The first is the common form in which ice-houses are built ; the
second is a section of another, (see page 478,) which, though we
have never seen executed, we have, however, no doubt would answer
the purpose as well, and certainly be as easily filled, and much more
convenient for getting out ice when required.

We may repeat, that there are two sources of heat to be guarded
against in constructing an ice-house, viz. solar heat, and that which is
ever rising from the interior of the earth. The former is the most
destructive to ice, because its medium is air ; whereas the latter is
usually conveyed through the medium of water either in a condensed

302

ON THE PINUS AUSTRIACA.

or evaporated state. To repel the first, thick walls and roofs formed of
materials the least conductive of heat 'are necessary ; and to guard
against the ascent of subterranean heat, a floor of thick stone pavement
should be laid on a substantial foundation of compactly-rammed clay.
Where there is a natural foundation of rock or clay, common brick
pavement may suffice.

Besides ice-houses, there are what are called hovels, which are said
to keep ice as well as those built with bricks or stone and mortar.
These hovels have a frame formed of any rough scantling, of the
required size, and either round or square. The floor should be some¬
what higher than the surrounding surface, and its place should be shel¬
tered and shady. An old chalk or gravel pit in a wood is an eligible
place. The walls and roof should be formed of wheat stubble, laid and
bound on as compactly as possible, and the thicker the better ; because
the thicker this is the better the ice will keep. To prevent rain sink¬
ing into the fabric, both the walls and roof should be well and thickly
thatched in the manner of a corn-rick, forming a cone with a very
large base. The body of* broken ice within should be piled also in a
conical form, and the vacant space above the ice should be well filled
with loose straw, to exclude all air from the interior.

The entrance should be towards the north, and no larger than it
absolutely need be for getting in and out the ice : the door being,
when shut, always covered up with litter. Such hovels are common
in the United States of America, and are said to answer the purpose
well.

The above section, b, is that of a circular ice-house, supposed to be
formed in the north brow of a hill ; or, if built on level ground, to be
deeply covered by earth, or other thick roofing. It is not necessary
that it should be circular, as an arched vault of any length might do
equally well ; but the larger the body of ice, the less rapidly will it
melt, if sufficiently broken and secured from air.

On the Pinus Austriaca, or Black Fir of Austria. By Mr.
Charles Lawson, seedsman to the Highland and Agricultural Society
of Scotland.

“ Two years ago my attention was directed to the Pinus Austriaca ,
or Black Fir of Austria, from seeing a description of it in a work by
Francis Hoss, Professor of the Science of Forestry in the Imperial
School of Forestry at Mariabrun, near Vienna, entitled ‘ Guidance to
determine the Trees and Shrubs of Austria;’ in which, by a long and
minute botanical description, he proves this fir to differ essentially from
all the others described by him, in that it naturally thrives best on

ON THE PINUS AUSTRIACA.

303

cold, dry, poor, sandy or gravelly soils, and that it grows rapidly and
yields timber of the best quality. During my visit in 1834 to the con¬
tinent, finding that, since Professor Hoss’s publication had appeared,
much attention had been directed to this valuable tree — and under¬
standing that the best authorities coincided in stating that cold stony
soils, rocky situations, and rough climates are best adapted for it, and
that it there thrives much better than any other tree — and also that
deep rich soils, warm situations, and warm climates are quite unsuit¬
able for it — and, further, that it grows vigorously on plains of poor
soil, if it be dry and contain a quantity of broken stones or gravel- — it
appeared to me that the introduction of so valuable a tree into the
forests of our country was an object of some importance.

44 The timber of the black fir is represented to be very resinous,
firm, and tough, and very valuable for all water-work purposes, in
which it is greatly preferred to larch, as also esteemed by the joiner
and cooper. When used as fire-wood, it produces a speedy and long-
lasting heat, burning with a violent flame, and throwing off a large
quantity of pine-soot (lamp-black). For making charcoal, it is pre¬
ferred to the wood of the beech. The chips of the timber are used
by the peasantry in several parts of Austria for lights, in place of
candles ; and it produces more turpentine than any other resinous
tree.

44 In Austria, this fir predominates in the Wienerwald, the Banate,
on the Domoglet at Mehadia, near the Hercules Baths, in the vicinity
of the Austrian snow mountains, where it rises higher than the Pinus
sylvestris. Through the medium of my friends, Messrs. Booth of
Hamburgh, I obtained a quantity of the seeds last year, which have
grown luxuriantly in our nursery on light soil, having long penetrating
roots ; and, as one-year-old plants, they are double the size of our own
country Scotch fir. The seeds pretty nearly resemble those of the
Pinus Laricio, but from which the tree differs essentially, and is easily
distinguished in an advanced state by having stronger and more spread¬
ing branches, and the leaves or needles wanting that tortuous appear¬
ance which those of the Pinus Laricio present.

44 Having had an opportunity of conversing with M. Vilmorin at Paris
about it, in the summer of 1835, I found that he was aware of its
valuable properties, and considered it of quicker growth than even Pi
Laricio , or Corsican pine, and that it is nearly allied to the Pin de
Calabre and de Romanic, both of which are little known in this coun¬
try, and I believe not so quick in growth as the P. Austriaca, nor so
well fitted for the mountainous districts of Scotland, for which I should

304

ON STORING POTATOES.

consider the black fir of Austria to be* eminently suitable.”— ‘•Quart,
Jour 11 . Agri., June, 1836.

On Storing Potatoes. By Sir G. S. Mackenzie, Bart.— Of
various methods I have tried for preserving potatoes from frost, that
practised most commonly seems to be the best, viz. making a shallow
pit about a foot and a half deep, on a dry spot, and heaping the pota¬
toes like a roof, to the height of about four feet. On the heap thus
formed straw is laid to the thickness of about eight inches, and over
this the earth taken out of the pit, the whole being beaten firm by the
back of a spade. Some time before the end of February, or beginning
of March, the pit is opened, and the potatoes turned over, all shoots
being picked off. After the heap is turned over, it may be again
covered, and the potatoes allowed to remain a month longer, after
which they should be removed to a barn or shed and picked. They
should now be frequently turned over, and picked free from shoots. If
the eyes of a potato be scooped out, it will gradually dry, if properly
exposed, and it may then be scraped into flour, though not very white.
In this state they will keep for an indefinite time ; and as there is no
risk of them becoming mity, as wheat flour does, dried potatoes might
be found useful during long voyages, though potato flour is better.

“ It ought to be generally known that there are varieties of the
potato which, though sufficiently protected from frost, will not keep,
under any management, for more than a few months; — do what we
will they decay, owing to their natural constitution. Other varieties
again will keep very long without any trouble: hence premiums should
be offered for raising new varieties from seed possessing as many as
possible of the qualities desirable in a potato. Long keeping is a par¬
ticular property belonging only to some, and not to all varieties.

“ Some varieties of the potato are best for the table early in winter,
and others best in spring.” There has been much complaint of potato-
sets rotting in the ground for the two last years — “ none of my own,”
adds Sir George, “ were affected, but some of my tenants lost large
patches. I observed a wire-worm on some of the decayed sets ; but
whether this worm was the cause of the failure, or the failure of the
the set induced the insect, from whose eggs the worm proceeded to lay
them on the set, I could not ascertain.” — Ibid.

Sir George, from numerous experiments, is fully convinced that sets
are preferable to whole tubers for yielding a crop.

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

305

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

Edwards’s Botanical Register, continued by Professor Lindley.
The July number contains: —

1. Kerria Japonica of De Candolle, formerly the Corchorus Japo -
nicus of Thunberg. The common one with double flowers is well known,
and the history of this single-flowered one is given in our last number,
pages 274-5. The plant belongs to the order Roscicece.

2. Crcitcegus platypluylla. Broad-leaved Thorn. This “ certainly,
in foliage and elegance of general appearance, is the handsomest of the
European hawthorns. It grows like an exceedingly vigorous Oxya-
cantha, spreading its gracefully bending arms on all sides. Its leaves
are a deep rich green ; it is loaded with large masses of snow-white
blossoms long after the common hawthorn is flowerless, and it retains
its vigour till late in the autumn, so that the rich colour of its blackish-
purple fruit is noC impaired in effect by the fading tints of the
foliage.”

3. Bifrenaria aurantiaca. Orange-coloured Bifrenaria. A pretty
orchideous epiphyte from Demerara, which flowered at the Duke of
Devonshire’s, Chiswick, in October, 1835. The flowers are yellow,
spotted with purple, and resemble several others of this tribe of
plants.

4. Iris alata. Small-winged Iris. A beautiful single-flowered Iris,
found in most places in the south of Europe. It was communicated to
Dr. Lindley from Abbotsbury, by the Hon. W. F. Strangways, with
whom it flowered in an open border, requiring but a slight protection
from frost.

5. Crcitcegus pyr folia. Pear-leaved Thorn. This species is known
from all others by the strong plaits which give the leaves somewhat the
appearance of being furrowed from the mid-rib towards the margin.
The haws are pear-shaped, and of a reddish-yellow; flowers in June,
and is perfectly hardy, being a native of North America.

6. Scilla Cupaniana. Cupani’s Squill. A species found in Sicily,
and sent from thence by the Hon. W. F. Strangways. It is rare in
this country, and bears a spike of small purple flowers.

7. Bpidendrum bifidum. Hare-lipped Epidendrum. A remarkable
and distinct species, found growing on trees in several of the West
India Islands. Messrs. Loddiges received it from Tortola, with whom
it flowered in July, 1835. The flowers are beautifully elegant, as well
as curious in form.

VOL. v. — NO. LXII.

R R

30G

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

8. Godetia vinosa. Wine-stained Godetia. The Godetias are a new
genus, lately separated from the old genus CEnothera ; of course it
belongs to the natural order Onagraria. It was introduced by the
Horticultural Society from California, and proves a hardy annual well
worth cultivation. It is very nearly allied to G. rubicunda.

Sweet’s British Flower-Garden, continued by Professor Don.
The July number contains : —

1. Rhododendron arboreum ; var. undulatum. Wavy-leaved Tree-
Rosebay. A bushy evergreen with purple branches, bearing deep
purple flowers, variegated with a whitish centre spotted with yellow.
The petals, as well as the leaves, are remarkably wavy at the edges ;
hence the specific name.

This variety originated with Mr. Smith, at Norbiton Common, from
whose collection the drawing was taken in May last ; it surpasses all
the other varieties in the deep purple of its blossoms. The plant is
apparently quite hardy.

2. Ismelia Madeirensis. Madeira Ismelia. This is a rather elegant
shrubby species, very recently introduced by Mr. Webb to our collec¬
tions. The plant belongs to Compositce, and has formerly been referred
to the genus Pyrethrum. Its glaucous, gashed leaves, and star-like
yellow flowers, render it a rather striking plant. It requires a green¬
house in winter.

3. Fritillaria Ruthenica. Russian Fritillary. A neat little species
of Fritillary, received by Dr. Neill under the above name. It is a
stranger to our collections, and is remarkable for its diminutive size, as
compared with some of its congeners.

4. Lathy r us Magellanicus. Cape Horn or Lord Anson’s Pea. “Few
plants,” says Mr. Don, “ are more worthy a place in the flower-garden
than this lovely Latliyrus, not less on account of its remarkable habit,
than of the extreme beauty and delicacy of its blossoms, which are pro¬
duced abundantly during the month of June. The plant was originally
introduced into this country by the cook of his Majesty’s ship Centu¬
rion , commanded by Lord Anson, in 1744, and was cultivated by Mr.
Miller in the Apothecaries’ Garden at Chelsea ; but it appears to
have perished shortly afterwards, otherwise a species so highly orna¬
mental could not fail to have become generally cultivated.” It is not
quite hardy, though it stood out, trained to the front of a house, all last
winter without sustaining injury, in the nursery of the Messrs. Osborne,
at Fulham, and flowered beautifully in June last. It is a maritime
plant, which circumstance should be considered in its culture.

NOTICES OE BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

307

Paxton’s Magazine of Botany. The number for July
contains : —

1. Phacelia vinifolia. Vine-leaved Phacelia. This is a pentan-
drious annual, belonging to the natural order Boragineoe. The seed
from which the plant was obtained was imported from Texas by the
late respected Mr. Drummond. The specimen figured was from Mr.
Campbell, curator of the Botanic Garden at Manchester. An open,
rich, loamy spot will suit it, and the readiest way, it is expected, to
propagate it will be by seeds.

2. Azalea Ramsonii. Mr. Rawson’s Azalea. A hybrid production
between Azalea Phoenicia and Rhododendron dauricum atrovirens,
raised by Mr. J. Menzies, gardener to Christopher Rawson, Esq.,
F.G.S., of Hope House, near Halifax.

Mr. Paxton not only approves very much this result of manual
impregnation, but earnestly recommends to every one the practice of
hybridisation, for the purpose of originating new floral beauties, in
which he promises to co-operate.

3. Begonia platanifolia. Platanus-leaved Begonia. A very orna¬
mental species of this curious genus of stove-plants. The flowers are
monoecious, (though the female flowers are not represented in the
plate,) and the foliage is conspicuously different from that of the others.
It is said to be rare in this country.

4. Dichorizandra thyrsiflora. Thyrse-flowered Dichorizandra. A
hexandrious plant belonging to Commelinece . It is a handsome stove-
plant, easy of cultivation — a ready flowerer, bearing many rich blue
blossoms on a longish spike. It is a suffruticose perennial, with broad,
dark-green leaves, and requires abundant watering when growing
freely.

Following the figures and descriptions of the foregoing plants, there
are several useful essays on different subjects ; the first is “ Some
Account of the Natural Order Myrtacece ,” in which the changes it has
undergone since first projected by Jussieu are detailed ; next follows
“ Directions for forming and furnishing Ornamental Basket-work for
Flower-Gardens,” with diagrams showing their forms and effect ; also
what is called “An Exposition of the Genus Poeonia,” in wdiich a list
of the different species and variations of both the shrubby and herba¬
ceous sorts is given, together with some account of their merits and
culture. Next are given Directions for forming a Rosary of Scotch
Roses,” with a diagram and list of all the favourite sorts. The plants
figured and described in the Botanical Register, Botanical Magazine,

308

NOTICES OF BOOKS,

British Flower-Garden, and the Florists’ Magazine, for the month of
May, are also given, together with “ Operations for July” in the stove,
greenhouse, and flower-garden.

Smith’s Florists’ Magazine. The number for July contains: —

A finely-drawn and coloured figure of the celebrated Tulip the Dutch
Catafalque ; to which is annexed some very fair criticisms, and some
very good advice to both sellers and buyers of Tulips. Mr. Smith has
added a copy of the prices obtained at a sale of Tulips at Alcmaer, in
Holland, in the year 1637, as a proof of the Tulip-mania so prevalent
at that time in that trafficing country.

One hundred and twenty bulbs sold for . . £8,437 10 0

One, the Admiral of Enchuysen, with its offsets . 487 10 0

Two Brabanters . . . . . . 356 5 0

One, the Viceroy, sold for .... 394 0 7i

Not only the names and prices of these bulbs, but also their weights,
are particularly set down in the City Register.

The second plate represents the Victoria and Polyphemus Calceola¬
rias, of the whole family of which Mr. Smith gives a very good account.
“ They may be divided,” he says, “ into four classes — the annual, bien¬
nial, perennial-herbaceous, and perennial-shrubby. The latter are the
greatest favourites, and promise to be hardy enough to stand our
winters.”

The third plate exhibits three fine Carnations, viz. Bertrand , Prince
de Nassau, and Bijoux de Clermont , drawn from specimens in Mr.
Hogg’s collection.

The fourth plate shows a specimen of the Mimulus Wheelerii, or
Wheeler’s Monkey- Flower. This, of the many varieties now in culti¬
vation, is the most showy, and should be in every collection. There is
also in the number a beautifully engraved cut of the Tropceolum tri¬
color, with description and directions for culture. “ In purchasing
plants which are rather costly, care should be taken to ensure a fair¬
sized bulb ” (tuber is meant).

NOTICES OF BOOKS.

Florigraphia Britannica ; or Engravings and Descriptions of
the Flowering Plants and Ferns of Britain. By Richard Deakin,
F.R.C.S.E., and Robert Marnock, Curator of the Sheffield Bota¬
nical and Horticultural Garden .

NOTICES OF BOOKS.

309

The Floricultural Magazine and Miscellany of Garden¬
ing. Conducted by Robert Marnock, Curator of the Sheffield
Botanical and Horticultural Garden.

Through the civility of the publishers we have been favoured with
eleven numbers of the hirst of these works, and number one of the
second. Both will be highly useful, more especially for those who
have neither time to peruse, nor means to purchase, large and expen¬
sive works. The first is intended to be published in monthly numbers,
demy 8vo, price sixpence, and was commenced August 1st, 1835. We
quite agree with what the authors have advanced in the address
printed with the first number, that “ it will be found of especial utility
to young gardeners, and all persons wTho are desirous of obtaining
a knowledge of our native plants, while it may be found not unac¬
ceptable to the scientific botanist.” Each number contains twelve
figures, six on a page, with letter-press descriptions of the whole.
An edition will also be published with coloured plates, price one
shilling.

Considering that the descriptions are taken from the first autho¬
rities — that both generic and specific characters are added — history,
uses, and localities given — and that the figures, though small, are
faithful, and cannot easily be mistaken — we must come to the conclu¬
sion that it is the cheapest, as well as one of the most useful, works on
British botany ever offered to the public.

Of the Floricultural Magazine we augur well ; it is called for
by the prevailing and universally increasing taste for flowers and every
other branch of horticulture. The conductor’s station as curator of a
highly respectable and prosperous botanical and horticultural garden,
will afford and be ever supplying him with objects for discussion or
representation in his periodical. He is also well known and much
respected among his brethren, whether scientific botanists or practical
gardeners, and consequently will command, no doubt, an extensive
correspondence. He is also favourably situated for ensuring a large
circulation of his magazine : a very great majority of manufacturers,
whether masters or operatives, are enthusiastically fond of flowers and
small fruits, and Mr. Marnock’s cheap work is, therefore, well adapted
for such amateurs.

The complexion of this first number promises well ; it contains some
valuable original floricultural matter, and a great mass of floricultural
intelligence. The embellishments are a plate of three of our newest
and much-admired plants, namely, the Clianthus punicus, Mahonia
repens, and the Brugmansia sanguined, very well executed, and accom-

310

EXHIBITION OF THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

panied with descriptions. There is also an engraved perspective view
of the middle walk, fountain, and buildings of the Sheffield garden,
which, from the annexed account, appears to be really a splendid esta¬
blishment — the whole being designed and arranged by the curator.
There is no doubt but that the Floricultural Magazine will receive a
full share of public patronage, and we wish it every success.

EXHIBITION OF THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

On Saturday, the 9th inst., the third (and last for the season) of the
Society’s exhibitions of flowers and fruit took place at the garden. The
attendance was very numerous and fashionable. Between six and seven
thousand of the rank and beauty of the metropolis were present. The
weather was extremely propitious, which doubtless was one great cause
of attracting such a number of visiters. The shows of flowers and
fruit were equally varied and rich. The prizes were distributed as
follows : —

The Gold Knightian Medal . — S. Rucher, Esq., for a collection of
Orchidece ; Messrs Rollison, Oncidium lanceanum ; Mr, Green, gar¬
dener to Sir E. Antrobus, stove and greenhouse Plants.

Large Silver Medal. — Mr. Gaines, Alstrcemerias ; C. Palmer, Esq.,
Melo-cacti ; Mr. Davies, gardener to Lady Clarke, Grapes ; Messrs.
Rollison, collection of Orchidece ; Mr. Hill, gardener to N. M. Roths¬
child, Esq., Queen Pine-apples ; Mr. Errington, gardener to Sir G. P.
Egerton, Peaches ; Mr. Glenny, Chinese Roses ; Mr. S. Hooper, Roses ;
Mr. Lane, gardener to J. H. Palmer, Esq., Roses and greenhouse
Plants ; Mr. Redding, gardener to Mrs. Marryatt, single specimen
of a New Holland Plant ; Mr. Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth, collection
of Roses.

The Silver Knightian Medal. — Mr. Cock, Chiswick, Balsams ; Mr.
Hogg, Picotees ; Mr. Snow, gardener to Lord de Grey, Cucumbers ;
Mr. Mills, Cockscombs ; Mr. Dennis, Melo-cacti ; Mr. Redding, Ferns ;
Mr. Buck, Grapes ; Messrs. Lane and Son, Heartsease ; Messrs. Rol¬
lison, Heaths ; Mr. Clarke, Melons ; S. Rucher, Esq., Gongora, a new
species ; Mr. Cock, Pelargoniums ; C. G. Cooke, Esq., Providence
Pine-apple; Mr. Gibbs, Nectarines; Mr. Niemen, ditto; Mr. S.
Hooker, Roses ; Mr. Ward, Maresfield, Garden Roses ; Mr. Paul,
Cheshunt, Garden Roses ; Mr. Redding, single specimen of a stove
Plant ; Mr. Spence, ditto ; Mr. D. Ferguson, single specimen of a
greenhouse Plant ; R. Mangles, Esq., specimen of a New Holland

STAMFORD HILL HORTICULTURAL READING SOCIETY. 311

Plant ; Mr. Douglas, ditto of a Cape Plant ; Mr. Marshall, for a hardy
herbaceous Plant.

Silvei' Banksian Meclal. — Mr. Jackson, Calceolarias ; Mr. Gaines,
Pelargoniums ; Mr. Paul, Chinese Roses ; Rev. Mr. Hinks, for Dro-
seras cultivated under glass ; Mr. Myers, Brentford, Cherries ; Mr.
Mills, Hydrangeas ; Mr. R. Scott, large Fuchsias ; Mr. Buck, Crassula
coccinea.

The Judges were, H. M. Dyer, Esq., Mr. Greenshields, Dr. A.
Henderson, W. Herbert, Esq., T. Ingram, Esq., Mr. Macintosh, and
Mr. Richardson.

The company continued arriving as late as six o’clock, and remained
till half-past eight.

STAMFORD HILL HORTICULTURAL READING SOCIETY’S

LIBRARY-.

Sir, — At the time an article, at the commencement of the present
year, appeared in your Register, dated Chiswick House Gardens,”
on the subject of Gardeners’ Societies, I was inclined to communicate
with you on the formation of them ; but really the contemptuous
manner in which your correspondent alluded to the one established here,
without having made necessary inquiries respecting it, then restrained
me, for it has never been my wish to enter into any unfriendly contro¬
versy. Now that the Committee of Management of this Society (to
which I have the honour to be Secretary) have printed a concise report
on the present state of its affairs, and as it appears to me that its objects
embrace the essence of all those proposed by him and others who gave
their opinions in your after numbers, I am induced to send you a copy
of that report, list of members, catalogue of books, and rules for your
consideration, assured by practical experience of the benefit the gar¬
dener and his employer necessarily must derive from such an institution.
This Society is patronised by influential honorary members, is sup¬
ported by them and sixty-five other members, including nurserymen,
most of the gentlemen’s gardeners in the neighbourhood, and amateurs,
all anxious to impart and receive information in the sciences of Horti¬
culture and Natural History. Such information is not only obtained
by mutual friendly communication, but by reference to our valuable
and fast-increasing library, (which you will observe is a circulating
one,) and by monthly meetings for the production of plants and speci¬
mens, the mode of culture of which is freely discussed, and a perfect
knowledge of their habits, &c., sedulously sought for.

312 STAMFORD HILL HORTICULTURAL READING SOCIETY.

Should similar societies be formed in the vicinity of London, (indeed
I hope soon to see them established in many parts of the kingdom,) 1
shall feel great pleasure in communicating with the members, and
furnishing them with any required information relating to this one ;
for I am confident that it is most useful, well-founded, and worthy
imitation. I am. Sir, your obedient humble servant,

E. A. Hutton.

Rules of the Stamford Hill Horticultural Reading Society, esta¬
blished November the 6th, 1833.

At a meeting held this day, at the house of Mr. S. Gill, the sign of the Bird-
Cage, Stamford Hill, it was agreed to form a Society for the advancement of
Horticultural Knowledge, by the purchase of useful books and publications in the
various departments of Gardening, Farming, Forest-planting, and Rural Economy,
in order to form a Library for the use of Its members, when the following Rules
were agreed to, by the parties present severally subscribing their names thereto.

“1. Resolved, That this Society be denominated the * Stamford Hill Horti¬
cultural Reading Society ,’ for the Study of Botany, Natural History, and Rural
Affairs.

“2. That on admission to this Society every person shall pay an entrance-
deposit of ten shillings, and a subscription of two shillings and sixpence per
quarter thereafter, so long as such individual shall belong to this Society ; and for
transacting the general business, the third Tuesdays in Januaiw, April, July, and
October, shall be quarterly nights, when each member shall clear his account of
quarterage and fines, or forfeit sixpence. The Secretary shall give notice to such
defaulter, that unless his quarterage and fines be paid on or before the following
quarterly night, he will be excluded. The first Tuesday in each month shall be the
monthly night, when the business of the Society shall commence at seven o’clock
precisely, as also at the quarterly meetings, and all propositions ready for ballot
shall be then determined.

“3. That any person of good moral character may belong to this Society, on
being nominated by some member of the Committee of Management at one meeting,
and admitted at the next meeting, by the majority of two-thirds of the members
present voting by ballot for such admission, and by paying the usual fees ; and any
person who has once been balloted for, but not admitted, shall not be again put in
nomination.

“ 4. That, for the benefit of this Institution, persons favourable to the advance¬
ment of its objects be received as honorary members, on payment of one guinea
per annum, or, by the payment of five guineas, shall become honorary members
for life.

“5. That any member changing his place of abode shall, within four weeks from
such change, insert his removal in the Residence-book to be kept for that purpose,
or be fined one shilling.

“ 6. That a Treasurer, Secretary, and Librarian shall be annually elected, on
the quarterly night in January, the former of whom shall hold all documentary
papers.

“ 7. That the property of the Society shall be vested in the hands of three
members thereof, as Trustrees, who shall be elected by ballot on the first quarterly

STAMFORD HILL HORTICULTURAL READING SOCIETY. 313

meeting ; any vacancy which may occur by death, or otherwise, shall be filled up
at the next quarterly meeting. Each Trustee shall be furnished with an inventory
of every article belonging to the Society.

“ 8. That twelve members of the Society be appointed to constitute a Committee
of Management of its affairs, whenever it may not be necessary to call a general
meeting of the Society ; and that the Treasurer, Secretary, and Librarian be, by
virtue of their office, members of the said Committee of Management, in addition
to the twelve before named.

“ 9- That the Committee of Management shall be composed of the twelve senior
members of the society ; and that the four senior members of the Committee shall
annually retire, and their places be supplied by the four next in rotation on the
list of subscribers ; and that any member refusing to undertake the above office
be fined two shillings and sixpence.

“ 10. That the Committee of Management do at least meet once a month, or
oftener if requisite, such monthly meeting to be held on the first Tuesday in every
month, and that not less than three members, exclusive of the officers, do form a
quorum ; and all Committees shall have full power to impose such fines, and to
make such rules and orders, as may be necessary to produce punctuality in their
meetings.

“ 11. There shall be three Auditors chosen by the Society at the annual meeting,
who shall make their report quarterly.

“ 12. That, for the purposes of this Society, such books be procured and circu¬
lated as are of practical utility ; and that no work be admitted which has a contro¬
versial, immoral, or irreligious tendency ; and that such order be adopted in the
circulation of the books as shall best secure to each member an equal share in the
benefits of the Institution.

“ 13. That any subscriber may propose a book to the Committee of Manage¬
ment at one meeting, and its purchase be decided upon by them at the next
meeting.

“ 14. That every book purchased by the Society be entered by the Librarian in
a book to be provided for that purpose.

“ 15. That upon any member changing his residence to a distance of more
than three miles from the Society’s Rooms, he shall be entitled, if within the
term of two years from his admission into the Society, to the amount of his
entrance-money in cash.

“ 1 6. That the Librarian be provided with a book so ruled that each member
may sign his name upon receiving a book from the library, and likewise the same
in the opposite column on its return.

“17. That every book, on being issued for circulation, shall be accompanied
with a list having columns in which to mark the times of reception and delivery ;
and for every day any book shall be kept over the time specified, a fine of three¬
pence shall be exacted ; sixpence for neglecting to mark the list, and two shillings
for losing the list entirely.

“ 18. Any person taking a book from the library without permission of the
Librarian, shall be fined five shillings.

“19. The Secretary shall enter all By-laws in a book to be kept for that pur¬
pose, and shall read the newly-enacted ones publicly every quarterly night ; and all
By-laws shall be binding on the Society “

N. B.— The Society contemplate the hiring of a private room for the purposes
VOL. V. - NO. LXII. S S

314 STAMFORD HILL HORTICULTURAL READING SOCIETY,

of meeting in and containing a library, when the funds of the Society will
permit.

Committee of Management. — Mr. J. Curry, Mr. J. Cleverly, Mr. W. Watts, Mr.
J. B. Shaw, Mr. J. Adamson, jun., Mr. J. Welch, Mr. F. Fraser, Mr. W. Adamson,
jun., Mr. W. Wilson, Mr. C. Wharton, Mr. J. Clark, Mr. T. Gillan.

The Committee of Management, in submitting the following Report, congratu¬
late the Society upon the progressing prosperity of its affairs. It is gratifying to
them to be enabled to state, that the whole of the expenses incidental to the esta¬
blishment of the Library and Reading-Room, as contemplated at the institution of
the Society, has been defrayed, (including the enlargement of the room, the pur¬
chase of book-case, books, &c.,) that there is not any outstanding demand upon
the Society’s funds, and that the balance in the Treasurer’s hands is highly satis¬
factory, as will be seen by reference to the account.

They solicit from all well-wishers to the Institution presents of books, as they
will greatly facilitate its objects, and will be thankfully acknowledged : they hope
for a continuance of the support of honorary members, and rely upon the exertions
of the members generally to promote its welfare and usefulness.

An Account of Receipts and Payments from 21 April , 1835, to 19 th April,

1836.

Receipts.

£. s. d.

To balance of account, 21st

April, 1835 - - 9 2 0

Subscription from hono¬
rary members - -880

Subscriptions, fines, and

admissions - - 34 2 3

£51 12 3

Payments.

£. s.

By rent from Christmas, 1834,
to Lady-dav, 1836, and
for attendance - -17 10

Mr. T. Blair, for the use

of his room prior to
the present one being
occupied by the So-

ciety -

Messrs. Longman and Co.

for books

Book-binding

Printing - - -

Stationery -

Coals, $tc. - — —

Mr. C. Broadbridge, for

Painting -

Balance in Treasurer’s

hands ...

£51 12

(Signed)

George Press, Treasurer.
Thomas W. Beckham,^

Samuel Garland, > Auditors.
Thomas Seear, ^

A List of Members.

Honorary Members. — Mr. J. Bumpstead, Mr. Michael Brewer, Mr. George
Clarke, Mr. Edward Clarke, Ebenezer Johnstone, Esq., Joseph Janson, Esq.,

DEATH OF MR. RICHARD CUNNINGHAM.

315

Miss H. Martineau, Edward Moxhay, Esq., Charles Palmer, Esq., Mr. George
Paul, Frederick Toulmin, Esq., Miss E. Wright.

Mr. W. Adamson, sen., Mr. J. Adamson, Mr. W. Adamson, jun., Mr. J. Argent,
Mr. J. Allen, Mr. T. Blair, Mr- — Bowden, Mr. G. H. Bunney, Mr. C. Broad-
bridge, Mr. T. W. Buckham, Mr. Brooks, Mr. H. Caulier, jun., Mr. J. Curry, Mr.
J. Cleverly, Mr. J. Clark, Tottenham , Mr. J. Clark, Seven Sisters , Tottenham ,
Mr. J. Clark, West Green , Mr. J. Coleman, Mr. G. Carey, Mr. M. Coston, Mr.
A. Dodswell, Mr. W. Darling, Mr. E. Deeker, Mr. J. Evans, Mr. F. Fraser, Mr.
R. D. Fulloon, Mr. T. Gillan, Mr. S. Garland, Mr. E. A. Hutton, Mr. J. Hay¬
ward, Mr. T. Heseltine, Mr. D. Herbert, Mr. H. Low, Mr. T. Love, Mr. G. S.
Masters, Mr. N. Merrett, Mr. J. Mackey, Mr. I. Odell, Mr. G. Press, Mr. T.
Press, Mr. A. Protkeroe, Mr. F. Purssord, Mr. J. Rodgers, Mr. T. Rodgers, Air.
J. Reeve, Air. S. Sheppard, Mr. J. Strachan, Mr. W. Sherrington, Mr. J. Sher¬
rington, Air. T. Seear, Air. A. Simons, Air. J. Scrivener, Mr. J. B. Shaw, Air. C.
Tant, Air. S. Tipping, Air. D. Wilson, Mr. W. Watts, Air. J. Welsh, Mr. W.
Wilson, Air. C. AVharton, Air. J. Woodhouse, Air. C. Wortley, Air. J. Wallace,
Air. W. Walton.

Trustees. — Mr. William Adamson, sen., Air. Ambrose Doswell, Air. Hugh
Low.

Treasurer, Mr. George Press.

Honorary Secretary, Air. Edward Andrew Hutton.

Librarian , Mr. George S. Alasters.

DEATH OF AIR. RICHARD CUNNINGHAA1, THE COLONIAL

BOTANIST AT SIDNEY.

We extract from the Gardeners’ Magazine the following distressing
account and confirmation of this melancholy event : —

f‘ The deceased, it seems, accompanied an expedition into the inte¬
rior of the colony, and when far distant from any European settlement
strayed away from the party, no doubt in quest of the peculiar objects
of his duty as a botanist, and was lost in the bush. It was conjectured
that he might have fallen in with a party of the natives, with whom he
might sojourn until he had an opportunity of regaining some of the
nearest settlements, or until he was found again by the party he had
left ; but no account being heard of him for a considerable time, the
government thought proper to send a party of police in search of the
poor wanderer. They arrived at the place where he was last seen, and
from thence proceeded in a north-west direction, accompanied by one
man of the first party and a friendly native. On the third day of their
advance they fortunately met with two blacks (natives), who knew all
the -particulars of a white man having; been murdered on the river
Bogan, and also the names and persons of the perpetrators of the deed ;
and as they offered to accompany the party to the country where the
murderers were encamped with their tribe, the officer in command most

316 DEATH OF MR. RICHARD CUNNINGHAM.

gladly accepted their services as guides; and on the evening of the
fourth day after joining company, the party, by their directions, came
upon a tribe consisting of upwards of forty men, women, and children,
who were bivouacking on the banks of the lake fed by the Macquarie,
and called the Budda. As no resistance was offered by the savages,
they were made prisoners. A few questions produced an acknowledg¬
ment from them, that a white man had been killed by four of the
tribe, three of whom they delivered up, and the fourth was absent on
the Big river. On searching the bags of the tribe, the party found a
knife, a glove, &c., which the three blacks acknowledged they had
taken from the white man, and which were proved to have belonged to
the deceased.

“ The three murderers admitted that, about six moons before, they
met a white man on the Bogan, who came up to them, and made signs
that he was hungry ; that they gave him food ; and that he encamped
with them that night. The white man repeatedly getting up during
the night, excited their suspicion ; and under the apprehension that
he wrould betray them into the hands of enemies, they consulted toge¬
ther, and soon came to the determination to destroy him, which they
effected the following morning, by one of them approaching him unper¬
ceived and striking him on the back of the head, and the others rushing
upon him with their spears. This must have occurred about the latter
end of April of the last year.

“ The party afterwards proceeded to the place where the murder was
committed, called Carindine, where the black man showed some bones,
which he said were those of the white man they had killed, and pointed
out a small portion of a coat, and also part of a Manilla hat. Being
thus convinced they had reached the spot where the murder was com¬
mitted, the officer and his little party, with true Christian feeling,
collected all the remains they could discover ; and having, in sad
silence, deposited them in the ground, they raised a small mound over
them, and barked some of the nearest trees, as the only means in their
power of marking the spot whereon a man wholly devoted to science
had, in the earnestness with which he was prosecuting botanical
researches, been deprived of life by the hands of mistaken savages.

“ Thus fell, in the prime of life, Richard Cunningham, an able
botanist, and in other respects a very talented man, whose very amiable
and obliging disposition had, in his life-time, secured to him as much
general esteem, as his premature death has produced an universal senti¬
ment of unfeigned grief, in the minds of all his friends in England,
and of every colonist in New South Wales.”

“ We cannot tell ” (says his surviving brother, from whose narrative

MONUMENT TO MR. DOUGLAS.

317

the above particulars are extracted) — “ we cannot tell what might have
been the state of his mind on that night, which had urged him repeat¬
edly to rise in the dead stillness of midnight among his anxious sleep¬
less companions, and thereby excite their suspicions. Could he have
composed himself, he probably would have been recovered in a day or
two by his companions, who came to the native encampment but a day
or so too late ! He had a mind well disciplined by the religious educa¬
tion he had received, and might have reconciled himself to a short .stay
in a remote desert, even among savages, until rescued by his party.

“ I can add nothing farther,” continues his brother ; “ but, standing
relatively as I do in this sad business, let me now for ever draw a veil
upon the whole, just remarking, that two of the guilty natives found
means to escape from the soldiers ; and what has been done with the
third, who was conveyed to Sidney, and there lodged in gaol, is not
known ; for it appears very doubtful whether any evidence could be
obtained sufficient legally to substantiate his guilt. — A. Cunningham,
Kew, June 17, 1836.”

We cannot help observing, that this is the third instance which has
occurred within the space of two years ; of the loss of three eminent and
adventurous British collecting botanists ; — the deaths of the first and
last under circumstances of the most distressing nature, where there
was no friendly arm to succour, nor friendly hand to close their eyes !
Mr. Drummond, we believe, fell a victim to the insalubrity of the
Mexican climate ; so that all three may be said to have been martyrs
in the cause of botany. Though departed from among us, and though
their early deaths have deprived us of the hope of receiving what we
expected from their intended labours, the plants which they intro¬
duced into our collections, and which bear their names, will ever remain
as memorials of their exertions, and perpetuate their memories to the
latest posterities.

A debt of gratitude is due from the living to the worthy dead.
From the influence of this sentiment, it is now in contemplation to
erect a monument to the honour of the lamented Douglas. This will
appear from the following notice extracted from a printed paper handed
to us by Mr. Loudon : —

“ To Gardeners , Botaiiists , and Amateurs. — The Perthshire Royal
Horticultural Society, desirous to express their sense of the advantages
conferred on the science of botany by the late indefatigable Mr. David
Douglas, through whose exertions a great and valuable addition has
been made to the exotic flora and arboretum of Great Britain ; in
consideration of his successful exertions and lamented end, have re-
solved to erect a monument to his memory, in his native parish of

318

MONUMENT TO MR. DOUGLAS.

Scone, in Perthshire, and have appointed a committee of their number
to carry the same into effect, by soliciting the aid of those who may
approve of the undertaking. The committee have limited the sum to
be subscribed by practical gardeners to from one to five shillings ; any
sum from amateurs, however small, will be thankfully acknowledged.
The design of the monument will be regulated by the amount of subscrip¬
tions and approval of contributors. Every contributor to the amount
of one shilling shall be entitled to a printed list of subscribers’ names,
to which a lithographic design of the monument and inscription shall
be attached. Archibald Turnbull, Esq., Bell wood, Perth, has kindly
accepted the office of treasurer; and a subscription-paper will lie at his
seed-shop, Perth. Subscription-papers shall also be sent to the cura¬
tors of the botanic gardens at Edinburgh and Glasgow, and to nursery
and seedsmen in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, and Dundee. — Nov. 23,
1835.”

Mr. Loudon has most honourably and earnestly taken up this affair;
and has had the day on which the subscription was to close , put off to an
indefinite period, in order to give the friends of Mr. Douglas, and the
admirers of botany in distant parts, ie the melancholy satisfaction of
testifying their sense of the eminent services rendered to botany and
gardening by Mr. D.,” by enrolling their names as subscribers to his
monument.

Since the project has been entertained, the ideas of those most
friendly to it have been greatly extended. The first idea, perhaps, was
only that of erecting a piece of ornamental masonry, bearing an appro¬
priate inscription, on some well-frequented spot in the deceased’s native
parish ; but it has been asked, u Why not purchase as much ground
around the monument as will contain all the plants discovered and
introduced by Mr. Douglas ? ” This would be very appropriate in a
public botanic garden, more especially in the one with which he was
so intimately connected ; but we do not see how this could be so well
done in a rural parish, where funds would be required not only to buy,
(or lease,) and fence, and plant the ground, but to defray the annual
expense of keeping it up. But again — this difficulty is got rid of by
another question, “ Why not purchase as much ground as may suffice
for a small market-garden, or nursery, and present it to the family of
Mr. Douglas and his heirs for ever ? ”

Mr. Loudon is delighted with this suggestion, and envies his friend
who has the honour of suggesting it. Mr. L. considers it the highest
compliment that can be paid to the memory of a man by his country ;
compares it with the magnificent gift of Blenheim to the Duke of
Marlborough in the reign of Queen Anne ; and believes that if time be

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR AUGUST.

319

allowed to collect subscriptions, the amount would ultimately enable
the committee to accomplish this desirable object.

Mr. L. further announces that subscriptions will be received by
Messrs. Longman, Rees, and Co. ; Mr. Charlwood, seedsman. Covent
Garden ; Horticultural Society, Regent Street ; and he ventures to
say, by all other Horticultural Societies, not only in Britain, but on
the continent, in North America, and, in short, in every country where
the character and fate of D. Douglas has been spoken of.

We beg to recommend the fulfilment of this tribute of respect to
Mr. D. to our readers : their names on the list of contributors will
evince the esteem in which the deceased was held by his brethren.

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR AUGUST.

Kitchen Garden. — Sow cauliflower twice, viz. on the 21st, and
again on the 28th ; spinach twice ; cabbage, of sorts, in the first week ;
endive, the last sowing ; onions, to stand the winter, in the first week ;
carrots, a small piece, on a warm border ; lettuce, of sorts, twice, and
where the plants may be protected ; turnips twice ; parsley in beds, or
as edgings ; radish, of sorts, and small salad herbs, twice.

Transplant cabbage, coleworts, borecole, and all other winter and
spring greens ; broccoli, succession crops of, as directed last month ;
also endive and lettuce on dry situations, and where they may be
covered when necessary ; celery into shallow trenches.

The general business in this department is, preparing dung for
mushroom-beds ; gathering crops, as onions, &c. ; clearing and earth¬
ing-up all rowed crops, as broccoli, celery, &c. ; blanching endive ;
guarding seed-beds from birds, slugs, &c. ; clipping box-edgings and
thorn-hedges, &c.

Fruit Garden. — Regulating the growth of trees on walls, espaliers,
&c., is still necessary. Gather and preserve the ripe and ripening fruit.
Make new plantations of strawberries, and pot the necessary quantity
for forcing. Melons in frames, and cucumbers on ridges or in the open
ground, require pruning to increase the size or number of fruit: the
vines of the latter should not be blown about by the wind.

Flower Garden. — Take up bulbs which have died down, and
plant those intended to flower in autumn. Sow auricula and polyan¬
thus seed ; bud roses ; prune calceolarias ; transplant heartsease to
flower late ; propagate by cuttings, divisions of the root, or slips of all

320

REMARKS OX THE WEATHER.

such flowering plants as may be increased by such means ; house camel¬
lias intended to flower early ; sow mignionette in pots and boxes to blow
in winter ; prop chrysanthemums, dahlias, and all other lofty-growing
plants; lay and take care of carnations and other stage- fl owers ; sow
biennials, &c. &c.

REMARKS ON THE WEATHER,

During this month we have experienced many extreme changes of
weather : it came in dry and very warm ; but soon the sky became
clouded, and heavy storms of thunder and lightning ensued, doing
much damage to windows and garden-frames in some places, from the
unusual bulk of the hailstones, and the force with -which they de¬
scended. These storms were succeeded by a ten-days’ course of dry
weather; but on the 15th (St. Swithin) a showery season set in, which
still continues.

This is a providential change, as many garden-crops were suffering,
and the summer-planted ones needed a thorough soaking. Celery,
broccoli, potatoes, kidney-beans, &c., will all be much benefited, be¬
sides preparing the ground for whatever may be sown or planted next
month. All field-crops will be also benefited, except wheat, which
needs no moisture at this time ; for if wet and cold nights were now to
happen, it would be in jeopardy of blight — that is, mildew, or what,
from its colour, is called rust ( Vaccinia graminus) . This, or more
probably an Mcldia , is very plentiful on some sorts of rose-trees this
summer, making the leaves appear as if sprinkled with brown powder.
A timely application of soap-suds and sulphur would have prevented
this attack. The insects, whose minute caterpillars live on the 'paren¬
chyma of leaves of various trees between the upper and under cuticle,
are, it seems, unusually numerous this season. In one garden, a whole
wall of pear-trees has been seized ; every leaf is tarnished, so that the
gardener fears he will lose his trees entirely. Such an attapk may,
indeed, check the growth, but it will not be fatal, as the insects will
shortly appear on the outside of the leaves, when they may be washed
off and dispersed.

July 25th, 1836.

PAXTON’S

HORTICULTURAL REGISTER,

SEPTEMBER, 1836.

HORTICULTURE.

ON THE VIGOROUS GROWTH OF FOREIGN SEEDS.

It has long been observed by cultivators of both field and garden
crops, that if seed can be obtained from any distant country, or from a
soil very different from that on which it is to be sown, the seedlings
rise more strongly, and the plants continue to progress with more
celerity, than home-grown seeds or plants.

We have many instances of this : — potatoes brought from a distant
quarter invariably succeed better than home-grown sets. Dutch and
other foreign bulbs grow and flower more vigorously the first year after
they are imported than they do afterward, and much more strongly than
native bulbs, though the latter be of greater size. Farmers have long
been acquainted with the advantage of changing their different seeds
from high to low lands, and the contrary, and from poorer to richer lands,
and the reverse. These are local changes, and are found to be advan¬
tageous, but on a different principle from the old and usual custom of
not sowing the same kind of crop two years successively on the same
spot. The latter is called good management, because it has long been
supposed that each different species of plant requires the same kind of
food, and therefore the second crop would be robbed of great part of
its food by the first. Certain it is, that the same kind of crop produced
consecutively upon the same ground, is diminished in bulk every follow¬
ing year, if manure be also withheld^ but would not be so much the
case if crops of different kinds succeeded each other rotatively.

Whether each kind of crop selects its own kind of food, and which is
VOL. v. — NO. LXIII.

T T

322

ON THE VIGOROUS GROWTH OF FOREIGN SEEDS.

said to account for the results above alluded to, is become questionable ;
a new theory has been advanced to account for the fact, that plants

get tired ” of growing on the same spot. The author of “ The
Domestic Gardener’s Manual,” and a chemical philosopher in France,
M. Macaire, ascertained, about the same time, that plants exude a dele¬
terious refuse or excrement from their roots, which is offensive to all
other plants of the same genus. The authors of this idea have reason
on their side, inasmuch as the water or earth in which a plant has been
nourished contains, after the plant is removed, some faecal matter
belonging to the prepossessing crop ; but as to how much, or in what
way, the discharges from the preceding are noxious to the succeeding
crop, has not yet been fully explained ; nor has it yet been fairly
proved whether the exhausting operation of the former crop, or its
noxious exudations, be the discouraging circumstances to the following ;
but we would say to cultivators, that it is either the one or the other —
perhaps both ; and therefore it is well to keep to the axioms relative to
a change of seed which experience has established.

It really appears that plants, like animals, are not only benefited by
a change of soil, but by a change of air. If an old stunted pear or
apple tree, which has stood in an old garden for years without increas¬
ing in bulk or showing any signs of healthy expansion, be removed to
a fresh station out of the garden, or to a place a mile or two distant, it
is immediately renovated, and thrives exceedingly. This and many
other similar instances which might be quoted, show clearly that fresh
soil and a new place have some unaccountable effect upon the dormant
energy of such a plant. We know that in the act of removal many of
the old and stunted roots are broken and dismembered ; and from the
wounded parts fresh and more numerous roots will be produced, which,
together with perhaps a little pruning of the head, generate a new
vigour, which can only be attributed to the development of the new
members. The soil of the new may be exactly like that of the old
station ; and the quality of the air at a few yards, or even a few miles
distant, cannot be supposed to be so different as so sensibly to affect
plants exposed to it : we must therefore conclude, that it is not to the
change of air, but to the disturbance and manipulation sustained by the
plant in its removal, that we must attribute its reinvigoration.

