10 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[January^ 



the Seventh Regiment, on the evening of Wednes- 

 day, Nov. 30th. This variety among flowers from 

 its novelty and scarcity is likely to be in 

 great demand this Winter; but as it can only be 

 supplied in small quantities, it will cost more 

 than its weight in gold ! 



Glazing "O'itiiout Putty. — Very few so 

 far as we know ever think of using putty to the 

 outside of sash in our country. The glass is 

 bedded in soft putty, then fastened in with tri- 

 angular tin sprigs, and neatly painted. It does 

 not appear, however, to have made much head- 

 way in the Old World, a correspondent of the 

 Journal of Horticulture says that this " system of 

 glazing is not adopted so generally as I believe 

 it deserves. One trial, I am confident, will con- 

 vince anyone of its superiority, provided certain 

 conditions are carefully attended to. Repairs 

 will be less, the appearance is very little effected, 

 and the house will prove moi-e durable than 

 ■when top putty is used." The heats and colds 

 of our country makes the best putty work crack 

 and shrink from the wood; and, unless the pitch 

 is steep, puttied houses leak dreadfully. , 



Toughened Glass.— We have not heard 

 much of this new invention which we brought to 

 our readers' attention a year or so ago. But then 

 it takes a long while for really good things to 

 become generally known. The Gardener's Mag- 

 azine says of it : 



" Hardened glass is more often heard of than 

 seen ; but the time seems near at hand when we 

 shall see nothing else, for the hardening process 

 has undergone further improvements and ampli- 

 »^ fication. We now hear of railway sleepers made 

 of glass, and all such things as decanters, drink- 

 ing glasses, and glass ornaments are promised 

 us, not only in the hardened state, but as cheap 

 as the common breakable glass we have been so 

 long accustomed to. How the process will tell 

 on horticultural glass is not as yet clearly ap- 

 parent, but there is a fair prospect that in future 

 our glass houses will be proof against such objec- \ 

 tionable accidents as damage by hail storms and : 

 breakage by naughty boys who throw stones. It 

 would be well if the Royal Horticultural Society, 

 or some similarly representative body, would in- 

 stitute inquiries and experiments with a view to 

 inform us what is possible in aid of horticulture 

 by the use of hardened glass. The glassworks of 

 M de Labastie, at Choisy-le-Roi, appear to have 

 obtained a lead in this important manufacture." '■ 



NEW OR RARE PLANTS. 



Begonia Schmidtiana. — This new plant is 

 in the way of the popular Weltoniensis, but the 

 flowers are smaller, and of a bronzy pink color. 



RuBUSPHCENicoLASlus.— In the winter gardea 

 at Kew there is a fine specimen of this very dis- 

 tinct and handsome Japanese Bramble. The 

 fruiting stems, which are from 12 to 15 feet 

 long, have been fastened, on account of space, to 

 an upright stake, the compact panicles of fruit 

 are born on short branches given off at right an- 

 gles from the main stems, thus forming a com- 

 plete pillar almost from the ground. In a short 

 time, when these fruits ripen (they then become 

 a beautiful coral-red), the effect will be very fine. 

 The young shoots, as well as the leaf-stalks, are 

 densely clothed with long bright red sette, and 

 very long-stalked glands of the same color ; as 

 the parts get older, however, their deep color 

 gives way to a pale shade. The leaves, the under 

 surfaces of which are almost of a snowy white- 

 ness, are trifoliate both on the barren and fertile 

 stems, the long-stalked terminal leaflet being 

 much the larger. The calyces are large, with 

 ascending sepals, and are very thickly covered 

 with long, gland-tipped bristles. A specimen 

 growing on one of the walls has stood a severe 

 test, having passed through the last winter un- 

 injured. It is, however, not nearly so vigorous, 

 as the one above-mentioned. 



ToRENiA FOURNERi. — I was tempted to try 

 this new greenhouse annual from reading an ac- 

 count of it in the Gardener's Magazine^ and I am 

 pleased to say that it has proved very beautiful. 

 I do not know whether my treatment is proper 

 for it, but I will give a brief description of it.. 

 Premising that my plants are now eight inches 

 high and nicely in flower, I will proceed to say 

 that the seed was sown early in May in a frame 

 placed upon a gentle hot-bed. The seed vege- 

 tated quickly and in three weeks from the time 

 of sowing, the plants were large enough to prick 

 off. J^ot knowing the habit of this Torenia, I put 

 some singly in six-inch pots, and in other pots of 

 the same size I put three plants. As I had a good 

 number of plants, I filled a pan with some, 

 putting them two inches apart, which I find is 

 much too close. The triples have grown and 

 are flowering fairly, but the best are the single 

 plants. When potted singly the plants branch 

 out at eveiy joint and make a nicely-formed spe-^ 

 cimen without any pinching or training. Whea 



