

THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



853 



^jecrly well lor several years, with the exception of j Fir trees. It has 

 four sorts which did not succeed on the Quince stock, 

 but the others did not bear sooner than the seedlings them- 



Tne contrary, in fact, was the case with most of 



selves, 



the sorts so propagated, notwithstanding that long pruning 



and all the other modes of hastening bearing had been 



resorted to, but all in vain. The cause in the opinion of 



highly competent men is this : every seedling Pear tree 



according to the nature of its constitution passes through 



the various stages of vegetable life before it arrives at 



the state in which it is in a condition to bear fruit. The 



stem and a part of the upper branches next to it must 



pass through certain phases of their growth before they 



acquire, either by peculiarity of constitution or by age, 



the properties necessary for the production of the 



organs of fructification. 



been observed that the stumps of 

 some trees, after the trunk has be?n felled, still continue 

 to grow, forming every year a fresh ring of wood, inso- 



much that the surface is gradually obliterated by the 

 arching over of the succession layers. This appearanc 

 is described by Hartig, Meyen, and others, under the 

 name of Ueberwallung, but it can scarcely be considered 

 a disease. Within certain limits, the roots of felled trees 

 will supply sufficient nutriment to carry on such growth 

 for a time, as I have had occasion to remark in a young 

 Ash apart from all other trees of the same species. 

 In Firs, however, growth is continued through many 

 years, and to such an extent as cannot be explained b 

 a supply of assimilated matter in the still living roots. 

 Goeppert has studied this curious matter in Abies 



Quince stock, nor the age of a strong wild Pear stock, 

 tor that of a tall pyramid already in bearing can change 

 the nature of the graft or bud worked upon them. 



The results of the experiments and observations 

 made upon this subject prove that it is indispensable to 

 make a judicious selection of grafts or buds in order to 

 produce bearing wood. It is the strong shoots of the 

 upper part of a tree in a bearing state, or on the point 

 of becoming such, and derived from a variety that has 

 already borne fruit, to which the preference should be 

 given. By employing scions from too young trees the 

 fruiting of those so propagated is retarded. By taking 

 scions from an aged, weakly, or worn out tree, all its 

 inherent faults are reproduced in the propagated plants. 

 Here another point is touched upon, namely, the in- 

 fluence of the stock upon the graft and of the graft upon 

 the stock ; but this forms a different subject of con- 

 sideration. J. de Jonghe } Brussels. 



Neither the nature of the j pectinata, Dec, and has shown that the subject was not 



unknown to Pliny though n fleeted by many esteemed 

 writers on forest trees. A translation of Goeppert's 

 paper is giveain the " Annalesde9 Sciences Naturelles" 

 for 1843, and is well worth consultation. It appears 

 from his observations that perfect union frequentl 

 takes place between the roots of such trees ; when, 

 therefore, a tree is cut down, should union between 

 some other neighbour exist, the matter assimilated by 

 the neighbouring living trunk may supply nutrinn nt at 

 the expense of which life may be carried on in the 

 stump, and that to a period limited only by the life of 

 the nurse. M. J. B. 



HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. 





VEGETABLE PATHOLOGY, No. CI. 



404. CcenoclaDIa* {Natural Grafts). — As the causes 

 which influence the division of a uniform tissue into 

 branches of various kinds are obscure, so is it often 

 equally difficult to assign any reason for the appearance 

 of a single organ where there should be two or more, or 

 the natural union of a plurality of organs with more or 

 less distinct traces of the several parts of which the 

 whole is composed. Instances of the suppression of 

 organs or of the union of one or more individuals are 

 of ordinary occurrence in the parts of fructification 

 even in their normal state, and are very frequent as 

 deviations from some particular type, sometimes 

 arising from pressure, sometimes from the hypertrophy 

 of neighbouring organs, and sometimes again from 

 causes wholly inappreciable. 



i 405. Where organs are multiplied beyond the usual 

 rule, and there is at the same time little or not 

 sufficient increase of space, being in close apposition, 

 while the tissues are still tender union readily takes 

 place, and we have in consequence natural grafts 

 or unions, as in double Apricots, Peaches, Cherries, 

 &c. J In such instances there is generally more or 

 less distortion. Sometimes it happens that two or 

 more buds are similarly developed, the consequence of 

 which is a ribband-like more or less fluted stem if they 

 grow with equal rapidity, but if the rates of growth are 

 different the more vigorous side curls over to the weaker, 

 and thus those curious fasciated branches are formed 

 which have attracted the attention of most observers in 

 the Ash, Holly, or more rarely in the Willow. Cnicus 

 palustris. Asparagus officinali?,f the common Foxglove, 

 and many other herbaceous plants exhibit occasionally 

 the same peculiarity, and in such a condition often excite 

 serious alarm in the superstitious. It does not appear 

 that the phenomenon is in general caused by an insect, 

 though it is not denied that such may sometimes be the 

 case. Fasciated branches in a species of Elder are not 

 uncommon in the United States, specimens of which I 

 have before me, caused by the presence of iEcidium 

 sambuciatum, which has hitherto been found only in 

 North America. 



