302 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 





Fries 

 dea I 



; 7, 8, Cladosporium herbarura. Fig. 9 represents 

 cells attached to the cuticle of the leaves of 



Portugal Laurel, to which I shall have some iuture 

 occasion to aliude. M. J. B. 



pots 

 water 



SARRACENIA DRUMMONDI. 

 Visitors to Chats worth, in the summer and autumn 

 of 1849, were scare* lv more surprised at the glorious 

 aspect of the Victoria Lily, than at the exquisite beauty 

 of this plant, many lar^e specimens of which decorated 

 neighbouring stove anion rare < >rchids of the richest 

 hues and the most interesting forms. 



It was, we believe, originally introduced by the late 

 Mr. Drummond, who met with it in Florida, near the 

 town of A ppa lac hi col a. It has since boon found abun- 

 dantly, by L)r. Chapman, on the western borders of the 

 river of the same name, below Ocheesee. It, therefore, 

 inhabits the swa ps of a region which, during summer, 

 experiences a tropical beat, as in some measure indi- 

 cated by the presence of Orchidaceous Epiphytes, such 

 M Epideudrum Magnolia? and tampeuse. 



The pitchers of this plant are from 18 inches to 2J 

 feet long, perfectly erect ud straight, with very much 

 the form of a postman's horn. Tiieir colour is of the 

 most vivid green, except at the upper expanded end, 

 where they are brilliantly \u negated with white, red, 

 and green. The rim of the orifice of the pitchers is 

 slightly folded back, from the front towards the back, 

 where it expands into a broad roundish arched cover, 

 much undulated and crisped. In the inside this cover 

 is clothed with long hairs, which partially disappear 

 towards the entrance of the pitcher, at which point 

 there is a considerable exudation of sweet viscid matter, 

 appare !y secreted by the hairs which exist there. The 

 flower is of a dingy purple colour, roundish, about 2£ 

 inches in diameter, with five blunt acuminate sepals, five 

 obovate inflexed petals, and a pale green diluted five- 

 angled membranous stigma, which is nearly as long as 

 the flower itself ; each angle is divided into two short 

 lobes, beneath winch, in a fold, lies the real stigmatic 

 surface. These flowers have little beauty, and are by 

 no means the object of the ardener's care. 



The so-called pitchers are in reality the leaves of 

 this plant, in a very singular condition ; the pitcher 

 itself being the leafstalk, and the cover its blade. By 

 what mode of ieifielopment this kind of structure is pro- 

 duced has never yet been conclusively shown. It has 

 been thought that the pitcher is formed by the folding 

 together, in its earliest infancy, of the two sides of a flat 

 leafstalk, the lino of which union is indicated by a firm 

 elevated rib, which proceeds from the base to the opening 

 of the pitcher, as if to stiffen and sustain it ; but this is 

 not certain, and it is more probable that the pitcher is 

 the result of a hollowing process, coeval with the first 

 growth of the pitcher itself, and analogous to that which 

 produces the hip of the Rose, or the cup at the bottom 

 of the calyx of Eschscholtzia, or the cups that appear 

 accidentally upon Cabbage leaves. 



If the exact nature of the pitcher is thus undecided, 

 we are still further from a knowledge of the use for 

 which so singular an apparatus is destiued. To the 

 common idea, that nature intended it to hold water, 

 arise these objections : that water is not found in the 

 pitcher except after rains or heavy dews, and that plants 

 which grow naturally in bogs can hardly require any 

 unusual apparatus for supplying them with water. 

 Others think that the pitcher is a contrivance for 

 detaining insects in captivity till they perish and decay, 

 the putrefaction of these creatures conducing to the 

 nutrition of the plant. But there is no apparent reason 

 why the Side-saddle flower should require this sort of 

 special nutriment more than its neighbours in the same 

 bogs, which have no pitchers. This, however, is certain, 

 that if the pitchers were intended for fly-traps, they 

 could hardly have been more ingeniously contrived. It 

 is the honey of the mouth of the pitcher that tempts the 

 insects to their destruction; and, accordingly, they are 

 found in abundance at the bottom. In the plant now 

 before us we count, in the month of February, about a 

 dozen, two of which are wasps; and Mr. Croom says 

 that he found in one of his a large butterfly (Papilio 

 Tumus). Reversed hairs keep them there without hope 

 of escape. As the sides of the pitchers consist of very 

 lax cellular tissue, containing large cavities in every 

 direction, and as starch grains in abundance escape 

 from the sides when wounded, it is a question whether 

 this starch, converted into sugar by the vital force of 

 the pitch r, may not serve to sweeten the water in which 

 the imprisoned insects meet a miserable end ? 



