THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



39 



nr Balfour read an extract from a 



C [ u l f7:'eJved from Dr. W. A. White, Assistant 

 letter he h» d ' e * menff dated * Camp before Sebas- 

 Surgeon, a » - „ accoa , pa nying seeds of a supeuor 



T 1 ' u°\ld I gathered in the orchards on the banks of 

 Melon he had gatner j^ ^.^ ^^ orchards were 



;be Kat f° a ' . extraordinary abundance and variety 

 surprised ai u ^ different varieties of the 



0f ^ Z Pear Peaches, Apricots, Nectarines, Quinces, 

 A u W S m the Cherry, the Walnut, th* Almond, (he Fig, 



' owioff in the greatest profusion within the space 

 T! Vre whilst the surrounding vineyards were laden 

 Ih the finest Grapes. Vegetables too were in great 

 tl ance the enormous size of which excited our 

 2SS considering the little apparent amount of 

 E expended on their cultivation. § The garden 

 • laments were rude and simple, a rich sod and a 

 SSm southern sun rendering any artificial operations 

 nece <ary The country after passing the Belbec is 

 Sklv wooded with dwarf Oak for the distance of about 

 w miles, when a rapid descent takes place into the 

 valley of Inkermann, at the south-western extremity of 

 which Sebastopol is situated, which is surrounded with 

 bare rocky hills nearly destitute of vegetation." Mr. 

 W Murray exhibited fresh specimens of the leaves, 

 cones, and timber of numerous Conifer®, brought by 

 him from California, among which were Pinus Monti- 

 cola, Jeffrevi, tuberculata, Benthamiana, Lambertiana, 

 Abies grandis, nobilis, Douglasii, with species of Thuja, 

 Taxus, and Cupressus, and Cone of Wellingtonia 

 gigantea. He stated that he had likewise brought large 

 quantities of the seeds of most of them. Among the 

 papers read were: — 1. Sketch of the Life of the late 

 Prof. E.Forbes. By Prof. Balfour. 2. On Hypericum 

 angliciim. By Charles C. Babington, M.A., F.R.S. In 

 this paper the author states that he is disposed to look 

 upon the Hypericum found by Dr. Balfour on the banks 

 of the Glanmire river, Ireland, as identical with H. 

 hircinum. He also mentioned that Mr. Isaac Carrol, of 

 Cork, looked upon the plant as having been introduced 

 in the locality mentioned. Mr. B. is disposed to think 

 that the true H. anglicum of Bertoloni exists in Britain. 

 A specimen agreeing with it in character was found by 

 Mr. T. R. Polwhele above Falmouth harbour, Cornwall, 

 and specimens of the same kind exist in Dr. Balfour's 

 Herbarium, gathered by him on the banks of the Crinan 

 Canal, in Galway, Ireland, and near Culross. H. 

 anglicum is represented in English Botany, t. 1225, 

 under the name of H. Androssemum. It is distinguished 

 chiefly by its much branched stem, two-winged pedun- 

 cles, sub-cordate- ovate rather acute leaves, few- flowered 

 cymes, ovate rather acute and unequal sepals, and by 

 the styles exceeding the stamens. The paper will 

 appear in the Annals of Natural History and in the 

 Society's Transactions. 3. On the Structure of the 

 Anthers of Erica. By John Lowe, Esq. The author 

 remarked, " I have to bring before the Society's notice 

 this evening a short sketch of two peculiar features 

 occurring in the anthers of the Erica. The anthers of 

 this genus are usually described in botanical works as 

 consisting of two loculi, which open and discharge their 

 pollen by means of lateral pores. So far this is true, 

 for if we examine a fully expanded flower, the anthers 

 wiH be seen to be free, and to have a pore or rather 

 8hton each side ; but if a young unexpanded flower be 

 examined, the anthers instead of being free will be 

 frond to be connected together into the form of a circle, 

 ™ no pores will now be seen. Their future discon- 

 nection appears to be caused by the increase of the 

 POlen in the same manner that valves are separated in 



valvular dehiscence. The first who noticed the pecu- 

 wnty above mentioned was, I believe, that very accu- 

 rate observer, Mr. Robert Brown. 4. Summary of the 



B Dal **** ***' ° f En ^ land ' 



By Mr. James 



iftotto* of Koofe*, 



i n /l t9li8kwom ^ in Russia; Impressions of the 

 w*ty and Manners of the Russians at Home. By 



Russi 



y- 8vo. Murray. (10*. 6cl.) 