As this greater vigour presented by foreign seeds or plants is so con¬
stantly an occurring circumstance, it behoves us not to be deceived by
it, as in certain cases we may be. The planter who has heard of a cer¬
tain new variety of potato raised in some distant place, immediately
sends for a sack of the new sort ; they turn out wonderfully prolific the
first and perhaps the second year. He cries them up to the skies ; but
in the following years the kind begins to fall off in estimation, and is

ON THE SHANKING OP GRAPES.

323

very soon discarded for some other sort. The same thing happens in
cultivating the different varieties of wheat and other cereal crops ; on
their first introduction to any locality they are profitable for a few years
only, but in every succeeding year become weaker and weaker: some
varieties, however, are more permanent than others.

Nurserymen who obtain tree-seeds, whether of old or new species,
from abroad, find their advantage in this, both in obtaining stronger
seedlings and greater credit from their customers who plant them ; and
from the same cause, when a nurseryman imports a new species of a
forest tree, he is very apt, from the vigorous appearance of the seed¬
lings, to give the tree a higher character than it deserves.

Agricultural seeds, such as the different sorts of clover, &c., are
chiefly imported from the continent, and cost the British and Irish
farmers annually a large sum of money ; but this they had better
submit to pay, than sow their own saved seed ; at the same time, it
would be a double benefit to the agriculturists were the duty on these
seeeds taken off or reduced.

To the Editor of the Horticultural Register.

ON THE SHANKING OF GRAPES.

Sir, — In your last number there is a letter from Mr. W. Denyer on
the “ Shanking of Grapes.” I see that, with most others, he confounds
the two diseases of shrivelling and shanking, which I feel persuaded
are two distinct things. Mr. D., I see, inclines much to the opinion,
that this disease proceeds from weakness ; he must excuse me when I say
I believe in ninety-nine cases out of every hundred it does not, if at
all. Weakness will produce withering, but not shanking, if the house
be dry. If vines are allowed to bear more than they have strength to
bring to perfection, of course withering will he the consequence ; but
shanking is a different thing. If a house be perfectly dry, I believe
shanking cannot take place. Mr. D. states, “ When there is the least
appearance of the disease, great attention should be paid to giving a
good and regular supply of air, as the closer a house is kept, the more
will the disease increase : ” there can be no doubt of this in a house at
all inclined to damp, for, do what you will, it will increase. This I
consider only tends to prove my former arguments. Mr. D. asks those
who are of this opinion, “ Why the disease only makes its appearance
when the grapes are changing colour? ” This I feel surprised at. I
must here beg leave to say, in opposition to his opinion, that there is
every reason why it should take place at this period, being a very
critical one with the grape, and one in which the fruit is not able to
bear the noisome atmosphere created by damp. I was last year in

324

REMARKS ON THE GROWTH OF PLANTS.

several houses where the vines were in excellent condition, and the
borders very good, where the shanking rfiade terrible havoc, in spite of
all the gardeners could do ; I should say, from the strength of the
vines, they were able to bear double the crop they had on them. I
examined the houses, and was more than ever convinced the disease
proceeded from what I have before stated. I will pledge my word, that
with proper management, in a perfectly dry house, Mr. D. never saw
shanking. That he may have seen withering, I have no doubt. His
concluding remarks are excellent, and I hope will be more attended to
in future : but if a gardener be troubled with a damp house, I feel
assured, even if he attends in every iota to Mr. D.’s advice, he will
still be troubled with shanking.

Shanking in grapes is, in my opinion, want of action, produced by
debility from over-heated, damp atmosphere, and takes effect on the
extremities first, from their being farthest from the organs of nutrition.
The human being would be acted upon in a similar way by remaining
too long in a vapour bath.

G. T. Dale, Manchester ,

July 10 th, 1836. ( Late of Wirksworth , Derbyshire.)

VARIOUS REMARKS ON THE GROWTH OF PLANTS.

By the laws of nature, some plants are so constituted as to grow
erect, others horizontally along the surface of the ground, and some
again, having weak or laxive stems, either involve other bodies for
support, or are furnished with prehensile members or tendrils, by
which they climb and support themselves on other plants or bodies.
In cultivating these different descriptions of plants, we generally take
lessons from nature ; we give poles to the hop, rods to the runner
kidney-bean, sticks to peas, and treillage to the grape-vine. But some
plants in cultivation are, by reason of their tropical origin and consti¬
tutional tenderness, unfit to bear the open air in this country, and
therefore must be kept in close-glazed frames, and, notwithstanding
they are climbing plants, no supporting props can be afforded; so
that such imprisoned plants are compelled to be creepers instead of
climbers.

It will readily occur to every reader that the melon and cucumber
are alluded to ; and though these plants have been occasionally trained
in houses as nature intends they should grow, it is but lately that it
has been noticed and proved by one of the first horticulturists in the
kingdom, that this position of the plant seems absolutely necessary for
increasing the size of the fruit.

REMARKS ON THE GROWTH OF PLANTS.

325

There are many instances of the swelling membrane of plants in¬
creasing much faster downwards than in any other direction. A
wounded stem or branch of an exogenous tree is healed quicker by the
living membrane descending from the upper than it does from the lower
side. If a wound be made on the stem of an herbaceous plant, as is
performed in layering, the point of the dissevered part, called “ the
tongue,” usually swells more than the other parts. The same kind of
protuberance is often seen at the lower points of both grafts and inserted
buds, and we may add cuttings also. When the new method of in¬
arching is performed — that is, by separating the graft entirely from the
mother plant, and attaching it by its middle to the stock, and placing
the lower end of the graft in a phial of water made fast thereto — the
bottom so immersed very soon swells, and emits roots in the same way
as a cutting placed in the ground.

Now it would appear that all such instances of the protrusion down¬
wards of the actively increasing membrane of trees and shrubs, the
downward lengthening of the cucumber, &c., are accomplished by
something like gravitation, were it not that practical experiments care¬
fully performed show us that in these processes gravitation is not an
agent. If the stem of a young tree in a pot be encircled by a tight
ligature, or have a ring of bark taken off all round the same, and the
plant and pot be reversed upon a lofty stage-top downwards — the root
being duly supplied with water— the plant will grow, its shoots of the
head turning upward, and the stem will swell unequally ; the part
above the band or incision — that is, the side nearest the hanging head
of the plant — will be largest, and in the same way as if the plant and
pot had been set upright. This experiment shows decidedly that it is
not from any sinking of the sap that young roots — the living mem¬
brane — or other downward processes of a plant, progress with more
celerity than the same do in any other direction.

We have other instances of the unequal growth of vegetable mem¬
brane exemplified in the following particulars : — the most shaded side
of the stem of a tree, and the lower side of the horizontal branches, are
always farther extended from the pith, or centre, than the sunny side :
if a tuber — a potato, for instance — be partly above ground, the exposed
side swells much slower than the buried portion.

We have already alluded to the circumstance of a wound on the stem
of a tree being healed sooner by a new bark and wood which descends,
than by the same which approaches from the bottom or sides of a scar.
It was once a part of our duty to attend to the healing of a wound on
the stem of a favourite tree, which required a period of eighteen years
before a complete cure was effected. A very fine specimen of the

326

REMARKS ON THE GROWTH OF PLANTS.

Platanus occidental is stood in a pleasure-ground, being much valued
as an ornament, and particularly because it served to hide during
summer a murky mass of spruce firs. The bole of this tree was
divided, about four feet from the ground, into two nearly equal parts,
and formed together a finely-balanced head. In a violent gale of wind
the outer half of the tree was split off, leaving a scar four feet in length,
and nearly as wide as the diameter of the remaining trunk, viz. eigh¬
teen inches. Forsyth’s plaster was then in high repute; the wound
was first prepared by smoothing off the rough edges of the bark and
splinters of the wood with chisels and planes, and a good plaster made,
secundum artem , and applied, and renewed from time to time for many
years. Whether this once famous plaster did any other good than
keep the bare timber dry, we will not assert ; but we are quite certain
that first smoothing and then covering the wound with a good coat of
tar, with a little tallow and saltpetre added, and renewed if exhaled
away, would have been a far better application, as well for preventing
the decay of the naked timber, as for offending insects, which the
plaster did not do, and healing the wound.

During the summer of the next year after the accident, the new
growth of bark and wood began to protrude from beneath the edges of
the old bark all round the wound, and every summer continued so to
do ; the new growth always proceeding from underneath the lip of the
former year’s growth, the bark of each year’s growth being annually
raised up and left behind. The new advancing lip was first whitish
and very succulent, then green, and afterward brown and woody. It
advanced, as has already been noticed, with different degrees of cele¬
rity ; that at the bottom of the scar slowest, from the upper edge
fastest, and from each side moderately. It was quite evident, how¬
ever, that the drying effects of the sun and air upon the succulent
lip of the collapsing member was in proportion to its exposure. The
wound was on the south side of the trunk ; and the sun’s rays striking
so directly upon the lower lip, indurated, and consequently checked its
expansion much more than the others, especially the upper one, which
was not shone upon at all.

So much were we convinced of the hardening effects of the sun’s
heat and impact of air upon the protruding cambium, that it was
doubtful whether bark was an identical member, or only a condensed
surface, (like the crust of bread,) formed by the indurating action of
the air. But this idea could not be maintained, knowing as we did
that a new bark, called liber, is every year formed entirely out of
the reach of the air ; but finding that the new member progressed
faster in darkness than in light, we concluded that the thicker

REMARKS ON THE GROWTH OF PLANTS.

327

any topical application was, the sooner a wound would be healed
thereby.

The tendency of the vital membrane, or roots, towards darkness or
any solid opaque body, is amusingly exemplified by the roots of orchi-
deous plants suspended in a damp stove ; for though they may be pro¬
duced towards the lightest side of the house, they soon trend round,
and lengthen towards the back wall. A very expert cultivator of this
tribe of plants, attributed the flexure of the roots to the attraction of
the solid brick-work, and not to their inclination for either greater
damp or darkness, nor yet to their aversion to light. The inclination
or flexure of the stems and roots of plants seem to be opposed to each
other, as if actuated by a contrary polarity. While the latter retire
from, the former seek and turn to, the light. These movements are
curious, and not easily accounted for. Every one is aware of how
instinctively all plants present their growing surfaces to the strongest
light. If healthy plants be placed in a dark room, and a single ray of
light be admitted at the smallest aperture, soon all the points of the
shoots and discs of the leaves are turned towards the stream of light.
This is a proof that the plants are affected in some way by light, and
either by attraction or irritation.

Professor Rennie, we believe in one of his scientific alphabets,
accounts for this phenomenon by comparing it with the contraction of
damp paper when held before a fire, or to the flexure of a board laid on
moist ground. In both cases the moistest side swells, or rather remains
swollen, and consequently occupies more space than the dried side,
which is contracted. The effects in these cases are quite natural, and
easily understood ; but whether applicable to the somewhat similar
motions of plants, is not so evident, unless we could suppose that there
is also a current of drying air ejected along with the light. But this
we cannot readily conceive, when we look at the shoot of a potato at
the further end of a dark vault (where no current of dry air can reach),
presenting its top and leaves to the faint glimmer of light from the key¬
hole of the vault-door. In such a confined place as this, and where
there can be little or no circulation of air, and very little difference
in the state of the air as to humidity, we are led to conjecture that
light has some peculiar effect upon plants,' independent entirely of
moisture.

The tendencies of roots towards their aqueous or gaseous food may be
accounted for by supposing that an imperceptible vapour and effluvia
are ever escaping from the sources, and these attracting the extreme
spongioles, lead them onward to their food. As the roots, as well as the
other growing members of a plant, are merely passive organs, they can

328

ON THE SHANKING OF GRAPES.

only be affected by external agents inciting them to action. The uni¬
versal law of attraction is productive of results and combinations which,
from the imperceptible processes in which they take place, are always
more or less obscure. Currents of fluids are generated between evolv¬
ing and receptive bodies, which gain for the latter a character of self-
action and inherent power which, in the case of plants, it is impossible
they can either possess or deserve.

In speaking or writing of vegetable development, therefore, it can¬
not be correct to assert that the roots can turn to the right or to the
left ; that the sap can ascend or descend ,* or that the shoots can
lengthen themselves or remain stationary, as if they were endowed with
a kind of volition like animals. The fact is, the causes of these move¬
ments and developments among vegetables are without , not within, the
respective systems. The exciting causes are external, and the suscepti¬
bility of excitement is internal. Fermentative or elastic fluids, in
expansible membranes, obey the stimulants of heat, air, and light, and
conjointly exhibit all the phenomena of vegetation.

ON THE SHANKING OF GRAPES.

I am glad to see so many opinions upon this disease appear in your
Register ; the point wants elucidation very much ; and the gardener
cannot be too observant, if he wishes to discover the origin of the
complaint.

I am sanguine enough to think, that what I am about to observe will
throw a little light upon the subject.

In page one of the March number (Vol. V.) is a communication
from a Mr. Dale. He adopts the opinion of those who consider the
disease to be caused by an oyer-moist, heated atmosphere (the excess of
vapour being condensed, the water settles upon the footstalks of the
bunches, which the sun acts upon as on a lens, and causes a scald upon
the footstalk as much as hot-water would) ; hence the necessity of
giving air by the top sashes early in the morning. Some practitioners
have recommended keeping the house shut till all moisture arising
either from sprinkling the evening before, or from the condensed
vapour created by the morning sun, has disappeared. Air must be
admitted some time, if there be any prospect of sunshine ; and the
earlier, the more natural. I have seen much damage done to grapes in
a pine-stove by neglecting to give air when the foliage and fruit were
wet with previous syringing ; and undoubtedly this is one exciting
cause ; the leaving too large a crop is another : but the chief agent, as

ON TfTE SHANKING OF GRAPES.

329

I hope to prove, is the deficiency of roots, arising from the vine growing
in too heavy and cold a soil. This tree is so ready a rooter, that no¬
thing but a bad or really defective medium will prevent it from extend¬
ing its roots far and wide in a short period. In very poor sand, with
a little turf mixed with it, I have seen a vine push surprising roots : so
in a soil of an open nature, with abundance of large flints, brick-bats,
whole bones, &c., intermixed, the vine will grow luxuriantly ; its roots
will throw out innumerable fibres. I witnessed this in opening a walk
which ran in front of a vinery ; it had been made with large stones at
the bottom, and the roots — the fibrous roots I mean — had nearly for¬
saken the border, which was of a cold, ungenial nature, and had betaken
themselves to the walk, which they evidently liked much better. This
is an important fact, for it clearly shows the sort of materials which
ought to be employed in making a border, not only for the vine, but
for almost all fruit-trees.

Gardeners are aware of the good effect produced on plants growing
in pots by keeping the soil open, and even lumpy, particularly if the
mould be of a heavy, loamy nature ; for otherwise, by constant water¬
ing, it will become sodden — a state in which nothing can thrive, for
the roots decay, or are so disabled as to be unequal to the task of duly
supplying the waste produced by the leaves, &c.

I have seen vines in pots grown on a very extensive scale ; and I
intend to make some observations upon some plants which were forced
in the winter of 1833, with the hope of obtaining a few bunches early
the following spring.

The vines being in good condition for bearing, were placed in a pine-
stove in the month of November ; they all, or nearly all, showed fruit,
and four to nine bunches were retained on each. The plants grew
well, and made excellent wood ; but many did not set their blossom
well; but as they continued to look healthy, the defect was attributed
to the sorts. Setting aside this, the vines did well ; the bunches and
berries attained a good size. As the pots were small, constant atten¬
tion to watering was very necessary to prevent flagging ; but this fre¬
quent application of water upon a naturally too strong loam, caused
soddening of the whole ball about the period of the last swelling of the
fruit. As the bright gleams of spring came on, the plants showed their
exhausted state by flagging, though the mould in the pots was quite
moist : scarcely a day passed without the foliage being scorched ; in¬
deed the injury was so extensive, that not a leaf remained entire. The
fruit was so imperfect, that not a bunch was fit to go to table ; most
of the bunches had shanked more or less, and required curtailing as far
as the disease extended.

VOL. V. - NO. LXIII.

u u

330

4 ON THE SHANKING OF GRAPES.

As a proof that the fault was in the root, some of the plants were
shaken out of the pots,, when nearly half the mould at the bottom was
found destitute of roots, and so adhesive, that it required to be scraped
out.

This circumstance, which came immediately under my observation,
is, I think, conclusive as far as pots are concerned, and it is reasonable
to suppose will apply equally to an unprepared border.

The imprudent application of fire-heat, which Mr. Knight many
years ago wrote upon, and “ Scientice et Justitice Amator” so ably fol¬
lowed up in a paper (in the tenth volume of the Gardeners’ Magazine)
practically elucidating the propriety and advantage of following a more
natural plan, should by all means be read by every person who has
early forcing to attend to ; more especially when I assure the readers of
your Register, that the author of the paper referred to, who now lives as
gardener to a gentleman but a little distance from London, practises
closely what he there wrote, and with the best results. I called to see
him early in June, and in a vinery then ripening its fruit saw the
most perfect bunches of the White Frontignac, such as I had never
before seen — indeed they were perfect ; not to mention Hamburghs,
which were large both in bunch and in berry, particularly the latter.
It is but too seldom that we find a man acting as he writes or talks ;
when we do, it is a very great pleasure. One great reason that
crops so often fail, is the constant heat kept up night and day ; in
consequence of which the vigour of the vine becomes -exhausted.

I wish very much that Mr. Stafford would once more come forward,
and give the gardening world his opinion on the cause, or causes, of
the “ shanking of grapes.” I never remember to have seen his fruit
suffering under the disease — at the same time, his crops were great.
Now if this, as has been advanced by some writers, were a principal
cause, why are not the bunches affected that are growing on his vines
in pots? In the month of May, 1834, I counted as many as thirty-six
upon one vine of White Muscadine, growing in such a pot as he has
given the dimensions of in the first volume of the Register : the grapes
were perfectly ripe at the time, and excellent in flavour.

A. L, A. T.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

331

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

LETTER FIFTEEN.

Dear Sir, — As we proceeded over the park of - Court, we

met with a much greater variety of scenery than on our first entrance
we were led to expect. At a considerable distance beyond the man¬
sion, and in the direction in which we were riding, we came suddenly
to the top of a valley which opened to the eastward, admitting at its

mouth a noble bend of the river S - . The brows of the valley

are clothed with magnificent oaks, like the rest of the park ; and the
open expanse of turf between keeps up those ideas of ample grandeur
which is the principal characteristic of the place.

We rode down the centre of the valley to the bank of the river,
which is palisaded, and forms the boundary of the park on that side.
Within the palisade there is a raised terrace, from which there is a fine
view of the country beyond the river. The latter is very much widened
in this place by a branch of it flowing round a considerable islet in the
middle, forming a secure resort for aquatic birds, particularly the herons,
which are seen wading round the shallow margins, and, whether on the
wing or seeking their food, are highly ornamental.

Scenes of still life, however beautiful or picturesque, receive addi¬
tional interest by animated figures, of whatever kind they may be.
Herds and flocks of domesticated animals enliven every open space,
which would otherwise be insipid ; and when wild ones are intermixed, or
cross our path, or are seen winging their way over head, or heard sweetly
carolling in the woods and brakes, yield increased amusement and
pleasure to the lover of nature.

The value of garden scenery is greatly enhanced by the presence of
the objects of the ornithologist, and even those of the ichthyologist.
Aviaries and piscatories, wherever they can be introduced, may very
properly be associated with flowers ; and when beautiful fish may be
taught to feed from the hand like birds, it is a pleasant exercise to the
benevolent mind to possess and make happy such captives ; even from
the terrace whence we were surveying the expanse of water, the frequent
rising of the trout was enviously amusing.

On the brink of the river, and under a grove of evergreen trees and
weeping willows, we approached a very elegant and, from its interior
arrangement, commodious bathing-house, containing baths for either
cold or tepid filtered water, with comfortable dressing-rooms, &c. &c.
The exterior is a modern stone building, somewhat in the Italian style,

332

LANDSCAPE GARDENING,

having a central dome with side wings, and servants’ apartments be¬
hind. The front entrance next the river is under a pediment supported
by handsome columns, and approached by flights of steps on each side.
The water is pumped into elevated cisterns for supplying the baths,
&c. ; and the whole is designed with great taste, and includes every
convenience required in such a necessary building.

Although a beautiful object in itself, and marking the affluence of
the proprietor, it is certainly at too great a distance from the man¬
sion-house to be conveniently used. On my remarking on this circum¬
stance, his Lordship was pleased to explain how it happened to be
placed where it was. A former dowager lady of the estate fixed on a
station in the wood, on the higher ground above the baths, to build
herself a villa, (which we were then approaching by a rising road,) and
as an appendage she also built the baths for her own use. On her
death, the villa became a residence for the land-steward, which it
still continues to be, and the baths are kept up as a memorial of the
deceased.

The steward’s house is a handsome structure, built and fitted up in
the cottage style, containing several large and airy rooms, two of which
are kept for the use of his Lordship and friends, to take coffee or choco¬
late when out riding or driving in that quarter. The windows com¬
mand a fine extensive view of the valley of the river ; and though but
little of the park is seen, except through two narrow vistas, yet the
situation is well chosen for a summer residence ; and it has a dressy
appearance in consequence of some of the more choice sorts of exotic
forest trees, planted by the Dowager Countess, having become inter¬
mixed in the surrounding wood.

Proceeding from thence through wood of various character and
aspect, we arrived on a rather elevated plain, on which was plainly
discernible the traces of what had been once an entrenched camp, but
whether Roman or British, is unknown ; but certainly of very ancient
date, as some of the largest and apparently oldest oak trees grow on the
crest of the mound, as well as in the ditch. A little further, and on a
knoll in view of the house, is erected a lofty stone obelisk on a square

pedestal, inscribed to the memory of the Hon. Colonel J. R - , who

fell at the head of his regiment in storming the citadel of - , in

Germany. Such monuments are suitable ornaments for a park, and
more especially when intended to immortalise the truly honourable, the
worthy, or the brave. However interesting either natural or artificial
scenery may be, it is always enhanced by objects which elicit new ideas,
recal pleasing recollections, or incite new trains of thought or of con¬
versation, which may be mutually instructive or entertaining.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

333

Italian gardens were crowded with objects of this kind ; statues,
historical vases, commemorative urns and cenotaphs, costly fountains
with their Naiads, and alcoves, were placed at the end, or at every turn
of a walk, in every recess of a wood, or at every angle of a parterre.
These ornaments, if well executed, so as to be admirable as specimens
of art, were agreeable and suitable accompaniments to the richer kinds
of evergreens, as orange and myrtle trees, and to the softer forms of
cypress and cedar. Some of these objects were very appropriate ; but
before the fashion fell into disrepute, many most ridiculous things were
executed, and many ludicrous figures or characters represented by the
statuary or the founder. A drunken beastly figure of Bacchus, or one
of his votaries, vomiting water into a marble basin, was no very refined
spectacle to behold ; nor were naked figures of some of the deities of
the heathen mythology fitting objects in countries often covered with
snow, where the imaginations of the inhabitants were cooled down and
subdued by a more rigid sense of decorum.

Notwithstanding Italian gardening, with its molten or sculptured
ornaments, has been long banished from this country, it is question¬
able, perhaps, whether we have not gone too far in this work of
sweeping extirpation. There is, certainly, a description of sculptured
or architectural ornaments, like the one we have just passed, which is
admissible and particularly appropriate in park and garden scenery. A
place like a garden, confessedly dedicated to pleasure, and for the grati¬
fication of the eye, where so many elegant forms and colours are combined,
is surely receptive of accessories which would enhance the value of every
vegetable form, of every hue, and of all its various fragrance ; even the
solitary sun-dial in the middle of a grass-plat or gravel-walk, is not
only an ornament, but a silent monitor.

This seems to have been the conviction of the able and talented
designers of Stowe, Paine’s Hill, and some other celebrated places. In
the former of these places, architectural and sculptured edifices have
been lavishly bestowed ; it is a perfect museum, in which botanical,
historical, and much biographical information may be acquired, while
enjoying views of the richest dispositions of land, wood, and water.

At Stowe, such ornaments are perhaps in excess, though quite in
consonance with the style and splendour of its princely palace and
surrounding domain.

It is but seldom that the style of Stowe can be imitated, but the
principle is applicable to the smallest garden ; and now that the most
classical composition ornaments can be obtained, at a reasonable rate, it
is to be expected that pleasure-grounds will once more be decorated
with these beautiful specimens of art.

334

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

Proceeding onward over this spacious park, we passed the keeper’s
lodge, to which are attached numerous buildings and feeding-yards
for deer. Here is also a large and well-constructed pheasantry, and
other houses for poultry, kept and bred both for ornament and use ;
the roosting apartments for tropical birds being heated by fire-flues in
winter.

The regular herd of deer is usually kept up to about twelve hundred
head ; venison is, therefore, a plentiful and almost constant treat at his
Lordship’s table, as well as at those of all his friends. The manage¬
ment of a herd of deer requires much attention on the part of the
keeper and his assistants ; — it is a branch of rural economy which is
only known among the fraternity. Very meagre accounts only have
hitherto been published concerning the management of this kind c
stock.

When war and hunting were the principal occupations of the san¬
guinary kings and rude barons of the kingdom, whole uninhabited
tracts of the country were set apart and appropriated to the chase ; but
as agriculture was extended, fencing became necessary for the protec¬
tion of the crops ; and as the sustenance of the whole community soon
became dependent on the farmer’s products, laws were enacted which
gave the tenants a power to protect their crops from the trespassing
game of even their landlords. To preserve the game, many of the
more opulent barons resolved, lest their game should stray away to the
haunts of the freebooters, to enclose their chaces with a high paling or
wall ; and hence the origin of parks. Erecting such extensive and
costly fences in those days, was much more easily accomplished than
such things could be at the present time. The numerous tenantry
and retainers, all bound to do “ suit and service” to the lord, were at
the beck and call of the chief, and their united labours soon com¬
pleted such works. These times and circumstances are fast passing
away: many ancient parks are now corn-fields, and those which
remain are kept up rather as an appendage of state and affluent an¬
cestry, than for any other pleasure or profit they yield the possessor.
The one which we have been surveying, and which has called forth the
above remarks, is certainly one of long standing, and has certainly an
air of graceful dignity, which is everywhere very impressive.

As usual, there is a large farming and dairying establishment, called
u the Grange,” belonging to - Court, for the supply of the house¬

hold, stud, &c. ; and the whole appears to be a perfect type of an
ancient baronial residence.

Returning by the house, we visited, at the bottom of the court of
offices, the riding-house and tennis-court, both lofty and noble build-

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA. 335

ings, though now but little used. Besides the riding-house, there is
a shed carried round three sides of the extensive offices on the out¬
side, supported by columns for equestrian exercise in wet weather.

After partaking of a slight repast, we took leave of his Lordship, and
returned home in the evening.

I am, &c., A. B.

{To be continued .)

MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE.

Reminiscences of a Voyage to and from China ( continued
from page 297.) — During a fortnight’s stay in Torbay, the ship was
re -rigged under jury-masts, and prepared to proceed to the river
Thames, but was towed the whole way by the Assistance fifty-gun
ship.

When the wreck was cleared off our unfortunate charge, we could
then perceive the amount of the damage sustained ; all were more or
less broken or displaced, and some were completely bruised to atoms.
The shattered remains of the platform and boxes were removed, the
loosened roots of the plants replaced, and all was as well secured as
possible for the few days which yet remained of the voyage.

In sailing up the channel, we could not but reflect with what very
different feelings we had passed down nearly two years before. When
outward bound, all was joyous expectation and fervent hope ; we antici¬
pated success, fearing neither the perils of the sea nor any other dis¬
aster. Now we felt a sickening reverse ; our intense anxiety, various
labours, and patient watchings, were all to go without the expected
credit, and, moreover, without the dearly- cherished reward of self-
gratulation. As, however, we were accompanied by several officers
who were also interested witnesses of all our proceedings, we felt cer¬
tain that we could not be charged with negligence, nor want of ardour
in the attempt. This was some consolation ; but it fell far short of
what we expected, seven months before, would have been our mental
pride and satisfaction on our arrival in England.

At this time too, we well remember, our mind was extremely un¬
settled ; we had been roving over a great portion of the surface of the
globe for nearly two years ; we had seen the inhabitants, and heard the
news of many different countries lying very widely apart ; and without
feeling the least satiety of this change of scene, we felt as if happiness
could not be found in any one spot of the earth ; and we envied the

336 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

crews of the outward-bound ships that passed us, and which were
proceeding to the extended theatre and scenes of action we had left
for ever.

On doubling the South Foreland, we were desired to lay aside our
sailing dress, and resume our go-a-shore habiliments. The press-gangs
were then on the alert, and the officers knew that the crew would be
mustered and thinned on our arrival at Gravesend. No sooner had we
cast anchor, and the towing hawser of the Assistance thrown off, than
the first lieutenant of that ship (our old friendly acquaintance !) came
with a boat’s crew, and selected the elite of our company ; the Lieu¬
tenant (Brenton, if we remember rightly) thinking he had the best
right to those able seamen whose skill and fearless actions he had often
witnessed. This scene was distressing ; for we saw many worthy men
-quarter-masters and others — torn from the outstretched arms of their
wives and friends on shore.

In the meantime an agent from Sir Joseph Banks, with an order of
the Privy Council, came on board for the plants consigned to the care
of that gentleman. They ■were instantly delivered, by leave of the
Custom-house officer who had charge of the ship, and were, we believe,
directly conveyed to Kew.

During this bustling scene we, by order, paraded the quarter-deck
among the officers, having in charge Captain Burnyeat’s chronometer
as a protection, (for by the rules of the Hon. East India Company’s
service, we were rated as ordinary seamen on the ship’s books,) which
averted the prying eye of his Majesty’s Lieutenant ; and soon after we
went on shore with the captain, and came post to London, bidding
farewell to the ship and companions of our voyage for ever.

It is a fortunate pliability of the human mind that it can accommo¬
date itself to whatever circumstances it chances to be placed in. On
taking leave of our good friend, the Captain, at the door of Messrs.
Borrodaile, in Fenchurch Street, we, without any well-defined object
or distinct pursuit in view, took our way towards Mile End, to call on
our old acquaintance and patron, Mr. A. Thomson. Here we met a
hearty welcome, and were engaged the same night to take the charge
of the plant-houses in that then celebrated establishment.

From Mr. Thomson we learned that, immediately after the death of
Mr. Slater, the seat of Low Layton was given up, and had passed into
other hands ; Mrs. Slater and family having retired into the north of
England, and all the old servants dispersed in all directions. We never
visited the place afterwards.

We took an early opportunity of waiting upon the principal executor
of bur late employer, to inquire whether there was anything in our

REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

favour in his agency. He answered, “ No;” and added, that “unless
we had a legal claim, which we could substantiate in a court of law,
no attention could be paid to our application.” We replied, that “the
deceased was too generous and honourable a character, to render it
necessary to bind him by any written agreement ; so that nothing of
the kind existed.” He said, “Very well” — and so our adventure
ended.

Before this interview, all our drawings, specimens, and seeds, had
been delivered to the purser ; but what became of them we never
learnt. The executor also told us that the shattered remains of the
plants had been disposed of to George Hibbert, Esq., of Clapham, at
that time, and for many years after, a most ardent and munificent
collector of plants.

We never gained correct information of either the number or the
names of the plants which we introduced, or were the means of intro¬
ducing, into England in 1794. Those on board of the other ships of
the deet, which looked so well at St. Helena, we had no means of
knowing anything, or to whom they were presented ; and it was only
of a few that went to Clapham that wre ever heard of, and that only
occasionally and indirectly ; for soon after our return to England we
left London, and became located in a distant county, where a variety
of new duties were imposed, very different indeed from the study of
exotic plants or of their history.

It only remains for us to state what wrould have been our plan of
proceeding in transporting Chinese plants, had it been our fate, as it
was our wish, to have been sent a second time. And here, perhaps, vre
should pause, and acknowledge with gratitude what we personally owe
to an overruling Providence, which, by a concatenation of events, pre¬
vented our sailing a second time in the Triton ; for on her next voyage
out that ship was taken, by stratagem, by a French privateer, and
carried into the Mauritius ; Captain Burnyeat , several of his officers ,
and crew , being murdered in cold blood on the quarter-deck ! This
would have been to us a far greater disappointment than the first,
with loss of happiness, and probably with loss of life !

But to return to what may yet be of use to others who may be
employed in transporting plants from China, or from countries in corre¬
sponding latitudes, we would advise that a stout grated frame of wood
be erected over the space which can be best spared, which will be that
immediately behind the skylight on the poop-deck of an Xndiaman,
or any other similarly-built ship. The top of this grated cage should
be in one panel, moveable at pleasure, to permit access to the plants

VOL, V, — -NO. LXfll. XX

338 REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA.

during the voyage ; thus they would be secure from monkeys, goats, or
other animals on board. The oldest, stoutest portable plants should be
chosen, and particularly those which have been for a year or two esta¬
blished in pots ; for we found that such bear the vicissitudes of the
voyage better than young and recently-potted plants. As proof, we
may allude to their dwarfed trees, which, when brought home, always
arrive in good condition. Boxes should be employed ; but their sides
and ends need not be above fourteen inches high, with strong handles
for the convenience of hoisting them in and out of the ship. The pots
should be plunged in moss, or in some other soft material retentive of
moisture.

Throughout the voyage the plants should be kept rather dry than
otherwise ; they may receive accidental showers, which are usually
soon dried up again, but by no means kept so moist as to excite
vigorous growth. Shading with thin canvass in the middle of the day,
when the ship is near the equator, will be of more use than any other
treatment that can be afforded.

Besides taking too much care of our collection, and treating the
plants in the same way as if they had been in a British conservatory,
we committed another error, and that was by our endeavour to bring
so many. The stern balcony- — certainly the best place in the ship —
was chiefly taken up by the plants consigned to Sir J. Banks, and
other things belonging to the captain ; and having, by our own choice,
had so large a portion of the poop-deck given up to us, we could not think
of encumbering the captain’s private apartments with boxes or single
plants, where, however, they would have been much more safely trans¬
ported. This confession and opinion is confirmed by the success attend¬
ing the introduction of one or only a few plants, in a box which may be
placed in a spare quarter-gallery in the stern balcony, or other apart¬
ment, secure from changes of weather, or out of the way of the business
of the ship. It is almost unnecessary to add, that sea-water, whether
spray or from washing the decks, should never be allowed to fall upon
either the leaves or roots.

The constitutional habit of plants renders them more or less capable
of being safely transported. Bulbs and tubers require little or no care
in conveying them from distant parts. Herbaceous or half-shrubby
plants, with fleshy or thick fibrous roots, such as chrysanthemums, are
easily brought over ; because, as their growth is a continued production
of new shoots and new roots from the collet, the loss of either for a
short time is seldom fatal : so all plants, trees, or shrubs that stole,
are less liable to be destroyed by atmospheric changes than others which
do not ; and the most difficult of all, perhaps, are those trees and shrubs

MR. FISH’S REJOINDER TO THE EDITOR.

.339

which have a large system of delicate, fibrous roots — so quickly perish¬
able if once they get thoroughly dry.

The best season for shipping plants from China to Europe is the
autumn, or as soon as their summer growth is over, because they would
have a chance of passing the Straits of Sunda before their regular sea¬
sonal growth commenced ; and if they were excited by the higher
temperature of that region, they would be soon again in a cooler
climate in doubling the Cape, which would tend to check rather than
advance their growth ; and they would be at St. Helena in their own
spring, whence they might reach Europe in good condition.

Leaving China in spring, we consider the most inauspicious season,
because their natural growth has already begun, and passing so rapidly
into midsummer heat deranges the balance which should subsist
between the roots and head ; and hence the exhaustion and failure of
the latter.

Having already mentioned the names of the plants we purchased at
Canton, it is unnecessary to repeat them here ; and though many addi¬
tions of Chinese plants have been subsequently introduced by other
collectors, we are of opinion that hundreds of fine plants are natives
of that vast empire, which are yet to be discovered and added to our
collections.

In looking over this account of our voyage and its results, we appre¬
hend that rather too much egotism will be observed to prevail in it,
though we have suppressed many personal adventures and observations
which might have been, but not fairly, brought in. Though barren of
instruction, it may afford a little information on subjects not quite
foreign to the plan of the Register ; and if amusement also, our motive
for writing it is answered. J. M.

My dear. Sir, — I have been so engaged lately, that it has been out
of my power to pay a suitable attention to your interesting letter.
Accept, however, at this late period, my sincere thanks for the manner
in which you have acted in endeavouring to establish your own propo¬
sitions, and controvert what you are pleased to term my “ preposses¬
sions.” That I should be destitute of a feeling which more or less
is common to humanity, would indeed be a wonder j but I beg to
assure you that you are not the individual whose sentiments I should
be very likely to be prejudiced against. In common with many more,
I have long regarded you as one of the best practical phytologists of the
day ; and may also mention, that some of your papers in the Gardeners’
Magazine first impressed me with the importance of studying the prin¬
ciples of vegetable development. However deficient, therefore, I may

340

MR. FISH’S REJOINDER TO THE EDITOR.

be in the knowledge of these principles, I do not consider that, with
strict propriety, you can set it down at once to my prepossessions, when
I do not fully coincide with you ; especially after you had been told that
my opinions were not fully formed, and that more information was my
principal object. Besides, though I am fully convinced that such state¬
ments were made with the kindest possible intentions, you must, from
your experience, be perfectly aware that such a method is the very
easiest that could be adopted for silencing objections to any theory,
while it renders, to a great extent, nugatory what an objector may
farther advance, until he has satisfactorily freed himself from the im¬
putation of prejudice — a result which, were it possible, would, from the
very egotism it involves, be attended with circumstances anything but
pleasing. You seem also to have acted upon the supposition, that, when
I did not agree with your opinions, I held and maintained the reverse ;
and hence you have been led to bestow more labour in demolishing the
theories of others, than in establishing or elucidating your own. It is
true, that in many respects I did, and do, approve of the leaf-elaborat¬
ing, sap-circulating theory, though far from being fully satisfied with
it ; and when I state that I see nothing more unpliilosophical in believ¬
ing that theory, than in giving credence to the one which you have
propounded, you have no right to infer from this that I am bound neck
and heels to this or that physiological creed, nor yet to consider that you
have sufficiently gained your point, until you have shown clearly and
indisputably, from facts and principles, in what (not the equality, but)
the decided superiority of your theory consists.

As one proof that my prejudices are not remarkably deep-rooted, I
am glad to have it in my power to inform you, that if no other advan¬
tage results from this discussion, it has had the influence of causing me
to doubt some things which I had almost firmly believed ; but I feel
sorry to add, that your reasoning, though well calculated to lead to
fresh inquiry, has failed to convince me that your theory is the one
which I should find free from objections. In answering my letter, too,
you sometimes strain my observations from their obvious meaning, and
make a distinction without a difference. Thus, you state that “I have
no doubt but that a purely homogeneous and elaborated sap may be
changed into wood or bark,” &c. Now I merely stated that I did not
perceive that supposing the one theory was more un philosophical than
supposing the other ; and I do conceive that, so far as my own indi¬
vidual opinion is concerned, I have a perfect right to hold the balance
of investigation, until that scale preponderates in which the greatest
weight of fact and argument is accumulated.

Again, you ask “ Can you or any one else bring forward indubitable

MR. FISH’S REJOINDER TO THE EDITOR.

341

proofs that the sap regularly descends, or that it is organisable ? ” We
know that “ facts are stubborn things,” and valuable acquisitions in
every science, but unfortunately we can refer to few tantamount to
indubitable proofs in the science of phytology. The operations of the
vegetable kingdom are placed so much beyond the power of our
research, that our knowledge of their primary principles of movement
can only be known by the effects which we see produced ; and these
effects being frequently ascertained by mutilation upon the living
plant, this of itself is a circumstance capable of rendering any proofs
so obtained at best but dubitable. Many circumstances, however, some
of which I formerly adverted to, render it extremely probable that there
is a circulation of fluids ; and I do not see it impossible, as I stated
formerly, that the plant, by virtue of its vital principle, should possess
the power of appropriating the elaborated sap to the expansion or
formation of what it contained in embryo ; but, as to indubitable proofs,
I lay claim to the possession of none. Such a process is, no doubt,
wonderful; but it is not a whit more incredible than many natural
phenomena of a similar nature, which it would be madness to think of
doubting — such as the formation of a seed from the action of the dust of
an anther upon the moist summit of the germen, the production of a bird
from an egg, or the means by which an animal derives its existence.
But you believe in the partial and occasional sinkings of the sap, and
I desired to know upon what principle you could account for these
partial sinkings. These questions of yours, though sufficiently in¬
teresting, are no answer to mine. Putting a question to me which I
am unable to answer, is no satisfactory explanation or confirmation of
one of your own propositions ; it only leads me, imitating your ex¬
ample, to demand the proofs you possess for establishing what you may
term “the true philosophy ” that there is in vegetables — the strange
anomaly, that while all around in creation is regulated by systems of
perfect order and design, their operations alone should be accomplished
partially— -occasionally, in fact, fortuitously.

Again, you state “ my mind would be steeled proof against the recep¬
tion of a contrary doctrine, so long as I believed that the sap is elabo¬
rated in, instead of by , the leaves.” You place the words in and by
conspicuously in italics ; but I have yet to learn the force of the dis¬
tinction, more especially as you seem to have lost sight of your own
definition, as in a following statement you tell me, after referring to
the ascent of the sap, that it becomes elaborated in the various organs,
and assimilated to the essential qualities by the action and influence of
the atmosphere, and the current or currents of it are accelerated or
retarded according as there are vents for its reception.” Now I do not

842

MR. FISH’S REJOINDER TO THE EDITOR.

see how you can escape the admission that the leaves are some of those
organs referred to. What, then, becomes of your elegant definition ?
To prevent mistakes, you had better have mentioned at once what organs
you really meant.

But we cannot pass over this sentence, as it is peculiarly rich in
details. The sap is not only elaborated, but “ it becomes assimilated.”
Let us understand each other. What is assimilation ? The changing
of one thing into the substance of another ; the act of one thing becom¬
ing like something else. Then, what is the sap changed or assimilated
to? — into cambium, liber, or alburnum? No, that is quite impos¬
sible ; but into the “ essential qualities.” And what are these quali¬
ties? — are they form, consistence, secretions, &c. ? No; all these are
found in roots, upon which no zephyr breeze has ever played, and yet
you state that all this elaboration and assimilation is effected “ by the
action and influence of the atmosphere,” in conjunction with the doc¬
trine, that there is no regular descent of fluids. The conclusion of the
sentence, “ that the sap is accelerated or retarded according as there are
vents for its reception,” I agree with, as a great leading general proposi¬
tion. Ask me for indubitable proofs, and I will confess my inability
to give them — nay, will start an objection. Cut down the branch or
the whole of a vigorous-growing vine, when the leaves are fully ex¬
panded, and each and every of them “ inviting” up the sap from the
roots, and no bleeding will take place. Why ? Because by taking
away the vents for the sap, you have prevented its rising. Very well ;
but cut down a similar branch or vine just when the buds are expand¬
ing, and in this case you likewise take away the whole of those
hydraulic pump-suckers, the action of which had brought the sap in
motion, and nevertheless it rises vigorously, and flows copiously from
the wound. How is this ?

I fully agree with you, that what you term the providing and
expending organs are naturally inclined to balance each other ; but
I do more — I contend that these organs have a direct relative and
correlative influence. I admit that each part of a plant has an
appropriating power, because I cannot otherwise account for the various
secretions contained in them. I admit that the stock has an influence
upon the scion, or why resort to paradoxes and queries ? But I also
admit that the scion, though to a less degree, has also an influence upon
the stock, by a regular circulation of the fluids. How else can I account
for the phenomena, that a variegated shoot frequently starts from a
stock that had been grafted with a variegated scion ; or that in May-
duke, Bigarreau, and Morelia Cherries, their roots should present such
a contrast in appearance, though budded upon similar stocks — the two

MR. FISH’S REJOINDER TO THE EDITOR,

343

former exhibiting large naked roots, and the latter a thick dense mass
of fibres? If such things prove not a circulation of fluids, they
prove, at least to my mind, the extreme difficulty of erecting a theory
applicable to all cases of vegetable development.

Your answers to several questions respecting your ability to account
for certain phenomena upon mechanical and chemical principles, clearly
detect and expose a few inadvertent omissions on my part ; but you
carefully keep your answers from bearing directly upon the matter in
hand, namely, that if you could not believe the descent of the sap, nor
yet the assimilation of it to the constituent parts of the system, because
you could not account for either upon chemical or mechanical principles,
how do you come to believe in other propositions which you are as
unable to account for upon these principles ? You may smile at my
simplicity in referring you to a seed deprived of its vitality; but, simple
though that fact be, it clearly inculcates that in a living seed, as well
as in a living plant, there is a great principle existing, to the govern¬
ment of which the laws of chemistry and the principles of mechanics
are wholly subservient. What that principle is, I confess myself igno¬
rant of, deeming it wiser to do so, than to pride myself upon the suppo-
sition that it is to be found in the phenomena of galvano-, electro-,
chemical agency, or in any other equally high-sounding, unmeaning
definitions.

It is true its existence is known by its effects, but not its nature ;
and even these effects are something more than mere “ motion, which
can neither add to nor abstract from the frame which it expands and
vivifies.” That the nourishing part of a plant — that which, for the
purpose of enriching our phytological vocabulary, you designate the
“ soul,” but a soul possessing neither a particle of vital existence, nor
yet in the least degree the power of expansion, as these are solely the
properties of the yet imaginary film named indusium, which, monopo¬
lizing all to itself, allows not a particle of vitality to exist either in the
members, or in the tubes of those members through which the nourish¬
ing fluids of the system flow — is what appears to me a little too new¬
fangled, and also too mysterious for a tacit acquiescence. It is wonder¬
ful to reflect, that the majestic oak, which has braved the fury of some
thousand storms, was once enclosed in the puny shell of an acorn ; but
more wonderful still to be constrained to believe, that every addition to
that oak has proceeded from a membrane, every season dividing itself
into three constituent parts, and yet in the end remaining as imper¬
ceptible, and yet as divisible, as ever. Only give me a clear view of
your indusium , and then, with the knowledge of certain facts which
could be easily accounted for upon the existence of your theory, I would

344

MR. FISH’S REJOINDER TO THE EDITOR.

almost at once become one of your firmest disciples ; but it is worse
than useless to refer me, either by a note of exclamation, or yet an air of
triumph, to the existence of cambium ; for if cambium, with all its
organisable qualities, be nothing but an expansion of your favourite
membrane, then surely we might be able to detect it in some of its
successive stages, and especially at the interesting period when a sepa¬
ration takes place between the liber and the alburnum.

But, independent of all analogical reasoning, the ever-recurring ques¬
tion is, What advantage does your theory confer? — what is its utility?
In grafting, I was never careful of any other member but the uniting
of the liber of the scion with the liber of the stock ; and why should
you laugh at my simplicity, when, according to your own admission,
your indusium, though united to neither liber nor alburnum, is slightly
attached to both, especially if I have been fortunate enough to get,
through ignorance or disbelief, as much of it as suited my purpose,
while the greatest knowledge, and the firmest belief in its existence,
would not enable me to get a particle more ?

You have kindly enough desired to elevate me to soar amid the aerial
regions, to have my mind expanded and my imagination brightened by
holding converse with beings of mist and cloud ; but unfortunately you
have not added a cable’s length to the strong tether which has hitherto
confined me to this dull clod of earth. Until you have effected this
favour for me, you must excuse the muddiness of my conceptions,
tinged as they necessarily must be by the circumstances attending their
origin. These circumstances may prevent me from perceiving the
extent of the similarity between the vegetable and animal economy ;
but they do not hinder me from perceiving that the knowledge of the
one sheds much light upon the other. True, the comparison may be
carried too far ; but this is no reason for making no comparison at all.
I freely confess, that, mere sciolist as I am in these matters, I dare
not attempt to prove that bone or muscle is formed from blood. You
contend that blood and bone are formed simultaneously ; but, allowing
this to be the case, are you prepared to show that the blood of the parent
has nothing to do with that formation ? Physiologists inform us that
the whole of the human frame is completely changed in a very short
space of time. How can such a thing be accomplished, unless by
means of the nourishing fluids of the system ? It is a fact, which I
have often seen recorded, and never questioned, that even the bones of
animals become of a certain colour when fed upon particular food, and
that the colour varies according as the food is changed. How is such
a fact to be accounted for, unless upon the supposition that, after the
various processes through which the food passes previously to its amal-

THE EDITOR’S REPLY.

