312 BKIEF RKMAKKS. 



Ariel. — White, as shown; general average of qualities respectable, 

 but nothing extraordinary. If constant, it will be very useful, as we 

 last year said of the Queen of the West, which, however, has so far 

 proved quite the reverse, though we shall not give it up. 



Una. — Also a white ; but will, as generally grown, be, we think, 

 loose, though it is scarcely fair to speak of a thing seen only once. 



Laura Lavington. — A new coloured fancy, dull bronzy salmon or 

 fawn colour, tipped with white. Perfectly new, and better than average 

 form among the fancies. 



Triumphant. — The' only fancy we have seen that will do to show as 

 a self. It is a bold crimson scarlet, showing the backs of the petals a 

 good deal, but comes up tolerably well ; as a tipped flower it tops all 

 the fancies, and it has been shown three tipped, and three self in the 

 seedling stand. 



Annie Salter. — A perfectly novel fancy variety, white in the centre, 

 pinky lilac towards the side, and tipped rose. 



Kossuth. — Fancy red and white, fuller than the average, and likely 

 to*be useful as an improvement. 



Miss Ward. — Not a beat on Mrs. Hansard, but of a similar colour, 

 and occasionally quite equal. 



Miss Wentioorth. — A light flower, with a. tip that shades off inwards 

 to a white. The only time we saw it the specimens were quite up to 

 any of the cupped light flowers, the outline good, and the face bold ; 

 eye better than average. 



Morning Star. — Brilliant orange-scarlet ; is an acquisition for its 

 colour, though no advance in form. 



Louisa Glenny, yellow ; Robert Montgomery, dark crimson ; Rose 

 of England, very bright pink; we have only seen the single blooms 

 of: so far as these went they are very promising. 



These are all we can say anything about, out of very nearly six hun- 

 dred varieties we saw during the season. 



Candle Tree of Panama.' — A production, less beautiful but 

 equally singular, is the Palo de Velas, or Candle Tree (Parmentiera 

 cereifera, Seem.) This tree is confined to the valley of the Chagres, 

 where it forms entire forests. In entering them, a person might almost 

 fancy himself transported into a chandler's shop. From all the stems 

 and lower branches hang long cylindrical fruits, of a yellow wax colour, 

 so much resembling a candle as to have given rise to the popular appel- 

 lation. The fruit is generally from two to three, but not unfrequently 

 four, feet long, and an inch in diameter. The tree itself is about 

 twenty-four feet high, with opposite trifoliated leaves, and large white 

 blossoms, which appear throughout the year, but are in greatest abun- 

 dance during the rainy season. The Palo de Velas belongs to the 

 natural order Crescentiacea?, and is a Parmentiera, of which genus, 

 hitherto, only one species, the P. edulis, De Cand., was known to exist. 

 The fruit of the latter, called Quauhxilote, is eaten by the Mexicans ; 

 while that of the former serves for food to numerous herds of cattle. 

 Bullocks especially, if fed with the fruit of this tree, Guinea Grass, and 

 Batatilla (Ipomoea brachypoda, Bent.) soon get fat. It is generally 

 admitted, however, that the meat partakes in some degree of the pecu- 



