February 21, 1867. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEB. 



147 



above the level of the sea. Then there "was Batemaunia Beaumoutii, 

 one of a gemis named after hira by Pr. Lindley ; and he (Mr. Bate- 

 man), felt mnoh gratified at the honour whcu the first species, B. Col- 

 leyi, was named ; but unfortunately it had au unsavoury odour, aud 

 B. Beanmontii was worse still. Mr. Anderson also sent a splendid 

 spike of Ltelia saperbieus, one of the grandest discoveries of his (Mr. 

 Bateman's), lamented friend Mr. Slduner, who, when he found it, 

 said it could be seen nearly a mile off in the clear atmosphere of its 

 native country. The spike shown, ho was happy to say, would be 

 presented to Her Koyal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge. Another 

 specimen of the same Lrelia, though not so fine, came from Mr. Rueker. 

 A very fine specimen of Dendrobium speciosum, a plant wliich any 

 one might grow, was sent by Mr. Weutworth Buller ; also an inter- 

 esting new Dendrobium, which he (Mr. BatemanJ, had ventured to 

 call Dendrobium BuUerinunm. There was also a new Odontoglossum 

 from Messrs. Low, which would be figured in the " Botanical Maga- 

 zine ;" and from Mr. Wilson, gardener to W. Marshall, Esq., came 

 some of the finest Cattleyas he had ever seen. He wished, however, 

 to impress on those present that Cattleya pallida. Trianaei, qnadricolor, 

 Worscewiczii, and Wagneri were all varieties of one and the same 

 species. 



With regard to the Kumquat, Mr. Bateman said it had a peculiarly 

 ornamental appearance where growing on the back of one of his 

 stoves, or rather a warm greenhouse. Ou referring to an old number 

 of The Cottage Garpenek, he found that Mr. Beaton spoke of it 

 thus : — " From the Garden of the Society came fruit of the Japan 

 Citron (Citrus japonica); this is not the Mandarine Orange, or the 

 Otaheite Orange, of which they make such pretty little standards, but 

 the fruit is as small as that of any iu the tribe, and of the shape of a 

 small Ashlcaf Kidney Potato ; the rind is most fi-agrant, and the 

 whole fruit is highly pi-ized by the Chinese ; when preserved iu sugar 

 they call it the Cum Quat." Sir. Fortune had sent him the following 

 information : — 



"I am well ncfiuainted with the Kumqnat, and have little doubt your 

 plant was one of those, went borne by me to the Horticultural Society 

 during my first \i=it to China il8i3 to 1S46). It is, I believe, the Citrus 

 japonica, and is largely cultivated both Iu China and Japan. In China 

 it attains a greater degi-ee of perfection in the central provinces than it 

 does in the more southern, and ought to be banly, or neai-ly hardy in the 

 south of England, lerhaps, however, n highor degree of summer heat 

 may be necessary in order to have it in perfection with u<'. Of one thing 

 you may be quite ccrt;iin, it is much hardier than the Common Orange. 

 The common China Orange is to be hud in perfection in the south of 

 China ouly, and is not cultivated in the district, farther north, where the 

 Kumquat grows so well. The bushes, 3 or 4 feet in height, are vei-y 

 beautiful in November and December when loaded with fruit, which 

 ripens at this season of the year All winter long the fruit is very plenti- 

 ful in the markets. If you have tainted the fruit you will remarl; that the 

 rind is sweet aud of an aromatic flavour, while the pulp is very aci'id. 

 As a pre>5erve it is much esteemed and largely useil. It is exported iu 

 considerable quantity to Europe and America. I daresay you have fre- 

 quently eaten it amougst those Chinese preserves sold by Fortnum, 

 Mason & Co., and others.'' 



The plant has this peculiarity — it cannot be propagated by cuttings, 

 btit must be grafted on another tree of the same kind — Limonia tri- 

 foliata; and, Mr. Bateman added, cuttings would be distributed. 



This offer of cuttings called to his mind one made on a much more 

 extended scale by a Mr. HuUett, who, in a paragi-aph in the Times 

 headed " New Food," directed attention to the Chinese Sugar Grass, 

 stated that it would produce five times as much as Wheat, that the 

 stems could be used as cattle food, tti?., and with nnprecedented 

 liberality offered a few gi'ains to those who would send a stamped 

 and directed envelope. Mr. Bateman had sent for some, but not in 

 his own name, and received seeds along with a printed memorandum, 

 one paragraph of which explains the whole of his object, and which is 

 as follows : — " Seeds can be supplied in packets at l.s. or as. each." 

 Now it was stated in the Times by Mr. HuUett that he had t),llOO ap- 

 plications, aud in Bell's Wcekhj Messemjer the number was given at 

 :20,0OU ; but as the seeds were nothing more than those of Sorghum 

 saccharatum, or Holcus saccharatus, the whole quantity required to 

 supply all the applicants could be had for about a shilling. One 

 seedsman offered him (Mr. Bateman) 10,001) seeds wholesale for 4//. 

 As to the Sorghum it had been tried in this country, aud it was found 

 that the summers are not warm enough to ripeu its seed, and even 

 Messrs. Sutton iu the fine climate of Reading could not get it to succeed. 

 For agi-icultural purposes it was found nearly valueless. 



