86 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



and to pay the amount in equal shares to the printers, 

 stationers, and wood-engravers, who are the creditors to 

 whom my late husband was so largely indebted. 1 am 

 most anxious to make this statement, as 1 have experi- 

 enced the greatest kindness from Me Bin. Longman, who 

 have done everything in I heir power to alleviate the 

 painful circumstances in which I have been placed. — 

 J. IV. Loudon, Bayswater, Feb. /• 1H44. 



Mrs. Loudon. — it gave me much pleasure to see in the 

 last Chronicle that the meeting in behalf of Mrs. Loudon, 

 kindly permitted by the Horticultural Society to take 

 place in their rooms, was finally fixed for Saturday, the 

 17th inst., when I trust some effectual means will be 

 adopted to relieve Mrs. Loudon and family from the pre- 

 sent position their affairs assume, and enable them to reap 

 unfettered the benefits arising from the late Mr. Loudon's 

 works, to which Mrs. Loudon's own talented assistance so 

 justly entitles her. For such a man as Mr. Loudon, after 

 a long life of incrssant mental toil for the benefit of man- 

 kind, to die so poorly remunerated, is painful to contem- 

 plate ; especially when we reflect that his embarrassments 

 were occasioned by the immense outlay necessary to produce 

 that valuable and herculean work, the 4I Arboretum et 

 Fmticetum Britannicum," which must be acknowledged, 

 considering the bodily disadvantages under which for many 

 years Mr. Loudon unfortunately laboured, to be unequalled 

 in the annals of authorship and indefatigable perseverance. 

 To immediately release this distinguished man's family 

 from embarrassment is a debt the horticultural world owe 

 to his memory ; his n«me must ever be associated with 

 the brightest era in Gardening, for to him we are principally 

 indebted for having raided Horticulture from astute of ignor- 

 ance and empiricism to the rank it now holds amongst other 

 scientific professions. 1 sincerely hope the purpose for 

 which this meeting is to be held may prove as successful 

 at the most sanguine friends to its laudable object could 

 desire; and 1 trust that all who take an interest in its 

 furtherance will attend, if possible, and likewise use their 

 personal influence with their friends. It gives me much 

 ■atisfaction to be enabled to state that a meeting for the 

 •ame purpose will be bald in Edinburgh after the London 

 one, under the kind auspice;* <>f Dr. Patrick Neill and other 

 influential gentlemen. — Joseph Pax ton. 



Lemons. — M M.B." forwards a Lemon that was gathered 

 2d Sept., and the same day put into the box in which it 

 now is (with another which has been taken out) ; it is now 

 five months since it was closed up. u M. B." preserved two 

 Lemons in the same way for six months, having put them 

 in the 1st of March, 1843, and not opening the box till 

 the 1st of the following September : they were both as per- 

 fect as the one sent. [This was a fine specimen, not at 

 flu! shrivelled, but perfectly plump and sound ; and the 

 pimple way in which it has been preserved (being buried 

 in rice and earth in a rrsaail box), is deserving the notice 

 of those who may have mote L-moas ripe atone time than 

 they can use.] 



Sitepiocarpus Rexii. — This plant has a beautiful ap- 

 pearance in the open border during the summer months. 

 The seed should be sown in the month of April, in pans, 

 in a mixture of peat and loam, then place the pans in a 

 hot-bed, frame, or pit, until the plauts are fit for potting 

 off. The seed should be sown very thin, if not, the 

 greater portion of the plants will rot off, for want of air 

 and room to their stalks, as they grow with their foliage 

 prostrate. As soon as the plants are large enough for 

 potting off, fill a quantity of pots with a mixture of leaf- 

 mould, loam, and sand, then place a plant in each pot, 

 and give a little water. Afterwards remove them into the 

 frame or pit; when they have got established in their 



?oU, they may be removed to a cold frame, or greenhouse, 

 n June they may be placed in the open air f and regularly 

 watered during the summer. Towards the end of Octo- 

 ber remove them to a frame, to protect them from frost. 

 In May or June following they may be planted out 

 where required. As soon as frost is apprehended, take 

 lip the plants, with a ball of earth attached to the roots, 

 repot them, and place them in the greenhouse, or frame, 

 till again required. — J. Mel. f HilUborough. 