406. Union however sometimes takes place between 

 branches merely from juxtaposition when they are by 

 no means in a nascent state, though according to their 

 state of growth the union may be more or less complete. 

 They may for instance press against each other so 

 closely as to prevent anything like nutriment at the point 

 of contact, the consequence of which is that eventually 

 the new layers of wood inclose the disc of contact, the 

 traces of which may exist during the whole life of the 

 tree, the two portions of wood being separated from each 

 other by a thin layer of dead bark. In such cases no 

 real union has ever taken place. If however the bark be 

 very young aud vigorous more intimate union may exist 

 and death may not take place at all, the bark being 

 entirely absorbed. The inosculation of branches in 

 many of the tropical climbers is notorious, and we have 

 curious instances of it occasionally in our own forest 

 trees, especially in the Beech, in which a complete net- 

 work of branches may exist while all are growing with 

 perfect vigour. A very curious tree of this description 

 exists in my own neighbourhood, of which two figures 



ar e given under the article w I- r-~X«*f- 



? Arboretum et Fruticetum.* 



THE TEXTILE PLA. T$ OF JAMAICA. 



[We find the following highly interesting account of 

 the textile plants of Jamaica, I y Mr. Nathaniel Wilson, 

 in the last number of Hooker's Journal of Botany. 

 Mr. Wilson is the very intelligent and active superiu- 

 tendent of the Botanic Garden in Jamaica.] 



The desire for growing new plants and adopting 

 new staples is daily on the increase, and the neca*rity 

 of a more varied cultivation among our agriculturist* 

 has become indispensable in keeping pace with the timet 

 and making the most of altera, i re u instances, 1 

 have many useful plants to recommend for this pur- 

 pose before cloa ng this report, whereby large tract* of 

 waste land may be reopened advantageously at little 

 outlay. 



The importation of plants last year ha* been unusually 

 large, and of a varied description, comprising the fol- 

 lowing genera, viz.: — 



Bu>limeria nivea 

 Antlarls saeddort 



I tat lira KMig-uinea 

 Jatroph* pandurafoUa 

 Clerodcndr mtcropliyllura 

 Hova prrandiflora 

 Ardisia acuminata 



PotneiaiM (j I Heal 



Plumbftgrt Capen 

 Vanhnuttia calrarata 



MtdintlU ttpeciofta 



Nematanthnts longipo* 

 lUbrothamnns Until 

 Dipteracanthug aflinii 

 Abutilou Van Houtti 



FaguB 



in Loudon's 



. 407. One of the most curious cases perhaps of union 

 *s that which takes place occasionally in the roots of 



From xoivo<; common, and xkab*; a branch. 



t The fasciated Ash branches are noticed in Dr. Plot's 

 History of Staffordshire," who attributes them to too rapid an 

 sscent of sap. In Turpiu's memoir on Grafts, natural unions are 

 hgured in the case of Asparagus and Aloe. He mentions also 

 * natural graft of two contiguous leaves of Agave Americana 

 "7 the upper and under surfaces. Other instances may be found 

 i n °e Candoiie's " O rganographie," &c. 



The following circular has just been issued : 



21, Regent Street, Dec. 24, 1K55. 

 The Council of the Horticultural Society, in their circular 



letter of October 23, announced to the Fellows their intention of 



submitting to the sanction of a general meeting the vitwi they 



might form of the most desirable manner of conducting the affairs 

 of the corporation, now that the garden exhibiti i have ceased 



to furnish funds for the maintenance of the present garden esta- 

 blishment. 



After long and anxious consideration, the Council have arrived 

 at the conclusion, that although the means of the Society no longer 

 permit it to maintain a great and costly garden, yet that by some 

 alteration in existing arrangements, and by giving the action of 

 the Society a new direction, it may be lound possible to carry out 

 the objects of the charter with unimpaired utility. This they 

 propose to effect by the adoption of a system of exhibition, instruc- 

 tion, distribution," scientific investigation, aud publication em- 

 bodied in the following proposals :— 



1. That in place of the garden exhibitions, London exhibitions 

 be held yearly, during the spring and autumn : and that some 

 spacious place be hired for the purpose. 



2. That Monthly Meetings be held as heretofore in Regent 

 Street for the despatch of business, for reading papers or tor the 

 exhibition of Horticultural produce; but that medals at those 

 meetings be discontinued, and that on each occasion, when the 

 formal business is over, an illustrated Lecture be delivered upon 

 some subject of Horticultural interest, which may be afterwards 

 made the subject of disc -^ion by the persons present. 



