454 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



w ho>e enthusiasm has done so much to promote the J 

 cultivation and introduction of new Pine trees, and who, 

 in particular, was one of those who chiefly conduced to 

 rny brother undertaking the expedition, of which this 

 Pine forms part of the fruits." 



Home Correspondence. 



Onion Failure.— In your Paper of the 23d of June> 

 in that interesting subject * Vegetable Pathology," there 

 is a notice of a garden near Doncaster where the Onion 

 crop often fails. I have sometimes had failures in my 

 Onion crop, but since I adopted the following method of 

 growing or manuring them I have had good crops. 

 The soil is nearly related to a variety of formations, 

 for under and around us we have coal, limestone, iron- 

 stone, shale, samht-ne, whinstone, or basalt, and plenty 

 of erratic boulders belonging to other formations. Good 

 Onions may be had where there is very little soil, and 

 may be grown in any formation, from the granite to the 

 peatmoss. The manure I use is old stable dung, com- 

 monly the remains of old hotbeds, well cut up and 

 turned over several times in autumn and exposed to 

 the vicissitudes of winter. The ground on which the 

 Onion is intended to grow may be dug in winter or 

 spring without any manure being dug in. When the 

 least'ii and soil are fit for the seed, a bed may be 

 marked off 3 J feet or 4 feet wide, and as long as may be 

 wanted or the ground allow. The surface soil may be | 

 taken off to the depth of 1£ inch, and put to the right 

 and left of the bed, when a quantity of prepared manure 

 may be wheeled on, which should b3 in a soft, moist 

 state, and which would almost work like mortar when 

 beat with the back of the spade ; spread it to the depth 

 of 4 inches at least ; after spreading, tread it well with 

 the feet ; after treading, beat it well with the back of 

 the spade, and smooth the surface ; the seed may be 

 •own in rows upon the surface of the manure, or broad- 

 cast ; the earth which was taken off should be spread 

 over the seed f and afterwards raked. Bed after bed 

 may be done in the same manner until the prin- 

 cipal crop is put in, when the whole may 

 be dressed up in a neat manner. Early 

 Horn Carrot treated in the same way does un- 

 commonly well. Gardeners have sometimes to steal a 

 march upon late springs, like the one that is past. It 

 was late in the season before the frost left us, and the 

 Oniou crop was behind the time when it is commonly 

 sown. I tried an experiment with a quantity of Onion 

 seed to give it a start before it was sown ; the seed was 

 mixed with about a gallon of fine leaf-mould and put 

 into a flower pot, which held it with ease, and put in 

 the warmest part of the greenhouse, where it remained 

 a week, receiving at times a little moisture when the 

 Surface of the pot became dry ; at the end of the week 

 it was turned out of the pot, and well mixed with the 

 hands, changing the position of the seed as much as 

 possible, when it was put into the pot again : in the 

 second week it germinated, and it was near the end 

 of the second week before an opportunity was obtained 

 for sowing it ; the seed was nearly all sprung, varying 

 in length from a quarter of an inch to three-quarters of 

 an inch. I thought it was rather bad treatment it was 

 getting— taking it from its warm bed and putting its 

 blanched naked Hmbs into cold moist manure ; I ex- 

 pected to be paid back for my cruelty towards it : how- 

 ever, I was disappointed ; — the seed got the start and 

 kept it, and the bed in which the sprung seed was sown 

 is the earliest and best Onion bed in the garden. P. 

 Mackenzie, West Plean, Stirling. 



Stem Roots of Vines.— As this seems to be an age of 

 opposition, i. e. of protecting and non-protecting, of 

 fermenting and non-fermenting material, for Vine 

 borders, perhaps you will permit me to relate my expe- 

 rience in the matter. Your correspondent (see p. 358) 

 says : " Were warming the borders generally adopted, 

 roots on stems would disappear." I have two Vineries, 

 one for early forcing, the other a late house. I have 

 been a strong advocate for warming the border of the 

 first house by fermenting materials, and have for years 

 kept up a regular heat at a great deal of trouble. But 

 the Vines never gave me satisfaction ; the crop was 

 thmnish, the bunches shanked very much, the seeds of 

 the berries protruded through the skin, and there were 

 plenty of roots on the stems, which I attributed to the 

 want of liberal ventilation in the early part of the season; 

 for in my late house no roots ever made their appear- 

 ance. Last winter I thought I would try what might be 

 done without heating the border. By the middle of 

 December I covered the latter with litter and leaves, at 

 an average thickness of 9 inches, being thickest next 

 »e house, and sloping outwards. This I protected with 

 waterproof covers, and there it lay till the first week of 

 June, *hen it was removed. I may state that the roots 

 uncier the surface form a complete network. I have at 

 » time a fine crop of well swelled and well-coloured 



The translators of the New 



appeared the Tares also." 



