Sept. 8, 1855.] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 





nThis man." " Such superintendence certainly did not extend 



than a fourth, of the number transplanted here last 



and makes 



599 



to more 



autumn."' I said 'Marge trees," Mr. Forsyth leaves out large, 

 and makes me say trees; I think this is a mistake. Most people 



sorry m ruu ml - a v*°/v»» ^» *.«.« ».w«^^., .«.»« v^ ww*..^^ »*• miuici 

 mistakes I hope he will furnish your readers with a correct state- 

 ment of the names, numbers, and dimensions respectively of the 

 large trees removed by my man and machines in September and 

 October last, and also of those removed under his own superin- 

 tendence afterwards. One more favour and I have done. Let 

 ns have the names, numbers, and dimensions of those he removed 



leaves inclined to be variegated ; B. villosa, a large- 

 flowered kind raised from seeds imported with Botteri's 

 dried specimens ; a species of Dalea from the same 

 collector ; a Grass from Texas ; and various plants 

 raised from Sikkim-Himalayan, New Holland, and 

 Guatemala seeds : the last were chiefly furnished by 

 Mr. Skinner. 



however, they were all dotted with sulphur some three 



weeks ago, and now their health and vigour is such 



that even the latest of them cannot fail to yield a 

 crop. 



before my man taught him how to remove large trees. One 

 word for your correspondent " Observer." 1 observe it is the 

 best way to keep clear of those dangerous fellows who amuse 

 themselves by skulking behind a bush, in order that they may 

 indulge in a random shot without being seen. If lie will throw 

 away his popgun, and show himself among honest men who are 

 never afraid of being seen, I can easily put him in a way to 

 get the information he seeks for. I dare say he is not much dis- 

 posed to pay for experiments. I have generally thrown my 

 system open to all planters for the last 25 years, without charging 

 anyone for instruction or royalty; and for upwards of 3J years 

 my system, with engravings of machines, has be in open to the 

 world in a published form; and unless "Observer" had been 

 rather wanting in observation, he must have noticed that my 

 system has long been an established fact, and not a thing depend- 

 ing upon his opinion. When he gives his name I am prepared 

 to place my facts alongside of his opinions, for the benefit of the 

 public. William Barron, Elvaston Castle. 



Jlotto* of ftooft*, 



Pescalorea. Iconographie des Orchidees de la Collection 



de M. Pescatore. Parts 6, 7, 8. Folio. 



In the three parts now before us of this fine work we 

 have representations of 12 of the most showy garden 

 Orchids. Among these one of the most remarkable is 

 Cycnockes Pcscatorei, which Prof. Reichenbach distin- 

 guishes, as a new genus, naming it after Mr. Liiddemann 

 under whose care the fine collection at the Celle-St. Cloud 

 has long been placed. His merits entitle him to the com- 

 pliment, in which his name is happily associated with 

 that of M. Pescatore, his munificent patron. Another 

 is pattleya elegans of Morren, a very fine thing. A 

 third is a good figure of Cypripedium or Selenipedium 

 caudatum, apropos of which Prof. Reichenbach mentions 

 three other long-tailed species, namely S. Warczewitzii, 

 Boissierianim and Czerwiakowianum, the last of which 

 names we should be thankful to know how to pronounce. 

 Mr. Linden has contributed for a plate a most beautiful 

 variety of Odontoglossum maculatum, the yellow and 

 purple of which are as brilliant as anything in the whole 

 order. Other plates are occupied by Vanda carulea, 

 Coryanthes macrantha, and Schomburghia undidata, 

 which we learn from the text has been named by some 

 person Deckeria speciosa ! Buyers of Orchids should 

 remember the fact. We congratulate the authors of this 

 brilliant work upon the continued success with which 

 tney obtain fine specimens for representation. 



Could they not, without impropriety, occasionally 

 admit plates of non-introduced species by way of 

 variety, and for the purpose of guiding collectors to 

 what is wanted. Suppose three or four species of the 

 beautiful genus Masdevallia, such as saaguinea, rosea, 

 &c., were put upon one plate - on another as many of 

 toe gigantic Peruvian PUurotJiallids, very different from 

 the uninviting things occasionally seen in cultivation ; a 

 surd were occupied by Chlorceas, and a fourth by Teli- 

 pogons, the most lovely of occidental Orchids, the 

 interest of the Pescatorea would be greatly enhanced. 

