8«0 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTURB AND COTTAGE GABDBNER. 



[ Mar 23, 1867. 



are not the result more or less directly of man's agency, nor of this or 

 that operation of the cnltivator, but they are the indirect but ineTit- 

 ablo natural and spontaneous consequences of the mode of development 

 belonging to the Bpeciea when grown under artificial circumstances, 

 &c." I'ossibly we may be told some day that St. raul'a Cathedral was 

 a spontaneous production, independent of man's agency, &c., and some, 

 perhaps, might be found to believe it. For his own part he believed 

 that the Pelargonium is grown at present under much the same artificial 

 circumstances as it was growu a hundred, or possibly two hundred 

 years ago ; and r.ur great giandfathors might have enjoyed the luxury 

 of bedding-out Tricolored relargouiums in the summer of 1767 in 

 every way the same as their descendants were doing at the present 

 time, had' their tastes led them in that direction, and if the idea had 

 occttl-red to them to use the means at their command. As he had said 

 before, he believed that the cause of variegation was unknown, and 

 consequently could not be produced, and the cross-breeder does not for 

 s moment "presume to say that ho can control Nature. AH that he 

 can do is to watch her closely, and when he perceives her in the least 

 degree inclined to tread the path ho wishes her to pursue, he can, as 

 it were, smooth that path, and render it as invitiug as possible. He may 

 perhaps even go a little further, and, policeman-like, tonch her gently 

 on the shoulder, and respectfully request her to move on. More than this 

 he cannot do, for what the poet has said with regard to Nature's fairest 

 production will also apply to Nature herself : — 



"For if she will, she will, you n. ay depend on't; 

 And if she won't, she won't, so there's an end on 't." 



Mr. Grieve said in conclnsion, that although the pedigree of the 

 Pelargonium Jlrs. Pollock had been made public, he would again 

 briefly state it. The seed parent of Mrs. Pollock was Emperor of 

 the French, and the pollen parent Gold Pheasant. The seed parent 

 of Gold Pheasant was also Emperor of the French, and the pollen 

 parent Golden Tom Thumb. The seed parent of Golden Tom 

 Thumb was Cottage Maid, and the pollen parent Golden Chain. As 

 to the parentage of some of his seedlings of the present and last years. 

 He was unable to give any information, as in most instances both 

 parents were themselves seedlings, and many of them had not been 

 preserved. 



The Chairman having thanked Mr. Grieve in the name of the Meet- 

 ing, iMr. \\ liiB gave some illustrations of the manner in which sports 

 of variecated Pelurgouinms become fixed, and said that although he 

 intended to have read a paper on the origin of variegated Pelargoniums, 

 as Mr. Grieve had touched on many of the same points he would not 

 occupy time by reading it, but he would communicate it to the Society. 

 Mr. Chater then stated at some length his views as to the causes 

 of coloration in Pelargonium leaves, and differed from Mr. Berkeley 

 in considering that variegation is not a disease. 



Mr. Batenmn next made some observations on the Orchids. He 

 had heard it often remarked that these occupy too much attention at 

 the Tuesday meetings ; but his friends, Mr. Dix and Major Clarke, 

 had on this occasion had a magnificent revenge, for ho was quite over- 

 whelmed by a golden shower. Directing attention to Cattleya citrina, 

 of which Messrs. Low exhibited a large collection, he said that the 

 tendency of the plant is always to grow downwards, and pointed out 

 the singularitv of the pseudo-bulbs, which are as if wrapped up in 

 silver paper. 'The plant lasts a long time in flower, and he never 

 saw a more remarkable sight than a regiment of it, nearly a thousand 

 strong, at Messrs. Low's. It was an Orchid succeeding with very cool 

 culture, and would do in a warm greenhouse. Cypripedium caudatum, 

 from Mr. Bull, with taU-like appendages nearly 2 feet long, next 

 occupied attention ; but all Cypripediums, he thought, must yield in 

 beauty to C. Itevigatum, which was also exhibited. Hendrobium 

 MaeC'arlhia? was also shown for the third time ; it was now anivmg 

 at its full maturity, and Mr. Wentworth Buller had informed him he 

 had seen. specimens of it with as many as twelve spikes of flowers, and 

 Tery few Dendrobiums, indeed Orchids, would be able to compete 

 ■with it. Mr. Bateman said he had next to notice a little gem- 

 namely. Oncidium nnliigennm, so called from its living almost in the 

 clouds, for it was found in Ecuador, at an altitude of 1'2-1-1,000 feet— 

 a greater elev^ition than ever attained by any cool Orchid. It had 

 gone under the names of 0. Dennisonianum and 0. Phal.T?nop«i8 ; 

 but Eeiihenbach had proved that th(! plants to which these names had 

 been applied were nothing but the 0. nnbigenum of Liudley, for which 

 O. cucullatum bad been mistaken. The beautiful group of Ladia 

 purpurata, and the wreaths of Bougainvilliea spectabilis, shown by Mr. 

 Bull, were then noti.,ed, and with reference to the latter, it was re- 

 marked that beautiful as they were, they were nothing in comparison 

 to the plant as grown at Cliveden. 