SnJ! ** ™ ^ ie Interior, or the Experiences of a 

 sportsman. Rv T v «„ t' i^:„<r -i »ir~jL-» 



l2mo. 



These 



Black. 



By 



two 



works 



Ivan 



(6s.) 



TourgheniefT, of Moscow. 



tfate of a • convey a clear idea of the present 



Picture afT^x ' m Russia 5 in the first we have a vivid 

 *e find o • ts of the higher orders, in the latter 

 condition f° P | 10U8 il,ustration of country life and of the 

 factions °f P easant ry ; Both appear to be the pro- 

 nation Th ^ e p Sons intimately acquainted with the 

 106 countr f En S^hwoman is a lady who resided in 

 Present *? k *° years > an(i on| y q uitted it when the 

 ^tostobfT °^ e ° Ut ' tlie 8 P orts,nan professes and 

 Which our anatlvecuuntr yg eri tleman. The impression 

 Russian c\ authors produce is unfavourable to the 

 e ?es of 8t j, cter > and cannot faii to lower it in the 



^ d ifferent ngerS ' ^^ tells t * le SamG stor ^> aItnou g n 

 P* ce and vi te ^ ms ' tue Englishwoman with infinite 



W 6nfficip 1V f Cl ^ ,t ^ e s P ortsman hi a somewhat tedious 

 &****[ iJtV 6ra P llic wa y- From both we gather the 

 what inthe aU classes of society are utterly lost to 



Wifc y char ac r Stern W ° rId constitute s high feeling— bru- 

 miser y the er,SeS the g overn ment ; immorality society ; 

 ** many pv p€asantl 7 ; venality everybody. There 



H S h t to state H Pt l° nS t0 tl,U 8 enera l charge, and it is 

 Present I mL^l a ? on S them ia especially included the 

 * m ° D 8 fienl C° is P ainted like an angel enthro 



give a notion of the 



ned 

 state of 



Russian high society as described by the Englishwoman, 

 we take a few of the very striking anecdotes with which 

 her pages are crov/ded. 



A lady had imprudently touched upon some forbidden 

 subject at a masquerade : 



* The next morning she was disagreeably surprised 

 by a visit from an officer of the secret police, who 

 politely requested her to accompany him to Count 

 Orloff's office. Such an invitation was, of course, not to 

 be refused — she went immediately. The gentleman who 

 received her was ahnabilite itself ; he kindly pointed to 

 a seat that stood near, and blandly proceeded to ask her 

 a few questions concerning the previous evening's 

 amusement, to all of which the terrified lady tremblingly 

 replied < the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the 

 truth/ for no equivocation would have availed her in 

 that place. When the interrogation was finished, the 

 chair suddenly sank through the floor, and I am ashamed 

 to say that from the hand of some unseen person below 

 she received a correction such as little boys used for- 

 merly to be subjected to from the birch of old-fashioned 

 schoolmasters. 5 ' 



u The same misfortune is said to have occurred about 

 four months ago to a certain noble princess from the 

 south, who expressed some sympathy with the cause of 

 the Western Powers. I have often asked Russians, 

 when they were boasting of their great civilisation, if 

 this were a proof of it. Once the reply was that < a 

 great many of the Russian ladies deserved to be beaten, 

 and that it would do them a great deal of good.' At 

 another time, in speaking of the peasant-women being 



so treated, a certain Prince A replied that 6 they 



were not worthy of the title of women ; they were no 

 better than cattle ! ' * 



" When abroad, the Russians invariably deny that 

 such a state of things exists ; they will even sometimes 

 attempt to hide it in their own country, which shows 

 that at the least they have the grace to be ashamed of it." 



