182 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[Mar. 23, 



the culture of Trapa bicornis might be attempted in the 

 open air with snccess, as it is grown in abundance in the 

 cold climate of Cashmere, where it forms an important 

 article of food, as related by Baron Von Hngel in his 



Travels. J. Webster observes, that for Orchidaceous 



plants, where fibrous peat is scarce, an excellent substitute 

 is to be found ia woods, where leaves, sticks, lee., have 

 accumulated and become a mass of fibrous roots. This 

 material is lifted with a spade, about the thickness and in 

 the same way that turf is lifted, and is again cut into 



smaller pieces when it is used. R. 6. D. informs us 



that being obliged to form a cut through an old meadow 

 •which had been drained some 13 years ago with spray or 

 brushings of Spruce and Scotch Firs, he found the drams 

 were running well. He states, that to his astonishment, 

 soon after exposure to the air the Firs budded freely. 



octettes. 



HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 Sir C. Lemon, Bart., M.P., in the chair. Mr. Wm. 

 Cock, Jun., was elected a Fellow cf the Society. Mr. 

 Cockburn, gardener to the Earl of Mansfield, at Kenwood, 

 sent bulbs of Oxalis Deppei for the purpose of being distri- 

 buted. A smaller, and in every respect an inferior kind to 

 this, is generally cultivated for it, which is no doubt one 

 reason why this root is not more in use for culinary pur- 

 poses. In Belgium it is extensively grown, where not only 

 the tubers but the leaves are also made use of. Respect- 

 ing its culture Mr. Cockburn says, M I have grown it for 

 several years, and I am convinced that if a little attention 

 is paid to its cultivation it will be found very useful in the 

 months of October, November, and December; but it 

 ■would require a longer season of fine weather than our 

 climate affords to bring its tubers to perfect maturity. 

 The bulbs should be potted as early in spring as circum- 

 stances will permit, and as they vegetate in a low tem- 

 perature the pots may be placed in a Peachhouse, green- 

 house, or even in a cold frame : but they must not be 

 turned out of doors until all danger of frost is over. They 

 thrive best in a light sandy soil in a southern exposure ; 

 the bulbs may be planted from 9 to 12 inches apart each 

 ■way, and should be so arranged that they may be pro- 

 tected from the early frosts of October and November by 

 a slight covering of straw, mats, or spare lights. As 8 or 

 10 good tubers are sufficient for a dish, there may be 2 or 

 3 dishes a week for 3 or 4 months, which is no small 

 acquisition to a gardener who has a family at that season 

 to supply with vegetables. Along with these Mr. Cock- 

 burn sent for exhibition a tall well-grown specimen of 

 Cornea Harrisii, for which a certificate was awarded. — 

 Prom Mr. Robertson, gardener to Mrs. Lawrence, was a 

 collection of plants, containing handsome specimens of 

 Epidendrum rhizophorum, a rather scarce plant, remark- 

 able for its bright orange- red blossoms ; Illicium religi- 

 osum, a hardy greenhouse plant with pale green flowers, 

 and somewhat resembling a Spurge Laurel in appearance ; 

 Dendrobium secundum, with handsome small raceme'/ of 

 purple flowers ; a tall plant of the old Cyrtopodir^rAn. 

