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1 844. J 



dressing a piece of ground with lime and soot, having it 

 well due, and allowing it to lie exposed to the weather 

 mil winter, in the hope that this may eradicate the evil. 

 I have lately applied a good dose of liquid manure to 

 •11 my winter Greens, and I can already perceive a most 

 beneficial result ; they have made rapid growth during 

 these last few days. — Henry A. Wood, Statfold Hall. 



Growth of Trees. — As you say, in reply to my ques- 

 tion about the growth of forest-trees, that you are not 

 aware of any exact observations on the subject, and as 

 Your correspondent of last week only repeats an old 

 story of an observation very imperfectly taken, you will, 

 I hope, allow me to state the result of my experience, 

 which causes me to doubt the generally received opinion, 

 that wood lengthens after being formed. The Fir-tribe 

 offer the most convenient subjects for inquiry, as the 

 growth of eich year is in them clearly defined, as far as 

 the lower branches are permitted to remain on them ; 

 and I find that Spruce-trees in a sheltered situation, 

 in the fifth year of their growth, form top-shoots 

 measuring as much as 2 feet 4 inches, and in the seventh 

 year, as much as 3 feet ; and in the same kind of tree, 

 equally sheltered and in the same soil, I find that on 

 trees aged 18 years the shoots, which were formed in the 

 fifth and seventh years of their growth, do not exceed 

 those measurements. I have also found that an Oak- 

 tree of about 30 years' growth which I measured in 

 two places, which I marked, for the purpose of ascer- 

 taining its increase in circumference, did not lengthen 

 between the marks, although it increased in circum- 

 ference about 2 inches in one year. — A Subscriber, 

 Ireland. 



Miltonia Spectabilis. — At the last Glasgow Horticul- 

 tural Society's Exhibition there was, among other well- 

 grown specimens of plants sent by Mr. Turnbull, gar- 

 dener at Bothwell Castle, a very fine one of this rare 

 plant, about 3 feet in diameter, with some 35 expanded 

 blossoms, and a good many more to open ; the leaves 

 were of a very dark green, which is also quite unusual 

 ■with the plant. — A Subscriber. [We have seen nothing 

 like this in the south.] 



The Polmaise Heating.— I believe there are upwards 

 of ten or a dozen different systems of heating hothouses 

 described in the Chronicle, but perhaps none of them 

 possess the essential properties to such a degree as the 

 Polmaise system, namely, simplicity and efficacy. I 

 have seen the new vinery that has been erected at Pol- 

 maise, by William Murray, Esq., and it only requires 

 to be seen at present to be admired ; the luxuriance of the 

 Vines, the size and number of the bunches and berries, 

 ail testify that the system upon which the house is 

 worked is one that agrees well with the growth of the 

 v ine. Jf those who have not seen it would only imagine 

 luxuriant shoots, with leaves approaching in size to the 

 fohagc of the Tussilago Petasites, with clusters of the 



enormous shoulders supported with small cords they 



™w^T e, - deaoft ^ p,a,ltia,ld fruit at P«*«t 



hot a ° g i8 °w e f V,ner * at P°I»ai.e, heated by means of 

 itr i anoth I * Chamber &t the back of the ™*ry. 



whch e, le? h t r thl V ttendi °g the Polmaise heating, 

 ere iVen Z ' ^ \ W ° rth noticin S> namel y. the 



^e- wSJl P ff^ n ?n 0f S ° me Wh ° ™»Mered *em- 

 have waS rh *' ^P**"™" « Scotland ; they 

 time, and a ? £*"?£* ° f the Vines from time to 

 Some of them 11 Vu* 7 COnsider themselves beaten. 

 order to raLe thS 7 5°- ** J 0nd ° f Ovations, but in 

 character T s 1 7 ??** Bpirft * and maintain their 

 change "ust ZTf . Cultivat °™ of the Vine, some 



informed by Mr ^ "V^ Pr6Sent S y Stem ' T waS 

 difference of *»*, CarmichaeI » the gardener, that the 



fcouse and that »? T**? between thc front of the 



tb °ut5de*ree.. P tI , Where the hot air enters is only 



P^t upon one of th P V ° Sh °^ ed me a graft which he 



•hoot correspond in ? ln **' ™ 8 6eaS0n lt has made a 

 til* k Wiling In strength with the other Vines in 



THE GA RDENERS- CHRONICLE. 



