204 THE GARDENER. [May 



inches long, and about three inches in diameter. Colour, groan, 

 heavily blotched with rich dark purj^le. The lid of the pitcher is 

 smaller than the mouth, spotted with pur]3le, and is ribbed behind. 



N. hyhrida maculata. — This is another seedling of rather dwarf 

 habit, bearing pitchers four or five inches long, of a dark green colour, 

 marked Avitli longitudinal blotches of pur^^le. Plants a foot high 

 bear numerous well developed pitchers. 



N. hoschiana closely resembles this variety, but is not winged. 



Nepenthes are seen to the best advantage when grown in baskets of 

 either wire or wood, as then their pitchers droop gracefully on all sides. 

 Of the above selection N. Eafilesiana and its variety N. Hookerii, 

 N. Dominiana, and N. Khasyana, var. rubra (synN. rubra of gardens), 

 are strong growers and within the reach of most plant growers. N. 

 sanguinea and N. lanata (N. Veitchii) are rare, and consequently very 

 expensive. 



The pitchei's of Nepenthes may be preserved as ornaments by being 

 filled with dry sand, and afterwards thoroughly embedded in a box 

 filled with the same material, which should afterwards be placed in a 

 dry place for a fortnight or three weeks. At the expiration of that 

 time they may be taken out, and will be found thoroughly dry. A 

 coat of clear copal varnish or gum will revive the colours, and give 

 them a fresh apjDearance. Grouped along with skeletonised leaves and 

 fruit vessels, or dried fern fronds, these preserved pitchers have a 

 pleasing effect when tastefully arranged beneath a glase shade. 



F. W. B. 



LOW NIGHT TEMPERATURE. 



Your leader in the March number of the ' Gardener ' on low night tempera- 

 tures raises a question the importance of which it would be difficult to overrate. 

 I had almost said raises the whole theory of gardening under glass. To de- 

 finitely solve the various relations of heat, moisture, air, light, and darkness as 

 far as their relations are concerned in the maturation of a perfect plant — that 

 is, plants thoroughly developed in leaves, wood, flower, seeds, or fruit — at the 

 least possible outlay, would be of incalculable value. A plant uses only a given 

 amount of heat, moisture, and air in passing through its various stages to 

 maturity. What is given over the required amount is waste, and what is given 

 under this required amount I would characterise as the least desirable of the 

 two extremes. What we have to aim at is to try to reach the closest approxima- 

 tion to what is necessary — this is the seeming diflicidty. To thoroughly clear 

 up these points would be worth years of labour. Although we may have no re- 

 cord of such a thing, I cannot but think it has been, and is being, arrived at possibly 

 by some quiet practical men, who, as a rule, do not approve of much noise about 

 their doings. What is a low night temperature ? and what is a high night 

 temperature ? Your correspondent in the tropics mentions that the thermome- 

 ter goes down to 40° or below it. ISTow to adopt 40"" as a night temperature, and 



