NoYemlier 13, 1873. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



377 



toes ought to be dressed), aud a more perfect ball of flour it 

 is impossible to conceive. Where did " W." get his seed 

 from ? Alas ! there are many sold as it which are worthless. 

 — D., Deal. 



EXTKAORDINAEY CONIFER IN JAPAN. 



[The Editor of the yorkshin- Ga-ettc has obligingly sent us 

 the following note and a .Japanese drawing, which we have 

 had copied. — Eds.] 



I WILL give an account of a most remarkable tree. It is to 

 be seen about half-way between O'Kayama aud Onomichi, and 

 I send you a couple of large Japanese drawings of it, which 

 will give you a very correct view. It is a Pine tree, called in 

 Japanese Gar-lu-no-mar-se, and is growing between the two 

 cities above mentioned, in the province of Bizen. The height 

 of it is 20 feet from the ground ; the length from the extreme 

 point of the spreading branches at the one side to that of the 

 other is 250 feet. The branches, fourteen in number, are 

 supported from the ground, as shown in the drawings I send 

 you, by bamboo supports. Above the fourteen lower branches 



abundance of the interesting Hydnum auriscalpium, growing 

 from moss-covered Fir cones ; aud Plilebia merismoides, aud 

 other commoner plants. Ou JMerryhill Commou, where the 

 carriage was again left, MaVasmius caulicinalis was found grow- 

 ing on the Fir cones, as indeed it was subsequently in Mynde 

 I Park. It is a very rare and local plant, and many speci- 

 mens were gathered. Here, too, was Hyphomyces laieritius 

 ' growing on Lactarius deliciosus, a "find" so exciting that, in 

 I north-country fashion, it was forthwith solemnised by a hearty 

 shake of the hands. At Haywood Forest Coprinus lagopus was 

 found, and in the next field to it Mr. Moore gathered Lactarius 

 uvidus, of which the white milky juice turned quickly ou 

 bruising to a delicate lilac. A special " hark back " was made 

 to hunt for more specimens, and rewarded at the time by a 

 single find. Later in the day, however, it was gathered again 

 under an Oak tree on Bryngwyn Hill. Here also Mr. Plowright 

 gathered Merulius tremellosus ; and Agaricus sinuatus was met 

 with amongst other discoveries. A shower of rain at this point 

 of time, if it did not damp the ardour of the party, at least 

 counselled a return to the carriage, especially as it was near one 

 o'clock, aud a friendly shelter was in store at Mynde Park, where 

 they were hospitably and kindly received and refreshed by the 

 owner, Mr. Hudson Lutwyche. Before two o'clock the rain had 



Japau6at) Cuiiilei. 



there arc three extra ones on the top. The age of the tree in 

 May last was eighty-three years seven months, it having been 

 planted by the grandfather of the party that now lives in the 

 house adjoining. I can assure your readers it is a wonderful 

 tree, and the trouble taken to train it must have been tre- 

 mendous. I also send yon a view of one of the largest temples 

 in the sonth of Japan. It is eitnated near Harisuri, which is 

 three rii south of Fukuoka, on the main road to Saga and 

 Nagasaki. It is called Dar-dar-i-fu-no-ten-gin. The number 

 of fish in the sacred ponds are thousands, and the pilgrims 

 (for we have pilgrims in Japan) feed the fish when they visit 

 the temples. The temple itself is much the same as all other 

 large temples, but the situation, the laying-out of the grounds, 

 and the view surpass those of any of the others I have yet seen. 

 Near it there is also another large temple, containing four 

 large images, one being gilt, IC feet high, seated and on a 

 pedestal. They are worshipped by all the Japanese near the 

 place. — J. Taskf.b Fosteb. 



THE FUNGUS FORAY AND FEAST OF THE 



WOOLHOPE CLUB. 



October 21-21. 

 Or the rarer Fungi found in the first day's excursion the fol- 

 lowing may be mentioned. In the Fir plantation near the pro- 

 cathedral at Belmont, where the first halt was made, Agancua 

 cirrhatuB, a rare and elegant little Fungus, growing from a 

 Sclerotium, was at once pointed oat by Dr. Bull ; then an 



ceased, and the hunt was resumed in the park. Here an .abun- 

 dance of the warm, richly-tinted Hygrophorus puniceus was 

 found studding the turf in shades varying from apricot to blood- 

 red, and along the slopes of the Mynde and of Bryngwyn Hill 

 were gathered Lactarius glyciosmus and L. pallidus by Mr. 

 Broome; Sphinctrina turbinata by Mr. Phillips ; Hydmim udum 

 and Polyporus Schweinitzii by Messrs. Eenny and Plowright, as 

 well as many others. 



Along the brow of the hill it may be stated that the poisonous 

 Lactarius torminosna and L. turpis were particularly plentiful, 

 the one aa inviting perhaps by its colour as the other was for- 

 bidding by its hues of dirty, dusky brown. The lovely Agaricus 

 muscarius was also particularly abundant beneath the Birch 

 trees. 



Wednesday morning (October 22nd), was devoted to a close 

 examination of the Funguses collected for the exhibition and to 

 their arrangement on the tables of the Club-room ; but in the 

 afternoon a foray was made in the beautiful grounds of Bel- 

 mont, where Licea applanata, Peziza succosa, Hydnum alu- 

 taceum, Geoglossum viscosum,and Typhula erythropua met the 

 fjuick eyes in search of them, though the chief prize of this 

 foray was made by Mr. Plowright — to wit, the rare and local 

 Marasmiua Hudson!, growing on fallen Holly leaves. It is an 

 elegant little Agaric studded all over with deUoate purple 

 spines. 



On Thursday — the general field-day of the Club — though him- 

 self tmavoidably absent, Mr. Stanhope had placed his head 

 gardener at the service of the Club, to show them the diverse 

 beauties of the trimly-kcpt gardens aud grounds of Barr's Court 

 of which — to say nothing of many curious deciduous and ever- 



