April 12, 1877 ] 



JOUENAL OP HORTICDLTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



271 



various shades of green, being very dark where exposed to the 

 sunlight, and light in the shade; they vary from one-half to 

 1 inch in diameter, and from 1 to 3 feet in length. I have 

 often gathered them of ovor a yard in length, but they were 

 always from plants in the shade ; they have a deep ohannel 

 running the entire length, and nearly always lie prostrate on 

 the ground. 



The flower stem starts about the middle of May. As soon 

 BB it is 5 or G inohes long it commences twining itself over 

 any shrub or plant in its vicinity; whether 5 or 10 feet high, 

 it keeps on twining until it reaches the top of its support. 



It takes from two to four weeks to reach the top of its 

 support, and all this time the flower bud remains dormant. 

 After reaching the greatest height it can, it stops to take a 

 rest for a week or two. Then occurs the most eiogular phe- 

 nomenon of all. Uhe stem breaks olf close to the ground, 

 and keeps no connection whatever with mother earth, which 

 until this time has given it nourishment ; now the flower bud 

 begins to expand and grows for about two weeks, when the 

 bud opens and exposes to view from six to sixty other flower 

 buds, which up to this time have been safely hidden from view. 

 In about a week, between the 1st and the middle of July, 

 the flowers open, and remain from two to six weeks, and this 

 without any connection with the earth whatever. Whether it 

 derives nourishment from the shrub supporting it, or the air, 

 I am not prepared to say. 



The flowers are of various shades of pink and pinkish 

 purple ; as before stated they are borne in clusters of from 

 twelve to sixty ; they are from one-half to 1 inch in diamoter, 

 and the clusters from 1 to U inches in diameter. 



Plant them about 4 inches deep, in rather good rich soil 

 near some bash or shrub, so as to afford some support. Cover 

 in a cold climate with suitable covering. Give no water except 

 what it receives naturally. — W, C. L. Dbew (in American 

 Gardencr'i Monthly). 



^Brodiaja calitornica was brought from California to the 

 Koyal Horticultural Society's gardens by Mr, Hartweg in 1848, 

 and flowered during the following year. It is a pretty hardy 

 bulbous plant, requiring the same treatment as Scillas. — Eds,] 



FAILURE OF EAELY-STARTED VINES. 



TnEBE certainly are many complaints this year of Vines 

 which have been started early breaking very badly. Though I 

 have no wish to be boastful, yet I would like to say that the 

 early Vines under my charge have done well, and I may add 

 th»y were started at Christmas with a temperature of about 

 65° by day and about 50° by night. I like to sprinkle the rods 

 with a syringe morning and evening till the buds commence 

 swelling. 



It wiil be in the recollection of all (gardeners at any rate I 

 do not think will forget) what a very dry summer wo had last 

 year, followed by a very wet and mild autumn, and Vine 

 borders which were neglected during the dry weather have 

 been those in which the Vines have suffered, simply because 

 they have not had the moisture and nourinhmeut at their 

 roots to enable them to perfect their buds for the following 

 year ; and it must be remembered the buds are forming and 

 swelling from the time the Vines start the previous year, and 

 any check they receive must be very prejudicial to their future 

 development. 



Perhaps it is almost impossible to give Vines too much water, 

 where they have good drainage, by either natural or artificial 

 means. At any rate they should have a good watering once 

 a week during dry weather, especially where the Vines are 

 young and the roots have not roamed away outside the border. 

 Where manure cannot be obtained give the surface of the 

 border a dressing of guano or bone dust, and slightly fork it 

 in before watering. If the border can be mulched it will save 

 much watering; but where the borders are in the flower garden 

 mulching will look rather untidy. 



The pruning of Vines has perhaps something to do with 

 their failure in breaking. I do not think it is well to prune 

 too close to the old rods, at any rate not the whole of the 

 shoots, but as near as possible. Prune every alternate shoot 

 back to the third eye, the other shoot to be pruned close to the old 

 wood. It will be found the bunches that are produced on the 

 shoots that have not been pruned close will lengthen-out more 

 freely and have much larger berries than those from spurs 

 pruned close. The following year the shoots that have been 

 pruned long should be cut close, and those that have been 

 pruned short should be out back to the second or third eye. 



I will on a future occasion detail my experience about training 

 up young rods. — W. Etheeingto!I, Swanscombc Manor, 



KEW GARDENS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS. 