 Uur f ri ends Linden and Reichenbach could easily find 



the materials, and Riocreux would do the rest. 



Taylor's Beekeeper's Manual (Groombridge) 

 reached a fifth edition. To those who want some thin <* 



good and cheap this may be recommended. But it mus't 

 never be forgotten that beekeeping is like sheepkeeping, 

 although it may be improved by precept, it can only be 

 learned by practice ; and also that the rudest 



In one of the stoves was the curious hybrid Gesner- 

 wort called Mandirola Roezli, mentioned at p. 451. It 

 has large leaves somewhat resembling those of Gesnera 

 zebrina, from among which it throws up a spike of 

 handsome Gloxinia-like flowers. It is reported to be a 

 cross between Scheeria mexicana and Gesnera zebrina, 

 and is certainly a very pretty plant. 



The Rose house is at present undergoing some repairs, 

 and well do its occupants deserve such attention. 

 Everybody knows how gay they have been all the 

 summer, and with the little pruning-in which they 

 received after the first bloom had begun to fade they 

 promise to keep on flowering up to Christmas. 



The Orchard house we need not say gets more inte- 

 resting as its fruits become ripe ; Apricots, Cherries, 

 Gooseberries, and Cnrrants, have all been gathered, and 

 the trees are at present placed out of doors. Plums 

 are an immense crop ; Huling's Superb, a kind some- 

 thing like the Washington, Reine Claude de Bavay, Denni- 

 son's Superb, and others are, as we have before reported, 

 loaded with fruits which on the last-named variety and 

 the Early Prolific are nearly ripe. Peaches and Necta- 

 rines generally are also swelling fast ; the Nutmeg 

 Peach has been gathered, and Fairchild's Nectarine is 

 nearly fit for table ; the Stanwick as yet shows no signs 

 of cracking, nor indeed of ripening. Pears, even on 

 the very small trees, are a good crop, and the different 

 varieties generally have done remarkably well con- 

 sidering the short time they have been in pots. 



Vines, both in E wing's glass wall and on open walls, 



have grown well this year and have plenty of fruit on 



them, but mildew has already made its appearance, 



although those out of doors were cleaned last winter, 



the loose bark removed, and the stems carefully painted 



with a mixture of tobacco water, sulphur, soft soap, 

 and clay. 



In the great conservatory one of the large Brug- 

 mansias, which serve so much to ornament this house, 

 has been closely pruned and washed over with the com- 

 position just named. The other tree of this kind was 

 treated in a similar way a short time ago ; but it has 

 now pushed strongly. Managed in this manner they 

 bloom in succession, and keep the house longer gay than 

 it otherwise would be. Hydrangeas now beautifully in 

 flower are intermixed with the plants in the bed of this 

 house, and during the present dull season are found to 

 be very useful for the purpose. 



In the orchard Pears and Apples on standards are a 

 good crop, and even the young espaliers are bearing 

 fruit ; but, as we have before stated, there is little on 

 dwarfs, the spring frosts having deprived them of most 

 of their bloom. Among Apples gathered into the fruit 

 room, the best at present is the Early Harvest, which 

 was ripe this year on the 1 5th of August, but in ordinary 

 seasons it is ready by the 1st. In shape it resembles a 

 small Hawthornden ; it has a crisp flesh with a rich brisk 

 flavour. Like all early Apples it is rather precarious 

 as to time of gathering, for if taken too soon it wants 

 briskness, and if left too late its flavour is flat. Anions 

 Pears were some good Jargonelles from standards, also 

 of Valle'e Franche, an old French variety with a flavour 

 something like that of the Moorfowl Egg. We also 

 ]j as remarked fruit of the Summer St. Germain, an immense 

 bearer and, like the Beurre' de Capiaumont, a profitable 

 Pear for market. 



Miscellaneous. 



