THE GARDENERS 



CHRONICLE 



[JtNE ](J 



known by the mme of & cma iro ^ ^ 



t0 HUle 2 r ctts o\ th^hlaa stomach ; and the 

 cerous ^ ffect,0 ° s r °i hich it ha s over parasitic moulds 

 deStrU ,f^dCeso h f this fact. P One particular 

 ? r6 ( " nfav nerhaps afford a clue to its action over 

 Z fat r ""Iff. i3f known that if a bundle of bnm- 

 ? ftn p matches be burnt in a barrel, the fermenta ion 

 Swnfwhen Placed in that barrel will be arrested. 

 lw the fumes of brimstone cons st of snlphnion. 

 icid and as the whole body of the wme p aced in the 

 ™k fs affected, the quantity of the acid which is 

 ^hlVof arresting the growth of the yeast fungus 

 ^alSSSfnitmLl. Now if the leave- of 

 E* infested with mould are dusted with sulphur, 

 fhough the sulphur is insoluble in water and may 

 be exposed to ordinary air for a long time withou 

 ^JL it is verv possible that the oxygen just 

 taS'ed from She foliage by the action of light in 

 Sing the decomposition of carbonic acid or 

 arising from other chemical processes taking place 

 wS the plant, being in a nascent state, may 

 readily combine with a portion of the sulphur and 

 thus form sulphurous acid, and still more in Jhe 

 application of a solution of sulphuret of potash with 

 the addition of an acid, where the sulphur is in the 

 act of being eliminated, and can combine at once 

 under the most favourable circumstances, with the 



nascent oxygen. 



It would be easy for a good 

 ascertain precisely whether sulphurous 

 really formed under such circumstances, or wnemer 

 some other combination of sulphur and oxygen 

 is given out, and it would be doing good 

 service to the horticulturist to ascertain the point. 

 Where sulphur is used to combat disease in the 

 human frame, especially when applied in- 

 wardly, more than one combination takes 

 place." and a large portion of the substance, 

 when taken in a crude state, passes away 

 unaltered. In its application to the purposes 

 of cultivation it is likewise a small portion 

 only in all probability which is effectual ; 

 and if the action could be precisely ascer- 

 tained th e results might be of great impor- 

 tance, in an economical point of view, where 



~ 60 gardens a bo^elninTionei^nd we have no personal 

 means of attesting that the directors rules are 



practically carried out. But as the report appears 

 5 be fairly drawn up, without the usual desire to 

 snow off he garden, a condensed summary is given 

 n Mother column as conveying an idea of what are 

 the ways and means which the doctors of the 

 hardens of the minor universities have to work with. 

 ^Leaving out of the question such large establish- 

 ments as the Botanic Gardens of Pans, Berlin 

 Petersburg!!, Vienna, &c, where we every now and 

 then hea/of splendid outlays (not even then always 

 backed by corresponding annual expenditure) the 

 universal complaint at all these gardens is want of 



drawings sent home by Mr. Low, there is 

 variety with fiery red flowers of a much iarw * 

 and leaves stained with red at the edge. ^^ **' 

 The ovary of this species, not mentioned in 



TJnrf Soc. Journal, is tomentose. S.ppIW «.*.*i_ , 



terming* 





the value of this fact. 



andtrgftit 



borrowed 



But is the best use always made of the 



* Are not sometimes the 



chemist to 

 acid 



is 



funds. 



funds which they have { 



main objects interfered with or entirely lost sight 

 of in the vain attempt to supply commercially the 

 deficient means 1 And is there "ft generally 

 speaking, a desire rather to do much than to do 

 well' — to crowd into the smallest space every 

 variety of arrangement, scientific or practical, that 



has been thought of in the most magnificently 

 appointed establishment, and above all to swell 

 their lists with as large a number of names as 

 possible, without caring for the reality or correctness 

 of these names, or for the value or worthlessness of 

 the articles represented ? These are topics upon 

 which it may be useful to enter into some further 

 details. G.B. ^___ 



New Plants. . 



131 RHonoDENDRON Brookeanum. Low in Journal 



— Hort. Soc, iii. 82. 



We have ascertained that the beautiful golden yellow 

 Rhododendron which has been late y exhibited by 

 Messrs. Veitch is one of those of which figures were 



tne worn, auuvo nuuteu, . — 



" This noble plant not only grows on treet W 

 according to one of Mr. Low's memoranda, i 8 otcJ£ 

 ally met with 'on Moss-covered limestone rocks, fa*, 

 ing from November to July.' Another note npooit 



•" " " - - * * I shall never forget the first disco**? 



of this gorgeous plant; it was epiphytal npetutm 

 which was growing in the water of a creek. The hot 

 of flowers was very large, arranged loosely, rf tfa* 

 richest golden yellow, resplendent when in the — 



„ . , . w aJjx of 



this and the other Borneo species is so small as to be 

 scarcely perceptible. The roots are large and fleshy, 

 not fibrous as those of the terrestrial rhododendrons. 

