THE GARDENERS' CHRONIC 



of niiida called rubra and rosea ; but to 

 needless where all are so well worth 



^IfcS* *' £ r ' t0 *^ r * ^ e ^ re * > ^^ Amaryllis 

 ttSMbW*." * variet y of A - Johnsoni with a large 

 "t of colour in it. From J. Allnutt, Esq., came 

 ftpeffii Donckelaari, and a large boxful of blooms of 

 fl^-flit r *as furnished by Mr. Collins, gr. to E. H. 

 CftaMD, Esq., of Hornsey 



tod Greeuh<»use Plants were exniDitea, one irom .Messrs. 

 H«dersoa, of Pine Apple Place, the other from Mr. 

 Dan*, gr. to E. Rosher, Esq., Hamilton Terrace, St. 

 Wood. Mr. Taylor, gr. to J. Coster, Esq., also 



Thyrsacanthus rutilans, the little Violet GrassTCod^ 

 leana acaulis), and one or two other plants. 



The list of medals, &c, awarded on the occasion will 

 be found in our advertising: columns. 



Two collections of Stove 





&Qtitts> of Books 



he Fei-ns of Cheat Britain and Ireland, by Thomas 

 Moore, F.L.S. ; edited by Professor Lindley ; nature- 

 printed by Henry Bradbury. Bradbury and Evans. 

 Large folio ; 6s. each part. 



The following extracts from the editor's preface will 



j*'iWood i«r xay.or.gr. «,„. poster, i,sq. a so The following extracts from the editor's preface will 

 * ! mortta.ut.ful specimen of Boronia tnphylla, explain the history of the present publication, to whTc 

 catered with little pink stars, whose polished surfaces ' o™*t int*,.^* -*./.!.„ ._ *. . " ~ l^*"?? ."r. " . 



almost wemed to sparkle ; and of Eriostemons, a class 

 of pUcta with pale star-shaped flowers, there wer 

 food ntdtaens, together with a well-grown exam 



Acacia i/ramuiuiiui, a, ucaumui species irom Swan 

 rjtw, which flowers in a sufficiently small state to 

 raider it suitable for pot culture ; this was shown by 

 Mean. Veitch. From Mr. Moore, of the Apothecaries' 

 Garden, Chelsea, came the rare and extremely handsome 



Fern Nephrolepis davallioides. 



Of Fruit there were several exhibitions. Black 

 Hamburgh Grapes, very good bunches and well coloured, 

 were furnished by Mr. Allport, gr. to H. Ackroyd, Esq. 



Pine Apples were numerous. Mr. Bailey, of Sbar- 

 deloes, sent & prickly Cayenne weighing 4 lbs. 4 oz • 



great interest attaches, on account of the novelty and 

 importance of the curious process which it illustrates. 



" Everyone who has attempted to ascertain the name 

 ot a plant by comparing it with mere descriptions, is 

 aware of the difficulty of effecting the object unless he 

 is more familiar with the technical language of science 

 than those commonly are who, although admirers of 

 delicate texture, beautiful colour, or graceful form, do 

 not profess to be skilful botanists. Even with the aid 



plants, which are separated Irom the Camellias by a few 

 targe and fine specimens of the true Rhododendron 

 arborenm. Of the different varieties of Aphelexis there 

 ZL u ass 1 ortment ^re, as indeed there is of most 

 greenhouse plants, more especially of Cape Heaths, for 

 which tins nursery has long been celebrated. Of these 

 sef w >h e i!,° me L beautiful s P eci °>ens, which are well 

 w P Z )r buds> 0f the J *™ Rhododendron 

 ««„??! ge 1 uantities of plants. This variety is 



ffiffa ,° f T ed T U enou S h in a c ° o1 greenhouse^ 

 «2V3 "^fortunately, not sufficiently hardy to stand 

 out of doors. A new Rhododendron named retusum, 

 also from Java, has just flowered here. Its blossoms 



Z^'tST^a ia s J ape those of the *%S 



flowered Rhododendron, but they are smaller and of a 

 deep orange colour. * >• ' 



of drawings, investigation often leads to no satisfactory 

 result, in consequence of the inability of art to represent 

 faithfully the minute peculiarities by which natural 

 objects are often best distinguished. If this is so with 



plants in general it is most especially true of Ferns, the 



Mr. M'Ewen. a Black Su.ar Loaf weiwhW ft Ih. . « " I ™?^Jfe,_', nd < ender organisation of which 

 Smooth Cay 



H - Jones, gr. to Lady Charlotte Guest, had a Prickly 

 Cayenne weighing 4 lbs. 15 oz., but it was somewhat 

 ont ripe. Mr. Brown, of Waltham Abbey, had a 

 Moscow Queen, weighing 2 lbs. 9 oz. ; and Mr. Clements, 

 if Oak Hill, a Providence weighing 4 lbs. 6 oz., and a 

 Queen, 2 lbs. 12 oz. 