The manner in which the North American Side-saddle 

 flowers are grown at Chatsworth is explained in the 

 following memorandum, which is applicable to the more 

 common species as well as to that which is the imme- 

 diate object of the present article :— 



u The stove is decidedly the most suitable place for 

 these species making and maturing their growth, at 

 winch time they require much warmth and moisture. A 

 temperature of from 80« to 100°, with plenty of water 

 at the roots, and syringing three times a day, from 

 March till Sept ber, we have found to suit them the 

 best. During their season of rest, a greenhouse would 

 probably answer the ends of cultivation better than the 



It has been customary at Chatsworth to place the 



in saucers which have been kept full of 

 during the whole of the summer season. 

 We do not, however, attach any importance to 

 this practice. The plants will thrive equally well with- 

 out saucers. Fitchew are usually formed m October 

 and continue perfect for three months. The number of 

 pitchers on an individual plant of S. Drummondi varies 

 from 14 to 23. We have measured individual pitchers 

 of this species, and find the maximum length 2 feet 3 

 inches, and the maximum girth at the top, 6 inches. 

 Flowers usually open in March and April. By removing 

 the flower-buds as they appear, the succeeding pitchers 

 become much finer."— Paxton's Flower Garden. 





CLIMATE OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 



No. VIII. 



Nice, 2Zd April, 1855.— The weather has been 

 splendid here of late, the sky being nearly cloudless 

 since the 4th inst. The temperature has considerably 

 increased, as will be seen from the statement annexed. 

 Various flowers have in consequence come rapidly into 

 blossom, and most of the trees are in full leaf — White- 

 thorn came into flower on the 9th ; Lilacs have been 

 very fine, but are now going off; Banksian Roses 

 (yellow and white) on pillars and on walls are now in 

 perfection, together with the Chinese and several other 

 kinds, which are extensively grown for the purpose of 

 distillation for perfumery ; Verbenas are also in flower 

 in the borders, having lived through the winter ; the 

 Quince is common in the hedges, and looks quite 

 showy ; Strawberries are generally out, and on the 

 19th inst. I saw several ripe on an open southern 

 bank ; the large yellow Antirrhinum, pink Cistus, red 

 Valerian, yellow Coronilla, and Cytisus, growing wild 

 in profusion on the sides of the hills, look very gay ; the 

 white Spiraea is in fine bloom in the 'gardens ; also the 

 Judas Trees, one of which, a standard 40 feet diameter, 

 is a splendid object. 



The tall Italian Reed (Arundo donax), which often 

 exceeds 20 feet in height, grows very extensively, and, 

 besides forming a pretty addition to the general appear- 

 ance of the country, is most useful in the various pur- 

 poses for which it is applied, either in supporting the 

 Vines, for arbour trellises, Pea sticks, Olive threshing, 

 fencing, &c. 



Large quantities of Tomatoes are cultivated here, 

 and are now being planted out, as they were raised last 

 month on borders under the walls, with slight reed 

 coverings occasionally. 



Daily Temperature. 







1855. 





March 



30 



D 



31 



April 



1 



n 



2 



it 



3 



it 



4 



it 



5 



n 



6 



n 



7 



tt 



8 



n 



9 



tt 



10 



tt 



11 



it 



12 



jt 



13 



tt 



14 



tt 



15 



it 



16 



it 



17 



tt 



18 



9t 



19 



• • • 



• a 



• f • 



• - ■ 



■ . * 



. . - 



« ■ • 



• . . 



■ • ■ 



• ■ * 



• • « 



• ■ ■ 



• • • 



• • t 



• ■ ■ 



• - . 



a ■ • 



• * fl 



. ■ • 



• •• 



• * • 



• • • 



• • • 



« •* 



• • • 



• • • 



• • . 



• • 



• • 



fl f * 



• • « 



45 

 44 



47 

 47 

 43 



49 

 50 

 55 

 60 



58 



Mean 



• f ■ 



• ■ ♦ 



• ■ a 



• » 



• • « 



• • - 



• •a 



• • • 



• • • 



• * • 



• • • 



• • • 



• • • 



• 4 . 



• • • 



• • • 



« ■ • 



• ■ « 



• • • 



• - • 



9 fl fl 



• • • 



• • ■ 



• • » 



• a a 



• a • 



fl fl • 



■ ■ ■ 



a a » 



• a t 



• • ■ 



■ a 



• « • 



• a . 