These are more than two hundred aoree in extent. The 

 surface is flat, but judicious planting, bold clumps of shrubs, 

 and easy winding walks, have added some of the best features. 

 The terrace, the long vista walks and avenues, the waterworks, 

 and architectural elevations are combined very satisfactorily, 

 and will be more effective as the growth of the planting wUl 

 mark the features more prominently. A progressive series 

 of improvements is annually taking place, rendering every 

 portion of the surface of the grounds interesting and useful. 

 Numerous species of hardy trees, shrubs, and flowers are ex. 

 hibited in various parts of the grounds. The extensive glass 

 structures are filled with the choicest productions of the vege- 

 table kingdom. One of the most prominent houses is the 

 great temperate house. It is a noble structure, covering about 

 one and two-thirds of an acre, and is 60 feet high. Three 

 miles and three quarters of hot-water piping are required to 

 keep the temperature about 40° in winter. The plants are 

 planted out in the borders. 



The Palm house is another conspiouous object. It is a very 

 handsome building, 3G2 feet in length and 100 in width. 

 Bound the centre portion is a gallery, which is reached by 

 winding staircases, and from this gallery the plants can be 

 seen to the best advantage. The variety of forms is presented 

 in a pleasing manner, showing the outline of each individual 

 plant separately. There are the museums and herbariums 

 for dried specimens of plants, which afford also means of in- 

 struction and enjoyment available to all. 



Kew Gardens may be regarded as the botanioal centre of the 

 world, and are valuable for the assistance furnished by them 

 to horticulture, botany, medicine, manufacturing art, and 

 design. To the horticultural pupil this garden will be found 

 an important field for the study and culture of plants, and 

 facilities are presented of an inviting description towards the 

 attainment of useful and practical information. The name, 

 order, economic use, and native country of each plant, and date 

 of its introduction is stated, and professional instruction is 

 imparted, for lectures are delivered in the gardens. 



Kew Gardens were originally the grounds surrounding the 

 country house of Dr. Molyneux.a distinguished man of science 

 in the reign of George II. At his death the property passed 

 into the hands of Frederick, Prince of Wales, and eventually 

 to his widow, the Dowager Princess. In the reign of their 

 son, George III., numerous improvements were made. Two 

 conservatories were built, and the gardens received many 

 valuable acquisitions from the voyages and researches of 

 Capt. Cook, Sir Joseph Banks, Flinders, Masson, and others. 

 In 1789 a catalogue was published by Joseph Alton under 

 the title of " Hortus Kewensis," giving a description of 5000 

 species of plants, all of them exotic. The grounds remained 

 the property of the Sovereign until 1840, when they were 

 passed over to the department of the woods and forests on the 

 behalf of the nation. The sum devoted to the maintenance 

 and improvement of the establishment amounts to about 

 £20,000 per annum. 



Kew Gardens present great advantages all the year round, 

 for here are gathered together plants from all corners of the 

 globe — every country has been ransacked (or these vegetable 

 treasures. la the 1 aim house is the Date Polm of Africa, the 

 plumed Cocoa-nut Palm of Ceylon, the Fan Palm (Latania 

 borbonioa), its broad leaves and noble nppeKrance giviDf; it a 

 distinct character. Next in point of interett iu the Sago I'ulm 

 (Sagus farinifera), remarkable for yielding the substance called 

 by that name. Another Palm of great beauly is the Cabbage 

 Tree of the West Indies (Areca oleracea) ; and Areea Catechu 

 is a Palm of the same genus, and produces the intoxicating 

 Betel Nut. There are also fine examples of the Wine Palm 

 (Caryota urene), Seafortbia elegans, and the Sugar Palm 

 (Arenga saccharifera). Palms are well represented at Kew ; 

 most of them are unique specimens. 



In a walk through this house, beeiJea the interesting tribe of 

 plants I have alluded to, there are numerous other species. 

 Amongst them may be noticed the magnificent and gigantic 

 genus Musa or Plantain, the leaves 10 feet in length and '.i feet 

 in breadth. The stems of these majestic inhabitants of the jungle 

 we are informed afford the most delicious feast to the elephant 

 and the rhinoceros. Next in point of interest are the Cjcads, 

 which from their great external resemblance to Palms are apt 



