276 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



[ September 24, 1971. 



take an upright position, require a considerable number of 

 years to perfect the early part of their growth ; but after the 

 stem has been formed, and an upright position taken, the 

 growth is much quicker and the elongation advances rather 

 rapidly, compared with what it did while the stem remained 

 in a rhizomatous state. — [Irish Farmers' Gazelle.) 



FLOWERS FOR OUR BORDERS.— No. 40. 



ABELIA UNIFLORA.— Labge-flowebed Abelia. 



Our scientific botanists are not, it must be admitted, always 

 happy in their choice of names for the various novelties 

 brought under their notice, and the Abelia uniflorais a case in 

 point. Its specific designation, uniflora, would, of course, 

 suggest the idea that the flowers were produced singly, or but 

 one on each footstalk; it appears, however, that the peduncles 



Fig. 80.— Atelia uniflora. 



are generally two, and not unfrequently three-flowered, as an 

 inspection of our figure will show. 



It is an evergreen shrub of somewhat slender habit, the 

 branches partially decumbent. The leaves are broadly lance- 

 shaped, pointed, dark green on the upper surface, but pale 

 beneath. The flowers are produced from the axils of the 

 leaves, and, as already stated, vary in number from one to 

 three on each peduncle. The corolla externally is white 

 tinged with pale purple, with a yellowish throat, and resembles 

 in its form that of many plants of the order Scrophulariaceffi, 

 especially some of the Pentstemon family. 



It is, however, a member of the Honeysuckle family (Capri- 

 foliaceffi), in which small order it is closely associated with 

 the handsome Diervillas, now so common in gardens, and 

 better known under their early name of Weigela. It is one of 

 the numerous introductions of Mr. R. Fortune from China, by 

 whom it was sent some twenty years since to Messrs. Standish 

 and NobJe, of Bagshot. 



Its cultivation is unattended with any difiiculty ; it thrives 

 in peat and loam, and may be increased by cuttings of the 

 half-ripened wood ; like the other Abelias, it is benefited by 

 occasional " stopping." In the open ground it flowers about 

 July. 



The Abelias are named in honour of Dr. Abel, a physician 

 who accompanied Lord Amherst on his memorable embassy to 

 China. — (IT. Thompson's English Flower Garden, Revised by 

 the Author.) 



PnEFEiUBLE Stiuwbekries. — A correspondent asks for the 

 experience of others as regards Dr. Hogg. I grew it several 1 



years next to British Queen, but finding no superiority, not 

 even in hardiness, I have discarded it. In selected lists I miss 

 Myatt's Filbert Pine. This I have found better than Frog- 

 more Late, though it has two defects — 1st, it is loth to throw 

 out runners ; 2ndly, its fruitstalks require support. — G. S. 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 

 At the Botanic Garden, Oxford, the Mexican Dasylirion 

 ACEOTRiCHUM recently threw-up a flower stem which, when 

 12 feet high, grew at the rate of Cinches in twenty-four hours. 

 Nelumbium luteum (the Sacred Bean) is reported this season 

 as producing perfect seeds. 



The Building News says that " the Pottery Tree of 



Para is one of the curiosities of Brazil. The stem does not 

 exceed a foot in diameter, and it grows to the height of 

 100 feet. But the peculiarity of the tree does not consist in 

 its configuration, but in the nature of its wood and bark, which 

 contain so much silica (pure flint) that they are used by 

 potters in the production of earthenware vessels. The bark 

 contains more silica than the wood, and in preparing the bark 

 for the potters' use it is first burnt, and the residuum is pul- 

 verised and mixed with clay. An equal quantity of the two 

 ingredients produces a superior ware. The fresh bark cuts 

 like soft sandstone, and when dried it is brittle and diflicult 

 to break." We readily believe the statement, for chemical 

 analysis has shown that the outer bark of the Bamboo contains 

 more than seventeen per cent, of silica. 



The collection of Orchids which belonged to the late 



Bishop of Winchester, Dr. Sumner, and two other collections, 

 were sold on the 17th and 18th inst. by Mr. Stevens at his 

 rooms in King Street. There were 518 lots, and they realised 

 £642. Dendrochilumglumaceum was sold for £14 3s. lid., and 

 Dendrochilum filiforme for £25 4s. ; Angra)cum eburneum 

 superbum for £24 3s., and La,>Ua anceps Dawsoni for £17. 



An " Annuaire de I'Horticulture Beige " is announced 



as soon to appear. 



The first Fcngds Exhibition held in Scotland, was 



opened in Aberdeen on the 18th inst. The idea of the Exhi- 

 bition was first suggested by the Rev. Mr. Ferguson of New 

 Pitsligo, in the "Scottish Naturalist" for April. The sug- 

 gestion was readily taken-up by fungologists and men of 

 science, and the result was an Exhibition which gentlemen 

 entitled to speak with authority say was never equalled in this 

 country. The specimens numbered about seven thousand. 

 Almost every county in Scotland made large contributions, 

 while England and Wales sent a number of exhibits. In fact, 

 almost every fungologist in Britain contributed specimens. A 

 considerable proportion of the Fungi belonged to the larger 

 classes, such as Agarici, Boleti, Polypori, &c. ; but there were 

 also large collections of microscopic Fungi, and very important 

 additions to the British flora. Several species of Fungi new 

 to science were exhibited, and some splendid specimens of 

 Sparassis, which is very rare, were to be seen. Several fine 

 specimens of Fistulina hepatioa, Polyporus sulphureus, and 

 Phlebia radiata were much admired. There was a specimen of 

 Helvella gigas from Heathcot, near Aberdeen, a species only 

 once before known to have been found in Britain. Among 

 the edible Fungi was an enormous specimen of Lycoperdon 

 giganteum, which had been gathered at Fetternear, in the 

 north of Scotland, numerous specimens of Cantharellus cibarius 

 and Boletus edulis. Several specimens of fossil Fungi, which 

 are very rarely found, were exhibited. An excellent collection 

 gathered on Moncreiff Hill, and sent by Sir Thomas Moncrtiff, 

 included a fine specimen of Sparassis crispa. Another pro- 

 minent specimen of the same was included in a valuable 

 collection from Huntly Lodge. 



THE POWDER-WINGED MOTH. 



AtETBODES PROLETELLA. 



The insects belonging to the genus Aleyrodes are curious 

 little creatures, occasioning some perplexity, not only to the 

 gardener, but also to the entomologist, by the appearance they 

 present. Though often called moths, as above, they are also 

 called " flies " by some folks, while others have confused them 

 with the aphides. In truth, however, we might say they are 

 " bugs " of a sort, since they belong to the order Homoptera, 

 though they fall into that section which comprehends the 

 I'syll.T and the aphides, and are no very distant relatives of 

 the scale insects or meaJy bugs. The perfect insects of Aley- 