345

gamation with the blood, it still retains its colouring properties, and
imparts these properties to the bone, which it renews ? In a certain
disease, the name of which at present has escaped me, a new bone
grows outside the old one, enclosing it as with a sheath. The success¬
ful practitioner removes the old bone, and the plastic new one soon
takes the form, size, and place of the one removed, and the limb feels
no want whatever. This is not mere expansion ; there is formation at
work; and if, when holding the old bone of your limb in your hand,
you felt you had got a better in its place, what theory would you
adduce in explanation of such a phenomenon ? It is true that these
are facts with which I am not personally acquainted ; but were I to
believe nothing except what I had ocular demonstration of, my belief
and my knowledge would be limited indeed. Although they possess
not the most direct, they still have a reference to the matters in hand,
as one of your leading propositions is, that “ no fluids, such as the sap
of plants, or the blood of animals, are capable of becoming organisable.”
I do not assert that they are capable, but I admit the possibility.

These remarks I submit to your consideration, and conclude with
congratulating myself, that if in theory we slightly differ, in practice
we so much agree ; and really if it was not for the hope that others of
my brethren, chiefly the young, might be induced to give the results of
their observation, and thus mature a science which is only in its in¬
fancy, it would not be worth while discussing the subject, when, as yet,
it must be left in a great measure as matter of opinion ; either theory,
like those respecting caloric, with a little circumlocution, being suffi¬
cient to explain the various phenomena which present themselves.

Hyde Park Corner. ROBERT Fish.

To Mr. Fish. — Dear Sir, — As we have only a few words of rejoinder
to make to your foregoing reply, we think it better to place them toge¬
ther, than delay our remarks till the publication of another number of
the Register.

For your friendly commendation and compliments, accept our best
thanks ; and for any misconceptions we may have formed, in attribut¬
ing to yourself the reveries of others, we shall hope to be forgiven,
because, as these reveries were the strongest batteries whence our
own opinions were assailed, we, in self-defence, were compelled to turn
our artillery against them ; and we only trust that we have not, by any
random shot, hurt your feelings, or checked your reconnoissance in
spying out our fenceless positions.

Your so recent perusal of our little book rendered unnecessary a
v repetition of our arguments therein used in support of our peculiar

VOL. V. — NO. LXIII. Y Y

346

THE EDITOR’S REPLY,

opinions as to two very material points in vegetable physics and economy.
We assert that the sap is diffusible, hi all directions , throughout the
system of the plant ; but we deny that there is any regular circulation.
The difference between diffusion and circulation we conceive to be
this : — in the first, the sap pervades every part, like water absorbed
and retained by a sponge ; the second supposes a constant flux and
reflux, or continued ascent and descent in different sets of vessels,
acting like the arteries and veins in the human body.

This latter notion has been held by many phytologists ever since the
time of Duhamel, but is now discarded, because there is no propulsive
organ or organs in a plant to be compared with the action of the heart
of animals.

The next point, and which forms so prominent a part of our theory,
is, our denial that the sap is “ organisable that is, we deny the possi¬
bility of the various membranes and organs of a plant being formed of
or increased by any change of the sap. Our reasons for this denial are
two : — first, no organised body, like a plant, can be formed of unorgan¬
ised matter, which the sap of plants undoubtedly is ; and, secondly,
no organised body can originate itself, or acquire existence without a
previously existing organised rudiment : and as no entire plant can
originate itself, so neither can any single organ or member of a plant
gain identical existence without a similar origin.

When the doctrine of equivocal generation was entertained and
believed, the apparent spontaneous production of weeds, of maggots, of
reptiles, and of fishes, was easily accounted for; — they were supposed
to be the offspring of corruption ! A modification of this silly and
groundless doctrine was easily applied to explain the unaccountable
increase of the stems of trees and shrubs ; even certain chemists, for
w7ant of due consideration, believed, and perhaps still believe that, by
the union of what they call “ the great powers of nature,” organised
forms might be generated, and continue as additions to the animal or
vegetable kingdoms for ever. The same idea leads some naturalists to
suppose that creation has not yet ceased, as new species of both plants
and animals are every day being discovered, which, they think, were
not in existence before. Such notions belong to what is called tran¬
scendental philosophy, which gains but few converts.

On the above two particulars, viz. the non-circulation and non-organ-
isable property of the sap, the whole of our theory hinges ; and if they
can be overturned by cogent reasoning and fair (we shall not say
indubitable) proof, all our views on that portion of phytological
knowledge must fall to the ground.

We think it needless to play the preceptor in correcting some mis¬
apprehensions and misnomers in the concluding part of your comm uni-

GARDENERS’ SOCIETIES. 347

cation, more especially as we believe the whole to be written more for
the sake of junior readers, and to elicit further details, than for any
purpose of justifying your own opinions or those of others antagonist
to ourselves. All your objections are founded upon a circumstance,
the truth of which we positively deny ; and therefore, combating these
your objections would only lead us to use the same arguments we have
employed repeatedly before.

Concerning the bleeding of a vine, however, deserves notice, because
it is a practical matter. It is a well-known fact, that no part of a tree
bleeds from a wound, during summer, so much as it does in the spring ;
and the reason is — in the latter season the juices are in a highly excited
state, just awakened from the repose of winter by the increasing tem¬
perature of the season : whereas in summer it is exhausted by the
evolution of shoots and the perspiring action of the leaves, so that there
is no redundance to escape. The example quoted about the growth of
the roots of cherry-trees, is also a well -known fact, and is a direct proof
of the correlative connexion between the graft and stock — the former
imposing its manner of growth upon the latter, strong shoots making
strong roots,and vice versa . Attributing to sap the power of giving forms,
accords not with our ideas, though we admit it may convey colour.

The remaining part of your rejoinder contains no question which we
feel incumbent upon us to answer. Simple questions may be answered,
but assertions require a long tissue of re-assertions, which are seldom
mutually convincing or advantageous. The ‘‘ nourishing part of a
plant ” is as obscure to us as indusium and its properties are “ new¬
fangled ” to you. In describing a membrane which was not identified
before, (except under its temporary name of cambium ,) it was necessary
to coin a new term ; and we hope that, if our description be otherwise
sufficiently explicit, the new term will not be considered a blemish.

Multiplying words, or repeating former arguments on the present
occasion, can serve no good purpose, more especially as you seem to
think that, however correct, the theory can be of no practical use.

We conclude by again recommending the subject to your notice;
and should you hereafter hit upon any practical fact which militates
strongly against our peculiar opinions, we shall be glad to hear of it,
and will give it our best consideration. — -Ed,

Sir, — It must be pleasing to all who have an interest in the advance¬
ment of the gardening profession, to see with what avidity some of your
correspondents have taken up and are agitating the subject of Gardeners’
Mutual Instructing Societies. Month after month we find fresh writers
on the subject proclaiming to the world the indispensible necessity of

348

GARDENERS’ SOCIETIES.

such societies; and that they are loudly called for, is a fact which I
think no unprejudiced person will deny.' Gardeners, of all professional
men, require the most extended and universal education. To be a
gardener, you must know something of almost all the other arts and
sciences : a knowledge of botany , vegetable physiology , land-survey in g,
drawing , geometry , chemistry , &c. &c., are almost indispensible ; and
to acquire a sufficient knowledge of these various branches of learning,
gardeners must possess advantages which seldom or never fall to their
lot. Your correspondent, Mr. Burnham, has truly said, that “ the life
of a young gardener is a life of privations;” but he certainly has mis¬
taken the means by which their condition is to be improved, and thence
raised to their legitimate station and influence as members of truly
civilised society.

These mutual instructing societies, which have been proposed and
so ably advocated by your correspondents, are, in my humble opinion,
eminently calculated to accomplish the desired object, and I long much
to see the project put in execution ; but I fear some of your correspond¬
ents who have written upon the subject are more men of precept than
example, otherwise they might have had something of the kind esta¬
blished on the “ west side of London” long before now : and though I
should glory to see such a society formed for affording the young
gardener a means of acquiring a scientific knowledge of his profession,
I cannot entirely approve of the means and ways taken for its accom¬
plishment.

Had these clever individuals (who will ultimately, I presume, become
fathers of the society) fully and distinctly laid the plan of their society
before the public, and called public attention thereto — then set about
forming it in the best manner their circumstances and situation would
admit of — they would have acted the part of real benevolent and praise¬
worthy members of society, and would evidently have found many
young men anxious and ready to tender them their support. But
instead of going in this direct manner to the accomplishment of their
object, they have kept up a prolix course of mere agitation, which is
likely enough to issue in a “ bottle of smoke.”

Surely there is no lack of young gardeners on the west side of
London — at least I should fancy not from there being so many large
horticultural establishments in that quarter — such, for instance, as
Zion House, Chiswick House, the Horticultural Gardens, Lee’s of
Hammersmith, &c. &c., which may of themselves constitute a very
respectable society, were they all concentrated into one body. But it
must be an obvious axiom to all, that, if it never is commenced, it
never will be established ; and it therefore becomes an imperative duty

REJOINDER TO MR. MEARNS.

349

on the part of its projectors to set about doing something towards its
establishment without further delay.

That the objects which they have in view are laudable, I think no
one will doubt ; and that such a society, if properly conducted, would
confer permanent benefits on society at large, I think no one will gain¬
say. It must be evident to all, that education makes the man, and
that without it a man is a mere blank in the moral and intellectual
world. Give, then, the assiduous young gardener equal advantages
with the mechanic, and fear not but he will embrace its facilities
hold out to him the means of acquiring a scientific knowledge of his
profession, and gardening will soon take its proper station among the
arts and sciences.

Gardeners, under the most humiliating disadvantages, have pre¬
served the respectability and independence of their order. The wages of
the working gardener ever have been, and still are, much below those of
any other class of operatives ; notwithstanding which, they have always
shown a natural tendency to accommodate themselves to their circum¬
stances : and while we find almost every other class of tradesmen, under
privatory circumstances, depending upon the general bounty, we almost
invariably find gardeners appealing only to the sympathy of those of
their own order; this is particularly so in Scotland, where the brotherly
feeling of one gardener towards another is truly admirable, though, I
am sorry to say, too often played upon. But all good practices and
institutions have their evil tendencies, and the friendly sons of Adam
in Scotland must not expect to be exempted from this natural evil. It
is true, we may be told that this is not the case with those myriads of
“ rough ones ” who perambulate the streets of London and its envi¬
rons in the winter season, in time of frosty weather, calling out “ Pity
the poor gardener ; ” but sure am I that I am within the mark when I
say, that not more than one professional gardener will be found among
every hundred of these spurious knights of the spade, who at that
season of the year infest our streets and lanes, and thereby render even
the name of gardeners an object of derision and contempt. That these
projected societies will in some degree prevent this evil, and raise the
moral and intellectual character of the profession, is the fond antici¬
pation of

London, July 8th, 1836. GALGACUS.

Rejoinder to Mr. Mearns’ Article “ On the Coiling of
Vines.” — The assumed “cognomen” of QiXocrotyog has, it appears,
misled Mr. Mearns ; for, judging by the note appended to his article
by the Editor, he must have conceived that our first paper was written

350

REJOINDER TO MR. HEARNS.

by one of the parties who had controverted the merits, and indeed the
general feasibility, of “ the coiling system,” Were it “ germane” to
the purpose, we could, in two words, prove to Mr. Hearns’ satisfaction,
that he does not possess a more hearty friend among horticulturists than
we are, nor one who would more willingly arm himself in defence of
his cause and practice ; but as no apparent good might result from open
disclosure, we prefer to retain the assumed disguise, and to appear
again under Grecian colours ; — the deceit, if such it be, includes no
treachery.

To do ample justice to our views and motives, we must dissect Mr.
Hearns’ article, and examine separately every one of its positions.

The physiological science of 4> lXoo-ocJjoq is first assailed because he
advanced the conjecture, that buds are “ the origin of roots.” Mr.
Hearns has met it with a flat negation ; he sturdily asserts that “ buds
will not turn to roots.” We here perceive two opinions which are
diametrically opposed to each other — who shall decide between them?
We appealed to undeniable facts, and we again unequivocally assert
and maintain the correctness of our report of the actual experiments
recited at page 243. The only point of real moment is the following:

- — We asserted, on the ground of our observations, (and also by the
analogy of facts traceable in the rooting growth and perfect develop¬
ments of gooseberry cuttings or layers placed in an inverted position,
the points of the shoots and that of every bud being thrust downward
into the soil,) — we, on these grounds, asserted that buds became roots,
“for not one shoot had pushed upward ” from the parts under ground.
Now it may be contended that we had arrived at an erroneous conclu¬
sion, unsustained by sufficient evidence ; but thus far we do and will
maintain our opinion, that although some may believe the thing impos¬
sible that buds should become roots, we have had proof positive and
undeniable that buds placed a very few inches under the surface, either
push out in the form of roots, or are absorbed, and wholly disappear.
We again assert that, in our recorded experiments, we found a vast
development of main and secondary lateral roots at every point where
the buds existed when the stems were layered, while in disbudded coils
a few feeble fibres only were protruded at the very lowest extremity of
the stem, and not one throughout its whole spiral course under the
soil of a pot.

Upon these grounds we have a right to assume that the buds, if they
do not literally assume the form of roots, are the accessories of their
production ; they are systems of life, and contain the embryos of leaves,
blossoms, and fruit : without them and their vital energy, roots cannot
be conceived to make any progress ; and what cutting could take root

REJOINDER TO MR. MEARNS.

351

were buds or their representatives totally absent? Many herbaceous
plants, it is true, emit fibres between the nodes of the leaves [stems?] ; but
we should recollect that there exist embryos that lie hidden and dormant
till called into action by peculiar circumstances. The buds, then, I
contend stimulate the production of that granular matter which ulti¬
mately seems to terminate in perfect radical processes. I am not aware
of any other plant which demonstrates this theory so clearly as a cut¬
ting of the shoot of Erytlirina laur folia placed in a phial of water, and
that plunged in a bed of 'warm tan or leaves. During the course of
many days, masses or loosely connected portions of parenchymatous
substance, very much resembling the lightest pith of elder, may be
observed to collect around the base, and from time to time to detach
themselves from it ; gradually this pithy matter assumes a more com¬
pact form, consolidates, lengthens, and finally throws out a perfect
fibre. Trees and shrubs present phenomena somewhat different from
those which attend the development of herbaceous species ; but all appear
to be dependent upon some organised germs of life which are excited
into action, and produce roots capable of absorbing the nutritive matter
that the decomposition of putrescent substances within their range
affords. If light be entirely excluded, these germs do not, in ordinary
cases, rise in the form of shoots; whether, therefore, they actually
elongate into roots, or simply stimulate the production of fibres, them¬
selves vanishing and yielding their substance to the advancing pro¬
cesses, is a matter of indifference to our argument ; in either case the
buds are found to be originators of radification.

Connected with this most important physiological phenomenon is
the inquiry into facts suggested by Mr. Mearns in page 284 ; and we
are happy to be able to adduce the results of an experiment which was
begun late in the autumn of last year, and continued to the present day
(August 8th). Two very fine rods of the Black Frontignac — one of
two- and the other of three- year old wood — were cut from a vine trained
against a wall ; the spurs of the one were pruned back to an eye or two,
and all the buds and embryos retained ; those of the other were entirely
cut away — not a shoot, spur, or eye was suffered to remain. The rods
were each coiled several times round a very large pot, sixteen inches
deep, and nearly twelve inches across ; and then the two pots were
filled with free, light, turfy loam, and retained under a shed till
March 4. It is necessary to observe, Jirst , that not a Jibre of a real
root was attached to either ; they were cut off the vine above the soil.
The one disbudded contained about six feet of the old w7ood — the other
about nine feet ; the whole of which wood wras coiled under the soil, in
close contact with the side of the pot. Secondly, each rod was fur-

REJOINDER TO MR. MEARNS.

352

nished with at least two feet of fine last-year’s wood, and this was left
above the surface of the soil. Third , as the object of the experiment
was to ascertain the power of rooting individually possessed by each,
no pains were taken to excite early growth with a view to fruit, and
therefore no heat was applied. On the 4th of March, however, both
pots were plunged to their rims into a bed of the leaves of beech and
oak, in a peach-pit, and the glasses were put on ; — no other mode was
resorted to. The leaves did not ferment to any great degree, and
therefore but little bottom-heat was generated. As the power of the
sun increased, (though the extremely cold and wet weather of April
was very unfavourable to growth,) the vines became excited, and the
eyes upon the shoot above the soil, attached to the coil whose spurs and
buds remained entire, pushed with great vigour, and showed several
good bunches of fruit. The disbudded coil remained torpid, but at
length came into feeble action ; the shoots it produced were always
feeble — little or no signs of fruit were afforded, and it made no way.
The perfect coil continued to support its leaves and clusters, and there¬
fore it evidently had developed efficient roots ; but unfortunately the
progress of the fruit was arrested by the attacks of slugs, which the
leaves concealed ; they destroyed the clusters before the blossoms ex¬
panded. As it appeared evident after midsummer, that the dis¬
budded plant would not do any good — the growing vine having lost its
fruit — the rods above the soil were cut down very low, and only one
green shoot from a spur of the best plant was left. On the 8th instant
both the pots were taken from the leaves, and their coils examined ; —
that of the disbudded plant had a sufficiently abundant supply of fine,
strong, and white roots of recerit formation, but there were many joints
entirely destitute of fibres. The perfect coil was furnished throughout
its entire extent, from the lowest extremity to the point of emergence
from the soil, with masses of long fibrous processes emerging chiefly
from the bases of the eyes, and exactly at the points where the clusters
of embryo-buds are usually situated ; almost all the eyes had been
either absorbed, or were greatly diminished in size ; not one had pro¬
duced an under-ground shoot ; and we traced a very large root, which
afforded the strongest ground to believe that it had been originally a
lateral eye ; it differed entirely from the ordinary radical processes,
emerged at a point close to the base of an eye upon a small spur, was
three times as thick as a common root, and much resembled the root¬
stocks which produce the tubers of the potato : — we have preserved it,
with the spur, in spirit, as a physiological curiosity. It is with plea¬
sure that we give Mr. Mearns all the benefit of this comparative
experiment, claiming merely the great efficiency of buds in effectuating

NOTICES OE BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

353

the earliest and most abundant development of those radicles which are
indispensible to the success of the coiling system.

Our limits are exceeded., and time presses ; hence we must defer our
further observations to a future period.

'&i\u(TO(j)OQ.

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

Edwards’s Botanical Register, continued by Professor Lindley.
The August number contains: —

1. Epidendrum Skinneri. Mr. Skinner’s Epidendrum. This very
handsome orchideous plant was introduced from the neighbourhood of
Guatimala, by James Bateman, Esq., jun., Knypersly, with whom it
dowered last January. Being collected and sent to England by G. H.
Skinner, Esq. he has been honoured by its specific name. It bears a fine
spike of purple dowers, and blossoms freely. Dr. Lindley compliments
Mr. P. N. Don, Mr. Bateman’s gardener, for the good management of an
imported plant, in bringing it into dower so early. It is also in Messrs.
Loddiges’ collection.

2. Aptosium depressum . Depressed Aptosium. A genus founded
by Burchell, and described by Bentham. The dowers are didynamous,
and the plant belongs to the order Scrophulariacece. It is a native of
the Cape of Good Hope, and was first raised at Hamburgh, by Dr.
Lehmann. It is a greenhouse under-shrub, bearing light blue dowers
clouded with darker blue, and relieved by a bordering of white at the
eye. It is nearly allied to Salpiglossis.

3. Trifolium fucatum. Farded (that is, painted or brinded) Clover.
A pretty annual, the seeds of which were collected by Mr. Douglas in
California, and sent to the Horticultural Society. The dowers are
cream-coloured, most of the petals being tipped with rose-colour.

4. Crataegus tanacet folia.. Tansy-leaved Hawthorn. Is common
in our nurseries, and propagated by grafting on the common haw¬
thorn. The haws are very large, and grow singly, and are recom¬
mended as an inferior table fruit. They grow to a tree-like size, and
are worth a place in every collection.

5. Crataegus odoratissima. Sweet-scented Hawthorn. A common
bush on the hills adjoining the Black Sea, and elsewhere in the Crimea.
It is propagated like the foregoing, and is a highly ornamental plant,
as well from its bundles of sweet dowers, as for its large scarlet
fruit.

6. Douglasia nivalis. Snow Douglasia, named and described by
Dr, Lindley, in Brande’s Journal, in 1828. This is one of the new

VOL. V.— NO. LXIII.

z z

354

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

plants which rewarded the toil of the traveller in traversing the snow-
clad mountains in North America. It belongs to Primidacece, and has
been raised in the garden of the Horticultural Society, and promises to
be an addition to our alpine beauties, rivalling both the Erinus alpimts
and the Saxifraga oppositifolia. For the sake of the discoverer, it will
be a plant much sought after as soon as it is in the trade.

7. Oncidium Lanceanum. Mr. Lance’s Oncidium. An orchideous
plant, and one of the most beautiful of the order. It was introduced
from Surinam, by John H. Lance, Esq., and being distributed by that
gentleman, flowered soon afterward at Messrs. Loddiges’, and in the
garden of the Horticultural Society. The flowers are large ; sepals and
petals greenish yellow, spotted with brown : lip bright violet ; column
purple, and variously shaded. The flowers are fragrant, resembling
the garden pink, and altogether very beautiful.

Sweet’s British Flower-Garden, continued by Professor Bon.
The August number contains : — -

1. Pceonia tenuifolia ; v var. plena. Double-flowered, fine-leaved
Pseony. A variety introduced some years ago from the Imperial
Garden at St. Petersburgh. The single variety is common, but the
present plant is much more showy and valuable. It affects a light
loamy soil.

2. Lasiopus sonchoides. Sonchus-like Lasiopus. A common-look¬
ing herbaceous plant, introduced by Mr. Anderson, of the Botanic
Garden, Chelsea, and raised from seeds received from St. Petersburgh.
To the botanist it is of some importance, but of no attraction to the
florist.

3. Verbena erinoides ; var. Sabini, Dwarf Erinus-like Vervain.
A dwarf, tufted, herbaceous perennial, bearing crowded spikes of
purple flowers. It is a creeping plant, and continues flowering through¬
out the summer and autumn, and is worthy a place in the flower-
garden.

4. Pentstemon Cobcea. Cobsea-flowered Pentstemon. This is a very
elegant plant, and was first discovered by Mr. Nuttall, in the meadows
on the banks of the Red River, and subsequently by the late Mr. T.
Drummond, in the interior of Texas, who sent seeds to this country,
whence plants have been raised in several collections. It is a very
remarkable-looking plant, and will be eagerly sought by all lovers of
flowers.

Paxton’s Magazine of Botany. The number for August
contains : —

1. Acacia vestita. Cunningham’s Acacia. This species was dis-

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

355

covered in the interior of New Holland, by Mr. Cunningham, who
transmitted seeds to this country some years ago, and plants were
brought to flower for the first time in the conservatory of the Comtesse
de Vandes, at Bayswater. It is one of the most showy of the genus,
and deserves a place in every collection.

2. Hibiscus splendens. Splendid Hibiscus. A native of New
Holland, and one of the most beautiful flowering shrubs of the order
Malvacece. Like all others of its tribe, it is easily propagated, and
does very well in the greenhouse.

3. Chironia trinervis. Three-nerved Chironia. This plant was
figured and described in the Botanical Register last October, and
noticed in the following month by us under the specific name of pedun-
cularis. It is a pretty greenhouse shrub, and does very well planted
out in the open air during summer. The plant is straggling in habit,
and the purple flowers being on very long peduncles, gives it an
uncommon appearance.

4. Nemophila insignis. Showy Nemophila. A truly beautiful and
desirable little annual, found in California by Mr. Douglas. Raised in
pots, it makes a very pretty greenhouse ornament, or is very suitable
to cover a small clump in the flower-garden. It belongs to the natural
order Hydrophyllece.

Besides the foregoing figures and descriptions, this number contains
an useful article on the genus Tropceolum , in which the different species
are described, and directions given for their culture. There is also a
similar account of the genus Lobelia; together with Remarks on a cheap
Method of building Hot-houses ; a Review of Smith’s Florists’ Maga¬
zine ; Remarks on the Diffusion of Seeds, and on the Poincettia pul -
cherrima ; with a list of new and rare Plants lately described, and
some calendarial directions.

Smith’s Florists’ Magazine. The number for August contains
the following favourite flowers, viz.

1. Kalosanthos splendens. Showy Kalosanthos. This is a hybrid
variety, originated by Mr. Miller, of Bristol, between K. coccinea and
K. versicolor, and is a handsome object, deserving of cultivation. The
genus is better known by the name Crassula, of which the Kalosanthos
is a section, separated by the late Mr. Haworth.

2. The plate contains two roses of rare merit, viz. the Rouge de
Luxembourg, sometimes called the Crimson Moss ; and Rosa damas
Leda, a beautiful pale blush, tipped or blotched with bright purple,
which gives it a very pleasing appearance. Air. Smith has added a few
good directions for pruning this and other roses.

•356

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

3. This plate contains two varieties of the interesting genus Gladi¬
olus, raised by Mr. Miller, of Bristol. *The whole of the Gladioli are
legitimate florists’ flowers, and deserve every attention.

4. Is a very fine figure of Pearson s Alexander Polyanthus, Under
the description given of this flower, a few very rational meteorological
observations are added to account for polyanthuses not thriving in the
near neighbourhood of large towns. “ At those seasons of the year,”
says Mr. Smith, when the weather is most trying to vegetation, a
chilling atmosphere sets in towards a large town from all the surround¬
ing country, inasmuch as the artificial heat of the town causes the air
over it to ascend, upon the same principle that air ascends in a chimney
over a fire. Now it invariably happens, that when cold air, though
completely charged with moisture, approaches a warmer place, it be¬
comes a drying or withering air ; and this is the reason why delicate
flowers, and also the blossoms of the more early and tender fruit-trees,
are much more subject to injury in the vicinity of towns than in the
open country. In the vicinity of London, the general movement of
the atmosphere is from the north or north-east, during that part of the
spring which is so perilous to growers of choice flowers and fruits ; and
for the reasons above mentioned, the metropolis not only has its full
share of this blighting wind, but retards it, and thus greatly increases
its mischievous effects. In consequence of this, a moderate shelter, in
comparatively cold places of the country, suits much better for the poly¬
anthus than the comparatively mild climate of the neighbourhood of
London. The whole family, too, though they prefer a pure atmosphere
and a dry (that is, a welLdrained) soil, do not bear the scorching heat
of the sun, which heat, aided by the drying nature of the atmosphere,
is peculiarly destructive to the polyanthus. All things considered, it
is, perhaps, impossible to bring this flower to any great degree of per¬
fection in the neighbourhood of London ; but in other districts of the
country, where it is subjected to no such severe trials during the
spring, it is at once the pride of the humble cottager and the amateur
florist.”

There is a great deal of useful philosophy in this extract, which
may be applied in the treatment of many other plants besides the
polyanthus.

Mr. S. gives also a little history of the genus Pceonia , in which
their character, culture, and manner of propagation are succinctly
described.

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR SEPTEMBER,

357

NOTICE.

The Agriculturists’ Manual ; being a familiar Description of
the Agricultural Plants cultivated in Europe, including practical
Observations respecting those suited to the Climate of Great Britain ;
and forming a Report of Lawson’s Agricultural Museum in Edin¬
burgh. By Peter Lawson and Son, seedsmen and nurserymen to
the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. Blackwood,
Cadell, Curry.

The well-known character, indefatigable industry, public spirit, high
and extensive connexions of the authors of this volume, are a sufficient
guarantee that the publication is well worthy of the attention of every
farmer in the three kingdoms. The value of the descriptions arise from
the fact, that the Messrs. Lawson have raised and cultivated almost
every plant which they recommend, and keep in their museum, for the
inspection of customers, specimens and samples of the various sorts of
plants and grain treated of in the volume before us. This is a source
of the greatest satisfaction to customers, as very many can form no
just idea of a thing from a simple description only. The collection of
implements, models, &e., must also be an useful treat to every visiter
engaged in agriculture, and other branches of rural economy.

We are glad to see that a supplement is intended to follow, because
it will give an opportunity to make some corrections in the Manual,
and also to give what we think would be an improvement, namely, a
fuller account of all those wild plants which are hurtful to held crops,
or dangerous to domestic animals.

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR SEPTEMBER.

Kitchen Garden. — The principal business of this month is making
mushroom-beds, either in sheds or in the open air. Winter spinach
will require thinning and weeding ; so will the latest-sown crops of
endive, lettuce, turnips, &c. Coleworts, and all other sorts of winter
greens, may still be planted, if a full stock be not already put out. A
last planting of the latest sorts of broccoli may be put out, and a good
stock of young lettuce should be planted in frames or on warm-lying
borders, to stand the winter ; a little more seed may be sown in frames,
to be nursed through the same season. Prepare a piece of good rich
ground, on which to prick out the cabbage and cauliflower seedlings
raised last month. Continue to tie up endive to blanch ; earth-up
celery and any other rowed crop requiring such assistance ; tie and

358

COTTAGE ECONOMY.

earth-up cardoons. If the weather continues dry, copious watering
will be required by the growing crops; particularly kidney -beans,
cucumbers, peas, and all lately transplanted crops. Gather and store
onions, shallot, garlic, and kinds of ripe seeds, and flowers, and herbs
for drying. Salad plants, viz. common radish, cress, mustard, and
rape, may still be sown in frames, under hand-glasses, or close under
walls where they may receive protection. Clear away all fallen leaves
and decayed stems of crops already used, in order that insects may not
be invited to harbour or breed among them.

Fruit Garden. — Take care of the ripe and ripening fruit ; that
intended for immediate use should be gathered early in the morning,
and kept in the coolest part of the fruit-room till wanted. Flat and
wide baskets, and the softest white-leather gloves, are requisite in
gathering the finest fruit. Protect against wasps, flies, and earwigs ;
destroy wasps’ nests near the garden, and allure them from the fruit
by offering phials of sugared water. Wall-fruit trees still require look¬
ing over, to displace redundant growths, and keep the leaders close to
the wall. Trees suffering' from insects should be often and forcibly
washed with the engine. Strawberries planted or potted last month
will require frequent watering, and to be kept free from runners.

Flower Garden. — If cuttings or layers made in the last two
months are sufficiently rooted, they may be removed to beds, or into
pots, where they are intended to flower. Carnation layers and pink
pipings, as well as all others raised in the same way, come under this
direction. Auriculas should be cleared of dead leaves, the surface of
the pots freshened up, a little fresh compost added, and if any require
shifting, it may now be done. The seeds of anemones, ranunculuses,
&e., may still be sown in pans or boxes, if not already done. Dahlias
are now in full beauty ; and the Chinese chrysanthemums, whether
potted or not, require frequent watering over head to accelerate their
growth. Prepare the greenhouse for the reception of the plants about
the 20th, and if any require shifting, it may be done previously. Also
prepare the beds intended for tulips, hyacinths, &c., by trenching and
additions of fresh compost. The beauty of a flower-garden in the spring
depends very much on the preparations and dispositions made in autumn.
Foresight is an indispensible faculty of the flower-gardener.

COTTAGE ECONOMY.

A respected correspondent, whose views are of the most laudable
and philanthropic description, has directed our attention to the occa-

COTTAGE ECONOMY.

359

sional introduction of advice or directions to cottagers relative to tlie
management of tlieir little gardens, or other objects which tend to the
welfare of the inmates of these humble dwellings. This was from the
beginning a part of the scheme on which the Horticultural Register
was to be conducted ; and accordingly a good deal, at former times, has
been published on the subject.

To give us an idea of the kind of information for cottagers which
our correspondent deems most essential, he has kindly sent us a small
pamphlet o± thirty-four pages, “ drawn up at the request of the Royal
Horticultural Society of Cornwall by W. B. Booth, A. L. S., a
member of the committee.

We are well acquainted with the professional and literary abilities of
Mr. Booth, and of course can have no objection to enrich our pages
with anything falling from his pen, if we encroach not on the privilege
of the society for whom the tract was written. But as our correspondent
does not seem to think that any occasional extracts we may from time
to time introduce into the Register will be any invasion of the pub¬
lisher’s rights, we shall comply with our correspondent's wish.

The “ Cottager’s Manual” was first published in 1834, and a second
edition has been printed. It is principally a gardening calendar for
the cottager ; to which is added, “ Special Directions for the Manage¬
ment of Bees.” There are also subjoined, “ Rules for cultivatin g
Labourers’ Gardens ; with WorJc for each Month , and a List of
Garden Plants in Flower throughout the Year.”

Like other calendars, it commences with the first, and ends with
the last, month of the year. We extract the “Directions” for the
present month

“ September. — Bees. — This is an important month to the cottager,
as he will now begin to reap the fruits resulting from the care and
attention he has bestowed on his hives. Those intended for store should
be selected first ; the others are then to be put down in the usual way,
by suffocating the bees — a method so generally known as to render any
remarks unnecessary.

“ Work to be done in the Garden.

“ Fruit. — Plant strawberries, if not done last month. Gather such
apples and pears as are now ripe, and lay them up carefully for keeping
a few months. Choose dry weather for gathering all kinds of fruit.

“ Flowers.— -Plant crocuses and other flowering bulbs. Remove
layers and pipings of pinks to the places where they are to remain. If
any Hollyhocks, Canterbury Bells, Swreet Williams, &c., were sown in
February, they should now be planted out.

360

REMARKS ON THE WEATHER.

<{ Vegetables.— The operations of this month are limited to the
clearing off all decayed leaves, haulm, &<?., so as to preserve neatness,
and make room for other crops. Attend to the growing crops of broc¬
coli, cabbage, &c. ; draw earth to their stems, to prevent them being
blown about by the wind. Cut parsley close to the bottom, in order to
have young leaves for winter and spring.”

REMARKS ON THE WEATHER

The changeable character of the summer still continues, and upon
the whole, since our last report, has been rather favourable for growing
crops than otherwise. Soon after the beginning of the present month
we had very dry and warm weather ; during the second week it became
changeable, with frequent showers, which latter have been particularly
beneficial to many crops in the kitchen garden. Kidney-beans have
been reinvigorated, and are bearing abundantly : celery, broccoli, and
all summer-planted crops have had a fair start.

There is, in many places, a fair sprinkling of apples, and mulberries
and walnuts are plentiful, but pears and plums are a scanty crop.
These different results are consequent upon the state of the weather
when each of the kinds were in blossom in the spring. Pears and
plums which flower early are very often cut off, especially in sheltered
situations, and therefore the latest-dowering varieties of all kinds of
orchard fruit are the most to be depended upon for a crop.

Notwithstanding all our lists of fruits, with modes of culture, size,
colour, and qualities of the fruit respectively, there is still one thing
wanting which should accompany these lists, namely, their times of
flowering comparatively with each other. This particular, so generally
neglected in making a practical registration of circumstances relative to
the growth and times of ripening of our common fruits, is ably and
strenuously recommended by an intelligent correspondent in a late
number of the Register, whose advice is well worth the attention of
nurserymen and others engaged in the culture of our different kinds of
orchard fruit. A three or four years’ attention to this matter would
enable a careful observer to draw up a very useful adjunct to our
treatises on orcharding.

August 25//?.

PAXTON’S

HORTICULTURAL REGISTER,

OCTOBER, 1836.

HORTICULTURE.

ON THE EXPEDIENCY AND EFFECTS OF GRAFTING.

Grafting is a very ancient custom, as we read of it in very early
writings. It is more than probable that it was first practised in the
cultivation of fruit-trees, to perpetuate a favourite kind which could
not be propagated with certainty by sowing the seed. All the wild
originals of our garden and orchard fruits have been, by accident or
continued culture, changed from comparative worthlessness to valuable
products, in size as well as in quality. In the accomplishment of these
results, the art of grafting has been mainly instrumental ; for by trans¬
ferring a shoot of an improved variety to the young stem of a kindred
seedling, the true kind was thereby obtained, and in any desired number.

The advantages of grafting are manifest, and its effects upon the
constitutional habit of both graft and stock are various, and form a
valuable portion of the cultivator’s knowledge. It is a subject well
worth inquiring into, as it may lead to a right understanding of the
operation itself, as well as to the attainment of those advantages which
may be derived from a proper choice of the graft and stock.

We may first premise, that experience has taught us that a perfect
union by grafting can only take place between congenial natures. Two
individuals of the same genus of plants, and in some instances two
individuals of the same natural order, which the improved science of
botany hath associated, will unite by grafting, and become one tree.
We may next premise that almost all plants, and certainly all fruit-
trees, have to pass through a season or stage of adolescence, during which

VOL. V. - NO. LXI V. 3 A

362 ON THE EXPEDIENCY AND EFFECTS OF GRAFTING.

they are naturally barren. If a cultivator intend to raise a fruit-tree
from seed, he must wait with patience until the stripling arrives at a
mature age, before he can expect it to bear fruit. In this case, the
advantage of grafting a mature part of the head of an old tree upon the
vigorous stem of a young one, is very obvious ; because its period of
youth is much curtailed, or wholly disappears, as grafts have been
known to bear fruit in the first year. This, however, but seldom
happens, nor indeed is it to be wished, as no fruit-tree should be
allowed to bear before it has acquired a reasonable size of head.

Besides the advantage of transferring aged and mature wood to
young stocks, the operation has another effect, which is equally service¬
able to the cultivator, and that is, its tendency to check luxuriant
growth — a circumstance which renders the grafted tree at once more
dwarfish and more fruitful ; and as these circumstances are usually
consequences of each other, it is an improvement clearly attributable to
the operation of grafting.

The practicability of grafting, as well as budding, depends on the
readiness with which the elements of the scion and stock unite; the
living members of both being placed in close contact at the season when
both have begun, or are about to begin, to swell under the flowing sap,
instantly coalesce. If the scion and stock be nearly of a size, the junc¬
tion becomes so complete, that in a few years it is scarcely discernible,
more especially if both are equal in habit of growth or membranous
structure ; but if one be of a grosser habit and ranker growth than the
other, they increase in diameter unequally. If an apple scion be grafted
on a white-thorn, or a pear on a quince stock, the grafts in both cases
are engrossed much faster than the dwarfer-growing stocks : of course
the junction is always apparent, and sometimes extremely unequal;
for though there is a free intercommunication of the sap, the specific
difference of the woody structure or vascular fabric being unlike, causes
the difference in the diametric bulk.

On examination of the grafted part of a stem of several years’
growth, by cleaving it perpendicularly, or cutting through the graft
transversely, we see that there is an intimate union between the layers
of wood which were about to be formed when the operation was per¬
formed, and of all the subsequently formed layers of both ; but between
the wood of the graft and stock which was formed before the perform¬
ance, though closely and soundly adhering to each other, there is a
visible division, marked by a brown line, where the two surfaces made
by the knife were joined. The union of these is, however, no more
than a simple adherence by means of secreted sap acting as a cement,
but not certainly by any interjunction of the woody fibres.

ON THE EXPEDIENCY AND EFFECTS OF GRAFTING.

363

Another advantage arising from the practice of grafting, is the cer¬
tainty of perpetuating the true kind of fruit ; for although it has been
affirmed that the qualities of pears are deteriorated by being grafted on
the quince, and that some sorts of apples are impaired in quality, and
altered in colour, by being worked on certain stocks, such reports have
not hitherto been confirmed ; and, therefore, it appears that whatever
may be the state or quality of the sap, as supplied by the roots of the
stock, it very soon becomes assimilated to that of the graft, if indeed
any assimilation at all be necessary.

A good deal of skill is, however, necessary in adapting the scions to
the proper stocks, in order to assist diminutive growth, by placing on
stron sr-gro wins; stocks, or the reverse. The habit or manner of growth
of the tree whence the graft is taken, is conveyed along with it ; and
not only the permanent habit, as is exemplified by the weeping-ash,
but accidental flexures which sometimes occur in upright-growing trees,
if these bowed shoots are used for grafts, and it is very likely that the
future shoots from that graft will be also drooping, or unusually bent.
We have elsewhere remarked that this circumstance happens sometimes
in working the Jargonelle Pear. This tree, in favourable situations,
is sometimes apt to produce very strong summer shoots, which, from
the weight of their foliage, or some other cause, droop downward in a
waving direction. These, if used for grafts, make very unsightly
maiden plants, and afterward require much training to get them into
shape and moderate growth.

Any other peculiarity of growth or habit of the mother-tree is cer¬
tainly conveyed along with grafts produced by it ; and, moreover, it
has been said that, not only disease, but even the age and decrepi¬
tude of the parent, are conveyed to the young trees raised from its
shoots.

This idea was first promulgated by T. A. Knight, Esq., President
of the Horticultural Society of London, and from a belief that young
trees actually inherited the infirmities of their aged parents, which
accounted for the general failure of apple-trees that happened about
the time that gentleman wrote his “ Treatise on the Apple and
Pear” (about 1795). To strengthen his opinion, he argued that, as
these fruit-trees are only varieties, they had, as such, only a limited
period of life ; and when that period had elapsed, the 'whole of any
given variety, old, and young, and middle aged, dropped to decay
together.

These new doctrines produced a strong sensation, particularly among
nurserymen who happened to have large stocks of the proscribed
varieties ; and so feasible were Mr. Knight’s representations, that many

•384 ON THE EXPEDIENCY AND EFFECTS OF GRAFTING.

acted upon them in so far, that they preferred to plant the newest
sorts rather than the old ones. The circumstance which suggested the
idea to the worthy President was not only apparent in Herefordshire,
but, at that time, all over the kingdom. The old Golden Pippin, the
Styre, and Fox-whelp, were failing in all directions around Mr.
Knight s residence, in Herefordshire, and adjoining cider countries ;
and the first of these, a great favourite everywhere, became almost
barren, and was visibly failing all over the kingdom.

We well remember discarding and throwing out a good many Golden
Pippin trees about that time, which had been planted for five or
six years, without making the least progress in growth, but rather
declining. Two of these outcasts being planted in a new shrubbery
then making, (the ground having been deeply trenched,) grew away
surprisingly in their new place, became abundantly fruitful, and are now
large and healthy trees.

This result showed that there was no constitutional decrepitude or
irrecoverable decay in this variety of apple ; and the same results having
happened to other planters who had planted the proscribed sorts on
properly prepared ground in different parts of the kingdom, the impres¬
sion against them wore off, and now it is almost forgotten.

It is quite true that nurserymen have no credit, nor the trees they
sell approved, if the buyers only stick them into a round deep hole in
an old orchard or garden, without other preparation. This mode of
forming or replenishing orchards was very common, both before and
since the period alluded to. A person resolves to make an orchard of
one of his meadows ; he digs ranks of holes, buys standard trees, puts
them in, relays the turf, stakes and bushes the stems to keep off sheep,
and bids “ God speed.” The consequence of such a proceeding is, that
the trees, from being so carelessly treated, become stunted, and at the
end of five or six years, perhaps, are less than they were when planted.
We make this observation because we know that the failure of new
orchards, so planted, was accounted for, and the mismanagement
excused, on Mr. Knight’s principle — viz. that the kinds were “ worn
out.”

But we know well that Mr. Knight’s ideas respecting new varieties
of plants, herbs as well as trees, are not altogether erroneous. We
have written something on this subject in our last number, at page 322 ;
and we are quite convinced that, in the first years of the existence of
a new variety of a plant, it grows with greater vigour than it continues
to do after it has become an old inhabitant of any one place. In this
opinion Mr. Knight was perfectly right ; and it may have happened
that many of the favourite varieties of apples being aged trees, presented

ON THE EXPEDIENCY AND EFFECTS OF GRAFTING.

365

a simultaneous decay, and so confirmed, while it sanctioned, the sugges¬
tion of the President,

Although it is our own opinion that disease, as the canker, and
insects, as the American blight, may be carried by the graft from old
to maiden plants ; yet we believe that, if a perfectly mature and
healthy scion, cut from the top of an old tree, be inserted on a suitable
and healthy stock, the future expansion of the graft will be as free
from decrepitude (except only from the effect of working) as the first
shoot which rose from the original seed.

We may now allude to other effects of grafting. If a strong and
rampant -growing kind of tree be engrafted upon a weakly-growing stock,
the latter will be much engrossed in the structure of its roots ; and if
a tree having numerous and attenuated spray, be placed on the same
kind of stock, the future roots of the stock will be proportionately
subdivided and unusually fibrous — a proof that there is an intimate
connection between the branches and roots of trees, and that the
demands of the former impose their manner of expansion upon the
latter.

We may also notice a remarkable circumstance which accrues from
the kindred operations of grafting or budding, viz. a variegated species
worked on an un variegated one, will be accompanied by variegated
suckers rising from the unvariegated root. This shows to a certainty
that there must be a subsidence of somewhat from the graft to the
stock ; but what that may be, is not so easily explained. Mr. Knight,
and several other very eminent vegetable physiologists, maintain that
no part of the graft ever extends itself down from the point of junction
with the stock ; indeed this is evident to any one taking the trouble to
dissect the parts at any time after the operation is performed. But
then the question recurs — What else can convey the discoloration of
the leaves and bark of the graft to those of the suckers so far below ?
If the variegation of leaves and bark be what it is considered to be— -
namely, an accidental inherent disease — the malady may be extended
or communicated by the admixture of the sap, or by a downward con¬
tamination of the cellular membrane ; but whether by the one means or
the other, is a doubtful question, although the fact itself is unquestionable.

As fruit-trees are rarely fertile till the vigour of youth is moderated,
and some varieties are always too luxuriant to be good bearers, working
them upon others of more diminutive habit may effect valuable im¬
provements, whether the strong be inserted on the weak, or vice versa .
Double-working fruit-trees certainly induces moderate growth and
consequent fruitfulness ; and it is an expedient which is not so much
had recourse to as its importance to cultivators deserves.

866

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

Root-grafting is often practised, and is,, or may be, of great service
to the propagator of choice exotics, for which proper stocks cannot be
had. A small twig of the head, placed on a spare root of the same,
may raise another plant, which cannot be done, perhaps, by any other
mode of propagation.

To show how necessary it is to be acquainted with the most suitable
stocks for working fruit-trees on, we subjoin a list of the proper stocks
for the finer varieties of peaches, viz. : —

Early Anne, Purple Alberge, White Magdalen, Millet’s Mignon,
Late Admirable, Incomparable, Scarlet Admirable, Smith’s Early
Newington, Red Magdalen, Montauban, Noblesse, Early Admirable,
Old Newington, Old Royal George, Rambouillet, and Catherine, are
all sorts which take and grow best on the Muscle Plum ; and the
following do best on the Bromplon Stock, viz. : —

Avant Rouge, Pourpre Hative, Belle Bauce, Early Galland, Belle
Chevereuse, French Mignon, Grim wood’s Royal George, Kensington,
Double Montagne, Superb Royal, Barrington, Bourdine, Bellegard,
Chancellor, Late Purple, and the Titon de Venus.

Many other kinds of fine plums, pears, apples, &c., require peculiar
stocks, to which we shall have occasion to revert at some future
opportunity.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

LETTER SIXTEEN.

Dear Sir, — As my stay at Fairfax Hall is to be prolonged for
another week, I have resolved to close our correspondence with a few
general remarks on the different styles and leading character of the
places and scenes which I have visited, and which I have in my pre¬
vious letters given some account.

You will have observed from my feeble description that the place at
which I am residing, is one of unmixed beauty ; I mean, such a com¬
position of scenery as is considered by painters and connoisseurs of
landscape as one of simple beauty , as distinguished from other scenery
denominated picturesque or sublime.

Here the rich, though bland, character of the principal building, the
harmonious undulations of the general surface, the softly varied effect
of the woods, the smooth and verdant turf, the mild reflections from
the placid lake, all impress the idea of unruffled repose ; while at the

LANDSCAPE G AR D E N TNG .

3G7

same time the great variety of objects,, and the numerous herds and
flocks scattered in all directions over the lawns, banish that insipidity
which so often accompanies purely beautiful scenes of equal extent.
Nor is simple beauty the only characteristic of the place ; it is so inti¬
mately blended with utility, and with every comfort and convenience
of a country residence, that a visiter must possess most fastidious ideas
indeed, who could survey such scenery and dispositions without plea¬
surable emotion and unqualified admiration. It is true that some eyes,
like some palates, require irritation ; a flickering scene of strong con¬
trasts of forms and colours is more attractive than a quiet pastoral
view : a high-seasoned ragout is more poignantly relished than a plain
joint; but both eye and palate must be, I think, in some degree
vitiated, which could derive no real pleasure from the one, or gratifica¬
tion from the other.