Mean 



• a a 



fl fl » 



9 • • 



• •• 



• fl • 



• a • 



• • 



• fl • 



• • • 



• ■ • 



a • i 



■ • • 



• • • 



a v ■ 



• * • 



• • • 



a • a 



• • • 



a a ■ 



• a a 



• •• 



• ■ a 



■ ■ a 



• • ♦ 



• • a 



• •• 



a • m 



• ■ • 



a ■ 



* ■ 



• •fl 



• •• 



Mp*ti 



• •• 



• a • 



• •• 



50 



58 



45 



59 



46.5 



55.5 



51 



64 



55 



66 



54 



64 



51 



65 



52 



63 



56 



62 



53 



64 



53.1 



64 



50 



63 



55 



64 



55 



66 



59 



69 



64 



72 



67 



73 



62 



69 



58.8 



68 



46 

 46 



48 

 48 

 50 



47 



55.7 



The minimum of the night temperature during the last fort- 

 night has be*- n 46° to 56°— average minimum 51 s *. Ground tem- 

 perature, 1 foot below surface, 57°. 



COMMON THINGS, 



stove at all events, the plants should be kept in a dry 

 cool atmosphere, from 40" to 60*, not higher. The best 

 time for potti** » January, and the b£tf material for 

 that purpose is silver sand and sphagnum, well mixed 

 with a portion of peat and potsherd^ broken quite small. 

 It is important to have plenty of drainage, 4d no fear 

 need be entertained of excess in this particular 



Fruit Tree Protectors.— -Pea sticks form a capital pro- 

 tection (or fruit trees grown as pyramids, espaliers, or 

 on low walls ; they should be stuck in the ground and 

 lean on the trees, so that the spray-like branches are 

 mingled with the blossom-buds — a very small quantity 

 of refuse hay placed among the branches will make the 

 protection still more efficient. It is indeed so like that 

 given by the foliage as not to require removal till the 

 end of May. In the country, where Pea sticks are 

 abundant and can be cut of extra length, they will be 

 found, with a little hay, even for full-grown trees on 

 high walls the cheapest of all protectors. 



Broccoli.— The following kinds are especially worthy 

 of cultivation, as they produce heads at a time when, 

 under ordinary circumstances, a succession is usually 

 most required. The Walcheren may be mentioned as 

 one of the most useful in this respect. In order to have 

 a good succession from August to January sow now 

 although a little earlier would have been better, and 

 afterwards make a small sowing every three weeks 

 until about the middle of July ; in this way a good 

 succession of heads will be furnished until the end of 

 December, and by taking up the plants should the 

 weather be very frosty, and laying them in by the roots 

 in an open shed, and protecting or exposing them 

 as may appear necessary, bearing in mind that they are 

 but httle hardier than Cauliflowers, good heads of the 

 last sowing may be kept till the middle of January. 



This variety is 

 September, and plan 



all respects similar to Cauliflowers. 



also very useful when ooinfSS 

 ted under hand-lights, or tit*2^ 



* 



** 



Snow g 

 White Broccoli is also well deserving of general 

 vation ; from sowings made in May and ^rniM, 

 June very good compact white heads are prod acedrftfllf 

 the end of November to January, quite sunerwSlw 

 Grange's White, which comes in at the auB#/^^ 

 Legge's Late White is also an invaluable BroeeolL m. 

 ducing heads at a time when they are mogt ^aS " 

 although the produce is not so fine as that fro«eitba5 

 the former. The value of this variety ia, \ xm * 

 enhanced by its extreme hardiness, a property nm£ 

 now applies to few other sorts. ^^ 



Home Correspondence. 



Gooseberry Caterpillar. — Your correspondent vk 

 has so well described this insect in page 281, will 

 a service on his brother gardeners if he will tell tfcr* 

 how he managed to catch several hundreds of themk 

 an hour or two in the morning for a few dayi. Ha* 

 in Middlesex it was only on the 16th April (the oth 

 genial spring day we have yet had) that I obtenei 

 these flies in any number (a few stragglers having hot. 

 ever been previously observed), but their mod* 4 

 flight prevented me from catching them in any quantity. 

