,8 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[Mat 19. 



the Royal Muscat! iues from Mr. Ward, gr. to \V. 

 Stephe . Ksq., had scarcely atlained that condition. 

 Mr. Constantino had some well fruited Vines in pots, 

 most skilfully dwarfed, and the admiration of everybody. 

 The sort was rhe white Muscadine. 



Peaches and Nectarines came from the Duke of 

 Sutherland's garden at Trentham. The Nectarines were 

 the Murray and Elruge, and the Peaches the Royal 



of common pure white wax being 155% and its familiar with the secret processes of jobbery ^ 



specific gravity -963. The wax of the Coccus Pea exposes them Among o her points discuS b* 



purified was fonnd by Mr. Hanbury to have its pampldet are the shameless dismissal of Mr 



raltin* ooint at 182»-75 F. ; its specfic grav.ty — »- '- i»« -"- — 



has not been ascertained ; it does not dissolve, or 

 at least very sparingly, in alcohol ether or in 

 solution of caustic alkali ; but it dissolves readily, like 

 the Chinese wax of commerce, in napntha and fixed 



George. May Duke Cherries also came from Trentham, I vegetable oils ; and on «f "g^^^J^ 

 and 5L variety and Blaek Circassian from Mr. Ingram, ^^^^^-^^^^^^V ^rTpSSTli.-^^SSSS 





gr. to Her Majesty at Frogmore. , 



Strawberries were plentiful, large, and well coloured. 

 Mr. McEwen, gr. to the Duke of Norfolk at Arundel, 

 contributed a collection in which were Eleanor, British 



of 



Queen, and Victoria ; and of single dishes Mr. Cox, ?r. 

 .- t ,',-j r.._ — * v — £>cw^i;— . Mr. Con- 



very closely with that of the substances just noticed ; it 

 had the same kind of acieular crystallisation in stellate 

 masses ; the melting point was not very accurately 

 made out, owing to the minute quantity operated on, 

 but it appeared to be between 190° and 200° Fahr. ; it 



the same variety were also furnished by Mr. L,ane, gr. 

 to J. L'almtr, I {.. Mr. Drummoml, gr. to S. L. Ste- 

 phens, Esq., Mr. Iveson of Syon, Mr. Lane of Fulham, there can 



to J. Hodgeson, Esq., sent Keens' Seedling ; 



solution of caustic potash, whilst in naphtha and vege 

 table oils it dissolves readily. From these characters 



be little doubt that the white secretion of the 



nedy for his immovable official rectitude a 

 flagrant injustice towards Mr. Brown commit!? 1 

 the Treasury. Administrative reformers shouM^L^ 

 this pamphlet, which is not a tissue of idle a2: 

 mation, but an able revelation of undeniable fccti . " 

 they will then learn why government work h JJJ* 1 

 so inferior to that of private enterprise as ei»!rf ** 

 Treasury officers is constantly declaring, whDe be • 

 the same time doing everything in his power to J 1 * 

 its inferiority. If government work is wretched* 

 because Government employs wretched tools airf^f 

 misses those who resolutely set about »ettitU w^** 



That is all. s ua 6Nht 





Loudon's Encyclopaedia 

 Mrs. Loudon. 8vo., 



and Messrs. Tyne < Son of llounslow 



Mr. McEwen exhibited a dish of Rivers 1 Perpetual- 

 bearing lWpberriea ; small fruit, but well ripened. 



Brown Turkey Figs came from Mr. Busby, gr. to 



J. Crawley, Esq. 



Of Melons, Mr. Fleming sent fruit of the Trentham 

 Hybrid, and Mr. Robertson, gr. to Lady Emily Foley, 

 had a livl> I Persian. Mr. Gray, gr. to W. Ricardo, 

 Esq., sent the Queen Melon. 



Miscellaneous Fri'its consisted of a collection of 

 Mandarin Oranges, in pots, from the Duke of Suther- 

 land's garden at Trentham. These were nice little 

 plants, each bearing 4 and 5 fruit. Mr. Lockyer, of 

 Plymouth, produced specimens of Lemons grown in the 

 open air ; and some very large Cucumbers, called the 

 Himalaya, came from Mr. ltoser, gr. to J. Bradbury, 

 Ksq., of Strcatham. 