 It is the least common of all the genus in the island, ind 



flowm 





Botanical Gardens are on the Continent 

 attached to all universities or collegiate es- 

 tablishments where the medical portion of 

 the instruction imparted is considered as of 

 any importance. For it is there universally 

 admitted that botany, or the knowledge of 

 plants from which the great majority of the 

 most valuable medicaments are prepared, as 

 well as chemistry, which teaches the mode 

 of extracting the medicinal principle to the 

 best advantage, are two most essential 

 branches of a medical and especially of a 

 pharmaceutical education ; and a botanical 

 garden, when well conducted with reference 

 to its special object, is found to be of essen- 

 tial service in such a course of botanical 

 lectures as the student in medicine requires. 

 It is also of great assistance to the professor 

 who would give to his pupils such an interest 

 in botany as should induce them more or 

 less to pursue it beyond the lecture-room, 

 either as an independent science, or as a 

 branch of general knowledge to be applied 

 as occasion may point out in the various 

 paths of life and business they may follow. 

 Personal visits, in many cases several 

 times repeated during the last 20 or 30 years, 

 to upwards of CO of these continental botanic 

 gardens from Barcelona and Palermo to 

 Upsala and Petersburgh, from Paris and 

 Brussels to Constantinople and Odessa, have 

 led us to take much interest in the question 

 of the real objects and practical working of 

 these establishments. Watching such ac- 

 counts of them as appear more especially 

 in the German journals, official reports or 

 extra-official complaints, we have been led 

 to an examination of the causes why, not- 

 withstanding the recognised utility of many 

 of them, there are yet others which appear 

 far from answering the expectations enter- 

 tained respecting them as helps to useful 

 instruction in medical or general botany. 



and leaves ; the former of a more or less red „_„ 

 Very high and large trees in damp forests are ita 



favourite haunts.' 



" In his ' Sarawak ' we find it mentioned in the Mot 



ing paragraph :— « The still river, winding its wj 

 amidst the limestone, which is shaded with overbaagfcf 

 trees, is nevertheless very pretty ; and the hill oppwfr 

 to which we now lie rises in a precipice 200 feet tbow 

 our heads, its face being covered with climbm? 

 and the projections of the rocks clothed with Fen* aid 

 other plants, among which I observed the bright flows 

 of the beautiful and new yellow Rfwdodendm Brook 

 anum, and the elegant Fern-like foliage of s lop- 

 leafed stemless Palm.'— P. 374. ; . 



" This species is allied to K. jarastos, 



from which it differs in having larger Hows. 



and nearly sessile, not long-stalked, leans, fc 



under side of whieh is entirely destitute 4* 



rustv specks which characterise the Jars j*t 



Coloured drawings of two varieties are MR 



me — one yellow, the other richied. Thejtfw 



is represented with 14 flowers ma loo****. 



of a rich buff colour, and 2 inches i«mi £ 



limb. The colour, however, is etates i *j J* 



Low to be incorrect, and it is probabljm* 



too dull. The annexed cut reprewj* 



variety diminished. The red has larger ten* 



and only five flowers in a c luster, a « 



resembling the Azalea mdica l^^ 



They are more than 3 inches across fe to* 



VEGETABLE PATHOLOGY. 



No. LXXVI. 



325. Senectus (Old f^T^ 1 



plaints to which organic ^XV& 

 niost formidable and ™*vo,d$k. rf 



tures have to a *?**££ i Z£s0+ 

 reparation, and by jodieiom tre » , 



tion may be deferred; b '^Ji* 

 short period ; the vital ; energt s * ^ 

 become impaired the ^^ *J eir f**» 

 solidated so as to be unfit fw ^ itA 

 and in the absence of all otner 

 at length ensues by their P^E&[ 

 326 The more indepen ^JTLrf. i 

 is, and the more complete «J e JW 

 new individuals from the paten « ^ .^ 



effects of age. >*^\ iB j. 

 »ble world, where * 

 f independent, OJ ^ 

 'within certain n**^ 



ege 



so greaU; inlegree **££& * 

 full life in the morn.ng, and ^ P^ j- 

 before the sun has i tet xter0 al:' 



dom again, where there » jn ^ 



of new individuals, though «he } ; 



connected for a time^Jl- prolon ^ 



pore*- 



The annual ana nufl ' -^ 



•1 ♦ he per lectio' 1 *• ^ , 



,ththeP ield !*!>»£ 



decrease ■ ,^ 



rathe g^Tu 



ends its course wi 



prime 



crop 



whil 



thousand years 

 327. There 



uneq u 



monies tnau evcix — .- t te t to »~. 

 past are obliged to Bubmi a^ ■ rf ^ 

 law. According to the ^upp y ^ ^ 



*t± 



the soil, or in 



wattrflS %S 



d n* t wi» 



circum9ia"v Cf , •- art w.- .*p 



vigour fa«^'J e e ;S?he firs «* 

 The topmost ^ &nche ^ &t leufe" 1 •£&■ 

 so that the tree presc«» 8 ,, < j, 



leaves, as mucn ^V^"^^i with eveiy^,, ^ 

 more liberally The latter .-are bright green above, pale green below, f H ' n j£, n a e * tpr c a ge rie» of ye»r» 



supplied with funds. This is not indeed one of the and unstained with other colour ; but according 



continental establishments 



t ty directors of other 

 mnch 



of other , i 8 no t able to produce the perfect form of its lea 1 

 liberally The latter are bright green above, pale green bel 



no. /vf fVaa o^A nncraina/) tirith AtllPr Cnlniir * h\\t ACCOrdlllB 



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