624 



IMPORTANT TO CULTIVATORS OF THE GRAPE. 



along with calceolarias, cupheas, and simi- 

 lar sub-shrubby plants, have been preserved 

 through the winter, and planted out into 

 the flower garden ; and the old plants which 

 blossomed last season are now vigorous, 

 and blossoming freely again. It was, 

 moreover, said to be a stove plant ; but 

 this, too, is incorrect ; for it has been pre- 

 served during winter in the temperature 

 of a o-reen-house, and haa been grown and 

 flowered well in such a situation. More- 

 over, experience has shown it to be a plant 

 suitable for bedding out in dower gardens, 

 though here, we presume, it will always be 

 found to do best in the warmest situations, 

 all other conditions being equal. 



The plant is of difluse branching habit, 

 v.ath quadrangular, flexuose stems, bearing 

 opposite ovate, or ovate-lanceolate, coarsely 

 serrated leaves, from the axils of which 

 other branches, and towards the tips of the 

 shoots numerous flowers, are produced ; 

 the flowers grow on separate stalks, but 

 sometimes several — three or four — toge- 

 ther, from the same axil ; they are shaped 

 somethinor like the flowers of a mimulus, 



only they are divided into four instead of 

 five lobes, the lower of which, and the two 

 side ones, each bear a large deep purple 

 blotch, and the throat, or centre, is of the 

 same colour; down the centre of the lower 

 segment is a pale streak ; the rest of the 

 flower is a clear, soft, porcelain blue-lilac, 

 of indescribable tint. It is a very free 

 flowerii-jg plant, blooming throughout the 

 summer and autumnal months. 



Viewing the extensive range which it 

 occupies in a wild state, one would be pre- 

 pared to find it possessing much hardihood 

 of constitution, even though it be East In- 

 dian. It is recorded as growing throughout 

 Bengal, in Amboyna, Ceylon, Mergui, Chit- 

 tagong, Sylhet, and in the Madras penin- 

 sula. It is also widely difi'iised in alpine 

 regions, and hence our success in culti- 

 vating it in a low temperature. 



The plant is easily cultivated in any 

 light rich soil, and propagates with the ut- 

 most facility by means of cuttings. Pro- 

 bably its beautiful tint of colour will be 

 best brought out and preserved by aftbrding 

 it some shade from intense sun-light. 



IMPORTANT TO CULTIVATORS OF THE GRAPE. 



The necessity of studying the composition 

 of the different fruit trees, in order to sup- 

 ply precisely the elements they need, to 

 maintain them in the highest state of thrift 

 and productiveness, is only every day more 

 apparent. The failure of certain sorts in 

 some soils, and their success in others, is 

 no longer wholly a matter of mystery, since 

 we know that upon the presence or ab- 

 sence of certain salts or minerals in the 

 soil, the health and perfection of certain 

 fruits largely depend ; and since the facts 

 are now well established, that soils rob- 

 bed of potash and lime by long continued 

 cropping, will no longer give good fruit, 

 unless these substances are replaced, we 

 are led to investigate, as closely as pos- 

 sible, the chemical composition of differ- 



ent fruits, in order to apply precisely the 

 necessary food, and no longer to work in 

 the dark. 



A good deal of attention has been at- 

 tracted lately to an article bearing directly 

 upon this subject, which has been read by 

 M. Persoz before the French Academy of 

 Sciences, Paris. We copy the following 

 translations of it from a foreign journal, for 

 the benefit of our readers. 



It will be seen that M. Persoz goes far- 

 ther than most cultivators. Recognising 

 the well known fact, that the analysis of 

 the growmg parts of a plant show a chemi- 

 cal composition quite different from the 

 analysis of the fruit and seed, he varies the 

 special manures which he uses, so as at one 

 time to assist most completely the produc- 



