218 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 12, 1865. 



shall have occasion hereafter to speak more fully of these 

 campaffiics. 



I di-ove up to the door of the Botanic Garden-house, aud 

 although it was a private day. I got in by explaining that I 

 came with the intention of taking notes of what I saw, and 

 presenting them to an English Jouraal. An intelligent " Ger- 

 man-Russian,'' as the Finlanders are caUed in St. Petersburg, 

 by name Wihting, showed me over the place, and proved a verj- 

 agreeable cicerone. Being a dull cold day, the sun did not 

 light up the various houses as I could have wished, and, per- 

 haps, I thereby lost some flowers ; but as on the whole I re- 

 mained mostly under glass it was not so noticeable. 



The first house which we entered was a sort of semi-span, 

 with a circular continuation of the half-roof, making the house 

 wider and more roomy ; the height was veiy great, perhaps 

 20 feet at the apex. There was a stage in front of the house, 

 covered with fine sand, on which stood the pots with plants. 

 The centre of the house was made into beds, surrounded with 

 a low rockery wall. Here were some graceful Araucaria ex- 

 celsa, fine specimens, and several very very large Rhododendrons, 

 amongst which a scarlet R. arboreuni figured prominentlv. 

 Passing on, we came to a New Zealand Banksia (B. drv-an- 

 droides, Baxter, was on the label). This plant was valued at 

 600 roubles ! it being, as the gardener said, the finest specimen 

 of the kind in the world. This must be taken cuvi gram sails, 

 I should fancy. 



The paths in this house curved abont, and although the 

 trees_ and shrubs were not all rare, the effect was very good. 

 Passing along I noticed a handsome Banksia, Cunninghamia, 

 a Stenocarpus, a Dryandra nervosa, itc, and then found myself 

 in a new aud beautiful span-roof. The temperature here" was 

 that of a cool stove, although some of the specimens would 

 seem to us to be more fitted for the stove proper. The ar- 

 rangement of this house was most tasteful. The principal 

 path started from a pool of limpid water, and di-s-iding aud 

 joining again, at last met at the other end. The head, so to 

 speak, of the building was a nicely formed rockerN', Ferns and 

 Mosses growing most luxuriantly in every crevice, and a few 

 drops of water trickUng over the stones into the pool below, 

 whence, alternately disappearing and coming to light again, 

 the water found its way through the entire length of the 

 house. 



The path was edged with rockery -work, and the beds planted 

 with Ferns, Begonias, Gesneras, Caladiums, and numerous 

 Orchids, of which there was also a large nimiber suspended on 

 logs, and in pots, many handsome Palms, and I remarked a 

 plant, dignified by a long name — Lepidozamios Peroffskiana, a 

 Mexican production, which I do not remember ever having 

 seen before. There also were plants of the Brassiopsis glom- 

 erulata (Hook.), Brachyglottis repanda, Hedcra helix latifoUa 

 maculata, a very pretty variety, and Lonicera braehj-poda 

 trained in various shapes. Further along were Agaves and 

 Aloes, a Rhopala corcovadensis from Brazil, and one R. aus- 

 tralis. 



From this house we passed on to two warm semi-span-roofed 

 houses, which contained specimens of Aristolochiacea-, Saurauja 

 macrophyUa, Carapa guianeusis, Justicias, i-c. I noticed here 

 a splendid Coleus, C. malabaricus, the leaves of which were 

 almost black. Is it cultivated in England ? I asked myself. 

 Certainly I have not seen an3-where such a black-leaved 

 Coleus. 



Passing through a small cool house, in which I noticed a 

 Libocedrus chilensis of great size, we entered the Camellia- 

 house, which was rich in enormous aud well-grown specimens 

 of Alba plena, Globosa eocciuea, and others. This brought us 

 to a cool house, filled with Rhododendrons. Azaleas, Pjeonies, 

 &c. Conspicuous amongst the first were R. arboreum pm-pu- 

 reum, DaUiousianum, Thomson!, and Smithii aureum. AH 

 these were really fine, carefuUy-tended specimens, which did 

 the place credit. 



Farther along we passed through houses containing speci- 

 mens of Begonias, Pandanus ntilis, Hremauthns, some of 

 which were in flower ; Chvia miniata, also flowering ; Caryota 

 lu-ens, aud many Cordylines, mostly vei-y good ; some were of 

 a very dark hue. It was here I noticed' a Chammdorea (some- 

 times called Nunezia), from Guatemala, glorying in a long 

 nime ; the plant was noticeable for its fragrance. 



Other houses, through which we made our wav, details of 

 which would be wearisome, led us at last to the Pahn-house. 

