JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ November 12, 1874. 



tificate. Mr. Fenn, The Rectory, Woodstock, Bent specimens of 

 Blenh eim Pippin, Cox's Orange Pippin, and Ribston Pippin. 

 » Floral Committee. — Mr. J. Fraser in the chair. On this 

 occasion few subjects were shown. First-class certificates were 

 awarded to Mr. Williams, of HoUoway, for Anthuriam Wil- 

 liamsii, which has been before described ; to Messrs. Veitch for 

 Japanese Chrysanthemums Golden Thread, orange brown, Cos- 

 sack, and Duchess of Edinburgh. A cultural commendation 

 was awarded to Mr. W. Smith, gardener to C. Lane, Esq., 

 Henley, for a fine specimen of Vanda crerulea with five fine 

 spikes. 



PELARGONIUM SOCIETY. 



A MEETING of the Pelargonium Society was held at South 

 Kensington yesterday, Henry Webb, Esq., in the chair. The 

 following additional prizes were offered : ■ — Six Ornamental 

 Cape Pelargoniums, distinct, £3, £2. For the best hybrid Pelar- 

 gonium of distinct character, ±'2, £1. Stand of twenty-four cut 

 blooms, single trusses (open), i;2, £,1 ; stand of twelve (amateurs), 

 £2, i;l. The Judges may in their discretion, subject to the 

 approval of the Committee, award a prize or prizes to any 

 exhibits which may not be provided for in the schedule, and 

 worthy of particular notice. 



PORTRAITS OF PLANTS, FLOWERS, and FRUITS. 



Tacca artocaepifolia. fiat, ord., Taocacefe. Linn., Hex- 

 andria Monogynia. — Flowers brown and green. "It is a native 

 of Madagascar and Johanna Islands, whence there are excel- 

 lent specimens in the Hookerian Herbarium, from Mr. Justice 

 Blackburn, Dr. Lyall, and W. T. Gerrard. Its nearest ally is 

 the well-known T. pinnatifida, which, though one of the most 

 widely cultivated and most useful plants in the Pacific Islands, 

 has never yet been figured in any English botanical work ; 

 nor, as far as we know, ever been introduced into this country. 

 The tubers of T. pinnatifida afford the South Sea arrowroot, 

 said to be the best of all in cases of dysentery, and its starch 

 is a favourite article of diet in the shape of puddings and 

 cakes. 



" The T. artocarpifolia has atnberons root, and is, no doubt, 

 as full of starch and as wholesome as T. pinnatifida. It 

 flowered in the Royal Gardens in May of the present year, 

 from roots received from Mr. Wilson Saunders in 1872." — 

 (Bot. Mag., t. 6124.) 



Pooonia DISCOLOR. Nat. ord., Orohidaceaj. Linn., Gynan- 

 dria Monandria. — Flowers white ; leaves dark green, with pale 

 blue-green blotches. " The species of Pogonia have usually 

 little to recommend them for horticultural purposes ; but to 

 this there are exceptions, especially amongst the Indian species, 

 some of which that have been cultivated at Kew present, like 

 that here figured, beautifully coloured and marked leaves that 

 persist for many weeks, and attract the attention of the most 

 ordinary observer. All have tuberous roots, often formed at 

 the end of subterranean eylindric fibres. It is not easy so to 

 manage their culture as that the leaves, flowers, and new 

 tubers should be successfully formed, and upon this their con- 

 tinuance under cultivation depends. The present is closely 

 allied to the common P. plicata of Bengal, which has a rose- 

 ooloured lip. 



" Pogonia discolor is a native of damp forests in the moun- 

 tain region of Western Java, where it flowers in November. 

 The specimen here figured was flowered by Mr. Bull in February 

 last, and the leaf was fully formed in the following June." — 

 {Ihid., t. 6125.) 



LiLiuM maculatum. Nat. ord., Ijiliaceie. Linn., Hexandria 

 Monogynia. — Flowers orange, with dark brown spots. " A 

 native of Kamt6chatka,the Kurile and Sachalin Islands, Japan, 

 and South-eastern Manchuria, whence it was introduced into 

 the Russian Imperial Botanical Gardens, and we have dried 

 specimens from Sitcha on the American coast. 



" According to Maximovicz (in "Gartenflora"), there are two 

 varieties of it : one, with a scented orange-yellow flower, which 

 came from Victoria Sound ; the other, with red inodorous 

 flowers, is found in Japan and Kamtschatka, is figured by 

 Regel in the " Gartenflora." The leaves of both varieties vary 

 extremely, both as to the number of whorls, the number in 

 each whorl, and in length and breadth. 



