.—1846.] 
THE GARDENERS' 
CHRONIC 
LE. 103 
|. Wew Garden Plants. 
13. MAsTACANTHUS SINENSIS. Endlic ier. 
Beardwort. Greenhouse Perennial. (Verbenes:) 
China, : 
such cases to be very exact 
than to omit any essential item.—J. S. S. 
—3 eggs to a quart of meal—no wheat flour—to be 
made also with milk—water would make it heavy—a 
spoonful of butter, all well beat together and made up 
of a consistence thiekér than the cakes—too thick to pour 
This is an aut hert p 
from one and a half to two feet high, and forming nea 
little bushy tufts. It is, in a gardening point of view, 
of some importance; because it furnishes an abund- 
ance of rich violet blossoms at a season when that 
colour, never abundant, is peculiarly rare in gardens. 
It has been received from Mr. Fortune, who sent it 
from China to the Horticultural Society, in whose gar- 
den it flowered in October last. It grows wild in the 
neighbourhood of Canton, and Mr. Fortune found it in 
Chusan,and at Koo-lung, too. It was originally de- 
scribed by Loureiro under the name of Barbula sinen- 
lant, growing 
t 
sis, in allusion to th 1 fri which terminates | P" 
ig, in allusion ‘tg the’ beard or fringe which terminates put on the table and cut, resemble what we call pound 
ak 
one of the lobes of the corolla. The name Barbula 
being, however, universally applied to a genus of 
Mosses, that of Mastacanthus has been substituted by 
Professor Endlicher: we presume from the Greek 
parrat, a moustache. The plant belongs to the order of 
Verbenes, to whieh it is usually regarded as being o 
dubious affinity. And certainly it exhibits some peculi- peeks 
arities of structure which justify the doubts that have 
been entertained about it; for its ovary is distinctly 
one-celled, with two double placentæ turning aside, and 
bearing single ovules hanging down from their upper 
part. 
ovary of a Verbene is usually composed, instead of 
uniting in the middle, and so dividing its cavity into 
two or more cells, are not able to touch, It is a green- 
house plant, whieh appears to grow freely in a mixture 
of rough sandy loam and peat, and like other soft woody 
plants requires plenty of pot-room. During summer an| 
ample supply of water should be given to its root, anc 
it may be syringed overhead once or twiee a day ; but 
in consequence of its flowering in autumn, syringing 
should be discontinued as soon as the flower-buds are 
formed, otherwise they will be liable to damp off. In 
winter very little water is required ; nor is it necessary 
to apply fire-heat, except to keep off frost. It strikes | 
freely from cuttings of young wood ander ordinary 
treatment,— Botanical Register, 1846, t. 2. 
Phat is to say, the two carpels, of which the | 
Garden Memoranda. 
bread, wou! 
Chinese | are usually poured on until they spread on the griddl> 
to the size of the bottom of a breakfast plate. You will 
ear to be mixed over-night. The cakes 
hink this recipe rather prolix, but it is my way in all 
Better be too particular 
Egg Pone. 
out—but just thick enough to require to be taken up 
with a spoon—may be baked like the cakes, immediately 
after being mixed—must be baked in a tin pan, which 
must be placed in a dutch oven, not too hot at first, but 
the fire under it to be inereased. The object is to have 
it begin to bake at the bottom, when it will rise in the 
ocess of baking, become brown on the top, and when 
ake. If your friend wili exactly follow these direc- 
[^ 
tions, and then eat his eakes, or his egg pone, hot, with 
good fresh butter, he will find that Indian eorn bread 
is fit for other persons as well as pigs to eat, the as- 
£ sertion of a corn-law member of parliament to the 
ry, notwithstanding. Divers other preparations 
orn and corn meal might be given. For instance 
“hominy and ash-eakes," which a certain George 
Washington had cooked for his own eating till the day 
| of his death, P.S. Salt, of course, add as usual, in both 
S. 
