December 15. 1863. ] JOtTENAL OF HOETICTJLTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



471 



the only specimens I have seen in the southern part of 

 Devonshire. The Apple-orchards are tree from it. — West 

 Ogv.^ellj near Newton Abbot. 



WHAT ANIMALS ARE POISONED BY THE 

 YEW? 



"A. J. G." all last summer turned two cows into a small 

 field with a large Yew tree in it, being informed by the man 

 who had charge of them that it was a " bearing Yew tree," 

 and not poisonous. It produces no berries. These cows take 

 delight in eating anything they are not intended to have. 

 So "A. J. G." has little doubt that they ate many small 

 branches of the Yew, and certainly they were none the worse. 

 An old horse spends most of his time in the same field. 



How does this agree with the advice given in The Journal 

 or HoKTicuLTURE for the 1st of December, in which a corre- 

 spondent, "G. B.," is advised to fence ofFY'ews from sheep ? 

 On Mickleham downs there are quantities of Yew trees, and 

 " A. J. G." has seen flocks of sheep grazing among them 

 safely. On the other hand, " A. J. G." sent a cart drawn 

 by a donkey to fetch some turf from neighbouring downs. 

 The donkey ate Yew branches and leaves, and died the next 

 day, evidently poisoned. 



The country people persist in saying that the Yews which 

 have no berries are not poisonous, and " A. J. G." will be 

 much obUged if the Editors of The Journal of Hokti- 

 ctTLTUBE will say whether this is truth or foUy, for " A. J. G." 

 is anxious to let poultry run on a piece of ground where 

 there are several Irish Yews, but is afraid to do so on 

 account of the berries. 



"A. J. G." also begs to have two kinds of good late Straw- 

 berries recommended for planting under a north waU, and 

 would prefer one kind to be a respectable old-fashioned sort, 

 which can be relied on, being rather out of conceit with 

 novelties at present, in consequence of a failure in growing 

 Spergula, pilifera. 



[You cannot have two better late varieties of the Straw- 

 berry than the Elton and Frogmore Late Pine. 



With reference to the Yew being poisonous, no fact is more 

 certain than that some animals, and under some circum- 

 stances, have died from eating either the berries or the leaves 

 and twigs ; and this being so, though similar animals and 

 apparently under similar circumstances, have not been so 

 killed, yet he is unwisely venturous who subjects them to the 

 risk. We will quote a few testimonies. WTiite, of Selborne, 

 states an instance where barrow hogs and young sows were 

 tHiinjured by eating Yew berries ; but sows suckling their 

 young often died after devoiiring the berries. Gilpin re- 

 lates instances of horses tied to a Y'ew hedge being kUled ; 

 and in the Isle of Ely he had nine of his own young bullocks 

 tUled by browsing on a Yew hedge ; and knew of a whole 

 dairy of cows killed by eating Y'ew clippicgs. Yet, he adds, 

 sheep and turkeys, and, as park-keepers say, deer will crop 

 this tree with impunity. ChOdren eat the berries without 

 inconvenience, and so do fiellfares ; yet Withering tells of 

 three children having been kUled by a spoonful of the green 

 leaves, and sheep, he adds, have been killed by eating the 

 bark ; and many instances ai-e recorded of persons killed by 

 drinking a decoction of the leaves. We shall be glad to 

 receive information upon the subject ; but after the above 

 testimony we should avoid turning any agricultural animal 

 into a field where it could partake of any part of the Yew. 

 We should not fear turning poultry into such a field.] 



POETEAITS OF PLANTS, FLOWEES, AND 

 FEUITS. 



DiPTEBACANTHTJS ATFiOTs (Splendid Dipteracanthus). — 

 Nat. or<?., Acanthacese. lAnn., Didynamia Angiospermia. 

 One of the most beautiful of Acanthaceous plants. Native 

 of Brazil. Introduced by Messrs. Henderson, Wellington 

 Road Nursery. Flowers scarlet, blooming in July. — {Bota- 

 nical Magazine, t. 5414.) 



Eeia mteisticsformis (Nutmeg Eria). — Nai. ord., Orchid- 

 acese. Linn., Gynandria Monaudxia. Pretty and fragrant. 

 Native of Moulmein. Introduced by Messrs. Low & Co., 



Clapton Nursery. Flowers white, blooming in September. — 

 (Ibid., t. 5413.) 



