

THE GARDENER 



CHRONICLE 



**• 



SSefore on receiving them from the nursery, i and Ferns ; no words can express the beauty of "the 

 J^in a close frame for a day and a night to jungle. The most productive places, however, I found 



339 



gjlQ f-lflWi P°tS 



T^l^ with coarse 



. ^Untinff out there will be nothing to abstract 

 the ball of earth. A good start is of great import- 



• therefore care should be taken that the plant is 



' to ft fair size without drawing during the time it 



*d e pot • the stouter it is the better, without being 



- '. d i t 'should not be pot-bound at the time of 



■J-Lkn* out : both the roots and the point of the plant 



2oyld be in a thriving condition, and free from aphides. 



Umav perhaps be unnecessary to state that the plants 



uTu T careful hardened off before they are turned 



Ifthewiil and nlanta are in a nroner stafp th* 



7*em from their confinement ; then repot them to be the old Coffee plantations, where the scrubby 

 inch rots, using rich soil : the pots should be crooked trees were almost borne to the ground by the 



weight of the parasites ; here a great epiphytal Ficus or 



Fagrsea mounted on high, far thicker and stronger than 



its supporter ; and there a perfect blaze of scarlet 



iEschynanthus, streaming down from the huge matted 



tufts of Asplenium or Acrostichum, ship loads of Vanda 



speciosa and odoratissima, Saccolabia, Dendrobia, 



Ephippia, any one of which would have carried off all 



the prizes at Chiswick, and sent all the gardeners into 



fits ; and in every damp hollow groves of Dicksonias, 



Alsophilse, and Marattise, some rising 40 or 50 feet, 



whose marvellous elegance and beauty, w lien swept by 



the wind, neither pen nor pencil can tell. Aroidea? are 



in great force, and of very various forms, as are also 



parasitical Rhododendra, Thibaudise, and such plants 



Melastomaccee are very prevalent here, especially the 



genus Medinilla ; most of them are semi-parasitic 



trailing plants, and hang in great masses from the 



trunks of the trees. But the Mosses and the Hepatiete 



enticed me most, for these I could collect : while it was 



June will be a good time for the general 

 •iBritowhicbj with ordinary care and attention, will 

 pwSce good blooms in time for the earliest exhibition. 

 A short period will suffice to have plants of a good 

 liie • but it should be borne in mind that hours lost in 

 repotting them when in a young state will make a 

 difference of days in the time of blooming, and it is 

 important that tin's should be clearly understood, that 

 bo neglect in the matter may be permitted to take 

 place. Examine the plants often to see if any require 

 water ; by no means let them become dry so long as 

 tbey are in pots. Secure them with proper and strong 

 faatenings at the time of planting ; water whenever they 

 require it, and sprinkle the foliage slightly almost every 

 e?ening with soft water. Tie out the branches, and, as 

 he plant increases in size, secure the side-shoots firmly 

 to extra stakes. Cut away all superfluous small shoots. 

 Some varieties have scarcely any to remove, while 

 others have a considerable number. Fearless is of the 



however, appeared to follow, the fish got worse and ulti 

 mately died. This was in June, 1853. Before this 

 extraordinary change came on, the fish had been 

 observed to cluster together in one particular secluded 

 spot, and rarely came out as they had been accustomed 

 to do, and when they did venture forth they rubbed or 

 jerked themselves with much force against the gravel 

 and rockwork, as though Eomething was irritating the 

 skin ; nothing however, was visible. I had had these 



S^ ab ° Ut l8months » the same aquarium. A* 

 the water was perfectly bright and clear, and free from 

 all odour or unpleasant taste, I procured six fresh 

 minnows and placed them in the tank ; for about 10 

 days they appeared to be pretty healthy ; they did 

 not, however, swim about freely, but herded together 

 in one corner of the aquarium, and then the sair, 

 extraordinary change gradually came on which had 

 been observed in the others, and after lingering for 17 

 days they all died. On carefully scrutinising the dif- 

 ferent parts of the tank with a magnify iog-glass, my 

 attention was at once arrested by observing the enor- 

 mous numbers of the Hydra fusca which were present, 



Some of the pendent Hepatic* aud Neckerse are a foot line towards the Ifeht at the Law nf tl£ «i!„* t 

 oi. more long and the effect of large masses of them is Vallisneria spL^Eutta f ntch at v 't.^rLf 