Societies. 



LINNEAN SOCIETY. 

 Tuesday, Feb. b f 1844. — Robert Brown, E?q., in the 

 chair. Professor Agassiz, of Neufchatel, and Dr. SchleU 

 den, of Berlin, were proposed as foreign Fellows of the 

 society. Mr. Winterbottom exhibited specimens of 

 Trichomanes speciosum, which he had gathered in company 

 With Mr. Babington, at Brandon, Mountain Dingle, and 

 Waterville, Inverary, in Ireland ; also specimens of Spi- 

 ranthes gemmipara, which he and Mr. Babington had 

 found in considerable numbers at Castletown, Bearhaven, 

 in Ireland. Mr. Anderson exhibited specimens of Brexia 

 latifolia in blossom. A paper was read from Mr. Curtis, 

 on two species of Hymenopterous insects. The first be- 

 longed to tbe lamily Tenthredinidse, or Saw-flies, and con- 

 stituted a new genus, which M r. Curtis proposed to call Die 

 loceras. This insect was from the collection of Lord Gode- 

 ricb, and had been takeu by Mr. Ellis in the Brazils; hence 

 he called the species D. Eliisii. This insect is chiefly remark- 

 able for its larva forming for themselves a cocoon in com- 

 munity, a fact that has not hitherto been observed amongst 

 insects. The cocoon was exhibited, was oblong, and 

 about the size and form of a Jargonelle Pear. The out- 

 Bide consisted of a tunic, of woolly substance, well adapted 

 to keep off the influence of water as well as to resist the 

 attack* of the Ichneumonidce. In tl.e inside the cocoon 

 consisted of about 30 cells, having a close resemblance to 

 those of tbe common wasp and bee, but nothing like so 

 great a regularity in form, but about the same size. The 

 second insect described was a species of wasp, which Mr. 

 Curtis proposed to call Vespa brumex. This insect 

 forms a remarkable nest, which had also been brought from 



the Brazils by Mr. Ellis. The nest was exhibited, and 

 is about eiirht inches in length, and 15 inches in circum- 

 ference. It has a conical form, and is suspended from 

 the branch of a tree by its apex. The textuie of the nest 

 is very hard, resembling an earthenware vessel, and very 

 different from that of other wasps. At the base there is 

 a small opening not allowing the passage of more than 

 one insect at a time. The nest had not been opened, and 

 as it was so closely made, it was impossible to ascertain 

 the structure of its interior. Mr. Ross exhibited speci- 

 mens of optical glasses, with indications of a vegetable 

 growth between them. It was the opinion of Naturalists 

 present that the appearances found on the glass were* due 

 to the growth of a fungus belonging to the genus Torula. 



IPSWICH CUCUMBElt SOCIETY. 

 **Thk first brace, exhibited by E. Leathes, Ebq M an 

 Amateur, commanded universal admiration ; hut not 

 entering for the sweepstakes, Mr. Latter won the second 

 prize of the Society and a sweepstakes of 4/., — he exhi- 

 bited eight brace, from 12 to 17 inches long. Mr. Geo. 

 Mills'* were the longest, but in other points did not answer 

 to the Society's standard. The exhibitors and their 

 friends afterwards dined together, and spent a most 

 agreeable evening. Mr. Wild, the secretary, stated that 

 he should never be satisfied till he could produce a com- 

 petition of all the Cucumber growers in England, and 

 would at the next meeting propose "That all winners of 

 First Prizes in England should be allowed to exhibit free 



of all expense/* to a class established for that purpose. 



The Judge*' description of the PRIZK Specimens exhibited 

 February 8th, 1844. 





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'• Maturity <ef Grapes.— M. Payen has read to tk 

 Academy of Sciences, at Paris, the report of the commi C 

 sion on a memoir by M. Oscar Leclerc-Thonin wh" 

 sought by direct experiment to solve the question-l w h ? 

 influence had the leaves of the Vine in relation to the de 

 velopment and maturity of the Grapes? The followin" 

 results exhibit an explanation of the difficulty of C uf 



ie Vine in latitudes where temperature may U 



IXtbitfos. 



The Year. Book of Facts. 8vo. Bogue. 

 This is, as usual, a rich storehouse of information con- 

 cerning the discoveries in science during the past year. 

