THE FLORAL WORLD AND WARDEN GUIDE. 



231 



down by the influence of the gulf stream 

 which eddies into this loch, and by raising 

 thereby the temperature of the water, so 

 aifects the atmosphere above it. This 

 favoured state of the atmosphere, together 

 with the sheltered position from the east 

 winds of spring, explains the salubrity of 

 this locality, and the extraordinary fruit- 

 fulness of the soil in the vegetable and 

 floral world. At the same time we have 

 our frosts, and cold winds, and bliglit, and 

 caterpillars, and snails, to wajje war against 

 us, and often try us almost as severely as 

 an April east wind over the wolds of 

 Suffolk. Last winter was very mild here ; 

 I do not think we ever registered more 

 than 10" of frost any one day or night; 

 our principal trials have been from the 

 northerly winds. Still, in November and 

 December of last year, we had snow lying 

 four inches deep for some days. During 

 the spring the frosts have been very light, 

 only twice, namely, at the end of April 

 and the beginning of May did they do any 

 serious mischief; and although the apples, 

 wall fruit, and gooseberries do not promise 

 well, and notwithstanding abundance of 

 bloom, do not set, still I am inclined to 

 believe that this arises more from the 

 effects of some very late frosts last spring, 

 which quite spoilt the buds and prevented 

 the young bearing wood for this year from 

 ripening properly, than from any frost this 

 spring. The strawberry beds never looked 

 better, they are covered with sheets of 

 bloom, and the berries are setting and 

 swelling very well so far. We have had 

 hardly any east wind, and everything is 

 looking healthy and forward. The pota- 

 toes are a toot high, our early peas are in 

 pod, beans in blossom, cauliflowers head- 

 ing, and other flowers as bright and gay 

 as any need wish to see them. And as 

 now I wander on to the flower garden, let 

 me here thank you for your little packet 



of "Antennaria Margaritacea" and your 

 hints concerning its treatment. I followed 

 the latter, with the piece I received, and I 

 last week planted out, round a circular 

 rose bed, twelve yards of healthy plants, 

 four inches apart, all rooted, and promising 

 to make a very pretty edging, from which, 

 to draw a store for next year's bedding 

 out. Our hyacinths, planted out of doors 

 in November, were beautiful, and were 

 succeeded by fine anemones and tulips, 

 now just beginning to fade ; but our other 

 plants are now growing, and gazanias, 

 lobelias, verbenas, scarlets, calceolarias 

 (not yellow), asters, stocks, trop:eolums, 

 etc., etc., will soou be in their full bloom 

 of summer colours. 



The bloom of Clianthus punlceus is 

 just beginning to dec:iy after having been 

 the admiration of every one wlio was for- 

 tunate enough to see it. It has been a 

 perfect sheet of scarlet, in the sun quite 

 dazzling. We have now in the same as- 

 pect, in front of the house, Escallonia 

 rubra, and E. floribunda coming out into 

 bloom, as well as two hydrangeas, each six 

 feet liigh, likewise showing flower ; all 

 these liave stood out several winters, and 

 were not covered or sheltered in any way 

 last winter. I have also upon the lawn 

 an Aralia japonica, five years old, and 

 now nearly six feet high, which stood 

 quite unprotected tlirough last winter, and 

 is now throwing out its crown of long 

 stately leaves. Of our shrubs, however, 

 1 am proudest of a Cryptomeria japonica 

 which stands in the middle of the flower 

 garden and is now over twenty feet high ; 

 it is beautifully feathered with foliage, and 

 growing with full vigour. 



Dumbarton, Jane 10, 1863. F. P. F. 

 [We much regret that the publication of 



this interesting communication has been 



deferred so long ; fortunately, it has aa 



interest for all seasons. — Ed.] 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



'Otaheite versus Mandarin Obange. — A 

 vei'y small tree, received as the Otaheite 



' orange, has been pronounced the Man- 

 darin orange. The fruit, in bunches 

 of five or six, come single ; others, two, 

 three, etc., but the larger number most 

 frequently, but only two or three attain 

 full growth, and some single only. The 

 Jlowers are purple in bud, when open the 

 petals white at the upper part ; the fruit 

 the usual form of the China and other 



dessert oranges, rich orange-colour when 

 ripe, very red at the lower half when 

 ripening ; length and diameter from 

 one and a half inch to one and three- 

 quarters. A leaf is inclosed; at the 

 top of the fruit in early stages a pro- 

 tuberance like that on the lemon, very 

 large in proportion, seems to become 

 absorbed in the growth, but still remains 

 in a degree distinct at the top whea 

 quite ripe. Loudon describes the*Man- 