sure to prove effectual.— M. E II 



f^Douglasii .-The following account of the loss 



sol n7^ ne Ab r D °? gIasii m9 y P rove interesting to 

 some of your readers. In the year 1830 I received from 



In, f p UltUrSl S r ety>8 Garden ' at Chiawick, two 

 plants of Pinus ponderosa, one of P. cembra, and one of 



;«;2£ Ug W' ^ W ^ e dl pUnted in a Rubbery here 

 together with a young Deodar plant, the soil being a fine 



light loam, formerly a garden. All throve well for about 

 fave or six years, when the two Ponderosas were attacked 

 by an insect which fed on the pith of the young shoots, 

 and every year destroyed them. The plants, consequently 

 got stunted and deformed ; one was taken up, and the 

 other, though still alive and making efforts to recover 

 presents a wretched spectacle of disease. The others 

 throve apace ; the Cembra is a noble-looking tree a 

 picture of health and beauty ; but the Douglasii and the 

 Deodar became the admiration of all who saw them and 

 confessedly, so far as I was assured by many 'well- 

 informed gardeners and nurserymen, the finest specimens 

 in Scotland. The Douglasii had attained the height of 

 more than 30 feet, being a growth of more than 2 feet 

 (about 2i feet) per annum. During the summer before 

 last (1843), we remarked that two of the lower branches 

 dried up and withered ; but as the tree still looked 

 vigorous, we hoped it "was owing to some accidental 

 cause. In the winter, however, I remarked a less healthy 

 hue stealing over other branches ; and in spring, while 

 the other trees were beginning to make their shoots, the 

 unfortunate Douglasii was observed gradually to change 

 colour, like a branch separated from the stem: no 

 swelling of the buds took place, and by the end of May, 

 when I returned from an absence of some months, it had 

 become red as if scorched with fire— the tree was dead. 

 A friend in the neighbourhood, who has very extensive 

 plantations, and who has studied the matter much, 

 having called one day and seeing what had occurred, 

 suggested that the cause would probably be found to be 

 in the roots having struck through the congenial soil 

 into some unfriendly stratum below ; and that, as all of the 

 Silver Fir species love a moist soil, this had in all like- 

 lihood penetrated to the dry gravel which forms much of 

 our subsoil. His forester having come some days after, 

 examined the spot with my gardener ; and, on digging 

 beside the tree, found that the roots had struck into a 

 dead sand, where they had been literally starved. The 

 unusually dry weather of this spring had accelerated the 

 catastrophe. The Cembra continues as healthy and 

 vigorous as ever ; and the Deodar, though not more than 

 11 feet high, spreads its thick pensile branches over a 

 circumference of 10 yards, resembling a fountain of green 

 waters in the regularity of its weeping boughs.— James 

 B. Fraser, Moniack, Inverness. 



Local Horticultural Sooielies. 



573 



^"^^^^^T V° n he neSt inSt6ad ° f I that ""* hel * t0 8et the matter at re8t ' l ™" only add, 

 sure to prove effectuaf-if V /7 f ° ll0W1Dg eTenln * " that n ° thin * C0U,d be more ««rf.etory to myself than 



the present state of the plants, many of which I hope to 



have in fruit in February next.— G. Fleming^rentham. 

 Valerian Root.— No doubt many unverified traditions 

 have been perpetuated, and some from a remote an- 

 tiquity, without sufficient inquiry. How is this, as to 

 the continually re-asserted predilection of cats for Va- 

 lerian ? Thinking it might have remedial effects, in case 

 of indisposition, I tried it. I found the cat would drink 

 an infusion of druggist's Valerian, with plenty of milk, 

 but not at all without. I found no disposition to touch 

 or smell the drug, or the fingers which had handled it. 

 The same indifference was manifested for the leaves, 

 stem, and blossom of fresh Valerian. I find no difference 

 between cat and kitten in this respect, and can discover 

 no appearance of truth in the story. Can you either 

 affirm or deny it? The same questions apply to the 

 Mint called Nepeta Cataria. But I cannot try it, as 

 I do not. know the plant, or where to find it— A. II. 

 [If your Valerian roots are fresh, and given to male cats, 



you will soon find that the influence of it is perceptible 

 enough.] 



Transmutation of Corn.— Inthe Gardeners' Chronicle 

 of the 17th inst., I observe an article in which you give 

 an account of an experiment tried by Lord Bristol, sug- 

 gested by the old German notion that one species of 

 grain, if cut over in an early stage of its growth, will in 

 the following year produce grain of another description. 

 Having heard of this hypothesis several years ago, I 

 determined to test it. Accordingly I sowed a small 

 patch in the kitchen garden with Oats, and cut them 

 over several times before the flowering stems appeared. 