Such scenery, however, as already stated, is not that which a painter
would choose for his canvas, merely because there is too much same-
ness of aspect, too much mildness of tint — too much, in fact, of what
a painter would perhaps call tameness; and yet, from some stations
on the pleasure-ground walk, and others in various parts of the park,
he would find some most interesting scenes, in which every thing and
disposition suitable for a picture are combined ; and more especially
under a noon-tide sun, when the shadows are most intense, and the
catching lights most bright.

It is this style of scenery which landscape gardeners in general are
most ambitious to create, and in which they endeavour to excel : and
if the genius of the place,” as it has been called, does not militate
against such a style, it is quite right it should be executed, because it
obliterates every mark of roughness and neglect, and imposes an appear¬
ance of dressy neatness, which is sure to please every eye untainted by
the affectation of the gallery.

But, as before observed, it is for this exclusive love of beauty and
neatness that many landscape gardeners have been blamed ; not for their
execution of it where it was called for, but for an indiscriminate appli¬
cation where improper. How many fine old castellated mansions, say
their opponents, have been set out on a naked lawn ? How many rich
masses of wood, which appeared to embrace and shelter the residence,
have been anatomised for the sake of smoothness and a bedizened
clearance? and how many necessary and legitimate accompaniments
of a dwelling have been removed to a distance, merely because every
window should, as much as possible, look out upon a piece of naked
lawn ?

All this is very true, and wherever such a style of improvement has

368

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

been executed., it may have produced baldness rather than beauty; and
however right such a design might be for the embellishment of a place
like Fairfax Hall, it would be improper, and perfectly inconsistent
with the character and architecture of such a place as — — — Abbey ;
for, supposing an improver of this stamp were employed to impress his
ideas of beauty on the abbey grounds, it is probable he 'would begin
by demolishing the ancient entrance-gate, lodge, and lofty wall, which
he would call repulsive, to be replaced by a light palisade gate between
two elegant lodges built of hewn stone, flanked by an iron palisade
fence. He would next thin the thick wood through which the
approach passes, clearing away all the undergrowths, in order to have
a carpet of turf spread out on each side. This done, he would next
expose the tunnelled stream, widen its channel, and regularly slope its
banks, to be covered by the smoothest turf ; and over the stream he
would throw an elegant white-painted bridge, as a beacon to the front
door of the abbey, and which he would make ostensibly inviting by
clearing away every intervening obstruction of trees or shrubs which
might impede a full display of it.

He would be shocked to see the abrupt bank on the east side of the
house, and the irregular course of the stream down the vale. The first
he wrould slope regularly from the base of the building to the water’s
edge ; the latter he would confine in an accurately excavated serpentin¬
ing channel, visible perhaps its whole length, and only diversified by
patches of young trees, in threes and Jives , on the points of the bends
of the river’s course.

He -would next complain of the suffocating closeness of the wToods on
each side of the valley. These he would dismember by cutting wide
openings or glades, to reduce the impenetrable screen of wood into
ranks of clumps, clearing all rough undergrowrtks which may have
sprung up in the course of time beneath or round the skirts of the old
wood. It is probable, also, that this Brownist would condemn some of
the venerable trees standing near the mansion, as being too heavy,
and making the building much less conspicuous than he would wish
it to be.

The improver's idea, in the execution of all these different proceed¬
ings and alterations, is to give the place an air of lightness and gaiety ;
and by the trim neatness into which he moulds every feature, to show
that the hand of art and refined taste has been employed upon it. He
would feel it his business to change the lugubrious aspect of the place,
by banishing every appearance of natural accident, or roughness indica¬
tive of neglect.

Now this is a case demonstrative of the impropriety of attempting to

L AN DSC APE G ARDENT NG .

369

give the environs of such a building a character of simple beauty,
because it would be here incongruous. The history and style of archi¬
tecture of the principal object of the seat requires the preservation of
every mark of antiquity, and of every sign of its former state. The
subdued sober grey colour and irregular outline of the building would
not at all harmonise with the general smoothness and fresh greenness
of the surrounding lawn ; and, as has been said on a somewhat similar
association, the abbey would appear like an aged matron dressed out in
the most flaunting attire.

The above is an instance of how a landscape gardener’s endeavour to
produce beautiful scenery in an unsuitable place would be a failure,
and is a proof of what the best judges have written on the subject —
namely, that unless the artist studies “the genius ” of the place, and its
natural character, he can neither add to nor take away from it with
success.

But the art and profession of landscape gardening embraces a far
more extensive range than the mere creation of unalloyed beauty ; and
its professors, it is to be hoped, have much more expanded and compre¬
hensive views than to confine themselves to the simple exploits of
levelling, sweeping, and tracing flowing lines. They cannot but be
sensible how very interesting those scenes are which are called pictu¬
resque, and how much more skill and taste is required to form or improve
them than those which are simply beautiful.

Picturesque scenery exists in many parts of this kingdom, and not
only within parks, but even within the bounds of pleasure-gardens.
On the management or disposition of those spots the professional man
may be called on for advice, and he cannot have a more pleasant task.
And here he will find a painter’s ideas of what forms, or will in time
form, fine pictures, will be of the greatest use to him; and therefore a
knowledge of what the great masters have done, both in their paintings
and drawings, should be well studied by the landscape gardener.

Besides beautiful and picturesque combinations of visible objects,
each of the objects, individually considered, is either beautiful, or
picturesque, or ugly : their surfaces also are either agreeable or dis¬
agreeable ; and the like differences exist as to the colours of objects.

Of the combinations I have already said as much, perhaps, as is
necessary ; but it remains to add a few observations on forms and
colours.

And, first, of the form of buildings. It has been observed by a
writer of very great taste in these studies, that a house or temple
of Grecian architecture, in its perfect entire state, and its surface
and colour smooth and even, either in painting or reality, is

VOL. V.-NO. LXI V. 3 B

370

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

beautiful. Of water it has been observed that a calm, clear lake, with
the reflections of all that surround it, seen under the influence of a
setting sun, is, perhaps, of all scenes the most congenial to our ideas of
beauty in its strictest and most general sense.

Among trees, the young ash and beech, the weeping willow, and the ,
deciduous cypress, are truly beautiful, owing to their light and airy
shapes, the delicacy of their foliage, and their graceful positions.

If we look for beauty among domestic or wild animals, we should
prefer the sleek and pampered charger, the silky-coated spaniel and
greyhound, or the sprightly gazelle. Among birds, too, how many
striking instances of extreme beauty are exemplified in their plumage:
instance the cream-coloured dove, the windhover hawk, and even in the
encaged canary-finch ; not to mention scores of others belonging to
the feathered race, as well as among fishes, insects, and flowers.

Among the human race examples of the most perfect beauty are
everywhere met with, and not only in Circassia, but over the greater
part of the world, and which will bear comparison with the finest
forms of the sculptor, or the most finished Madonnas or Magdalens of
a Guido.

These are a few of what are esteemed beautiful objects in nature,
and their counterparts are what is called picturesque, viz.: —

All buildings in ruins, whatever may have been their style of archi¬
tecture. A Grecian palace, however beautiful at first, is changed into
a picturesque object by the mouldering hand of Time ; “first, by means
of weather-stains, partial incrustations, mosses, &c. ; it at the same
time takes off from the uniformity of its surface and of its colour — that
is, gives it a degree of roughness and variety of tint. Next, the various
accidents of weather loosen the stones themselves ; they tumble in irre¬
gular masses upon what was perhaps smooth turf or pavement ; these
are soon overgrown with wild plants and creepers, that crawl over and
shoot among the fallen ruins ; sedurns, and other plants which bear
drought, find nourishment in the decayed cement from which the stones
have been detached ; birds convey their food into the chinks ; and yew,
elder, and other berried plants project from the sides, while the ivy
mantles over other parts, and crowns the top.”

Gothic architecture is generally considered as more picturesque than
Grecian, upon the same principle that a ruin is more so than a new
edifice. The first thing that strikes the eve on approaching any build-
. ing is the general outline against the sky, (or whatever it may be
opposed to,) and the effects of the openings. In Grecian buildings,
the general lines of the roof are straight ; and even when varied, and
adorned by a dome or a pediment, the whole has a character of sym-

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

371

mefcry and regularity. An antique cottage, with its usual accompani¬
ments — its mossy thatch-pointed gables, dormer windows, overhanging
trees, and rustic porch and fence — is truly picturesque, and often
arrests the wandering eye, when buildings of a more substantial and
respectable appearance are disregarded. In a ruined cathedral or
abbey is displayed the triumph of the picturesque ; and its charms to
a painter’s eye are often so great as to rival those of beauty itself.

A cubical pile of stone or brick work, destitute of any projecting
members, whether the house be large or small, (though the larger the
building may be, the worse,) is lumpish, and, in the eye of taste, is
positively ugly.

Stagnant water in a muddy ditch or pool, covered with green scum,
and filled with rushes and noxious weeds, is naturally disgusting and
offensive.

Picturesque trees are such as have arrived at their full stature, and
are verging to decay, having parts of their tf spreading honours” dead
or mutilated, the bark rugged, and fringed with moss and shaggy
lichens. Of such, the British oaks show this character most frequently,
more especially when they stand singly on the banks of streams or
high roads, or on naked heaths, and have been scathed by lightning.
Other trees are naturally picturesque in outline, such as the cedar of
Lebanon, the weeping elm, and some others.

Picturesque animals are, the ass, the camel, goat, Pomeranian dog,
and the lion with his shaggy mane. The eagle, and almost all large
birds of prey, are picturesque objects ; for, however smooth their
plumage and varied their colours, the crooked form of their beaks
and talons detracts from any impression that may be had of their
beauty.

Among our own species, the manner and condition of the dress make
very great differences. Beggars, gipsies, and all such rough tattered
figures as are merely picturesque, bear a close analogy, in all the quali¬
ties that make them so, to old hovels and mills, to the wild forest horse,
and other objects of the same kind.

If from nature we turn to that art from which the expression itself
is taken, we shall find all the principles of picturesqueness confirmed.
The pictures of some of the great masters are known by their pecu¬
liarly picturesque style, their abrupt and rugged forms, sudden devia¬
tions, and the rough and broken touches of their pencil in characterising
the objects they represent.

“ Picturesqueness, therefore, appears to hold a middle station be¬
tween beauty and sublimity, and on that account, perhaps, is more
frequently and more happily blended with them both than they are

372

HISTORY OF THE DRUG CAMPHOR.

with each other. It is, however, perfectly distinct from either; and
with respect to beauty, it is evident that they are founded on very
opposite qualities — the one on smoothness, the other on roughness ;
the one on gradual, the other on sudden, variation ; the one on ideas
of youth and freshness, the other on that of age, and even of decay.” —
Price.

(To he continued .)

MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE.

\Ve extract from The Magazine of Domestic Economy (one of the
most useful and amusing periodicals now in course of publication) a
little history of the drug Camphor, which we consider interesting.

“ There are two kinds of camphor — that procured from Japan, and
that produced in Sumatra and Borneo ; the latter is called Malayan
camphor, and is obtained from the Taurus camphorus of Linnaeus.
Crawfurd unites with Colebrooke in giving this tree the name of Dryo-
balanops camphor a } [probably the Cinnamomum glaucum, or the C.
culilaban , both Japanese trees,] and adds that it is not a laurel, like
the camphor tree of Japan. However this may be, it is an evergreen,
equal in size to any of the huge forest-trees of the countries in which it
grows. Its geographical boundaries are extremely limited. Borneo
and Sumatra are the only two countries in the world in which it has
been discovered ; and even in these islands it is not found to the south
of the line, and to the north, not beyond the third degree of latitude.
The tree has a handsome appearance, is much branched, and its trunk
is clothed with a smooth greenish bark. The leaf is spear-shaped, of
a pale yellowish green on the upper surface, and sea-green underneath.
The flowers are insignificant, white, and growing in roundish clusters ;
the fruit resembles that of the cinnamon tree. The wood is much
used, as it has a strong scent of camphor, which preserves it from
destructive insects; even the carpenter bee, wrhich penetrates the
hardest wood in order to form its nest, does not attack the camphor
laurel. The tree is not cultivated, and does not invariably yield cam-
phor : the presence of the drug is known by the oil which exudes from
the crevices in the principal branches. The oldest trees in general
contain the largest portion. In order to obtain it, the tree is cut down,
and the large perpendicular veins [?] in the centre of the trunk, and
the knots of the wood, being opened, the pieces of camphor are picked
out with a sharp instrument : the smaller ones are procured by means

HISTORY OF THE DRUG CAMPHOR.

373

of rasps, to which the camphor adheres, mixed with particles of wood
and other extraneous substances ; from these it is separated by washing
it in strong soap, and by filtration through sieves. It is imported into
the country in small spongy masses, of a dirty yellowish colour. The
Venetians were formerly the only people who understood the art of
preparing this crude drug, so as to render it fit for the European
market ; the Dutch afterwards acquired the process, which they care¬
fully kept secret ; at present large quantities are refined by English
druggists. The method employed is extremely simple : chalk or lime
is the substance used in the preparation ; the camphor then assumes
the clear compact appearance which it presents to us. Great quanti¬
ties are exported from Borneo and Sumatra to China ; and as it is
never reimported, and the quantity is too large to be consumed by use
in that country, it is supposed to be required in the composition of the
Chinese camphor, which bears a high price in Europe ; whereas, in the
East, the Malayan camphor is most esteemed. The tree has no genuine
name in any native language ; the drug it yields being an object of
commerce with strangers, and not in demand by the natives of the
countries which produce it, is accordingly recognised by a foreign
name. The word kapur is either from the Persian or from the Sanscrit
kapura. The principal mart for the commodity is Barus, on the north¬
west coast of Sumatra; and hence that name is used by traders to
discriminate between it and the produce of Japau. The latter drug is
obtained by distillation, in the following manner : — The root and
extremities of the branches, having been cut into thin chips, are placed
in a net fastened to a wooden frame, and suspended in a kind of still,
or iron pot, the bottom of which is just covered with water, and to
which an earthen head, lined with rice straw, is fitted. Heat being
applied, the steam of the boiling water penetrates the contents of the
net, carrying the camphor into the top of the still, where it hangs like
snow upon the straw, presenting a beautiful appearance.

“■ Oil of camphor exudes spontaneously from the old trees in Borneo
and Sumatra; it is also procured by incision, thus: — a slice is cut off
from the trunk, sloping inwards, so as to leave a horizontal shelf : in
this a sort of cup is hollowed out sufficiently large to contain a quart ;
a lighted reed being then held in the cavity for about ten minutes, the
juices of the tree are attracted towards the hollow, which, in the space
of a night, is completely filled with oil : the flow continues for three
nights longer, after which a fresh application of heat is required, and a
further supply, but less plentiful, is obtained.

“ Besides the trees just mentioned, camphor may be obtained by
distillation from the roots of almost all the Laurinece, and likewise

374

HISTORY OF THE DRUG CAMPHOR.

from those of ginger, zedoary, and galangale, which belong to the order
Scitaminece.

“ The laurel is admired for Its noble beauty,, even in its native
country, where a deciduous shrub is almost as rare as an evergreen is
with us ; and the useful qualities of many of the species are equal to
their beauty. The bark of the Lanrus benzoin was used as a spice in
the United States during the American war; the gum of this tree is
th q frankincense of the East Indian islands, and is exported in large
quantities to the Catholic and Mahometan countries of the west, to be
used as incense. The benzoin tree also grows in Borneo and Sumatra,
but is occasionally found to the south of the equator. It does not grow
to any considerable size, and is an inhabitant of the rich moist plains,
where it is an object of cultivation. The plants are raised from the
seed, a small brown nut, and in their seventh year are productive. The
gum is obtained by wounding the bark near the origin of the lower
branches. During the first three years it is of a clear white colour ;
afterwards it becomes brown ; and after ten or twelve years the tree is
cut down, when, by scraping the wood, an ordinary gum is obtained.
The current name of gum-benzoin, in the Indian islands, is Kcimingan.
From it benzoic acid is extracted/5

We have noticed this account of camphor for the purpose of recom¬
mending the use of it to our readers as an insectifuge. Furniture or
utensils made of camphor-wood are safe from the worm. Cabinets of
natural curiosities, if camphorated, are rendered offensive to all sorts of
larvae, and the curiosities protectedjfom their depredations. Hence a
question suggests itself — Could camphor be useful in any way to the
gardener? Would it offend and banish wood-lice from frames ? or, if a
frame were strongly camphorated, would its effluvia free infected hot¬
house or greenhouse plants from red acarus, or thrips, or other insects
living upon them, if set for a few days in such frame ? Experiments
may be made to ascertain the effect of such a powerful vermifuge,
and some useful discovery made, perhaps, to recompense the experi¬
mentalist.

How it may be applied is another question. In cabinets, we believe,
little grooves are made in the interior of the drawers, in which small
pieces of camphor, in the state of gum, are placed, which are found
effectual in keeping away the small insects so troublesome to collectors ;
and, as oil of camphor or camphorated spirits are purchaseable, in
either state, perhaps, the remedy may be more conveniently applied :
or, again, perhaps a small box of the gum, or an open bottle of the
spirits, set in any place where needed, might prove a defence.

These observations are thrown out with the viewr of calling attention

ON INCREASING THE SIZE AND NUMBER OF TUBERS. 375

to the subject. There is nothing more annoying to the person who has
the charge of a collection of valuable stove-plants than the attacks of
insects, which, from their small size, are scarcely visible, and, from
their great numbers, unconquerable. The want of an effectual and
easily-applied remedy, which, while innoxious to the plants, would
destroy or banish the vermin, is severely felt in some large establish¬
ments, as many curious plants are lost, or preserved with difficulty,
only in consequence of insects ( Psyllidce , Thripidce , Aphid ai, and
Coccidce ) seating themselves upon them, and in such nooks and corners
as no brush or topical labour whatever can dislodge. Such plants are.
Cacti, Mammalaria, and some of the Aloes. No remedy but such as are
liquid, vapourous, or as powder, can reach the retreats of these little
plagues ; and, therefore, some such remedy is a desideratum requiring
the attention of every one engaged in the cultivation of plants.

On increasing the Size and Numbers of Tubers, &c. —
It was long since made known by the President of the Horticultural
Society of London, that, by divesting potato plants of their flowers and
fruit, the tubers would be increased both in size and numbers. This
was a very rational suggestion of the worthy President, and quite con'
sistent with the laws of the vegetable kingdom. The grand purpose
of every plant is to increase itself by seeds, by offsets, or by tuberous
processes proceeding from the roots, which also may be called offsets, as
in fact they are. A great majority of plants reproduce themselves by
seed only ; many by suckers or offsets, and also by seeds ; and a third
description perpetuate themselves by offsets, living germs on the stems
or leaves, and at the same time by seeds also.

Now by long experience it has been found that, if plants be pre¬
vented from producing progeny in any particular way to which they
are naturally prone, they will make a stronger effort to increase them¬
selves by some other way. If, for instance, a bulb be prevented
flowering and ripening seed, it will certainly produce an increased
number of offsets ; and, contrariwise, were it prevented from produc¬
ing offsets by repeated examination to destroy them, the seeds would
be thereby much increased, and sooner matured.

This law of nature may be taken advantage of in many more ways,
in bringing about practical results, perhaps, than have yet been thought
of. We were very much pleased, some time ago, to hear how the
senior Mr. Harrison (at Petworth we think it was) took advantage of
this law of vegetation, to increase and enlarge the tubers of the Oxalis
crenata. His experienced eye seeing that the tendency of the plant,
in our moist climate, was to run too much £C to straw,” wisely con-

376

ON INCREASING THE SIZE AND NUMBER OF TUBERS.

sidered that, by checking this aptitude to produce flowers,, he would
encourage the production of tubers, determined to cut down or thin the
stems., and so obtained the result he expected, viz. an abundant return
of tubers. This was an application of science to the practice of gar¬
dening which deserves imitation in many other things besides that
of the culture of the Oxalis. In this instance the treatment was
doubly advantageous, as the stems, properly dressed, are as much
esteemed as are the tubers.

Any practical expedients which may be adopted on this manageable
property of plants may be classed along with the more common and
every-day practice of pruning trees, or thinning crops ; we destroy or
take away a portion, to increase or improve what is left. The fruit¬
grower improves the size and quality of his crop by judicious and
timely thinning ; the florist obtains large and handsome blossoms by
preferring the principal buds, and banishing every rival on the same
stem ; and the seed-grower, in many instances, obtains a purer and
superior sample of seed by taking a part, rather than the whole, of
what may be produced. >

This branch of practical knowledge must be often acted on in the
management of the grape-vine, as well in the regulation of the shoots
as to number, as of the fruit as to quantity. Three shoots from one
root, properly treated during their growth, may, in the next year, yield
a greater weight of grapes than treble the number of shoots in which
the powers of the root would be too much diffused, and consequently
neither bunches nor berries of the full size. It is really astonishing
how much the powers of a vine may be concentrated, and how unusu¬
ally large the wood, leaves, bunches, and berries will become, by
throwing into a reduced number of shoots the whole vigour of a root.
Mr. Hoare's method of pruning vines on open walls is a good exem¬
plification of this practice; and uncommonly fine grapes are produced
in vineries, and particularly in pineries, by this treatment of the trees.
In the last-mentioned houses the White Muscat of Alexandria, and
the Syrian, (when deemed worthy of a place,) are both grown to an
immense size of bunches, and berries in proportion. The Syrian is a
very inferior fruit as to quality, but it is a magnificent ornament to a
table. A harmless device is sometimes practised in order to have an
apparently very large bunch, and that is, where two or three bunches
show closely together, by stopping the main shoot close to the second
or third, and also the intermediate laterals, the bunches, if they set
well, will be so close together as to appear like one. Without this
device we have seen the Syrian grown to the weight of nine pounds.
The flavour of this grape may be much improved, however, (as all

ON THE CONSTITUTION AND FUNCTIONS OF BULBS. 377

other kinds are,) by being planted in a shallow border of dry mate¬
rials ; but, in this case, neither bunches nor berries will be so large.

The Black Hamburgh grape is a variety that finds its way into every
vinery, and it is remarkable how very susceptible the bunches and ber¬
ries of this sort are of enlargement by the means above alluded to.
Pruning thinly to engross the shoots, allowing one bunch only to each
young shoot, and one dozen berries, or less, on each bunch, brings the
berries to the size of Orlean plums. The same means effect the same
result on all other kinds of fruit, and other productions, where a plurality
are produced together.

On the Constitution and Functions of Bulbs. —Our atten¬
tion has been particularly drawn to this subject, at this time, by an
excellent paper on the vegetation of the bulbs or tubers of the Crocus,
by Dr. Augustus Trinchinetti, in the last number of “ The Gardener’s
Magazine;” one of the best communications on the constitution and
development of tuberous bulbs that ever has been published.

It is well known that the great Linnseus considered bulbs as under¬
ground buds — a very good definition, because, as a bud in its evolution
exhibits a stem, and leaves, and flowers, and fruit, so does the bulb do
the same, but with this difference, that, whereas the stem of a bud
is persisting, that of a bulb or tuber is fugitive, and annually perish¬
able.

From the time of Grew down to the present day, it does not appear
that the manner of the development of bulbs or tubers has been much
studied. That they have been dissected and figured, for the sake of
giving them proper names, has been done by many former writers ; but
no one has entered into the minutia of the development as has been
done by Dr. Trinchinetti.

The bulb of the Crocus scitivus, examined in its dormant state,
consists of a parenchymatous starchy substance, which forms a flattish
globular body, surrounded by dry loosely-fibered coats, succeeding each
other like scales, and forming funnels placed one within the other, and
gradually decreasing in size, which can be easily separated, but which
are all attached at their base. If you take away these membranous
funnels, you will find a solid whitish bulb within them, somewhat com¬
pressed [depressed] in the upper part, and marked horizontally with
circular lines, which are nothing more than the bases of the membranous
funnels, or coats, which have been thrown off by the bulb, or taken
away from it. In the centre of the upper part of this bulb, or near
the centre of it, there are three, or sometimes even more, cones, formed
of finer funnel-shaped coats, under each of which appears a small
VOL. v.— no. lxiv. 3 c

378 ON THE CONSTITUTION AND FUNCTIONS OF BULBS.

tubercle— that is, the germ of the offset, or new bulb, intended to be
developed in the next growth. There are also various marks scattered
all over the bulb, without regular order, and of different sizes, formed
of very fine coats, and containing small germs, which are developed
according to the quantity of nourishment received by the parent bulb,
and which sometimes may, perhaps, become abortive, when the parent
bulb is too small to afford them support.

“ The bulb, if cut open in this dormant state, only presents a homo¬
geneous milk-white mass, the organisation of which is invisible. When
it begins to vegetate it sends out circumferential fibrous roots, and
developes one or more germs, which increase into one or more little
bundles, each formed of a sheath, enclosing leaves, and the largest con¬
taining also the flower. These little bundles have a slight expansion
at the base, which, being cut through lengthwise, discover a smaller
bulb surrounded by coats, the outer of which proceed from the sheaths
above mentioned, and the inner ones from the bases of the leaves,
and both, combined, forming a small solid substance.”

This small solid substance ultimately becomes the new bulb to
flower in the following year. Dr. T. has traced the whole process of
the change presented by the old bulb while it is nourishing its leaves,
flower, &c., and at last feeding off its successor, while the parent itself
dwindles away to a small mass of dead fibres.

In the case of real bulbs, as the tulip, for instance, we find it, before
expansion, to consist of what is called the radical plate, on which are
seated a congeries of thick fleshy scales, involving each other, and
embracing the embryo flower and leaves in the centre. When this
latter portion is developed in the summer, a successor rises from the
radical plate close beside it, to take the place of the first, which totally
disappears at the end of the flowering season ; thus showing that all
the succession-bulbs originate in the radical plate.

Considering, then, what Dr. T. has shown relative to the structure
of the crocus tuber, it is evident that, in the first stage of its develop¬
ment, it acts like a radical plate, but with this difference, that, whereas
the crocus tuber wastes entirely away, the plate of the tulip is perma¬
nent, suffering no diminution, except the bottom slough, which is dis¬
charged along with the fibres which served to draw nourishment during
the growth.

Dr.T. observes that the tubers of the Gladiolus communis are renewed
much in the same way as those of the crocus. The Colchicum autum-
nale also differs but little from the crocus, only that, instead of the new
bulb being produced on the crown of the old one, it is produced at the
side, and, “ having a free base, they immediately, without passing through

ON THE CONSTITUTION AND FUNCTIONS OF BULBS.

379

the main bulb, send down capillary roots, which thus probably perform
the office of the fusiform roots produced by the crocus.”

Concerning these fusiform roots we may observe that, if the Crocus
sativus sends down such processes constantly, it is not so with other
species of that genus, except under peculiar circumstances ; for we
have noticed that, if any of the common garden sorts, standing long in
the same place, get too near the surface, from the manner of increasing
their bulbs, one every year above the former, they, near the surface,
have the power of sending down a fusiform process, with a new bulb
or tuber at the extremity, to take a deeper station in the soil. The
same circumstance is exemplified in some of the wild tulips, particu¬
larly the T. repens. Many, if not all the British Orcliidea, the Ery-
thronium dens-canis, &c., invariably produce their new tubers from the
side of the old one.

“ The Fumaria bulbosa of Linnaeus ( Corydalis bulbosa of Decan-
dolle) has also some analogy with the crocus, and other plants, in the
mode of reproducing its bulbs or tubers, whichever they may be called.
In its dormant state it presents a white starchy mass, which contains
an olive- shaped substance, situated vertically in its centre, with its
broadest end downwards, which is of a yellowish colour, and of a
slightly fibrous structure. When the bulb begins to grow, the roots
proceed from the lowest part of the olive-shaped substance, and, at the
same time, one or more shoots rise from the upper part, which continue
to grow and produce flowers. When the old tuber has done growing,
the offsets begin to be developed ; and, as it lias been observed that
they are always in the centre of the parent bulb, and as that is exactly
the spot occupied by the olive-shaped substance, it may be inferred
that the offsets have their origin in it. As the offsets increase in size,
the substance of the parent tuber diminishes, till, by degrees, it changes
into a spongy involucre, which, by being continually pressed by the
new ones, is soon reduced to a membrane, and then disappears. As
soon as the new bulbs are completely formed, the roots and the stems
of the old tuber fall off, and the new ones remain in a dormant state
till the next season of vegetation.”

We feel not a little proud that the investigations of the learned Dr.
Trinchinetti accord so nearly to what we ourselves published on the
same subject several years ago. As proof, we may be excused for
quoting the two following paragraphs: —

In describing the tulip, we have stated that it may be taken as “ a
type of the bulbous-stemmed plants, and may be described, in its peren¬
nial character, as being constitutionally composed of an indefinite assem¬
blage of vital entities, each of which is a perfect plant, consisting of

380 ON THE CONSTITUTION AND FUNCTIONS OF BULBS.

fibrous roots, leaves, stem, flower, and seed, and which, when the last
is ripe, wholly dies. This assemblage of gems, or germs, (latent or
invisible principles of buds or flowers,) are seated and crowded together
on or in what is called the radical plate, which appears to be constituted
like the ovary of an animal, whence they are successively developed,
either in the order of their seniority or of their position. The highest
or oldest of the train developed this year is succeeded by the second
of the series in the next, and so on, barring accidents, for ever/'
Again

“ The radical plate is a depressed cone of dense cellular matter, in
which the incipient gems lie invisibly embedded. It always appears
as the base of the largest division of the bulb, and the nucleus or source
whence all gems, whether primary or 'secondary, successively issue,
without any notable diminution thereof. Under a common microscope
its substance is uniform — not visibly granular, as might be expected ;
the parts composing it being so blended together, that they cannot be
distinguished till they are resolved into principals, or discharged as
offsets. From the under surface of the radical plate, and particularly
from the edges, the roots come forth, appearing to belong only to the
superior gem or division which is in the act of expansion, because, as
already observed, they are developed and decay together. The next
year’s division is furnished with roots of its own, and has no depend¬
ence on those of its predecessor, they being very attenuated, and only
annual.”

An attentive reader cannot fail to observe the accordance between
the description of the physical constituents and evolutions of the crocus
by Dr. T., and our own account of the constituents and perennial
development of the tulip. They throw light on each other, and render
the last of more value than it was, by many, considered to possess.

Dr. Trinchinetti’s opinion concerning the use which nature intends
the bulbs to answer is well worth tarnscribing.

“ Linnaeus,” says Dr. T., “ considered bulbs as hybernacula — that is,
as winter storehouses, or bodies intended to preserve the germ of the
future plant while vegetation is at rest, and to administer with their
own substance its first nourishment, as the seed does to the embryo
with the albuminous matter which it contains in its cotyledons.

“ Nobody can doubt that bulbs were intended both to preserve and
to nourish the germ ; but, if they were formed for these purposes only,
why do they continue during the life of the plant, contrary to the habit
of the buds on the branches of trees, and of the albuminous matter con¬
tained in the cotyledons of seeds, which, soon after the bud or young
plant has been developed, disappear, or at least change their nature ?

VEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY.

381

Why are they, though they slowly diminish in bulk, preserved during
all the course of vegetation? and why do they not perish, like the
leaves ? These reliections induced me to think that the bulb must
have some important function to perform during the whole life of the
plant, no part being given by nature without an intention.”

After detailing several incidents which occurred during the Doctor’s
investigations, he arrives at the following conclusion, viz. “ that solid
bulbs or tubers are masses of starchy matter, provided by nature to
serve as a support to the young plant, in the same manner as the
albumen of the egg serves to nourish the chicken.

“ Whether scaly bulbs and tubers are destined by nature to perform
the same office I have not yet had sufficient experience to determine ;
but as they contain a mucilaginous or starchy substance, and have all
the delicacy of texture mentioned ; and as I have observed that the
onion, while kept out of the ground, germinates, and continues to grow
till it has reduced the bulb to a congeries of withered coats; that the
Scillci, in a similar situation, will even dower ; and that the tubers of
3 the potato put out shoots, and nourish them for some time; I think,”
continues the Doctor, “ it may be admitted, that not only solid bulbs,
but also those that are scaly, are intended to nourish the plant with
their substance.”

It is to be hoped that Dr. T. will continue his investigations on the
structure of all the varieties of bulbs, tubers, and other gross or deshy
roots ; he has the acumen of a philosopher, and no doubt his illustra¬
tions of the constitution, development, and reproduction of these curious
vegetable bodies, would be a welcome addition to our present stock of
botanical knowledge. — Ed.

Vegetable Physiology. — This is a favourite topic with us; and,
as it is a subject on many points of which considerable doubts are enter¬
tained, we, according to promise, feel it a duty to present our readers
with extracts from the best authors who have written on this branch of
botanical science, in order that they may be able, while observing the
phenomena, to judge for themselves how far the published accounts
and opinions agree with their own observations.

The following are extracts from Dr. Lindley’s “ Introduction to
Botany,” drst edition, (a second having been recently published ;) — a
book which not only contains all the knowledge acquired by its talented
author, but also the marrow of all that was previously published by
every botanical authority on the continent and elsewdiere. Concerning
the “ elementary organs,” the Doctor proceeds: —

“ Of these, the cellular tissue is the most important, as is apparent

382

VEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY.

by its being the only one of the elementary organs that is uniformly
present in plants, and by its being the chief constituent of all those
compound organs that are most essential to the preservation of the
species.

“ It transmits jiuids in all directions. In most cellular plants no
other tissue exists, and there a circulation of sap takes place ; it con¬
stitutes the whole of the medullary rays, conveying the elaborate juices
from the bark towards the centre of the stem. All the parenchyma, in
which the sap is diffused upon entering the leaf, and to which it is
exposed to evaporation, light, and atmospheric action, consists of
cellular tissue ; nearly all the bark, in which the descending current
of the sap takes place, is also composed of it ; and in indigenous plants,
where no bark exists, there appears to be no other route that the
descending sap can take than through the cellular substance, in which
the vascular system is embedded ; — it is, therefore, readily permeable
to fluid, although it has no visible pores.

“ In all cases of wounds, or even of the development of new parts,
cellular tissue is Jirst generated. For example: the granulations that
form at the extremity of a cutting when embedded in earth, or on the
lips of incisions in the wood or bark ; the extremities of young shoots ;
scales, which are generally the commencement of leaves ; pith, which
is the first part created when the stem shoots up ; nascent stamens and
pistilla ; ovula ; and, finally, many rudimentary parts : all these are
at first, or constantly, formed of cellular tissue alone.

“It may be considered the jlesh of vegetable bodies ; the matter
which surrounds and keeps in their place all the ramifications or
divisions of the vascular system is cellular tissue. In this the plates
of wood of exogenous plants, the veins of leaves, and, indeed, the
whole of the central system of all of them, are either embedded or
enclosed.

“ The action of impregnation appears to take place exclusively
through its agency. Pollen is only cellular tissue in a particular state ;
when it bursts the vivifying particles, it contains a still more minute
state of the same tissue ; the coats of the anther are composed entirely
of it; and the tissue of the stigma, through which impregnation is
conveyed to the ovula, is merely a modification of the cellular. The
ovula themselves, with their sacs, at the time they receive the vivifying
influence, are a semi-transparent congeries of cellules.

“ It is, finally, the tissue in which alone amylaceous or saccharine
secretions are deposited. These occur chiefly in tubers, as in the potato
and arrow-root ; in rhizomata, as in the ginger ; in soft stems, such as
those of the sago, palm, and sugar-cane ; in albumen, as that of corn ;

VEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY.

383

in pith, as in the Cassava ; in the disc of the flower, as in Amygdalus ;
and in bark, as in all exogenous plants; and cellular tissue is the
principal or exclusive constituent of these.

“ Woody Jibre is apparently destined merely for the conveyance of
fluid upward or downward, from one end of a body to another, and for
giving firmness and elasticity to every part.

“ The real nature of the functions of the vascular system has been
the subject of great difference of opinion, and may, indeed, be said to
be so still. Spiral vessels have been most commonly supposed to be
destined for the conveyance of air ; and it seems difficult to conceive
how any one accustomed to anatomical observations, and who has
remarked their dark appearance when lying in water, can doubt the
fact. Nevertheless, many authors, and among them Dr. Dutrochet,
assert that they serve for the transmission of fluids upward from the
roots. This observer states, that c if the end of a branch be immersed
in coloured fluid, it will ascend in both the spiral vessels and ducts ;
but that, in the former, it will only rise up to the level of the fluid in
which the branch is immersed ; while, through the latter, it will travel
into the extremities of the branches.’ It has, however, been asked
with much justice, ‘ How the opinion that spiral vessels are the
sap vessels is to be reconciled with the fact of their non-existence in
multitudes of plants in which the sap circulates freely?’ To which
might have, or perhaps has been, added the questions, f Why they do
not exist in the wood, where a movement of sap chiefly takes place in
exogenous trees ? ’ and also, f How it happens that their existence is
almost constantly connected with the presence of sexes, if they be truly
sap-vessels?’ And, further, it has always been remarked, that if a
transverse section of a vine, for instance, or any other plant, be put
under water, bubbles of air rise through the water from the mouths of
the spiral vessels. But then it has been urged that coloured fluids
manifestly rise in the spiral vessels ; a statement that has been admitted,
when the spiral vessels are wounded at the part plunged in the coloured
fluid, but denied in other circumstances. Indeed, to any observer ac¬
quainted with the difficulty of microscopic investigations, the obscurity
that practically surrounds a question of. this sort must be apparent
enough.”

Dr. Bischoff is quoted by Dr. L. as having come to the following
conclusion concerning the functions of spiral vessels, viz.: — “That
plants, like all other living bodies, require, for the support of their
vital functions, a free communication with air ; and that it is more
especially oxygen which, when absorbed by the roots from the soil,
renders the crude fluid fit for the nourishment and support of a plant,

384

VEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY.

just as blood is rendered fit for that of animals. But, for this purpose,
it is not sufficient that the external surface should be surrounded by
the atmosphere ; other aeriferous organs are provided, in the form of
spiral vessels, which are placed internally, and convey air containing an
unusual proportion of oxygen, which is obtained through the root, by
their own vital force, from the earth and water. In a hundred parts
of this air, twenty-seven to thirty parts are of oxygen, which is in part
lost during the day by the surface of plants, under the direct influence
of the solar rays.”

Dr. L. adds — “ So that while true spiral vessels may be admitted as
undoubted vehicles of air, ducts of all kinds, and especially dotted ducts,
cannot be doubted to be the passages through which fluid is conveyed,
when great rapidity is required.

“ Of the Root. — It is the business of the root to absorb nutriment
from the soil, and to transmit it upwards into the stem and leaves, and
also to fix the plant firmly in the earth. Although moisture is, no
doubt, absorbed by the leaves of all, and the stems of many, plants,
yet it is certain that the greater part of the food of plants is taken up
by the roots, which, hence, are not incorrectly considered vegetable
mouths.

u But it is not by the whole surface of the root that the absorption
of nutriment takes place ; it is to the spongioles almost exclusively to
which that office is confided ; and hence their immense importance in
vegetable economy, the absolute necessity of preserving them in trans¬
plantation, and the certain death that often follows their distraction . . .
Forest trees, with very dense umbrageous heads, do not perish of
drought in hot summers or dry situations, when the earth often becomes
mere dust for a considerable distance from their trunk, in consequence
of their foliage turning off the rain. The fact is, obviously, that the
roots near the stem are inactive, and have little or nothing to do as pre¬
servers of life, except by acting as conduits while the functions of
absorption go on through the spongioles, which, being at the extremities
of the roots, are placed beyond the influence of the leafy canopy, receive
the principal share of the rain shed off by the head ; and, as the roots
are always spreading farther and farther from the main stem, they are
continually entering new soil, the nutritious properties of which are
unexhausted.

“ It is generally believed that roots increase only by their extremi
ties, and that, once formed, they never undergo any subsequent elonga¬
tion. It is probable that this peculiarity may be universal in exogenous
plants; but it certainly is not constant in indigenous plants; and I
doubt very much whether it be not confined to roots with a woody

VEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY.

385

structure. Occasionally roots appear destined to act as reservoirs of
nutriment, on which those of the succeeding year may feed when first
developed, as is the case in the Orchis, the Dahlia, and others : but it
must be remarked that the popular notion extends this circumstance
far beyond its real limits, by including, among roots, bulbs, tubers, and
other forms of stems.

“ By some botanists, and among them M. Decandolle, it has been
thought that roots are developed from special organs, which are to them
what leaf-buds are to branches ; and this function has been assigned to
those little glandular swellings so common of the willow, called lenti¬
cular glands by Guettard, and lenticelles by Decandolle.

“ Of the Sap. — For the sustenance of plants a fluid is necessary,
which is absorbed by the i>ots from the earth, then sent upwards into
the stem, afterwards impelled into the leaves, whence it descends
through the liber, transferring itself to the inmost parts of the wood.
This fluid, which constitutes the blood of plants, is called the sap.
When first introduced into the system, and even when altered in some
degree by having dissolved the various substances it encounters in its
passage, it is true sap : afterwards, when its nature has been more
changed by elaboration in the leaves, it becomes what is called the
proper juice .

“ If the sap be examined in its most simple state, it will be found to
consist of water, mucilage, and sugar. As the two last can scarcely have
been absorbed directly from the earth, it is inferred that, as soon as
the fluids taken up by the roots enter the system, they suffer some
chemical decomposition, the result of which is the production of muci¬
lage and sugar. In addition to the supply of sap which is obtained
by the roots, a certain quantity is, no doubt, also absorbed from the
atmosphere by the leaves, as is evident from succulent plants, which
will continue to grow and acquire weight long after their roots are
severed from the earth. This absorption, on the part of the leaves,
chiefly takes place during the night, or in cloudy weather ; while
perspiration, on the other hand, goes on in the day-time in bright
weather.

et With regard to the chemical nature and changes of the sap, I can¬
not do better than give the statement of Link, with some necessary
alterations. ‘ The food of plants must he composed of oxygen, hy¬
drogen, carbon, and azote. Water consisting of oxygen and hydrogen
alone is not sufficient. Many experiments, indeed, have been insti¬
tuted to prove that pure water is a sufficient food, especially by Van
Helmont, Eller, Bonnet, Du Hamel, and others ; but it is probable, as
Walerius has inferred, that the water out of which plants are formed

3 n

VOL. v. — NO. LX! V.

386

VEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY.

already contains the necessary chemical principles, To this it is ob¬
jected that plants grown in water alone never arrive at perfection, or
mature their seeds. But this is not strictly true ; they do perfect their
seeds : but it is not surprising that crude water should be insufficient
for purposes which are fully answered by water properly mixed and
tempered.’

That the extractive matter contained in earth was the real food
of plants "was long ago stated by Woodward and Kylbel ; and most
physiologists have adopted this opinion. But it has been estimated
that a plant, when dried, does not derive more than a twentieth part
of its weight from extractive matter and carbonic acid dissolved in
water. Now, supposing this calculation to be not far from the truth,
it serves to show that extractive matter and carbonic acid are not alone
sufficient for the nutriment of plants.

“ Nevertheless, if neither extractive matter nor carbonic acid can be
considered to constitute exclusively the food of plants, it is at least
quite certain that they not only cannot exist without the latter, but
that it forms by far the greater part of their food. It is well known
that roots cannot perform their functions unless within the reach of the
atmosphere. This arises from the necessity for their feeding upon car¬
bonic acid, which, after having been formed by the oxygen of the
atmosphere combining with the carbon in the soil, is then received into
the system of the plant, to be impelled upwards, dissolved in the sap
till it reaches the leaves, where it is decomposed by light, the oxygen
liberated, and the carbon fixed. It has also been ascertained that,
feed plants as you will, they will neither grow nor live, whether you
offer them oxygen, hydrogen, azote, or any other gaseous or fluid prin¬
ciple, unless carbonic acid be present.

The course which is taken by the sap , after entering a plant, is
the next subject of consideration. The opinion of the old botanists
was, that it ascended from the roots between the bark and the wood ;
but this has been long disproved by modern investigators, and especially
by the experiments of Mr. Knight. If a trunk be cut through in the
spring, at the time the sap is rising, this fluid will be found to exude,
more or less, from all parts of the surface of the section, except the
hardest heart-wood, but most copiously from the alburnum. If a
branch be cut through at the same season, it will be found that, while
the lower face of the wound bleeds copiously, scarcely any fluid exudes
from the upper face ; from which and other facts it has been fully
ascertained that the sap rises through the wood, and chiefly through
the alburnum. Observations of the same nature have also proved that
the sap descends through the liber. But the sap is also diffused late-

VEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY.

387

rally through the cellular tissue, and this with great rapidity, as will
be apparent upon placing a branch in a coloured infusion, which will
ascend and descend in the manner just stated ; and will also disperse
itself laterally in all directions round the principal channels of its
upward and downward route.

“ With regard to the vessels through which this universal diffusion
of the sap takes place, it has already been stated that its upward course
is always through the woody fibre, and probably also through the ducts;
and that it passes downwards through the woody fibre. But there can
be no reasonable doubt that it is also dispersed through the whole
system, by means of some permeable quality of the membranes of the
cellular tissue, which is invisible to our eyes, even aided by the most
powerful glasses. It has also been suggested that the sap finds its
way upwards, downwards, and laterally through the intercellular pas¬
sages, which exist at the points of union of every individual elementary
organ. That such a channel of communicating the sap is employed by
nature to a certain extent I do not doubt, especially in those plants in
which the intercellular passages are large ; but whether this be an
universal law, or has only a partial operation, is quite unknown, and is
not, perhaps, susceptible of absolute proof.

“ The accumulation of sap in plants appears to be attended with
very beneficial consequences, and to be deserving of the especial atten¬
tion of gardeners. It is well known how weak and imperfect is the
inflorescence of the turnip tribe, forced to flower before their fleshy
root is formed, and how vigorous it is after that reservoir of accumu¬
lated sap is completed. Mr. Knight, in a valuable paper on this sub¬
ject, remarks, that the fruit of melons, which sets upon the plant when
very young, uniformly falls off ; while, if not allowed to set until the
stem is well formed, and much sap accumulated for its support, it
swells rapidly, and ripens well. In like manner, if a tree is by any
circumstance prevented bearing its crop one year, the sap that would
have been expended accumulates, and powerfully contributes to the
abundance and perfection of the fruit of the succeeding year.

“ The course of the motion of the sap is a subject which has long
excited great curiosity, and has given rise to numberless conjectures.
It was for a long time believed that there was a sort of circulation of
the sap of plants to and from a certain point, analogous to that of the
blood of animals ; but this was disproved by Hales, and is not now
believed. This excellent observer thought that the motion of the sap
(the rapidity of which he had found to be greatly influenced by the
weather) depended upon the contraction and expansion of the air,

388 ON THE NATURE AND CHARACTER OF THE BARK OF TREES.

which exists in great quantities in the interior of plants. Others
have ascribed the motion to capillary attraction ; and Du Petit Tliouars
suggests that it arises thus : — f In the spring, as soon as vegetation com¬
mences, the extremities of the branches and buds begin to open.
The instant this happens, a certain quantity of sap is attracted out of
the circumjacent tissue for the supply of these buds ; the tissue which
is thus emptied of its sap is filled constantly by that beneath or about
it ; this is in its turn replenished by the next ; and thus the mass of
fluid is set in motion, from the extremities of the branches down to the
roots.’ Du Petit Tliouars is, therefore, of opinion that the expansion
of the leaves, &c., is not the effect of the motion of the sap, but, on the
contrary, the cause of it ; and that the sap begins to move at the
extremities of the branches before it stirs at the roots. That this is
really the fact is well known to foresters, and all persons accustomed
to the felling or examination of timber-trees in the spring.”

Observations on the Nature and real Character of the
Bark of Trees. — The bark is an exterior membrane, which, after
being exposed for some time to the atmosphere, becomes indurated into
a dense covering, protective of the more delicate membranes within.
The first-formed layer of bark, or cuticle, as it is sometimes called,
receives annual additions of liber to its inner surface, and thereby
thickening it from year to year as long as the tree lives. But this
process proceeds with very different degrees of celerity ; the liber of
some trees is remarkably thin, appearing like a tissue of the finest
gauze — as the beech ; others like coarse lace — as the lime ; and that of
the cork-tree so thick and fungous, that it may be stripped off the tree
every seventh or eighth year, and of sufficient thickness for the manu¬
facture of corks.