Mr. Bateman then announced that Mr. Anderson, of Meadow Bank, 

 near Glasgow, was the successful competitor for the prize oiJercd for 

 the best list of Orchids arranged according to climate (see page 311), 

 and that BIr. Wentworth Buller was second. After mentioning a 

 Sarcopodiuin wiiith was said to exist in New Guinea as a piano which 

 it would be desirable to introduce on account of the size of its flowers, 

 ■which are said tn be S inches in diameter, attention was next directed 

 to the Ja]>an Flax, sold by Mr. Alison, and which whilst resembhng 

 bass matting is much stronger. Mr. Bateman considered it much 

 superior to matting tor tying purposes, and it might also be employod 

 as a textile fibre, as exemplified by handkerchiefs made of it. Mr. 

 Bateman concluded by announcing that the subscription to erect a 

 memorial to the hits Mr. Skinner had produced a considerable sum, 



which would be stated at the next meeting, by which time thesnbs<:np- 

 tion list would be closed. 



Major Clarke said that Mr. Bateman had no right to complain that 

 Orchids had been treated coolly, for he was always advocating that 

 very treatment (laughter). ^ 



Mr. Wilson Saunders said that the use of the term Tricolor Pelai> 

 goninms was botanically incorrect, and exhibited a plant of Pelargo- 

 nium tricolor to which alone the name should apply. Versicolor or 

 parti-coloured Pelargoniums would be a bettt-r name ; indeed the befit 

 of the so-called Tricolors exhibited not three but four colours. 



SCUFFLE-HOE. 



Mn. GEonoB P. Allen, of Woodhnry, Connecticnt, is the 

 inventor and patentee of this little implement. It is a scuffle- 

 hne, consisting of a thin steel 

 blade, with two cutting edges, 

 which coneist of a series of acute 

 teeth, sharpened from the under 

 side. Held naturally, by a man 

 standing erect, the blade lies 

 perfectly fiat upon the ground, 

 and raising or lowering the 

 handle gives it a tendency to 

 enter, if shoved or drawn. The 

 common straight-bladed scuffle- 

 hoe, though sh.irp, often meets 

 willi considerable resistance from 

 roots of grass and weeds, and 



frequently slips over them ; even hard lumps of soil obstruct 

 its movement. This hoe readily passes through the clods, and 

 cuts any kind of roots with ease. It is especially adapted to 

 hoeing among garden vegetables. Carrots, Onions, and roots 

 in the field. — [American Ai/riculturist.) 



^•X'"^-i'"^i^N 



xjVn;-- 



PORTRAITS OF PLANTS, FLOWERS, AND 



FRUITS. 



Dalechampia EoEZLiANA (Boezl's Dalechampia). — Nat. ord., 

 EuphorbiaceiE. Linn., Monoecia Polyaudrin. Native of Vera 

 Cruz. Introduced by M. Van Houtte, of Ghent. A superb 

 shrub above 3 feet high, involucral bracts brilliant rose colour. 

 Flowers yellow. — (Bot. Mag., t. 5640.) 



Agave schidigeea (Splintered-leaved American Aloe). — Nat. 

 ord., Araaryllidacefc. Linn., Hexandria Monogynia. Intro- 

 duced from Mexico by M. Van Houtte, of Ghent. Eemarkable 

 for the broad white filaments given oli from the margins of th« 

 leaves. Flower scape about 6 feet high. Flowers yellow. — 

 (Ibid., t. 5641.) 



GoMTHiA Theophr-^sta (Theophrasta-Hke Gomphia). — Nat. 

 ord., Ochnacefe. Linn., Decandria Monogynia. Native of South 

 America, probably the low-lying districts of Brazil. Flowers 

 yeWuw.— {Ibid., t. 564'2.) 



Epidesdbum EiiURNEUM (Ivory-flowercd Epidendrum). — Nat. 

 ord., Orchidace.'e. imn. , GynandriaDiandria. Native of swamps 

 near Panama. Its stem having bright green leaves contrasts 

 well with the ivory white flowers. — (Ibid., I. 5643.) 



Mthtus Cheken (Chequen of Chili). — Nat. ord., Mjrrtacete. 

 Linn., Polyandria Monogynia. Flowers white. " This is on» 

 of those pretty evergreen Chilian plants, so suitable for walls 

 in all the milder parts of England, and for greenhouse de- 

 coration everywhere, but which is apt to be cut by a winter's 

 cold below the average, and burnt by a long summer's drought, 

 on the eastern side of the kingdom." — (Ibid., t. 3(>44.) 



Fittonia aroyroneuba (Silvery-nerved Fittonia). — Nat. ord., 

 AcauthaceiE. Linn., Diandria Monogynia. A most beautiful 

 plant ; leaves dark green ; veins white. — (Flore de Serres, 1664.) 



HvnEANGEA pANicuLATA var. oRANDiFLorA (Large-flowered 

 Panicled Hydrangea).- A'n(. ord., Saxifragacein. Linn., De- 

 candria Digvnia. Introduced from Japan. Flowers snow 

 white.— (/fcid., 1665.) 



Griffinia bvacinthina maxima (Largest violet-coloured Grif- 



finia). — Nat. ord., Amaryllidaccie. Linn., Hexandria Mono- 



I gynia. Segments of corolla white, blue margins. — (Ibid., 1687.) 



Sedum 3HXI31U3I TERSIC0I.0R (Various-Culoured Largest Se- 

 dum). — Nat. ord., Crassulacen?. Linn., Decandria Pentagynia. 

 Leaves green, variously marbled witli yellow and pink, with 

 an edging of the last-named colour. — (Ibid., 1GG9.) 



Gesnera. — Varieties, CiiromateUa, yellow ; Cymosa, white 

 and pink; Lindhyana, yeWow and pink; P^osca punctatissima^ 

 yellow and spotted with pink. — (Ibid., 1671.) 