 The following spring many of the plants were dead, but 

 the leaves of those which remained had very much the 

 appearance of Barley. I showed this to Mr. Smith, of 

 Deanston, aud several other eminent agriculturists, who 

 thought that the plants were of the Barley species ; and 

 I had not previously informed them why 1 winhed to 

 have their opinion. They grew luxuriantly, and in the 

 course of a few weeks 1 felt the ear in the sheath, which, 

 when it opened, showed magnificent seeds of Timothy 

 Grass. Whether this was a transmutation, or whether the 

 Oat plants had died, and dormant seeds of Timothy 

 Grass had taken their place, I know not. I de- 

 termined to try the experiment again, and did so with 

 Oats, Barley, and Wheat. I gave these the same treat- 

 ment as in the former case; and the second year, 

 although many of the plants had died, those which sur- 

 vived showed ears of Oats, Barley, and Wheat, just as 

 they had been sown. I am determined again to test 

 this theory, and, by way of greater security, I mean to 

 sow the grains in flower-pots — two seeds in each, having 

 the mould well examined to prevent, if possible, the 

 presence of any other seeds. Although rather late for 



At * »•* v * mm .* ■ *- 



1 1T1 1 Q, 



. . . - — -■• Thomas Lewiu, tiii» season, still I B \,«\l try ii this fSSX, zz ssil as next 



pnncipalMcretary and treasurer of the Eltham Horti- J at an earlier period.- J. S. R. 



the hou 



-at; tue Q ouse : it w oi —•^s''" wun me otner Vines in 



iSl TWi "J «• 'he M U9 ct° n f .r Ch ?■ Gra P eS u P° n " : the 

 *W«»» Grape-*™,!. , Alexa >"iri a . It is thought by 



«,: ""all m£T«te this variety should have i 

 «<*&** ; hp»» 3 Ior "self, as if ...„„;-„ 1 „ u:Li.-_ m.. 



0* ^ 



perat 



with 



house 



ure J °ut a shn f J* S lt re< l uires a higher tem- 



it8 lew situation a * iU prove how [t a S rees 

 i a ,!° D ' At Present, the Vines 



ia the 



M- U8e $ r °fc as fr^l. AC P resent > the 



e *r^r nU , red ga.den, o/wnf° mm ? nCabba g e8 in a wel1 " 

 $*, Mackenzie. Allows by wet ditches.— Peter 



ound ** The Grey P 



... Je informed if TnT^'V^ Con *tant Reader " wishes to 

 n d^ [ av o«ritebirdDioLn eme £ y . Can be a PP lied to prevent a 

 I**! a** been bread llnH 8 -» ltS feathers - The usual food 

 t be^.withstandin Ke ' m f 1,k '. Sicken bones, &c, but not- 

 ffO#'pntin Ues t * *7 attention to diet, the unsightly bird 



" ^ * ^ a PPear — Z *l er L win S and tail feather as soon 



ing wasps 



<t?! 8eribed it p.T«?'"~ The mode of destroy 

 erC ii^Jo simple and effeoti 8 f VCry old affair » ™ d by no means 

 sry .oc covered by Prof^I/ 8 the one with turpentine, dis- 

 *rX*?*' Chr °nicle n A 11 - 10 *' and detailed in the Gar- 

 ^gethod, however £ ° 37 ' 1842 « Even on this latter 

 ittent ^V/utting the ' great improvement has been made 



! tfCh n8ertin g «* necknf lu a bottle » hstead « f a cup, 

 pod*** the nest, and .»!? °[. the bottle in the hole leading 



^?^^««ended K ,llld11 * ifc with some earth, in the 

 ^ »?°, ' ToL 1843 v a corres P° nd ent, " B. C. K.," at 



^£1 7 S* m «ch ai «nf ry httle tur Pentine is required- 

 bed 5| Mgied iQ the J^ will w et the sides of the bottle. If 



^■° b r the foUowin. tne . ev euing, every wasp will be 



WQ ? t0 f ail of X , 0,?lng ' In no in8tance have l 

 Te the nest Wl! T deB « d effect, excepting in cases 



; nc ^ f rom the JoT ? J he « rou n d or at a greater 



^ A ptrtiiTSii ° f the hole than I had anti- 



Xailure m ay sometimes occur where 





cultural Society, presents compliments to the Editor of 

 the Gardeners' Chronicle, and begs to contradict the 

 statement lately given in it of the falling to the ground 

 of the above Association. Being assured it cannot be 

 his wish to discountenance the smallest exertions in such 

 a cause, she begs to tender her assurance, that though 

 its object is little more than parochial improvement, and 

 had not been supposed worthy of notice in such a 

 register as the Chronicle, yet that its Editor may record 

 it as doing successfully, and affording an example easy 

 of imitation to all parishes where a few persons will take 

 the management of it.— Bam House, Eltham. [We 

 hope our correspondents will be in future more cautious 

 in their reports of dead Societies. We rejoice to find 

 that the Eltham is flourishing, and wish it all the success 

 its managers can desire.] 



