l82 



IRISH UAKDENING. 



be.tcr the soil ih? liacr tlu- plan', 'llieso iiewm- 

 varieties are well Avorth looking after, and greatly 

 ini])i-ove(l blooms are obtained by the judicious 

 thinning out of the ilowering shoots. The 

 flowers last well when cut. and are excellent ten 

 table decoration. 



Propagatioii is lx\st effected by divisim itf tlu 

 roots, which shoidd b.> done durinir OctobiT oi' 

 March. 



K. Quakeress is a partimlarly line \ariety. 

 abciit 2 feet in height, with flowers of a i)retty 

 shcule of lavender-bhie. which are borne in great 

 abundance. Asa Gray, one of the newer forms, 

 i'i very good, having flowers of a pretty a])ricot- 

 yellow. Bearing largo rose-coloured flowers. 

 Edina is of high merit also, while spcciosus 

 siipcrbus po-^sesses flowers of a beautiful rich 

 mauve. F. R. 



Seakale. 



During the forcing season is a conxenient time 

 to secure a supply of root cuttings of this choice 

 vegetable. When the plants are lifted for 

 forcing, some of the best of the side roots can be 

 taken, off ; these should be cut mto lengths of 

 about six inches, making the u]jper cut straight 

 across and the lower cut slanting. This will 

 distinguish the difl'erent ends at planting time. 

 Packed closely in boxes of light soil or sand, they 

 can be kept in a cold frame until March or the 

 beginning of A]5ril, when they can be ]:)lanted 

 in their permanent qxiarters. F. R. 



Arbutus furiens. 



First discovered during Beechey"s voyage in 

 1825, this shrub does not appear to have been 

 introduced to cultivation until the " fifties " of 

 the last century, when Messrs. fStandish & Noble, 

 of Bagshot, obtained seeds collected near 

 Concepcion in Chile. Whether it has been in 

 cultivation during the whole period that has 

 elapsed since then I do not know, but it has 

 never been common. The first time I met with 

 it was in Messrs. Dickson's Nursery at Chester in 

 1896, where it Avas cultivated in a cold green- 

 house. Since then I have several times seen it 

 in the Cornish Gardens and in 8ir John Ross's 

 collection at Rostrevor, whence was obtained 

 the fruit-bearing branch now figured. .So far 

 as I can ascertain this is the first time the fruit 

 has been illustrated, at any rate in this country. 

 There is no fruit -bearing specimen in the Kew 

 Herbarium. 



Originally called Arbutus furiens by Hooker 

 and Arnott, in 1834, it was, a few years later, 

 shifted by the same authors to Gaultheria. In 

 1856, Hooker figured a floA\ ering spray from the 

 Bagshot Nursery in the Botanical Magazine as 



I'crnettya. fuivns (.^/c). In gardens it is sonu' 

 times called "' Perncttya ciharis."" but the triw. 

 ])lant of that name is a Mexican shrub with 

 smaller leaves and th<' usual sohtary (not 

 racenu).se) flowers of tlic Pernettyas. Our 

 present plant is now I'cgardcd geiu'rally as an 

 Arbutus. 



It is an cxcrgiccn shrub. prol)ably at least 

 4 or 5 feet high eventually, w ith bristly young 

 shoots. The leaves, cin-iously hard and leathery 

 in texture, are 1| to 2.1 inches long, mostly ovate 

 pointed, dark green above, pale and with a 

 scattering of dark l)ristles beneath. The 

 flowers are dull white, urn-sha])ed, densely 

 ])acked on axillary racemes 1 to 2 inches long, 

 opening in Ajjril and May. The fruit is a wine 

 coloured berry a quarter of an inch wide, 

 orange-shaped, closely ])acked on the raceme 

 and containing numerous tiny oblong seeds. 

 The name " furiens " was suggested by the 

 Indian name " qued-qued," signifying madness, 

 the fruits when eaten being said to cause 

 delirium. 



At Kew this shrub just misses being hardy, 

 and, after several trials, we have ceased to hope 

 for its success out-of-doors, although it has 

 sometimes survived two or three winters. I 

 have, however, had very healthy specimens 

 from Hampshire, and there are probably few 

 locaUties in Ireland where it would not be hardy. 

 It likes a peaty or fight loamy soil and abundant 

 moisture. I expect, like nian}^ Chilean shrubs, 

 it objects to lime. W. J. Bean. 



Arbutus furiens is a i)lant not often seen in 

 gardens, though both for flower and fruit it is a 

 very desirable shndj. It comes from Chile, and 

 seems to be quite hardy in a sheltered place. 

 The specimen at Rostrevor was got from Mr. T. 

 Smith (Newry) under the name of Pernettya 

 ciUaris, but was subsequently identified by Mr. 

 Bean, when he was last in Ireland, as Arbutus 

 furiens. The fruit is produced in close clusters 

 of small berries, which are j^ink in colour, and 

 which give the jolant in autumn an ornamental 

 and distinct appearance. It is evergreen, the 

 leaves being thick and coriaceous in texture. 



Another species of the same genus, also from 

 Chile, called Arbutus espinosa, may be men- 

 tioned. It is hardy in shelter, and in outward 

 appearance is more like a Pernettya than an 

 Arbutus. The berries are formed singly on the 

 plant, larger than those of A. furiens, and are of 

 a dull red colour. Unfortunately it fruited badly 

 this year and a branchlet is not available. It is 

 evergreen, with small, dark -green, shining 

 leaves, and it has been planted close to a Per- 

 iiettya, so that the differences between the two 

 plants can be easily seen. 



John Ross of Bladensburg. 