Mr. I vi n showed a ripe' fruit of the Mangosteen 

 from the Duke of Northumberland's garden at Syon, 

 C oncern ing which a full account will be found at p. 259, 

 of a previous number. 



■ 1-'" * 



LtmtJE* . May lat*.— The President in the Chair. 

 F. Tagart, Esq., was elected a Fellow; and Professor i cons i ste< i f 1150, 

 Goppert, M. Hofmeister, and Dr. Planchon, Foreign 

 Members. A memoir " On the White Secretion of 

 Flata limbata, and its relation to the White Wax of 

 China," by Dr. Murchison, communicated by Dr. 

 Hooker, was read. In April, 1854, Dr. Murchison 

 observed the leaves of certain trees and shrubs growing 

 in the jungles in the neighbourhood of Rangoon to 

 have a singular whitened appearance, which proved to 

 be caused by numbers of insects bearing long white 

 pectinated appendages of considerable length. On the 

 slightest motion 1 e;ng eommuTiicated to the leaves, these 

 insects sprung off in all directions, leaving, however, the 

 white appendages behind. Dr. Murchison left Barman, 

 without further opportunity of collecting and examin- 

 ing the insects, which appeared to be a little larger 

 than a common house fly. The appendages which 

 remained on the leaves after the flight of the insects 



Flata limbata is of the nature of wax, and moreover 

 that this waxy matter is very similar in its properties 

 to the Chinese insect wax of commerce. It further 

 appears probable that the Flata is a source of that sub- 

 stance. That it is not the only source seems proved 

 by the facts adduced by Mr. Hanbury in favour of the 

 Coccus Pela. Considering, indeed, that the annual pro- 

 duce of the insect wax is not far short of 400,000 lbs. 

 per annum, and considering the very small quantity 

 yielded by an individual insect, Dr. Murchison thinks 

 it not improbable that the substance is derived from 

 several species of insect, of which no doubt the Coccus 

 Pela is one, and the Flata limbata another. 



Notices; of £ocfcsi. 



were found to be adhering to a number of dried insect 

 cases, each furnished with six legs, and evidently the 

 remains of a former stage of the insect's existence. On 

 examination it was fonnd that this white matter coating 

 the leaves possessed the properties of the insect wax of 

 China. Acting on this suggestion, Dr. Murchison 

 instituted a series of observations which led to the con- 

 clusion that the insect he had found, though probably 

 not the same which yields the insect wax that has been 

 imported from China, is yet one which, by some authors, 

 has been described and figured as the true Chinese wax 



insect ; and moreover,it was ascertained that it does yield, 

 in considerable quantities, a substance of a waxy nature, 

 which it seems probably may be employed for economic 

 purposes. It would appear that one of the first notices 

 in any English work of the Chinese wax insect is by 

 Sir G. Staunton, in his account of Lord Macartney's 

 embassy to China ; and Sir G. Staunton's insect, the 

 description of which coincides exactly with that found 

 at Rangoon, is stated by Mr. Westwood {Gard. Ckron., 

 July, 1853) to be the larva or pupa of the Flata limbata 

 of Fabricius. In the Reports of the Juries of the Exhi- 

 tion of 1851, the Chinese insect wax is stated to Le the 

 produce of the raa'e Coccus ceriferus ; but this insect 

 has been shown by Dr. Anderson to yield the substance 

 called white lac in Madras, which presents properties 

 very different from the Chinese wax, being soluble in 

 alcohol and ether, and of higher specific gravity than 

 water. Mr. D. Hanbury has subsequently endeavoured 

 to prove that the Chinese insect wax is the production 

 of a species of Coccus, and not of the Flata limbata, 

 his conclusions being drawn from specimens of the 

 crude wax transmit ed from Shanghai, as being employed representations 



of Plants. A new edition, by 

 pp. 1574, with a multitude of 



woodcuts. Longmans. 

 The first edition of this celebrated work, which is in- 

 contestably of the greatest utility to gardeners, and, 

 indeed, to all who have not access to great libraries, 



pages ; the latest in our possession 

 filled 1329 pages; that now brought before the public 

 occupies no fewer than 1574, forming a solid, massive 

 volume of small print, comparable to nothing so well as 

 to a dictionary. The great recommendatiou of the 

 work has always been its woodcuts ; which, although 

 only miniatures, were nevertheless drawn by Mr. 

