January 23, 1836. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



67 



light upon the subject? I do not recollect to have seen so 

 many sports and variegations in any year in my experience — 

 variegations iu Coniferse, hardy shi-ubs, Blacliberries, and a 

 tricolor a la Mrs. Pollock, but I doubt its coming so next year ; 

 variegations in Nettles, Dandelion, Chickweed, and Ground- 

 sel, Golden and Silver Arbor Titte, Silver Cupressus Lawson- 

 iana, Golden Wellingtonia, &c., and even in Peas, Radishes, 

 and Turnips. What can be the cause ? for these variegated 

 forms have come under my notice in various places — Kent, 

 Surrey, Sussex. Warwick, Gloucester, Leicester, and, to con- 

 trovert the theory that variegation is always accompanied by 

 diminished growth, some of these sports have been stronger 

 than the green-leaved species. I should be glad of the opinions 

 of some more accurate obseiTer than — Nickeeboe. 



PORTRAITS OF PLANTS. FLOWERS, AND 

 FRUITS. 



Rhododendeon Hodosoni (Mr. Hodgson's Rhododendron). — 

 Nat. ord., Ericeie. Linn., Decandria Monogynia. " One of 

 the noblest of the gi'and series of Rhododendrons that adorn the 

 Eastern Himalayan Mountains," at elevations of 10-12,000 

 feet. Flowers purplish pink. — (/>'o(. 3[ag., t. 5552.) 



L.ELiA GRAXDis (Large-flowcred Lreha). — Nat. ord., Orchid- 

 aeeiE. Liiin., GvnandriaMonandi-ia. Re-introduced from Bahia, 

 by Messrs. Hugh Low & Co., Clapton Nursery. Sepals nan- 

 keen ; lip piu'ple-veined on white groimd. — (Ibid., t. 5553.) 



Begoxh baccata (Berried Begonia). — Nat. ord., Begoniace*. 

 Linn., MoniEcia Polyandria. Native of Bight of Benin and 

 Island of St. Thomas. Flowers white.— -(//n'tf., t. 555-1.) 



SpaejIxis pulchereiua (Most beautiful Sparaxis). — Nat. ord., 

 Iridacea>. Linn., Triandria Monogynia. " A most lovely Cape 

 bulb," introduced by Messrs. Backhouse, of York. Flowers 

 rich purplish crimson. — [Ibid., t. 5555.) 



Epidendecm MTEiANxnuM (Mauy-ilowercd Epidendrum). — 

 Nat. ord., Orchidacea>. Linn., Gynandria Monandria. Native 

 of mountains of Guatemala. Flowers Ulac. — (Ibid., (.5556.) 



SwAiNSONiA MAGNiFicA. — Introduced from Australia by Mr. 

 B. S. WiUiams, Victoria Nursery, HoUoway. Flowers pinli, and 

 large.— [Floral Mat]., pi. 273.) 



Clianthus Dampieei rar. marginata. — We noticed this at 

 page 321 of our last Volume. 



New Striped Verbenas. — Beautiful, while, variously marked 

 with purple. Carnation, white, marked vrith crimson and 

 pink. Fascination, white, marked with crimson and pink. — 

 (Ibid., pi. 275.) 



Pkimdla coRTrsoiDES amcena rar. alba. — Received by Mr. 

 Veitch from Japan. Flowers, some purplish pink, others French- 

 white.— (Zbirf.,;)?. 276.) 



Beuree d'Anjod Pear. — "The fruit which we now figm-e 

 under the name of Beurre d'Anjou is not the same as Brown 

 BeuiTfi, of which the same name is a synonyme, but another 

 and a very diiiferent variety that was introduced by Mr. Rivers 

 under that name. It is, we are informed, the Nee Plus Meuris 

 of the French nurseries, and was received from Messrs. Jamin 

 et Durand, of Bourg-Ia-Reine, imder that name ; but it is 

 totally distinct from the Ne Plus Meuris of Van Mons. I 

 cannot discover the origin of this variety, and I am, therefore, 

 constrained to adopt the name that has been given to it in the 

 French collections ; but it is a most unfortimate one, seeing 

 that it is Uable to add to the aheady gi-eat confusion of no- 

 menclature that pomologists have to contend with. It is some 

 years since this excellent Pear was brought to my notice by 

 Mr. Rivers ; and I have since found on every occasion that I 

 have met with the fruit, that on account of its handsome ap- 

 pearance as well as the superiority of its flavour, it is a variety 

 of the greatest excellence, or, as Mr. Rivers expresses it to me, 

 ' remarkable for the clearness and beauty of its fruit.' A 

 first-rate Pear, of delicious flavour. Ripe in December." — 

 (Florist and Pomolopist, v., p. 1.) 



ToDMORDEN BoTANicAL SociETV. — Monday, Jan, 1st. The Secre- 

 tary read a commnnir^ation from S. B .Mellor, Esq., of Miint'litstpr. in 

 reference to the identity of several interesting Fenis, gathered liy Mr. 