Money is the subject nearest to a Russian's heart : 



a In no country is more avidity displayed in the pur- 

 suit of gain ; only speak of a piece of silver, and a 

 Russian's eyes sparkle at the sound, and he is ready to 

 do anything in order to obtain it. Copecks and whisky 

 are the two greatest temptations of his heart. M. 



p ski, a gentleman of education, assured me, only 



the morning I left St. Petersburg, that they were in 

 much more danger from the pillage of the lower classes 

 than from any exterior enemy ; and he expressed the 

 greatest fears for the consequences of bringing so many 

 thousands of wild savages of soldiers into the town, for, 

 if they rose, it would be en masse, and he was fearful 

 that the great temptation offered by the sight of a 

 civilised capital for the first time would shortly prove an 

 irresistible one ; if they did have an outbreak, it would 

 sweep the upper classes away like a torrent." 



The treatment of serfs makes us shudder as we write : 

 " One of the trials that took place before my friend's 

 husband was that of a proprietress who had amused 

 herself with shamefully cutting and maiming several 

 children on her estates ; when asked what could have 

 induced her to commit acts of such demoniacal cruelty, 

 her reply was, * C'etait pour me distraire ! f She was 

 exiled to Siberia." 



a During our stay in Jaroslaf a commission was sent 

 from St. Petersburg to inquire into the manner in which 

 the slaves of a neighbouring estate had been treated by 

 their proprietress. Her shameful conduct had driven the 

 unhappy serfs to such desperation that some of them had 

 found the means to escape, and had fled to the capital ; 

 they threw themselves at the feet of the Emperor, and 

 implored him, in the name of God their common Father, 

 to be their friend and protector, and to do them justice, 

 as they had none other that would help them. His 

 Majesty (who, if unbiassed by evil counsellors and inte- 

 rested landowners, is always ready to listen to the 

 prayers of his poor peasants) promised that, if he found 

 that they were guiltless, and had spoken truly, he would 

 see that they received justice, and immediately gave 

 orders that the strictest inquiries should be made con- 

 cerning them. The result was that the estate was taken 

 from the lady who had so ill-treated the peasants ; she 

 was allowed a small pension, enough to keep her from 

 actual want, out of the rents, and the property was put 

 under the care of trustees, that she should no longer 

 have the power in her hands which she had so disgrace- 

 fully abused. Even her daughters were removed from 

 her guardianship, lest her example should have a bad 

 influence on them. 



* Many other instances have been mentioned to me 

 in which the Emperor has displayed as much humanity 

 as justice ; undoubtedly there would be fewer abuses 

 were it possible that the knowledge of them could reach 

 him ; but thousands of vile and unjust actions are com- 

 mitted that are hushed up and escape the punishment 

 they deserve. The Russians stand infinitely more in 

 fear of the Emperor than they do of their Creator. The 

 common saying, 'The Czar is near, but God is far off,' 

 gives a good idea of their feeling on the subject." 



After reading such anecdotes as these we suspect that 

 the reader will be tempted to ask with us — what then 

 is the difference between Russian civilisation and 

 Turkish barbarism ? It is some consolation to find that 

 so well-informed a person as our very clever and enter- 

 taining authoress is of opinion that this present state of 

 things cannot last, but that some tremendous political 

 hurricane is about to sweep over the country and purify 

 the atmosphere ; that in fact the Russians have already 

 I arrived at the reign of their Louis XV. a J 



Garden Memoranda. 