" I am indebted to Mr. G. F. Wilson, F.H.S., of Weybridge 

 Heath, for the specimen figured, the bulb of which he pur- 

 chased at a sale of Japan Lilies in London, and which flowered 

 in June of the present year. I have also seen a specimen flowered 

 by Mr. W. Saunders, F.H.S., in 1H71.-'— {Ibid., t. 6126.) 



ScoEzoNERA DNDCLATA. Nat. ord., Compositffi. Linn,, 

 Syngenesia asquaUs. — Flowers pink. "Brought by Mr. Maw 

 from Algeria, where he recognised it as apparently the same 

 with a plant we found between Tangiers and Tetuan in Marooco. 

 It flowered in July, and had a very handsome appearance." — 

 (Ihid., t. 6127.) 



CiTRns AURANTiuM VAK. jATONicA. J^of. orrf., Rutacea). Linn., 

 Polyadelphia Polyandria. — " This well-known ingredient in 

 Chinese sweetmeats, according to Siebold, is nowhere found 

 wild in Japan ; this author says that, in common with all other 

 species and varieties of Citrus, it has been introduced into the 

 island from China or India ; also that it is extensively culti- 

 vated under two varieties, one with globose, the other with 

 oval fruit, which latter is rare. He adds, that the agreeable 

 acid of the juice, flavoured by the aroma of the rind, renders 

 the fruit very pleasant, but that it yields only a transient 

 refreshment, for it leaves a burning after-taste in the mouth. 

 —{Ibid., t. 6128.) 



SOME OF THE VEGETABLE PRODUCTS OF 

 CEYLON.— No. 1. 



Having dealt with the principal products of Ceylon— viz., 

 Cinnamon, the Cocoa-nut, and Goiiee, in the pages of the 

 "Food Journal," it is my intention in the present paper to 

 allude to those other productions which do not as yet figure 

 among the exports of the colony, save in some instances to a 

 very limited extent. 



Coffee is the great staple of the colony, and Ceylon, I fancy, 

 exports more Coffee than the whole of the West Indian colo- 

 nies ; but, as it has been well remarked, seldom can any good 

 reason be offered why land in any country should be exclusively 

 devoted to the raising of one particular description of produce. 

 A long experience has shown that the contrary practice is 

 beneficial to the temperate regions of Europe ; and although 

 by reason of the greater energy of vegetation within the 

 tropics the system so indispensable in Europe may there to a 

 certain extent be disregarded, this offers no argument against 

 the adoption of that system, since by its means a still greater 

 power of production may be called into action. 



Tea. — In 1867 Mr. Arthur Morice, a Coffee proprietor in 

 Ceylon, and a gentleman every way competent for the task, 

 was entrusted by the Government of Ceylon, at the instance 

 of the Planters' Association of that colony, to report on the 

 Tea districts of Continental India, with the ultimate view of 

 ascertaining whether Tea could be successfully grown in Ceylon 

 if fairly tried with the best system of manipulation. 



There had been some previous experiments in Tea cultiva- 

 tion at Newera EUia by a former Governor of Ceylon, Mr. 

 Stewart Mackenzie, and at Pusilawa, both situated within the 

 mountain zone of the central province. Both were on a small 

 scale. The first was not successful; in the latter case the 

 plants were healthy, but no commercial success was achieved, 

 the gentleman who owned the land on which the plants were 

 growing carrying out the experiment as an amusement, hia 

 attention being absorbed in the cultivation of Coffee on a very 

 extensive scale. 



Mr. Morice visited the Tea districts of Assam, Deyra Dhoow, 

 Kengra, Coorg, and the Neilgherries, and submitted on his 

 return to Cevlon a very exhaustive report to the Local Govern- 

 ment. Mr. Morice was of opinion that every probability ex- 

 isted of Tea being successfully grown in Ceylon if only fairly 

 tried with the best plants and with the best system of mani- 

 pulation. He remarked that in Assam and in the Himalayas, 

 where there is a constant struggle with grass going on, at least 

 one coolie per acre during crop season was considered necessary; 

 and from the system of imported labour in Assam the full 

 complement has to be kept on all the year round ; and, indeed, 

 to do full justice during the plucking season not only to that 

 work but to the weeding, one man and a half per acre would 

 probably in most cases be necessary. In Ceylon, with a plan- 

 tation free of weeds and in full bearing, it is probable during 

 crop one man per acre, including every one, might be the ut- 

 most required ; and out of crop a very small force of women 

 and children would do all the weeding and pruning necessary. 

 Tea in Ceylon would have the advantage of being in crop 

 when the majority of Coffee estates were not, and rice versa, 

 and thus labour might be made available for both cultivations 

 without their interfering with each other. The seasons, there- 

 fore, as the respective crops came in, would be at no time in 

 collision ; on the contrary, an advantage of no mean import- 

 ance would be derived in dealing with imported labour, from 