 M. in Scotland. North Wales, and Switzerland. A deeply iuciried 

 form of Cystopteris fragilis, from Ben Lawers, had been mistaken hy 

 Mr. M., qoitc pardonably, for the trne Cystopteris alpina (reg;ia). 

 There are many near approaches fonnd to C. alpina. A form in all 

 respects identical with Mr. McUor's was reported as having been 

 gathered on Snowdon. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY'S MEETING. 



The first meeting of this Society for the present year was held on 

 the 1st of January, and. as might naturally bo expected on such a 

 festival, the members did not muster in their usual numbers. There 

 was a goodly display of donations to the Society's library, including 

 the publications of the Royal and Linnean Societies, the Imperial 

 Societies of St. Petersburg and Moscow, tlie continuation of the fine 

 works of Sepp on the transfomiations of European Lepidoptera, of 

 Duval's genera of the Coleoptera of Europe, and of Thomson's Coleop- 

 tera of Scandinavia, also Mr. "WoUaston's new worl: on the Coleoptera 

 of the islands of the Atlantic Ocean, &c. 



Mr. Samuel Stevens exhibited a. large eollection of Beetles, Butter- 

 flies, and Moths collected \\'ith the gi-eatest care in the Himalayan 

 region of India, many of the specimens havmg been reared from the 

 cateri^illar state. Amongst the Bntterfiies were the vei-y rare Papilio 

 Minereus, and several others of the same genus ; and among the 

 Beetles, Buprestis Bnqnetii, Dynastes Hardwickii, and some fine 

 Lucanidffi. 



Mr. Hewitson contributed a memoir containing descriptions of 

 twenty-five new species of Hesperitlian Buttei-tlies ; and tlie President, 

 a memou" on the species of Longiconi Beetles (fifty- three in number), 

 collected near Santa Marta iu Venezuela by the late Mr. Bouchard, 

 about twenty of which had proved to be new to science. 



Professor Westwood read a communication which he bad received 

 from M. Snellen van VoUenhoveu of Leyden. giving an accouut of the 

 peculiiu-ities which had been obsen-ed in Holland during the past year 

 in the appearance and development of various species of insects. 



Mr. MacLachlan read some further notes on the occurrence of 

 insects of the genus Stenophylax, belonging to the family Phrygaueida?, 

 in deep ice caves in Switzerland. In some instances the insects were 

 found in the most distant and darkest pai-ts of the caverns, especially 

 iu one on the road to Chamounix. 



Mr. Bates gave some account of the proceedings of Mr. Bartlet, who 

 had gone on a zoological tour to the shores of the Ucalyi at tha 

 foot of the eastern side of the Andes. He had been successful in ob- 

 taining large numbers of mammalia, birds, fishes, and especially of 

 insects. His collections had been desp.atched to this country, and 

 might be expected to anive in a veiy short time. 



A GARDENING PILGRIM'S PROGRESS. 



" W. E. J." tells us that a boy's first duties in a garden are 

 to wash pots, attend to the fires, &c., for the first twelve months, 

 and, in most cases, he is right ; but it happened to be the re- 

 verse with me. I had to commence my career in the kitchen 

 garden, shrubberies, &o., for the first two years, then I was pro- 

 moted to the flower garden, and, occasionally, had a job in the 

 houses, in fact, I was a general man for some time. Ultimately, 

 when I succeeded in entering the houses I considered myself 

 making fair progi'ess, because I knew everything in the place, 

 and could do anything that was to be done. 



From my first commencement in that garden until I left I 

 was well liked by the gardener, although sometimes I did merit 

 his disapproval, and to give him his due, he was not a bad 

 hand at " blowing up " at such times. Still, his anger soon 

 subsided. During my time there, whatever I had to do I did 

 it as weU as I could, and always took a little pride in doing it 

 extra well, but I certainly did like to hear a word of praise now 

 and then. I accustomed myself to think over in the evening 

 what I had done in the course of the day, to see if I had left 

 any tools out, or if I had forgotten to close any of the houses, 

 or cover pits and frames, if necessary ; all those duties had 

 a share of my thoughts in the evening, and before I left I saw 

 that all was right. At first I found some difficulty in contract- 

 ing this habit, but it soon became so strong that I could not 

 leave it off. There is a true old saying that I have often heard 

 when a boy — viz.. that " Custom is a second nature." No 

 matter whether a man make a habit of what is good, or what 

 is evil, custom will give him fresh inclinations and capacities 

 for it. 



Another axiom is that " A stitch in time spares nine ;" con- 

 sequently a word of advice in time might spare some e-i-il con- 

 sequences ; therefore, I will say to young men, should they have 

 contracted evil habits, Give them up at once, and adopt those 

 that are good, such as studying the various branches of garden- 

 ing, and although doing so might be disagreeable at first, it 

 will soon become an interesting hobby. But, above all, what- 

 ever you have to do in the course of the day, do it with all 

 your might ; then, if you are not sufficiently paid for your 

 labour, you will have the pleasure of feeUng that you have done 

 your duty, and also advanced a little in knowledge. 



From the name signed to this letter the readers of it will at 

 once say that the writer is an Irishman, and they will not be 

 far wrong. Well I remember the day I crossed from Waterford 