 This is worthy a better penman than I, but I must do my best. 

 We all know the Kew Palm-house well ; that at St. Petersburg 

 puts ours into the shade. I am now referring merely to the 



arrangement of the interior and the dimensions and splendour 

 of the Palm trees. For architectural beauty, there can be but 

 one opiuion — the Kew Palm-house is the finer. Further, I 

 believe it is one of the finest, if not the finest in Europe. Its 

 dimensions, shape and construction certainly surpass anything 

 of the sort I have ever seen. Some notes on the respective 

 merits of the great glass houses of the Continent would be very 

 interesting. Perhaps some of your readers are possessed of 

 particulars on this subject, aud I am sure all would be glad of 

 descriptions of the noted houses abroad as well as of those at 

 home. Anybody with taste, having seen the two. cannot fail 

 to recognise the aiiistic talent displayed in the arraugement of 

 the great St. Petersburg Palm-house ; and then the specimens 

 there are far finer than ours, larger and denser in foliage. 



The paths wind in and out under the trees, so that one is 

 led to think oneself in the trojiics. A perfect jungle it is in 

 parts, masses of most luxuriant vegetation all growing healthily, 

 blended harmoniously in a whole, with occasional vistas which 

 must be seen to be appreciated, having a noble Palm towering 

 up into the air at the end. In many places the roof cannot be 

 seen, foliage being the only thing visible overhead. Amongst 

 the Palms may be seen many Bambusas, B. verticillata, Li- 

 ■vistonia ohinensis, Attalea princeps, and a large number of 

 Yuccas, Musas, i-c. There were two ven' fine Strelitzias, 

 S. Nicholii, and S. regina>, a Phoenix sylvestris, and many 

 Cinnamon plants. Sugar Palms, and Cacti, some of which 

 latter had attained an altitude of 30 feet. 



There were other houses, fl-arm aud cool, and stoves, aU of 

 which contained plants of much interest to the horticulturist, 

 but to mention more names, or go further into details, would 

 be needless, and, I fear, tiresome to your readers. 



The houses were for the most part heated by hot water, 

 after the approved modem principles ; some were heated by 

 stoves {jMelex), and some few, requiring much heat, by the two 

 combined. The covering was of wood shutters like those of a 

 shop. These are found more to be relied upon than any kind 

 of matting. None of the houses had double glass — a plan of 

 glazing I quite expected to see, as all the dwelling-houses are 

 so jjrovided for the inclement season. The gardener assured 

 me tliat the cold was kept out entirely by the ample fire- 

 heat. 



And now I have done, at least for the time being. Much 

 remains to be said on the arrangement of the houses, gardens, 

 and conservatories of the wealthy class in St. Petersbm'g ; this 

 must form the subject of a future letter. — P.^telin. 



FUNGUSES AS FOOD. 



In former Numbers of your Journal, some corrcsi^ondents 

 recommend the use of most of the Fiunguses, or Toadstools, as 

 many of the country people call them ; and Mr. Fison, page 150, 

 and Mr. Wason, page 88, of the present vohuue, speak of the 

 prejudice of the people against the use of them as food. I have 

 no doubt that "jirejudice" has saved many lives. Science 

 may save the learned, but the ignorant are only safe by their 

 " prejudice," as your coiTespondents term it. The unlearned 

 are all prejudiced against the bright berries of the Nightshade, 

 and other vegetable products, because they have heard of their 

 fatal consequences from others, and are, therefore, content to 

 avoid those products, rather than prove for themselves. 



I have now to state the result of a dish of Funguses that last 

 week came to my table. They were brought in by a man who 

 had for years been a Mushroom-gatherer, and my wife having 

 no suspicion of there being any of a bad quality among them, 

 stewed a few for breakfast, aud we all partook of them, I re- 

 marking at the time that I did not think they tasted like the 

 last we had. 



About an hour afterwards I began to feel unwell, nausea and 

 sickness soon succeeded ; suspecting the Mushrooms, I went 

 home, aud there foimd my family in a worse state than myself, 

 they being attacked with violent retching, the worst being my 

 wife. I (hrectly took a good di-aught of mustard and water, 

 giving some to the others. Mine soon returned, and I was so 

 far all right, but not so my mfe. On her the effect was great 

 prostration of strength, her hands and arms becoming cold and 

 benumbed ; but I am pleased to say that from the action of 

 kind neighbours externally rubbing, and emetics internally, 

 she soon revived, but it was not till the morning of the third 

 day that anj-thing would remain in her stomach. 



After this, I can only advise those that are not " ]irejudiced," 

 to beware. — G. Claphaji, The Gardens, Bowden Hall. 



