October 15, 187i. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTDRE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



341 



Bepiled 6owor3 of the same form and imbricatiug character as 

 tliDse of Stella, but they are of a bluish white colour, aud have 

 a more or less distinct wine-red bar extending from the base 

 of the sepals nearly to the apes, but becoming paler upwards; 

 the beauty of this variety is mu -h enh'iucod by the tuft of 

 deep-coloured stamens which occupies the centre, and which 

 hiVd tha filatnents purplish rod, white at the very base only, 

 the anthers being of a darker purple. The scent in a warm 

 close atmosphere is intermediate between that of Piimroses 

 and Violets, and is almost equal to that of the latter flower. 

 Some idea of its free-blooming character may be formed from 

 the fact that a plant grown over a balloon-shaped trellis 2 feet 

 high, and 1 foot 3 inches through, bore at one time eixty-five 

 of its fine showy blossoms. There can be no doubt that wo 

 have here two of the very best of the early-flowering sorts." — 

 (Florist and Pomologi^t, 3 s., vii., 109.) 



Cyclamens, Royai Purjile, Rose Queen, and ]Vhite Perfection. 

 — '■ Tliese three of the most advanoed varieties are from the 

 superb collection of H-nry Little, E<q., of Twiclieuham. Mr. 

 Little has made a speciality of the Cyclamen, and cultivates it 

 in very large numbers, and in a style which, wa believe, has 

 always ensured him the first prize wherever he has entered 

 into competition. From early autumn, through the winter, 

 and well on into spring, the earlier months of the year being 

 the height of the blooming season, Mr. Little's Cyclamen 

 houses are brilliant with flowers, and possibly there is no other 

 subject which would yield so abundant and so choice a return 

 for the very moderate amount of cultural attention requh'ed." 

 — (/6(rf , 181.) 



LiLiuM AVENACEUM OR LiLiuH MicnLATUH. — " TMs remark- 

 able distinct Lily was shown at a recent meetiug of the Eoyal 

 Horticultural Society, by O. F. Wilson, Esq., of Weybridge. 

 The plant was about 2 feet high, with distinct whorls of lanceo- 

 late leaves an inch wide on the lower part of the stem, near 

 the top of which the leaves became alternate, a rather loose 

 corymbose umbel of five to sis flowers crowning the whole. The 

 flowers are very distinct in form, having scarcely any tube, so 

 that the perianth segments spread out immediately above the 

 base; they are elliptic-lanceolate, nearly IJ inch long, so that 

 the blossoms are fully 3 inches across ; aud thoy are of a deep 

 tawny orange colour, with a thickish cluster of black spots 

 towards the base. The flowers are somewhat nodding, but 

 the style makes an angle with the top of the ovary, so as to 

 assume an upward direction. The ovary itself is very deeply 

 sis-winged. This Lily is perfectly hardy, being a native of 

 Kimtsclratka, Mandehuria, the Kurile Islands, and Japan. 

 It wa5 exhibited in flower about the middle of Jane." — 

 (Ibid , 193.) 



Camellia, Thomas Moore. — " Mr. William?, of the Victoria 

 Nurseries, Upper dolloway, holds the stock; the foliage is bold, 

 and the flowers are large, regularly imbricated with thick, 

 fleshy, evenly-edged petals, and of a rich deep showy crimson 

 colour, the deepest of any variety in cultivation. These 

 qualities are such as to place it in the front rank amongst 

 modern varieties." — [Ibid , 205.) 



VIOLAS. 



I ENTIRELY agree with Mr. Wright as regards the merits and 

 nsefulness of Violas as garden plants, yet I regret to see one 

 or two self varieties of special merit omitted in his enumera- 

 tion ; but probably they have not come under his notice, as 

 they are new — viz., Viola Admiration aud Purple Prince. I 

 feel sure, as selfs, no variety can surpass them for beauty, 

 profusion of bloom, and siz? of flowers, and this more especially 

 applies to the first-named, as I think it well deserves to be 

 placed at the head of a list. During my stay the past sum- 

 mer in Mr. Williams's nursery I had a good opportunity of 

 observing them, and of all the Violas I ever saw none attracted 

 my attention so much as they did. 



Admiration well deserves the name it bears. I feel sura it 

 is excellent for a ribbon border or mixture in beds. The 

 flowers are light blue, of the largest size, and stand well above 

 the foliage. Purple Prince is a fine variety as a bedder, flowers 

 not quite so large as those of Admiration, but the p'ant is a 

 free bloomer, the colour very attractive. Although the past 

 summer was very dry and unfavourable to Violas retaining 

 their beauty, these varieties stood it well, and had a magni- 

 ficent appearance. — T. T., Second Gardener, Barnet, 



Late Peas.— R. Hanbury, Esq., of The Poles, Ware, writes 

 on the 9th inst. to say : — I am now gathering Peas of excellent 



flavour from Little Gem, which promiaea to continue soma time 

 longer. 



