372 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTUBB AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



I May 11, 1876. 



trees or Bhaded by banks or walls are red or bine in direct 

 proportion to the amount of exposure to the san'a rajs. 



Two years ago I cut down an old plant which was surrounded 

 with Beech saplings, at the same time grubbiug them so as 

 to give the plant a fresh start. It is now 6 feet in diameter 

 and 5 in height, and last August was covered with red flowers. 

 Previously to the saplings being cut down the Hydrangea flowers 

 were blue. Other blue plants growing within 20 yards of the 

 same place, but shaded by trees, were still blue last autumn. 

 The cut-down plant is in boggy ground by the margin of a small 

 stream, and the soil is full of decayed vegetable matter, but 

 free from any trace of iron.— A. R., Stoke Fleming, S. Devon. 



THE MOBIL. 



This, or as it is oftener spelt. Morel, is so named from the 

 French for it, Murille, which is derived from Mure, the Mul- 

 berry, the cap of this Fungus somewhat resembling that fruit. 

 The specimens sent to us were from North Lancashire ; but 

 we have been requested not to specify the locality because, as 

 our correopondeut says, "we have little left after the forays 

 of collectors." 



The Moril is the rarest of our wholesome fungi, and it is so 

 little known that wa have had the specimens engraved — the 

 iignres being half the size of the examples sent to us — and 

 extract the following from our volume entitled " A Selection 

 of the E-ttable Funguses of Great Britiia." 



Fig. 10.5. 



"MoBCHELLA EscuLENTA, iiViu. Edible Morel. 0)Y?e)-, Elvel- 

 lacei. Family, Ascomycetes. Synonymcs — Phallus esculentus, 

 Linn. Fl. Sueo. 1202. Helvetia esculenta. Sow. t. 57. Morchella 

 continua, Tratt. Fung. Auat. t. 6, n. 11. Jew's Ears in York- 

 shire. Pileus hollow, conical, irregular, folded, pitted, thin and 

 firm. Stem hollow, but more or less solid at the base, smooth 

 outside, sometimes chambered or perforated. 



"The Edible Morel is very variable in shape and size, now 

 appearing oval, now bell-shaped, now all on one side. The 

 flesh is ribbed and rutted, and the pileus looks as if spread over 

 coarse honeycomb, only the hollows are very irregular in form 

 and Bize, which never occurs in the geometrical structure of the 

 ingenious bee."!. The colour of the pileus varies from grey to 

 greenish brown. It is found in April and May, preferring grassy 

 places on the borders of fields, and the raised banks of streams 

 in hilly countries. 



"From the complaint that Dr. Badham makes, that in England 

 this Fungus is only known as an article i^rocurable at the Italian 

 warehouses, we augur that he has not been brought up among 

 the thrifty housewives of Yorkshire. In the kitchens of that 

 county, at any rate of the northern and western divisions of it, 

 a string of Morels pendant from the ceiling ia as familiar an 

 object as a banch of Sage twigs or bucdlts of Thyme ; and the 

 beads cf the botjsehold complain of the cook's neglect if she 

 omits the Morel flavour in certain sauces. As children we knew 

 the plant at sight, and brought it home whenever we encountered 

 it in our walks ; and the poor knew it also, for ever and anon 

 the women who gathered Cowslips for the wine-brewing would 

 briug a few in the corner of their basket, and plead for an extra 

 shilliog for the 'Jew's Ear?,' as they wore pleased to call the 

 Morel. 



"In Germany the excellence of the Morel was well appreci- 

 ated, and, finding that it flourished the most hixuiiintJy on 

 wood ashf B, it became a regular system to burn down a portion 

 of the forest annually to secure a crop of Morels. This cnstc m 

 was stopped by an edict of the Government, and thus legislation 

 was turned against the Fungi. 



" M. Roqucs gives some receipts for the dressing of the Morel, 

 which our readers may fiud serviceable : — 



"1st. Having washed and cleansed them from the earth which 

 is apt to collect between the plants, dry thoroughly in a napkin, 



and put them into a sancepan with pepper, salt, and parsley, 

 adding or not a piece of ham ; stew for an hour, pouring in occa- 

 sionally a little broth to prevent burning. When sufficiently 

 done, bind with the yolks of two or three eggs, and serve on 

 buttered toast. 



