104 



JOUBNAL OF HORTIGOLTUBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ August 7, 1S73. 



sown in a hotbed. The vegetation of the seed in the open 

 ground may be somewhat slower than in a frame, but when 

 once the seedlings have faii-lv struck root into the soil, their 

 progress will be almost as rapid as in the case of those raised 

 under more artificial conditions, whilst their habit wUl be 

 sturdier and more robust. 



The flowers of this plant are, as their name implies, remark- 

 able for their vanilla-like fragrance, and well deserve a passing 

 notice. Each is furnished with two bracts or leafy appendages, 

 situated immediately beneath the true calyx, the latter being 

 divided at its border into five nearly equal segments. Within 

 the inflated throat of the corolla will be found four stamens in 

 two pairs, of which one is longer than the other, and also the 

 rudiment of a fifth stamen ; the two cells of each anther are 

 united by a connection, which is prolonged beyond the cells, 

 and terminated by a gland-like body. The flower is followed by 

 a singular woody fruit or seed-vessel, which is prolonged into 

 a horn-like beak. This, as the fruit ripens, splits into two 

 portions, which has, perhaps, given rise to the statement that 

 the capsules of this genus are two-horned. These horns are 

 said to cause great annoyance to travellers in Mexico by catch- 

 ing hold of their clothes. They have also given rise to the 

 popular name of Cornaret, Cornes du Diable, Triomphe d'Ele- 

 phaut, by which these plants are known in French gardens. 

 The young seed-vessels gathered while quite soft and tender 

 are employed in France and some other countries for pielding 

 in vinegar. 



Besides the M. fragrans, which it should be stated occurs in 

 some catalogues under the name of formosa, M. lutea with 

 •dingy yellow flowers, and M. proboscidea, pale purple-spotted, 

 are sometimes cultivated, but are less desu-able. The plant 

 formerly known as M. craniolaiia is now termed Craniolaria 

 annua. 



The genus Martynia was so named by Willdenow, in honour 

 of John Martyu, Professor of Botany at the University of 

 Cambridge, and author of several botanical works, who died 

 in 17C8. The species now under consideration is a native of 

 Mexico, whence it was sent in 1840 to Miss Harvey, of Hayle, in 

 Cornwall, by whom it was first raised. — W. Thompson, Ipsuich. 



IMPLEMENTS, STEUCTURES, AND APPLIANCES 



AT THE EOY.VL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY'S BATH SHOW. 



In the last issue of your Journal, page 77, you say, "the 

 jnedal boOer of last year was not exhibited." This is in- 

 correct. At Stand No. 7 we exhibited six gold-medal boilers, 

 some very large sizes, and fine specimens of workmanship, 

 and which were inspected by scores of the leading horticul- 

 turists, hundreds of gardeners, and others, who came again 

 and again, bringing their friends to look at them, who acknow- 

 iedged that ours was " the show of boilers upon the ground." 



We beg to say that the boilers exhibited, with many others, 

 are sold, that we have orders for more in hand, and no doubt 

 you will find next year this boiler will again stand, as it did 

 at Bhmingham and Bath, pre-eminent. — The Thames Bank 

 Ieon Company, I'lijier Ground Street, London, S.E. 



[We insert the enclosed, and regret we had overlooked the 

 boilers, not having been exhibited by the same firm as com- 

 peted last year, but by the Thames Bank Company, successors 

 to Lynch White. If our readers should take the trouble to 

 refer to our notes of last year it will be found we reported 

 yery favourably of these boilers, and we regret that we inad- 

 vertently missed them. — Eds.] 



A EosE Cured or Mildew. — I have to thank yon for saving 

 a Maruehal Niel Eose tree which was dying apparently from 

 mildew. I tried first soot and then soft soap as recommended 

 in one of your back numbers, after utterly failing with sulphur, 

 and it is now a beautiful, healthy-looking tree. — S. A. E. 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 



We have received from Mr. Culverwell, of Thorpe Perrow, 

 some of his Prolific Marrow Pea. It is one of the largest 

 Peas we have ever seen at table, and though not so sweet as 

 the Ne Plus Ultra, is a fine-flavoured Poa, and will suit the 

 taste of those to whom Ne Plus Ultra is objectionable. 



In a description of the vegetation of the bottom lands, 



Mr. Eobert Eidgway gives numerous particulars respecting the 

 Dimensions and Hadit of the Prev.vlent Forest Trees of 

 THE Lower Wadash. These number nearly one hundred 



species, of which about seventy exceed 40 feet in height, 

 about fifty exceed 70 feet, and nearly thu'ty are known to 

 reach or exceed the height of 100 feet. The ordinary height 

 reached by the forest mass is about 130 feet ; and above this 

 general level occasional trees rise to an altitude of 200 feet, or 

 perhaps more. The largest of these trees is the Sycamore 

 (Platanus occideutahs), attaining sometimes a diameter of 

 20 feet, and a height of 200, with the lowest branches 90 or 

 100 feet above the ground. The Tulip Tree (Liriodendron 

 tulipiferum) is the second in size, being found 180 feet high, 

 and :!7 feet in circumference. A stick from this tree is men- 

 tioned as measuring 74 feet in length, being straight and 

 symmetrical, and tapering from 23 feet to 18 in circumference. 