Strawberries in Pots.— Keens' Seedling and Cuthill's 

 BUck Trince were shown by Mr. M'Ewen, of Arundel, 

 ud Mr. Fleming, gr. to the Duke of Sutherland, at 

 Clevedon. Mr. M'Ewen also furnished a dish of mixed 

 Strawberries, consisting of Keens' Seedling and British 

 Queen. The best dish of Strawberries, however (Keens' 

 tawiing), C ame from the gardens of the Duke of Marl- 

 Wough. These were fruit worthy of July ; and little 

 KB can be said of a dish of Ingram's Prince of Wales 



tw c T , em at Fro S more > an <* of a dish of 

 ieens Seedling from Mr. Snow. Mr. Brown, of Wal- 

 ton Abbey, sent Keens' Seedling. 

 A plate of May Duke Cherries was exhibited by Mr. 



fiSfir* tbe Earl ° f WUt ° n at Heat0n Park > near 



Raall 



^Raspberry was produced by Mr. M'Ewen, to 



E?^ M may be had now > as wel1 a * Cher. 

 WSand Strawberries, if they should he desired. 



i. S T t0 th08e of the best Fre,lch growth, and 

 I Sft- P r , e8 ' rvation > wer e shown by Mr. Tillyard, 

 J^Je Right Hon. the Speaker at Heckfield. They 

 £*W of Beurru Ranee, Ne Plus Meuris, Easter 

 Jwre, and Knight's Monarch. Benrre Ranc'e Pears" 

 PL j i? ne ' Were fu rnished by Mr. Hill, gr to 



ftfr," 661 ^ Staffordshire; and^ome 

 4w \SL A PP u ,es ; T s °mewhat shrivelled, were shown 

 jmlarerpool by Mr. Hutchinson, gr. to H. Harrison, 





White 



-,— ^„,cui uu-ueii, sent a : 



.Among the Apples were enormous 



uired 



bright 



give at the best an imperfect sketch of what he supposes 

 to be theur more important features. And herein lies 

 the great defect of ali pictorial representations. The 

 draughtsman can do no more than delineate a part of 

 what he sees ; and whether he sees correctly what he 

 delineates will at all times be a matter of doubt, espe- 

 cially where, as in natural history, minute accuracy is 

 indispensable. But if minute accuracy is of more vital 

 importance m one than another race of plants, it is most 

 especially so among Ferns, in the distinctions of which 

 the form of indentations, general outline, the exact 

 manner m which repeated subdivision is effected, and 

 most especially the distribution of veins scarcely visible 

 to the naked eye, play the most important part. To 

 express such facts with the necessary accuracy, the art 

 of a Talbot or a Daguerre would have been insufficient 

 until nature-printing was brought to its present state of 

 perfection. 



"The process of the Imperial Printing Office at 

 Vienna, to which the name of nature-printing has been 

 happily applied, and to which the work now offered to 

 the public owes its origin, is a great improvement upon 

 the old method, inasmuch as it represents not only 

 general form with absolute accuracy, but also surface 

 hairs, veins, and all those minutiae of superficial structure' 

 by which plants are known, irrespective of those hidden 

 details of internal organisation. Moreover, an exact 

 copy in copper of the part to be represented being 

 employed by the printer, instead of so fragile an object 

 as the plant itself, we obtain the means of multiplying 

 copies to the same extent as in copperplate engraving ; 

 and hence the method becomes suitable for purposes of 

 publication. The Germans have already availed them- 

 selves of the method, and with considerable success. 

 Von Heufler has published a specimen of the Crypto- 

 gamous plants of the Valley of Arpasch, some of the 

 figures in which are admirable representations of 

 nature ; and other works are announced as having 

 made their appearance, or being in preparation, in the 

 Austrian dominions. 