 dersonii, in excellent condition ; also Batema"Yia Colleyi, 

 Schomburgkia violacea, a good specimen of Jyrtochilum 

 xnaculatura remarkable for its fragrance, "an Amaryllis 

 and 5 pretty plants of Epacris, viz. E. im ,iressa, variabilis, 

 nivalis, attenuata rubra, and a varieVy of impressa. A 

 Knightian medal was awarded for the first 4 plants. — 

 Mr. Graves, gardener to Mrs. Cannon, sent a bloom 

 of an Epiphyllum from Brazil, which was not different 



from E. violaceum F: m C. B. Warner, Esq., was 



Camarotis purpurea, an East Indian species, having 

 gracefully drooping racemes of purple blossoms, and 

 a large flowectd variety of Lycaste Skinneri that was 

 imported U/ t c last autumn ; the bulbs were at first placed 

 in an C range-house, and were not exposed to the sun 

 vnjja after roots were formed. The plant was then re- 

 moved to the cool Orchidaceous-house, where it has since 

 been growing ; a certificate was awarded for the former. — 

 Mr. Plant, gardener to J. H. Schroder, Esq., sent Vanda 

 cristata, singular on account of the curious form of its 

 flowers ; and Oncidium bicornutura having a fine spike 

 of dingy yellow blossoms: a certificate was awarded for 

 the Vanda cristata — From Mr. Jackson, of Kingston, 

 ■was a large specimen of Erica Cushiniana with small 

 purple blossoms ; and Morina longiflora, a scarce her- 

 baceous plant, which will grow out of doors, but does 

 better to be kept in a cool frame or in a greenhouse, 

 where,if itis well grown, itproduces a stem 2Jft.higb, which, 

 when covered with bright crimson blossoms, is rather a 

 striking object. — Mr. Crawford, gardener to Mrs. Arabin, 

 sent a cut specimen of Solandra grandiflora, a beau- 

 tiful hothouse shrub, having large showy white bell- 

 shaped flowers. It was introduced from the West Indies 

 a great many years ago, but on account of the difficulty 

 found in blooming it, it is not generally cultivated. — 

 From Mr. Doran, gardener to T. Hawes, Esq., was a 

 braceof straight, well-formed Cucumbers, measuring 19 ins. 

 in length : a certificate was awarded for them. — From the 

 garden of the Society was a collection of plants, compris- 

 ing Oncidium ampliatum, both the small and large 

 variety ; they were sent from Guatemala by Mr. Hartweg, 

 and are both one species, but differ in the size of the 

 flowers, the one being much larger than the other. It is 

 one of the many instances in which Orehidaceae differ in 

 this respect ; it seems to be a general disposition among 

 them, for plants of the same species to produce flowers dif- 

 ferent in size, while in other respects they are not dissimilar. 

 In the same collection were likewise Dendrobium Heyne- 

 anum, Epidendrum Stamfordianum, Lycaste cruenta, 

 Franciscea Hopeana, Euphorbia melanthera, and three 

 Cinerarias, viz. Fanny Tripet, Urania, and Unique ; 

 the first had been drained with charcoal, the second had 



I been top-dressed with the same material, and the third, 

 besides being top-dressed with charcoal, received one tea- 

 spoonful of Harris's liquid manure in a pint of water, on 

 the 5th of February. With these differences, the plants 

 were treated in every respect the same. The first was 

 the smallest, and the leaves were of a pale yellow green ; the 

 second was larger, and the foliage was of a deeper shade ; 

 the third, being the one that had received the liquid 

 manure, in addition to the top-dressing of charcoal, was 

 the largest, and the leaves were of a very healthy dark 

 green ; but that this results from the use of the liquid 

 manure is not perfectly ascertained. Along with these 

 were cut flowers of Camelli* Colvillii, imbricata, and 

 Reevesiana ; and also of Acacia pubescens, and Riceana. 

 The following cuttings of Pears were distributed :— 

 Comte de Lamy, a Belgian variety, middle-sized, very 

 sugary and rich, and in perfection in October, Thomp- 

 son's, also of Belgian origin; it was received from Dr. 

 Van Mons ; and although it possesses great excellence, it 

 has not yet been discovered among the more recent im- 

 portations of new varieties from the Continent, received 

 with names ; it is by many esteemed the richest Pear of 

 its season, which is November. Winter Crassane, one of 

 Mr. Knight's varieties ; it is an abundant bearer, as a 

 standard quite hardy, of the form and size of the Crassane, 

 with its flavour and less grittiness : it comes into use in 

 December or January. Althorp Crassane, also raised by 

 Mr. Knight, and hardy like the preceding : specimens of 

 it have been found of excellent flavour, although grown 

 in a much worse climate than that of London. 



LINN^EAN SOCIETY. 