As the growth of bark takes place from within, it happens that, in
order to make way for the internal accumulation, the outer layers
must necessarily be so constituted as to give way somehow to permit
the internal increase. This is effected in various ways : — the bark of
oak, elm, and many other kinds of exogenous plants, yields to the swell¬
ing membranes by splitting perpendicularly, the openings every year
becoming wider and deeper. That of the birch is split perpendicularly,
and into very rugged pieces on the lower part of the trunk ; but on the
higher parts of the branches it is thrown off in horizontal fillets, like
ribbons. The bark of the beech, and several other smooth-barked trees,
is stretched horizontally, but without fracture or dismemberment of the
exterior surface ; while that of the grape-vine is thrown off in narrow

HAWKERS OF ORNAMENTAL PLANTS.

389

slips longitudinally ; and the platanus and others ease their swelling
stems of an useless encumbrance by discharging their oldest bark in
broad flakes, as is so visible at this season of the year.

All these instances show that the bark has only a temporary agency
in the system, and that, in fact, it is only an excrementitious product
of the plant. In the early stages of its growth it assists in the con¬
duction of the sap, and continues so to do for perhaps three or four
years — longer or shorter, however, according to the specific character of
the bark itself. The bark of a beech, an orange, or a fig tree, is very
different from those of the oak, the Dutch elm, or the cork trees ; the
former are thinner, more compact in texture, and remain longer service¬
able as active members of the system, than the barks of the latter, which
are grosser in consistence, and more fugitive.

Under certain circumstances of soil or situation, the bark of both
fruit and forest trees is not naturally rent nor distended enough to
allow of free or perfect growth, and consequently cramps the healthy
expansion, and causes a stagnation of the juices inimical to the well¬
being and fruitfulness of the trees.

That this defect, to which all trees are liable, admits of a practical
remedy, has been already shown (see page 416, vol. iv.) ; so that it is
unnecessary to advert to it again in this place, except to recal attention
to the fact, and to regret that it is not so generally understood nor so
much practised as it should be.

Specimens of cork-trees in this country, though they attain the
height of thirty or forty feet, would, we are certain, be much benefited
by having all their old bark stripped off ; it would induce a renewed
vigour, and prompt the hide-bound exotics to acquire greater magnitude
of bole, and greater extent of branches, and, moi’eover, enlarge the
foliage ; making the trees more ornamental, which old cork-trees very
seldom are, in consequence of the diminutive size and tarnished appear¬
ance of the leaves.

Other exotic trees having a watery sap, such as some of the American
oaks, may, no doubt, be much encouraged in growth by paying atten¬
tion to the state of their bark, in not suffering it to become injuriously
hardened and unhealthy.

Hawkers of Ornamental Plants. — It is astonishing to witness
what great numbers of poor industrious people gain a livelihood by
hawking flowering plants in baskets through the streets of London.
These intermediate dealers keep employed a considerable portion of
the capital, and a good many of the hands, of the London nurserymen.
The favourite plants of the basket-retailers are those having the attrac-

390

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

tion of high colour, such as cockscombs and the like. One of the most
fashionable, at present, is the Kalosantkos splendens, of which as fine
specimens may be seen in the streets as ever graced a conservatory.
All the gayest-flowering pelargoniums and double-flowered myrtles,
hydrangeas, balsams, heaths, tiger lilies, &c. &c., are plentiful.

The prime cost varies from sixpence to half-a- crown ; but the re¬
tailers chiefly barter them away for cast-off or faded garments of any
kind, particularly those which have been worn by ladies ; so that every
lady of taste may every year furnish her windows or balcony with the
gayest flowers at a very cheap rate.

It is wonderful what a change and general love of flowers have been
created by this mean and laborious kind of traffic ; for it may be ob¬
served that there is scarce a parlour window to be seen that is not
decorated more or less with beautiful flowers, obtained, perhaps, for a
pair or two of old slippers, a shapeless bonnet, or a tattered dress. We
mention these trifles merely for the purpose of showing how much com¬
mercial men depend upon a grade of auxiliaries which they would
hardly acknowledge as such. We have heard of a florist who clears
between two and three hundred pounds per anuum from off an acre
and a half of ground, and who cares not whether he ever sees other
customers than the “ basket- women” and purveyors of bouquets ! But
this traffic, small as it is, furnishes abundant proof that the love of
flowers is on the increase among us, and, moreover, evinces an advance
in mental refinement, which every friend to floriculture must rejoice
to see.

The same order of venders are also fruiterers, or itinerant green¬
grocers, when the season for gay flowers is over, and thereby earn a
very fair living — in fact, realise a higher per centage upon their capital
employed than do the producers of the fruit and flowers.

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

Edwards’s Botanical Register, continued by Professor Lindley.
The September number contains

1. Gilia tenuiflora. Slender-flowered Gilia. A hardy annual,
raised from Californian seeds in the garden of the Horticultural
Society, where it flowered, for the first time, in August, 1834. A
single plant only was at that time raised, but it seeded plentifully, and
is now not uncommon.

It is altogether a very attenuated plant, and will make no great
show in the flower-border ; but the flowers, small as they are, will bear

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

391

inspection. The petals are rose-coloured, having a violet-coloured spot
at their bases. The flowers are pentandrious, and the genus stands in
the natural order Folemoniacece.

2. Cirrhoea tristis. Sad-coloured Cirrhoea. A very pretty-flowering
orchideous plant, introduced from Mexico by Messrs. Loddiges, in
whose hothouse it flowered in June, 1835, whence the drawing was
taken. The leaves spring from furrowed bulb-like appendages, from
the base of which the roots and scape come forth. Like its other
botanical allies, it grows upon the branches of trees, and apparently in
a pendulous manner, like many others of the tribe. Like other dark-
coloured flowers, it is deliciously fragrant, and deserves a place in every
collection of Orchidece .

3. Cratcegus spatulata. Spatula-leaved Thorn. “ There can be
no doubt,” says Dr. Lindley, but that this plant, the C. virginica of
the nurseries, is the real C. spatulata of Michaux, about which so little is
known.” In Mr. Loudon’s new work ( Arboretum et Fruticetum Bri-
tannicum), the old, or rather the common, name is retained, as he
considers the C. microcarpa figured in a former number of the Bota¬
nical Register as the true C. spatulata.

This species has very much the appearance of C . parvifolia , from
which it is essentially distinguished by its leaves being edged with
strong dark glands, and by its large leafy stipules. The fruit is always
green, even when ripe ; is a little downy, and contains from five to six
stones.

4. Lupinus latifolius. Broad-leaved Lupine. This lupine has been
described by Dr. J. G. Agardh, in the valuable little work entitled
Synop . Gen . Lupin., written by that learned botanist. Dr. Agardh
has described seventy-six certain species of this pretty genus, besides
adverting to seven others of which little is known. Of the former,
thirty-four are in Mr. Douglas’s collection. It is a hardy perennial,
flowering in July and the two following months.

5. Ardisia odontophyllci . Tooth-leaved Ardisia, A stove shrub,
belonging to the natural order Myrsinacece ; a native of Bengal, where
it was found by Dr. Buchanan, and by Dr. WalliclTs collectors.

It was first introduced by T. C. Palmer, Esq., of Bromley, by
whom it was communicated to Mr. Knight, of the King’s Road,
Chelsea, in whose hothouse the figure was made, in July, 1834.

Independently of its being, like all the Ardisias, a handsome ever¬
green, this species is remarkable for its delicious fragrance. Its flowers
are pale salmon-colour, slightly streaked with red.

6. Antirrhinum glandulosum . Glandular Snapdragon. This, if

392

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

not a very pretty plant, is something of a geographical curiosity, it
being the first species of the genus Antirrhinum which has yet been
found certainly wild in the New World. The specimens of A.
orontium that have been met with in the United States are believed
to have been introduced from Europe.

Seeds of it were sent to the Horticultural Society from California
by Mr. Douglas. The flowers were first produced in 1815; they
appear in August and September, and continue to open till the frosts
come. The species is quite a hardy annual, and will grow in any soil ;
it ripens its seeds freely.

7. Yucca draconis. Dragon-tree-leaved Adam’s Needle. What
may be species, and what varieties, in this noble genus, it is, in the
present state of botanical information, impossible to say ; there is, how¬
ever, but little doubt that the two plants which form the subject of
the plates are really distinct.

“ This, which I presume,” says Dr. Lindley, “is the Yucca dra¬
conis of Haworth and Elliot, at least, whatever it may be of others,
is one of the most stately of the genus ; it grows along the sea-shore of
Carolina, frequently mixed with Y. gloriosa, and flowers from May to
August; it sometimes grows as much as nine or ten feet high. The
great peculiarity by which it is distinguished is the spreading flowers,
whose segments, instead of remaining closed in a globose manner, as in
most others, expand till they diverge from the flower-stalk at nearly a
right angle.

In the nursery of the Messrs. Backhouse, of York, it stands and
flowers well in the open air, along with Y. rufocinata, recurvifolia,
glaucescens, Jilamentosa, and others. In the garden of the Horticul¬
tural Society no weather seems to hurt them.

8. Yucca jlaccida. Weak-leaved Adam’s Needle. Of this the
native country is unknown. It was first noticed in the garden of Mr.
Vere, of Kensington Gore, where it had been probably raised from
North American seed. It is a pretty and apparently distinct species,
well marked by its thread-edged scabrous leaves, pallid flowers, and
stemless habit.

The plant is a hardy evergeen perennial ; its flowers are over by the
middle of August, and it is easily propagated by offsets. Dr. Lindley
thinks the whole tribe are maritime plants, delighting in a loose sandy
soil, and recommends them to be cultivated near the sea-coast

Sweet’s British Flower-Garden, continued by Professor Don.
The September number contains : —

1. Allium siculum. Sicilian Garlic. This, like the rest of the

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

393

onion tribe, is hexandrious, and belongs to the natural order Aspho¬
del-ice. It is a remarkable species, and grows abundantly in the shady
valleys of Madonia, a mountain thirty-live miles south-east of Palermo.
The plant occurs in other parts of Sicily. Although accurately repre¬
sented by Boccone and Cupani, it remained unnoticed by modern
botanists until recently taken up by Ucria, who has given it the
specific name of siculum.

The plant may perhaps be thought deserving of being separated
from Allium, on account of the cells of its capsule being polyspermous ;
a character which it has in common with A. inodorum ; but the um¬
bellate inflorescence, persistent perianthium, the habit and peculiar
odour of the plant, accord entirely with Allium. The drawing was
taken from a living specimen in the Botanic Garden, Chelsea, where
it was raised from seed four years ago. The scent is more powerful
and disagreeable than that of any other species.

2. Berberis empeirifolia. Crowberry-leaved Barberry. This is a
procumbent shrub, with slender, twiggy, angular branches Like its
congeners, the flowers are orange or yellow, hexandrious ; and it
belongs to the natural order of which the genus is the type, viz.
Berberidece.

The plant is said to be a native of the lands bordering the Straits
of Magellan, whence it was introduced to the Clapton nurseries by
Mr. Anderson, an indefatigable collector for that establishment, who
accompanied Captain King on his voyage of survey. The plant was
originally discovered by Commerson, and was, previous to its introduc¬
tion to our gardens, only known from the specimens collected by that
enterprising botanist.

The habit of the plant is extremely delicate, and it differs materially
from the more common species in bearing single, instead of racemes of
flowers.

Several new species of this interesting genus have been lately intro¬
duced into our collections ; and we hear that the continental nursery-
men have two or three which we are yet strangers to. A specimen of
one of these we have seen, and, from the vast number of its racemes of
flowers, might, with much propriety, be called Jloribunda.

3. Pceonia alb^Jlora ; var. Pottsii. Potts’s Chinese Peeony. This
is certainly the most splendid of the five varieties of albijlora now culti¬
vated in our gardens (there are nine varieties named in Loud. Hort.
Brit.). It was introduced by Mr John Potts, from China, in 1822,
and named by Mr. Sabine, in compliment to that zealous collector,
who had been sent out by the Horticultural Society, and who died
shortly after his return to this country.

VOL. V. - NO. LX IV . 3 E

394

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

This variety is quite hardy, flowers very freely, and requires the
same treatment as the other kinds. The splendid crimson colour of
the flowers of this variety accords but ill with the specific name ; it is,
however, only another instance of the impropriety of designating plants
by their colour or other fugitive property.

4. Crocus suaveolens. Fragrant Crocus. This very pretty vernal
crocus is found wild about Rome, and in other parts of Italy, and was
first recognised as a distinct species by Professor Bertoloni, from whose
elaborate work the specific character is copied. The drawing was made
from the collection of the Hon. W. T. Fox Strangways, at Abbots-
bury, Dorsetshire.

Paxton’s Magazine of Botany. The number for September
contains : —

1. Rhododendron chamcecistus. Gronnd-cistus Rhododendron. This
humble, but very pretty, little plant resembles in growth a Helianthe-
mum rather than one of its own genus. It bears, at the extremities of
its strongest branches, two or three showy flowers, of a pale pink
colour, having a circle of deep pink in the throat of the flower.

It seldom exceeds a few inches in growth, the branches being thickly
set with leaves ; and though it stands uninjured in the open air, at
Chatsworth, it is recommended to be kept in pots set on a frame in
winter, and removed to the greenhouse to flower in May and June. It
is a native of Carniola, and was first cultivated in this country by
the Messrs. Loddiges. It is propagated by cuttings, and belongs to
Rhodoracece .

2. Dryandra longifolia. Long-leaved Dryandra. This genus of
New Holland evergreen shrubs belongs to the natural order Proteacece ,
and is nearly allied to Banksia ; the leaves are of the same harsh tex¬
ture, and the manner of inflorescence is not very dissimilar. The figure
here given (and it is a most difficult task for an artist to give with pre¬
cision) was taken from a fine specimen which flowered in the Man¬
chester Botanic Garden some time ago. A mixture of turfy loam,
sand, and moor-earth, is the proper compost for them ; and they may
be increased by cuttings, properly treated.

3. Rhodanthe Manglesii. Captain Mangle’s Rhodanthe. A very
beautiful annual, introduced by Captain Mangles, R. N., from the
colony of Swan River, in Australia. Mr. Paxton speaks highly of
this plant, not only as a handsome ornament for the flower-garden,
greenhouse, or conservatory, but for its accommodating nature in
flowering at any season required by the sower. The seed requires to
be sown two months or ten weeks before a bloom is wanted ; therefore

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

395

a sowing every two months will keep up a constant bloom throughout
the summer. .

4. Erythrina crista-galli. The Cockscomb Coral Tree. This plant
is one of the most splendid of the order Leguminosce. It is a native of
Brazil, where it attains to a tree-like size ; and it is one of those tropical
plants that, if only defended from frost in winter, will flourish in the
open air during our summer. The best compost for them is loam,
heath mould, and well-rotted stable-dung. When they cease growing
in autumn, cut them down, and place them in a cool greenhouse.
About the end of November shift them into fresh soil and larger pots,
if necessary, and remove them into a house where the heat is about
sixty degrees. Here they will advance, and flower in March. When
these flowers fade, cut down and treat as before, and the plants will
again flower in July; and, by similar treatment, they may be made to
flower once more before Christmas. When growing freely, they should
be frequently watered overhead, to keep off the red acarus, which is a
fatal enemy. In warm situations out of doors, both this and the E.
laurifolia will grow and flower freely, but only once in the year; and
in the autumn they require cutting down, and to be either well defended
from frost where they stand, or taken out of the ground, and kept in a
dry cellar till replanting time in the spring.

In addition to the figures and descriptions of the foregoing plants,
this number contains: —

A select List of Greenhouse Shrubs, with short notes on their pecu¬
liar treatment, together with the colours of the flowers, and the usual
seasons of flowering. Also, “ Operations ” relative to the management
and propagation of exotic plants.

Smith’s Florists’ Magazine. The September number contains
the following plates, viz. : —

1. Duchess of Kent Tulip. A very fine white, feathered with
purple. It is above the general size, and is a third-row plant, and
may be purchased for two pounds per bulb. Annexed are some Remarks
on breaking Tulips, embracing all that is known on the subject, but
acknowledging that much uncertainty still prevails in this branch of
floriculture.

2. Two fine Carnations, viz. Pugh’s “ Lady Hill,” which was raised
from seed by Mr. Pugh, of Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, about three
years since. It produces invariably a very large, handsome, and
well-formed flower, strongly and definitely marked or ribboned with a
most brilliant scarlet on a clear white ; the edges of the petals are per¬
fectly entire. It is remarkably constant for so high-coloured a flower;

396

EXTRACTS,

it scarcely ever runs in colour, the petals being even and fleshy.
Mr. P. has a large stock of healthy plants and intends to let them out
this autumn at half-a-guinea the pair.

Hogg’s “ Colonel of the Blues ” is particularly striking ; the flower
is large, and well flaked with a most brilliant blue purple ; the white is
also pure, and the whole flower has a beautiful chaste appearance. It
is a healthy grower, and produces a good supply of grass. It will be
sold out in the autumn of 1837, at one guinea per pair.

3. The third plate exhibits “ Fuchsia Groomiana,” Mr. Groom’s
Fuchsia — a superior and strong-growing greenhouse species or variety
of this universally admired genus of plants. In colour it resembles
the Coccinea ; but its superior amplitude of flowers and foliage makes
it particularly deserving of a place in every collection.

4. On this plate are represented three of the finest Pinks — namely,
“ Hogg’s Middlesex Beauty, White’s Warden, and Unsworth’s Omega.”
These three specimens were grown by Mr. Hogg. His Middlesex
Beauty is a very brilliant and attractive object, perfect in form, and
free in its growth. White’s Warden is a sparkling flower; the dark
colour, contrasted with its pure white ground, gives it a peculiar pro¬
minency in the pink bed. Unsworth’s Omega is a large and well-
filled flower ; the colour of the lacing is pure and bright : it is certainly
a noble and valuable variety.

To these descriptions are added some very good directions for the
culture of the Ranunculus Asiaticus— so great a favourite of florists.
This is subjoined as an appendix to the former numbers of the work ;
and we are sorry to observe, from the concluding paragraph of this
number, that it is to be the last. We are, indeed, sorry on two
accounts : first, that the indefatigable industry and superior abilities of
the author should not have met that encouragement which his exertions
so well deserved ; and, secondly, because its relinquishment is a proof
that the love of flowers, and estimation of their faithful portraiture, are
not so prevalent as we conceived such feelings to be.

However, what is thus far published contains a valuable quantity of
floricultural information, and quite as much, perhaps, as is required for
all practical purposes ; and in this view it may be considered a com¬
plete work ; and, therefore, we can sincerely recommend it to every
one seeking information on this pleasing pursuit.

EXTRACTS.

“ Amhertia nohilis, the T hole a of the Burme.se, is one of the most
splendid vegetables known. When in full leaf and blossom, with its

EXTRACTS.

397

large pendulous racemes of rich scarlet flowers hanging in profusion
from every part of its noble stem, it is indeed superb. It was dis¬
covered growing in the garden of a decayed Kioua, or religious esta¬
blishment, in Burmah, about twenty-seven miles from Martaban.
Handfuls of the flowers of this tree are presented by the devout as
offerings, in the caves, before the images of Buddha.” The only
account we have of this plant is in the writings of Dr. Wallich, who
describes its generic character as follows : — “ Calyx bibracteate, four-
cleft, and coloured ; vexillum obcordate and large ; wings wedge-
shaped ; keel of two small petals ; pod stipulate and oblong* many-
seeded.” We believe this gorgeous plant is not yet introduced into our
collections, and should be particularly inquired after by European
residents or visiters to Rangoon.

“ T amarindus Indica, the Tamarind or Tetul of Hindostan, is a
native of Egypt and Arabia, as well as of the East Indies. The date,
called tamar by the Arabs, being their most common and valuable
fruit, other important fruits have been called dates, or tamars , likewise,
with some distinctive epithet adjoined ; hence the one in question
received the name of Tamar- Hendi, the date of India — whence our
word tamarind. Ignorance or neglect of this circumstance led botanists
to add Indica as the specific name, to a generic one in which the
habitat of the plant was already included.

Tamar-indus Indica, the Indian date, is therefore, as Dr. Francis
Hamilton has observed, in his ‘ Commentary on the Hortus Mala-
baricus,’ ( a vile pleonasm,’ and the sooner it and some others like it
become obsolete in the language of botany, the better. Hence, as
there are two species of tamarind — the one growing in the East Indies,
and the other in the West— -and as the West Indian species is called
T. occidental is, T . orientalis would be an appropriate distinctive name
for the East Indian one.

The wood of the tamarind tree is heavy, firm, and hard, and is a
useful building-timber : but it is for its fruit that the tree is most
known and valued. The pods of the tamarind consist, like other peri¬
carps, of three layers or coats, such as are very evident in the plum
and the peach ; the outer one called the epicarp, the inner one next
the seed is the endocarp, and an intermediate one is the mesocarp.
In the tamarind the endocarp is very thin ; and the pulpy matter for
which the fruit is prized is the mesocarp. This pulp contains sugar,
with a large proportion of acid matter; both citric and tartaric acids,
as well as mallic acid and supertartrate of potash, being found on
analysis ; and hence the refreshing properties of the fruit, and its
medicinal use in fevers, The oriental tamarinds are more pulpy than

398

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR OCTOBER,

the occidental ones ; they are also darker in colour ; and, being pre¬
served without sugar, are more acid, and better adapted for medicinal
purposes, than the West Indian fruit, which is preserved by the addi¬
tion of a considerable quantity of sugar. The latter, however, form the
most agreeable dessert.

“ In India a kind of sherbet is made by the natives, by steeping
tamarind pulp in water ; and, in times of scarcity, the tamarind stones,
divested of the skin, which is very astringent, are roasted, and eaten as
beans by the poorer people.” — Burnet.

Tamarind trees, in a wild state, are very common over all the coast
of Coromandel. In the absence of palms, they are the most numerous
and the highest trees of the jungles. They have short, but very stout,
trunks, with a large-spreading head, equal in size to the largest beech
trees in England. They bear great quantities of fruit, very little of
which is ever gathered by the natives, except from off the lower
branches.

With us the tamarind tree is a stove plant, and is propagated by
cuttings.

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR OCTOBER,

Kitchen Garden.— -The principal operations in this month in the
kitchen garden are, first, to prepare a rich open spot of ground for trans¬
planting out a full crop of early spring cabbage from the seed-bed sown in
August. If the seedlings were pricked into nursing-beds in September,
they may remain there till near the end of this month before they are
transferred to their final stations : and, secondly, to get the earliest
crop of cauliflower plants into their winter quarters ; a certain number
of the largest plants being put under a rank of hand-glasses, and the
rest planted in frames, or on narrow beds on warm-lying borders,
where they may be occasionally covered in winter.

The first sowings of Charlton peas and Mazagan beans may be put
in, on a dry warm border, towards the end of the month : if they sur¬
vive the winter, they will yield their pods very early in spring. A
small piece of Early Horn Carrot may now be sown in a spare frame ;
or, if on an open sheltered border, and covered during hard frost, will
come in for use very early in the next year.

Taking care of the growing crops of cauliflower now coming into use ;
broccoli, which will require hoeing among and earthing up ; celery the
same ; late-sown spinach hoed out and kept free from weeds ; endive
blanched, and a good stock of the middle-sized plants put into frames,
or planted in dry sheltered places, to be covered with dry leaves in

COTTAGE ECONOMY.

399

winter. A good stock of lettuce should now be placed under glass,
close under south walls or other place of shelter.

Prepare for taking up potatoes, carrot, parsnip, beet, scorzonera,
salsafy, skirret, and Hamburgh parsley, for storing. Finish spawning
mushrooms-beds made in September, and make another to succeed the
first.

Dig or trench all vacant ground, adding good dressings of dung
where requisite, laying the surface rough or in ridges, if the soil be wet
or clayey ; but, if light, quite smooth.

Fruit Garden. — Gather fruit as they become fit, on dry days, for
storing. Go over the wall-trees once more, to remove unnecessary
shoots, and stop all those likely to bear next season. Remove all sorts
of fruit-trees and shrubs ; wash them frequently with soap-suds or
other liquid, to prevent winged insects laying their eggs on them at
this season. Shift potted fruit-trees ; and, if an additional number be
required, now is the best time to pot them.

Flower Garden. — House greenhouse plants, and re-pot such as
have been out in the borders for the summer. Use temporary cover¬
ings for seedling dahlias, lest night frosts prevent their blooming.
Chinese chrysanthemums will also require protection, as, without some
fostering care, they will hardly bloom well this hitherto ungenial
season. All plants lately propagated by cuttings, layers, or seeds, may
be bedded out; and all projected alterations or improvements in the
dower garden and shrubberies made in this month, and the sooner the
better. Prepare beds for the reception of bulbs, &c., to be planted in
this and the following month, and composts of all kinds for potted
plants. Begin pruning shrubs as soon as the leaves are off. Pot roses
for forcing, and all other flowering shrubs. Divide overgrown peren¬
nials. Sow boxes and pots of mignonette to go into frames ; and place
all plants liable to be hurt by frost in places of safety.

COTTAGE ECONOMY.

“ Bees.— -The hives this month should be weighed, and, after allow¬
ance is made for the weight of the hive and bees, an estimate may be
formed of the actual quantity of honey. This must be your guide for
feeding. Such hives, therefore, as appear weak, ought to be bounti¬
fully fed with the syrup — namely, one pint of ale, one pound of
sugar, and about half an ounce of salt ; the whole boiled together and

400

REMARKS ON THE WEATHER.

skimmed. When cold, it has the consistence of honey. The covering
of hives should now be particularly attended to, not so much for the
purpose of keeping them warm, but to keep them dry.

t( Garden. — All sorts of hardy fruit-trees which have shed their
leaves may now be planted. By the end of the month most of the
winter-keeping pears and apples will have reached maturity. Should
they separate easily from the branch when gently pulled or twisted,
they may be considered fit to gather.

“ Flowers.— This is the best time for planting the tulip, hyacinth,
ranunculus, and anemone. Transplant as directed last month. Tie
up chrysanthemums, which will now be coming into bloom. Sweep up
decayed leaves, and attend to neatness.

“ Vegetables. — Transplant the cabbage sown in August. Take
up carrots and parsnips, and pack them in sand in a dry place. Let
all vacant ground be now trenched and manured, and thrown up rough
for winter.”— Cot. Manual.

REMARKS ON THE WEATHER.

Throughout the whole of September the weather has been unusu¬
ally changeable, with the wind mostly from the northerly points ; hence
the temperature has been below that degree necessary for ripening late
peaches, pears, and apples. Grapes are plentiful in most places on
open walls, but there is no prospect at present of their ripening; still
there are hopes that October, and “ the little summer of St. Martin
may be fine, and productive of results of which, at present, there is
little expectation.

The dripping weather has made French beans and late peas more
plentiful, and the general crops of potatoes, as well as turnips, have
greatly improved. The ground too, from its being so thoroughly satu¬
rated with moisture, will be in a good state to receive autumn-planted
or sown crops, and also for transplantation of trees, shrubs, &c.

Meteorologists tell us — what is indeed evident to every common
observer — that the moisture of the atmosphere increases, and evapora¬
tion diminishes, during this month of October ; and, by increasing
cloudiness, the effect of radiation from the earth is greatly reduced.

It may happen that the latter part of the autumn may be drier and
finer than the beginning ; and this we predict merely because, after a
long wet time, there usually follows a corresponding dry season.

Sept. 24, 1836.

PAXTONS

H O RT I C U LT UR A L R E G 1ST E R ,

NOVEMBER, 1836.

HORTICULTURE.

ON THE SHANKING OF GRAPES.

BY G. STAFFORD, GARDENER TO R. ARKWRIGHT, ESQ.

Sir,— In page 330 of your Register, the writer of a very valuable
paper on the “ Shanking of Grapes ” expresses a wish that I should
state my opinion on the subject. I first gratefully thank him for his kind,
and I hope merited, expression ; for, from the manner in which I now
proceed in my culture of grapes, I have little to fear from this malady:
but, in reality, I am as much at a loss to state or lay down a certain
preventive as I was forty years ago ; nor do I think that there exists a
practical gardener in these realms that will presume to do so. All that
they can at present do, is to imitate the intelligent “ A. L. A. TV’ in
making public the result of their experience, from which much good
may accrue. In a valuable paper furnished by Mr. Ayres, in the
Register, lie wished that every practical gardener would state his
opinion on the subject, well knowing at the time that the task was not
a trivial one. Mr. Ayres was, to my knowledge, brought up where
every facility was at hand to acquire a knowledge of every particular
relating to the vine, but still leaves the subject for his older friends.

In the first place, I think it impossible that the disease can be caused
by the condensed water upon either the leaves or bunches ; for, if we
examine the temperature of these drops, in no case do they exceed
blood-heat, although the atmosphere of the house may be much higher.
It may originate, in part, by a continued course of humid treatment—
an opinion I expressed in a former number of the Register ; but it is

VOL. V.— NO. LXV. 3 F

402

ON THE SHANKING OF GRAPES.

in vain to hope to prevent it by giving early ventilation, without other
precautions. The reason why the most tender sorts are brought to
such perfection in pots is this: — Suppose a plant to be introduced into
a house in January, the whole is at once subjected to the same degree
of heat ; the root, in a few days, is furnished with innumerable new
feeders, which at once afford an abundant supply to the plant ; and
this process continues so long as the pot is kept within doors ; and, per¬
haps, it is not going too far to conjecture, that a vine so situated has
more mouths taking in food than an old vine covering a large rafter,
whose roots have to range in a cold wet border, unassisted by artificial
heat. But from this no one must infer that grapes cannot be grown
without artificial heat. Have we any well-authenticated records that
the vine has been really benefited by the application of heat to the
root, except in early forcing ? Was not the grape as good thirty or
forty years ago as now7 ?

This calls from me a rationale of the process of forming the borders,
after taking every precaution as to drainage. I have proved that upon
the top of these drains (where most people place the compost to form
the border) it is advisable to put from two feet six inches to three feet
thick of fagots. The compost will be affected by this simple process
for a number of years. In the first place, their elastic property has a
most beneficial effect ; and in the course of years, as they decay, they
give way to the pressure of the border, which follows not in a mass,
but in parts, and at different periods, leaving the whole open and dry
— a state which the vine appears to enjoy. When these and a few
other precautions are taken , there is little to fear from shanking. I
quite agree with <c A. L. A. T.’ in his observations respecting the open
quality of the compost, and have repeatedly applied rough materials
when not previously in the compost ; for whenever the root of a vine,
or that of any other plant, comes in contact with impenetrable matter,
it avoids this, and takes other and different directions — the reason
w7hy so many roots are found among these loose materials. Whenever
the border of a vinery can be protected, in the months of February and
March, from the spring snows or rains with some kind of covering, it
is highly advisable, and may be accomplished by old paper lights or
painted canvas ; but I query whether there would not be much
damage done in keeping them on longer than that period, as they
might impede the production of roots.

At no period of the season is the constitution of a vine, or any other
tree, put to such a trial as when the fruit is changed from an acid to a
saccharine state ; and probably at this time originates the whole cause
of shanking; for if we observe a plant at this period, its whole system

ON THE SHANKING OF GRAPES.

403

is acted upon in such a manner as will not unfrequently cause instant
death, and which no practical skill or attention can avert. We cannot
witness this circumstance without great surprise ; and the more the
subject is attended to, the greater is the mystery. How can such
changes take place ? No sooner has a vine, loaded with fruit, passed
this period, than it again commences its former mode of growing, and
as the fruit requires less support the growth increases. It has been
asserted that shanking proceeds from a weak state of the vine. I can¬
not disprove this, it being a common observation that every kind of
vine grown in this kingdom has its peculiarities, and is acted upon in
different ways, and at different periods, by this disease ; and so is every
species of tree that bears its fruit in clusters j — we observe it in the
currant, in the raspberry, and in numbers of others ; and I fear that
the cultivators of the grape in warmer latitudes know too well the
effects of its ravages.

Few gentlemen have paid so much attention to the vine as my pre¬
sent employer for the last forty years ; but I do not hesitate to say
that, at this time, he is as unprepared or undecided to give an opinion
as he was at the above period ; for, although he has repeatedly devoted
a portion of his premises to experiments, and spared neither pains nor
expense, the matter is yet unrevealed. I have, in conjunction with
neighbours, made trials of a course of dry treatment, while, at the
same time, they pursued a contrary one ; and this course each has
reversed, and nil without arriving at any decisive conclusion. We
have likewise reduced the crops of some vines to one-half or one-third
per tree, without coming to the sought-for secret.

I have derived the utmost satisfaction from the experiments lately
made by Mr. Paxton, in not thinning the bunches of the smaller sorts,
and particularly the Frontignans, as Mr. Paxton always found that,
whenever a bunch had been accidentally left unthinned, it was found
to perfect its berries better than those bunches that were thinned.
Mr. P. moreover states, that an unthinned crop of this year arrived at
the greatest perfection.

Whether the berries derive benefit from their sides being in contact,
or whether the thinning produces a check to their growth, I will not
pretend to state ; but whoever will leave a few bunches unthinned ,
will be able to judge for themselves how far thinning is judicious.

I remain, &c., yours. Geo. Stafford.

Willersley, Sept. 2 9th.

P. S. — It may be asked, Why do not grapes grown in the open air
in this kingdom suffer from the malady of shanking, as those in houses

404

ADVICE TO YOUNG GARDENERS.

do? The answer is. They never arrive at that degree of perfection as
those under glass, to render them liable to that instantaneous check of
the system which affects it when the juices are changed from an acid to
a saccharine quality.

A FEW WORDS OF ADVICE TO YOUNG GARDENERS.

The art of gardening is conducted on what may be called a code of
principles, rather than on a system of rules ; for how exactly soever the
experience of our forefathers and seniors may have been detailed in
manuals and calendars, setting forth the various operations belonging
to every season or month of the year, such is the uncertainty of our
climate, and such the diversity of soils, situations, and seasons, that
even the most general rules of practice can be but seldom exactly
attended to. It should, therefore, be the aim of every young gardener
to acquire, as soon as possible, an insight not only of the practice, but
also of the principles, on which all the best practices are founded.

The business of a gardener being so much on the surface of the
earth, it is necessary he should know something of geology ; that is, he
should have a good idea of how the different strata of earth composing
the crust of our globe are placed with respect to each other ; he should
be acquainted with their properties, and be able at sight to call them
by their proper names. Those that compose the surface strata are
best known, as on their qualities and texture very much of the success
of gardening depends. Clays, loams, sands, and gravels are the most
common descriptions of surface soils, and their effects on the growth
of plants are pretty well known : but, without doubt, much more
depends on the nature of the substratum, in the successful culture of
plants, than on the surface soil itself, however good. For this reason,
the gardener will do well to get thoroughly acquainted with the sub¬
strata of his ground ; it will assist him in trenching, in forming fruit-
borders, and particularly in draining, when necessary.

Many of the earths are impregnated with metallic oxides, which are
more or less deleterious to vegetation, and these the cultivator should be
able to detect by some chemical test. To enable him to do this, it is
requisite he should also know somewhat of chemistry — a science which,
of all others, may be of the greatest use to gardeners ; not so much for
guiding or directing their practice, as for enabling them to account for
many effects and phenomena occurring in their business, which must
ever be to them inexplicable, without a knowledge of the powers of
those immaterial bodies of which chemistry so largely treats. On this

ADVICE TO YOUNG GARDENERS.

405

science there are several cheap elementary books, one of which should
always be in the garden lodge. It is a dry subject to a beginner, but
the study of it becomes at last exceedingly interesting.

Geometry and mensuration are also necessary for the gardener ; for,
though those portions of knowledge are not required in the usual routine
of his business, they are often useful to him in forming designs, more
especially if it be necessary for him to represent, in the first place, his
alterations or improvements on paper. The art of mapping is indis¬
pensable ; and the ability to represent any disposition of the garden
upon paper, facilitates very much the practice of tracing the same on
the ground; indeed, if he cannot do the one with the scale and com¬
passes, he would find much difficulty in executing the other with
accuracy.

Astronomy need not be a part of his studies, except as an amuse¬
ment ; but meteorology he ought to make himself well acquainted
with. Gardeners, like shepherds and sailors, should be “ observers ol
the face of the sky; ” they are much in the open air, and they should
habituate themselves to notice atmospheric changes, so as to acquire a
foreknowledge of what is most likely to happen on the morrow. It is
a great advantage to be able to foresee the approach of frost, or rain, or
even of dry weather. The barometer is of little or no use as a weather¬
glass ; it only indicates the weight of the air at the present instant,
but cannot show what the weight will be five hours hence. Thermo-
meters are, however, particularly necessary, as well in the open air as
under glass.

Next to the knowledge of all the more useful branches of gardening,
a practical knowledge of botany is of the greatest consequence to the
young man who intends to qualify himself for a respectable place.
Botany is now-a-days so interwoven with gardening, that no prac¬
titioner of the latter is thought anything of, unless he also knows
somewhat of the former. The care and culture of exotic plants is, in
many cases, the principal part of the gardener’s duty ; and he receives
as much applause for the successful culture of curious plants, as he has
for the production of the finest vegetables or the richest fruits.

The botanical names of plants is the first thing to be attended to,
because this is the most useful part of the science. It has been said,
indeed, that a man may be an excellent botanist, though he may not
know the name of a single plant. This has reference to a man’s scientific
acquirements : but science alone will not do for the gardener ; he must
be a practical botanist, by becoming conversant with the names, and
nature, and native habitats of the collection, to lead him to the right
method of treating them. Practical botany also includes the propa-

406

ADVICE TO YOUNG GARDENERS.

gation of exotics,, and the way in which they may be best brought to
show their flowers and fruit when desired*

When the young gardener has acquired as much practical botany as
serves him for the time being — that is, in whatever situation he may
chance to be placed — he may then apply himself to the study of sys¬
tematic botany. He may first look over the sexual system of Linnaeus,
so as to obtain a general view of its outline, classes, and orders. A
good plan for a beginner is to write out a scheme of the system on a
large sheet of paper, to hang or be fixed up in his room. This may
exhibit the classes, each followed by the orders, and under or opposite
each order the name of one well-known plant, which, when com¬
pared with the characters of the class and order to which it belongs,
will be a practical lesson not easily forgotten ; and, by gaining thus a
clear idea of any one class and order, a key to all the rest will be
obtained.

When a good idea of the general scope of the Linnsean system has
been mastered, that of Jussieu may be approached. Here all notion of
the sexual system must be forgotten. The natural system recognises
no distinctions founded on the numbers of the parts of a flower, but on
their positions only. The grand divisions, however, must be first
attended to ; and, as these are founded on the physical differences of
structure, they require minute investigation. From the grand divi¬
sions the student must descend to the subdivisions of each, thence to
the classes and subclasses, and finally to the orders.

A tabular scheme of the Jussieuan system, also written out as
advised above, will be of great use for fixing upon the mind the general
complexion of this popular system ; but it will require a much greater
degree of attention and study to comprehend, before the student will
be able to assign to any strange plant he may meet with its proper
place in the system.

The investigation of the natural system will naturally lead the
student to the consideration of the physiology of plants — a subject
which he should lose no opportunity of becoming acquainted with; for,
without a clear view of the physical constitution of vegetables, he will
never be able to account for the union of a graft and a stock, how a
wound on a tree is healed, or whence the new roots of a cutting are
ejected.

The attainment of these different branches of knowledge requires
that the beginner should first of all have a decent school education,
which suffices for the ordinary business of gardening ; but when
engaged in practical botany, or in the study of its systems, he will
find that a little Greek and Latin will be of the utmost use to him.

ADVICE TO YOUNG GARDENERS.

407

It is not necessary that he should be a Greek and Latin scholar ; the
. acquirement of languages engrosses more time than can be afforded by
a young gardener ; but, as the proper pronunciation of botanical terms
and names is absolutely necessary, he ought to provide himself with a
Greek Grammar and Lexicon, and similar books in Latin. The
meaning of Greek nouns and Latin adjectives is as much as he will
require ; and, if he can but understand the meanings of botanical
names, though quite new to him, it will fix the names in his memory
much more indelibly than if ignorant of their signification.

The above particulars may be considered superfluous and unattain¬
able by a young man who is every day exposed to the weather,
employed often in the most homely and laborious occupations, faring
hard, and who has but little leisure for reading or study ; but let not
the youngster despair : it is wonderful what diligence and a settled
resolution to surmount the difficulties of situation will accomplish for
the beginner.

Were we at liberty, we could mention the names of several celebrated
and distinguished men who,

u Though poverty’s cold wind and crushing rain
Beat keen and heavy on their youthful days,” — (Thomson),

have now retired from active life, enjoying the fruits of their early
labours in comfort and in honour. Such characters are by no means
rare in this country, and are impressive incentives to the most obscure
probationer to persevere in his up-hill course.

Another way of gaining a knowledge of plants is by collecting speci¬
mens to form an herbarium. A general herbarium requires too much
of a journeyman’s time and space to be attempted ; but one to corre¬
spond with the Linnsean system, and another of specimens of the
Jussieuan orders, would be at once convenient and useful.

There is another expedient by which a knowledge of gardening may
be expeditiously acquired ; it is by keeping a journal of operations.
Wherever a young man may be employed, whether in a first or sixth-
rate place, he should always keep a written record of his own or others’
employments in the various departments of the business. If well
arranged in columns for the reception of dates, sowings, &c., with pre¬
sent and (room left for) future remarks, a very useful book for reference
might be possessed, which would continue to be useful as long as the
writer lives.

Journeymen gardeners can indulge in but few amusements; their
laborious exertions incapacitate them for active exercises after the toils

408

LA NDSC APE GARDENING.

of the day ; and their hours of rest, except what is necessary for sleep,
should be devoted to mental improvement, rather than to cards, or
other sedentary games of skill or chance. Music, for those who have
a turn that way, is a pleasing and most rational amusement, and may
be delightful to one’s immediate associates ; but this talent must not
make the possessor a wanderer from home.

But the principal and most important objects of the young gardener’s
attention must be the different branches of culmary, fruit, and fewer
gardening, to which may be added arboriculture and landscape garden¬
ing. These should engross the study of his youth, the attention of his
manhood, and the cares of his declining years ; but the sooner in life
he becomes master of all these, the better chance he will have of being
advanced to a situation where he will have full scope for the exercise
of his early acquirements of knowledge, and at the same time meet that
reward which former assiduity and attention may merit.

There is still another paramount matter not yet alluded to, but
which forms the chief excellence of a gardener’s and every other man’s
character, whether old or young — we mean, propriety of conduct,
moral worth, and faithfulness in the discharge of every social and pro¬
fessional duty. So necessary are these traits of character to a gardener,
that his success in life depends even more on them than on the most
shining professional attainments ; and often we have seen the defects
of the gardener merged in respect for the man.

But, as there is no natural barrier which prevents the union of per¬
sonal worth and professional ability, and as they are often seen in most
happy conjunction, we conclude these remarks by strongly recommend¬
ing to our young readers the absolute necessity of their endeavouring
to afford, in their own cases, an exemplification of that happy union,
which, while it reflects credit on the profession, renders honour and
recompence to the deserving professor.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

LETTER SEVENTEEN.

Sir, — I ended my last communication with a few remarks on what
are called picturesque forms. I have now to advert to the colours of
objects which are more or less pleasing in landscape, and to the nature
of surfaces, whether rough or smooth, and thereby pleasing or otherwise
to the eye.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

409

In viewing and speaking of the objects around us, their colour is
always impressive; and if we approve or admire, we say they look gaily,
or beautiful, or splendid; and if we dislike their colour, we condemn
them as heavy, or dead, or cheerless.

Every object has a natural, and therefore a befitting, colour ; and as
the landscape gardener has often to design structures or buildings of
different descriptions for enriching or improving his scenery, he must
study to give them that colour that will best harmonise with the
scenery around. Massive buildings should be always of a sober grey
or stone colour; lighter structures, as alcoves, seats, fences, &c., may
be painted of any tint that will be most suitable. Many are fond of
making these objects as conspicuous as possible, by the aid of the house-
painter’s white brush, but this offends the landscape painter and every
eye of taste ; even a white chair or seat in a park or pleasure-ground is
objectionable. According to the old distich : —

“ Pour le repos du corps je ru’appelle une banc,

Pour le repos d’ceil pourquoi suis-je blanc?”

So that, as the eye as well as the body requires repose, it should not be
irritated by any flaring colour.

White objects are so conspicuous, that they quite destroy the har¬
mony of a picture, and no painter will admit them if he can avoid it ;
they look much worse, however, in a painting than in real scenery,
because in the latter they are only temporary. No objects of park-
scenery are more admired than the hawthorn trees while in blossom,
though no painter could be persuaded to introduce such glaring patches
into a composition. In this instance, the ideas of the painter and land¬
scape gardener are not in accordance; but this relates only to such
plants which present, when in flower, broad masses of white : they
agree respecting whitewashed buildings, which are always too con¬
spicuous, whether in real or painted scenery.

Red brick or tiled buildings are not admired in landscape, being
unsociable colours, and too far removed from the prevailing tints of sur¬
rounding objects. Mild colours and mellow hues are always the most
pleasing in beautiful scenery, strong contrasts being only admissible in
the picturesque.

The power of producing or changing colours cannot be exercised by
the gardener but on a very limited scale : he may give greater apparent
depth to a recess in a wood by planting the inner end with trees of
dark foliage, or in disposing his flowers in a parterre, in order to pro¬
duce the best effect ; but, except buildings, fences, &c., there is little
under his command.

3 Gr

VOL. V. — NO. LXV.

410

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

It is in this particular that the power of the painter exceeds so much
that of the gardener ; the former has every hue and every combination
of hues on his palette* and can apply them so as to produce a finely-
balanced picture ; he can qualify his strong light, and show forms in
the deepest shade ; he can admit a sunbeam on a far distant object, and
cover his foreground or middle distance with the shadow of a dense
cloud. Such manoeuvres belong to the practice of painting, and, when
artfully executed, the most pleasing and valuable works are produced.
The gardener’s province is much more circumscribed ; he must take
the general surface and natural features of the place as he finds them,
add or take away where he can, and, after doing as much as is fairly
practicable and judicious, it may happen that he is told by one of the
wise ones, that his ability as an improver is only negative — that is, the
best parts of the design are those on which he has done nothing! The
great Brown himself, or rather his memory, has suffered by a lash of
this kind, as the finest feature (a hanging wood opposite the house) of
his great work (Blenheim) is that which he left untouched. On his
behalf it may be replied, that, seeing nothing could be done to improve
it, he left it alone ; but this excuse does not seem to have occurred to
his opponents.

Besides the form and colour of objects, whether natural or artificial,
they have another property which makes them more or less attractive
to the eye ; that is, the character of their surfaces, whether rough or
smooth. Bugged or shaggy surfaces are less inviting to the eye (though
their rigidity is only known by the touch) than those which are smooth.
The native diamond is less lustrous and engaging than the brilliant ;
the hostile black-thorn is more repulsive than the myrtle — the hedge¬
hog than the kitten. All objects, therefore, that enter into landscape
are more or less pleasing according as they are more or less smooth, or
which have their surfaces composed of parts so uniform in size that the
idea of smoothness is conveyed. Softness, which also can be judged of
by an experienced eye, is nearly allied to smoothness in scenery, and
without them there can be no absolute beauty. Their counterparts, as
ruggedness, harshness, and hardness, are all of a picturesque character ;
but the former are enhanced in value by a due intermixture of the
latter. A beautiful face, adorned with ringlets of flowing hair, is more
captivating than if the head were bald, and no ornament substituted!
so finely undulating ground receives additional beauty when partially
clothed with trees and shrubs.

The finest scenes are, therefore, those in which smooth softness is
varied by the irregular forms of arborescent vegetation, or where the
same serves to partially conceal the rugged forms of rocks, or the deep
chasms of a mountain stream.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

411

These are a part of the particulars which the landscape gardener has
to study in improving garden scenery. When he has discovered “ the
genius ” of the place., whether the predominating character be beauty
or picturesqueness, or of a mixed character, his dispositions will be
easily introduced.

The style introduced by Brown has been so universally adopted in
this country, that it has obtained the title of “ English Gardening.”
Its principles have been carefully studied by several professors on the
continent, and many places have been executed there which are even
more elaborate in their details than anything which has yet been done
in England.