S. Indiam Meal Breakfast Cakes.— 
cases. 
| Pour boiling water into a quart of corn meal, stir it 
| until it is wet; then add two well beaten eggs, and 
| milk enough to make it a thick batter: measure a small 
tea spoonful of. dry salteratus, and dissolve it into some 
warm water and putit into the batter with a small 
quantity of salt ; butter square tin pans, fill them two- 
thirds full, and bake in a quick oven ; when done, eut 
it in squares, and serve hot. Indian Mu. 
boiling water into a quart of corn meal, stir 
it be a thick batter; when it is cooled a little, add to it 
a table spoonful of yeast, two eggs well beaten, and a 
tea spoonful of salt; set it in a warm place to rise for 
two hours ; then butter square tin pans, two-thirds fill 
them, and bake in a quick oven, when done serve hot 
or cut in squares, or bake as wheat muffins. Corn 
Bread.—1 quart milk, 1 lb. Indian meal, 2 eggs, small 
sof butter, a little salteratus—bake in a flat pan. 
Artificial Oysters.—1 pint grated green corn, | egg, 1 
Bicton, near Sitmouth, Devon.—Having recently | table spoonful wheat flour, 1 spoonful butter—Fry them 
made a tour into Devon and Cornwall, on my return l| brown. Baked Indian Pudding. 
paid the gardens at Bieton a visit, and having read | stir in 7 spoons meal while it is 
—1 quart milk boiled, 
oiling hot, mix it quite 
much respecting Mr. Barnes's skill in the culture of the | thin ; when it is moderately warm, add molasses, a 
Pineapple, &e., I expected to find things well done ; | ginger and salt—4 eggs, a lump of butter the size of an 
but unless I had seen, I could seavcely have believed egg. Corn Pudding — Take 4 ears of green corn, boil 
everything to be in such excellent condition. I have} them until half done, eut off the corn as fine as con- 
never seen such magnificent Pine plants ; they are ofan | venient, mix it with two spoonsful of wheat flour, 1 pint 
enormous size, and, if I understood Mr. Barnes, not ex- | sweet milk, salt and pepper to season- bake it well. 
` meal—the milk to be a little warmed, and the whole to be 
ceeding 18 months’ growth, I am aware that there are 
many gardeners who have doubts respecting Queen 
Pines ever attaining the weights of 5 lbs. 5 oz., 8 lbs. 
30z., 8 lbs. loz. 8 lbs, and many above 7 lbs. ; but 
this was effected by Mr. Barnes last summer. Facts are 
stubborn things, and I would recommend disbelievers 
to pay Mr Barnes a visit in May, when I imagine they 
will find Queen Pines still larger than auy of those 
above mentioned. Mr. Barnes himself thinks that he 
shall have Queens 10 lbs. weight before the end of 
next summer, and even if he has them 12 lbs. I shall 
not be surprised after what I have seen, for his plants 
are now showing fruit of great strength. The whole 
place is in masterly keeping in every department. The 
Pinetum contains most of the known species of 
Pinus, which are growing freely ; the trees are, how- 
ever, rather too thick for mature growth, and are 
planted at equal distances or nearly so, presenting an 
appearance somewhat like that of the Devonshire 
orchards. I observed a very nice specimen of Arau- 
caria imbricata, but not equal to the splendid trees at 
Dropmore, The treeat Bicton has a cone now formed 
which will be full grown by the end of the summer. 
The Arboretum contains specimens of nearly every 
hardy tree and shrub. The mild season, added to the 
usually favourable climate of Devon, has caused the 
crops in the kitchen garden to look beautifully, and 
many of the hybrid Rhododendrons in the pleasure 
ground were in full bloom.— Philip Frost. 
Miscellaneous. 
Receipts for using the Flour of Indian Corn or 
Maize.—To make Griddle Cakes.—Best way to make 
them is to use milk altog instead of water—t 
eggs, yellow and white, to be allowed for a pint of eorn 
well beat up witha spoon or ladle. There must be milk 
enough used to make the whole so liquid as that it will 
pour out of the saucepan on the griddle—one spoonful 
of wheat flour, and lard (pure butter still better) the 
size of a walnut. The Griddle.—Much nicety is to be 
observed in the preparation of the griddle, which, as 
-must be well known, is a flat round iron concern stand- 
ing on three le and of any size—it must be made 
not very hot, because then it would burn the cakes, and 
it must be well cleaned and greased while warra, that it 
may be perfectly smooth, so that the cakes may be 
easily turned, that they may be done brown (not burnt) 
on both sides—to promote their turning easily is the 
objeet of adding the wheaten flour. Be it remembered 
ihat the dough, or rather the batter, as above directed, 
must be well beat up and prepared directly before being 
cooked—though it might set an hour—this is mentioned , 
to prevent its being supposed that it, like some other | 
Treen Corn Cake.—Mix 1 pint grated corn with three 
table spoonsful milk, 1 tea-cup wheat flour, } cup 
melted butter, 1 egg, 1 spoonful salt, 5 spoonful pepper. 