 The following day the wind turned northwards, aad 

 though fine, the number of flies was much fewer : 

 that time, however, they have disappeared with the 

 continued east and north winds ; but as they haw 

 only hidden themselves, and will again appear 

 as soon as the warm spring weather does cow, 

 gardeners ought to be on the look out, and tee 

 seems to be all probability of Mr. Grey's reply hereto 

 being in time to be of service. I may mention farther 

 that I succeeded in discovering the males of this peat, a 

 circumstance of some little interest, as * Huricola"' 

 his article on the insect in a former volume of the 



Chronicle, u Rusticus," of Godalming, (who wrote 

 amusing articles on blight in the r Entomologial 

 Magazine"), and Mr. Stephens, iu his u Illustrations of 

 British Entomology," have only described the femak 

 The male, instead of having the body of a delicate yellow 

 colour, as is that of the female, has it of a black btt, 

 the tip and sides only pale yellowish ; it is alao 

 and slenderer than the female. J. 0. Westwood. 



The Osage Orange. — Is it an established fact that thk 

 plant is to supersede the Whitethorn as a hedge pint! 

 When I went to South Wales 12 months back, I fori 

 there some plants which had been imported from Phila- 

 delphia, and planted several years ; but they had only 

 annually produced a few abortive branches and leaf*, 

 and had not made half an inch of wood in 12 montk. 

 It is true they were not planted under the most favour- 

 able circumstances, nor had they much attention after- 

 wards ; but Whitethorn, side by side with them, grew 

 as well as it generally grows, making from 1 to 3 feet of 

 good strong growth every season. In June, last year, 

 I had the ground dug round the Osage Orange, gaveita 

 good coat of dung, and soaked the plants occ^QOMJ 

 with manure water. This moved the plants a little, Ml 

 still I only got a straggling branch here and there. 2* 

 3 inches long. I have read the pamphlet on thif p** 

 published by an American seedsman 12 or 18 W 

 back, and have seen the representations of bedfla\ 

 which are certainly first-rate in every respect, but I III 

 sorry my own experience does not accord with W* 

 published in America. I fear our summers and ^^ 

 are not warm enough to ripen this free-yrowiflf p»- 

 that is, if it ever grows freely in this country, and be** 

 it will suffer much from the winter's frost ; ^ *°g 

 be mistaken. The examples above specified, **<>**> 

 warrant me in doubting this to be a first-rate pMj"£ 

 our climate, for if it will not grow in a drippy cu ^ 

 like South Wales, or if it will not hear <*>&]>&&* 

 the Whitethorn there, I fear it will D0 * %®j«. 

 value through the country generally. Jr. "• £# 

 Whittleh y Lodge. [Is not the " dripping coum? 



the explanation of its unwillingness to thrive -J ,. 



Effect of Last Winter on Conifers in Oam^f^T 

 Our situation is high for a particularly lo*!*^ , cowm 



fy* 



and the place rather exp-sed. Tbe s-u 



bsoil of •* 

 depA* 



district is chalk, but we have a very great aef 

 loam. p. HarLwegi, planted in 1848, has fJjTj^ 

 and other years' severity. It looks a ■«■ £T 

 during east winds, but has never ^^ oe T. Lg t 

 The following have stood quite untouched tmfl > 



viz. : P. Pi ne a and varieties ; P. *V^&^.*La P. 

 carpa, P. Lindleyana, P. Fremontiana, *' ^fifcal 

 radiata, P. macrophylla, P. monticola, P - ^ p yjbfr 

 its varieties ; Lemouiana, Mar di Corte, &e. ; • ^^ 

 and its varieties ; P. excelsa, P. Lambertiana, -V^^ 

 zumse, P. Kusselliana, P. Devoniana, P. ** . p, 

 P. rigida, P. inops, P, pungens ^tv P.»«£ 

 Ayacahuite, P.brutia, P. Cembra, and vftnety' t 



P. Ta>da, P. pumilio, P. pocderosa, V. J^T^P 

 Llaveana, P. tauric^P.Gerardiana^P^ora^^ f 



tuberculata, Picea Fraseri, P. grand is, r -^A. 

 Pichta, P. Pinsapo, P. nobilis, Abies Wlt ^*#* 

 orientalis, A. Duuglasi. The three spring «d ^ 

 A. morinda, P. Webbiana, and P. cepbjfcj* W 

 escaped the winter, and I hope they may ^ 



spring frosts. P. Teocote, which * iooa , bl «nUf l 

 winter, has been killed ; P. patula is wi)' tt » ^ A** 

 P. Pseudo-Strobus has last year's shoot a es ^, ^1* 

 Brunoniana suffered from last years ^^ ^re °r 

 not at present recovered, ^ne „ypr #&0* 



escaped so well ; C. Uhdeana is ^ lU ^^ e c f t* u 

 injured, but I hope not materially. 