Testament from the Greek to the Latin, such as Beza, 

 appear to have been at a loss for a word in Latin for 

 the Greek Zizania, or Tares of our translation, for the 

 Greek word is not changed in the Latin translation. 

 We have the Zizania aquatica or Canada Rice, a water 

 Grass from North America, which cannot be the Tares 

 of scripture. I am inclined to think that the Tares 

 would be a kind of Grass which would have some resem- 

 blance to the variety of Wheat Grasses. I find that in 

 some Greek and Latin dictionaries Zizania is translated 

 Lolium, and in a Latin-English dictionary Zizania or 

 Zizanium is Darnel or Ray. One should almost come to 

 the conclusion that the Tares in the parable would be 

 Lolium temulentum or drunken Darnel. If I am wrong 

 in my guess I hope some one will put me right. P. 



Mackenzie. 



New Mode of Propagating Currants.— In the spring 

 of last year an old Currant bush was cut down, and a 

 number of the branches made into Pea-sticks ; they 

 supported the Peas, and the greater part of them 

 struck root in the ground. They were allowed to remain, 

 and this season they are a row of tall bushes bearing 

 fruit. P. 



Effect of Spring Frost on Cherry Trees. — Late in May 

 the blossom of many fruit trees was nearly as stiff as 

 icicles by. means of frost, and many of them suffered 

 much ; among the rest a May Duke Cherry. All, how- 

 ever, were not destroyed, for there will still be a good 

 sprinkling of fruit over the tree ; but the most remark- 

 able thing about it is this ; about 18 inches from the 

 ground there is a branch with some Cherries upon it, 

 full grown, and well coloured, and may be eaten any 

 time, as far as ripeness is concerned. They were as 

 much exposed to all appearance as the rest of the fruit 

 on the same branch, yet on each side of the ripe fruit 

 the youDg Cherries are as small as green Peas, and as 

 green, and will not be ready for a long time to come. M. 



^octette*. 



Botanic, Regent's Park, July 4. — The 

 last fete of the season took place on this 

 under verv favourable circumstances 





j££ ^IS "° burStin £' lit,le or no shaking, and no 

 Eh^a v tei "%? f Ule Vine8 > which are ^ * fine 

 in Ml Jm «T\ " C0YeriD S the borders a nd keep- 

 purpose wn3 a i 1°* ******* Wefe to answer e ™y 



I have often wondered P what tw If , r ° f Ma " hew > 

 were We or* tniJ k nd of n,ants the Tar «i 



tad 'of PuL t! ,1 v y "Titers that they were a 

 xma or mm , they cannot well be ni««,a «<• *u * 



or the servants must have been ve£ 1 that nature, 

 have known the difference bXen wC™ i "i?*,* 

 they were in fruit, for wT« Sd and Pu ' Se 



Royal 



Society's 



occasion under very iavouraoie circumstances as 

 respects weather, and the exhibition itself, as a whole, 

 was good for July. Stove and greenhouse plants were 

 produced in abundance, and there were the usual banks 

 of Orchids, though the latter were, as might have been 

 expected, not near so good as they were in May or June. 



An admirable collection of 16 Stove and Greenhouse 

 Plants was furnished by Mr. May, gr. to H. Colyer, 

 Esq. It contained two well flowered Allamandas, 

 Dipladenia crassiuoda, Rondeletia speciosa, in luxuriant 

 health, and with very highly coloured flowers ; Pheeuo- 

 coma proliferum, in beautiful condition ; and one of the 

 best of the Everlastings, the whole being relieved and 

 set off to much advantage by the introduction of such 

 white flowered plants as Dracophyllum gracile, white 

 Vincas, and Heaths. Mr. Barter, gr. to A. Bassett, Esq., 

 contributed large and fine plants of Fhsenocoma proli- 

 ferum ; Ixora javanica, covered with flowers, which were 

 however scarcely in perfection ; the pale yellow Alla- 

 manda grandiflora, a red Azalea, Statice Holfordi, 

 Erica tricolor, and Vincas. Mr. Green had Azalea 

 lateritia still in good bloom, Mitraria coccinea, a beau- 

 tiful Everlasting, Allamanda cathart-ica, Stephanotis 

 floribunda, and liondeletia speciosa in good condition, 

 though scarcely so luxuriant or brilliant as Mr. Colyer's 

 plant. Mr. Rhodes had a group in which were the 

 yellow Relhania squarrosa, and Statice Holfordi, both 

 beautiful specimens. 