EXTRACTS FROM THE REPORT ON THE 

 BRISB.^NE BOTANIC GARDEN. 



The experimental department of the garden still coutiuueg 

 to prove its utility in the introduction and d'stributiou of 

 plants yielding products of commercial value, or which would 

 otherwise be desirable additions to our present limited list of 

 agricultural and horticultural vegetation. Inquiry has been 

 made for some of the medicinal herbs by invalids, and it ia 

 gratifying that we are able to supply the demmd. The requests 

 for the seeds of fibre-producing plants have been too numerous 

 for me to comply with the whole of them. An indigenous 

 species of Musa, or Banana, has been known to exist in the 

 north, aud I discovered two others whilst vrith the late expe- 

 dition. I feel assured that these will produce a fibre at least 

 equal to Manilla hemp, and probably superior, as the trees are 

 of a more robust habit than Musa textilis. 



The demand for Sugar Cane continues, and experiments 

 appear to be made in its cultivation in several hitherto untried 

 localities. I am in expectation of receiving from Java cuttings 

 of a number of new varieties, some of which will probably bs 

 found suited to the climate and soil of Queensland. 



I am still frequently asked for the seeds of dye-producing 

 plants, especially of Indigo, for the planters upon the northern 

 rivers. The growth and manufacture of Indi.o will probably 

 assume the proportions of a valuable and im jortant interest 

 in the tropical regions of the colony, whenovor labour can be 

 obtained at a sufficiently cheap rate. 



The experimental Coffee plantation h.as thriven well tUia 

 year, and its appearance has caused a demand from northern 

 visitors for plants and seeds. Amongst other calls for distri- 

 bution the principal have been for Mulberry, Olive, Tea, Palm 

 oil. Lavender, Senna. Turkey Rhubarb, Cocoa, Clove, Cinna- 

 mon, Nutmegs, Vanilla, Ginger, Walnut, Hickory Nut, Bread- 

 fruit, Jack, Alligator Pear, Chinese Date Plum, Mangosteen, 

 Mango, Durian plants, American Vine cutting.?, d'O. 



On account of the dryness of the season at the time of 

 flowering, some of the fruit-bearing trees did not yield as well 

 as in former years — such as the China Date Plum, the Alligator 

 Pear, the Custard Apple, the Cherimoyer, &a. On the other 

 hand, the dry weather at the same period was favourable to 

 the Mango tree, which produced a more than an average crop. 

 The fructification of the latter is impeded, and that of the 

 first-named fruit tree promoted, by a moderate amount of 

 moisture. 



Living plants and seeds have been issued during the year to 

 543 individuals aud establishments, as follows -.—64,000 Sugar 

 Cane cuttings, 7000 Coffee plants, 2300 Tea plants, 3000 Ginger 

 roots, 300 papers of Tobacco seed, 20 lbs. of Indigo seed, 501bs. 

 of South Sea Island Cotton seed, 20 lbs. of Njw Orleans Cotton 

 seed, 10 lbs. of Sun Hemp seed, 10 lbs. of Jute seed, 300 Mango 

 plants, 358 Jack plants, 200 Chinese Date Plum, besides 500 

 packets of seeds, and 11,000 of other useful and ornamental 

 plants. A great demand is springing up for genuine seeds of 

 Australian timber trees from Northern India, California, as 

 well as the Atlantic States, Sjutheru Europe, and other coun- 

 tries. The requisitions made have been complied with as far 

 as possible. I have also supplied a large quantity of roots of 

 Buffalo Grass (Stenotapbrum complanatum) for binding rail- 

 way embankments, a purpose for which it is eminently well 

 adapted. 



The following list includes the principal plants which have 

 flowered or borne fruit during the past year : — Cocos flesuosa, 

 2Iart., nine years old; Euterpe oleracea, Mart., ten yeara 

 old; Oreodoxa regia, eighteen years old ; Areca horrida, iio.r. ; 

 Maoadamia teruifolia, five years old ; Nephelium lappaceum, L. ; 

 Artabotrys odoratissima, R. B. ; Araucaria excelsa, iJ. B., 

 fifteen years old, &o. 



I would beg to call attention to the expediency of setting 

 apart four hundred acres upon both the Johnstone and the 

 Daiutree rivers, these districts offering better advantages, as 

 regards aspect and soil, than the reserve at Cardwell possesses 

 for the cultivation of the Clove (Caryopbyllus aromaticus), the 

 Nutmeg (Myrietica moschata), the Vanilla (Vanilla aromatica), 

 the Cocoa (Theobroma Cacao), the Coca (Erythroxylon Coca), 

 the Mangosteen (Garcinia Mangostana), the Durian (Durio 

 zibethinus), the Bread-fruit (Artocarpus incisa), itc, which 

 require some more degrees of heat and moisture to bring them 

 to perfection than can be had at Cardwell. In fact, with the 