 The tallest Cottonwoods (Populus mouilifera) are equally high. 

 The Pecan (C.arya oliva-formis) reaches 175 feet in height, with 

 a clean straight trunk of 60 to 90 feet. Among the Oaks the 

 moi't stately and symmetrical is the Spanish Oak (Qaercus 

 coccinea, var.), frequently 150 feet high, and 15 to 20' feet 

 around ; while the most massive is the Burr Oak (Q. macro- 

 carpa), of equal height and rather larger diameter. The White 

 Ash follows, nearly 150 feet high ; the Black Walnut, 125 feet 

 high, and over 20 feet in circumference ; and the White Oak, 

 140 feet high, over 17 in circuit. The tallest tree in propor- 

 tion to its girth is the Sweet Gum, exceeding an altitude of 

 ICO feet, with a clear shaft of over 100 feet, and a maximum 

 circumference of 17 or 18 feet. The Honey Locust attains a 

 height of 120 feet, the Eed Maple exceeds 100, and even a 

 Sassafras has been measured with a height of 95 feet. 



Mr. J. C. Stevens has recently been very active in 



disposing of collections of Orchids at his rooms in King Street, 

 Covent Garden. On the 17th of last month upwards of 600 

 lots from Ocana and the surrounding districts came under his 

 hammer, realising about £660. Odoutoglossum triumphans 

 in lots of a dozen brought from £2 to £2 lOs., and the beauti- 

 ful Masdevallia Harryana from £2 to £3 lOs. a-piece. A fui'ther 

 portion of Mr. Wilson Saunders' collection was sold on the 

 15tb of July, comprising many scarce plants. Hechtia argentea 

 brought £4, and Geonomas, Euteqjes, Dsmonorops and other 

 Palms from £2 to £3 3s. On the 23rd, again, there was another 

 sale, in this case of the Orchids belonging to E. Barnett, Esq., 

 of Blackheath Park, at which a fine plant of Cattleya Triansei 

 Alicia was knocked down at £7 lOs. 



The Pall Mall Gazette states that a curious practice 



has of late been adopted by fruiterers which cannot be called 

 adulteration, but which is very near akin to it. Persons on 

 buying West Indian Pine Apples at fruiterers' shops are asked 

 whether they wish to purchase " heads " to the fruit. In other 

 words. West Indian Pine Apples are dressed for dessert at a 

 small cost as British hothouse Pines by the ingenious plan of 

 inserting in the summit of the fruit a crown of leaves belong- 

 ing to the latter, and thus guests are deceived into the notion 

 that the Pine Apple which graces the table was grown in the 

 hothouse of their host, who probably never had a hothouse, 

 and knows nothing about the cultivation of Pines. A West 

 Indian Pine Apple has no more right to wear a British crown 

 than an Apple or a Peach has to employ rouge for the purpose 

 of concealing its pallor or heightening its bloom. Although 

 we never saw this toileting of fruit, yet we have seen the bine- 

 bag employed to restore the bloom to Black Hamburgh Grapes. 



WOKK FOR THE WEEK. 



kitchen qabden. 

 The occurrence of genial weather with showers will have 

 brought the recently trenched groimd to good condition for 

 planting the latest crops of Broccoli, Caulifloirers, and Winter 

 Greens, which shoiUd be prosecuted witliout delay ; those of the 

 same vegetables now advancing should have the earth fre- 

 quently stin'ed with a fork. The too-common practice of draw- 

 ing the earth up to the sterna with a draw-hoe is so much time 

 wasted; for what with the superficial work which such a hoe 

 makes, and the trampling back and forwards, the centres 

 between the ridges become as hard as gi-avel walks, formirig 

 ditches in wet weather and immense cracks and fissures in 

 drought, and thus producing those veiy effects which surface- 

 stirring is intended to obviate. When the crops are such as 

 require the support of earth drawn up to them, the spaces be- 

 tween the ridges of earth should be well and deeply forked up. 

 Make a sowing of Chervil for autumn use. The Ciirumhers 

 intended for house culture through the winter must be shitted 

 into larger pots as those they are in become filled with roots. 

 A portion of the ground where Potatoes have been lifted should 

 be manured and dug, and planted with old EugUsh Coleworts, 

 Bagged Jack, and Siberian Kale, all of which aie very useful 