 most beautiful, especially intermixed as they are with ' •«* — * J ~ --»--»-* - • • * Buuve _"! e fe ravei > 



long bunches of a white Usnea, like U. fiorida. I believe 

 I have collected about 200 species of Hepatica?, Musci, 

 and Lichens, and the greater part of them in fruit. I 

 shall be able, I think, to make 20 to 30 sets when I 

 have time to open them ; at present I have just dried 

 and packed them up in a box, which it will be several 

 months before I am able to attack. You shall receive 

 some early specimens when I do get at them. The 



which has but few shoots requiring the use of the natives here are very capital intelligent fellows. I had 



h».. . , - 



criminate pruning must therefore be avoided. Study the 

 kafcit of the plant, and consider if the flower will be im- 

 proved by increased size; all varieties need some 

 thinning and disbudding, which should be effected at 

 different periods. Small flow ers require it as soon as 

 the young shoots and buds can be removed, while large 

 flowers, such as the Thames Bank Hero, Princess 

 Louisa, and many others, would be rendered coarse and 

 valueless for the purposes of exhibition if a number of 

 *■*• wis not permitted to remain till the plant was 

 coming into bloom. Size in this case would be gained 

 at the expense of quality; besides, there is the advan- 



u?.u l? three Wooms where two would be grown. 

 ^ the other hand, size, in moderation, must not be lost 



2! 7 , U was , not with small blooms that I have 

 SKJ T V u ZeS f ° r these last 15 y^w- T would there- 

 KS n y ° U r Dg gr ° Wer t0 avoid tbe twoextremes. 

 *oSX g J ; T 8 /n exh V bition > * s * general rule, they 

 fed f Ja U T brd blown before tooyare put under the 

 mt Si -i ° are . t0 Seeure suefa as *PP« to be 

 Sv fw;^ at ,i the time the y "• "J^d, from 

 SSnd mSt SlDgS and earwi ^ 8 are v ^y deBtrue- 

 2SS P erS€Verin ^y ^ P t down from the 



» y u & , f e PUt ° Ut ti!1 the end of the season. 

 l*£»J!^£ ann °>: ed T b y a ^all black insect 



e of th ? case 1Q Ju w> use ever y **""» to 



■ the plants to make rapid growths, by 



syringing them overhead, and 



r -— which 

 I paid one rupee, or about sixteen pence, and they 



seemed quite delighted. They soon found out what I 



wanted, and I owe many of the specimens in fruit to 



their sharp eyes. When I found a species barren, I 



and on the whole of the rock-work around the space 

 where the minnows delighted to hide ; here they might 

 have been seen stretching out from the sides, hanging 

 down from the top— in fact, in every possible direction ; 

 here, then, was a solution of all the evil. It now became 

 a question how these pests were to be eradicated, and, 

 after canvassing in my mind a variety of suggestions, I 

 determined to endeavour to remove them individually, 

 and by this means they were speedily got rid of ; from 

 50 to 100 being taken out daily. The m. thod by which 

 this operation was effected was as follows :— A long 



glass capillary tube open at both ends was introduced 

 into the water, having the finger kept tightly over the 

 upper orifice, while, with the edge of the lower opening, 



.,, , -, . - , , .,- .. . - . * - the P 0, ype w *s detached from its hold ; the moment this 



just showed it them and told theni where 1 expected to was effected and the hydra began slowly to fall through 



find the fruit proceeding from, and they rarely failed to 

 find it before long. They seemed, too, to identify them- 

 selves so with the matter, and showed such emulation 

 as to who should be the first to find something new, 

 that it was quite pleasant to be with them— 1 might 

 have fancied myself among botanists. These moun- 

 taineers, however, are botanists to an extent you would 

 hardly expect among so-called savages. Every plant 



the water, the finger was removed, and the water with 

 the polype was thus rapidly driven into the tube by the 

 pressure of the external column of water ; on replacing 

 the finger the contained water and polype were removed. 