Of collections of 12 Stove and Greenhouse Plants 



Messrs. Fraser produced Relhania squarrosa, the 

 showy Kalosanthes miniata, Phsenocoma proliferum, 

 two white Vincas, two Allamandas, Stephanotis flori- 

 bunda, Ixoras, and Heaths. Mr. Cutbush, of Barnet, 

 sent lxora javanica, a noble bush, but its flowers were 

 scarcely forward enough ; a most beautiful Erica Mas- 

 soni, Dipladenia splendens, and crassinoda, Phsenocoma 

 proliferum, and the very fine variety of Cape Heath 

 called obbata. 



In collections of 10 Stove and Greenhouse Plants, 



Mr. Frost, gr. to E. L. Betts, Esq., communicated an 

 extremely well cultivated group, in which were Statice 

 Holfordi, loaded with flowers, two Allamandas, Roella 

 ciliata, one of the best plants of the kind perhaps ever 

 seen, being covered with blue cup-shaped blossoms all 

 in the greatest perfection ; Dipladenia crassinqda, a Kalo- 

 santhes, and Pimelea decussata, the latter highly 

 coloured, but with flower heads rather small. Mr. Tay- 

 lor, gr. to J. Coster, Esq., furnished two nice Ever- 

 lastings, two Cape Heaths, and Dipladenia crassinoda 

 which showed; how profusely this charming plant can 

 be flowered even in a small state. Mr. Peed had two 

 noble Cape Heaths, one of which was the pretty E. 

 Aitoni ; also Cyrtoceras reflexum, robust ; but with 

 flowers devoid of colour, and white and red Vincas. 

 Among Mr. Hamp's plants the more conspicuous were 

 Relhania squarrosa, Cyrtoceras reflexum, and Mitraria 

 coccinea, the latter well flowered. 



Of six Stove and Greenhouse Plants, the best, 

 came from Mr. Frost, gr. to E. L. Betts, Esq., who 

 sent Allamanda cathartica, a Kalosanth, Polygala oppo- 

 sitifolia, an Everlasting, and a noble Erica fernminea. 

 Mr. Williams, gr. to Miss Traill, produced the beautiful 

 variety of Cape Heath called metuleeflora bicolor, 



until they were in fruit, for wTttT told i« u u ™ mty of Ca P e Heath called metuleeflora bicolor, 

 blade was sprung up and brought forth tl u+u l P,erom t c,e g*™> a nobIe bush with deep violet besoms 



gat torth frmt then I larger than half-crown pieces ; and Pimelea decussata. 



These as well 



fine specimen.. Mr. Morrk gTlo'cri "«£££§ 



i, a beautiful plant : C^r^^i' ^3:» «* 



a large and fine Stephanotis, an Ever. 

 and Vincas. ** *" 



Erioa Massoni, a beautiful plant ; Clerodendroal^ 1 

 fen, and Mitraria coccinea. wiron hj^ 



Orchids as has been stated, were not so good, 

 have seen them even in July. Of coUe J!? U * 

 plants, considerably the best came from jSTx. 

 gr. to G. Reed Esq. It contained Mfc 

 Dalhousieanum and formosum, Aerides affine ^"* 

 mass; Epideudrum cinnabarinum and vitelline 



a H|l 



b*. 



Batemanni, with three flower spikes- SobraT* 1-1 

 crantha, Oncidium ampliatum, Odontogram 4 ^ 

 labium, Phalsenopsis grandiflora, CalanthiTl^ 

 Cypnpedium Lowi, with two spikes each havine^S 



Cattleya Mol j2 



flowers on it ; Vanda suavis 



superba, Saccolabium guttatum, Stanhopea LiafcZ. 

 and tigrina, and Barkeria spectabilis, the last ZttW 

 half-starved thing it usually is, but with most lu*n2 

 foliage and loaded with flowers. ^^ 



Mr. Williams, gr. to C. B. Warner, Esq., sent Mi 

 tonia spectabilis ; an Anguloa, with creamy whit 

 blossoms; Barkeria spectabilis, the still rare ActS 

 maculosum, Dendrobium formosum, Epidendram^ 

 rochilum, Odontoglossum citrosmum, well flowerd- 

 Cattleya Mossise, Cypripedium barbatum, Sobnfa 

 macrantha, and the white Calanthe veratrifoli*. Ml 

 Woolley produced Sarcopodium Lobbi, in the shape of 4 

 mass of yellowish buff, horned-looking floweri j D©. 

 drobium clavatum, Aerides odoratum majus, & pi 

 specimen of Phaius albus, and Lselia cinnabarina. 