Heliconia beevispatha (Short-spathed Heliconia). — Nat. 

 ord., Musacese. Linn., Pentandria Monogynia. Probably a 

 native of South America. Flowers yeUow and scarlet, open- 

 ing in a warm stove during the summer. — {fbid., t. 5416.) 



LiGULAEiA HoDGSONi (Mr. Hodgson's Ligularia).-;-Not. 

 ord., Compositae. Linn., Syngenesia superflua. Native of 

 North Japan. Believed to be hardy. Flowers bright yellow, 

 blooming during July in a cool frame. — (Ibid., t. 5417.) 



Adenium oeesuw (Thick-stemmed Adenium). — Nat. ord., 

 Apocyneas. Linn., Pentandria Monogynia. Native of Aden. 

 Flowers light pink, with dark pink margin. Requires a 

 hot, dry oUmate.— (Ifcic!., t. 5418.) 



BuELiNGTONiA EECOEA var. PICTA (Painted Neat Bur- 

 Ungtonia).— yaf. ord., Orchidaceae. lAnn., Gynandria Mon- 

 andria. Native of Brazil. Flowers white mottled with pink 

 and purple. Blooms in October. — {Ibid., t. 5419.) 



Fancy Pansies, raised by Mr. Dean, of Shipley. Ber 

 Majesty, two upper petals dark purple, white-edged ; three 

 lower petals dark blotched circled by purple, edge straw 

 colour. Prince of Wales, three lower petals richly marbled 

 with pm-ple, yellow, and black; two upper petals light 

 purple shaded off to a white edge. Princess of Wales, Ught 

 straw coloui', with a pale purple band within each petal, and 

 dark blotch in centre of three lower. Thomas Moore, pale 

 straw colour, each petal variously blotched with purple. — 

 {Floral Magazine, pi. 173.) 



Gasteonema sanouineum. — Cape of Good Hope bulb. 

 Flowers scarlet. — {Ibid., pi. 174.) 



Clematis kegin.3;. — Cross between C. azurea and C. lanu- 

 ginosa. Flowers purplish-blue. — {Ibid., pi. 175.) 



Picotee, Colonel Clark, rosy scarlet edged white, very 

 clear, no bar. Caenation, Lord Clifton, a pink and purple 

 bizarre. — {Ibid., pi. 176.) 



Clematis Foetunei. — Introduced from Japan by Mr. 

 Fortune, and flowered by Mr. Standish, Royal Nursery, 

 Ascot. Flowers white, very large, double and fragrant. — 

 {Florist and Pomologist, ii., 169.) 



Steawbeeet, Frogmore Late Pine, " raised by that inde- 

 fatigable hybridiser, Mr. Thomas Ingram, Her Majesty's 

 gardener at Frogmore." Fruit large, varying from conical 

 to cockscomb in shape, ripe at same time as the Elton, 

 "but is far superior to it both in flavour and productive- 

 ness." — {Ibid., 172.) 



BEEKHAMPSTEAD NUESEEY. 



Some time ago we gave an account of this nursery, so 

 deservedly celebrated for Roses, its collection of fruit trees, 

 weeping or pendidous trees, standard evergreens — as Por- 

 tugal Laurels, Rhododendrons, etc. ; fine specimens of Arau- 

 carias and Deodars ; its economical span-roofed houses, and 

 economical heating by hot water, hot air, Polmaise stoves, 

 &e. Our object in paying a visit in the end of September 

 was to see a house of Grapes, most of which were then ripe. 

 A good report of these had been brought to us, and we felt a 

 particular interest in them, as we had the good fortune to 

 see the Vines during the process of planting. Having fi'e- 

 quently advocated drainage and a suitably made border for 

 Vines, and having lately described how these processes are 

 attended to in two of the best Grape gardens in the country, 

 we think it is only fair that the readers of the Journal should 

 know of a very successful case of Grape-growing where no 

 attention whatever had been given to draining, and all the 

 border-making was the sunplest imaginable. The house is 

 span-roofed, 126 feet in length and 27 feet in width, height 

 to ridge about 11 feet, and at sides about 3 feet. The sides 

 of the house face the south-west and the north-east. The 

 ground on which it stands slopes to the east to a brook near 

 the canal, and it is built on the slope. At the highest end 

 of the house, as at c, fig. 1, there is an open spring well, the 

 Fig. 1. 

 A. le vel. 



-iSlope. 



water standing not more than 2^ feet from the surface, and 



