May S2, 1873. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTIAjS GABDESER. 



413 



deemed proper. Before placing them in heat give a liberal shift 

 if necessary, and when the buds start keep the stronger shoots 

 tied out, bending down and stopping any that may incline to 

 ontgrow the others, and syringe, <i'c., as recommended for last 

 season, only that bottom heat may be dispensed with in the 

 case of plants that are some size. And as there will be no neces- 

 sity to keep them growing late in antomn, a plant or two for 

 early flowering may be removed to a rather cool place and 

 sparingly watered until the gro'n'th is checked, and then re- 

 turned to the stove, where they will soon flower. 



" The Thyrsacanthus is a vigorous grower, and not very par- 

 ticular as to soil, except that it should be rich and light, and 

 eflScient drainage should be secured in potting. About equal 

 portions of turfy peat and loam, with plenty of sand, will suit 

 perfectly, and a little thoroughly decomposed cow dang would 

 do no harm." 



NOTES AND GLEAXIKGS. 



One of the principal features of the British Agricultural De- 

 partment at the Vienna Universal Exhibition' is the stand of 

 Messrs. Sutton & Sons, of Reading (EngUsh seedsmen to the 

 Emperor of Austria). Although the space originally promised 

 to Messrs. Sutton was so reduced as to prevent their erecting 

 the trophy (upwards of .50 feet in height, representing agricul- 

 ture, horticulture, and floriculture), which they had spent 

 some considerable time in preparing, yet the display made by 

 this well-known firm on the limited area allotted them is of the 

 most effective character. It is surmounted by most truthful 

 models of upwards of two hundred varieties of roots, vege- 

 tables, and Potatoes ; one hundred and fifty varieties of 

 Grasses for pastures, parks, and lawns, and several hundred 

 sorts of their home-grown seeds. The firm has been honoured 

 by a request from the Imperial Austrian Commission to supply 

 seeds for sowing the extensive grounds on which the Vienna 

 Exhibition stands. Nearly twenty-five acres have been sown 

 with seed supplied by this firm, and notwithstanding that a 

 portion of the grounds were sown late last autumn, and the 

 remainder this spring, they already present a beautiful ever- 

 green appearance, and are rapidly for min g a close firm turf. 

 The Director-General of the Exhibition, Baron Schwarz Sen- 

 bom has on more than one occasion expressed his great satis- 

 faction at the excellence of the seed supplied. H.R.H. the 

 Prince of Wales, H.B.H. Prince Arthur, and the many other 

 notables present at the opening ceremony have repeatedly 

 visited Messrs. Suttons' stand, and have been greatly interested 

 in its numerous and varied attractions. 



It has gladdened us to read the evidence of Mr. Pease, 



one of the members for South Durham, given before the Com- 

 mittee of the House of Commons on the coal supply. He 

 stated that from his own observation he could say the rise of 

 wages had greatly improved the comfort and position of the 

 men. The condition of their houses was improved, and their 

 little gardens better looked after. In some of their homes 

 which he had recently visited be found books and other evi- 

 dences of the occupants applying their money to a good use. 

 One man kept him half an hour to look over his collection of 

 insects, and everywhere he saw signs of great improvement. 

 The deposits in one of their building societies, consisting of 

 268 members, amounted in 1872 to £3900. Most of the men, 

 too, belonged to co-operative stores, and were subscribers to 

 the Hartley Accident Fund. From 1866 to 1872 his firm had 

 buOt 525 houses for their men, and they had now 206 on 

 hand in order to make provision for a considerable increase in 

 production. 



At Croydon during the night of the 19th inst. the ther- 

 mometer fell to 28°, and not only were the leaves of Potatoes 

 blackened, but the tips of the Asparagus shoots were injured. 



M. P. Bekt, in the lidnique Horticole. has been going 



over the experiments of General Pleasanton on the Effect of 

 Colours on Plan'ts, and after detailing the different degrees 

 of injury resulting from various coloured glasses, concludes by 

 saying : — " Lastly, all colours, taken alone, are detrimental to 

 plant life ; their union in the proportions constituting ordinary 

 or white light is requisite to healthy vegetation , and it there- 

 fore behoves horticulturists to renounce the idea of employing 

 coloured glasses or other coloored materials for glass houses 

 and garden frames." 



Lj a paper read before the Linnean Society on the 



Cinchonas, Mr. Howard brought forward some curious and 

 rather unaccountable facts. It appears that amongst planis 

 raised from seeds obtained from the same pod, some will pro- 

 duce trees the bark of which yields Qccjine of excellent quality 



in large quantity, while with others the bark is absolutely 

 worthless for medicioal purposes. Propagation should there- 

 fore be chiefly carried on by taking cuttings from the quinine- 

 yielding trees. No satisfactory explanation of this fact has 

 yet been offered. — (English Mechanic.) 



A COEEESPOXBEST of the American Country Gentleman 



gives the following table, showing the amount of potash ra 

 THE ASHES OF Plasts. 1000 Ibs. of ashes, made by burning dif- 

 ferent kinds of wood contained of potash : Pine, i lb. ; Poplar, 

 i lb. ; Beech, IJ lb. ; Maple, 4 lbs. ; Wheat straw ^^4 lbs. : Com 

 stalks, 17 lbs. ; Oak leaves, 24 lbs. ; stems of Potatoes, 53 lbs. ; 

 Wormwood, 72 lbs. ; Sunflower stalks, 19 lbs. ; Oak 2J lbs.; 

 Beech bark, 6 lbs. The remaining portion of the ash, con- 

 sisting of carbonate and phosphate of lime, iron, manganese, 

 alumina, and silica, is an excellent fertiliser. 



A CENTURY OP ORCHIDS FOR AMATEUR 

 GEO"WERS.-No. 9. 



MASDEVAIXIA. 



Masdevallia Habeyan-a. — The stem-like psendobulbs of this 

 kind are about 6 inches high. Leaves oblong, obtuse. It pro- 

 duces large and handsome blooms measuring some 3 inches or 

 more in diameter. The sepals are rich magenta, shaded with 

 yellowish green, especially towards the base. It comes from 

 New Grenada. 



MasderalUa tovazcsfiis. — (Bot. Mag.) 



M. CHni^RA. — In habit similar to the others. Leaves f ome- 

 what cuneate and oblong. The sepals are drawn out into 

 long tail-like points, rich yellow, and clothed with black hairs ; 

 the lip is pouched and deep golden yellow in colour. This is 

 an extremely beautiful and rare species, recently introduced to 

 our collections from South-west America. 



M. I0VAEESSI3. — This species has been longer estabb'shed in 