Best kind of Sea- weed for Small Salt Water Aquaria. — 

 In my previous experiments in this branch of the 

 subject, commenced iu January, 1852, and of which 

 some results were communicated to the British 

 Association at their meeting last year at Hull, I 

 stated that the result of my experiments to ascer- 

 tain^ the kind of sea-weed best fitted for main- 

 taining the balance with the animal life was, under 

 ordinary circumstances, in favour of the Chlorosperras, 

 and that the Rhodosperms submitted to the like con- 

 ditions did not answer the purpose desired and at the 

 same time retain their colour and beauty, inasmuch as 

 they very soon became coated with a growth of short 

 green aud brown Confervie (Conferva tor tucsa ?), which 

 entirely mantled the whole surface of the fronds and 

 destroyed their characteristic appearance. During 

 these investigations, however, it occurred to me that it 

 might be possible to obviate this drawback, and I have 

 I believe succeeded, after a series of experiments, in 

 overcoming this inconvenience, and can now retain them 

 in all their natural loveliness and render them quite 

 efficient for all the purposes required, that is, as con- 

 sumers of carbonic acid and generators of oxygen* The 

 ground on which I have reasoned as a basis for these 

 experiments has been the consideration, that nearly the 

 whole of these red or pink-coloured sea-weeds are found 

 either in deep water or under the shade of other Algee, 

 and from the fact that they were also often known to 

 occur in shallow rock-pools ; it was hence fair to assume 

 chat the pressure of the column of water could not be 

 an important element in the production of these coloured 

 growths, and therefore that it must depend upon a 

 modification of the light. Hence my idea was that the 

 effects of the depth of the water might be capable of 

 being imitated by tinting the light through the inter- 

 position of coloured media, and thus all the results ob- 

 served in the vegetation, and much even of the healthy 

 animal life of deep sea-water could be, under this 

 arrangement, assimilated ; and this, I am happy to state, 



, so that, by very 



con- 



trivances, in a good bee country and in skilful hands, 

 will prove infinitely more profitable than all the fine 

 moaern contrivances of boxes and boards, in the care 

 oi those who do not understand the subject. 



*tovT?\ Guides t0 ManptM™ <* nd Derby shire (24mo), 

 we little directions for the guidance of tourists in these 



!J ,e ?' wel1 written, neatly got up, and as full of 

 f or a shh ,0rmatl ° n ** any reasonable man can expect 



Pax* ffm y i V has Polished a volume on Paper and 

 DnlTftr^ anient and modern (Longmans, 8vo, 

 will a whlch > a lthough of the slightest possible texture, 



of in7 e bt n0fc be we,c omed ty those who are desirous 

 iniormation upon a subject which is still shrouded in 

 *ae mysteries, and which deeply concerns us all. 



Hortic 



Me mora 



—In JULTURAL Society's Garden, Turnham Green. 



youn?° n i e ° f the pita here we 0Dserved a panful of 

 Bent h V ants °* Pampas Grass, raised from seeds pre- 

 E J! a by E. Brande, Esq., Fellow of the Society, and 



Bfreef S Es( **' of 15 > An 8 el Court > Throgmorton 

 to Rfa* V lIe 8 P e **king of this Grass it may be well 



much .i at the fine P lant of lt which has been BO 

 Was ve ed in thc American garden here, but which 



ha* ®Y much injured by the severity of last winter, 

 lea T L r* strongly, and is again covered with green 



from if i. * u 8uff ered several offset* had been taken 

 ^ u, all of which struck root freely. 



* ad<£? no , veltie8 n <>ticed in the above-mentioned pit, 



BegonU ^u- those named »n our last report, were 



6 ^* e <*mata, a pretty species with rough hairy 



On the Peach wall there is plenty of fruit, which is 

 now beginning to increase in size rapidly. We observed 

 that a tree of the Shanghai Peach, on a Peach stock, 

 had got the u yellows," but that another of the same 

 variety and on the same kind of stock was green and 

 healthy. The latter we were informed stands behind 

 a chimney which runs up through the wall ; it, there- 

 fore, has had more heat than the other. It may be 

 mentioned that under Colonel Challoner's glass frame, 

 which covers a tree on this wall, there is an excellent 

 crop of Peaches, which are more forward than those on 

 trees of the same kind that have had no such protection. 

 By removing the sashes the fruit is now permitted to 

 have abundance of air, without which, we need not say, 

 it could not be expected to ripen in perfection, and the 

 tree is thus kept in excellent health, and has made plenty 

 of good wood for next year. 