3. That seeds be distributed as usual. 



4. That by means of a Collector, or otherwise, seeds and roots 

 be obtained from foreign countries, for the purpose of distri- 

 bution. 



5. That a very small Garden be maintained for the purpose of 



raising such seeds as may not arrive in sufficient quantity for 

 distribution, for restoring the health of imported plants, and for 



experimental purposes. 



6. That a regular system of inquiry into subjects of import- 

 ance connected with Horticulture throughout the kingdom be 

 established, by means of Special Committers, whose reports will 



be communicated to the Monthly Meetings, and otherwise made 



public. 



7. That the Members of the Society be entitled to borrow 



books from the Library, for short periods, upon undertaking to 

 return them uninjured. 



8. That (if the funds prove adequate) the Journal be converted 

 into a Monthly Publication, with one coloured plate in each 

 part- which shall not be sold, but printed solely ir the use of 

 the Fellows, and regularly transmitted by post to ich of them 

 as may specially give their address for that purpose. 



9 It also seems worthy of consideration whether, besides the 

 Monthly Meetings and Exhibitions, a formal Course of Lectures 

 of an educational nature, upon Horticulture, Garden Botany, or 

 allied subjects, might not prove useful and popular. 



10 The Council are of opinion, that in order to maintain the re- 

 ceipts of the Society in harmony with the expenditure which may 

 be rendered necessary by the adoption of the foregoing sugges- 

 tion! and to take due advantage of the economy which may i alt 

 from others, certain alterations in the privileges and payments of 

 Members of the Society would become indispensable. 



11 They propose that Members of the Society should, as at 

 present be admitted to all Exhibitions and Public Meetings, 

 without payment, on signing their names at the entrance. 



12. But that all other persons shall be required to present a 



ticket on entering. 



13 That these tickets be issued to orders of Members of the 

 Society at the rate of Three Shillings each for the Exhibitions, 

 and of One Shilling each for any other Public Meetings. 



14 That Members • should have the privilege of purchasing 

 such'tickeuatamuch lower rate if taken in certain quantities, 

 viz. ten exhibition tickets, or twenty-five ordinary tickets for a 



* ■ 



^II^And inasmuch as loss has been sustained by those who 

 have purchased Garden Exhibition tickets without being able to 

 use them in the season for which they were issued it is proposed 

 that the new classes of tickets shall be available during two 



successive seasons. - . _ it ., _, .. 



16. In connection with the foregoing alterations the Council 



propose to retain the present rate of subscription (namely, 

 21. 2s. admission fee, and 4?. 4s. annually, paid retrospectively) 

 wherever it is desired to enj^y all the privileges secured .to 

 Fellows by the Charter. All existing Life Members, old Three 

 Guinea Members, and still older Two Guinea or One Guinea 

 Members, would fall into this class; and by them every privi- 

 lege which the Bye-laws permit would be exercised. 



17. But in order to meet the wishes of others it is contemplated 

 to establish a class of Subscribers, who. upon payment ot two 

 Guineas annually (in advance, but without £ £ n \l^J™J> 

 shall be entitled to personal free admission to the Exhibitions 

 and Meetings, to purchase tickets at the reduced price and to 

 all the other privileges of Fellows, except the ^vernment of the 

 Society, participation in the distribution of seeds and plants, and 



the receipt of the Journal. „ , , ,, . 



The Council, being desirous that these proposals « A^ld be 

 maturely considered by the Society before the Special General 

 Meeting already alluded to shall be held, and being most anaioi ■ 

 that the said Meeting should take place at a tyj^enM large 

 a number of Fellows as possible can be » «^ bl ^; a ^ v ^ e t d ^ 

 upon summoning it for Tuesday the 5th of February next, nve 



days after the assembling of Parliament. 



(Signed) By order of the Council, 



Khodostoma 

 Goeth flora 



Coleus Blum*'. 

 Marantic nangninoa 

 Irora itiea, auperha 



liiplnflcnia iplm. 

 1 >l*d*nU i vlla 



U< xaettttrfs M "enalf 

 lUivrw hotpermum jamalHflo- 



rum 

 Dracama ferrea, var. 

 Pteroearpttl sp. from Pulo 



Penan* 



Koafeletia aj^doaa. major 

 Pandanuti variegatut 

 Gardenia Thunbergl Sec. Ac. 



The first-mentioned in the list is the celebrated 

 fi rats-cloth plant, extensively cultivM 1 in China, and 



whose fibres make the finest cloth the Chinese can 

 boast of. I have not the slightest doubt as to its perfect 

 adaptability to this climate and soil, and in the course 

 of a few years it may become a weed. The Antiaris 

 is the notorious Upas tree of Java, about whose virulent 



properties so many fabulous atauments have appeared 

 from time to time. The Pandanus varitgmtus is another 

 addition to our textile plants, and one of the most 

 noble and beautiful plants that ever adorned a garden ; 

 the others on the list are chiefly new and interesting, 

 collected in many parts of the world, and selected for 



this climate. 



