Febrnaiy 25, 1875. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTOEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



IGl 



TunbridRe; H. G. Qnilter, Aston, Birmingbam ; MisB Skip- 

 wortb, Derby; James Veitcb & Sons, Cheleea ; F. Campion, 

 Eed Hill ; J. F. West, Reigate. 



DEVICES IN AUTUMN LEAVES. 



An exquisite transparency may be made by arranging pressed 

 Ferns, Grasses, and antumu leaves on a pane of window glass, 

 laying another pane of tbe same size over it, and binding the 

 edge with ribbon, leaving tbe group imprisoned between. Use 

 gum tragncautb in putting on the binding. It is well to secure 

 a narrow strip of paper under tbe ribbon. Tbe binding should 

 be gummed all around the edge of the first pane, and dried 

 before the leaves. Ferns, &c., are arranged; then it can be 

 neatly folded over tbe second pane without dilliculty. 



To form the loop for banging the transparency, paste a 

 binding of galloon along the edge, leaving a 2-inch loop free 

 in the centre, afterwards to be pulled through a little slip in 

 the final binding. These transparencies may either be hung 

 before a window, or, if preferred, secured against a pane in 

 the sash. 



In halls a beautiful effect is produced in placing them against 

 the side lights of the hall door. Where the side lights are each 

 of only a single pane, it is well worth while to place a single 

 transparency against each, filling up the entire space, thus 

 affording ample scope for a free arrangement of Ferns, trrasses, 

 and leaves, while the effect of the light passing through the 

 rich autumnal colours is very fine. Leaves so arranged will 

 preserve their beauty tbe entire winter. 



An exceedingly pretty standing for a lamp can be formed of 

 eight oblong transparencies (made of glass and autumn leaves 

 as described) tacked together with strong sewing silk, so as to 

 form an eight-sided hollow column. To bide the lamp candle- 

 stick tbe screen should be lined throughout with oiled tissue 

 paper, either white or of a delicate rose colour. — {American 

 Horticulttirist and Journal.) 



PORTRAITS OF PLANTS, FLOWERS, and FRUITS. 



Ei'iiiENDRUM svEiNGOTnYESis. Nat. on?., Orchidaceic. Linn., 

 Gynaudria Mouandria. — " A very tall and handsome species, 

 which flowered in Mr. Veitch's fine Orchid collection in May, 

 18G8. It is a native of Bolivia, where it was collected in 1800 

 by Messrs. Veitch's collector, the late Mr. Pearce, and is evi- 

 dently a member of the immense section to which E. evectum 

 belongs, and of which the type is the long-known E. elongatum, 

 Jacij., which latter is one of the earliest cultivated tropical 

 Orchids. From all its congeners that are known to me it 

 differs in tbe great size of the dense-flowered raceme, which, 

 from its general resemblance to that of the Lilac in form and 

 colour, has suggested to Professor Eeichenbach the specific 

 name of syriugotbyrsis. Its nearest ally is E. porpbyreum, 

 LindL, a native of Peru, which has a panicled inflorescence." 

 —{Bot. Mag., t. 6145.) 



LiLiuM CANADENSE, t'ltr. PAEVUM. Nat. ocrf., Liliaceffi. Linn., 

 Hexandria Monogynia. — Colour of flowers orange and pale 

 yellow. " The variety parvum inhabits a wide range of tbe 

 mountains of Western America from British Columbia south- 

 wards, and appears to vary extraordinarily in stature and in 

 the size of all its parts. Our specimen was sent from the fine 

 collection of Messrs. Barr& Sugden, with whom it flowered in 

 June of last year." — {Ibid., t. 0146.) 



Veronica pixguifolia. Nat. ord., Scrophulariacea;. Linn., 

 Diandria Monogynia. — Flowers white, with purple anthers. 

 " The shrubby Veronicas of New Zealand are a prevailing 

 feature throughout the islands at all elevations, and in almost 

 all situations. Upwards of thirty species have been discovered, 

 including some of remarkable beauty, of which V.specioaa and 

 V. salicifolia, with their numerous varieties and hybrids, are 

 the only ones well known in cultivation, except the less at- 

 tractive V. elliptica, one of the earliest cultivated greenhouse 

 shrubs of the southern hemisphere, and which inhabits New 

 Zealand, Terra del Fuego, and the Falkland Islands. Amongst 

 the least conspicuous of this group is the present plant, which 

 is a native of considerable elevations (3000-5000 feet) in the 

 Nelson and Canterbury provinces of Middle Island of New 

 Zealand. V. pinguifolia has been cultivated for several years 

 both at Kew and in Mr. Isaac Anderson-Henry's garden near 

 Edinburgh, where it was first raised from seed. It has stood 

 in the open air throughout the winter without protection at 

 Kew, and flowers in midsummer." — (Ibid., t. 0147.) 



