2U 



iOUENAL OF HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGE G.AEt)£NEE. 



[ Much 7, 187i. 



how long it t.akes to form sach a plant as that represented, but 

 I sliould unagiue it -noulil he about fifteen years from seed, 

 )noviding the plant received uniformly hberal treatment. The 

 boU should be rich fibrous loam, with a liberal admixture of 

 sharp river or silver sand. Special attention must be paid to 

 the drainage, which must at all times be in perfect order. 

 The treatment for old plants should be during the summer, if 

 standing in the conservatory, full exposure to the sun, and an 

 abundance of water. I repeat the words, an abundance of 

 ■water, for the plants may be almost kept with their roots in 

 the water and then- heads m the oveu. As autumn comes on, 

 gradually withhold water until, upon the setting-m of winter, 

 you may entirely stop the supply, and keep the plants quite 

 dry until the smmy days of spring again set them in motion. 

 I prefer growing young seecUiugs in more heat, and not cli7ing 

 them (juite so much until they get a few years old, when they 

 may be placed upon the same footing as their- older relatives. 

 — ExPEKTo Chkde. 



'JXe are indebted to Mr. B. S. WiUiains, of the Victoria 

 Nursery, Upper HoUoway, for the illustration here given, the 

 drawing for which was taken from amongst a great number of 

 this class of plants which may be found in that establishment. 

 —Eds.] 



A USEFUL GREENHOUSE. 



Aa almost everyone who can afford it now erects a green- 

 house it may, peihaps, interest some of those who are about 

 to build one, to hear the description of a greenhouse erected 

 many years ago by a neighbom' of mine, and which always 

 teemed to me to give the greatest possible amount of enjoyment 

 which a single structure can yi(.'ld. 



The house is a long lean-to with a south aspect. The mono- 

 tony of such a construction is broken by a large bow thrown 

 out at the centre, and from this bow a pent roof is carried to 

 the back wall, thus foiining a centre transept. Against the 

 back wall there is a narrow border, in which are jjlantcd Ca- 

 mellias. These are trained to a trellis affixed to the wall. In 

 the front of the house there runs a narrow shelf where bedding 

 plants are wintered securely. Underneath this shelf are the 

 hot-water pipes. 



The area of the house is filled by two stages, which do not 

 joiu, but leave the centre transept free, and leave also a roomy 

 walk both at the front and at the back of the house. These 

 stages are of only two or three tiers, and do not exceed i or 

 4J feet in height, so that they do not take away from a person 

 standing in front the view of the back wall. They are fiUed 

 in spring mth Hyacinths, Polyanthus Narcissus, and the like. 

 In summer they might be employed in flowering Japan Lilies, 

 Ismene calathina, (tc. In autumn Clu'ysanthemums would 

 create another summer. This year, even in an unheated 

 orchard house, some few Chrj'santhemums were still in flower 

 at the begmning of February, untU, one fine suuslriny morn- 

 ing, the lovely Iris reticulata suddenly burst mto bloom, and 

 told us that another year had iudeed arrived. 



In the bov,- already described, and between the two stages, 

 were tall plants of Camelha in pots. The roof was covered 

 with Vines planted in an outside border. The shade of these 

 when in leaf was beneficial to the Camellias against the back 

 wall, and in siumner this shade was increased by tiffany 

 stretched underneath the Vines. How this was removed when 

 the Vines were attended to I do irot laiow. In bad seasons 

 sufficient heat was put on to ripen the Grapes ru September, so 

 that all, or the greater part, might be cut by the middle of 

 October, when the bedding plants were brought in. The fruit 

 would be kept some further time after its removal from the 

 Vine. 



From the above description it wUl be seen how much enjoy- 

 ment the house afforded to a lover both of flowers and of fruit. 

 But there remains one other pleasure, which to an invalid is 

 moat grateful— namely, sufficient length of walk where exercise 

 may be taken in all weathers. I find an orchard house 50 feet 

 long ample for this purpose ; but the fuU amount of enjoyment 

 can be obtained only when the greenliouse can be entered from 

 the dwclUng-house without the necessity of passing through 

 the open an-. In this one point my friend's structure was 

 defective.— G. S. 



Mk. WiLLUJi P.vuL, The Nueseeies, AA'ALin.iii Ceoss, gave 

 a dinner of roast beef and plum pudding on Thanksgiving-day 

 at which about fifty of his riiipluycs sat down, one of the green- 

 houses being fitted-up for the occasion. After the usual loyal 



manifestations, the party adjourned to a large meadow adjoin- 

 ing the nurseries, where a huge bonfire was hghted, accom- 

 panied by a gi-and thsplay of fireworks. The seed warehouse 

 and offices were illuminated, the letters V. E. being placed on 

 either side of the Eoyal ai-ms, over wliich a crowu was placed. 