The greatest defect in many of our English parks is their vacant
tameness, arising from the want of undergrowths, stately timber trees
and smooth turf being the only ingredients. This state of noblemen’s
and gentlemen’s parks, in this country, has been brought about by the
park-keepers rather than by the original designer. The finest-formed
trees, to grow into money, and the sweetest turf for the deer and sheep,
were the grand objects of the keeper ; of course all undergrowths were
extirpated, and all picturesque trees were doomed to the axe.

I remember, on one occasion, a nobleman consulting an eminent
landscape gardener about the improvement of his park. His Grace
had read “ The Landscape,” and, on the representations contained in
that poetical effusion, had previously cut down every Scotch fir on his
premises ; but, notwithstanding this accession of light, the professor
still complained of “ the prodigality of shade,” observing, that he
“ could not see the wood for trees,” and advised a judicious thinning.
His Grace immediately ordered his steward and woodman to go through
the woods, and mark a fall ; but afterwards, seeing so many marks of
condemnation, thought it well to recal the professor to judge of the
steward’s taste. The professor was shocked to behold every straggler
and every finely-branched “monarch of the wood” — in short, every
tree which he himself would have preferred to stand — sentenced to
come down. The steward’s taste and judgment were reversed, and the
professor was well paid for his interference ; but he did not escape
without a full share of odium for his want of knowledge of the beauty
of trees and value of timber.

But how is this defect (the want of undergrowths) to be remedied ?
It is certainly more effectually done at first — that is, when the woods
are planted — than afterwards : the planting and sowing may, however,
be done at any time. No plants are suitable for this purpose except
those which defend themselves against the browsing of cattle. Those
which I saw raised for the purpose, and which answered so well at

412

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

Fairfax Hall, are the only sorts to be relied on, viz. holly, hawthorn,
and juniper. The first and second of these should prevail near the
house ; the last, together with the others, at greater distances ; and to
which, if a portion of common broom and furze be added, though wild
plants, they will not be considered intruders ; for, though improper
inmates of a pleasure-ground, they are quite natural, and even orna¬
mental, on the outskirts of a park.

Such kinds may be either sown or planted ; and, no doubt, the better
way is to do both at the same time- — that is, to drop a few seeds at the
root of every plant. A single spit or spadeful turned to receive small
plants from the seed-bed, or half-a-dozen prepared seeds ¥ , will be all
that is necessary to ensure a birth of undergrowth, wherever wanted, in
the course of a few years.

These plants or seeds should be distributed in very irregular patches,
under the old trees, and sometimes extended, here and there, beyond
the margins of the groups or woods, to give the whole a more natural
semblance, and to unite the lowest branches of the trees with the
ground.

This addition to lofty woods would destroy their character as e: open
groves a feature in park scenery which has always been much
admired, and, when on one or both sides, and near to the mansion,
deservedly so ; but when every group or wood in the park is an open
grove, an air of vacancy and sameness is felt in viewing them — not
being half so interesting as if a major part of them -were judiciously
varied and relieved by a base or fringe of underwood.

To look into the recesses of a wood is always interesting ; but if the
eye passes quite through, an unfavourable idea is created, as well of its
extent as of its beauty.

Very many of our most celebrated parks are planted in this open-
grove style, and on that very account are objected to, as already stated,
by every one who has a taste for these things — they averring that,
without the dignity, it is not a whit more interesting than the Dutch
style of parallel or diverging avenues, which it superseded.

As country residences are of various characters, the embellishments
around them should partake in some degree of that character ; hence
the landscape gardener’s dispositions must vary with the circumstances
of natural features, style and character of the building, extent of
embellishment, and the proprietor’s particular wishes.

Under the characters of residences, I may enumerate royal, ducal,
and episcopal palaces ; colleges and public halls ; old ecclesiastical

* The seeds of holly and hawthorn require to be pitted for twelve months before they

are sown.

L AN DSC APE G ARDEN1XG.

413

establishments, and castles modernised in imitation of them ; noble¬
men’s and gentlemen’s country seats, down to the suburban villa.

It is very obvious that these different establishments require different
styles of exterior as well as of interior decoration. The royal palace
should have accompaniments of a very different character, and on a
much more ample scale, than any private residence whatever. The
style of gardening introduced by Kent, as exemplified at Kew, was an
attempt to bestow gracefulness and beauty on a place which he perhaps
considered as too formal and unpicturesque (he, being a painter by pro¬
fession, had become enamoured of irregular forms). On this spot he
was undoubtedly right, because it was then, as now, a private, rather
than a public, royal palace. What he did at Claremont was also in the
irregular style ; and, unluckily , his followers, the Brownists, not only
embraced his principles, but considered them applicable to every resi¬
dence in the kingdom, whether palace or abbey/castle or villa.

The Dutch style of ornamental gardening is certainly the best suited
for the embellishment of a royal palace. Magnificence, grandeur,
and dignity, should be the attributes of a residence of royalty, particu¬
larly if used for state occasions. The palace itself should occupy a
commanding station, considerably elevated above the subject territory.
To add dignity thereto, the gardener must subdue the ground by
bringing it into an ostensibly artificial form, and the whole vegetable
kingdom into subjection, by arranging his trees in right lines, to form
avenues of approach to. or wide and open glades diverging in all direc¬
tions from, the palace. The angles subtended by the avenues and
glades should be thickly planted, to give massiveness to the sylvan
features. No kind of intricacy of lines, or disposition of herbs or
shrubs, are admissible here, which would detract from the solemn
majesty of the scenes.

Hampton Court, Kensington Gardens, and parts of St. James’s Park,
were originally laid out in this style, and in all these places has been
partly maintained. In the latter it has been lately departed from, and
some very beautiful irregular scenery created ; but with what pro¬
priety, as attached to a royal palace at one end, and to a military
parade at the other, I shall not take upon me to decide.

A ducal palace has no peculiar character requiring any definite style
of embellishment, other than what high rank and affluence demand ;
as a rule, however, nothing that is petty, either in design or execution,
should be observable about such an abode.

An archiepiscopal palace, from the sacred character of the occupier,
should afford all the advantages of solemn quiet and L retirement ; it
should be embosomed in lofty groves of trees, chiefly evergreens, cedars,

414

VEGETABLE MORPHOLOGY.

cypress, yew, &c., to shed a suitable gloom over the quiet walks, the
cloisters, the study, and the chapel of the palace. Gay gardens, open
lawns, and sprightly scenes would be here misplaced, for seclusion
should be the predominating characteristic of the demesne.

Castellated mansions should be accompanied with traces of their
ancient defences, in respect of the disposition of the ground round the
base. In the formation of a scarp, counterscarp, glacis, &c., the
designer may make a very convenient and very suitable disposition
of the ground and plantation, by taking a lesson from the art of
fortification.

(To be continued .)

MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE.

Vegetable Morphology. — At a meeting of the Horticultural
Society, held at the house in Regent Street, on Tuesday, the 20th of
September, a branch of a pear-tree was exhibited as a great natural
curiosity. The branch had one pear upon it, and the axis of the shoot,
on which the fruit was produced, was continued through the pear, and
developed several leaves above it. Perhaps it would be more proper
to state, that the axis of the shoot did not terminate in the usual way ;
that is, at the base of the footstalk or peduncle of the fruit, but was
prolonged through the fleshy calyx, and was continued beyond.

This accident is by no means uncommon, for many of the highly cul¬
tivated varieties of the pear and other fruits present the same kind of
malformation frequently. Mr. Saul, of Lancaster, a most ingenious
mechanist, and an enthusiastic lover of gardening, sent us a drawing of
a shoot having no less than three imperfect pears upon it, one above
another. Pine-apple plants sometimes present the same deformity —
that is, bearing three fruit on the same stem, one above another. The
double-flowering cherry will occasionally protrude a shoot through the
middle of a flower, leaving the circle of petals behind. All double
flowers are similar productions, of which the proliferous Hen-and-
Chicken Daisy is a remarkable exemplification.

As we have double or monstrous flowers, so we have double fruit ;
such as a large and a smaller pear growing on the same footstalk,
double cherries, double plums, &c. ; double leaves, double stems, and
many other irregularities in the growth of highly cultivated plants.

Other deformities are visible on the trunks of trees, like vast warts
or wens, which keep increasing with the annual growth till they become

VEGETABLE MORPHOLOGY.

415

of very great size. Such may be frequently seen on aged beech and
elm trees, and which, when cut up for use, are highly prized by
cabinet-makers for cutting into veneers.

Vegetable membrane is sometimes curiously distorted by insects.
Ihe mossy tufts on the sweetbrier and dog-rose; the various sorts of
galls seen on the buds, leaves, and petioles of oak-trees, showing the
most elegant subdivision, and regular expansion of the cuticle, and
transformation of the various members ; are all the works of insects,
and are similar to the tubercles, called ‘f fingers and toes,” on the
stems and tubers of the genus Brassica . Other insects, as the Eriosma,
corrode and blister the bark, causing unnatural prominences and
enlargements, every way unlike the natural expansion of the parts.

Whether we examine the regular forms and beauty of the oak-galls, or
the irregular moss-like tufts on the brier, we cannot but be surprised
at the versatile nature of vegetable membrane, that can be turned into
forms so decidedly different from any other part of those plants, and
by an obstruction so minute as the egg of a very small fly, deposited in
one of the sap-vessels of the bud or leaf: and, if a result so remarkable
be caused by the interposition of so small an agent, how much more
must the manipulations of the cultivator affect the ordinary evolutions
of plants, and cause them to fly from their normal habits?

It is observable that such departures from the normal or natural
form (as a shoot growing through a terminal dower or fruit), only occur
among the highly-pampered varieties of flowers or fruit, such incidents
being rarely met with among plants in a state of nature. Hence it has
been long considered by old gardeners, as well as the older botanists,
that such phenomena and irregularities were solely attributable to high
cultivation, causing derangement in the structural habit in consequence
of the various expedients of culture to which they were subjected.

These variations in the growth of domesticated plants are very
similar to what takes place among domesticated animals. For proof,
we have only to consider what diversity of size, and shape, and colour
obtain among our herds and flocks, in our stables, kennels, and poultry-
yards ; all which variety is evidently the result of domestication.

From these instances of metamorphosis, to which both animals and
vegetables are subject, under the expedients of culture or attack of
insects, we may reasonably conclude that the membranes of the latter,
and the constitutional structure of the former, are both susceptible of
derangement, in so far as their external integuments or members are
liable to foreign or artificial influences.

But the metamorphosis of plants is explained and accounted for in a
very different manner by several of our first-rate modern botanists ; they

VEGETABLE MORPHOLOGY.

416

deny that irregularity of the growth, as exemplified in the specimen
exhibited at the meeting alluded to, is a consequence of high cultiva¬
tion, or of any derangement effected by art ; on the contrary, they con¬
sider such aberration of the growth as a true indication of the real
character of vegetable membrane. “A plant,” say they, " is com¬
pounded of root, stem, and leaves, and many plants live for years
without exhibiting any other member or organ whatever ; but, in the
case of a pear-tree, if it receive any check, whether by art or accident,
so that the shoots cease to lengthen, the leaves, which would have other¬
wise been developed at considerable distances from each other, become
crowded together on the point of the shoot, and there become meta¬
morphosed ; the outer ones changing into involucrums, or bractea, or
calyces and corollas, and the inner ones transformed into stamens and
pistils : and thus a beautiful flower is exhibited, followed by a
pulpy fruit containing the seeds. But should the lengthening tendency
of the shoot be not wholly arrested by this metamorphosis, it is con¬
tinued onwards, and appears above the place, as was shown at the
meeting of the Horticultural Society.”

The gravamen of the above representation is briefly this : — Roots,
stems, and leaves are the primary and rudimental organs, or organised
material, of the plant, out of which all other members, whether simply
foliaceous, fiorescent, or fructiferous, are fortuitously formed, expanded,
and matured; hence a fair inference is deducible, namely, that spines,
prickles, stipulas, bractea, calyces, corollas, stamens, disks, pistils, and
seeds, have no rudimental identity in the system, but are merely the
results of accidental circumstances.

The abettors of this physiological doctrine do not endeavour to prove
it by showing that leaves are transmutable into the various members of
a flower, which would be the direct and logical line of argument ; but,
conversely, by showing that these members are occasionally changed
into leaves, concluding therefrom that their normal or original condition
must have been that of simple leaves.

That a party-coloured foliar expansion is sometimes seen on the stem
or scape of a tulip, which is neither a proper leaf nor a petal, is well
known : that there are many proliferous, and thousands of monstrous
flowers and fruit, is indisputable. All these instances of exuberant
growth are called irregular metamorphoses, and the ordinary develop¬
ment of plants is called regular metamorphosis ; in other words, when
certain circumstances occur, the leaves are suddenly changed into
flowers and fruit.

This branch of the science of botany having been adopted by a great
majority of the leading botanists of the day, gives the doctrine itself a

BOTANICAL EXTRACTS.

417

sanction which operates to dispel the doubts of those who are less
versed in the science. Yet we cannot help observing, that those who
have taken the most pains to explain it, proceed no further in their
illustration than showing that the capsule is a convolved leaf, adding
nothing about the identity and numbers of the seeds, which, if all the
floral members are only contorted leaves, the seeds must also be leaves.
Nor is it explained how it happens that plants which have no leaves
bear, notwithstanding, large and magnificent flowers, such as Cereus,
Stapelia, and the like.

It has long been believed that plants, like animals, are composed of
definite organs, each fitted to perform distinct functions for the well¬
being of the system ; and more especially was it believed, that the
reproductive organs had identity as well as leaves, or stems, or roots.
The new doctrine of morphology teaches the reverse, roots, stems, and
leaves being permanent and rudimental — flowers and fruit only casual
and uncertain.

Botanical Extracts. — “ Pceonia . — The Peeonies derive their
name from Paeon, by whom they were first medicinally employed : it
was with them, according to Homer, that he cured Pluto of a wound
inflicted by Hercules. By the ancient Greek physicians, the Peeony
was held in very high esteem ; but their praises are too extravagant for
sober repetition. Among other superstitions, they believed it to be of
divine origin — an emanation from the moon, and that it shone during
the night; also, that it had the power of driving away evil spirits,
averting tempests, and protecting harvests from injury— superstitions
which probably sprang from each other, and gave rise to the long train
of errors above adverted to. Modern times are not, however, free from
some remnants of these absurdities. The anodyne necklaces, still sold to
prevent convulsions in children, and to ease dentition, are made of beads
turned from the root of the common Peeony. Its antispasmodic powers,
though often dwelt on, are very feeble, and it is chiefly to be regarded
as a nauseous and acrid bitter. The seeds of P. officinalis are said to
be emetic and cathartic ; and the roots of P. anomala and P. albijlora
are, according to Pallas, eaten in Siberia, either simply boiled, or as an
ingredient in soups. 4 The seeds of the latter are also,’ he says, f used
in the same country instead of tea/

“ The Peeonies, however, are chiefly cultivated for the beauty of their
flowers ; and, in China, the Moutan is as great a favourite as the rose
is here. The Chinese poets have celebrated it in verse, and their
gardeners claim the honour of having rendered it suflrutescent by
skill and care. The several varieties of Moutan are much less tender

3 H

VOL. V. — NO. LXV

418

BOTANICAL EXTRACTS.

than they are usually considered, and will flourish in our gardens with
very slight protection.

“ Nelumbmrn speciosum. — The Pythagorean bean is supposed to
have been the fruit of this plant — the water Lotus, formerly a native
of Egypt, and other warm regions in Africa and Asia, but not to be
found in the Nile, its most celebrated habitat of antiquity. It was
called Cyamus by the ancients, and its present generic name is an
alteration of the Cingalese word Nelumbo.

“ The rhizoma, commonly called the creeping root, as well as the
seeds, are eatable, and they are said to be both savoury and wholesome.
In China, the plant is called Lein-faa, and the seeds and slices of the
jointed rhizomas, with the kernels of apricots and walnuts, alternated
with layers of ice, were frequently presented to the British ambassador
and his suite at breakfasts given by some of the principal mandarins.
The tubers are preserved by the Chinese in salt and vinegar for winter
use. In Persia, Japan, and other countries, it is much esteemed as
food, and its seeds manufactured to serve as bread. In China and
Japan it is regarded as a sacred plant, considered to be a pleasing
offering to their deities, and their idols are often figured sitting on its
leaves. N. luteum, which is a native of America, has been naturalised
in the ponds as far north as Philadelphia, and its fruit is much relished
by the Indians and by children.

“ Nymphia, Nuphar, and Euryale are allied genera ; some of the
former are highly ornamental aquatics, and the flowers of some are fra¬
grant, others are scentless, and those of Nuphar lutea have an alcoholic
odour resembling brandy. They are also physiologically interesting
from the varied elongations of their peduncles, to suit the varied depths
of the waters in which they grow, and their almost sensitive irrita¬
bility, which causes their daily elevation above the surface of the
water, and the expansion of their petals during the sunshine, and the
nocturnal collapse of the flowers, with their drooping heads, which, in
some instances, lie down on the shield-like leaves, and in others retire
below the surface of the water during the night, but again emerge on
the coming of day.

“ Ficus Carica . — The common fig, and F. elasiica , or Indian-rubber
tree, are the most important species of the genus; the former is a
dietetic plant ; the latter for the caoutchouc, with which it abounds.
Several other species, both of this and kindred genera, yield this valu¬
able and curious substance, which is daily becoming of more and more
economical importance. Even now, (1835,) although for such a short
time known, and for a still shorter time rendered generally subservient
to the arts, a volume might be written on the purposes to which it is
applicable, or has been already applied.

BOTANICAL EXTRACTS.

419

“ The common tig, originally a native of the East, and abounding in
Cartel, (whence the specific name, Carica ,) has been naturalised for
immemorial ages in various parts of Africa and Asia, whence it spread
into Greece, and thence into Spain, Italy, and other parts of Europe.
The great estimation in ■which tigs were held in former times, may be
presumed from the frequent mention that is made of them in the earliest
traditions and most ancient records we possess. The leaves of the fig-
tree formed the aprons with which our first parents clad themselves in
Paradise. Figs are mentioned among the choice fruits of Canaan — the
promised land f flowing with milk and honey and, in after ages, the
want of blossom of the fig-tree was considered as one of the most
grievous calamities by the Jews. Cakes of figs were included in the
presents of provisions by which the wife of Xabal appeased the wrath
of David. In Greece, when Lycurgus decreed that the Spartan men
should dine in a common hall, flour, wine, cheese, and figs were the
principal contributions of each individual to the general stock. 1 he
Athenians considered figs an article of such necessity, that their
exportation from Attica was prohibited ; and when Xerxes invaded
Greece, one of the advantages ■which he proposed as the result of his
expedition was, that he should have unlimited supplies of Attic figs.
Either the temptation to evade the law which prohibited the exporta¬
tion of figs from Attica must have been very great, or it must have
been much disliked ; for the name which distinguished those who
informed against the violators of the law, si/cophantas, became a term
of reproach, from which we obtain our word sycophant. At Rome, the
fig was carried next to the vine in the processions in honour of Bac¬
chus, as the patron of plenty and joy ; and Bacchus was supposed to
have derived his corpulency and vigour, not from the vine, but from
the fig.

“ The Romans, knowing the great nutritious power of this fruit,
lessened the rations of their slaves during the fig season. The wTrestlers
fed also on figs to strengthen themselves, and pigs and geese were
fattened on them ; the latter especially were fed on figs, when it was
desired to enlarge the liver as a delicacy. All these circumstances
indicate that the fig contributed very largely to the support of man ;
and we may reasonably account for this from the facility with wdiich it
is cultivated in climates of moderate temperature : like the Cereals, it
appears to flourish in a very considerable range of latitude ; and even
our own country frequently produces fine fruit, without much diffi¬
culty, in the open air, especially in the southern counties ; yet, from
prejudice — probably from the fig having been once a common vehicle
for poison — it is not so much cultivated here as it. might be, although

420

BOTANICAL EXTRACTS.

it is still confessed that it belongs to more genial climates to realise the
ancient description of peace and security, which assigns these best
blessings of heaven to f every man under his own fig-tree/

“ Figs form an important article of Levantine commerce, and
between 800 and 1000 tons are annually imported into Great Britain
alone, principally from Turkey. Smyrna is a great fig mart, and
Madden, in his f Travels,’ gives the following account of the interest
they there excite: — f In Smyrna, the subject of figs is the fruitful
theme of conversation. You ask about the gardens of Bournabul, and
you hear that figs abound there ; you inquire about the curiosities of
that place, and they lead you to the fig-mart. Solicit information on
politics, and you are told ‘ figs are low ; ’ and when you seek further
intelligence, you are told f figs are flat.’ In short, go where you will,
the eternal cry is figs, figs, figs ! and the very name, I apprehend, will
be found engraven on their hearts at their decease.’

“ Figs are demulcent and slightly laxative ; they have been long
used in domestic medicine as favourite poultices. This probably arose
from King Hezekiah’s boil having been cured by a lump of figs, applied
according to the directions of Isaiah. This was two hundred and sixty
years before the time of Hippocrates, and is the most ancient cataplasm
of which history makes mention. In the Canaries, in Portugal, and in
the Greek Archipelago, a kind of brandy is made from figs.

“ Corypha innbraculifera.—Th.e majestic Talipot palm of Ceylon is
described to be as big and tall as a large ship’s mainmast, and very
straight. The leaves, which are very large — some capacious enough to
cover from twenty to forty men — are of great use, for, being dried, they
are very strong and limber ; though very broad when open, they will
fold close like fans, and are then no bigger than a man’s arm. The
whole leaf spread is round, but it is cut into triangular pieces for use ;
these the natives lay upon their heads when they travel, with the
narrow end foremost, to make their way through thickets. The soldiers
there all carry these umbrellas, not only to shade them from the sun,
and keep them dry in case of rain on their march, but, when set on end,
to make tents for them to lie under. A magnificent crown of leaves, as
is usual with palms, terminates the stately column, one hundred feet in
height, which is formed by the trunk. The Talipot bears no fruit until
the last year of its life, and then yellow blossoms, most lovely to behold,
but very strong-scented, come out on the top, and spread abroad in
great branches ; the fruit is in such abundance, that one palm will
yield seed enough to stock the whole country ; the berries are round
and hard, the size of our largest cherries, but not good to eat. The
flowers smell so strongly, that the Ceylonese cut the palms down, when

EXTRACTS FROM A CATECHISM OF COTTAGE GARDENING. 421

growing near their houses, before the blossoms open. The trunks, when
young, are full of a mealy pith-like substance, which is beaten in mor¬
tars, and cakes made of it, that have very much the taste of common
white bread. The leaves are used, instead of thatch, for roofing houses,
and also for writing on with an iron style. Most of the books shown
in Europe for the Egyptian papyrus are made from the leaves of this
palm. In Malabar it is called Codda Banna , and is certainly one of
the most stupendous of the palms.” — Bur. Bot .

This plant is no less singular in magnitude than in its mode of
inflorescence. It is an individual plant, of which there are but few
instances in the vegetable kingdom, except among annuals, and there
exist but few of them. The Talipot is incapable of division, having
neither suckers, branches, nor buds, and is increasable only by seed.
The Cockscomb Amaranthus ( Celosia cristata ) is a familiar instance
of a similar constitution ; it has only one stem, and one terminal crest
of flowers, which, when the seeds are ripe, the whole dies. In these
two instances of individual plants, it is observable that, though nature
has denied them the power of reproducing themselves by offsets or
branches, to remain after the central flower is gone, vet they are both
most productive of seminal progeny to perpetuate the species. Many
compound plants have terminal flowers on each of their divisions, such
as the common American Agave, and the common House-leek. When
the flowers fade, and the seed is ripe, the whole division of the plant
dies : this is also the case with many of the perennial grasses, as well
as among annuals.

Extracts from a Catechism of Cottage Gardening, a
second edition of which has just been 'published. Ridgways, 169,
Piccadilly.

This little tract is intended for village schools and cottagers, and
contains plain and brief directions for cultivating every kind of vege¬
table in common use. It is dedicated to the patrons and patronesses
of village schools in Great Britain and Ireland, and is preceded by a
few introductory remarks, from which we have made the following
extracts: —

te At no former period has the education of the lower classes of
society been more an object of public concern than at the present.
National and other schools have been established in every parish, if not
in every village, in the kingdom. It has always been considered par¬
ticularly desirable that, in such establishments, some useful occupation
should be taught along with the ordinary education of the labouring
poor. Needle-work, knitting, &c., is the easily-taught business of

422 EXTRACTS FROM A CATECHISM OF COTTAGE GARDENING.

female children ; but useful employment is not so conveniently found
for school-boys. To all those who are intended for rural occupations,
a knowledge of the first principles and practice of agriculture and gar¬
dening would be a valuable acquisition. The first, however, could
only be taught theoretically, because the practice requires a field for
operations by far more ample, and means more expensive, than could be
attached to a village school. But the second could be easily communi¬
cated ; a comparatively small spot of land would suffice to show the
practice and its results, while the rules of the art might be acquired
in the daily school exercises, whether as reading, spelling, or cate¬
chetical lessons.

“ Next to the inculcation of religious and moral principles, those of
gardening are peculiarly necessary to every grade of rural society.
Every individual, from the highest to the lowest, has, or wishes to
have, a garden ; the management is as easy as it is rational — as pleasing
as it is profitable. Even children delight in gardening ; and at school,
if occasionally introduced as a task, it might be an incentive to the
acquirement of more intellectual knowledge, making the latter less
fatiguing to the giddy mind of childhood.

“ Entertaining the above ideas, and seeing the example of many
academies on the continent, the author has employed himself in draw¬
ing up the following little work. He has chosen the catechetical form,
in order that it may bear some resemblance to other elementary school¬
books ; so that the teacher may give a portion of the questions to be
answered by the pupils, as he does those of religion, history, &c. By
such exercises, many, if not all the most useful and common practices
may be impressed, and, when connected with a view of the operations,
fixed on the mind.

The book will be useful to the master as well as to his scholars, as
enabling him to direct the operations and culture of what should
redound to his own advantage, as tenant of the school-garden ; and no
task imposed by him in the business or care thereof would ever be
deemed a hardship by the pupils.

“ As a remembrancer and book of reference, it will be useful to
every cottager who is not already sufficiently acquainted with cottage
gardening ; the directions are briefly plain, and can hardly be mis¬
understood.

“ Vegetable Poisons. — It is very necessary that children should know
the names and appearance of hurtful or dangerous plants (some of which
grow wild in every lane and common), in order to avoid them. For
this purpose, every school-garden should have a small bed marked
poisons, and containing a plant of each, that the children may become

EXTRACTS FROM A CATECHISM OF COTTAGE GARDENING. 4*23

familiar with their forms, while they receive advice to be aware of their
bad effects. The following are the most common, viz. : —

f< Bryony grows in hedges ; it has long climbing stems, greenish-
white flowers, succeeded by little bunches of red berries, hanging con¬
spicuously after the leaves have fallen. The root is a large tuber,
containing dangerous qualities.

White and black, and all other species of Hellebore , are garden
plants, and accounted poisonous.

“ Cuckoo Pint, or ‘ Lords and Ladies,’ grow under every hedge ;
their spikes of red berries are apt to attract the notice of children.

“ Meadow Anemone grows in damp and shady places ; the flowers
are pretty, and often in the hands of children.

“ Spurge. Two or three sorts grow wild ; they are known by their
milk-like juice.

“ Butter-cups, so plentiful in meadows and pastures, have an
extremely acrid quality, which renders them dangerous.

Meadow Narcissus is common in some places : the bulbs should
not be played with by children.

“ Henbane grows in lanes and waste ground; it has a nauseous scent,
and thereby easily detected.

Aconitum is cultivated in gardens for its flowers, commonly called
monkshood : is very dangerous.

“ Foxglove grows on every hedge-bank, having tall spikes of purple
flowers : it contains noxious qualities.

“ Dwale, or Deadly Nightshade, grows in shady waste ground : the
berries are like small purple cherries, and too inviting to children.
This plant should be eradicated from about every village.

“ Bitter-Sweet grows in hedges — has flowers exactly like those of the
potato, only much smaller : these are succeeded by bunches of red
berries — dangerous.

“ Fool’s Parsley grows on the sides of ditches, and in meadows; it
resembles common parsley, but the scent is very different.

“ Hemlock is found in hedges, or in waste corners behind farm¬
houses : its purple-spotted stem, much-divided leaves, and nauseous
scent, easily point it out.

“ Besides the foregoing, there are the Thorn- Apptle, or Stramonium ;
the Colchicum, or Meadow Saffron ; and all kinds of Toadstools should
be proscribed, except for medical purposes administered by medical men.
Children should also know that the berries of the Wood-Laurel are
dangerous, and that the Yew-tree is poisonous to cattle not used to it,
more especially if they eat the clippings of yew-hedges thrown out of a
garden.

424 EXTRACTS FROM A CATECHISM OF COTTAGE GARDENING.

General Advice on the Subject. — Notwithstanding the business of
gardening is governed by a set of axioms adduced from experience,
which regulate the operations as to the times and manner of perform¬
ance — and though by attending to them the cottager cannot do much
amiss — yet it should be understood that a good gardener is never bound
exactly by rules ; discretion must often be exercised : there are many
particulars which, if known and attended to, augment considerably the
annual produce of any given spot of ground. This 'is accomplished by
studying well the nature of the crops, how they succeed each other,
and by taking care that no ground be suffered to remain unnecessarily
vacant in the growing season. Soon as one crop is nearly fit for use.
another should be in readiness to take its place. All vegetables that
may be used at any stage of their growth, as cabbage, lettuce, onions,
&c., may be sown or planted in drills, on ground intended for other
crops ; for, soon as the first begins encroach injuriously on the second,
it may be drawn for use. For instance, the ground intended for peas
or beans in the spring, may be digged in the autumn, and intermediately
planted with coleworts, in double rows, at such distances as will admit
beans to be dibbed, or peas drilled between in January and February.
So also, before bean or pea haulm is cleared away in summer, the spaces
between the rows may be digged and planted with cabbage, broccoli,
or any other winter crop. By such management, together with the
facilities afforded by the row-culture of putting in immediate crops,
much more may be made of a limited piece of ground, than can pos¬
sibly be raised where broad-casting seed prevails. It is true that
onion, radish, and lettuce, are broad-casted together: and if attention
be paid to draw away the radish and lettuce in time, the onions suffer
no injury. This, though allowable in cottage gardening, is suitable
but for few kinds of vegetables, and is not to be generally recommended,
except when confined for want of room.

" Although the cottager may amuse himself by cultivating a variety
of esculent vegetables, he must not neglect the more useful kinds, for
they require unceasing attention. He may, to be sure, grow cucum¬
bers and pumpkins — he may have a row or two of Grainge’s Cape
broccoli, which he may use himself, or exchange with his master for
something better — he may even have a small border for flowers — but
the potato, cabbage, savoy, onion, carrot, parsnep, broad beans, and
scarlet runner, demand his chief care. Peas require more space than
the produce is worth; one row only, and that of Knight’s Marrowfat,
may be sown; but even this fine productive pea is inferior to the
runner for family use. Next to stocking his garden with the most
useful kinds of vegetables, the cottager must use his best endeavours

VEGETABLE ORGANISATION.

425

to keep it in good heart. Success depends chiefly on this, and, there¬
fore, he must collect every particle of vegetable or animal matter in a
hollow place between his house and garden, to receive every kind of
drainage from the former, and all refuse from the latter ; also all sorts
of litter and cattle droppings from the public roads, lanes, and com¬
mons, which, when thrown together and turned once or twice till
sufficiently rotten, will be found excellent manure. Ashes, lime-
rubbish, marl, or chalk, may also be added, and mixed in the
compost.

ec Saving Seeds . — The only seeds that are worth the cottager’s while
to save, are those of onion, scarlet runner, radish, and coss-lettuce ; as
to cabbage, savoy, carrot, parsnep, &c., there is such risk in saving
them true, and cost so little if bought, that the amount can be no
object to the buyer. When attempted, however, the finest and truest
specimens of the crop should be chosen to produce seed. A few plants
of radish and lettuce may stand where they were sown ; a score of the
first pods may be left on the runners ; and half-a-dozen of the best
onions planted in a row, on an open spot of the garden, in the month
of February, will yield seed enough for the following season: indeed,
saving onion-seed should be a particular object of the cottager, as, by
having ten or twelve ounces to sell, it will enable him not only to buy
all his other seeds, but a load or two of dung besides.”

The author has added the necessary quantities of seeds for a cottage
garden — the suitable flowers, and implements, and directions, in the
body of the work, for the culture of tubers, stems, leaves, and leaf¬
stalks, esculent flowers, and esculent pods, seeds, &c., with a monthly
calendar.

Vegetable Organisation.— “ In the most simple and elemen¬
tary forms under which plants present themselves to our notice, the
cellular texture alone is found to occur. These plants, the Cellular es
of Decandolle, constitute one of the primary divisions of the vege¬
table kingdom. They differ greatly, both in their internal configura¬
tion — in the several organs or parts of which the vegetable frame con¬
sists — in the roots, stems, branches, leaves, and parts of fructification —
not only from plants of a higher order, but also among themselves.
There is little apparent analogy between the rose that delights us with
its fragrance, and the noisome fungus, Nature’s scavenger — between the
the sturdy oak and the crust which attaches itself to the surface of the
solid rock, either as a whole or in any of their parts ; and yet the tran¬
sition from one of these extremes to the other, through the varied tribes
of this part of Nature’s wide domain, is so gradual, and the relation by

VOL. V. - NO. LXV. 3 I

VEGETAB LE ORGANISATION

426

vwich many :: these tribes are connected together so intimate, that the
difficulty botanists experience in the arrangement of the objects of
their studies frequently consists more in the separation of allied plants
and families, titan in their union with each other into groups.

“ The structure of the powdery lichen, and of its aided species, is
most simple consisting of vesicles only, and those scarce!- connected
together O ther forms of the vast tribe of li chens — these humble indi¬
viduals of the vegetable race which form the first of Nature's coverings
— which act, as it were, the part of pioneers, and, though of small
repute, and to the unobservant eve insignificant — are the very instru¬
ments which it has r leased the Almighty Creator and Ruler of all to
employ as the secondary agents of his power in breaking down the sur¬
face of the hard and barren rock, and rendering many a wild and
uncultivated region fit for the nourishment o: larger tribes of plants*
ana ultimatelv afar tec to the higher orders of animals — ms. ear. of man
himself. Other forms of the vast — and shall we not say important? —
fami!" of rlants are found in which these primary vesicles are closely
compacted into musts cf dims, crusts of extreme tenuity, but covering
the surface of stones, and rocks, and the bark of trees. Such -are the
curious Lecidecz geqgrap lica, so called from its resemblance to a than
or map ; the Graphis elegans , and Opegrapka scrip fa — a species of
mimic writing, &c. Fj.e transitions from these filmy expansions to
the micaceous lichens — such as the common yellow wall-lichen. Far -
melia parietina , and its allies — by the splitting up, as it were, of the
crust, in dineren: directions from the surface to which it is attached,
into scales or lamina of various thickness — as in Squamaria and otheis
of the scalv lichens — is — ed known ; 2nd again mom these through the
Cetraria Jslcmdica, or Iceland moss, and others in which these scaly
and leafv crusts are gradually lengthened into thongs, to the fibrous or
filamentous lichens on the one hand, and into some of the tribe of Alg&,
or sea- weeds, on the other.

The same gradual development of the cellular structure may be
traced in the — a familv of '"lanes, the greater number of which
are inhabitants of the ocean. This is observable in their fructification,
from the simple vesicles of Parpfag/ra and Ulm 1, to tie variously com-
uounlec granules of Gracdaria. Rkadomeia, and Microcladia — manges
accompanied by corresponding "anati ' ns in the structure and configura¬
tion of the entire plants.

The transition fren the Alg<s to the mosses, in which the external
firm approaches still more to those vegetable tribes where the cells,
becoming gradually more elongated, approach more or less to the
tubular structure, is well marked by some of the Hepatic<s} or liver-

VEGETABLE ORGANISATION.

427

worts. Of these last, the frond or leafy expansion of the Riccia natans
affords a beautiful example of the cellular structure, and its general
appearance comes very near to some of the Algce ; while, on the other
hand, many of J linger mannia (another genus of the liverworts) are
almost as closely allied to the mosses.

The mosses are universal favourites ; and it is impossible, even for
the most superficial observer, to have glanced over any of those beautiful
plaDts without admiring the general elegance of their forms, and the
extreme delicacy of their leaves and other parts. The most finished
drawing can convey but a faint and imperfect idea of their extreme
beauty. We must here have recourse to the microscope for ourselves,
and, when thus examined, so as to display their internal structure —
the modifications of cellular texture, as seen in their transparent leaves
— the varied forms and delicacy of these parts — the curious structure
of the filmy teeth which encircle the mouth of their capsules — the
interest which attaches to these productions is increased ten-fold, and
the reflecting mind is lost in the contemplation of the infinitely varied
beauties of form and structure which proceed from the Master-hand,
and which prevail in every department of nature. In the works of the
Creator, there is nothing imperfect — nothing unfinished, whether in
simplicity of design, or in the most delicate or refined construction.
As far as our limited powers will enable us to comprehend it, the same
sublime unity of purpose is displayed throughout. We look above us,
and contemplate the vastness of the heavenly expanse — its brilliant orbs
preserving their prescribed limits, and rolling through in perpetual
harmony, and with never-varying regularity — and we feel lost in the
vastness of the power and wisdom of that Divine Intelligence which
has called them into being, and which presides over, directs, and regu¬
lates the whole. We are ready to exclaim with the psalmist, f What
is man, that Thou art mindful of him ? and the son of man, that Thou
visitest him ? * But shall we therefore infer, with the disciples of a
false philosophy, that He regards not the beings whom he has called
into existence ? — that He, having breathed into them the breath of life,
there leaves them, and casts them aside as utterly beneath his attention
and care ? Let us turn to the humble moss which groweth upon the
wall, and to the insect fiutterer which revelleth its short hour in the
setting: beams of a summer sun. We behold the same attention be-
stowed upon these minute existences — the same care in the adaptation
of the circumstances under which they are placed to the purposes which
they are destined to fulfil. Can we, then, doubt that even ‘ the hairs
of our head are all numbered,’ and that He who so clothed the grass of
the field will fulfil all his purposes of love towards that being, who.

42$

VEGETABLE 0 RG AXIS ATI O X .

though fallen indeed, and in himself powerless of good, is yet gifted
with faculties by which he can investigate*, and in a measure compre¬
hend, the mighty work even of the high and lofty One, who sitteth
upon the circle of the heavens, and inhabiteth eternity.

(e The various species of the fern tribe— those leafy expansions, some
of which rival even the mosses in elegance of form and delicacy of struc-
ture, while others vie with the loftiest denizens of the tropical forests —
are among those forms of vegetation, in the internal texture of which
tubes or vessels, as well as cells, are found to exist. They constitute,
as it were, the transition-link between the cellular and vascular plants,
being allied to the latter in internal structure, while, in external con¬
figuration, and more especially in their fructification, they are inti¬
mately connected with the former. In that covering of herbage, the
verdure and freshness of which gives such a charm to the rich scenery
of the valleys and plains of our native country, we find many different
kinds of plants. These are called Graminecs , or grasses, and resemble
each other very closely in their general structure and appearance, con¬
stituting one of the most natural groups with which we are acquainted ,
They have, for the most part, fibrous roots, a tubular jointed stem,
narrow ribbed leaves, and an elongated spike or panicle of flowers ;
in all which parts, whether root, stem, leaves, or flowers, we find the
cellular structure to be combined with the vascular — vessels or tubes
traversing in a longitudinal direction the general cellular texture of the
plant. The same combination of vascular and cellular structure is
found in the sedges and rushes, in the numerous species of Iris, in the
lilies, the Orchidece, and others, constituting the first division of the
flowering plants. To trace the connexions between the several families
of the Vasculares, or to examine the gradations by which they insen¬
sibly pass into each other, is not necessary for our present purpose,
since, in these more complex and highly organised forms of vegetation,
there is a unity of structure prevailing, with certain modifications,
throughout the wThole. It will be sufficient if we examine the several
parts or organs of which these plants consist, separately and in detail,
pointing out, as wTe proceed, the modifications in the development of
these several parts as they occur in plants of a higher or lower degree
of organisation.

“ The more important divisions of the vegetable organisation, as it
exists in the more highly developed families of plants, are, the root, the
stem and branches, the leaves, the flowers, the fruit, including the seed,
and, lastly, bulbs and buds.

“ The external characters of the root vary considerably. In grasses,
as we have just observed, it is generally fibrous, sometimes creeping.

VEGETABLE ORGANISATION.

429

rarely bulbous j whereas, in many others of the monocotyledonous
plants— -the tulip, for instance — it is bulbous. In every true root,
however, a fibrous portion will be found to exist ; and it is the ultimate
fibrils or divisions of the fibrous part of the root, with the minute vas¬
cular bodies at their extremities, which constitute the essential part of
this organ. It is by these little vascular terminations of the fibrils of
the roots that plants obtain their nourishment from the soil in which
they grow. They are found equally in the lofty forest-tree and the
herb which grows beneath its shade, and are equally necessary to the
existence of both ; for, if by accident or design the fibrils are materially
injured, the plant withers and dies. In their internal structure, roots,
with some exceptions, will be found to resemble the stem ; in fact, in
many instances they consist of a main descending trunk, branches, and
twigs, the organisation of which is precisely conformable to the ascend¬
ing stem and its divisions, as it is found above ground.

ts The stem, or trunk, varies much in different families of plants.
In those among the acotyledonous plants in which it occurs, it consists
of a thin epidermis or cuticle, surrounding a pulpy matter, the texture
of both which parts is almost entirely cellular. A few fibres or vessels
are, however, found in the stem of the fern tribe, forming an exception
to the general internal organisation of this division of the vegetable
kingdom. In the monocotyledonous plants, the stem consists also of
a cuticular envelope and internal cellular substance ; but the cuticular
portion is more dense and firm, and the cellular texture of the internal
part of the stem is traversed by longitudinal fibres or vessels, several of
which are arranged together in bundles. In the dicotyledons, the stem
is composed of bark, wood, and pith. The bark, which corresponds to
the cuticular part of the stems of the acotyledonous and monocotyledo¬
nous plants, is formed of several layers of cellular and fibrous texture ;
the wood or fibrous portion of cellular texture and closely compacted
vessels traversing the cells in a longitudinal direction, and symmetri¬
cally arranged, so as to form concentric and divergent or convergent
layers ; and the pith, which occupies the central portion of the stem,
of a light spongy cellular tissue.

tc The development of this apparently intricate organisation from the
simple elements of cell and vessel, according to the principles already
laid down, may be conceived to take place in the following manner: —
Let us suppose a complete circular range of secondary vesicles becoming
dilated by the process of growth in the interior of a primary or generat¬
ing cell; it is evident that the envelope of this cell, pressed at all points
of the circumference by similar parts, which are growing at once in
length and breadth, will take the form of a cylinder ; but it is also

430

VEGETABLE ORGANISATION.

evident that the secondary vesicles will be more compressed towards
the centre than at the circumference, and that, consequently, a trans¬
verse section will exhibit each of these secondary cells in the form of a
wedge. If eight vesicles grow in a longitudinal direction, without
giving rise to other vesicles within them, we shall then have an orga¬
nisation similar to that of the long stalk which supports the flower of
the Nymphceci alba, or white water-lily — a monocotyledonous plant.
Each of these vesicles will form an empty canal, of which a longi¬
tudinal section will present a three-sided prism, and which will extend
from the base to the summit of the flower-stalk ; but, if within each
secondary cell a certain number of tertiary vesicles be developed, so as
to form cells of a considerable size, and nearly empty, we shall then
have the structure of the central part of certain trunks of the mono¬
cotyledons, and also that of the pith, as it occurs in some of the stems
of the dicotyledons. Now if, instead of vesicles thus developed, parallel
and concentric cells are formed, we shall have a commencement of con¬
centric layers; and other vessels being developed in the interstitial
spaces in a longitudinal direction, so as to form tubes or vessels, a
transverse section will exhibit the perfect development of the con¬
centric vascular tissue. If the cells, instead of loose hexagonal cells,
give rise to other vesicles pressed one against the other, and developed
on the coats of more internal cells, which are encased in, and line com¬
pletely, the cavity of those in which they are formed, then we shall
have the most complicated organisation of the stem of a dicotyledonous
plant, with its encased and concentric layers and its medullary rays,
which are nothing else than the interstices of the secondary cells, or
rather the junctions of their sides, in which vesicles have been deve¬
loped in a horizontal direction, forming tubes or vessels running from
the centre of the stem towards the circumference.

“ Branches are nothing more than the divisions of the stem, and may
be conceived to be formed by the progressive development of cells and
tubes in a manner altogether similar — a generating vesicle gradually
developing other vesicles upon its internal membrane, and the growth
taking place as in the former instance.

“ Leaves consist of a cuticle or transparent film of cellular texture,
enclosing a parenchyma or pulp, also of cellular tissue, and usually of
a green colour, and fibres, of which the nerves and veins of the leaf are
chiefly composed. These fibres communicate with each other, and are
ramifications from the midrib. In the monocotyledonous plants, the
nerves are for the most part parallel, or nearly so, extending from the
leaf-stalk to the apex of the leaf in a longitudinal direction, and rarely
branched, but communicating with each other by short transverse ribs,

VEGETABLE ORGANISATION.

431

which give the appearance of a tessellated or rectangular net-work to
the vascular structure. In the acotyledons, the leaves or leafy expan¬
sions are destitute of ribs or veins, and consist merely of a pulpy cel¬
lular tissue, enveloped by a cuticular expansion. The development of
these parts from the simple vesicle or cell may be thus supposed to
arise : — Upon the internal surface of the envelope of a primary cell,
two secondary vesicles may follow the growth of the generating or
primary cell,, and stretch out longitudinally ; they will thus form two
lateral lobes, whose interstice will be the median nerve. If other
vesicles be developed within these two cells, and become in their turn
large tertiary cells, their interstices will form the lateral nerves, and
will seem to derive their origin from the median nerve. Other vesicles
may, in the same way, be developed into cells in each of the tertiary
cells, and others again within these, and so on indefinitely ; and a
primary microscopic vesicle will be thus transformed, almost before our
eyes, into a leaf of a dicotyledonous plant. At the same time that this
development of the cellular texture of a leaf is going on, a vascular
connexion with the sap-vessels of the branchlet to which it is attached,
may be formed through the medium of the hilum, or point of attach¬
ment of the primary cell, and with this again throughout the leaf, by
the hila of the secondary, tertiary, and succeeding orders of the cells,
the interstitial spaces which form the nerves becoming vascular, in con ¬
sequence of the development of elongated cells or tubes through these
points of attachment.

“ The structure of the floral coverings is analogous to that of the
leaves ; but the variety and elegance of their external forms, and the
beauty of their colours, are such as to excite our deepest admiration.
The stamens and pistils, or those parts which are more immediately
concerned in the process of fructification, and for the preservation and
due elaboration of which the more conspicuous paTts of the flower are
destined, consist, apparently, of cellular texture only.

“ The most important part of the fruit is the seed. This organ con¬
sists, at least in the flowering plants, of an embryo, or the rudiments
of the future plant, and various envelopes, generally two, sometimes
three or four. The essential parts of the embryo are, the plumula , or
young plantlet — the radicle, or future root — and the cotyledons, or
seed-lobes, destined for the nourishment of the other portions in the
first stage of their growth. Another important part of the seed, though
not discernible in all plants, is the albumen — that which forms the
principal part of the seed in the Cereales and grasses, and which, in
one of this tribe — the Triticum hybernum , or wheat — is of such vast
and incalculable importance to the welfare of the human race.

432

ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF FOREST-TREES.

c: The primary divisions of the vegetable kingdom are characterised
by these peculiarities in the structure of the embryo. The distribution
of plants, however, according to this arrangement, is very unequal. Of
about 44,000 species known to exist, 38,000 are flowering-plants ; of
which number 32,000 are dicotyledonous, and only about 6,000 mono-
cotyledonous. The remaining 6,000 are cellular plants, and destitute
of cotyledons, the structure of their seeds being, indeed, from the
extreme minuteness of their organs, very little known, and probably
altogether different from that of the seeds of vascular plants ; they are,
perhaps, more analogous to bulbs than to perfectly formed seeds.”—
Dr. Streetens Lecture. Wor . Nat. Hist. Soc.