" It is in emulation of such continental efforts that 



■>e,wereno^i -7 . l 8un * ine ^ e ars, though 



c*b?W t " 0t ? Uite equal,ed ^ th08e f rom tlie 



Eedale' St r *? alread y a,luded to > ex <*pt perhaps 



<*Fo*Sn v mai ",' Which were ver y large. F F 



^ ^Secti e „ g n etable l- M u r - Lewis ^lomon sent a 

 ^flowe™ ,' I # ? n ' A ,n wh,ch wer e enormous Cardoons, 



Chokes 'new p t S r ragU ?V French Beans > G1 °be 

 ** ** Z Ji , a T' Horn Carrots > Tomatoes, 

 7 ono * fiota «f ? c £ ,oured > roots of Oxalis crenata 

 J*^ the a ,?rf.l ?? & ather ed before they had 

 S» Salad o/n t -° f th , e ground ; and an excellent 



***>, •S'whhe T °i i ettUCeS ' Endive ' Barbe du 

 Of 7Z, I. wh ' te and "d Turnip Radishes. 



^ Beans vZ P DIe8 ' n Mr - M'Ewen ^tnow*, 



*L ««*Sm g p a8 » ?° ta . t0€S ' Seakale ' As P a ragus, 

 K* «me R 8 hnh, K° m t> the Right Hon - the Speaker's 

 2S»nd CuenS ' P «. at0eS ' SeakaIe » M^orooms, 

 5*"'» Earlv p m FS - ^ Mr ' Brown showe(i a dish of 



«*»n of th e Pe e r ar ' Whi ° h Were g °° d f ° r this 



Abo 



S* 



of 



, l* ?- TllPca ""■' B " U B,8, ,r ° m Ule £jSi&t lnd >» 



SL 80 ^ 5 5le^ er p 8tr ,° ng ' th0Ugh 9omewha * h*rd 

 8* * *>ld fnT^" aul are of 0P ln '0n that theirs 



t^pton of r if T-* hird Iess than Cuba bast. 

 S" *«t an ev 2r r8 , Buildings ' BIa <*heath Hill, 

 «T et «- Mr p.-_ p,e of her ornamental leather 



43jP*»t fault 



2 1 tf cy'indfr* «V ? owed a s< l ua r e Orchid basket 



Uhf u" mt ea rthenware, holed at the 

 "»r being fastened together with wire. 



tan ' —y hann™ . 0Ught t0 be tneir liability to break 

 TS Ppen t0 meet with a fall or other 



^S tofstla R the i° c5ety came a collection of 



lver Trym&lium odoratissimum, 



the present work has been prepared, with the view of 

 showing by unmistakeable evidence in what the dif- 

 ferences consist among the Ferns which grow wild in 

 Great Britain and Ireland. It is true that nature- 

 printing has its defects as well as its advantages : it can 

 only represent what lies upon the surface, and not the 

 whole even of that. But, on the other hand, its 

 accuracy is perfect as far as it goes ; and in the case of 

 British Ferns it goes far enough for all practical 

 purposes. 



• The minute structures to which botanists trust for 

 the distinction of genera, and to which nature-printing 

 cannot be applied, are sufficiently pointed out by de- 

 scription alone, and, among the subjects of the present 

 contributed | work at least, are in no need of delineation. It is not, 



indeed, too much to say that in many other plants 



besides Ferns a knowledge of the inconspicuous parts 

 of fructification might be dispensed with if it were 

 possible accurately to represent by figures, or to describe 

 by words, the real forms and condition of the larger 

 organs. But, when compared with the result of nature- 

 printing, botanical drawings are often little more than 

 indifferent diagrams. It is related of the late John 

 Gough, of Kendal, that, having become totally blind 

 from small-pox when two years old, he so cultivated his 

 other senses as to recognise by touch, smell, or taste, 

 almost every plant within 20 miles of his native place. 

 It is believed that good nature-printing will convey to 

 the eye the same class of positive impressions as those 

 which were conveyed to the mind of Gough by other 

 organs." * , 



fn^; i a ° %u "i T" A Wel1 £ rown P lant of ifc thickly 

 furnished with blossoms, provided they are only bright 



enough, must, therefore, have a striking appearance 



Among Orchids, some noble plants were in bloom 

 foremost among them must' be mentioned specimens of 

 i^eudrobium macranthum, and a large-flowered variety 

 ol that kind; also the charming D. densiflorum ; 