By the acquisition of these plants, we can now boast 

 of possessing the finest fibres and the great, t number 

 of textile plants in the world, hitherto of no avail to the 

 country in general, and held of little value by in- 

 dividuals, but which may now be turned to the greatest 

 account in a national point of view ; the universal 

 demand and scarcity of fibre, its high and daily increas- 

 ing price, rendering the materials from which it is 

 manufactured of the highest importance. W* have 

 many indigenous and eminently textile plants diffused 

 over the island, but partially or not at all known to be 

 applicable for textile purposes, except to a few gentle- 

 men acqainted with the botany of the country. I have 

 therefore prepared for general information 51 samples 

 of fibres, the greater part of which are indigenous ; 

 as you will observe by the following list comprising 



them : — 



ulmifolia. Bastard 



Yu* i gloriosa. Adam's Needle, 

 5-6 feet. 



y a aloifolia. Common Dag- 



Bromelia Karatas. Silk-grass 



leaves, 10-12 feet. 

 Bromelia Ptnguin. Pingiiin. 

 Ananas saliva. Pine-apple. 



Musa sapientum. Banana. 



var. Martinique Banana. 

 paradisiaca. Plantain. 



Catmndishi. Chinese Plain- 

 tain. 

 violatea. Violet- flowered 



Plantain. 

 coccinea. Scarlet- flowered 



Plantain. 



Eeliconia Pihai. Wild Plantain- 

 Brasiliensis. Do. of Brazil- 

 psittacorum. Parrot-beaked 



ditto. 

 Tillandsia serrata. Wild Pine 



(epiphyte). 



Tree, 25-33 



tt 



It 



V 



It 



tt 



tt 



It 



7t 



tt 



tt 



v 



usneoides. Wild Pine. 



Pandanns spiralis. Screw Pine. 

 I Agave Americana. American 



Aloe. 

 Canna Indica. Indian shot. 

 Triumfettasemitriloba. Common 



Burbark— a weed. 

 Milium i if arboreus. Bastard 



or wild Mahoe. 

 Abroma augusta. Abroma. 

 Kydia calycina. Tree, 25 feet 

 Belicteres Jamaicensis. Screw 



Tree. 



The above list will be 



Ced 1 r. 



KUinhcvia hospita, 



feet. 

 Sida, sp. Shrub, G-8 feet 



Ochromalaqoptis. Down Tree. 



Cecropia ptliaUi . Trumpet tree. 

 Cordia StbeMena. Scarlet Cordia. 



Geratcanthus. 8pamsh 



Elm. 

 macrophyUa. Man-jack, or 

 broad- leaved Cherry. 

 Cordia CoUococca. Clammy 



Cherry. 

 Prosimum spurium. Milk-wood. 

 I\cus elastica. India-rubber 



tree. 

 religiosa. Pepnl tree. 

 virens. Wild Fig tree. 

 „ Americana. Wild Fig tree. 

 Hibiscus Rosa sinensis. Shoe- 

 black tree. 



liliifiorus. Lily-flowered 



ditto. 

 esculentus. Ochra. 

 elatus. Mahoe. 



latif alius. Broad-leaved 

 Mahoe. 

 „ tiliaceus. Sea-side ditto. 



Lagetta lintearia. Lace-bark. 



Daphne tini/olia. Burn-nose 



bark. 

 Cocas nuci/era. Cocoa-nut. 

 Artocarpus in i. Bread-fruit. 

 Pierocarpus santalinus. Ptero- 



carpus, 

 CrotalaHa juncta. Rattlewor 



found to comprise fibre of 



n 



tt 



tt 



John Lindley, Vice- Secretary. 



such quality and colour, from the Cocoa-nut Coir to 

 filaments resembling fine silk in strength and lustre of 

 appearance, as cannot be surpassed. I might have ex- 

 tended the list to greater length, but I believe the 

 enumeration will convince the most sceptical that this 

 island abounds with a highly valuable description of 

 textile plants, some of which are considered trouble- 

 some weeds. Those of a ligneous nature will annually 

 produce two crops of shoots, from which good fibre 

 may be obtained, requiring no machinery whatever m 

 preparing it for market. The method I have pursued, 

 aa being the most easy and simple, is this :— Macerate 

 the shoots until the cuticle or outer bark separates 

 freely from the true bark : the latter will then be re- 

 moved readily from the ligneous part, and requires but 

 little labour or knowledge to wash, dry, and pack the 



fibre for market ; this would furnish healthy employ- 