On the Characteristics of Forest-Trees. — “ Artists but in
very few instances excel in pourtraying trees so as they can be identi¬
fied, without there is some good-natured description added. Drawings
and engravings of trees, even by eminent men, are so destitute of cha¬
racter, that they may pass for any or every tree of the wood ; and, what
is even worse, figures of trees are sometimes delineated that have never
yet been seen on the face of the earth ! If, indeed, we except the
works of Gilpin and Strutt, we find our native illustrated literature
very barren upon the subject. While thousands have dilated upon the
effects of light and shade, and the advantages or disadvantages of a
blue or muddy sky to the pictures under their critique, they have
been altogether indifferent as to the characteristic features presented
by various trees, and the differences exhibited by the rigid tortuosity of
the oak, the cumbrous uniformity of the elm, the lofty and majestic
bearing of the ash, the umbrella-like form of the sycamore or beech, or
the thousand vivifying and latticed wiry sprigs of the dependent lime,
letting in the mellow sunbeams as through the traceried interstices of
an oriel window. Strutt, indeed, has admirably depicted many of our
forest-trees in his f Sylva Britannica ’ and f Deliciae Sylvarum : ’
these are works of which we may be justly proud. Many, too, of
Westall’s f Views on the Thames’ represent waving willows not to be
mistaken ; but the subject yet remains to be treated in a scientific and
botanical manner, with regard to our indigenous trees.

“ Every tree has some peculiar character, which, though perhaps at
first difficult to describe, is at once caught and recollected by the eye of
the observant naturalist ; so that whatever difficulty he may have to
make out the trees of the landscape painter, he has none with those of
the real landscape itself. The funereal yew, the bending willow, and
the sturdy oak, will occur to all. This ‘ physiognomy ’ of vegetation
depends, generally speaking, on a very few peculiarities ; — of these the

ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF FOREST-TREES.

433

most obvious is the mode of branching, or ramification, of a tree or
shrub. The importance of this characteristic is so perceptible, that,
even in winter, trees may be distinguished by it ; and the observer of
nature needs not the foliage to perceive the striking difference between
a poplar, an oak, a beech, or a willow. 4 The branches of the Lombardy
poplar form acute angles with the main stem ; both are straight, giving
the tree a pyramidal appearance, which, in contrast with others, ren¬
ders it ornamental in plantations. The weeping willow, on the other
hand, f stooping as if to drink/ if in its prime of beauty, gracefully
waves its tresses over the ruffled waters, or, as an old pollard on the
bank of the stream, looking like a giant, with huge distorted head, can¬
not be mistaken. The beech, darting round its convoluted spokes in
irregular order, with its wiry branches and smooth bark, forms another
character; while the gnarled and knotted oak, stiff, rigid, and motion¬
less even amidst the most furious blasts of winter, merely moans a gruff
defiance to the storm.

“ It is important to notice these graphic outlines traced upon trees,
because, as Baron Humboldt has well observed, f it is vegetation that
principally characterises the features of a country, and distinguishes it
from another." The granite rock, the basaltic column, and the lime¬
stone ridge, are the same in Iceland and Sweden as in Mexico and
Peru ; but who could mistake the vegetation of the two regions ?
Even animals seldom appear in quantities sufficient to give a feature to
the scene, and their continual restlessness removes them from our view;
but trees affect our imagination by their magnitude and stability,
flowers by the brilliancy of their colours, and herbs by the freshness
of their verdure.

“ If trees have their distinguishing characteristics even amidst the
gloom of winter, how much more their varied effect when clothed in
the vivid umbrage of summer ! This, indeed, is noticeable by all who
have an eye to appreciate sylvan scenery, and is frequently alluded to
by poets. Some, as the willow, are f wannish grey ; ’ others, as the
Populus alba , silver white ; of deeper green the elm, and deeper still
the oak. Numerous other trees might be mentioned, more or less
obviously claiming the attention; but all are familiar with the silvery
feature given to a landscape, where the waving willows of the brook
predominate, and are agitated by the wind. Compare the gloomy
aspect of a pine-forest, or even of a single pine or fir, recognisable over
*a country for miles, with the splendid party-coloured and golden um¬
brage of the beech in autumn. The forest scenery of Great Britain
presents features most interesting to the lover of nature; and, without

VOL. V.-— NO. LXV. 3 K

434

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

studying such scenes, no just ideas can be acquired of the beauty of our
woods and forests.

“ But it is not only the beauty of the various hardy trees which now
adorn our country, and enrich our sylvan scenery, which should demand
attention and care ; it is also the great value and national importance
of forest-trees to a maritime country. The oak is the glory of our
woods, and, for the construction of our e wooden walls,’ maintains our
glory among surrounding nations, while it wafts to us commercial
wealth and greatness. The late Lord Collingwood was so sensible of
the national value of the oak, that he never walked out in the country
without scattering a handful of acorns, leaving them in the hope that
they might one day rise to be useful in the navy.” — Analyst.

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

Edwards’s Botanical Register, continued by Professor Lindley.
The October number contains : —

1. Myanthus Deltoideus. Triangular-lipped Fly wort. This very
handsome-flowering orchideous plant “ makes the fourth species of the
genus, and, in all probability, many more will be added. It is a native
of trees in the neighbourhood of the great waterfall of the Demerara
river, where it was found by Mr. Joseph Hubbard, who sent it to his
friend, Mr. Booker, of Liverpool, by whom it was presented to R. Har¬
rison, Esq., of Aigburgh. To the latter gentleman,” adds Dr. Lindley,
“ I am indebted for the fine specimen represented. Its distinction
from the other species resides in its lip, which has none of the fringe-
like hairs of M. barbatus and crestatus , but is flat, of a thick fleshy
consistence, and of a rich purple colour, with a dash of green on its
centre.” Some doubts have been entertained whether Myanthus should
be a separate genus ; but, as there are now four distinct species,
(including Catasetum cristatum. ) they should be kept as a separate
genus. This plant, like its allies, requires a warm damp stove.

2. Cratagus Aronia. The Aronia Thorn. It is very near C. Aza-
rolus , of which, indeed, it might be considered a mere variety, if it
were not so much more hardy, nearly destitute of pubescence, and
constantly furnished with two stones in its fruit : in the true Azarole
there are five.

This species is, next to C. Maroccana and heterophylla , the largest
and most like timber of all thorns. It grows very fast, makes a
handsome head, and, on account of the great quantity of apricot-

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

435

coloured fruit with which it is loaded in the autumn, is a suitable
ornament for lawns in pleasure-grounds.

3. Epidendrum cemulum. Emulous Epidendrum. A very rare
little orchideous plant, closely allied to the variable E. fragrans, from
which it is distinguished by its gouty stems being exactly oval — by its
more leathery, less acuminate leaves, and very much smaller flowers, the
petals of which are the same width as the sepals. It is a native of
Para, whence it was introduced by R. Harrison, Esq., with whom it
flowered in 1834.

4. Pentstemon heterophyllum. Various-leaved Pentstemon. A hardy
herbaceous plant, belonging to the natural order Scrophularicicece ; a
native of California, where the seeds were collected by Mr. Douglas.
It is propagated either by cuttings or seeds, and thrives and flowers
well in borders of common garden soil.

5. Escallonia illinita. Varnished Escallonia. A South American
evergreen shrub and genus, giving a title to the natural order Escallo-
niacece, of which it is the type. “ It is,” says Dr. Lindley, ,c by far
the most hardy of the many species of Escallonia at present in our
gardens, and is not unlikely to become a common shrubbery plant. If
this should prove so, the pale green of the leaves, their varnished
appearance, and the peculiar habit of the plant, will render it a valuable
ornamental species, notwithstanding the want of beauty in its greenish-
white flowers.” The most showy of this genus is the E. Montevi-
densis, which is also nearly hardy. It, in the flowering season, August
and September, is usually covered with hundreds of hemispherical
heads of clear white flowers, over which countless insects keep up a
musical hum as they flit from flower to flower in quest of honey. “ As
one looks at these creatures, enlivened by the warmth of a bright sunny
day, one cannot but admire the exquisite beauty of the ball-room that
nature thus provides for an insect festival.”

6. Scaphy glottis violacea. Violet Boatlip. A very inconspicuous
genus, belonging to Or chide ce. It is a native of Demerara, whence it
was imported by Messrs. Loddiges. The flowers are purple, and very
minute ; more a botanical rarity than anything else. It was formerly
called Cladobiurn.

7. Cytisus JEolicus. iEolian Cytisus. A new cytisus from the
island of Stromboli, in the Mediterranean. It was raised from seed by
the Hon.W. Strangways, at Abbotsbury, in Dorsetshire, at which place
it flowered for the first time in England, in May last. It is expected
that the blossoms will become handsome and more numerous as the
plant grows older. The flowers are congregated on an erect kind of
spike ; and though they have the colour, they have not the elegant

436

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

position of the com mom laburnum. Dr. L. thinks it may be hardy
enough to stand our winters, if trained afgainst a south wall.

8. Lapeyrousia anceps. Two-edged Lapeyrousia. An herbaceous
plant, bearing rather pretty pale-blue coloured dowers ; belonging to
Iridece. It is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, and has borne
several generic names by different authors, but is now settled as above.
It is usually cultivated in the greenhouse, but will thrive perfectly in
a cold frame, well-drained in winter, and exposed on a south aspect
in summer. It dowers in June and July, and ripens seeds about
October.

Sweet’s British Flower-Garden, continued by Professor Don.
The October number contains -

1. Rosa lutea ; var. plena. Williams’s Double Yellow Brier. An
interesting variety, raised about ten years ago by John Williams, Esq.,
of Pitmaston, near Worcester, from seeds obtained from the single
yellow rose, which but very rarely matures its seed in this country.
Among the seedlings raised at Pitmaston, three proved to be double,
one of which is the present subject, which, from its dowering freely,
and from the size, form, and colour of its blossoms, is justly esteemed
a most valuable addition to our collection of hardy roses. It may be
increased by layering, or by being budded upon stocks of our native
roses.

2. Nierembergia phoenicia; var. rosea. Pink-dowered Nierem-
bergia. A genus belonging to Solanece. A great variety of hybrids
have been lately obtained from the intermixture of N. phoenicia and
N. nyctaginijlora, and all of them proving fertile, and yielding seed
much more abundantly than phoenicia. The present variety was raised
by Mr. Rogers, at Battersea, where the drawing was made. It grows
and dowers freely in the open borders.

3. Centaurea balsamita . Costmary-leaved Centaurea. A hardy
herbaceous perennial, belonging to Compositce. It is a native of
America, and was collected there by Szovits, and sent by Dr. Fischer,
of St. Petersburgh, to Mr. Anderson, of Chelsea Botanic Garden,
who raised and dowered it last year. It is of a coarse-looking
habit.

4. Lupinus macrophyllus. Large-leaved Lupine. A tall robust
perennial herb, the whole clothed with copious pubescence. It is a
highly ornamental plant, as all the lupines are, and well deserves
a place in every dower-garden. It is nearly related to L. polyphyllus ,
but is in every respect a much more robust plant.

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

437

Paxton’s Magazine of Botany. The number for October
contains : —

1. Heliconia Braziliensis. This genus belongs to the natural order
Musacece, and, like its congeners, is adorned with very ample foliage,
and very magnificent flowers. Nor are the flowers of this species fugi¬
tive; they remain in perfection for a fortnight or three weeks. The
prevailing colour is bright scarlet, relieved by yellow and white, dis¬
posed in an erect spike ; the stem and spathas being scarlet, bearing
bisexual flowers in their axils, the corollas of which are yellow and
white.

The Heliconias require a strong stove-heat, and are propagated by
division.

2. Collinsia bicolor. A hardy annual, discovered, and seeds of it
sent home from California, by the late Mr. D. Douglas. When sown
in the autumn where the plants are intended to produce their flowers
in the succeeding spring, nothing can surpass the richness its masses
of cheerful bluish -purple and pink flowers present. The Collinsia
succeeds the bed-flowers in coming forth, and then most seasonably, as
but few other annuals are in flower.

3. Mimulus cardinalis . A hardy herbaceous plant, growing from
four to six feet high. Another of those fine plants introduced from
California by the lamented Douglas.

Seeds may be sown in autumn, or early in the spring, and the seed¬
lings, nursed in pots of loam and leaf mould, will flower and ripen
seeds in the summer and autumn. The plants require protection during
winter in a dry greenhouse or frame, and, when growing freely, require
plenty of water. The flowers are remarkably showy — scarlet and yellow,
varied with dark purple lines near the eye.

4. Descriptions and cuts of the following esculent tubers, viz." — the
Sweet Potato ( Convolvulus batata), the Yam ( Dioscorea sativa ), and
the Winged Yam ( Dioscoria alata ), extracted from The Library of
Entertaining; Knowledge.”

5. An extract, showing “ the relation of vegetation to seasons,” from
the part Botany, published under the superintendence of the “ Society
for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge,” attributed to the pen of Dr.
Lindley.

6. Descriptions and figures of some implements used in gardens.

7. Description and culture of the Hibiscus rosa sinensis.

8. On the culture of the Campanula pyramidalis.

9. A botanical description of the natural order Combretacece , toge¬
ther with a list of new plants figured in the leading botanical publica¬
tions, and operations to be done in October among collections of plants.

438

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR OCTOBER.

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR NOVEMBER.

Kitchen Garden. — It is no use for us to use the imperative mood
in putting down our remarks on the present occasion ; it will be more
agreeable to state what we are assured every good gardener has done,
or is about to do, before the hard frosts of December set in. In the
first place, he has secured his cauliflower plants intended for the early
crops of next May and June, either under hand-glasses, or in frames,
or pricked out in narrow beds on south borders, to be covered occasion¬
ally by hoops and mats. If slugs harbour among them, they are dis¬
lodged by sprinklings of lime-water. The remains of the Michaelmas
crop of heads will be drawn and placed in safety before the end of the
month. The first sowings of Charlton peas and Mazagan beans were
probably put in last month, and second sowings may be put in before
the end of this. Full crops of spring cabbage have been planted.
Winter spinach is kept clean and properly thinned. Celery is finally
earthed up. All the different sorts and ages of broccoli have been
guarded against wind and frost. Blanching of endive is continued,
and a good lot secured for winter consumption. Lettuce is managed
in the same way. Artichokes, asparagus, and sea-kale may receive
the autumn dressings. If any of the last is intended to be forced, now
is the time to begin. Mushroom-beds will require constant inspection,
to see that a regular heat is maintained. All culinary tubers not yet
raised for storing, should not be left in the ground after the middle of
this month.

Fruit-Trees. — If any late sorts of pears or apples are still on the
trees, they must now be gathered, lest they be caught by sharp frost,
which now may be expected. This is still a good season for trans¬
planting all sorts of trees, rooting out old or worthless sorts, and
replacing them with young and better kinds. Pruning all descriptions of
fruit-trees, except peaches and nectarines, may now be proceeded with ;
and these named should have their young wood unnailed, to remain all
winter at a distance from the wall. Business of this kind, done at this
season, particularly the smaller fruits, allows the ground under them
to be dressed, if necessary, and digged and laid in order for the
winter.

Flower Garden. — This is a busy time in this department ; plant¬
ing bulbs and tubers in their several beds ; taking up Dahlias, Marvel
of Perus, and ail tubers or roots which will be in clanger from frost ;

COTTAGE ECONOMY.

439

reducing overgrown stools of hardy herbaceous flowering plants ; prun¬
ing shrubs, &c. By these various operations the clumps and borders
will be in readiness to be digged over, and got into sightly trim during
the hard season.

COTTAGE ECONOMY.

NOVEMBER.

“ Bees. — Attend to the directions for last month, and keep the
hives dry. It has been proved by experience, that bees which are kept
very warm by covering the hives, consume eight pounds of food more
than is consumed by bees exposed to the natural changes of the wea¬
ther. If a certainty exists of there being plenty of food in store, there
is no objection to covering and keeping warm, as it will tend to hasten
the swarming, perhaps, a week or ten days.

“ Garden. — Gather carefully any apples or pears which may yet
be on the trees. Commence pruning gooseberries and currants. Re¬
move the earth from around their stems, (taking care not to injure
their roots,) and throw it to some distance, filling up with fresh soil
from another part of the garden : — this will assist to check the
caterpillar.

“ Cut down and remove all decayed haulm or stems preparatory to
digging, when the weather permits. Prune and nail fruit or flowering
plants, collect manure, and prepare rich composts for different sorts of
bed or border flowers. Rough-dig all vacant ground. The early sorts
of peas and beans may now be sown ; but, unless the soil be light and
dry, it is better to delay these sowings till January. Cabbage may still
be planted, and finish earthing up all crops requiring such care. See
that your winter store of potatoes are well secured against frost ; and
if any carrots, parsneps, or mangle wurzel be still in the ground, let
them be raised and laid in a dry place for winter use : the ground
they occupied may then be rough-digged or trenched, to lie the
winter.”

440

REMARKS ON THE WEATHER.

Ever since our last report of the state of the weather as experienced
about London, it has rained, more or less, every day up to the 20th
instant, with some intervening night frosts, which have tarnished some
of the most tender things. The weather, indeed, has been more like
that of November than October ; and, from accounts received from the
eastern and northern parts of the three kingdoms, wet and tempestuous
weather has been very general. The south coast of England, including
Devonshire, Dorsetshire, and Hampshire, has escaped this ungenial
weather until very lately ; for there, while travellers were annoyed by
dust, constant and heavy showers were falling everywhere to the east¬
ward. The equinoctial gales have, however, been severely felt, it
seems, all over the country, and much damage has been sustained, as
well in the orchards as among forest-trees.

Vegetation has been kept progressing by the wet weather, and it is
to be feared that the bearing-wood of fruit-trees will not be so per¬
fectly ripened as could be wished. The Aurora Borealis , which has
been visible for this week past, portends, it is said, a hard winter ,
which, if it sets in suddenly, may be hurtful to vegetables produced
during this showery autumn. These meteors, whatever they may
portend, have appeared this season sooner by a month than they were
expected by meteorologists, who have set down the 18th of November
as the period when an unusual display of such phenomena may be
expected to be visible.

Chinese Chrysanthemums, out of doors, are just beginning to open
their flowers ; but, unless the weather continues warm and dry, as it is
now comparatively set in to be, a fine bloom can scarcely be expected-
The late inclement weather has also been much against the blooming
of Dahlias, and much disappointment has been felt at the different
public showrs of these fashionable flowrers.

October 24 th, 1836.

PAXTON’S

HORTICULTURAL REGISTER,

DECEMBER, 1836.

r HORTICULTURE.

ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF GRAPES BY CROSS IMPREGNATION.

Ever since the practicability of impregnating one plant with the
qualities, forms, and colours of another by a manual transference of
the pollen has been discovered, many valuable results have been accom¬
plished in the obtainment of many improved fruits, and flowers, and
culinary vegetables. A few pears, several strawberries, a good many
apples, and a multitude of gooseberries, have been added to our lists ;
even new varieties of the pine-apple have, by these means, been pro¬
cured ; and there is no knowing to what length the art of cross impreg¬
nation may yet be carried, more especially in the further improvement
of our cultivated fruits.

There have been fewer attempts to improve our stock of grapes than
of other descriptions of fruit. True it is, we have already a very
numerous list, amounting, perhaps, to nearly, if not quite, three-score
varieties of the cultivated grape. The principal part of these have been
obtained, at different times, from foreign countries ; and it is probable
that several have been obtained from seeds ripened in this country, or
from imported fruit, the seeds of which vegetate readily, and without
any particular care. We remember once seeing a fine birth of seed¬
ling vines which had sprung up on a gravel walk from seeds thrown
out of a housekeeper’s room-window, but which were destroyed as
weeds.

But, however readily vines may be raised from seed, it does not
follow that superior varieties may be so obtained, or even so good as

VOL. v. — no. lxvi. S h

442 IMPROVEMENT OF GRAPES BY CROSS IMPREGNATION.

the parent tree, except by the chance admixture of the pollen of supe¬
rior sorts which were growing near and in flower at the same time. It
is probable, therefore, that if pains were taken to form an union of
those properties which distinguish the different sorts now in cultiva¬
tion, new varieties, partaking of both properties so brought together,
might be an improvement.

But what are the properties of grape-vines? We answer, hardiness
for training in the open air, prolificacy, size of bunches, size of berries,
high flavour, juiciness and melting character of the pulp ; to which may
be added, earliness in arriving at perfection.

Hardiness, in this northern climate, is a valuable property of a vine,
because it is only in our finest and warmest summers that grapes ripen
so as to be at all eatable. The very earliest, as the Sweet-Water, the
Burgundy, and Miller’s Burgundy, and a few others, can only be
depended upon to ripen on open walls, a majority of the superior sorts
rarely arriving at passable ripeness without the assistance of fire-heat.

With respect to those hardy and early sorts, it should be the object
of the improver to give greater size of bunches and berries to the Bur¬
gundy, and higher flavour to the Sweet- Water, by matching the first
with the Hamburghs, the Lombardy, or the St. Peter’s, and the second
with the Frontignans or Muscats. Intermediate progeny would pro¬
bably inherit the earliness of the first, and the amplitude or flavour of
the second varieties.

Some varieties of grape-vines are more prolific than others under the
Same circumstances of age, soil, situation, temperature, and general
management. When a rank of vines in the same house are all equally
thrifty as to growth, and sharing equally all the necessary appliances
of air, light, and heat, so that their bearing-wood shall be all well and
perfectly ripened, yet, in this case, we shall find that the trees are not
equally prolific. While the Black Hamburgh presents us with two,
three, or even frequently four bunches from each eye that bursts, the
Lombardy shows only a comparatively small number of bunches
sparingly scattered over the whole tree. The same defect is often
noticed in the bunches themselves, some sorts of grapes setting and
swelling-off every berry, as we see in the Black Hamburgh ; others
with half the berries diminutive and seedless, as exemplified in the
Sweet- Water when forced, the Black Lisbon, and the Damascus.

Various opinions have been advanced accounting for the cause of
these defects ; but it is most generally attributed to the imperfect state
of the sexual organs, and chiefly of the non-bursting of the anthers, by
which a too-small quantity of pollen is distributed, and consequently
the germens remain unfecundified. This is satisfactorily proved by the

IMPROVEMENT OF GRAPES EY CROSS IMPREGNATION. 443

practical fact, that, if the healthy pollen of other flowers he dusted over
those which are liable to set imperfectly, it will cause them to set well.
By this means an intelligent correspondent (Mr. Bristol, whom we
should jbe glad to hear from often) effects the perfect setting of the
bunches of the Black Lisbon grape, which, without such manipulation,
seldom sets its fruit regularly. If, indeed, this irregular setting of the
bunches arises from any defect of the male organs, the practice of
borrowing healthy pollen from other trees is a good contrivance, and
may be extended to all shy-bearing fruit-trees in houses or out of doors.
Me may remark here, that vines flower more vigorously in the open air
than under glass ; and it may be assumed that allowing forced vines a
greater share of fresh air than is usually allowed at the time of flower¬
ing vmild tend to prevent the failure of many of the flowers. But it
must be remembered that, at the time when vineries are in flower, the
■weather is inclement, and admitting air at that period would jeopardise
the flowers in another avay, besides counteracting the purpose of culti¬
vating the trees under glass.

To improve, then, those varieties which are liable to fail in setting
their fruit, endeavours should be made to imnre2;nate their flowers with
the pollen of some free-setting sort, in order to impart a new vigour to
plants which may be raised from their seeds. Whether this process be
tried or not, it is well to know that the first step in it will certainly
improve the bunches operated upon.

The size or weight of bunches is a much-valued property of a vine ;
even if the flavour of the fruit be inferior, a noble bunch of grapes,
vdiether upon the tree or table, is an inviting and beautiful object. We
have many varieties of richly-flavoured grapes, but of diminutive size
both in bunch and berry. Cross impregnation between the largest and
smallest varieties would give a fair chance of oris-iiiating an inter-
mediate variety combining the properties of the extremes. The same
observations apply to the size of the berries ; and it wrould be a fine
result if the berries of the Burgundy could be advanced to the size of
those of the Hamburgh, (and equally loose on the bunch,) or the fruit
of Frontignans made to approach in bulk those of the Muscat of
Alexandria.

The flavour of grapes is everything : some are almost insipid, as the
Syrian ; others simply sweet. Some have a high vinous flavour, as the
Tokay ; others again richly sweet, with a musky savour. It is very
probable that, as there is so much variety in the flavour of our different
sorts, this property may be as easily transferred from one to another as
any of their other distinguishing properties.

The consistence of the pulp of grapes, as well as the thickness or

444 IMPROVEMENT OF GRAPES BY CROSS IMPREGNATION.

thinness of the skin, are different in the various sorts. In some, the
pulp is firm, and what may be called fleshy : in others, soft and melt¬
ing, dissolving quickly in the mouth. The last, provided the flavour
be rich and agreeable, are most esteemed ; and if, at the same time, the
skin be thin and pellucid, such fruit are as near perfection as can be
imagined.

The above are the different characteristics of the grape-vine and its
fruit ; and, differing from each other so much as they do, it is worth
the consideration of cultivators whether an amalgamation of any two
of the varieties would be a desirable improvement and valuable addi¬
tion to our present collection. Although it be impossible for us to
know which was the original kind of grape, we may rest assured that
the different varieties now in cultivation, like varieties of other fruits,
have originated accidentally by the intermixture of their pollen, for we
are not aware of any other agent which could cause such changes of
qualities, forms, and colours, as obtain in our vineries at home, or in
vineyards abroad. If, then, such changes take place by accident,
surely a little manual assistance could not fail to accomplish similar
results.

The late ingenious Mr. Sweet found, in the course of his practice,
that, though many exotic plants flowered in the collections under his
charge, they seldom ripened seeds, without manual assistance, in close
houses, there being neither wind nor bees to disperse the pollen. This
is exactly like Mr. Bristol’s practice, already alluded to, in assisting
the setting of the Black Lisbon grape, and is mentioned to show that,
if the transference of pollen affects one thing, it may also affect others,
as above recommended.

But, How are we to proceed in it ? is a fair question. We would
say — suppose, for instance, a Black Hamburgh and a White Sweet-
Water grow close together — no uncommon circumstance — and that
they are in flower at the same time ; let two of their respective bunches
be brought into close contact, and, while in flower, be frequently shaken
against each other, so that an intermixture of pollen takes place. These
bunches should be allowed to become thoroughly ripe before they are
gathered, and, when eaten, the seeds should be saved and dried. They
should be sown in a shallow portable box, or in a seed-pan, in January,
and placed in hotbed heat to bring them up as soon as possible ; after¬
wards potted singly in small pots, and shifted into larger as their
growth requires. This attention should be bestowed, to force them
into fruiting-bulk with the least delay ; and, arrived at this stage, may
be either tried in pots in houses, or planted against a south wall till their
merits be proved, or the effects of the experiment ascertained.

ON THE SHANKING OF GRAPES.

445

This would be an amusing process to a gardener who has leisure and
opportunity to make this or similar trials, and to such we recommend
it as worthy of notice.

ON THE SHANKING OF GRAPES.

We have had in our previous numbers, during the last and present
year, a good many excellent papers on this defect in grapes from
various correspondents. With these, our friends, we might have been
well content to have left the subject; but a case of shanking, to a
rather serious extent, having fallen directly, and rather painfully,
within our own knowledge, we are constrained to give the details, in
order to show how very near our own conclusions come to those of our
experienced correspondent, Mr. Stafford.

An old vinery, in the neighbourhood of London, built and heated by
fire-flues in the usual manner, had remained for the last twelve or
fifteen years very unfruitful. If forced early, there were never any
fruit to speak of ; and, if fire was not put to till the month of March,
the return was still scanty. The owner was every year disappointed,
and the gardener was sadly annoyed by seeing his master’s table sup¬
plied from vineries in the neighbourhood, or, as it often happened, from
Covent-Garden market.

Many opinions were given as to the cause of the failure : one thought
the smoke-flues were insufficient : — immediately a hot-water apparatus
was erected over them. Another thought the border in front was
exhausted by cropping, and that a richer compost was necessary for
the roots ; — the culinary crops were instantly banished, and a thick
layer of the richest dung was digged in, and heaped highly over the
place occupied by the roots.

It was all to no purpose ; defeat succeeded defeat, and the vinery
was nearly given up by both master and man. The latter at last con¬
descended to ask the opinion of an older head. His old friend first
referred him to the healthy and fruitful state of his vines upon the
open wall at each end of the vinery, which showed clearly that the
trees in the house, when moderately or not at all forced, (which was
sometimes the case,) had not fair play. He next told him to remove
away all the rank dung and rich compost with which the roots of
the vines had been so long buried, and fill up the cavity with
road-sand, brick-rubbish, and leaf-mould, covering all with a thin
mulching of decayed hotbed dung. His friend, moreover, told him to
remove all the stuffings of moss with which the front door was sur-

446

ON THE SHANKING OF GRAPES.

rounded,, as well as every crevice about tbe building, so that fresh air
might freely enter at all times ; and, when he began forcing, to keep
good fires, to enable him to give plenty of air at all times, to give health
and strength to the trees.

All this was done two years ago, and last year the vines made great
progress, and gave a fair sprinkling of fruit. This vear they were still
better, and the Hamburghs bore a full crop. Everything went on well
till about three weeks or a month back, when, just as the family re¬
turned from a summer tour, (the vinery having been forced late, and the
crop kept back, to meet the owner’s return,) the gardener observed
that shanking had commenced among the thickest of the crop of
Hamburghs, but not among the same kind where the crop was
moderate.

The old friend was again in requisition to account for the pheno¬
menon ; but he could only shake his head, and admit, with Mr. Staf¬
ford, that it was inexplicable ; for, in this case, the trees are not young,
so as to be wanting in that matured principle which one writer on the
subject considers necessary to perfect fruit ; — it cannot be the cold and
damp of the autumn, nor any difference in the soil or situation, because
all the trees of the kind are not equally affected. Seeing that the most
prolife trees are most hurt, it would appear to be a consequence of
weakness, were it not that there are many perfectly sound bunches in
the midst and upon the same shoots with the defective ones. The
same objection applies to the assumed cause, an over-moist or steamy
atmosphere, scalding, as it 'were, the footstalks of the berries, and
causing; them to shrink and die.

That the change from the acetous to the saccharine quality of the
fruit is a crisis in the progress of the plant cannot be denied ; but
this being a chemical rather than a physical change, requiring (one
would think) a negative rather than any positive effort of the organiza¬
tion, we cannot conceive that a non-effort should cause debility. It is
very feasible, however, to imagine that, as soon as the berry is perfect as
to maturity, it ceases to require further aid from the system ; and it is
likely, as Mr. Stafford says, a renovated action takes place in the growth
of the tree, as scon as the fruit have ceased to demand their wonted
supply of nutrition.

No one, we believe, has ever noticed the defect of shanking in the
open air. Mr. Stafford admits this, and gives his reason how it hap¬
pens that exposed vines are exempt from the malady, namely, their
never arriving at that stage of maturity ’which subjects the bunches to
suffer from a change of quality in the juices of the fruit. This may be
so ; still the circumstance happening only under artificial treatment of

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

447

vines, goes far to induce the suspicion that the disease is somehow
connected with our house-management.

We never saw shanking prevail in early-forced vineries; of this,
however, we are not quite certain, and we should thank Mr. Stafford,
or any other correspondent, to enlighten us on this point. We always
noticed the Black Hamburgh to be most subject to this disease, par¬
ticularly those grown in greenhouses, and consequently ripening late.

In a vinery we once had charge of, there were two vines which were
had from Welbeck, viz. the Aleppo or Leopard grape (from its being
party-coloured, black and white), and the Petro-Semina, a white-
fruited variety, and generally yielding large bunches. Both were
inferior- flavoured fruit, but good bearers, seldom failing, except by
shanking, as were the bunches of a White Muscat of Alexandria in the
same house ; which latter, by-the-by, was in too cold a situation, to
which we then attributed its failure, and that of the two others, to
excessive crops.

At this moment, however, we are, like Mr. Stafford, bound to confess
that we certainly know of no remedy, except only that which Mr. S.
has proved to be of no avail, namely, reducing the number of bunches
to ease the tree.

One of our correspondents (Mr. Bale, we believe) makes a distinc¬
tion between withering and shanking . The former we have often
noticed to occur at the points of the bunches, indicating a want of
vigour in the system to mature the whole bunch ; at least so we con¬
ceived it to be, though in this we may be also mistaken.

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

LETTER EIGHTEEN.

It is somewhat remarkable that the approaches, the fencing, and the
various domestic conveniences, platforms for exercise, and prospects
from a lordly country seat, bear some resemblance to those strongholds
which, in former and turbulent times, were found necessary as places
of refuge and security to the owners. To be secure from hostile foes,
moveable bridges, deep moats, embattled walls and ramparts, narrow
portals, and massive gates, were all necessary to prevent a forcible
entrance.

In the erection of those strongholds much ingenuity was necessary
to ensure the safety of those within from the missiles of the foe without.

448

LANDSCAPE GARDENING,

and at the same time to give the besieged every facility to annoy the
besiegers. Thus the art of fortification became a principal part of the
chieftain’s accomplishments, and fortifications have been formed on the
strictest mathematical principles, as well for defence as annoyance.

But very different indeed are the intruders against whom the land¬
scape gardener has to oppose defences ; but, notwithstanding, it is per¬
fectly true that he must have recourse to the same expedients to repulse
a drove of cattle, as the military engineer has to repel and defeat a
hostile phalanx of armed men. He fears no missiles, so that he need
not study the law of projectiles : but still he must not suffer the inner
works of his citadel to be invaded, and therefore he substitutes a ha !
ha I for a moat ; a lawn for a glacis ; and, if threatening deformities
of broken ground or buildings or nakedness of surface annoy, he covers
them with his squadrons and detachments of trees.

In forming his approach, however, he acts upon the tact of a skilful
general : he does not approach directly in front, nor yet in a direct
line ; he winds covertly round, in order to take the citadel " in flank,”
and bursts upon it at the very place where he would think of "springing
a mine.”

I know not whether any castellated mansions in this country have
ever had the outworks executed in such a manner as to correspond in
some degree with the style of the building, but I will venture to assert
that there are many which would be vastly improved by some disposi¬
tions of the kind, and without at all incurring the charge of Uncle-
Tobyism upon either the owner or his landscape gardener. In fact, it
is no more ridiculous to impose features of fortification wrhich are really
useful upon the ground, than towers and battlements upon a habitation
never intended to be assailed, or, if assailed, could not withstand a
discharge of "sparrow-shot !”

A castellated mansion upon a naked lawn, without any breast-work
of turf or shrubs, is unnatural ; it is like the figure of a warrior without
either shield or weapon ; and, even as a residence or habitation, it gives
no idea of security from its station, nor idea of comfort from its stark¬
nakedness. A terraced base to a castle, as has already been observed
in a former letter, is as necessary an appendage as are embattled para¬
pets upon its walls.

The style of gardens best adapted for colleges or universities is cer¬
tainly the Dutch style— that is, composed of avenues, level carpets of
turf, and wide gravel walks. Meditation and study are interrupted
by the view of various and varied objects, quick transitions, or change
of scene. Such gardens accord well with the massive character of the
buildings, and their regular compartments correspond with the regu-

LANDSCAPE GARDENING,

449

larity of the architecture. Very fine examples of this style of gardening
may be seen at both Oxford and Cambridge.

Public gardens are those attached to cities and towns for the amuse¬
ment and recreation of the inhabitants, who support them by voluntary
subscriptions. They may be either regular or irregular ; for, as their
purpose is only to afford pleasant pedestrian exercise, and the exhibi¬
tion of beautiful and curious herbs, shrubs, and trees, it matters not
whether their plan be regular for the sake of order, or irregular for the
sake of variety. It is quite practicable, however, to unite these cha¬
racters in public gardens, as the principal features may be symme¬
trical, and the subordinate parts may be as varied as pure and legitimate
taste will allow.

In the arrangement of these gardens there are a few leading prin¬
ciples which should- govern the designer in furnishing them, after full
provision, in the first place, has been made for perambulation.

The vegetable kingdom is naturally divided into three descriptions
of plants, on which one of the earliest systems of botany tvas founded.
Tournefort’s grand divisions were, herbs , shrubs , and trees; and,
according to this classification, a public garden may be laid out in
concentric zones, in either a semicircular, or circular, or rectangular
area. But such an arrangement would be neither scientific nor satis¬
factory, because it is not quite practicable, inasmuch as there is really
no natural distinction between a large shrub and a small tree ; neither
is it at all times, or in all cases, possible to say whether a suffruticose
plant be herbaceous or shrubby.

If a later and more popular system be chosen to form the ground¬
work and character of a public garden, viz. the Linnaean, a symmetrical
subdivision of the area into compartments for the classes and orders
would only be necessary. This, I believe, has been already attempted
in various places, particularly on the Continent, with various success.
But such an arrangement, however systematically executed, would be
“ behind the age as this celebrated system is in its last stage of exist¬
ence, and gradually dying a natural death.

In our train of thought on this subject, we naturally arrive at the
question. Can the Jussieuan system be moulded into the form and
features of a public garden ? It is u a consummation devoutly to be
wished,” because it would blend pure science with pleasant recrea¬
tion ; and, while enjoying the freshness and fragrance of both native
and foreign plants, we should be, at the same time, imbibing pure
draughts of botanical lore from a practical source.

There are two grand divisions, four classes, two subdivisions, three
VOL. V —NO. LXVI, 3 M

450

LANDSCAPE GARDENING,

sub-classes, and about two hundred and twenty orders, in the natural
arrangement of plants. Numerically considered, these distinctions are
no more than what an area of from eight to ten acres would, with the
branching and inflections of the walks and paths, suffice to contain,
supposing they were all hardy ; and in a botanic garden, every such
distinction should be ostensibly apparent, by divisions and subdivisions
on the general face of the ground, and in the arrangement of the plants.
But another question occurs ~

How far is systematic botany necessary in a public garden ? I have
already alluded to the probable advantages of such amalgamation; but
I fear that, as in all gardens the eye must be delighted by harmonious
associations, it would be impossible to create anything like harmony of
gradation by the juxta-position of either the orders or genera of the
Jussieuan system. Scientific associations yield a mental pleasure, and
would delight the few, but would be unheeded by the many , if beauty
of disposition were at the same time disregarded. This difficulty can
only be obviated by planting in radiating lines from some common centre,
and by accurate labelling. > The great number of tropical plants which
compose many of the Jussieuan orders renders it almost impossible
to make a full display of the natural system in the open air in this
country.

This fact has often suggested the idea of laying out a public garden
geographically. Suppose a given piece of ground of any extent, and
in shape a parallelogram, ranging east and west. Suppose this divided
transversely into live unequal parts, to represent the live zones of the
globe ; and, for the sake of more distinct classification, let the ground
be divided longitudinally into six parts, also unequal. A broad gravel
%valk may occupy the middle from end to end, at which are the prin¬
cipal entrance gates, opening under massive arches of rock-work. These
arches and the spaces behind, though necessarily narrow, will easily
hold all the mosses and lichens which are known to inhabit the frigid
zones, or the remains of either animals or vegetables found within
those limits, or on the immediate confines of the northern and southern
temperate zones.

Suppose we enter at the east gate, our view is directly along the
middle walk, thronged as it would often be by company, together with
parts of the hot-houses, &c. On either hand would appear the hardy
herbs, and shrubs, and trees, from the southern parts of the south
temperate zone, namely, Australia, Cape of Good Hope, and South
America ; the herbaceous plants on the borders next the walk ; beyond
these the shrubs ; and behind these last the trees, so as to form a rising
bank of various foliage. This division, owing to the paucity of trees

LANDSCAPE GARDENING.

451

from these parts of the world, would necessarily require to be bached
with those from other climates, for the sake of uniformity.

Advancing onward, we may first arrive at a conservatory bespanning
the walk, and of ample dimensions, for the preservation of all the most
elegant plants indigenous to the countries on each immediate side of
the tropic of Capricorn. Here would be placed all the finest genera
and species from Australia, Africa, and South America, many of which
should be kept in pots or boxes, to be moved out on the borders during
summer.

From this building the visiter enters upon the middle division of the
garden, containing the plants of the torrid zone. Here a glazed build¬
ing, built in the form of a Turkish or Persian mosque, with its swelling
dome, and minarets to serve for chimneys, may contain the palms, the
musas, the pandanee, and other remarkable tropical plants. In front
of this palm-house there may be a basin for nelumbiums and other
interesting aquatics from the warmer parts of the world; and the
borders round the base of the building, and every vacant spot, should
bear some kind of tropical plant, many of which do very well out of
doors during our summer.

Next, beyond this the central division, we may enter another con¬
servatory of similar dimensions as the first. Here we should find a
collection of Chinese and other natives of the warmer parts of the
northern temperate zone, and which, with South European plants
around, would form a beautiful assemblage.

From this point to the western gate the ground on each side could
be sufficiently stocked with European and North American beauties
in the greatest variety, forming as handsome an amphitheatre-like bank
of foliage as could be wished.

I have drawnbut a faint outline of what a public garden so designed
might be made ; for, besides the plants, many natural productions
might be introduced, to impress still more strongly new ideas of foreign
scenery and foreign products.

On each side of the centre walk, and more especially within that
division intended to contain the very small number of hardy trees and
shrubs from the southern hemisphere, an irregular flow of turf might
be introduced with good effect, and as well along the sides of the other
paths and walks, which might be thought necessary for the sake of
variety.

Shady walks along the sides and ends of the garden should also
be formed for those visiters who might feel disposed to enjoy the
shade and more seclusion.

Many improvements of this plan of a public garden would occur

452

SKETCHES OF NATURAL HISTORY.

to a clever designer in arranging the details. Placing the plants would
belong to the geographical botanist. The architecture of the buildings
should resemble the style of building of the countries whence the plants
in and around them are brought, and might be extended into reading
or coffee rooms, museums, &c. &c.

(Zb be continued.)

MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE.

Sketches of Natural History. — The occupation of gardeners
requiring them to be much in the open air, and as a garden is the con¬
stant haunt of a great variety of birds, insects, mollusca, and a few
of the mammalia, every one therein employed must be more or less a
naturalist, whether he makes these matters a particular study or not ;
and, as these various tribes of the lower creation are either injurious or
serviceable to the gardener, it behoves him to know somewhat of the
economy of these his constant or occasional visitants, so as to be able
to ward off the attack of the destructives, and at the same time to
cherish and encourage those which are really serviceable.

For this reason it is intended to admit occasionally brief sketches of
the natural history of those birds, insects, or other animals which are
most familiarly known in gardens, as matters not quite foreign to our
main object, and more especially as we are promised the aid of two or
three correspondents who delight in the study of natural history, and
who think it wisdom “ nature to explore.” — -Ed.

Of the Redbreast (Rub ecula familiar is).— -Of all other small birds,
this is one of the most common and best known ; it is also one of our
greatest favourites, in consequence of its bold familiarity and fearless
demeanour in approaching the presence and habitations of man. In
nidifying they are nearly the earliest of the small birds, choosing a hole
in a wall, or hedge, or ditch-bank, or sometimes under the eaves of out¬
houses. They use a rather large mass of materials in constructing
their nest ; withered leaves and grass, feathers, and finishing with an
inside lining of hair. The nest is not neatly formed, part of the mate¬
rials being often left hanging from the front, which makes it easily
discoverable.

The robin breeds twdce in the year, rearing five or six young each
time. The young are fed with small earth-worms and caterpillars, of
which they devour great numbers. In this particular they are of great
service in gardens. It is true that the young, as soon as they are driven

SKETCHES OF NATURAL HISTORY.

453

to shift for themselves, appear to be very fond of currants and rasp¬
berries, and, in taking a share of these fruits, the gardener has some¬
times reason to complain. But the damage they do is very trifling ;
and these little pilferings are certainly very excusable, in consideration
of the good they do at other seasons.

As a song-bird, the robin ranks neither very high nor very low. He
has one qualification as a songster which no other British bird possesses :
he sings the whole year round, except only when it is very hard frost.
There is considerable modulation in his song, and some of the strains
are very emphatic, and are given with such force, that his little throat
seems as if it would burst. His song is not always that of love, nor is
it the call of affection ; for it is often made up of the impassioned
shouts of defiance, or of ambitious yearnings to outdo the song or
threats of a rival. His notes are not sprightly ; they are for the most
part plaintive, even while he vociferates his threats or challenges his
antagonist ; they have a kind of wailing cadence or shivering wintry tone
even at midsummer. The young ones begin warbling before their first
moult, but do not gain their full plumage or song till they are nearly
twelve months old.

The bold and fearless spirit of this little bird has already been alluded
to ; and, besides, he is exceedingly pugnacious, always at war with liis
own brethren, and exercising a spiteful tyranny over all other birds,
even those twice his size. Blackbirds and thrushes he drives from
what he selects as his own dominion — a certain portion of the garden,
near which he is constantly found. Here he nestles in summer,
perhaps, and roosts in winter. This may be an ivy-covered tree or
building, or other place of shelter, which he guards with vigilance till
long after sunset.

Besides earth-worms, maggots, various insects, and small shell-snails,
the robin willingly regales himself in picking a bone thrown from the
scullery ; or, if he gains access to the larder, he is by no means nice or
shy in helping himself to whatever he may fancy, whether dressed or
undressed. Crumbs of bread or cheese-— in short, no kind of human
food comes amiss to him if hunger crave.

The natural vigilance of the robin renders him useful to other birds
which are the prey of cats, foxes, or hawks ; for no sooner is one of
these marauders observed, than he sounds his note of alarm, telling all
to be on their guard : and it is astonishing to see with what alacrity all
who hear the call fly to a place of safety. House-sparrows, chaffinches,
tomtits, and other small birds, all rush to covert till the danger is past ;
and if in the fields a pole-cat. weazel, or stoat be seen by the robin,
he certainly will tell of “ his whereabout.”

454

SKETCHES OF NATURAL HISTORY.

There is another instance of the usefulness of the robin as a pointer,
in showing by his action where a mole is at work. Whether a mole
be running along an old tunnel, or forming a new one by throwing up
the loose earth in a hill upon the surface, the worms, the natural prey
of the mole, feeling his presence, try to escape from him either by
sinking down to the bottom of their holes, or rising out upon the surface
of the ground. These last are espied by the robin, who quickly riots
in a full meal. Many a mole has been taken by the writer, who was
led to the spot by this indication of their presence, afforded by the
robin hopping about the place of the mole’s operations or movements.

Upon the whole, the redbreast is a useful bird about a garden, and
therefore should, by all means, be encouraged to build and breed within
the walls and precincts. No fears need be entertained that they will
become too numerous ; their natural antipathy to each other, and love
of sole dominion, will always cause their dispersion from any one spot.
This circumstance reflects no credit on the personal character of the
robin, for, though no one is more convinced that this little bird is
a friend to the gardener, the truth must be told, however contrary to
the general feeling in the robin’s behalf. In a word, he is a bad neigh¬
bour — an unsociable and domineering relative to his own and every
other tribe of small birds ; his apparent confidence in man is audacity — *
his familiarity downright impudence.

Of the Wren ( Anorthura troglodytes').— This is (except the gold-
crested wren) the smallest British bird, and seems very equally dis¬
tributed over the whole face of the country, wherever there are
buildings, woods, or broken ground. They are entirely insectivorous,
and in this respect are as useful in gardens as the robin ; but their
character is far more amiable, and they deserve to be cherished and
protected wherever they have chosen to sojourn.

Innocent, industrious, and always sprightly, they are indeed at
all times the very picture of vivacity. Whether seeking their own
food, building their compactly-formed arched nest, or feeding their
young, they are indefatigable— always in motion, and there is a brisk¬
ness in their action which is highly amusing.

Soon as the first gleams of spring begin to awaken vegetation, the
wren is one of the first to hail the return of the genial season. His
sprightly strain, though short, is frequently repeated, and with such
energy, that, though small and shrill his pipe, he makes the hollow
woods resound. It is a song of love as well as of joy ; and so peculiar,
that it cannot be mistaken for that of any other bird.

Like the robin, the wren is also an alarmist if any enemy of the
feathered tribes be in sight. To cats, stoats, or weazles, he is a most

SKETCHES OF NATURAL HISTORY.

455

determined tormentor ; he hovers round the foe, uttering his peculiar
Hr ring note, which seems not only a note of fear, but of chiding
reprehension.

His mode of courtship is one of the most amusing exhibitions that a
naturalist can be witness to. No rational actor in pantomime can excel
the wren ; — urgent persuasion, the most tender vows, and the most
seductive promises, are all exhibited in dumb show. Sometimes,
indeed, he uses his own language of hope or flattery, but it is done in
the softest whisper. The whole scene is truly ludicrous, for the little
fellow swells and struts as majestically as the proudest turkey-cock !