"2nd. Morellcs a I'ltaliennc.—'H.a.ving washed and dried, 

 divide them across ; put them on the fire with some parsley, 

 scallion, chervil, burnet, tarragon, chives, a little salt, and two 

 spoonfuls of fine oil. Stew till the juice runs out, then thicken 

 with a little flour ; serve with bread crumbs and a squeeze of 

 lemon. 



" 3rd. Stuffed Morels. — Choose the freshest and whitest Morels, 

 open the stalk at the bottom, wash and wipe them well, fill with 

 veal stufiing, anchovy, or any rich farce you please, securing 

 the ends, and dressing between thin slices of bacon. Serve with 

 a sauce like the last." 



NOVELTIES IN THE ROYAL GARDENS, KEW. 



Aen'ebia echioides is the chief plant flowering on the Rock- 

 work. It is one of the prettiest of the yellow-flowered mem- 

 bers of the Boragineaj, or Borage-worts, and in addition 

 possesses the charm of extreme rarity. Scarcely any other 

 alpine could be mentioned that has been bo long in cultivation, 

 while represented during the time by so few individuals. It 

 was Introduced to Kew no less than twenty-eight years ego, 

 and for a great part of that time, it is said, has been only in 

 the collection of Mr. Fraser of the Comely Bank Nurseries, 

 Edinburgh. Unfortunately it never produced good seed, and no 

 other means of propagation was possible. The few plants now 

 in this country are due to the energy ol Herr Max Leichtlin, who 

 always desirous of obtaining important plants, made special 

 efforts to obtain this, and had the good fortune to find it in 

 one of the continental nurseries. In the garden of the above 

 gentleman at Baden-Baden it grows luxuriantly, while in 

 England, though always pretty, it never attains the develop- 

 ment of which it is capable. In the " Botanical Magazine " of 

 1848 there is an excellent portrait. From a tuft of ovate- 

 oblong spreading leaves it produces several leafy stems, reach- 

 ing a height of about G inches, and these terminate in a scor- 

 pioid spike of large yellow flowers. Beneath each sinus of 

 the corolla many flowers have a deep purple spot, and these 

 afford the plant a distinct character. In diameter the corolla 

 measures about three-fourths of an inch, and is between funnel 

 and salver-shaped. We can offer no hints on propagation, as 

 hitherto it has produced neither seeds nor offsets. It appears 

 to be quite at home so far as it goes planted out on the rook- 

 work. The surmised reason of its restricted growth is that 

 some necessary constituent of the soil is absent. 



There are some other good plants here in flower that do not 

 quite come under the title of our notice. Arenaria balearioa 

 may be mentioned in particular. It evinces fitness for a pur- 

 pose to which few plants can be applied, and this is the cover- 

 ing of rocks with a thin clothing of elegant green, such that 

 will not obscure the form or hide the most diminutive plant 

 behind. The stems of this Arenaria are very fine, forming 

 an intricate mass, and the leaves are extremely email. The 

 white star-like flowers are just now thickly sprinkled over the 

 surface. 



Houstonia ca?rulea is among the smallest of choice alpines, 

 and with numerous flowers of azure blue, is in fine condition. 

 Trillium grandiflorum presents the most handsome white 

 flowers that can now be gathered. Other effective plants are 

 Androsaoe Laggeri and the annual or biennial A. lactiflora, 

 Hutchinsia alpina, Dodecatheon iotfgrifolium, Piimula cor- 

 tusoides amcena, and Ranunculus amplexicaulis, which of all 

 the species seems the most chaste and delicate. 



In the Economic house is blooming one of the rarest of the 

 genus Oxalis, 0. mfgalorhizi. It is known as Rhatany Root. 



Caraguata Z>ihoi is in flower in the stove. It was intro- 

 duced by the Messrs. Veitcb, and is by them called Tillandsia. 

 The foliage of a fine plant is very handsome, but the chief at- 

 traction rests in the iuflorf scence, which consists of a dtnfe 

 panicle of lemon-ycUow flowers, with bracteoles of the same 

 colour. These and the persistent sepals retain their form and 

 beauty of colour for a considerable time, so that the petals 

 which soon fade are not missed. 



Several 'curious and pretty plants are to be fonnd in tho 

 Orchid-house porch. Heterotropa asaroides is extremely rare 

 and curious. With leaves like Cyclamen, it has nearly globu- 

 lar and almost black fleshy flowcre, the size of a small walnut. 

 It belongs to the Aristolochiaocffi. Ixia crispa has very re- 

 markable and pretty foliage. The leaves along the whole 

 length are finely undulated, and grow from ■" to perhaps 