Mr. Bateman said that he naw came to what to him was an exceed- 

 ingly painful subject, the death of his friend Mr. Skinner, whose 

 bright genial countenance was seldom absent from the Tuesday meet- 

 ings. Mr. Bateman then gave a sketch of Mi". Sldnner's life, the 

 leading particulars of which have already appeared in these columns. 

 It seems that Mr. Skinner in early life was desirous of entering the 

 navy, but in deference to the wishes of his friends he took a situation 

 in Messrs. Barclays Bank. He afterwards was in business at Leeds, 

 but finding an opening in the then little known republic of Guate- 

 mala, he went there, and soou entered into partnership with Mr. Klee, 

 the Prussian Charge d' Affaires. There he dii*ected his attention 

 chiefly to birds and iuseets before he took to gathering plants ; but in 

 Consequence of some birds which he sent to the Museum at Man- 

 chester, Mr. Bateman veutui-ed to send him some sketches of plants, 

 and directions as to the mode of packing such for transmission to this 

 country. Soon a box came, and along with many other new plants 

 was Barkeria SkinnerL Other plants sent home by Mr Skinner were 



La;]ia superbiens before alluded to, Odontoglossum pulchellum ; but 

 his crowniog work was Lycastc Skinneri. " Happy, indeed, am I, far 

 more happy than he would be," said Mr. Bateman, "'that his name 

 will live in it." It flowers in the coldest months of the year, and no 

 plant is more useful or lasts better. Mr. Bateman next referred to the 

 many specimens of birds which Mr. Skinner had sent home, and of 

 which there were numerous examples with gorgeous plumage on the 

 table. Mr. Bateman then gave an account of Mr. Skinner's death 

 on the Isthmus of Panama from yellow fever, caught, it is believed 

 in a fever-tainted ship, aud said that Mr. Skinner had long been a 

 ^vidower, but had left two daughters and au aged mother to bewail 

 his loss, and with whom he intended to have passed the evening 

 of his days under the roof of his brother, the Kev. .J. Skinner. His 

 last letter was to Mr. Veitch, who had set aside a room, and was 

 putting up a house for Mr.- Skinner's collections. 



Mr. Wilson Saunders proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Bateman, 

 which was unanimously accorded by one of the most crowded Tuesday 

 meetings which have ever been held. 



Among the visitors in the early part of the afteraoon were their 

 Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Cambridge and the Princess Mary. 



ADEVOURER OF THE RED SPIDER. 



Having frequently seen in The Journal of Horticultuke 

 inquiries as to the means of destroying the red spider and 

 other insects, I beg to offer one which I discovered last summer. 

 I had a favourite bird called the ** Indigo Bird." My astonish- 

 ment was great when I let him out of the cage, having for two 

 years fed him on canary seed, to see him devouring insects of 

 every description. The consequence was, I had no red spider, 

 &c., on my Vines or in my greenhouse afterwards, for I fre- 

 quently let the bird out of his cage to do his gardening work. 



The bird is a beautiful blue in summer, but in the winter 

 brown like a sparrow. The outside of my windows has wires, 

 so that no bird can escape. — St. Leonards. 



BIRMESIGHAM PRIZE POTATO. 



All who know this excellent Potato are aware that it pro- 

 duces both round and kidney-shaped tubers, and my object in 

 writing is to ask whether it cannot be shown at our exhibition 

 of fruits, flowers, &c., in both classes of round and kidney- 

 shaped? 



It was so exhibited at our autumn show of last year, and 

 carried off the prize in both classes. This gave rise to a paper 

 war between two clever gardeners in the district, Mr. Simpson, 

 of Stutton Eectory, and Mr. Sheppard, of Woolverstone. Mr. 

 Simpson declared the Potato in question could not be shown, 

 and carry off the prize in both classes, while Hr. Sheppard 

 affirmed it could. Which of the two was right iu the matter? 

 — W. C, Ijmcich. 



[We think it could be shown in both classes. We cannot 

 see any justice in excluding first-rate round Potatoes because 

 the plant which produced them also produced first-rate kidney- 

 shaped Potatoes, and vice versa. The prizes are offered for 

 round and kidney-shaped Potatoes respectively, without any 

 such restriction as that they should not be grown on the same 

 plants ; nor is there any just reason why there should be such 

 a restriction. It is desirable rather than otherwise, that a 

 plant should produce tubers of various shapes, and if it pro- 

 duced the best round, kidney, and Lapstone-shaped tubers, we 

 see no reason why its produce shoiild not take a prize in each 

 of the three classes. — Eds.] 



THE INTENSE COLD AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. 



ELiDDiNGTON. — The snow having for some time disappeared 

 and mild weather having intervened, I have been enabled to 

 inspect my garden more minutely than when I last wrote to 

 you. As I said before, we have not had such severe frost since 

 the winter of 1860-61, and the damage to gardens has conse- 

 quently been great. Much difference in the eft'ects of the frost 

 is apparent in localities at very short distances from each other, 

 plants on elevated ground escaping with less injury, while those 

 in low-lying places in the neighbourhood of a river or stream 

 have suffered most severely. My garden is under the latter 

 influence, and it is injured accordingly. Except where the 

 spurs are in direct contact with the wall, all the flower-buds of 

 Apricots are destroyed. Some Pear trees appear to have suf- 

 fered in a similar manner, a good many of the buds being 

 deprived of all vitality. A large proportion seem sound and 

 well expanded, but whether the embryo fruit is destroyed re- 