 In addition to its usual contents, the volume now before 

 us has a portrait of Professor Liebig. We have only room 

 for a few extracts. 



" The Lactoscope. — M. Donne has introduced * A new 

 instrument designed to indicate the proportion of cream 

 contained in milk,' to which he has given the name of 

 Lactoscope. The principle of the instrument is based 

 on the inherent property of milk, which derives its opacity 

 from the globules of fatty matfer it contains, in being 

 more opaque as the cream is more abundant. The con- 

 struction is so arranged that the degree of opacity may be 

 examined in layers of various thicknesses. The milk is 

 placed between two parallel pistes of glass, the distance 

 between which can be varied at pleasure, and the flame of 

 a taper is employed as a test; a graduated circle indicates 

 the thickness of the layer of milk, and a corresponding 

 table of reference gives the amount of cream. The sensi- 

 bility of the instrument is such as to indicate dilution with 

 one-twentieth the bulk of water. Upwards of ten years 

 since was invented a cream-gauge, for the same purpose 

 as M. Donne's Lactoscope : it is a graduated glass tube 

 and has, we believe, been found very useful." 



tivating th 



suitable, but where the atmosphere is frequently f e» y 

 The total suppression of the leaves prevents the develop 

 ment and the maturity of the Grapes. The partial sun! 

 pression. of these organs in the spring provokes the 

 appearance of axillary buds, which replace the learei 

 taken away ; later, when the buds can no longer be pro- 

 duced, this suppression arrests the development of the 

 kernels, diminishes the quantity of the flesh, retards the 

 maturity and injures the elaboration of the saccharine 

 principle. . Want of evaporation, and privation of the 

 solar rays, enervate the organs of fructification. Supera- 

 bundance of water, and consequently defective evapora- 

 tion, in a luminous atmosphere, incites a luxuriant »ege- 

 tation of leaves, but checks the elaboration of the juices 

 which [remain acid and unsavoury : maturation is not 

 accomplished. Finally, in a warm atmosphere, moist and 

 dull, the leaves may increase greatly ; but the juices are in- 

 sipid, scarce, and the embryo is not formed. — Lit.Gaz" 

 44 Zinc Milk Vessels Poisonous. — The following ex- 

 tract will show the danger and the folly of the practice of 

 keeping milk in zinc bowls — a custom which has lately 

 become very prevalent : these articles being sold with 

 the recommendation of a larger quantity of cream being 

 produced, owing to the galvanic action. 4 1 would 

 scarcely have believed (says L. Elanes, of Berlin) th* 

 zinc vessels would again have come into use for alimentary 

 purposes, as Vanquelin, 40 years ago, proved that such 

 were certain, after a short time, to hold a certain quantity 

 of zinc in solution. I have found by experiment that i 

 solution of sugar which had stood only a few hours in 

 the summer in a zinc vessel, contained a considerable 

 amount of zinc salts. It has often been stated that the 

 cream will separate more easily from milk, if the latter be 

 kept for a short time in a zinc vessel. As, however, it it 

 known that milk will turn acid much sooner than a solu- 

 tion of sugar, it is the more to be apprehended chat some 

 zinc will be dissolved, and such zinc will be the more 

 noxious, as it is well known that even a small amount of 

 zinc will cause spasmodic vomiting.' — Pharm. Jour." 



NOTICES of NEW PLANTS WHICH ARE EITHER 



USEFUL OR ORNAMENTAL. 



Euon'VMUS Japovicus. Japan Euonymus. (Hardy Evergrm 

 Shrub.) Celastracea?. Tetr.-Pent.-Hexandria Monogynia.- 

 In all respects this corresponds with the account given by Tnuo- 

 berg, of the Iso Curoggi, or black shore-tree, of the Japanese, 

 even to the sporting into a silver blotched variety, also in our 

 gardens. He says it is in Japan a bush about as high as a man. 

 With us it is not as yet higher than three or four feet, but it has 

 all the appearance of becoming much larger. Although no beau'.? 

 is to be found in its flowers, this plant is of the s*me kind d 

 value as the common Laurel, Phyllireas, and Alatcvnus, beinji 

 hardy evergreen shrub, with much the appearance of a small. 

 leaved Orange. It is true that in very severe winters it is liable 

 to be killed to the ground, but so are the Bay. the Ilex, and 

 others; it however springs up again and rapidly forms a new 

 bush. When older it will probably become more bardv. It is 

 easily increased from cuitiugs of the half- ripened wood, placed 

 under a hand-gla>s or in a close frame, and shaded in summer. 