FouBCBOYA Selloa. W'at. ord., Amaryllidaceic. Lihh., Hex- 



andria Monogynia. — Flowers white and green. " I am not 

 aware that it has flowered anywhere but at Kew, where two 

 individuals in the spring of last year sent up flowering scapes, 

 which, pushing rapidly upwards, were allowed to protrude 

 through the roof of the succulent house, and expanded in 

 magnificent panicles in September. They continued flowering 

 till November, and formed bulbils in the branches of the 

 panicle as well as flowers. At the same time three other fine 

 plants of the same class flowered in the same house, and 

 required exit through the roof — namely, Agave amerieana and 

 two specimens of Dasylirium acrotrichum. F. Selloa is a 

 native of Guatemala, and has long been cultivated at Kew, 

 where it was received from tbe continental gardens." — (Ibid., 

 t. 0148.) 



Senecio mackoglossus. Nut. ord., Composita>. Linn., Syn- 

 genesia Stiperflua. — "A rfmarkalily handsome plant, and one 

 fitted for dwelling-room culture, its Ivy-like glossy leaves being 

 evergreen, its large yellow flowers produced in midwinter, and 

 its habit well adapted for a trelliswork. I have indeed heard of 

 either this or an allied species being cultivated in drawing- 

 rooms abroad, and trained round the walls beneath the ceiling. 

 Like most Cape plants it wants very careful watering and 

 plenty of fresh air. It is the largest-flowered species of the 

 enormous genus to which it belongs, and which contains nearly 

 one thousand species, and the flowers remain for a consider- 

 able period in perfection. According to the ' Flora Capensis ' 

 S. macroglossus extends from the Keiskamma river (west of 

 Algoa Bay) to Natal, but the only specimen we have that 

 precisely agrees with tbe cultivated plant was collected by Mr. 

 Sanderson on the Palmiet river, immediately to the east of 

 Table Bay in the Western Cape district. 



" It is cultivated in the succulent house at Kew, where it is 

 trained upon one of the rafters, and forms a very ornamental 

 feature, blossoming at Christmas ; it was raised from seed 

 sent by Mr. Sanderson in 1868." — (Ibid., t. 6149. 



Ekvthkotis Beddomei. Nat. ord., Commelyneaj. Linn., 

 Hexandria Monogynia. — Flowers deep crimson. " A singularly 

 beautilul little plant, and one easy of cultivation, discovered 

 by Col. Beddcme, F.L.S., on dry bare rocks, at an elevation 

 of .3-4000 feet, in the Mybendra mountains of South Travancor, 

 from whence he sent seeds to Kew, where plants raised from 

 which flowered in December last. It appears to me to be a 

 new genus, closely allied to Cyanotis, but differing in its 

 prostrate habit, inflorescence, the arrangement of tbe bracts, 

 perfectly free sepals, and filiform style, without an inflation 

 below the stigma. 



" Erythrotis Beddomei is a stove plant, but well adapted for 

 a warm conservatory during summer, when it may be trained 

 over the pots and made very ornamental ; the colouring of the 

 under surface of the leaves is however very variable, and pales 

 much in winter." — (Ibid., t. 6150.) 



Peak — Souvenir du Conorix. — " This remarkably fine French 

 Pear was raised by M. Morel, and appears to have been a 

 seedling from Williams's Bon Chretien, which it resembles in 

 some respects. The tree makes a fine and prolific pyramid. 

 We have to thank both Mr. Dancer of Chiswick, and Messrs. 

 Rivers & Son of Sawbridgeworth, for specimens, the latter 

 being the largest as well as tlie best in quality, and measur- 

 ing about 10 inches in circumference. The fruit is large, 

 obovate or bluntly oblong-pyriform, with an uneven lumpy or 

 slightly furrowed surface ; stalk oblique, stout, set on with 

 scarcely any depression, its base surrounded by a patch of 

 russet; eye small, nearly closed, set in a moderately deep 

 russety hollow ; skin clear yellow where shaded, flushed and 

 indistinctly streaked and blotched with bright cherry red on 

 the exposed side. Flesh white, fine-grained, very juicy and 

 melting, with a brisk vinous flavour and agreeable aroma. 

 The tenderness and juiciness of the flesh are very remarkable, 

 and the fruit is very handsome. Mr. Dancer's fruit, tasted 

 on August I'Jth, was scarcely up to the mark in flavour; and 

 we notice that some of the continental growers regard it as 

 only second-rate ; but a better ripened sample from Messrs. 

 Rivers, tasted on September 3rd, proved to be excellent." — 

 (Florist and Pomoloijist, 3 s., viii., 37.) 



Cultivation of Teopical Feuit. — We understand that a 

 company has been formed for tbe cultivation of tropical 

 fruit, and is in treaty for a tract of 640 acres of land at Bis- 

 cayne Bay, at the south-eastern extremity of Florida. This 

 tract was a military post during the Florida war, and has grow, 

 ing upon it a large number of fruit trees — viz., Banana 

 Plantain, Cocoa Nut, Orange, Lime, Lemon, Bread Fruit, Date, 