 together with various plants of D. nobile ; Burlingtonia 

 migrans ; some of the better varieties of Cattleya 

 bkmnen ; the rare and beautiful C. Aclandise ; Odonto- 

 glossum hastilabium, a white-lipped species with long 

 narrow sepals and petals beautifully marked with bands 

 of deep purple ; the still scarce 0. Pescatorei ; and the 

 graceful yet singular looking Cypripedium Lowi or Low's 

 Lady s Slipper. This last had four beautiful blooms on 

 it. A novelty was also here in the shape of Brassia 

 | cmnamomea, a species so named on account of half of 

 each of its flowers being cinnamon-coloured. It is not 

 a plant of great beauty, but it possesses an odour 

 which is liked by some, and it will serve to make 

 variety. Of Vandas several were in flower, and at 

 an end of the house, which is somewhat damp and 

 shaded, were some of the better kinds of Pitcher plants, 

 while in a propagating house were numbers of Cepha- 

 lotus follicular^, and young plants of Nepenthes, all 

 raised from seeds. Of Ferns there is an interesting 

 collection here, among which were examples of Platy- 

 cerium grande ; the most remarkable, however, was a 

 noble plant of the rare Nephrolepia davallioides, whose 

 graceful fronds measured nearly 3 feet in length, and 

 half a foot in width. Of Begonias we noticed a Java 

 kind, with handsome foliage, covered all over with 

 bright red hairs ; and of Meyenia erecta, a new tender 

 greenhouse shrub from Cape Coast, a few plants 

 were pointed out, and if its flowers at all agree with 

 those in drawings of it, it will certainly be an acquisi- 

 tion. They are represented as being nearly as large as 

 a half-crown piece, and of a beautiful blue with a light 

 eye. Among Vacciniums was Rollissoni, a small, dee 

 crimson-flowered kind, which is said to be hardy ; an« 

 among Conifers were fine plants of the different sorts of 

 Araucarias, the as yet little known Thujopsis borealis, 

 Podocarpus antarctica, and the smaller-leaved P. acicu- 

 Jaris, together with fine plants of the new Thuja 

 gigantea, which is said to be the same as the Libocedrus 

 decurrens of Torrey. 



Out of doors, in a large American ground which the 

 Messrs. Rollisson have at some distance from the 

 home nursery, many of the Rhododendrons have been 

 browned and otherwise hurt by the frost, especially 

 some of the early crosses from arboreum ; with the 

 exception of these, however, no great amount of damage 

 has been sustained. Large quantities of Sikkim Rho- 

 dodendrons are grown here ; but they are in pits ; they, 

 therefore, have wintered safely. Indeed, R. Edge- 

 worthi promises soon to be in flower. 



Of new houses one or two are being erected for soft- 

 wooded plants, such as Pelargoniums and things of that 

 sort, to the growth of which the Messrs. Rollisson are 

 about to devote especial attention. 



Garden Memoranda. 



Messrs. Rollisson's Nursery, Tooting. — The 

 Camellia house here lias been extremely gay for some 

 weeks past ; but now, although it is still well worth 

 inspection, its beauty is considerably impaired by the 

 decay of many of the best blossoms. The house is a 

 long lean-to, one end of which is filled with greenhouse 



FLORICULTURE. 



The Cineraria.— Where do we find a plant, which 

 during the autumn, winter, and early spring months, 

 is so gay and beautiful as this ; or one which is so useful 

 for exhibition or decorative purposes, or for the embel- 

 lishment of the flower- vase or bouquet \ By gas or 

 candle-light, the colours of some of the rose, crimson, 

 and purple varieties are extremely brilliant ; while the 

 white varieties, margined with the preceding colours, 

 are matchless. Add to this, that many of the kinds are 

 agreeably fragrant, and you have nearly all the quali- 

 ties which constitute a useful flower. In treating of the 

 Cineraria as a plant for exhibition, or of its value for 

 decorative purposes (and, in the early part of the season, 

 the plants make a fine display), I cannot refrain from 

 stating that their cultivation should be much improved, 

 and indeed must be before they will assume their 

 wonted standing upon our exhibition-tables. Only a few 

 years ago Cinerarias were but a set of poor, starry 

 things, with narrow, flimsy petals, and flowers supported 

 by tall, unsightly stems ; but now, thanks to the march 

 of improvement, the best varieties are dwarf and com- 

 pact, and, when properly grown, produce perfect 

 trusses of stout, and, in some few cases, of almost 

 perfectly-formed flowers. When high cultivation is 

 aimed at, peculiar treatment (which I shall presently 

 describe) is required to produce stout, healthy cuttings, 

 as from such the Cineraria can only be properly grown. 

 As the plant is now in bloom, and seedlings will be 

 required, a few of the most esteemed varieties should be 

 selected for that purpose, bearing in mind that those 

 chosen must be of the best possible form, clear colours 