 By persevering in this course they were caught with the 

 ; greatest rapidity, and dropped into another vessel 

 beiore they had time to attach themselves to the interior 

 of the tube, falling through the water like a miniature 



I ■ "^ ■" • » a — - _ _ 



has its native name, and given upon the system of parachute. When situated in places where this mode 

 generic and specific names. For instance, when I asked of capture could not be employed, as on the leaves ot 

 a man the name of a little Pavetta, he said at once, " I the Valihsneria, or on the under sides of the rock- work 

 never saw this before, and I don't know its own name, they were pulled off with a jerk bv means of a small 

 but its 'mother name'Js so and so," mentioning the I pair of forceps. In this manner between 400 and 500 



term for Pavetta Ixora and such 



f 



£22 and 



points of the shoots. 



^'tZlT'tT.^ a , Dd Vari0US ' other remedies";;; 



El Tf k S condlt,OI >> they will soon recover 

 ^ *"• tin«8 a Iff ° n , proves dl T» wate ' ^eely two 

 i**: RiVea Ma '\ lUt DeVer let * be done b y 

 *"* ft? be £ l 8 ° ak ":? When y°« do "*<*, if that 

 £?* «« ^ m £ v - Empl ° y man « r e-wate'r once 

 fcwit ^KJ5? beg,n \° throw U P their huds; 



**t Before cSf ? * Y* k 8tate at the commence- 

 ^tae 8s ? o rt Udlu S. tlies .^e m arks,pennit me to 



•^^ Se DaS - - "* iDterest token botU «■ the 



in general. The authors of the catalogue of the Buiten- ' about 6 gallons of water. Since this some small carp 

 zorg Garden have thought these names worth recording, j and also minnows have been placed in the same water 

 and I think they are right ; for I saw many plants I and have continued now for upwards of 16 months in 

 should not have seen, especially among the Ericere, but perfect health. It is a curious problem as to the manner 

 by asking for them by such names given in the catalogue; in which this destruction of life was brought about 

 and it is wonderful, on looking these over, to find how 



stem is carried out. It is of eonrse imperfect, whenever their extended tentacula were touched bv the 



fe ..v ~*,v,ul , my 

 own impression is that the hydras seized on the minnows 



__ — ___ _ _ ff j 



but remarkable for people with no written language. 

 Motley j in Hooker's Journal of Botany, 



swimming fish— stinging them, and causing a great 

 degree of irritation ; and that the polypes were torn 



4 





29. 



* -- Tht coni P e tition and in the raising 



^Huiecuhi V n e r JOy ^ e ^ and P leasin S recreation 

 SL ^ fail . l° n , 1 u l0ristS ' flowers add ™* 

 S»*« ho flower Z IrlT much . sa ^ fa ^ion in 

 ^^tic fin.;,,. 7 , niore g^nprous m repaying the 



c florist fn^ l ml 6 CIierous in repaying t 

 ° r,St for llls labour tlian the Dahlia. T. 



k 



** «f OrcUd*. l 

 r^JJS Prices 



Ksi r t0 * 10 >- 



^ JastTeek^ 1 v.~" !eyas fro „ m _ Brazi * aHuded 

 nets : ^ 



;*l|.^n 10 « ; ,1 CBtUe 3-*» snpposed"to*b'e \lbiZ 





• vi. 8 rT ber ' P- 316 >«alieed the 

 •' b Leopoldi, from ] I. to 5^. • 



C 



v — | «„ r ^ VO tv* tu ue moiaia, 

 supposed new Cattleya or 



^tt 



sma 





4 



n t p 



o>i 



1 fcr £ £ f h ^rgh. 



iw 



Uio\ 1a r > IC1 iuis,oi wincn there 

 »r* d from \l to M. pep lot. 



** — Place *V\ ~ W f u ° derstan d that the 

 ^" t,J€ Duke of v lti r\ hy Mr ' ^Ewen,gr.to 

 <^ r ^cond ii?SS &t AruDde ^ i»« been 

 W 1 * Prize of oT g i 8 ^P^titore, and has been 

 iZ^ted i3 t C W * ^ke for granted that the 



^Kn?* Mr. M'Ewp^ J JUt We ean fia y fr om ^ 

 ^* credit to h- ? produe€d a very fine effect 



JJneimm to FUk in FresJi-watcr Aquaria. — Care should ; from their position by the greater strength of the fish, 

 be taken in the aquarium for fresh water to exclude the and carried to their places of retreat, where, by conse- 

 ordinary Polype or Hydra fusca, particularly where quence, the mischief was continually accumulating. A 

 certain species of fish are to be preserved, as with the similar removal from one place to another of an analo- 

 minnovv (Leueisctis Phoxinus), for these creatures, in- gous creature, the young of the Actinia, takes place in 

 significant as they may appear, after a short time cause sea water, from their attaching themselves by their ten- 

 their death, and that under most extraordinary circum- tacula to some moving denizen, the hold bein^ released 



very soon after they are forced from their original attach- 

 ment. Warington, in Annals of Natural History. 



