374 



JOUENAL OF HOKTICULTTJEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. [ November lo. 1S63. 



MITEAEIA COCCINEA. 



(SCAELET-FLOWEKED MlTRlEIA.) 



Specific Character. — Plant a shrub. Stems climbing. Leaves 

 opposite, small, ovate, acute, serrated. Flowers axUlary, 

 EoHtary. Peduncles slender, about 2 inches long. Bracts 

 mitre-formed, covering the calyx. Calyx five-parted. Corolla 

 of a brilliant scarlet ; tube ventricose, 14 inch long ; Umb 

 bilabiate ; upper lip with two rounded lobes ; lower Up three- 

 obed, lobes smaller than the upper ones. Stamens four, 

 exserted. 



This is a most ornamental climbing shrub, having the 

 habit of Columnea. It is a native of San Carlos de ChUoe, 

 and was introduced by Messrs. Veitch & Son, who received 

 it from their collector, Mr. Lobb. 



The leaves are small and neat ; and the flowers, of a vivid 

 scai-let, hanging gracefully on long, slender peduncles from 

 the axils of the leaves, give it when it bloom more than an 

 ordinary share of attraction. 



This genus, Mitrai-ia, was founded by CavamUes ; the 

 name being derived from mitra, a mitre, in reference to the 

 mitre-formed bractea which covers the calyx ; and is a very 

 different plant from the Mitraiia of GmeUn, which is a 

 Baningtonia. The subject of our present woodcut is the 

 only species at present known, although it is not improbable 

 but subsequent collectors may yet meet with other, and, 

 perhaps, still more valuable members of so beautiful a 

 genus. 



The cultivation is easy. If the plant be grown in a pot, 

 lay abundance of broken crocks at the bottom for drainage ; 

 and for the soil, use a mixture of two parts leaf mould, one 

 part light rich loam, and one part peat ; but if it is planted 

 in a border, any light rich earth or good vegetable mould 

 •will suit it well. 



Increase is effected by cuttings of the half-ripened wood, 

 planted in pots of sand and placed under a hand-glass. — 

 (Poicioft's Magazine of Botany.) 



TRENTHAM. 



(Continued from page 356.) 

 Passing along the east aspect of the west wall, which is 

 also devoted to Pears, as on the other side of the garden, 

 but without any glass case ; here, too, there was a good crop, 

 showing that the bloom against the wall resisted the frost 

 which was found so injurious to the blossom in the open 

 though sheltered quarters, and on trellises and arches. 

 Here also the trees had been side-grafted with many kinds. 

 Under the glass case, the stems and branches had a brownish 

 colour, having been painted with a composition of soft soap, 

 sulphur, cowdung, and clay. Anon we reach the long range 

 of houses with their appropriate buildings behind, which 

 I have already noted extending from this western boundary 



near to Mr. Henderson's residence. Between this and the 

 Pear-trellised walk are placed the houses on the west side 

 of this main kitchen garden. 



We commence, then, at the west end of this range, com- 

 monly called the Muscat range, and enter fii-st into a long 

 house filled with young Vines, of which the accompanying 

 section is from memory, only we think that the inside border 

 was only partially made. We introduce the section chiefly 

 to show the system of border-making, the border inside and 

 outside being entirely above the gi'ound level. The house is 

 11 feet in height from the path inside ; the pathway is 4 feet 

 wide ; the front is about 2 feet above the sill, which rests on 

 pillars, so as to give free egress to the roots outwards. The 

 width from back to front is 16 feet. The siU, if we recollect 

 aright, is of wood, cased in zinc to protect it fi-om the damp 

 earth. The outside border is 12 feet wide, and it wHl slope 

 from the sUl to the front, where it will be shallower. At the 

 back, close to the sUl, it will be 2i feet deep, with IS inches 

 of large stones and rough nibble underneath. The soil 

 was the best thin top-spit, with a fair allowance of boiled 

 bones. Some of the bones that we examined were quite sweet, 

 crumbly in the centre, and the roots passing through them. 

 The outside of the bank of earth above the stones consisted 

 of the roughest pieces of tui-f, and the air passing between 

 the seams would render them veiy di-y in hot weather. 

 This very fact would have a tendency to send the roots back 

 into the more moist soil behind. It w;is pleasing to find 

 Mr. Henderson practising so largely, and not by any means 

 in this house alone, the bit-by-bit system of border-making, 

 which has frequently been recommended in these pages. This 

 is done, not merely because part of a border can be more 

 easily and conveniently made than a whole one, but because 

 this bit-by-bit system contributes so much more to the 

 continued luxuriance and fi-uitfulness of the Vines. When 

 the roots have thoroughly permeated the yard width of the 

 border as shown in the section, then 2 or 3 feet more will be 

 added in a similar way. Had the border been made to the 

 front at once the roots would have run along to the front, 

 though there had been comparatively few lateral rootlets ; 

 and before these interlaced the whole border much of the 

 nourishing properties of the new material of the border 

 would have been dissipated by decomposition and evapora- 

 tion. Making a large border at once, and especially out of 

 doors, seems somewhat analogous to the farmer turning a 

 flock of sheep into a field of Turnips, and allowing them to 

 run and nibble where they may. The piece-by-piece border- 

 making may be compared to folding the sheep, so that every 

 available scrap of food shall be made use of, and a demon- 

 strable compensatory influence be left behind them. 



The young Vines had been planted inside near the front 

 of the house in July, 1862, and were now strong rods, reach- 

 ing to and beyond the top of the house, and were fast taking 

 the desirable brown colour. The laterals, that had been 

 somewhat freely encouraged to promote root-action, had 

 been removed to increase the ripening of the wood and the 

 plumpness of the buds. We were pleased to flnd, that for 

 mere strength of stem in young Vines and Vines in pots, 

 Mr. Henderson depended more on a free growth of laterals 

 in the early part of the season th.an on mere length of shoot 

 and stem. These Vines he proposed shortening consider- 

 ably in a fortnight to concentrate the strength near home ; 

 and in winter or spring he would shorten back to about 

 5 feet from the border. If he has not already shorteBe* 



