March 7, 1867. J 



JOUKNAL OF HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



179 



The next subject to which ho had to allude was Mr. Hullett's " New 

 Food." He had heard from Mr. Hullett, who thoafjht it rather cruel 

 of Mr. Bateman to eay what he did at the last meetiug, leadiug people 

 to suppose thjit the seed he (Mr. HuUett) seat out was only Hok-us 

 saccharatus. He sent the black seed to no one except to show the 

 difference between it and the true thing (Sorghum tartaricom), which 

 has white seed, and this he sent to over ten thousand applicants ; the 

 residue had a variety with brown seed, which is even hardier than the 

 white, and both were grown by him at Waterloo last year, and both 

 were perfectly hardy, which the other (with black seed) was not. " So 

 much for Mr. Hullett's statement," said Mr. Bateman ; " now for my 

 defence. lu the only two collections (those sent to the Koyal Horti- 

 cultural Society and to myself) in which all the three varieties (white, 

 brown, and black) were included, not a hint was given which was the 

 true Simon Pure. I was, therefore, obliged to find that out for my- 

 self, and my only chance was to go to the seed-shops ; and at half a 

 dozen around Coveut Garden I asked for the Chinese Sugar Grass, 

 and in every case a packet of the black seed was handed to me." Mr. 

 Bateman therefore concluded that the black seed was the right sort, 

 instead of which the white or the brown ought to have been selected. 

 So much for the colour question, now for the question of names. As 

 Mr. HuUett spoke in his letter to the T^unes oi the "Chinese Sugar 

 Grass," after which in brackets followed the words Sorghum tartari- 

 cnm, it was natural to infer, according to botanical usage, that the 

 Chinese Sugar Grass was Sorghum tartaricum and Sorghum tartari- 

 cum the Chinese Sugar Grass ; but the Chiuoso Sugar Grass, as such 

 had always been understood in this country, Mr. Hullett's S. tar- 

 taricum certainly was not. What, then, was it? Whence did he get 

 the nama S. tartaricum ? Who gave it the name ? He (Mr. Bate- 

 man) had speut several hours on Monday at the Linnean Society's, 

 and with the assistance of the Librarian (Mr. ICippistj, had tried 

 to discover some trace of S. tartaricum, but all to no purjjose. 

 Neither among the Holcuses, nor the Sorghums, nor the Audropogous, 

 a genus in which the former ai-e sometimes included, was there any 

 tartaricum to be found, and if any Tartar- was to be caught Mr. 

 Hullett must catch him. 



With regard to the Sorghum he (Mr. Bateman) had collected the 

 following information. Mr. Fortune stated that at one time the 

 French were very hopeful it might turn out a substitute for the Sugar 

 Cane, and tried it extensively in the south of France, but it failed. 

 It might be useful as a fodder for cattle, but it requii'es a climate like 

 that of Teiutsin or Pekin, and where Rice would not grow its place 

 was taken by tall kinds of Sorghum, some as much as 12 or 15 feet 

 liigh ; and it was from the long stout stubble of this Grass that our 

 cavalry horses in the late Chinese war suffered so severely. Mr. 

 Thompson — that faithful veteran in the serWce of the Society and of 

 horticulture — remembered it about a dozen years ago in the Society's 

 garden, and about an acre of it was grown near Chiswick station 

 by Mr. Jessop, and was cut for cattle in pieces a foot long. Mr. 

 Bateman also quoted Dr. Koxburgh as to the uses the Holcus or 

 Sorghum is put to, as well as Dr. Koyle, who says that the different 

 Hnds of Sorghum (called durra by the natives), or Great or Indian 

 Millet, are an important branch of Indian cultivation. The species 

 most commonly grown were S. vulgare and S. bicolor ; but in another 

 list all were classed together — viz., S. album, rubens, nigrum, nigricans, 

 and nigerrimuni. He {Mr. Bateman) had also examined the speci- 

 mens in the possession of the Linnean Society, arranged by Dr. Wal- 

 lich, which formed part of the East Indian herbarium, and all were 

 treated as varieties. 



Mr. Bateman concluded by expressing a hope that Mr. Hullett 

 would tell where Passitiora Hullettii (fruit of which had been pro- 

 nounced superior to the Pine Apple), had fruited; where and when 

 the Durion was fruited ; where the Maugosteens and Mangos, which 

 were cut in dozens and sold at 2s. ijd. a-pifeee, were produced. 



Major Clarke remarked, that he had known Sorghum saccharatum 

 gi'own as food for horses, and that there were several black-seeded 

 Sorghums which were not S. saccharatum, one of which was yrown in 

 Italy as food for chickens. 



Dr. Masters asked Major Clarke if he had succeeded in raising seeds 

 from all three forms of Cj'tisus Adami. That plant and the Cyclamens 

 and Apples at the meeting tended to shako our faith in the power 

 of gratting to perpetuate any particular variety. This was a subject 

 which well deserved fuUur investigation than it had hitherto received. 



Major Clarke said he' had saved three packets of seeds from the 

 three different forms of Cytisus, that ho had stnt them to Dr. Lindley, 

 who bad given them to Mr. Gordon, and that the seeds of the Cytisus 

 Adami, or "■ hybrid portion," had produced yellow blossoms like the 

 Laburnum. 