 Mar. 19.— Edward Forster, Esq., in the chair.— 

 Thomas Bridges, Esq., was elected a Fellow. A collec- 

 tion of fruits was exhibited, presented to the Society's col- 

 lection, by John Reeves, Esq. — A spurless variety of 

 Tropseolum was exhibited by Mr. Hugh Low. — A paper 

 was read from George Newport, Esq., on the structure 

 and classification of the class Myriapoda. The author 

 stated that this class had received less attention than any 

 other belonging to the animal kingdom. Dr. Leach had 

 left materials at the British Museum for their further 

 *tudy, of which the author had availed himself. This class 

 was placed by many systematists with the insects; but 

 they differed from the true insects in many respects. They 

 were more like the larvse of insects. They differed from 

 insects in being born with a small number of segments, 

 which go on increasing and lengthening the body of the 

 animal, till it has attained maturity. Insects always have 

 the same number of segments. In true insects the legs 

 are only six in number ; but in the Myriapoda, each seg- 

 ment is furnished with several legs, and in some species 

 they amount to 160 in number. The Myriapoda were not 

 more nearly allied to the Crustacea and Arachnida, but 

 there were species pointing out an affinity with each of 

 these classes. In arranging the Articulated classes, the 

 author considered this group ought to be placed next the 

 Vertebrate division, and he placed the insects at the top 

 of the Articulated classes. He did so on account of the 

 larger developments of the supracesophageal ganglion in 

 this class, which must be looked upon as the representa- 

 tive of the brain in the vertebrate classes, and which 

 accounted for the superior instincts and intelligence which 

 those animals exhibit. In the arrangement of the whole 

 group, he should not take alone the digestive apparatus as 

 his guide, but the skin, the organs of locomotion, and the 

 nervous system, as it was on these organs that the func- 

 tions of animals depended, which most clearly distin- 

 guished them from the vegetable kingdom. 



«' The plant being ready for its last shift, I commence 

 by putting two or three inches of broken Oyster-shells 

 mixed with a little bone-dust, at the bottom of the pot as 

 drainage ; on this I place a covering of half-decomposed 

 turf, and then turn the plant carefully out of its pot, re- 

 removing a little of the soil from the bottom of the ball 

 in order to have it a good depth in the pot, so as to allow 

 room for soiling up after the first fruit has been cut.— I 

 am quite convinced of the superiority of earthing up, over 

 that of transplanting into larger pots, after the fruit has 

 been cut. I have frequently tried the latter as an experi- 

 ment, and invariably found the plant to be from two to 

 four months longer in fruiting, and the fruit also to be 

 much inferior in size. — The plants after earthing up will 

 commence growing immediately, and new roots will be 

 thrown out from the bare trunk into the fresh soil. 

 — By attention to watering, moist atmosphere, &c.,. 

 the suckers will grow rapidly, and perfect their 

 second fruit, generally speaking, in from eight to> 

 twelve months from the time the first was cut.— With me it 

 invariably happens that all the varieties of the Pine that 1 

 have cultivated, except the White Providence, have one 

 sucker or more in progression, whilst the plant is swelling 

 its fruit ; in such cases one only ought to remain, the 

 others should be destroyed as they appear, except the cul- 

 tivator prefers quantity to quality. — After the fourth fruit 

 has been perfected, I then cut off the sucker which pro- 

 duced the last fruit, with from six to eight inches of the 

 old trunk attached to its bottom. The leaves are all 

 dressed off that portion of the detached trunk, and from 

 the bottom of the sucker, which will have made a quantity 

 of roots in the axil of the leaf of the detached trunk, is- 

 then planted into a pot, nine or ten inches diameter at the 

 top, placing the attached trunk at the bottom of the pot, 

 before the drainage is put in, in order that the sucker may 

 be sufficiently deep to be covered with the soil. — It must 

 be observed that by the practice of planting a portion of 

 the old trunk, with the sucker, although the former when 

 first planted, has frequently no roots, it undoubtedly 

 assists in supporting the sucker until it has made roots of 

 its own ; and this I ascribe to the sap or juices already 

 deposited in the trunk, which are very probably set in 

 motion by the chemical agency of the soil. The plant 

 being a succulent one, is capable of holding in reserve its 

 accumulated food in a fluid state, for a great length of time, 

 and particularly if screened from the powerful rays of the 



lUMttof. 



Treatise on the Cultivation of the Pine-apple, $c. §c. 



By Joseph Hamilton, Gardener to F. A. Philips, Esq. 



12mo. Masters. 

 The author of this book is the grower of the large Thorn- 

 field Pines mentioned at p. 861 of our Journal for 1843, 

 and on previous occasions. He is, therefore, a man of 

 authority, and his method of cultivation will be read with 

 interest. 



The weight of Pines grown by him is stated by himself 

 (p. 93) to be as folio ts: — "The Montserrat has been 

 frequently cut here, from Gib. to 71b. ; 20 Montserrats have 

 been cut the last two years, viz , 1841 and 1842, which in 

 all weighed 1041b., the largest of which was 71b. 4oz., all 

 out of one house. The Black Jamaica generally speaking 

 runs rather larger. The majority of the Envilles cut at 

 this place vary from 7 to nearly 9 lbs." 



And he adds, that in his opinion — M A Queen of 5lbs. 

 is equal to a Montserrat, 5 lbs. 4 oz., Black Jamaica, 5 lbs. 

 8 oz., Enville, 7 lbs., White Providence, 11 lbs. ;" long 

 experience having taught him, that to grow the above 

 varieties to the weight specified above, deserves equal 

 merit. These things will enable the reader to judge in some 

 measure of Mr. Hamilton's skill. 