The nest, which is beautifully constructed, resembles an egg, the
smallest end downwards. It is completely arched over, the entrance
being in the side, a little below the springing of the arch, so that
neither rain can fall nor eye see into the interior of the building. This
form of the nest requires that it can only be made against some perpen¬
dicular body— as the ivy-covered side of a tree or wall, or abrupt bank
of a road or river.

The hen lays from ten to fourteen eggs before she sits, and hatches
her brood in about fifteen days. The young are reared in this dark
but secure cradle ; and it is wonderful to see the assiduity of the affec¬
tionate pair while rearing their tiny brood. From dawn until sunset
their efforts are unceasing ; flying to and fro between the nest and the
fruit or other trees in the neighbourhood, collecting small green cater¬
pillars ( TortrLv ?) which destroy the flowers and foliage of trees and
flowering shrubs. The numbers thus collected and destroyed in the

course of one day are incalculable, as at every return to the nest the

* •

bills of the old ones are each charged with five or six writhing victims,
which are quickly distributed to the importunate young.

Another remarkable trait in the domestic economy of the common
wren is their extreme attention to cleanliness. In such a close apart¬
ment, with so many helpless inmates crowded together, it might be
supposed that it would soon become intolerable to the inhabitants ; but
no such thing : the nest is kept as clean as a drawing-room by the
instinctive cleanliness and tidy housewifery of the watchful parents.

In very hard frosts the wren has a severe struggle to maintain exist¬
ence, as the insect tribes have then retired to their winter quarters,
either in the crevices of the rough bark of trees, or holes in buildings, or
other places of shelter. There the wren may be seen searching every
crack and corner for winged insects and spiders, or their bags of eggs,
which the wren appears very fond of ; so that in summer and winter
this little bird is ever reducing the swarms of insects, some of which
are so destructive to garden crops. If in that season the wren gains

456

SKETCHES OF NATURAL HISTORY.

access into a greenhouse containing orange-trees infested with the scaly
coccus or aphis, here the bird has a sumptuous feast, and, at the same
time, performs a work of great service to the gardener.

Were it not for the wren, and other insectivorous birds, the despoilers
of our summer fruits and flowers would, from their numbers increasing
without a countervailing check, like the locusts in some countries, con¬
sume every green leaf and every embryo fruit ; so that it may fairly be
adduced that those diminutive objects of the lower creation are an
indispensable link in the chain of being, and as necessary in the grand
scheme of Providence as are the larger beasts of the animal kingdom.

Of the Gold-crested Wren ( Regulus ciuricapillus ). — This is the
smallest British bird, and, though constantly insectivorous, it does not
frequent gardens ; nor are they so numerous as the common wren,
unless there are many fir-trees in the neighbourhood ; for among firs,
cedars, and other slender-leaved evergreen trees, the crested wren is
mostly met with. Here they find abundant food, as flies of all descrip¬
tions resort to these thick trees for shelter from cold or rain. Here,
too, this little warbler breeds, fixing its nest at the very point of a
pendant branch or twig. In this position the nest is perfectly safe
from squirrels, which would disturb, or birds of prey, to rob them of
their helpless young : add to this, that the nest is of itself so small as
scarcely to attract the notice of the keenest eye, it appearing only like
a bit of green moss, somewhat larger than a hen’s egg, attached by
accident to the dangling twig.

When this bird visits gardens, he flits about among the gooseberry
or espalier trees, picking up young spiders or other small insects.
While so employed, he every now and then utters a short and feeble
song, which has been aptly compared to that of a fairy. Field hedges
he also visits for food or recreation, flitting along the leeward side, and
alighting at intervals of a few yards, as if he were measuring by equi¬
distant flights its whole length — never roosting or building in hedges,
however, unless they are of yew or holly.

This bird is very generally distributed over the British isles, but,
from its very small size and secluded habits, is not much noticed,
unles the stripe of burnished gold along the head catch the eye. This
is indeed most remarkable, as, perhaps, the feathers of no other bird
represent the metallic lustre of gold so perfectly as it appears in this
instance.

Of the Earth-Worm ( Lumbricus terrestris).— None of the Intesihia
of Linnaeus are better known to the gardener than the common earth¬
worm. They are described as naked, simple, without limbs ; segments
one hundred; twenty-six to thirty form the belt ; two spines on each

SKETCHES OF NATURAL HISTORY.

457

side of each segment, except the belt,, all turned backward ; three
pores on each side of the belt, two on the twelfth and two on the four¬
teenth segment; living in the ground, and sometimes in the human intes¬
tines. In sex they are hermaphrodite, each individual being both male
and female; hence their wonderful fecundity. They lay a vast number
of eggs, which, when first in motion, are like small white threads, about
three lines in length, and attached to the under side of stones, or other
solid body, on moist turf, or among any green herbage.

There are several species met with in gardens and elsewhere ; the
largest is the dew- worm, so called from its exposing itself on the surface
for sexual intercourse while the dew is on the surface, or during soft
warm rain. The other species are all smaller ; one, of a middle size,
is more slender, tougher, and of duller red colour than the dew-worm,
and of which fish are particularly fond when presented as a bait.
Anglers call this the “ bramble-worm,” as best suited for their pur¬
pose. The smallest species live in rich moist turf, and are known by
some of their segments being of a green colour.

Their abodes in the earth are perpendicular holes, higher or lower,
in which they remain according to the state of the weather. If moist
and warm, they keep near the surface ; but if cold or dry, they descend
to the bottom. It appears that they deepen their holes by swallowing
the finest parts of the earth, and afterwards voiding it as casts” upon
the surface. In this action they are plagues to the gardener, by dis*
figuring his lawns and soiling his gravel walks ; but they can easily be
dislodged from any given spot by soaking the ground with lime-water.
The dew-worm is mischievous in another way — that is, by drawing to
the mouth of their holes not only small stones or other light matters,
but also young seedlings of some of the most precious crops. These
are the only crimes or misdemeanors which can be laid to the charge of
earth-worms ; but, after all, it is questionable whether either gardener
or farmer could do so well without them. If it be an advantage to the
cultivator of plants to have the ground open and porous, in this lie is
assuredly assisted by wrorins, for they form thousands of air and water
ducts through the whole thickness of the staple of the arable soil, and
consequently render it more suitable for the growth of plants.

This, however, is but a contracted view of the usefulness of earth¬
worms, for, considering them as one of the grades of animal existence,
they are indispensable to many classes above as well as beneath them.
They are the food of many birds, and of fishes when washed from the
crumbling banks of drains, ditches, and rivers ; and they constitute the
sole food of the mole, and an agreeable repast to the skulking hedge-hog
and ravenous swine. So instinctively fearful of the mole are the earth**

VOL. V. — NO. LXVI. 3 N

458

OF THE TURNIP CATERPILLAR.

worms, that the least concussion of the earth alarms and sends them
either to the bottom of their holes below the tunnels of the moles, or
writhing out upon the surface to escape. An angler in quest of worms
for bait need not dig for them ; he has only to take a kitchen poker,
thrust it deep into a moist part of a meadow, and then, shaking it
forcibly from side to side, so as to produce a disturbance around, the
worms, if any near the spot, will come instantly to the surface to fly
from what they conceive to be their natural enemy, to fall into the
power of others equally merciless.

The tunnels of the mole are fatal traps to the earth-worms ; the
latter, in their progress either up or down in the soil, fall into these
openings, and there remain till the next journey of the mole ; for,
though worms can make a passage for themselves, if buried in the soil,
by muscular force exerted laterally, yet, when in open space, being
without limbs, they cannot enter the soil again, unless they get among
the stalks of herbage, to permit insinuation and to gain a purchase,
to enable them to progress by successive movements of their head and
tail parts.

If the earth-worm loses, by the spade or otherwise, a part of the tail,
it is renewed again in the most extraordinary maimer : the central
canal of the body becomes gradually elongated backward till it reaches
its former length, and this is, in time, covered with the outer integu¬
ments. As worms have no skin, or, if there be anything like cuticle,
it is most sensitive, any caustic or pungent quality affects them
dreadfully, so that a solution of common salt or lime kills them
outright. Hot lime dissolved in water, when drawn off clear, may
be applied to potted plants, or to grass or gravel walks, with the best
effects in banishing worms.

Of the Turnip Caterpillar, called by Farmers the Black
Jack. —These insects seldom visit gardens, nor are they constantly
visitants of fields ; but when they do appear, they are, from their num¬
bers and voracity, most destructive to the turnip crop.

They have made their appearance in many different districts of this
country during the last summer, particularly in Cambridgeshire, where
we have lately witnessed the effects of their ravages. Mr. W . Wool-
lard, an intelligent farmer residing at Fen Ditton, in the neighbour¬
hood of Cambridge, has paid particular attention to the economy of this
Insect, and his account of it is as follows »

“ In the month of May last the caterpillar first appeared upon a
piece of field cabbage, but, from the substantial foliage and gross habit
of these drum-heads , the insect did little damage. In about a month

OF THE TURNIP CATERPILLAR.

459

afterwards another brood attacked the young turnips, then just ready
to be hoed out. The insects commenced their attack behind the hoers,
upon the best plants selected to stand, and in a very few days wrould
have devoured the whole.” Mr. Woollard, on observing this, imme¬
diately ordered the men to cease hoeing, resolving to allow the cater¬
pillars a full feast, hoping thereby to save a share of the crop for his
sheep. He was led to adopt this management from observing, that, as
the insects came forth simultaneously on the turnips, it was probable
their life as caterpillars would be short, and that the then existing
brood would quickly vanish. In this surmise he was right ; for, having
kept some in confinement, he found that they continued ravenous and
as caterpillars for from fourteen to twenty days, after which they retire
beneath the surface of the ground, and very soon are changed into
chry scd idee.

In the chrysalis state they remain for a period of between two and
three weeks, when they come forth as a hymenopterous fly, having a
yellow breast and abdomen ; corslet or body (to which the legs and
wings are joined) black ; eyes lateral, large, and black ; wings diapha¬
nous, with black veins, and a long marginal mark of the same hue on
the outer side of each.

The fly preserved and presented to us by Mr. Woollard is somewhat
mutilated, so that neither antennae nor other members of the mouth can
be accurately described by us; but there is a remarkable liorn-like
appendage, the remains of the antennae, protruding from the front of
the head. The fly is nearly half an inch in length, and has some dis¬
tant resemblance to the yellow-bodied flies ( Sccdophagi stercoraria )
which appear on recently-laid heaps of dung in gardens or fields. We
will show the fly to some able entomologist, wTho may favour us with
a better account hereafter for publication.

The manners and haunts of the perfect insects are yet to us un¬
known ; but it is probable that, after sexual cohabitation and deposi¬
tion of eggs by the female, they become food for swallows and other
insectivorous birds, and soon insensibly perish.

But how can we defend our crops from their attacks ? is the grand
practical question. The discovery of this is the proper business of the
entomologist, and the only use (besides rational amusement) of the
study and knowlege of the science.

When they are plentiful in one season, it is likely they will abound
in the next, unless some accident of w7eather proves destructive to their
eggs during winter. As those noticed by Mr. W. appeared imme¬
diately after the hoe, it may be that the eggs are contained in the dung,
and its exposure and comminution on the field brings them to life.

460

EXTRACTS.

The gentleman to whom we submitted the foregoing account and
specimen is decidedly of opinion that the insect is the Athalia sped -
arum of Leach and Fabricius; that their caterpillars are the favourite
prey of ducks ; and that a flock of these birds, driven leisurely over
an infected field, would be the only practical means of removing the
pest.

Extracts.—' 11 Lolium or Darnel is a very common grass, and several
species, as the arvensi, perenne, &c., have been recommended to be
sown among other grasses on poor soils ; they afford a bulky crop of
hay, and, although much less nutritious than the florins and various
others, they are more so than the fox-tail, cock’s-foot, dog’s-tail, and
fescue grasses ; — and it is not unimportant for agriculturists to be
aware, that experiments have shown some of the grasses to contain two
or three times as much nutritious matter as others.

“ The bearded darnel is generally supposed to be the f Infelix lolium
of Virgil, of which he speaks in no measured terms of condemnation.
It is not a very common grass in Britain, but in warmer climates it is
a noxious corn-weed, and, with the barren oat, overtops and chokes
the wheat ; so that Milne thinks it highly probable that the Greek
word, rendered tares in the thirteenth chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel,
should be translated darnel, which would convey the meaning of the
passage more aptly than tares, unless the strangle-tare ( Ervam tetra -
spermum ) be intended ; for, of all corn-weeds, this is most annoying to
a growing crop, though the seeds do not, or at least need not, appear
in the sample, because they may be sifted out, which darnel cannot be.
The same word is always rendered by French translators ivraie , from
ivre, drunk. Our partiality for contractions has caused the corruption
of the French ivraie into ray-grass — one of the names of darnel,
although it properly applies to one species only, viz. the Lolium
temulenium, which is said to possess intoxicating powers. Haller
affirms that this species of lolium not only produces intoxication, as
the trivial name implies, but that, if baked into bread, or fermented
in ale, its administration is attended by very disagreeable effects ; — it
produces headach, vertigo, &c., and the tongue exhibits a very strong
trembling. By the Chinese laws (for this plant is found both in
China and Japan), it is forbidden to be used in fermented liquors.
Some of the intoxicating qualities of factitious beer are said to be owing
to the admixture of darnel with malted barley. In the IC Medical and
Physical Journal” there are placed on record several cases of poisoning
by darnel in the human subject. In these, giddiness in the head, pain
and swelling of the limbs, succeeded by abscess and gangrene, were the

EXTRACTS.

461

most prominent symptoms. This, the only poisonous grass known, is
easily distinguished by its two-sided spike and one-valved glumes, it
rarely appearing but among autumn-sown crops, such as wheat and rye,
but seldom among oats or barley. The darnel is often found accom¬
panied by Bromus secalinus, or rye-grass, and they are often mistaken
for each other even by farmers. But, while the last is as sweet and
pleasant as oats, and eagerly devoured by cattle and poultry, the darnel
is nauseously bitter, and refused by all.

The genus Pcniicum, another of the grasses, is thought to have been
one of the earliest grasses, the seeds of which were used for making
bread, and that the names panicum and pcinis have, therefore, more
than a mere etymological affinity. P. miliaceum (the common millet)
is still sown in this country, and occasionally used for making puddings,
as a substitute for rice, but much more frequently for feeding poultry.
P. arborescens is an extraordinary grass, for, although the culm is not
thicker than a goose-quill, it is said to exceed in height the loftiest trees
in Hindostan, shooting through their branches, and overspreading their
summits, as it were, with an aerial meadow.

“ Sorghum vulgcire, the Indian millet, is commonly cultivated as
corn in Arabia and most parts of Asia Minor ; it has been introduced
into the West Indies as a hearty food for the slaves, and is there called
Negro Guinea-corn. In the southern parts of Europe, as in Spain and
Italy, it is likewise grown. The flour is white, and is made into loaves
or cakes ; but it is chiefly used for feeding poultry and cattle. It grows
five or six feet high, is a handsome plant, and its long awns protect
the grains from the rapacity of birds.

“ Reflections on the Study of the Cryptogamia. — The Jungermanniss
are small obscure plants, growing in damp situations, creeping over the
trunks of trees, the surface of rocks, or the moist earth, and seldom
attract much notice. The monograph of Hooker upon the British
Jungermannise has, however, elevated them from their obscurity, and
shown these neglected plants to be among the most exquisite examples
of Nature’s works.

“ None of them are poisonous or in the slightest degree hurtful ;
their taste is mild; some few, as the G. pusillci , are fragrant, but not
possessed of any very sensible properties. Not one of the species has
hitherto been applied by man to any useful purpose.

“ The study of these plants has sometimes forcibly struck us as being
a more decided proof of a disinterested love of science than the investi¬
gation of other richer and more directly rewarding tribes. The Junger-
manniae afford neither clothing nor fuel ; they yield neither food for
the hungry nor medicine for the sick. Hence they have been contemned

462

EXTRACTS.

as useless, and their study proscribed as a useless occupation. But is
it so ? Are they altogether useless ? Are there not functions per¬
formed by these, and many other plants as worthless, which are of vast
importance in the general economy of nature— functions which indi¬
rectly, if not directly, minister to the comforts and conveniences of
man? The uses which nature makes of plants are often more beneficial
to us than any uses we can make of them ourselves : and should aught
created be despised as useless by those whose ignorance alone it is
that, in all likelihood, prevents them from discovering its utility ?

“ But there is use in studying the works of the Creator far beyond
the discovery of the uses to which these, his creatures, may be applied ;
far beyond the discovery even of the blessings he has provided for our
enjoyment ; for, when they afford neither sustenance nor physic for
the body, they yield both food and medicine for the mind. * Do not,
therefore, depreciate a pursuit which leads man to contemplate the works
of God.’ To the merchant, the courtier, or the book- worm, the journal
of a naturalist may appear to contain memoranda of little importance ;
but to such, if they scorn his' labours, he may answer in the words of
Southey, that he has f in his pursuit, as they in theirs, an object that
occupies his time, and fills his mind and satisfies his heart. It is at
least as innocent as theirs, and as disinterested — perhaps more so,
because it is not so ambitious/ Nor can the pleasure he feels in the
discovery of a plant, or in the investigation of its wonderful structure,
be less pure or less worthy than what they derive from the perusal of
the noblest productions of human genius— nay, is it not likely to be
both more pure and more worthy ?

“ The Jungermannise, like other humble genera of the class Crypto -
gamia , are of much more importance than is generally supposed ; they,
with the lichens, fungi, algae, &c., form the first earthy crust on the
naked rock, and, after years of growth and decomposition, form
at last a bed of earth for the sustentation of shrubs and trees. These
plants and their immediate allies, which often appear to have so sud¬
denly clothed a barren heath, or overspread a dry wall with verdure,
have the peculiar property of remaining in a dormant state for a con¬
siderable length of time, and to revive from their parched condition, as
if awaked from sleep, on the access of moisture, to all their pristine
beauty, spreading abroad their delicate leaf-like expansions, and their
beautiful apologies for blossoms.

“ In elegance and delicacy of structure, mosses are not exceeded by
any plants that grow ; and an intimate examination of these minute
vegetables would almost, if not altogether, lead the observer to believe
that, however admirable Nature may be in every particular, yet that, in

ORDEAL TREE,

463

excess of modesty, she veils her chief beauties from the vulgar gaze,
and reveals them to those true lovers alone who are strictly wedded to
her service and her study. Perhaps a higher tribute to their beauty
was never paid than that which springs from the detail Mungo Park
has given of the consolation and encouragement he received, in a period
of great difficulty and danger, from the contemplation of the inimitable
structure of one of those lowly mosses. As an illustration of the whole¬
some effect of the study of the works of nature on a well-regulated
mind, the passage, though often quoted, cannot be deemed unworthy of
repetition. This enterprising traveller, during one of his journeys into
the interior of Africa, was cruelly stripped and robbed of all that he
possessed by banditti. f In this forlorn and all but hopeless condition,’
he says, when the robbers had left him, f I sat for some time looking
round me with amazement and terror. Whichever way I turned,
nothing appeared but danger and difficulty. I found myself in the
midst of a vast wilderness, in the depth of the rainy season, naked and
alone, surrounded by savage animals, and men still more savage. I was
live hundred miles from any European settlement. All these circum¬
stances crowded at once upon my recollection, and I confess my spirits
began to fail me. I considered my fate as certain, and that I had no
alternative but to lie down and perish. The influence of religion, how¬
ever, supported me, I reflected that no human prudence or foresight
could possibly have averted my present sufferings. I was indeed a
stranger in a strange land, yet I was still under the protecting eye of
that Providence who has condescended to call himself the stranger ’s
friend. At this moment, painful as my reflections were, the extra¬
ordinary beauty of a small moss irresistibly caught my eye, (I mention
this to show from what trifling circumstances the mind will sometimes
derive consolation,) and, although the plant was not larger than the top
of one of my fingers, I could not contemplate the delicate conformation
of its roots, leaves, and fruit, without admiration. Can that Being
(thought I) who planted, watered, and brought to perfection, in this
obscure part of the vmrld, a thing which appears of so small import¬
ance, look with unconcern upon the situation and sufferings of creatures
formed after his own image ? Surely not. Reflections like these would
not allow me to despair. I started up, and, disregarding both hunger
and fatigue, travelled forwards, being assured relief was at hand, and
was not disappointed.’ Bur . Bot.

Ordeal Tree _ -This is an African tree, and in its habit and mode

of flowering is allied to the Mimosas. It was first known to botanists
as the Afzelia grandis , but it is now the Erytlirophleum quincensis of

464 REMARKS ON THE SCIENTIFIC EXAMINATION OF GARDENERS.

G. Don. This is the Gregre or Ordeal-tree of Sierra Leone and
Guinea. The generic name refers to the red juice with which the
stem and branches abound. This tree, like our trial by battle, is
appealed to by the ignorant natives to declare God’s judgment, and the
effects which follow the ordeal are considered as proofs of the guilt or
innocence of accused persons.

The juice, or a decoction of the wood, is given to the accused to
drink, and, if vomiting occurs without being followed by death, the
parties are declared innocent; but if they die, they are condemned as
guilty.

The irritability of the stomach, or the will of the judge, in reality,
is thus the gauge of guilt ; for if the fault be slight, or the jndge
inclined to favour the prisoner^ a portion of the bark is given him to
chew, which is invariably rejected by the stomach, and the accused
escapes ; but if the charge be grave, or the judge unfavourable, the
decoction of the wood is given, and then the accused has little chance.

In our collections it is called the Red W ater-tree, and is treated
like other stove plants — that' is, grown in a mixture of light turfy
loam, sand, and moor-earth, and propagated by young cuttings struck ,
in sand under a hand-glass. Its historical value is all this plant can
claim as deserving a place in our collections ; for, though a lofty tree
in Africa, it is necessarily here a diminutive plant.

To the Editor of the Horticultural Register.

Remarks on the Scientific Examination of Gardeners. —
Sir, — Having observed an article in the “Gardener’s Magazine” for
November, headed “ Scientific Examination of Gardeners,” I beg leave
to submit to you a few remarks on the subject. I beg pardon of the
learned writers, from whom I am forced to differ in opinion, and I
assure them that it is unwillingly and with regret that I do so; but
the verv system upon which this examination is conducted is in itself
an effectual bar to the good which they expect to follow. The reasons
are obvious : — they are examined privately by Dr.Lindiey, the assistant
secretary, without any of the other members of the Garden Committee,
or even the gardener himself, being present ; and Dr. Lindley has a
discretionary power to decide whether those he examines belong to the
first or second class, granting them a certificate accordingly, and in all
probability will decide according to the opinion he forms of the man,
rather than according to his merits.

I do not mean to say anything against that gentleman’s writings, as
gardeners, above all others, require the most extensive knowledge ; but^

REMARKS ON THE SCIENTIFIC EXAMINATION OF GARDENERS. 465

at the same time, they ought never to lose sight of the practical parts
of their profession.

It is natural to suppose that when the Doctor gives his students the
heads upon which he is to examine them at a future time, (or say when
they are ready,) like a boy at school, when he has got his lesson by
heart, to intimate to his teacher he has done so — when, as soon as he
finds it convenient, he is called forward to repeat it : in that respect,
those who can answer the Doctor most correctly at the time, supposing
he were quite ignorant of the practical and most necessary parts of a
gardener’s qualifications, would be classed as a first-rate, and put on a
par with others of more extensive, if not superior acquirements.

I submit the before-mentioned facts to you, Mr. Editor, and your
numerous readers, whether such a system of examination is calculated
to form a new era among gardeners, and raise them to a higher scale of
being — to be more thought of by their employers, and suitably rewarded
for their industry. Such a system, in mv opinion, is calculated to
degrade the profession ; as, for instance, if a young man has got a tole¬
rable education, he may ingeniously contrive to obtain an extra first-
rate certificate from Dr. Lindley, and then go forth to the world making
a boast that he lias passed the Board of the London Horticultural
Society, while, at the same time, he may be destitute of any practical
knowledge of what he professes ; and if placed as head gardener in a
situation of importance, of course great things would be expected of
him, which he may not be capable of performing, and the consequence
will ultimately be that he loses his place ; and if a good gardener, who
has an experimental and practical knowledge of his business, which he
has been pursuing for the course of years, were to succeed him, he would
be treated with indifference, and in all probability find his salary
reduced to that of his predecessor, which he can only recover by
attention.

I should like to see some system adopted which might be the means,
if possible, of keeping back pretenders and those spurious gardeners
who are daily springing up amongst us as noxious weeds ; and I would,
therefore, propose to the Horticultural Society, and those who are inte¬
rested in its affairs, that their regulations as to receiving men into the
garden be observed in all time coming ; and that when two or more are
to be examined — a day being previously fixed on for that purpose — at
least five or six practical gardeners most convenient to the neighbour¬
hood, and who are considered to be men of respectable conduct and
acquirements, be summoned to attend there as a jury — also the gardener
of the establishment and the foremen of the respective departments ;
and when so assembled, let Dr. Lindley proceed to examine the candi-

VOL. V.™ -NO. LXVI. 3 O

486

NOTICE OP JOHNSON’S KITCHEN GARDEN.

dates, one after the other, on the various branches of their profession,
both in theory and practice, and let the jury give their opinion whether
those who are examined, or any of them, shall be entitled to a certifi¬
cate of the first or second class, or sent back to pursue some other course
of employment for which they are better adapted by nature.

It would be encroaching on the pages of your valuable work to men¬
tion all the qualifications which a gardener ought to possess ; therefore
I would only say to the young and inexperienced, endeavour by every
possible means to obtain a knowledge of the vegetable kingdom, from
the lofty tree to the diminutive weed of the garden, as in these days,
in which we enjoy commercial intercourse with the uttermost ends of
the earth, and have made all the valuable produce of other places our
own, both for ornament and use, the business and duties of a gardener
are very much extended.

To be a good gardener, a man not only requires a preliminary educa¬
tion, but a steady perseverance in acquiring knowledge and habits of
industry, and a taste for comforts ,* and I am glad to say, that for this
purpose a gardeners’ society has lately been established at the west,
of London, called te The West London Gardeners’ Association for
mutual Instruction and Improvement.” I understand they have taken
a school-room at Hammersmith sufficient to accommodate eighty indi¬
viduals. I have had the pleasure of attending one of their meetings,
and, from the respectable individuals who attend, and the manner in
which it is conducted, I have no doubt but it will ultimately be of great
utility to gardeners and society at large.

I should be glad to see some person better qualified than myself
take up this subject, and remain, &c.

Turnham Green , lith November, 1836. Alex» RUSSELL.

NOTICE OF JOHNSON’S KITCHEN GARDEN.

The Kitchen Garden ; its Arrangement and Cultivation. By
George W. Johnson, author of The History of English Gardening,”
&c. Orr and Smith, Paternoster Row.

This little work has lately come under our notice ; it has no preten¬
sions to originality, the author being, as he himself modestly states,
“ almost exclusively a retailer of other men’s wares.” As a compila¬
tion, however, it is very respectably got up, the various matters being
well selected ; and it is arranged with considerable judgment, besides
being written in a very pleasing style. The principal source whence
the author has drawn information is from the ff Transactions of the
Horticultural Society of London,” and from several other contemporary
publications. It is certainly a very neat and cheap compendium of
kitchen gardening.

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

467

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

Edwards’s Botanical Register, continued by Professor Lindley.
The November number contains : —

1. Ionopsis tenera. A very delicate and pretty flowering genus,
belonging to Orchidacece . Its different species are but little known
in consequence of the difficulty of bringing them from their native
country, and of growing them well when brought. In their native
woods they grow upon the smaller branches of trees, or upon dead
sticks, which their white slender roots quickly overspread. Dr. L.
enumerates four species which have been pretty clearly described, viz.
I. pulchella and testiculata , Sir William Hooker’s lantha pallidljlora ;
the third is the one represented, and the fourth is a very remarkable
species, having purple-pan nicled scapes, a foot and a half long, bending
gracefully beneath the weight of the delicate snow-white flowers. A
French author mentions a variety of it with flowers of a delicate rose-
colour, vdiich flowers from September to March, continuing all the
intervening period without fading.

The present plant flowered in the collection of Sir Charles Lemon,
at Garclew, in May last, and is described by Mr. Booth.

2. Rondeletia odorata. An hexandrious plant, belonging to the
natural order Ctnckonacece. It is a handsome-flowering stove exotic,
found by Jacquin on bush-covered rocks near the sea in the Havannah.
He says the bright vermilion-coloured flowers are as sweet-scented as
violets; hence the specific name. This fine scent, however, is not
evolved by cultivated plants. It thrives in a mixture of loam and
moor-earth, and cuttings root in sand under glass. In collections it is
usually known as the R. speciosa.

3. Epimedium macranthum , Large-flowered Epimedium. A very
pretty sweet-scented species, remarkable for the large size of its pale
violet flowers. “ It has been amply described by Messrs. Morren and
Decaisne from plants that flowered in the garden of the University of
Ghent, where it forms one out of a hundred and sixty species of
Japanese plants brought to Europe alive by Dr. Von Siebolt. This is
by far the most considerable importation from Japan that has yet been
made, and its results have been so satisfactory as to lead us to hope
that the Dutch botanists may be the means of bringing us acquainted
•with a larger portion of the beautiful plants which adorn that most
singular country.”

o j

The drawing was taken from a plant which flowered in the nursery
of the Messrs. Osborne, at Fulham, in April last, and is well worth the

468

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

notice of the curious in plants. It is quite hardy, bears tetrandrous
odd-shaped flowers, and belongs to Berberacece. Two other species
are in the Ghent collection. Doubts are expressed whether or not the
E. alpinum be a wild British plant : of this wre think British botanists
can have no kind of doubt.

4. Aspcisia vctriegata . Variegated Aspasia. A new species of an
orchideous genus, introduced by Mr. J. Knight, of the King’s Road,
Chelsea. The floivers are deliciously sweet in the morning, and are
beautifully variegated with white, yellow, green, and purple, for which
it deserves a place in every stove collection.

5. Craspedia glauca. Glaucous Craspedia. A herbaceous plant
belonging to Composite? , found in Van Diemen’s Land, whence it wras
sent by Mr. James Backhouse to his brother, in whose nursery at York
it flowered in April last. It is probable that it will only require the
protection of a cold frame in our winter.

6. Clintonia pulchella. Pretty Clintonia. A very elegant little
plant belonging to Lobeliacece, which Dr. Lindley says he is more
desirous of recording the existence of, lest it should be lost, than for
its importance as a flower-garden plant. It only exists in the garden
of the Horticultural Society, and is preserved from year to year with
much difficulty, as it ripens but few seeds. In its appearance it much
resembles a small three-coloured violet. It is one of the Flora
Douglasii.

7. Crates gus Mexiccina. Mexican Hawthorn. An icosandrous
plant, and, like its congeners, belonging to Rosacece. It is a native of
the Tierra Fria of Mexico ; a small tree, and in mild climates is quite
evergreen. It requires a sheltered place in this country, and is easily
propagated by grafting on the common hawthorn. The haws are large,
and held in some estimation in Mexico, but are not superior to other
hawrs in this country.

8. Oncidium iridifolium. Iris-leaved or Pigmy Oncidium. A
curious little species of Oncidium, native of South America, found
growing exclusively upon the branches of orange and lemon trees. It
is plentiful in the neighbourhood of Bom Jesus de Bananal, in the pro¬
vince of St. Paul, Brazil, and constantly prefers dry places exposed to
the sun — a situation of all others the most unsuitable for the trees, as
well as to the generality of orchideous epiphytes. The plant figured
flowered at Wentworth House.

Sweet’s British Flower Garden, continued by Professor Don.
The number for November contains : — -

1 . Bartonia aurea. Golden Bartonia. An herbaceous plant, dis-

NOTICES OF BOTANICAL PUBLICATIONS.

469

covered and introduced by Douglas from 'California, bearing large
yellow polyandrous dowers, and belonging to tlie natural order Locisece.
The plant loves a rich soil, and should be treated as a tender annual —
that is, raised from seeds in a frame, and removed to the open border
about the middle of May.

2. Mimulus cardinalis. Scarlet Monkey-flower. This and all the
other Mimuluses belong to the order Scophularinece. This is another
of Douglas’s acquisitions, and, although but recently introduced, it has
already become pretty. It appears to be little more than annual, grow¬
ing freely and seeding plentifully in any common soil, and flowering
from June to October; it is propagated by cuttings as well as seeds.

3. Iberis coronciria. Rocket Candy-Tuft. A plant belonging to
Cruciferce. It is by far the most showy of the genus. It is a hardy
annual, of easy culture, growing freely in the flower-borders. At a
distance, the plant bears a considerable resemblance to the double
White Rocket.

4. Phacelia tancicetifolia . Tansy-leaved Phacelia. A hardy annual
from California, and belonging to Hydrophyllece. The plant is one of
those that is likely to possess greater interest in the eyes of a botanist
than of the mere admirer of showy flowers ; for, though in the early
stage of its flowering it is not wanting in beauty, it afterwards assumes
a weedy aspect by no means attractive. This, as well as the preceding,
were drawn from plants in the nursery of Messrs. Allen and Rogers, at
Battersea.

Paxton’s Magazine op Botany. The November number
contains : —

1 . Clerodendrum speciosissimum . Beautiful Scarlet-flowering Clero-
dendrum. “ This is one of the finest plants,” says Mr. Paxton, ffwe
have had the good fortune to figure ; it is far superior in beauty to any
of the fine familv to which it belongs. The colours are so brilliant,
that the representation here made falls considerably short of doing it
justice; indeed it is beyond the reach of the artist to give a faithful
likeness of its colours.” It is further stated that the plant was received
from Belgium last year by Messrs. Leucombe, Pince, and Co., of the
Exeter Nursery, and flowered with them in August and September
last. It is easily grown and propagated either by young cuttings or
pieces of the roots.

2. Leptosiphon Androsctceus. Androsan-like Leptosiphon. A pretty
annual, a native of California, whence it was introduced to our collec¬
tions about three years ago by the late Mr. Douglas. It thrives in any
kind of soil, and, in point of situation, a partial shade suits it best. Its

470

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR DECEMBER.

heads of pale purple pentandrous dowers and deeply-cut leaves are
ornamental, but it does not yield seed freely : some care is requisite in
preserving good seed. It belongs to the order Pohnoniacece.

3. Sarracejiia purpurea. Purple Side-saddle Flower. A singular
yet handsome plant, found inhabiting the swamps of North America.
The dowers are polyandrous, and it gives a title to the order to which
it belongs, viz. Sarracenacece . This plant does not thrive in the open
air in this country, though a native of a more northern region ; they
are found to do best in a shady frame, or in a stove planted in pots
hlled with pieces of peat at the bottom, and sphagnum or water-moss at
the top, and the pots placed in pans of water. They also do very ■well
in moss, without pots, in a frame ; but either way they must be kept
rather moist and quite shaded.

To these figures and descriptions Mr. Paxton has added five essays
on subjects interesting to gardeners, namely, first, “ An Essay on the
Climate of Hothouses,” from the pen of Professor Daniell, of the
King’s College, London ; second, fir Hints on the common Garden
Balsam;” third, Ci Scientific Principles of Grafting,” from “ The
Alphabet of Gardening ; ” fourth, “ Remarks on the Genus Nerium ; ”
and, fifth, f-' On the Science of Botany.” There is also an account of
new plants, and a calendar of operations for November/

CALENDARIAL MEMORANDA FOR DECEMBER.

Kitchen Garden.— Protecting the growing and stored crops from
the severity of the weather is a daily task in this dead season of the
year ; it is also a month of preparation for the execution of subsequent
business. Manuring, trenching vacant pieces of ground, collecting
and turning composts, preparing dung for hotbeds, &c., are all the
ordinary employments of the month.

If the weather be open, and the soil pretty dry, other sowings of
early sorts of peas and beans may be put in. This is particularly
necessary if the former sowings have been cut off, or to succeed them
if they be not.

Mushroom beds will require frequent examination : whether in bear¬
ing or not, more or less covering may be needed, according to the tem¬
perature of the bed itself as well as of the atmosphere.

Cauliflower, lettuce, endive, &c., in frames, should be closely
attended to. Full air should be given on every favourable occasion.

COTTAGE ECONOMY*

471

and the plants kept free from weeds, decayed leaves, and damps.
Covering with mats will be necessary in severe weather. Asparagus,
sea-kale, and rhubarb, intended to be taken up for forcing, should be
covered with litter to keep off frost.

The ice-house may probably be filled in this month, for which all
necessary preparations should be made to get through the labour, if
possible, in one day.

Fruit Garden. — Transplanting in mild weather, and pruning
and training, may be proceeded with ; and, where top-dressings of
either rotten dung or compost are required, they should now be
put on.

Flower Garden.— There is but little to do in the fiower garden
at this season. If very hard frost sets in, some of the beds planted in
the two preceding months may require an occasional covering of mats ;
and everything liable to injury from frost should have some kind of
protection. A few more pots of bulbous and tuberous flowers may be
planted, to go into the house to succeed those planted in October.
Greenhouse plants should have all the fresh air which can be given
with safety. If any of them are growing freely, they will require water¬
ing frequently ; but those that are dormant or stationary, very seldom.
If the house become damp for want of sufficient ventilation, the flue
should be heated, and plenty of mild air admitted to dry it. It is
hardly necessary to add, that, if frost prevail, a little fire will be
wanted every night, but never more than is just sufficient to keep out
the frost.

COTTAGE ECONOMY.

DECEMBER.

Bees.— The less the bees are examined this month the better; there¬
fore nothing should be attempted which has a tendency to diminish
the temperature of the hives.

Work to be done in the Garden.— The weather is generally too wet
and uncertain this month for doing much in the garden; it is more
for thought and reflection than for labour. The cottager should now
resolve on his plans for next year’s operations, and, having ascertained
the vegetables most useful to himself and family, and most suitable for
his soil and situation, he ought to make preparations accordingly.

472

REMARKS ON THE WEATHER.

Few of us can remember a more inclement autumn than has been
lately experienced. Extremely keen frost set in at the end of October,
though, luckily for those whose potatoes were still in the ground; it
did not continue. The leaves of both pear and apple trees were killed,
and many still remain on the branches as if they had been severed
from the tree. This is a circumstance which but rarely occurs in this
country, the leaves being usually shed before frost sets in to kill them
on the tree.

If frost has been thus so severely felt in the southern parts of the
island; how much more intensely must it have been felt in the northern,
both in gardens and fields, where, in the latter, the corn was yet green?
So distressing are the accounts from the northern extremities of the
three kingdoms, that a very sensible impression has been made on the
London markets, lest the supplies of grain from those quarters should
be deficient. A similar calamity has happened, it seems, in the United
States of America, but from what cause is not said ; and already many
cargoes, drawn from the granaries of London and Liverpool, where they
have been long bonded, are now on their way across the Atlantic.

Such visitations are not unfrequent in cur changeable climate, and,
were they only productive of loss and disappointment, sudden changes
would be serious evils ; but they teach the gardener especially an useful
lesson— they arm him with precaution for the future, show him which
are the hardiest of his various products, and how the more tender may
be kept in safety.

November 25th, 1836’. :

A LIST OF NEW AND RARE PLANTS

NOTICED IN VOL. V.

Acacia vestita
Adesmia pendula
Agrostemma Bungeana
Allium Siculum
Alstroemeria aurantiaca
Angraecum caudatum
Antirrhinum glandulosum
Aptorium depressum
Ardisia odontophylla
Aristolochia trilobata

- foetans

Azalea Rawsonia

Bartonia aurea
Berberis empetrifolia
Begonia platanifolia
Bifrenaria aurantiaca
Brunonia Australis

Calceolaria Hopeana
Camellia Jap. Doncklearii

- candidissima

- - reticulata

Calliopsis bicolor atrosanguinea

- Drummondii

Cattleya labiata
Celosia coccinea
Centaurea balsamita
Chironia trinervis
Cirrhcea tristis
Clematis calycina
Coccaloba virens
Collinsia bicolor
Cooperia Drummondii
Corysanthes macrantha
Crataegus crus galli
- - Aronia

— - heterophylla

- - - microcarpa

- Moroccana

- odoratissima

— - Orientalis

- platyphylla

— - pyrifolia

- - spatulata

- tanacetifolia

Crocus suaveolens
Cytisus iEolicus

Daphne odorata
Dendrobium densiflorum

- macrostachyum

« — - moniliforme

- moschatum

Dichorizandra thyrsiflora
Douglasia nivalis
Dryandra longifolia

Elichrysum bicolor
Epidendron aemulum

- - - bifidum

- Skinneri

Erythrina crista-galli
Escallonia illinita
Eschscholtzia crocea
Eulophia lurida
Eutoca Menziesii

Fritillaria Ruthenica
Fuchsia Groomiana

Galatella punctata *

Gillia tenuiflora
Gladiolus Natalensis
I Godesia lepida

' - rubicunda

- - vinosa

Habenaria procera
Heliconia Brasiliensis
Hibiscus rosa Sinensis

Illicium Floridanum
Ipomcea Horsfallia

- rubra-coerulea

Iris alata

- spuria

Ismelia Madeirensis
Ixora Bandhuca
- grandiflora

Kageneckia crataegifolia
Kalosanthos splendens
Kennedya glabrata

- macrophylla

- - — — Stirling! a

Kerria Japonica

474

CONTRIBUTORS TO VOL. V.

Lapeyrousia anceps
Lasiopus sonchoides
Lasthenia Californica
Lathyrus Magellanicus

— - rotundifolia

Lobelia decurrens
Lupinus bimaculatus

- latifolius

- macrophyllus

Lycium Afrum
Ljmhnis Bungeana

Macradenia triandra
Manettia cordifolia
Mandragora autumnalis
Maxillaria Deppei

- rufescens

Mimulus Cardinalis

- Wheeierii

Mormodes atropurpurea
Musa Cavendishii
Myanthus deltoides

Narcissus conspicua
Nemophila aurita

- - insignis

Neiium thyrsiflorum
Niererabergia calycina
- - - — phoeuicea

GEnanthe arguta
CEnothera humifusa
Oncidium altissimura

- - divarication

- Lanceanum

- Russellian um

Orithvia uniflora
Ornithogallum chloroleucrum
Oxalis Piottm
Oxyure chrysanthemoides

Preonia albiflora

- - tenuifolia

Pentstemon Cobea

Pentstemon heterophyllum
Phacelia congesta

- vinifolia

Phlox Drummondii
Pimellia ligustrina
Pleurothallis picta
Poinciana pulcherrima

Rhodanthe Manglesii
Rhodochiton volubile
Rhododendron arboreuin

- arboreum undulatum

- campanulatum

- - - - — — chamaecistus

- flavum

- — pulcherrimiun

Ribes malvaceum
Rondeletia speciosa
Rosa lutea, var. pleno

i Sarcochilus falcatus
Saracha viscosa
Scaphj^glottis violac.ea
Scilla cupaniana
Silene regio
Solanum crispum
Stanhopea insignis

Tricophilla tortilis
Trifolium fuscatum
Tristania macrophylla

Verbena erinoides

- - — Lamberti

- Melindres

- rugosa

Yucca draconis
- — flaccida

Zenobia speciosa
Zephyranthes Drummondi
Zygopetalon cochleare
— - Mackaii

CONTRIBUTORS TO VOL. V.

Mr. William Denyer
Mr. William Mather
W. P. A.

Mr. Joseph Stapleton
Jacobus

Mr. Andrew Walker

G. F. R.

Mr. Robert Fish
G. B.

J. W.

Mr. G. T. Dale
A Constant Reader
A Young Gardener
A. S.

Delta
R. G.

A. Z .

Mr. J. R. Burnham
A Subscriber
Pyrophilus

Mr. F. F. Ashford
S. E.

Philosophos

Lucilius

Mr. John Mearns
Mr. Henry Lake
Mr. George Stafford
Mr. Alex. Russell
Mr. Gray

GENERAL INDEX

TO THE

FIFTH VOLUME OF THE HORTICULTURAL REGISTER,

Acarus, page 90
Accretion of stems of trees, 3
Acton Gardeners’ Society, 111
Agricultural and Horticultural Annual,

Algae, or flags, 109
Amhertia nobilis, 396
Answer to Mr. Fish, 2*23
Aphides, 56

Assimilation of sap of plants, 32

Bark of trees, nature of, 388
Baxter and Son, their Agricultural
Annual, 18

Baxter, William, his British Plants
noticed, 19
Blights, 22

- - American, 141

Botany, important to medical men,
186

Botanical terms explained, 221, 228
Bulbs, constitution of, 377

Calendarial Memoranda for January,
37 ; February, 78 ; March, 117;
April, 158 ; May, 197; June, 237 ;
July, 278 ; August, 3 19 ; September,
357 ; October, 398 ; November,
438 ; December, 470

LJb * 1 1 5 .1 i t .

■ y v -i i Ax-MvV} y\. / n L§

Camphor, some account of the drug,
372

Coiling vines, 241, 281, 349
Cottage Economy, bv W. B. Booth,
358, 398, 439

Cottage Gardening, Catechism of, 421
Cucumbers, forcing without dung, 133,
134

Cunningham, Richard, death of, 315

Dahlia, culture of, by And. Walker,
30

— — - best, a list of, 31

- Register reviewed, 150

Dew, phenomenon of, 67
Douglas, Mr. David, horrid death of,
229

Entomology, 55, 90, 140, 208, 25!

Ficus carica, 318

Fish, Mr., his rejoinder to the Editor,
339

Flax, culture of, 266
Floricultural Societv, South London.
189

Flower shows, notices of, 235
Foreign seeds, vigorous growth of, 321
Forest trees, characteristics of, 432

476

GENERAL

INDEX.

Galgacus on Gardeners’ Societies, 347
Gardeners’ Societies recommended,
26, 59, 103, 104, 347 ; observations
on, 184 ; answered, 270
Gardeners, scientific examination of,
464

Gardening, Chinese, 149
Grafting, its effects, 361
Grapes, shrivelling of, 1, 41, 81, 125,
243, 323, 328, 401

Hawkers of ornamental plants, 3S9
Hillyard’s Practical Farming, 154
Hoare’s Treatise on Vines reviewed,
14

Horticultural Society of London, '277,
310

Hotbeds heated by water, 202
Hothouses, roofing of, 71

Jacobus, his inquiry about Ashford’s
Botany, 29

Ice-houses, construction of, 301
Insects hurtful in gardens, 55, 91, 143,
148

Kitchen garden described, and out¬
lines of, 7

Lake, Henry, his letter to Editor, 2 1 1
Landscape gardening, 7, 48, 86, 135,
164, 205, 245, 287, 331, 366, 408,
447

Lozataenia rosaria insect, 252
Lucilius, his answer to Mr. Burnham,
270

Manual, Agricultural, 18
Marnock’s Horticultural Magazine, 309
Mather, Mr. W., his ideas on blight,
22

Mearns, Mr. John, his defence of coil¬
ing, 281

Metamorphoses of plants, irregular,
106

Moths, the Vapourer and Lackey, 252
Mudie’s Astronomy noticed, 236

Natural History Society, Shropshire,
190

Nelumbium, Nymphia, 418

Oak, observations on, 95

Peeonia, description of, 417
Partington’s Botany noticed, 18
Pear, culture of, 161
Pine-apple, culture of, 121, 285
Pinus Austriaca, observations on, 302
Physical structure of plants, 43, 155,
353 ; remarks on. growth, 324
Plants figured in botanical publica¬
tions, 20, 75, 113, 194, 232, 272, 305,
390, 434, 467

Potato, remarks on, 204 ; storing, 304

Rivers and Son, their list of roses, 34
Rodgers’ carnation, plate of, 1 ; de¬
scription of, 80
Roses, description of, 36

Sap, motion of, 180
Soda, use of to plants, 220
Stamford Hill Society, 311
Stapleton, Mr. J., on Acton Society,
28, 111

Subscriber, answer to, 1 92
Systematic botany, changes of, 297
Symphytum asperrimum, remarks on,
30

Tamarind described, 397
Thrips, 140

Tokay Grape, observations on, 82
Training, different methods of, 83, 1 30
Tubers, increasing numbers of, 375
Turnip-fly, 210

Vegetation, its relation to seasons, 262
Vegetable physiology, 381

- morphology, 414

- — organisation, 425

Young gardeners, a few words of ad¬
vice to, 404

Vovage to and from China, 62, 97,
143, 171, 215, 256, 292, 335

BRADBURY AND EVANS, PRINTERS, IVHTTEFRIARS.

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