168 THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. [July, 



®he Maple, known as Acer Wagneri laciniatum, is shown by a figure 



given recently in the Revue Horticole, and representing a forked branch, one of 

 the divisions of which bears leaves of A. eriocarpum, the other the laciniate leaves 

 of the above-named variety, to have originated as a sport from A. eriocarpum. 



®o insure the success of Orange trees grown in boxes or in pots, 



observes Mr. Kobinson in his Gleanings, they must not in any cases be allowed to 

 grow in the house. All their growth must be made out of doors ; and it is a 

 matter of fact, that if the orangery is to the south, no matter what trouble may be taken to 

 prevent their starting, the plants will be beginning to shoot a loDg time before the weather is 

 mild enough to permit of their being placed in the garden. A good orangery should have a 

 northern exposure, with plenty of windows to admit the light, and every convenience to give 

 full air when it is not frosty. A winter minimum of 3G° to 40° will suffice. 



5£he great secret of growing good Lettuce is good cultivation. Dig a 



plot of ground a foot or eighteen inches deep ; lay upon its surface good rotten 

 horse manure, six inches deep ; cover it over with three inches of good soil, tread 

 it firmly when dry ; plant good plants at the proper distance ; deluge with water when 

 necessary, and it is impossible to fail to grow good Lettuce. 



®he Eucharis amazonica bids fair to rival the Lily of the Valley 



and the white Camellia for bouquet-making, and is very extensively used in that 

 way. Mr. Howard's plants, the finest which have ever been seen, were obtained 



by having recourse to heavy waterings occasionally with mild liquid manure, a genial stove 

 temperature, and repeated syringings when in a state of growth. When, being in a growing 

 state, they wanted water, they were not simply watered once, but the first was considered 

 merely a preliminary dose, and two others were given. The fact is, that too frequently 

 unthrifty plants are simply dying of starvation from getting insufficient waterings. 



©omposts are important elements in plant-growing. A good mixture 



for soft-wooded plants may be thus prepared : — Procure two cartloads of rich loam 

 with the turf, and as free from oxide of iron as possible. Then get from the nearest 

 stable, where the horse3 are highly fed, a large cartload of dung, selecting that which has been 

 thoroughly soaked with urine. Place each in a separate heap, three or four yards apart, 

 shaking the manure out, and mixing it together, the same as in the preparation for a hot-bed, 

 only it must not be allowed to heat violently, to prevent which it will be necessary to shake 

 it out every three or four days ; in a fortnight it will be fit for use. Then mark out the 

 ground, say, six feet long and four wide, and upon this place a layer of the hot dung nine 

 inches deep, then a layer of loam, and so proceed, reserving a good layer of loam for the top ; 

 beat the manure firm, but leave the loam loose, and square up the work properly at the last. 

 Then place over the heap loose litter to the thickness of twelve or oighteon inches, and cover 

 the whole with mats closely pegged down ; the object being to excite fermentation, and to 

 prevent the escape of ammonia. The heap may remain in this state for a fortnight or three 

 weeks, or until the heat subsides ; then turn it over, taking care to throw the sides into the 

 middle, and to mix the loam and dung thoroughly throughout. The covering must be again 

 put on, and remain on until formentation has ceased. 



©bituuvv* 



2£he Rev. John Smith, D.D., died on the 30th ult., at the Manse, 



Ecclesmachan. Dr. Smith, who was a valued occasional contributor to our pages, 

 was the son of the late Mr. Smith, of Hopetoun, and in early life acquired such 

 an intimate knowledge of practical gardening as enabled him, when dealing with horticultural 

 matters as a relaxation from his ecclesiastical duties, to wield his pen with a degree of force 

 and precision which has seldom been equalled, and perhaps never excelled. Of late years his 

 ecclesiastical duties had so far multiplied as to leave him comparatively little leisure to enter 

 the arena of horticultural discussion, though he retained to the last his love for gardening, and 

 an abiding interest in all that was passing in the world of horticulture. 



