Hay I, uee. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



339 



Loiise Bonne of Jersey, on the Quince stock, is of very first 

 qujlity with ns ; on the heavy soil it is astringent and hardly 

 second-rate. Then, too, there is an American Grape, the Diana, 

 highly esteemed in many parts of the country, but in our soil 

 BtrJngly and offensively musky. 



Should you care to hear from me again, I may write about 

 some of our New Jersey wild flowers, Ferns, &c. In none of 

 your English catalogues do I see the name of the climbing 

 Fern (Lygodium palmatum), of which I send you two leaves. 

 It is rather rare. In all my wanderings I have only found it 

 in one place in our woods. It gracefully twines among the 

 bushes, reaching a height of from 2 to 4 feet. This Fern is so 

 hardy, that the leaves I send yon we'-e picked yesterday 

 (March 29th), perfectly fresh and green, after having endured 

 a frost of 20° below zero this winter, the coldest weather ever 

 kfiown here. — George Such. 



[Such communications are always interesting, and we shall 

 be glad to hear from you again. The Fern which you sent 

 was correctly named Lygodium palmatum ; it is to be found 

 in several English catalogues. — Eds.] 



A NEW HOE. 



I THINE I have a good thing now ; and, with your permission, 

 will tell your readers what it is. Being some time since in the 

 store of Mr. Alfred Bridgeman, my attention was attracted by 

 a curious-looking implement, painted red ; in fact, it was the 

 red paint that first drew my attention. On examination, this 

 curious implement proved to be a hoe. At first I thought it 

 had been made " wrong end foremost ;" this, however, was not 

 so ; still, I am inclined to believe that it might be made both 

 ways with advantage. It will be seen that the hoe is in the 

 form of a wedge, both the front and back edges being sharp. 

 It thus has a double motion, or, in other words, a pushing and 

 a draw cut, which enables one to get over the ground very 

 rapidly. From the form of the hoe, the cut on both sides is a 

 draw cut, like that of the knife, the very best that can be used. 

 The wedge form, too, while it presents a very large cutting sur- 

 face, causes the hoe to enter the ground and pass under the 

 surface with a comparatively small expenditure of power. It 

 win naturally be inferred, on looking at the engraving, that the 

 draw motion of this hoe is easier than the thrust, and this is 

 the case. 



I have nsed this hoe during most of the present season. It 

 is decidedly the best tool of the kind I have ever used ; so good, 

 indeed, that I am unwilling that others fhould remain in 

 ignorance of it. At first I thought it was just a little awkward, 

 as many others may ; but I soon gol the " hang of it," and then 

 it worked like a charm. I use it with both motions, backwards 

 and forwards, and am astonished how rapidly I get over the 

 ground. The draw motion is admirable. I am sure I can do 

 twice as much work with it as I can with the common pushing 

 hoe, and do it easier, if not better. With the draw motion I 

 can cut down with ease weeds so large that I cannot move them 

 with the common hoe. 



Of course, nobody should let weeds of any kind grow to a 

 large size ; but they will sometimes in spite of you, especially 

 in a wet season, and then it is well to know that there is an 

 implement that will cut them down hke grass. This it does 

 because of its draw-cut. 



Another advantage possessed by this hoe is that you can cut 

 close up to a row of plants without danger of catting them off. 



The points on the lower side pick out the weeds nicely from 

 between and around the plants, and thus save much stooping 

 and hand-work. 



If this should meet the maker's eye, I would suggest to him 

 that he make the handle longer: it is now too short. He 

 should also make at least three sizes — 6, 8, and 10 inches wide. 

 The present one is 8 inches, which is too wide for much work 

 to be done in the garden. — P. B. Mead, New Yuri: (in American 

 Gardener's Monthly). 



PORTRAITS OF PLANTS, FLO'S\'ERS, AND 

 FRUITS. 



Peperomia MARMonATA (Marble-lcavcd Peperomia). — Nat. 

 ord., Piperaces. Linn., Diandria Monogynia. Native of 

 South Brazil. Leaves dark green, variously marbled with 

 very pale green. — (Hut. Mag., t. 5568.) 