In the kitchen garden Spinach for winter use is just 

 coming through the ground. Various kiuds have been 

 sown with a view to test their merits. Onions are a 

 good crop here, and free from disease. One of the best 

 sorts is the White Globe, which is also an excellent 

 keeper. Onion d' An vers, from Vilmorin, is a brown- 

 coloured medium-sized kind, which is worth attention on 

 account of its earliness. 



Plants of Dioscorea Batatas, put out on an open 

 border here under handglasses early this summer, have 

 as yet succeeded no better than those of our correspon- 

 dents, whose experience with this Yam has already 

 been given at pp. 517, 582. Our climate evidently 

 appears to be too cold for it. 



The result of the trial of Peas sown on the 26th of 

 June last, with the view of proving whether early or 

 late sorts are best adapted for this season, is that 

 Sautter's No. 1 is now fit for use, and that Prize- 

 taker, a late sort, is very nearly so ; while the Victoria 

 and Milford Marrow are only in flower. On none oi 



has proved experimentally to be the r r w 



simple means and with very little trouble, we shall be 

 enabled to grow and preserve these elegant and beau- 

 tiful plants in all their varied hues, as well as many of 

 the wondrous forms of animal life usually found 

 associated with them for any length of time ; and thus 

 a much enlarged field for observation will be brought 

 within the limits of our aquarium. In order to obtain 

 this desideratum, a medium having a blue or green tint 

 has been had recourse to, and of such a nature as 

 merely to colour, soften, or diffuse the light, without 

 materially diminishing its quantity. This was at first 

 accomplished by the employment of a thin film of paint 

 of the desired shade, of a thin silk gauze of a blue 

 colour, by layers of tissue paper tinged blue and green, 

 sometimes oiled to render them more transparent, at 

 others the sheets of paper being superposed until the de- 

 sired effect was produced ; or by coloured varnishes, 

 blue, and blue and yellow, and mixed to the tint re- 

 quired. These materials should be applied to the 

 surface of the glass, or interposed between the source of 

 light and the water, in such a way that the whole of the 

 light which directly illuminates the aquarium may be 

 tinted of the proper colour. In proportion to the 

 quantity of light at command and the varying aspect to 

 the sun's rays, so must the transparency of the colour- 

 ing medium be adjusted In my own case, I have been 

 obliged partially to employ coloured glass, as the other 

 methods were found to impede too much of the direct 

 light ; but it must be borne in mind that this is in the 

 midst of a crowded city, in a snioky atmosphere, and 

 surrounded by tall houses. To such an extent has this 

 plan succeeded, that several small attached pieces of 

 delicate red sea-weed which I had received in October, 

 1852, and had become thickly mantled with the brown 

 and green confer void growth already alluded to, and 

 which had not exhibited the least signs of vitality, on 

 being placed in a small glass jar arranged with tinted 

 and oiled tissue paper, soon lost the whole of this para- 

 sitic growth, from its gradually decaying, and being 

 then consumed by the mollusks, the fronds assuming 

 their deep crimson hue, becoming perfectly clear, and 

 even, after so long a period, throwing out numerous 

 young shoots or leaflets; and on one of these pieces 

 several beautiful specimens of the Coryne sessilis made 

 their appearance, together with groups of Lepralia and 

 corallines. Warington in Annals of Natural History. 



The Nut (Corylus avellana), is said by Pliny to derive 

 the name of avellana from Abellinain Asia, supposed to 

 be the valley of Damascus, its native country. He adds 

 that it had been brought into Asia and Greece from the 

 Pontus, whence it was also called mix pontica. Theo- 

 phrastus calls these nuts by the name of Heracleotic 

 Nuts, a name derived from Heraclea, now Ponderachi, 

 on the Asiatic shores of the Black Sea. Hippocrates 

 gives them the name of Carya thusia. Dioscorides says 

 they were also known by the name of leptoearya, or 

 small Nuts. Other ancient writers confound the Nut 

 with the Chestnut and the Walnut. But all the above 

 indications of importation from the East relate only to 

 particular varieties, for the species, as is well known, 

 is common enough in Italy, as in the rest ©f Europe and 

 a great part of Asia, in a really wild indigenous state. 

 Journal of the Horticultural Society of London. 