Sir Philip Egerton invited Mr. Murray to make a few observations 

 on the Coniferae : and after Mr. Murray had noticed two or three 

 specimens, the names of which were doubtful, Mr. Bateman announced 

 that Dr. Masters would give five elementary lectures on Botany, be- 

 j^inning on tho last Saturday in March. 



THE INTENSE COLD AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. 



LoNoMEAD, Hants. — The following is a list of a few trees 



andshrubs injared by the late severe frost here: — -Finns insignis, 



young plant, 6 feet high, young shoots killed ; Garrya ellip- 



tiea, killed down to the snow line. Escallonia macrantha 

 bronzed, but the fresh leaves are beginning to show now ; it 

 was presented by the late Prince Consort when on a visit 

 here. Azalea indica rubra, young wood killed, while Azalea 

 iudica alba standing 20 feet from rubra, was not in the least 

 hurt. They are both by the side of an east walk. Bays and 

 Laurustinus are very much cut up. All my Broccolis, with 

 the exception of the Brimstone, are killed. Brussels Sprouts 

 are not in the least hurt. I may remark that I have gathered 

 this week, from a south wall, some Camellia blossoms, one bloom 

 from Lady Hume's Blush, and three from a Double Red, and 

 twenty will be fully open on the Double Bed by the end o! the 

 month (February).— J. Sharp, Gardener to A. Barton, Esq. 



WiLMONT, Belfast. — Now that we can look around and see 

 the effects of the unprecedented snowstorm of January, it will, 

 perhaps, interest some of your readers to learn how we have 

 fared on this side of the Irish Channel. 



Eoses appear to have suffered less here than in many other 

 places, yet they have not come oft quite safely. Lord Clyde, 

 Mdlle. Bouuaire, and Monte Christo, are dead ; Belle de Bor- 

 deaux, Triomphe de Eenues, and Celine Forestier are much 

 injured ; Due de Cazes and Mrs. Chas. Wood are slightly 

 injured. These were all worked on the DogEose stock. I have 

 not a single instance of death or severe injury on the Manetti, 

 and, hence, with Mr. Taylor, I am " all for Manetti." Of the 

 buds inserted in the Dog Eose in the autumn, all which had 

 pushed or were prominent have been killed. The common 

 China Eose has been killed to the snow line. 



Of evergreens — Laurustinus, Escallonia macrantha, hybrid 

 scarlet Ehododeudrons, and Arbutus unedo, have suffered 

 severely. Portugal and common Laurel (particularly those 

 recently transplanted). Sweet Bay, Golden and Silver Hollies, 

 together with young plants of Pinus insignis, have been more 

 or less punished. A plant of Desfontania spinosa is quite 

 dead. In the immediate neighbourhood Araucaria imbricata 

 and Cedrus deodara are extensively killed. 



In the kitchen garden. Snow's and Hammond's Cape Broccoli 

 were all killed; Knight's Protecting was much injured ; Dal- 

 raeny Park proved hardier than any other Broccoli grown here ; 

 Savoys and Brussels Sprouts came well through ; Globe Arti- 

 chokes andCabbages were very much injured ; Endive, Lettuces, 

 and White Lisbon Onion entirely escaped, as well as a sowing 

 of Sangster's No. 1 Pea, which was fully an inch above the 

 ground. Out of several sorts of Celery which were unprotected, 

 Laing's Mammoth was the only one injured. — J. M. Bothwell. 



GROUND VINERIES. 



[From a paper read by Mr. Broome, of the Inner Temple 

 Gardens, at the meeting of the Central Horticultm-al Society, 

 February 26th.] 



Now that the gardening world is every day becoming ac- 

 quainted with the great utility of these structures, I have 

 thought a few remarks, based upon practice with Wells's 

 ground vineries, might by many be appreciated. The lady 

 and gentleman amateur, the scieutihc and practical gardener, 

 have already derived much advantage and pleasure from their 

 use ; and at this moment in many gardens where horticulture 

 is carried out upon just principles, these structures are used 

 and recommended. Upon then- first appearance in gardens 

 they were exclusively employed for Grape-growing, and were 

 carefully stowed away during the many months in which the 

 Vine is dormant ; now they are kept in active operation during 

 the whole year. The lady amateur finds that in them she can 

 manage a crop of Grapes, then bring on a few plants for late 

 autumn and Christmas flowering, and afterwards occn;iy them 

 with a few miscellaneous floricultural pets, bedding, and other 

 plants ; whilst by others they are used for the protection of 

 salading, &c. In the present month many ground vinerieg 

 are devoted to forcing Khubarb, and I have seen a hotbed made 

 for them and covered an inch thick with ashes, into which are 

 plunged pots of Dutch bulbs, Hyacinths, Tulips, &c. ; and 

 others, again, are used in a similar manner for the propagation of 

 bedding stuff, and raising seeds of tender plants. 



The scientific and practical gardener can apply these minia- 

 ture houses to a thousand different uses. But a few days ago 

 I saw a 14-feet length filled with Hyacinths and Tuhps, which 

 are intended for our great spring bulb shows, and nothing 

 could exceed the luxuriance and vigour they possessed. I have 

 likewise seen ground vineries applied to the growth of the 

 Neapolitan Violet, and beautifully-coloured blossoms were being 