 Sowerbv with such happy art, and so skilfully engraved 

 by Branston, that the plants could always be recognised, 

 even by those little acquainted with the vegetable 

 kingdom. The continuation in the form of supple- 

 ments is executed in a manner more than worthy of 

 the original, and brings down the subject to the latest 

 possible moment. The great feature of the work being 

 thus worthily maintained, we are not inclined to criti- 

 cise the letterpress, by Mr. George Don, which, as it 

 will never be lookedjjat by botanists, does not call for 

 botanical censure. How many figures the work contains 

 we are unable to ascertain, but we estimate the number 

 of plants actually represented by good woodcuts as 

 amounting to something more than nine thousand ! 



Griffiths' Posthumous Papers, Part IV. Dicotyledonous 



Plants, and a folio volume of plates. Calcutta. 

 Of this we have just received a copy by favour of the 

 Court of Directors of the East India Company. We 

 can only repeat our regret that the munificence of the 

 Company should have not been met by a little know- 

 ledge and intelligence on the part of the Indian editor. 

 Perhaps we ought to say that the present volumes 

 are in some small degree less slovenly than the 

 former ones. The wrapper informs us that the work, 

 now we presume terminated, constitutes a complete 

 system of Eiimentary and Practical Botany, founded on 



rendering 



the plants of India. We should say that it forms a , _, B 



memorable example of the possibility, by mere f -ce of The trees are all in the form of pyramid 



editorial negligence and incompetence, of 

 i almost useless one of the richest mines of botanical 

 ; knowledge which has ever beeu bequeathed to the world. 



One of the learned editor's latest discoveries is that 



Abies Brunouiana is a Taxus ! (see vol. iv., plate 375). 



Unless Dr. Thomson can do something to correct such 



scientific (?) muddling we shall have the botanical student 



at Calcutta imitating Father Loureiro in calling a 



Hydrangea a Primrose. 



Garden Memoranda. 



S. Rucker's, Esq., West Hill, Wasdswomh.-. 

 The glass covered promenade, conservatories and dJT 

 cipai stoves at this place are now very ga V and th 

 plants generally are in excellent condition. Camelliaa. 

 here as elsewhere, have begun to make their joi!2 

 wood ; but a few of them nevertheless are still in blom 

 and among the latter Duchess of Northumberland Iw* 

 especially remarkable. This has whit6 flowers striptd 

 with pink, and of excellent shape. Intermixed with tl» 

 Camellias were Azaleas in full blossom, and tketroat 

 shelf was occupied with Roses, Cinerarias, A ale* 

 in the form of low flat-headed standards covered wick 

 flowers, a handsome variety of Amaryllis vittata called 

 imperialis, an importation from Berlin ; Rhododendm 

 campanulatum superbum, a beautiful large white sort 

 spotted in the upper petals with purple ; PelargosinL 

 " Parson's Perfection/' a showy pink kind, and to ex- 

 cellent forcer ; and other showy plants. Cn a back 

 shelf, where they were partially shaded, were some 

 interesting Ferns, among which we remarked Glekhsai 

 microphylla, Hymenophyllum dilatatura, Tricho 

 reniforme, the New Zealand Davallia, Mertetsa 

 flabellata, Todea pellucida, and a few pretty littie 

 plants of Lycopods. In the stove or warm depart- 

 ment of "this house Pentas rosea was in bloom; k 

 has more colour, and is altogether a better plat 

 than P. carnea, and it is equally useful. In addi- 

 tion to Orchids and other plants in flower here wm 

 some good Gloxinias, the most remarkable of woick 

 were Prince de Ligne, perhaps the very best of red 

 kinds ; grandis, a white variety blotched with re 

 and Victoria Regina, white with a blue blotch. B»- 

 vardia longiflora, a species with snow-white flowen, 

 was likewise in full beauty here, as were the showy 

 orange scarlet Begonia Prestoniensis and other useM 



plants. J 



Many of the Orchids in the different houses, nay, 

 most of them, are magnificent specimens, and several of 

 them are at present finely in flower. Among the Utter 

 were beautiful varieties of Cattleya Moeste ; also uni- 

 flora and intermedia, Dendrobium nobile, Farmer, 

 albo-sanguineum, and others; the scarce OdontogloeW 

 Pescatorei, in the shape of a small plant purchased tie 

 other day at Mr. Linden's sale for 10?.; Lceka cina- 

 barina ; Vanda suavis, a capital plant ; PhaJanop* 

 quite masses of snowy white flowers ; Chysis brae- 

 tescens, and many others. A magnificent pl*^* 

 Cattleya Skinneri has just gone out of bloom. 