Drop this mixture into hot butter by the spoonful, let 
them fry 8 or 10 minutes. Boiled Indian Pudding.— 
ltea-eup of molasses, a piece of suet the size of two 
eggs chopped fine, 8 spoonsful of meal, seald the meal 
with boiling water or milk, mix it quite thin, when it is 
nearly cold add 4 eggs well beaten, It requires three 
hours boiling in a strong cloth, Indian Grucl.—To 1 
quart of boiling water, stir in 2 table spoonsful of Indian 
meal, mixed with a little cold water, boil 15 or 20 
minutes—a little salt. Johnny Cake is prepared from 
the corn meal scalded, and the dough rolled or pressed 
out to half an inch in thiekness, is cooked one side at a 
time in front of the fire after being put on a board 
sheet of tin, a plate or any material of suitable shape. 
Ash-Cake is prepared from the corn dough made as 
above, and is cooked as follows, make a bed by seraping 
away the ashes on all sides, roll the dough after being 
made into form between two cabbage leaves, place it in 
the bed and cover up with the previously removed ashes 
and embers, a little practice will determine the length 
of time requisite for cooking. The process resembles 
that of roasting potatoes. Common Pones,are prepared 
from the corn dough made into oblong pieces about three 
inches thick, and baked in a covered bake-kettle with 
fire above and below. Corn Dodgers are made of the 
corn dough, in balls about the size of an egg and are 
boiled in the pot as an adjunct to “ Bacon and Greens.” 
Shovey is made from the dough cut in slices, and fried 
with a piece of fat bacon. — Srappeys are prepared from 
the corn meal sealded, and after being made into a thin 
batter with eggs and milk, are baked on a griddle. 
Corn Cup-Cahe.—Take two cups of corn meal, and one 
of wheat flour, or in that proportion ; make them into 
a thin batter with milk and eggs, and cook them on a 
griddle. Washington's Breakfast Bread is prepared 
from the corn dough made up with eggs, milk and a 
little sugar, to be baked in a tin pan as an ordinary pan 
loaf. Hoe Cake is prepared by wetting up corn meal 
with boiling water ; is made into a cake and cooked in 
front of the fire, on a board or plate. It was originally 
put on a hoe, whence its name. This resembles the 
Johnny Cake: Indian Aush.— This is made in dif- 
ferent ways; but the easiest mode is that which re- 
sembles the making of starch or Arrow Root. Thus— 
put five pints of water over the fire in a pot or skillet, 
then take one pound of Indian meal, well sifted from 
the bran, and mix with a little cold water, so as to make 
a thick batter, add salt. As soon as the water boils add 
the batter ; stir it well, and keep it stirred and boiling 
for at least twenty minutes It should be about the con- 
sistence of hasty pudding, porridge, or stir-about, and 
may indeed be made in the same way. Take it up and eat 
it with milk, butter, sugar, or treacle. In this form it 
can easily be made and distributed to the poor froma 
soup houses. Benevolent individuals, too, might pre- 
pare the mush in their own kitchens, and give it to the 
hungry and destitute. This is the most manageable 
and convenient of all the preparations of maize ; it is 
used daily in a large number of American families, and 
idered a most whol diet. What is not used 
at one meal, is cut into slices and fried or heated upom 
the gridiron at the next meal, and eaten with butter or 
treacle. It is proper to state, that many of these re- 
ceipts are differently prepared in different parts of the 
country ; but in selecting the above, I believe I hare 
chosen the most popular forms in use. A proper sea- 
soning with salt is necessary in all cases, The meat 
should be carefu ly sifted from tlie bran ; and the bran 
after being scalded is excellent food for pigs and poultry. 
Of the different receipts given above, the most easily 
prepared are the mush, the Johnny and hoe-cakes, and 
the ash-cake. The latter ean be cooked with great faei- 
lity in the turf fires common in Ireland. In all cases 
the article must be well and thoroughly cooked, or i 
will not be nutritious or digestible.— Bartlett on Maize. 