Ericinella Masnii (Cameroons Mountain Heath). — Nat. ^ 

 ord., Ericacea. Linn., Tetrandria Monogynia. Native of . 

 Fernando Po and Cameroon Mountains, at elevations between 

 4000 and 10,000 feet. Flowers rose-coloured.— (I6i(i., t. 5569.) 



PoLYCHiLos coRNU-CEEVi(Stag'6-horn Polychilos). — Nat. ord., 

 Orchidaceffi. Linn., Gynandria Mouandria. Native of Moul- ■ 

 mein. Imported by Messrs. Low. Petals yellowish green 

 striped with reddish brown. — (Ibid., t. 5570.) 



Tacsonia Van Volxemii (Van Volxem's Passion-Flower).— 

 Nat. ord., Passiflorie. Linn., Pentandria Trigynia. Native of 

 the temperate region of New Grenada, and promises to eclipse 

 the Lapageria. Flowers crimson. — (Ibid., t. 5571.) 



MiLTONiA ANCEPS (Two-edged-stemmed Miltonia). — Nat. ord., 

 Orchidaceie. Liiin., GjTiandria Monandria. Native of Brazil. • 

 Re-introduced by Messrs. Low. Sepals and petals yellow ; lip ;■. 

 white, dotted and striped with purplish crimson. — (Ibid., 

 t. 5572.) 



Muss^NDA LUTEOLA (Captain Grant's Musssenda). — Nat. ord., 

 Rubiaceae. Linn., Pentandria Monogynia. Introduced by 

 Captain Grant, companion of Captain Speke, from the country 

 near the head of the Nile. Flowers primrose-coloured ; one 

 segment of the calyx forms a yellowish white leaf. — (Ibid., ,) 

 t. 5573.) 



Epiphtllum tbuncatum elegaks. — Flowers scarlet, with 

 purpled centre. Sent out by Mr. W. BuU, Clelsea. — (Floral 

 Mag., pi. 285.) 



Pelargonium pkltatum elegans. — An ivy-leaved kind. 

 Sent out by Messrs. E. G. Henderson & Son. Flowers 

 delicate pink.— (Ibid., pi. 286.) 



Marasta illustbis. — Native of the High Amazon in 

 Ecuador. Leaves deep green above, barred with still deeper 

 green, and a zig-zag band round near the edge coloured 

 yellowish white ; underneath dull purple. — (Ibid., pi. 287.) 



Double Primulas.— Sent out by Messrs. F. & A. Smith, 

 Dulwich. Kennesina plena, rosy carmine. Queen of England, 

 white with rosy tinge. — llbid., pi. 288.) 



Glaiiiolus.- Owr Little i»ci/.— "This is one of the beautiful 

 varieties of Gladiolus which have been raised by Mr. Standish, 

 of Ascot. It is due to the successful efforts of Mr. Standish 

 to state that he has contributed very largely to the improve- 

 ment manifested among these showy popular flowers. He 

 has, indeed, as respects the status of English-raised varieties, 

 placed them quite on an equahty with those of continental 

 origin, and what M. Souchet's Gladioli are amongst those 

 raised in France, Mr. Standish's novelties are amongst those 

 of English parentage. Indeed, we question if some of his 

 flowers— that named John Standish, for example, now unfor- 

 tunately lost to cultivators — have ever been equalled in those 

 characteristics which mark high quality in the flowers. 



"The variety we now figure, by a process which scarcely does 

 it justice, has already won a position for itself in the ranks of 

 floriculture. It was shown at a meeting of the Floral Com- 

 mittee on the 27th of September. 1864, and on that occasion 

 won a first-class certificate. In the report of the meeting re- 

 ferred to, it is spoken of in the following terms :— ' A very 

 fine and novel variety, of a rosy magenta colour, striped and 

 splashed with white; the lip segments feathered with purple. 

 It will be quite an acquisition among these showy autumn 

 flowers.' " — (FlorUt and Pornologist, v., 65.) 



Fritillabla meleagris.— This is now in blossom in several 

 of the moist meadows about Oxford. I picked a good handful 