Flower Garderi at Tandridge Court.— I imagine that 

 if my neighbour, " W. H. M." had resided in the 

 neighbourhood at the time the Flower Gardens were 

 made here, which is nearly ten years ago, he would have 

 found that the first operation was draining. If he had 

 referred to my former statement, he would have found 

 the pond mentioned in it. To our great disappointment, 

 we found only one spring, and the water from it is con- 

 veyed through the garden in an iron pipe. u W. H. M." 

 might have stated that, in order to add to the number of 

 beds, the present design of the Flower Garden is the 

 third that has been made on the same spot. He mieht 

 also have stated that some of the beds are on a sandy 

 bank, and look equally well with those in the horse- 

 pond. — J. Clark, Tandridge Court, Surrey. 



Pine-Apples.—\n February last I had about 100 

 Pine-suckers potted into six-inch pots, and plunged over 

 the rims of the pots, in a bed composed of two-thirds 

 leaves, and one-third fresh tan, 20 inches deep, and 

 heated by means of hot-water tanks below. In May the 

 plants having filled the small pots with roots, were 

 shifted into pots 10 inches wide and 9 inches deep, the 

 sides being perforated. These were plunged in the same 

 pit, so that the rims of the pots were 2 inches below the 

 surface of the bed. The plants grew very well, making 

 stiff short leaves of the finest healthy hue. On the 12th 

 of this month I took them out of the pit again, and 

 found that not only the pots were filled with roots, but 

 that they had extended through the holes at the sides, 

 and over the rims of the pots, in many cases as much as 

 20 inches. The plants were not watered during the 

 whole season, but merely syringed overhead on the after- 

 noons of fine days. The bed was always in a medium 

 state of dryness, and the soil in the pots was the same. 

 Perhaps those who are now engaged in discussing the 

 relative fitness of leaves and tan for Pines to root in, 



>f 



Foreign Correspondence. 



Extract of a Letter from one of the Secretaries to 

 the Wellington (New Zealand) Horticultural Society ; 

 dated Wellington, IVthFeb., 1844.— His Excellency has 

 granted to our Society 10 acres of land in a very conve- 

 nient situation, for the purposes of a garden, and we 

 only want increased funds to avail ourselves to the ut- 

 most of this liberal provision. I was led to recommend 

 the packing of fruit and other trees in zinc cases through 

 an inadvertence it is needless to explain ; and I regret 

 this the more, as it may be productive of injurious con- 

 sequences. The trees — Apple and Pear — to which I 

 alluded in my former letter, and which, after being nine 

 months out of the ground (the vessel not sailing until 

 five months after the time stipulated in the advertisement), 

 are now flourishing in my garden, some of them having 

 borne fruit this season, were packed in a deal case, in 

 Moss onlv, and without straw. At Valparaiso I wit- 

 nessed another successful instance of this way of packing. 

 A Frenchman arrived there, after a voyage of nearly four 

 months, with several cases of flowering shrubs and trees 

 from France, in the very best order. They had each a 

 small ball of earth to the roots, which were afterwards 

 wrapped in Moss, and the plants were packed in the 

 same material to prevent their being disturbed. I am 

 anxious to correct any error, because a case of plants was 

 sent to us by the London Horticultural Society, packed 

 air-tight, and they all perished. In the warm latitudes 

 these airtight cases prevent evaporation, and this causes 

 fermentation, especially if straw be used, as in the instance 

 of a case I received, with the other alluded to above, con- 

 taining Peach, Plum, Gooseberry, and Currant-trees, all 

 of which died. I hope a better fate is reserved for the 

 Vines you are good enough to promise us, and which I 

 expect with great impatience. They shall receive every 

 care, and I have provided for them an excellent situation. 

 I feel greatly obliged by your promise of the Poppy and 

 other seeds ; if I may venture a suggestion, you cannot 

 forward them in a better way than by post, inclosed in 

 brown paper, as a letter, or as you sent the Trifolium, 

 every seed of which grew, and it has since been widely 

 disseminated through this and the neighbouring settle- 

 ments. You would also greatly oblige me by sending in 

 this way a few Cucumber and Melon seeds ; Cucumber 

 seeds I have not yet been able to save In the colony. I 

 am making another effort this year. From the inquiries I 

 have made I find neither Box for borders nor the Lily of 

 the Valley are to obtained in Sydney or Van Piemen's 

 Land ; the common Primrose and double and single 

 Violets, we have. I must confess a great partiality for 

 reumve utiieas ui icaves ana tan ror rmes iu iuui m, the established favourites of the gardens of our father- 

 | will be able to draw some conclusion from these facts j land ; they have a double charm, from early associations. 