Botanic Garden, Calcutta.—The German papers state 
that Dr. Wallich was to have quitted the Botanic Gar- 
den, Caleutta, in the end of January, and that Drs. 
Faleoner, Royle, and Wight, with Mr. Edgworth, are 
candidates for his office. We believe we may state 
with confidence that the only part of the statement 
whieh is true is that Dr. Wallieh has tendered his re- 
signation, but that it has been done in an informal 
manner, and that, consequently, no means have been as 
yet taken to appoint his successor. 
——À - 
CALENDAR OF OPERATIONS. 
(For the ensuing Week. 
Vanrous are the means employed to produce atmos- 
pherie moisture in hothouses, aud many of them are, 
in my opinion, inefficient, and also inconvenient. lam 
persuaded that a sudden hot steam is at all times inimi- 
cal to the well being of vegetation in geueral; and ne 
wonder. Such a steam is frequently produced by disk 
covers, on the hotter parts of pipes or flues, or by pour- 
ing water on, or syringing, very hot surfaces ; and al- 
though I am a great advocate for much atmospherie 
moisture in general, I must protest against such plans. 
I am of opinion that what is wanted in general is, suck 
a character of air as will guarantee the leaves of the 
plants from any tendency to desiccation, especially dure 
ing the day ; whilst at night there should be even a 
slight deposit of moisture condensed on the leaves; 
some few eases, such as conservatories, &e , excepted. 
All floors to houses should be grated, and, if convenient, 
abody of porous material should be placed beneath, ia 
large lumps ; perhaps masses of coke or charcoal would 
answer tlie purpose ; water frequently poured thereon 
would yield a wholesome vapour at all times, although 
in a slow ratio. In addition to this, I would fór most 
purposes have the return pipe in a cemented briek 
trench, with a supply of water at one eud, aud a ready 
escape by plug or tap at the other. —Cowservaforg.— 
This structure now should be full of interest, and ought, 
where much attention is paid to flowers, to be as fall 
of beauty as at any period of the whole year Any 
Camellias done blooming should, if possible, be removed 
forthwith to some of the houses at work: a moist at 
mosphere, a temperature averaging 65°, at d a canvas 
shading overhead, are the requisites in order to cause 
them to produce wood freely, and large leaves; ti 
shading must by no means be,neglected. The leaves of 
my Camellias by this treatment are larger than in most 
other establishments, and so healthy that they are nearly 
black ; 1 use abundance of liquid manure The climbers 
of this structure should have a thorough dressing at 
this period, cutting away weak and decayed wood, and 
shortening back shoots (to furnish back wood) previous 
to the growing season. Stove and Orchidaccous House. 
—Some little in e of temperature may now take 
place here, and that chiefly, as I before observed, in the 
afternoon, by shutting up early, and usi g plenty of 
moisture, taking care to thoroughly dry the foliage pre- 
viously by a free circulation of air. As a sort of compres 
mise between the eastern and western Orchids, & 
thermometer averaging 65° by day, and 60° max. a£ 
night, may suffice, allowing it to range to 70? or 75° om 
sunny afternoons by closing the house early. Look 
over the fastenings of those on blochs, or in baskets; 
renew the wires where necessary. Fasten a little fresh. 
material on those not to be shifted, but beware of bury- 
ing the buds on the eve of germination; apply baits for 
snails and cockroaches most assiduously, and attend 
closely to the extirpation of all scale. Examine and 
shift where necessary stove plants in general, and em 
back some of the kinds after flowering to produce 
cuttings. Mixed Greenhouse.—1t is somewhat difficult 
to give directions in a successful way for houses of this 
character. Plants of all climes will oc i 
a place here, and as no special treatment in regard to 
temperature may be long indulged in with impunity, 
as to the plants from tropical climes, a compro ise 
some kind must continually take place. As ap 
therefore, of frequent and somewhat harmless applica- 
tion, I would advise a rather free increase of heat om 
sunny days, early in the afternoon. for a few hours, 
sinking at night to the old point, or nearly so. m this 
structure there will frequently be found Ericas, Pelar- 
goniums, New Holland plants, bulbs, &c., and evem 
| Orchids. I would, therefore. advise a division of these 
[families ; let the Orchids, bulbs, and plants of he 
" 