 had been apparently literally covered with *">wenk , 



In the aquarium the leaves of the different iin« « 

 .mailer growing Lilies (Nympboas) are no* neary 

 covering the surface of the water. The P^rp««j 

 placed round the tank have been cut ''? ardm ' 

 they are beginning to push strongly again, ana ^ 

 young plants of Nepenthes in another house fl * e rV 

 a most thriving condition, N. sanguinea, a smw P~ 

 from a cutting a year ago, having now on it w £ 

 pitchers extremely well coloured. In this n 

 different kinds of Variegated| Orchids were ■** 



excellent condition. j 1 f its &L 



The fruit garden here is quite a model ^^ 



high. Bush fruit "is also trained in the ^^ 

 Pears, Apples, Plums, and Cherries stand 01 £ 

 between the rows and 6 feet asunde r in« » ^ ^ 

 alternating with them on each side of the °f from tk* 

 of Gooseberry and Currant trees, lo men ^ 



The Cherries are in a compartment 



Oil 



W1J. 



for obtaining the wax of commerce. 



Iconum Botanicaruiii Index, by George A. Pritzel. 4to., 

 pp. 1184, in double columns. Williams and Norgate, 

 and Pain pi in. 



This book contains references to eisihtv-six thousand 



of 





is 



Phanerogamic plauts and Ferns 

 , 1° this sample compiled from books published in the present and the 



IT^ll ■ 1 " 11 ^' rown bodies of a feraaIe Coccup, ; i ast centuries. Although of necessity incomplete, it 



tL itlM^-ir stick encrusted with wax, and with must be regarded as a marvel of patient'industry applied 

 3r!,',! T '■' T1 l e insect Mr - W £#"0° d hftd to a most useful purp e ; for the volume forms in fact 

 18V»? cZ \ p? 9, %? m ?« e q« n * , y < fe:rf <****-> a general index to the plates in any botanical library- 

 the Coccus Pel* wSrn ► ' s , ever y P*ob*»»% that no small convenience when we consider how formidable 

 of the wax of commit. *l I* JTtv* ?* foriuat,0 » the number of illustrated books has now become, 

 that noT imnLn ? hE T ' U P r - Murchison "ggeata Dr. Pritzel has avowedly neglected such works as 

 ™i"ll m I^2L^« froi » **«** parts of Deftkin < 8 « FIori-M-aphia," dikson's -Pictorial Flora/' 



&c, upon th< round that their " little pictures *' have no 

 relation to science, and in th s he is perfectly right. 



Ilcd-tapeism : its Cause (Uidgway), is a pamphlet " by 

 one behind the scenes." That (his is a true eescru on 

 of the writer we entertain no doubt. He is evidently 



alleys. 



selves, and are 



however, the frost has killed a great brWB — 



and embryo fruit on the upper sides oi' i ^ jprf: 



but those on the under sides have »««. ^ 



sufficient may therefore yet be left f° rftC ' s & + 



at present are a sheet of blossom, bu ; *P£ htff 



yet expanded ; and, on the whole, there 



promise of fair crops of most things. h ^^ 



Deodars and other plants on the lawn, w ^ ^ 

 mention is in excellent order, ba^e^^^^ 

 paratively little or nothing from irwt. » ^ ^^ 

 some famous specimens of Sweet i*ij« < ^thctf* 

 by it, although stated to have been protect 



China may come from different 



m«ects. Tbe Chinese 



rav.ty is -965, and its meltins point has been va n<dv 

 estimate! at from 1GI° to 196« F. ; the uelt : n- i,,t 



FLORICULTURE 



*** 



Culture of i-he Dahlia fob **» the so«^2l 

 lowing concise rules, to be observe fu pje. 



culture of the Dahlia for «^b.i.on»* ^ ^ ^ 

 so much for any novelty ■*•«■ ■* of ^ 



time, 



BJO* 





recommended, as to point out a ie» ■ »• Ul ^J 

 tial things to be done at the proper ^ ^ ^ *•»- 

 in carriage, the plants are grown anu - 