Mr. Loddiges', Hackney. — Immediately after the 

 Crystal Palace Company had removed the last of the 

 Palms and other plants which they had purchased of 

 Mr. Loddiges to Sydenham, the large Palm house here 

 was sold by auction and cleared away, as well as all 

 other glass, &c, which was not required to be retained, 

 and now the once celebrated nursery grounds which the 

 Messrs. Loddiges have held until within these last few 

 mouths for nearly a century are laid out in sites for 

 building, and so intersected by proposed new streets, that 

 no trace of the old nursery with its arboretum and 

 numerous plant-houses remains. Mr. Loddiges has, 

 however, still retained his unrivalled collection of 

 Orchids and Ferns, for which accommodation has been 

 found on his own ground — a long parallelogram lying 

 on the south side of the old nursery, and immediately 

 behind his dwelling-house. Here a long lean-to house 

 (the old Heath-house), and two span-roofed houses, 

 together with a small show house, contain the entire 

 collection, or at least all the specimen plants. Among 

 those in bloom in the lean-to house were Odontoglossum 

 Bictoniense, Oncidium divaricatum and other Oncids, 

 several Zygopetalums, an extremely high-coloured variety 

 of Ly caste Skinneri, and, what is not very often found 

 in blossom, Dendrobium speciosum. There was also 

 in this house, though not in flower, a large compact 

 mass of Lselia superbiens, which promises in a year or 

 two more to be a noble specimen. In one of the span- 

 roofed houses Sophronitis grandiflora was in bloom on 

 blocks suspended from the roof, and on a shelf below 

 them were several plants of Broughtonia sanguinea, the 

 bright crimson flowers of which have a cheerful appear- 

 ance at this season of the year. This plant requires 

 little moisture, but it likes plenty of light and heat, and 

 therefore it is found to do best when grown close to the 

 glass, where it gets well roasted by the sun. The large 

 yellow Oncidium bifolium and one or two Lady's Slippers 

 were also in flower in this stove. The other span-roofed 

 house is glazed with rough plate glass, and is entered 

 through the show-house, which is at present filled with 

 Camellias and a few rare Ferns. Among the latter was 

 a noble plant of the handsome Gleichenia scandens, a 

 New Holland species nearly allied to G. microphylla ; 

 also Mertensia flabellata, another New Holland species 

 of great beauty ; and here, to a Wardian case, was like- 

 wise the New Zealand Todea pellucida in the shape of a 

 little tree with short stem and spreading branches (leaves). 

 This is a Fern which requires a good deal of care to 

 cultivate, and it is very difficult to propagate ; its 

 beauty, however, amply repays any extra attention 

 which it may demand. The Orchid-house connected 

 with the show-house just mentioned is glazed with 

 rough plate-glass, and a little strip of z nc about 

 2 inches wide, bent to a right angle in the middle, is 

 tacked on below each astragal, in order to carry off 

 condensed moisture which would otherwise fail on the 

 plants in the shape of drip. This is found to be a cheap 

 and good way of remedying the evil. Among plants in 

 flower in this house, we remarked Dendrobium anos- 

 mum, a handsomer kind than D. macrophyllum, to 

 which it is related, and it has none of that Rhubarb 

 scent about it which belongs to the last-named species. 

 Associated with it were also D. albo-sanguineum and 

 Dalhousieanum, the ivory-white flowered Cymbidium 

 eburneum, the variety of Aerides affine Bometimes 

 called Colonel Fielding's Foxbrush, a noble plant of 

 Coelogyne asperata, otherwise called Lowii, Ansellia 

 africana, and a few other plants, all of which were in 

 very good condition. 



FLORICULTURE. 



Pansies in Pots. — My cold frames are again becom- 

 ing gay with these delightful spring flowers. Duke of 

 Norfolk, Sir Philip Sidney, Disraeli, Ophir, Robert 

 Burns, Euphemia, France Cycole, Mrs. Beck, Duke of 

 Perth, Climax, and one or two seedlings which I expect 

 will be first class flowers, already arrest attention. Those 

 who have never tried to cultivate the Pansy in this way 

 have little idea what a profusion of really gay flowers is 

 produced by this plant during the whole of the early 

 months ; and with proper attention they will blossom 

 in good character till the latter part of May. As 

 regards cultivation, little need be said ; for the Pansy 

 is not difficult to manage. Plants for early flowering 

 should be potted up from the open ground in 

 October. If the weather is open in the last week 

 in January, or the first week in February, begin 

 to repot generally, using soil consisting of good 

 decomposed turfy loam, rotten manure, a little leaf- 

 mould, and coarse sand, the latter in proportion to the 

 nature of the loam. The soil should not be pressed hard 

 with the hand ; no water should be given for a day or 

 two after potting. Before, as well as after this opera- 

 tion, the plants must be kept well up to the glass. They 

 should have from two to six shoots, or strong leaders; 

 and to keep them to these chosen shoots, a number of 

 small ones must from time to time be removed. These 

 cuttings answer the double purpose of strengthening the 

 main shoots, and producing a stock of young plants 

 which will supply the place of the old ones when worn 

 our. Keep the frames in which they are placed open 

 whenever the weather is favourable, pulling the lights 

 back or tilting them up ; maintain the plants in a grow- 

 ing state by watering them as often as they require it, 

 going over them for this purpose every day. Plants 

 that have several shoots should be tied into shape, 

 placing the centre-branch upright in the middle, and 