The only collection of 16 Orchids exhibited 

 from Messrs. Veitch. It consisted of a beautiful 





of Oncidium pulvinatum, Sobralia macrantha, with * 

 least a dozen and a half of flowers on it ; the great 

 tailed Dendrochilum filiforme ; two fine varieUd 4 

 the Bearded Lady's Slipper; and Aerides Lobbi, tk 

 last a beautiful species, with a large amount of color 

 in it. 



Of groups of 12 Orchids, the best came from 31 

 Gedney, gr. to Mrs. Ellis, of Hoddesdon. It contaM 

 a magnificent specimen of Phaleenopsis, a goodCalattk 

 masuca, Epidendrum vitellinum, Dendrobium Dai how* 

 anum and Phaius albus. Mr. Clarke, of Hoddttta, 

 had a Phaleenopsis in good condition, and a wA 

 flowered Oncidium luridum. 



Of groups of 6 Orchids there were several. Be 

 best came from Mr. Green, gr. to Sir E. Antrota* 

 Bart. The most remarkable plant in it was a lirgi 

 Aerides, which was well flowered, and otherwise in good 

 condition. Mr. Ivison, gr. to the Duke of Nortta* 

 berland, at Syon, sent a beautiful variety of Cattleya 

 Mossise, and a noble Aerides odoratum. Mr. Mon» 

 had some good Oncidiums and Epidendrums. 



Of scarce Orchids Mr. Woolley furnished &**** 

 longifolium, Mr. Mylam a Huntleya; and we aJ» 

 noticed the same Dendrobium belonging to the secun- 

 dum class, which was exhibited at the last Chiswickex- 



hibition. . 



Cape Heaths were shown by the usual growefi « 

 them ; they were plentiful and well varied, mbj* 

 the 



another, IJUli UUIJ» nx nauit v* p«—*7 r -^^-J 



flower, but also in colour. They, therefore, recent 

 more than usual attention. -^ 



Roses this time were all shown in a cut state. JW 

 were produced by the usual exhibitors, with the exrt^ 

 of the Messrs. Lane, who did not show ; and, con»a^ 

 the hot weather we have had, they were m g°<w 



little. Messrs. veitch if? 



n; they were plentitul ana wen twwu, - — r - 

 autumn flowering kinds differing P^r r ? l, fJ 

 ther, not only in habit of plant, size, ^ d **£" 



«* 



Of novelty there was 



R0?* 



showed their fine hybrid Rhododendron Princess W£ 

 a new continental Aehimenes, *ith lilac flower *2£, 

 in ihe eye and streaked with purple, namett ^ 

 Verschaffelt ; also the shrubby Phlox, nam** *£ 

 dactylon californicum. One or two other p* 

 also shown aa new; but the above were m 



remarkable. , i,:h;t«dil* 



Of sinele specimens, Messrs. Veitch ^""y^ 

 bush of Pleroma elegans, whose showy J"' ]— ^fc 

 are more persistent than those of most i ^ ^ 

 The same firm likewise furnished ««*.*' ^gi 

 species, with handsome foliage and rich saimo 



°Of "ferns there was an interesting but not hig^ 

 play. The most important were three groui ^^ 

 species, contributed by Dr. Young, Mes ". ^ ^ 

 and Mr. Gedney. The first named, ""^ 

 finest collection, contained the very ra re' W j*^ : 

 ramala, and very finely grown plan to w^ cbei J«p*« 

 Asplenium Belan 

 lendigera, Nephrolepi 



diana, and Platycerium grande. in m^ °* , ^k* 

 group there were Drynaria corona '£ j^*i» 

 grande, Davallia tenuifolia Asplemum Be £ ^ 



very elegant Fern obta.ned from . tne fi :^i S £ e a, * 

 under the name of Csenoptens , fonjj ^jg 

 Gednev's group, though of commoner ■ fc '^^J 

 posed 'of remarkably well grown P'^'^re *» 

 an Adiantum cuneatum, forming jgh fernl^ 



2 feet across, was conspicuous, vi yooBft m 



only collection shown was sent ; vj ]uida \c0^ 

 included Cystopteris montana, La^L f ***£ 



numerous interesting ™£5$$£J »l ? £Z 

 drium vulgare, and Athynum * dix w „,,,* —* 



of Hornsey, c'ontributed a mixed group, , r 



many rare and curious Ferns both n^ ^ « * 

 among which we observed an Asp ^ ^ 

 fontannm, which is reputed to be ot 



geri, Marat«ia cicntiefoli., u» 

 rolep* davallioides , C^J'J^n* 

 .,_:..«, „«,^e. In Messrs. w"""^ 