Australian CochincaL—The Cochineal is indigenous 

 to the colony of New South Wales ; it subsists upon 

 the Mimosa or Wattle, appearing in the form of a blight 

 and thriving best upon the young trees. There are 

 four or five generations of the insect during the year, 

 the first or spring crop (which is the finest) being full 

 grown in the month of September or October, and the 

 others following in succession through the summer and 

 autumn, a few of the insects remaining in the sheltered 

 spots on the trees through the winter sufficient to keep 

 up the stock. After laying its eggs, the insect dies, 

 and the young ones hatch and spread themselves over 

 the tree forming a sort of white film or web over the 

 body which protects, and attaches it to the tree, where 

 it remains stationary, finally laying its ei s inside the 



Jbrom the time the eggs are hatched to the full 

 growth of the insect is about seven or eight weeks. 

 The enemy of the Cochineal is the ant, which attacks 

 and devours it before half grown, stripping whole trees 

 of the insect in a very short time. It is considered 

 scarcely necessary to remark that the Cochineal Sou* 

 rishes best in dry weather. Sydney Herald, 



stances, as the following observations will tend to show : 

 In a small aquawkim that had had gold fish kept in it for 

 a length of time, but which had been removed into one 

 of larger dimensions and more fully exposed to the 

 light, an enormous number of the Hydra fusca were ob- 

 served to have made their appearance very soon after 

 this removal. Wishing therefore to ascertain if the 

 appearance and rapid increase of these polypes had been 

 prevented by the gold fish, the following experiments 

 were made : — Fifteen individuals of the Hydra fusca 

 were placed in the aquarium containing the gold fish, 

 but they very soon disappeared, having I presume been 

 devoured by the fish ; a second 15 were then introduced, 

 but with the same result. At the same time as this 



R 



^3% 



T***va. 



to bis taBte. 



- a* -* - wi? d f t tnp int0 the mountains, 

 **Ml*! **• I thin' \ a Ive ^ oe > about 4000 feet 



£*.T**lmt*t Jl!l n ! had joubeen with me, you 



Z D ^ 





WS? 



«6t go | 



^ndLiVl ranc "> *as covered with 



lcl ^ns, to say nothing of Orchids 



experiment was made 15 hydras were placed in a tank 

 containing four minnows (Leuciscus Phoxinus) and a 

 pair of small eels, but as the minnows did not appear to 

 touch them, the same number of polypes being counted W eb. 

 over several times during a period of three weeks, they 

 were soon forgotten altogether. After a space of about 

 seven months had elapsed irom this time, the minnows 

 were observed to Mtume a most extraordinary aspect, 

 the head appeared very much swollen, and the eyes of 

 all of them looked as though starting out of their heads, 

 being forced upwards and in an outward direction and 

 much enlarged ; by degrees the gills of some of them 

 became streaked with bloody markings, *r.d this 

 gradually extended to the base of the pectoral fins. 

 The whole appearance was most distressing to con tem- 

 plate, particularly as it was impossible from ignorance 

 of the cause, to adopt any remedial measures. Judging 

 from their appearance my impression was that they Ixad 

 been poisoned, and assuming that it must have arisen 

 from something putrescent which they might have raked 

 out of the materials at the bott o of the aquarium, the 

 w hole of the water was drawn off clear by a syphon, the 

 gravel and sand thoroughly washed, and everything 

 replaced in the tank with the fish ; no improvement, 



Calendar of Operations. 



(For tlie ensuing vxtk.) 



PLANT DEPARTMENT. 



Conservatory, &c — Eriostemons and other New 

 Holland plants should be carefully divested of all seed 

 pods as soon as their beauty for the season is over, 

 cutting back the shoots as much as may appear necessary 

 to secure close compactly formed specimens. Most of 

 these plants enjoy a moist atmosphere while starting 

 into growth, and as this cannot he commanded while 

 drying easterly winds prevail, except by keeping the house 