 It flowers in Ju?y and August, but has not as yet produced fruit. 

 There are two varieties, one with silver striped, the other witn 

 gold-striped leaves ; but the latter is very subject to run back to 

 the green-leaved, while the silver striped hardly ever changes. 

 It is called in many places, w Chinese Box." the name it boK 

 when first introduced trom Belgium.— Botanical Register. 



Lvcastk Skivxbri. Mr. Skinner's Lycas^e. (Stove Epi- 

 phyte.) Orchidacese. Gynandria Monandria. -This plant is gene- 

 rally called Maxillaria Skinneri, but it is now classed by Jtf. 

 Lindley among the species of Lycaste. L. Skinneri is happily 

 designated by Mr. Bateman as the facile princens of all known 

 Maxillarias. " It has at length," says that gentleman, writing 

 iuthe Miscellany of the •« Botanical Register "for 1842, "iowerefl 

 in the collection of the Rev, John Clowes, with a vigour ana 

 beauty that could not be exceeded in its native haunts, in 

 flowers actually measure upwards of six inches across, from 

 tips iff the lateral sepals, while the latter are nearly an inch aw 

 a half wide in the broadest part. The colours of tbe flowers arc 

 peculiarly delicate, the sepals being pure white, faintly tmgeu 

 with crimson at the base; the petals are of a more rosy "jj 

 while the tip is almost covered with spots and streaks oi 

 most brilliant carmine 



apex, and mottled wit« •..■•■*•».»• o F «.«o .»« »..~ , ■ v hit 



ber of woolly hairs are scattered on its underside. The Ba 

 the plant is stately, and its growth free and vigorous, ^ 

 nearly resembling Lycaste Deppii, than any other species- ^ 

 this good description it is unnecessary to add more, tna 

 there appears to be two or three varieties of the plant, din 

 slightly in the size and colouring of their flowers. The 0,, J 

 described was flowered in the excellent collection of Mrs. w ^ 

 of Oakfield, Cheltenham, and is among the best we have 

 ) An excellent varietv bloomed, moreover, about l ' ,xree J\ wett i 

 back with F. Cox, Esq., of Stockwell. Mrs. Wray's Pla ntn °" try 



almost covered with spots and streaks oi 

 rmine. The column, again, is pure white «» 

 ;d with crimson spots at the base, wulIc *K 



ohck wun r. ^oa, cxq.,01 oiuckwcii. i»no. »»»«/ - r-~ 



iu November last. The species has been brought to "»»s c° 

 in great numbers by G. U. Skinner, Esq., after whom Mr. »• 

 an has named it. Its native place is Guatemala-, M r Skin- 

 ewster, the gardener to Mrs. Wray, informs us that mr. 



m 

 bre 



ner found it growing on rocky and mossy banks, in v J2LniIiB 



wster. who has been particularly succesw 



places. Mr. Bre 



ultivating it, grows it in an open basket filled wi*h "J^^ 

 leaf-mould, in a temperature ranging from 50° to 70 . £» ^^ 

 much of its luxuriance is due to the use of leaf "'5 OU wii a ceou» 

 is likely to prove a valuable medium for many ° rc cC0( mt 

 plants. It should be kept freely moistened in summer, on » 

 of its vigorous habits ; but a cool, dryish atmosphere is m *~ 

 sable during winter. — Paxton's Magazine of Botany. 



t> 



GARDEN MEMORANDA. 



Horticultural Society's Gardens, Chiswick.--*' * 

 alterations and improvements have lately taken p ^ 

 here, and others are still in progress. The old • ^ 

 flues in the wooden Vinery have been taken do 7 TO ' thc ir 

 cast-iron tanks put up by Burbidge and Healy ft 



ftead ; these are 16 inches wide and 6 ^eep> flD( j 

 division along the middle to separate the flo ^ 

 return. The tanks consist of several boxes, o e ^ 



joined together by hollow screws, and are elevated a 