The first fifty-seven pages consist of a brief and useful 

 sketch of the plans of Pine Growing employed by former 

 gardeners, from Telend up to Marsland ; but, strange to 

 say, not a word is said of Mr. Glendinning's, which is the 

 best of them al! ; nor of Mr. Barnes's, published in the 

 January Number of the M Gardeners' Magazine," and 

 which might have been introduced into a note at the end 

 of the work. Mr. Hamilton next sets forth his own mode 

 of proceeding, which occupies forty-five pages. The main 

 points on which his practice seems to depend are : 1st, 

 Fruiting the suckers of old stools ; 2d, Turning his suc- 

 cessions out of their pots into a tan-bed, in which they 

 fruit, and through which their roots find their way with- 

 out let or hindrance ; and, 3d, Watering the plants 

 overhead. His mode of proceeding with suckers is stated 

 at considerable length. We can only make a few extracts : — 



sun. 



The method first employed in turning the succession 

 plants out into the tan-bed is thus described :— 



" On February 26th, 1828, I planted 48 Pine-plants in 

 the tan-bed, all of which, except one, fruited the same 

 year. The process which I adopted was as follows :— The 

 pit in which they were grown was 27 ft. long, by 10 ft. 

 wide inside ; two feet of which were occupied by the flo» 

 and cavities, which left a width of 4 ft. for the tan-bed. 

 After all the plants were taken out of the bed, the old tan 

 was levelled, well trodden down, and smoothed with the 

 rake ; the whole bed was then covered with fresh tan to 

 the depth of 10 inches ; the plants were then immediately 

 turned out of their pots, with their balls as entire as pos- 

 sible, and plunged into the bed ; they were then beaten 

 tightly about the ball, and covered to the depth of one. 

 inch only. It will be necessary here to observe, that if 

 the ball, with the roots, be covered too deeply, they wii* 

 be in danger of being burned. The tan used for this mode 

 of culture must be made from British bark, as it undergoes 

 a slower putrid fermentation than foreign tan ; and I have 

 always found that as it decays it is rendered less fit for 

 supplying the plants with food. I have tried planting in 

 old decayed tan, but the plants made very little progress : 

 the fruit also was of inferior size. Foreign tan is objec- 

 tionable, as it soon decays." 



Afterwards it underwent some variations. 



"Thinking, however, a great improvement m, 8 hC .~ 

 made in this method of planting out into the tan, 1 tneo 

 the following experiment, which fully answered my expec- 

 tations :— At the time the'plants were showing trait,* 

 added two or three inches of fresh tan all over the roots oi 

 twenty, beating it down with the spade, and the n**™™ 

 result was seen in the swelling of their fruit, f y "e umo 

 this was cut, the suckers then growing on all the p*au 

 were of a prodigious size, and had I then known m 

 value of their produce, by letting them remain attacneu 

 the old stools, their second fruit might have been npeneu 



by the following October." . ^ i. pr ; a i 



The reason why tan is found a better plunging mater a 

 than anything else, is, in Mr. Hamilton's opinion, ,v* 

 warmness ; for he found that the best kind of compo 

 was too cold. And this we quite believe. But we sn 

 like to know whether tan would be found better tnan 

 soil, if bottom-heat were supplied by hot-water gu 

 We should expect it would not. 



Upon the importance of watering overhead witn w 

 water, Mr. Hamilton much insists. Indeed, he als » keep 

 the atmosphere damper than is usually thought ™ C "**L 

 At page 65 he says—" I only water the P^ 1 * ° ve . r ™ 

 leaves in the evening, at the time of closing the no , 

 which ought to be done whilst the sun is » tll *; ihl °"* in g 

 the glass, before its rays are much diminished, thus i , 

 the heated particles of the water, which have oeen «P nn 

 inside the house, to convert the «»P er \ nc ^. be 1 °i b . t he 

 sphere into a state of humidity, which ° ein S inhBl *f u ' j^ 

 respiratory organs, into the assimilating system, *' _ 



the plant to promote those secretions indispensa oiy ^ 

 sary in maintaining it in health and vigour. It is ^ t 

 much importance that the atmosphere be kej 

 during the day, by throwing plenty of T«« l "*£ m w iU 

 and other vacuities ; the humidity arising tnel T ,- on ^d 

 be absorbed by the plants, and thus the "spira" ^ 

 perspiration of fluids being perpetuated day nna n g *t 







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