 Fully three thousand persons witnessed the display, and wero 

 freely admitted to the grounds. 



ON THE INFLUENCE OF LIGHT UPON PLANTS 



AND ANIMALS. 



By CiiHEEEi AV. .Johnson, F.E.S. 



That light materially influences the growth and the colour 

 of plants was an early observation of the cultivator. That 

 they lost their colour when grown in the dark, that they ex- 

 tended themselves towards any opening of the opaque cover- 

 uig in which they were confined, could not long escape the 

 gardener's observation. It was a much later remark that light 

 influenced the health and the growth of animals, and a still 

 later discovery that light was composed of seven different rays, 

 and that these rays possessed different chemical properties. 



Some recent observations of the effect upon the growth of 

 the Vine by the violet ray add additional interest to our stock 

 of knowledge as to the influence of Ught on the vegetable 

 world. I allude to the report by the American Cieneral Plea- 

 santon " On the Influence of the Blue Colour of the Sky in 

 Developing Vegetable and Animal Life." His experiments ori- 

 ginated from a conviction that the blue colour of the sky must 

 have a very great influence upon the prosperity of plants and 

 animals. " With this idea dominent in his mind," observes 

 the able editorof the Gardeners' Cliruiueh- (vol. 187"2,page 175), 

 " the treueral in 1860 erected a ^dnery ; this was finished in 

 March, 1861. It was a span-roofed house, 81 feet by 26, and 

 16 feet high, having an aspect nearly north and south. The 

 borders outside and inside were of the ordinary composition, 

 and 3 feet 6 inches deep. The roof was glazed with a row of 

 violet-colom-ed panes between every six rows of ordinary glass, 

 and these were made to alternate in position with those on the 

 opposite side, so that the sun in its daily course threw violet 

 hght successively on all the leaves exposed to its influence. 

 Cuttings of twenty varieties were planted in April, 1861. 

 Their growth speedily commenced, and proceeded with a degree 

 of vigour that excited very naturally the astonishment of the 

 beholders, since the gardener had every day to tie up the new 

 wood, which was not in existence the previous day. In Sept- 

 ember, 1861, some of the rods were 45 feet in length, and 

 1 inch in diameter at 1 foot from the ground ! In January, 

 1862, they were pruned, and in March they began to piush, 

 and in the development of foliage, wood, and bunches they 

 outdid their former year's growth. In September the weight 

 of the Grapes was estimated by Mr. E. Buist, a well-known 

 nurseryman, to be equal to 1200 lbs., from Vines, be it remem- 

 bered, only seventeen months old. In 1863 the Vines yielded 

 a crop estimated at two tons ! And what is equally surprisir)g, 

 from year to year the Vines have continued to yield splendid 

 crops without intermission, and are now in robust health." 



These important researches, the report of which has at- 

 tracted the attention of the Agricultural Society of Philadel- 

 phia and the Academy of Sciences at Paris, are too interesting 

 to need any connnendatiou of mine to the reader's attention. 

 It is true that they present some startling facts, but then we 

 must remember that we have long been aware of other pheno- 

 mena with regard to the action of Ught on plants and animals 

 equally difficult to explain. Thus, with regard to the action 

 of light upon anhuds, why do the box, cellar, or stable-fed 

 cows of London become diseased, though fed on the most 

 nutritious and abundant food ? Are they not kept in darkness ? 

 It is true that animals secluded from Ugh"; fatten faster than 

 those in the light, but there is no doubt but that their health 

 suffers. The material effect of light upon animals is but im- 

 perfectly understood ; yet there is no doubt that the brDhancy 

 of the plumage of the birds and insects of warm climates is 

 chiefly attributable to the intensity of the light to which they 

 are exposed. In our own country, without light, the common 

 cockr'oach, reared in the dark, becomes nearly colourless ; tad- 

 poles remain tadpoles. On the other hand, observes Dr. W. B. 

 Cariientcr (/7/;/.sio/or/;/, page 54), the more the body is ex- 

 posed to the influence of light, the more freedom do we find 

 from irregular action or conformation. He instances the ill 

 effects of the absence of light on certain wards of the hos- 

 pitals, both in London and on the continent ; and the absence 



