88 Retrospective Criticism. 



plain of all the other periodicals, either for representing plants as hardy 

 which will occasionally perish during winter out of doors, or for putting 

 him to the expense of building houses for others which Mr. Sweet has 

 proved experimentally will thrive better in the open air. If E. had occa- 

 sionally visited Mr. Sweet's garden at Chelsea for several years past, he 

 might have witnessed the different methods recommended in the British 

 Flower-Garden for the protection of half-hardy plants put into full practice, 

 and with complete success. 



Of the two plants named as examples of serious losses, Erpetion reni- 

 formis is well known to be rather tender ; but, with less than common care, 

 it ought to have been perfectly safe in a cold frame. Campanula pulla is 

 perfectly hardy, if planted in a suitable soil. Mr. Sweet gives very par- 

 ticular directions about the compost requisite for it; and in such a mixture 

 I have grown it for six or seven years without care or protection, only 

 having occasionally to grub a part of it up when spreading too wide upon 

 the border. But why have said, " It does not follow that because some of 

 the plants in question may have survived for twelve months in the borders 

 at Bury Hill, &c, that Mr. Sweet can be justified in recommending to his 

 readers a practice which must inevitably expose them to serious losses ; " 

 when it appears, by referring to the British Flower-Garden, that neither of 

 these plants was figured from Mr. Barclay's garden, which, by the by, 

 from its peculiar locality, would be too severe a trial for many hardy plants ? 

 The garden at Bury Hill, lying low in a valley, without artificial protection, 

 exposed to the wind from every quarter, and subjected to the very latest 

 frost in spring, and to the very earliest frost in autumn, with the common 

 garden soil, must be allowed to be by no means favourable for the pre- 

 servation of herbaceous plants during winter ; and, therefore, if a plant 

 stood the winter in such a situation, it might safely be considered hardy, 

 especially when we hear of New Holland, Cape, and plants from other 

 warm countries, growing out of doors in several gardens in Scotland, for 

 years, with very little protection afforded them during winter. As an 

 anonymous attack deserves an anonymous answer, I shall sign myself — F. 

 Dec. 7. 1831. 



Erpetion reniformis hardy. — Sir, E., in his reproofs of Sweet's Floiuer- 

 Garden (Vol. VII. p. 710.), speaks of this plant as tender : my experience 

 disagrees with E.'s. With me, it withstood in pots, and without protec- 

 tion, the severity of the winters of 1828-9 and 1829-30. Campanula pulla 

 is perfectly hardy, as the flower-borders here annually prove. — Henry 

 Turner. Botanic Garden, Bury St. Edmunds, Dec, 1831. 



Propagation of Orchideous Epiphytes. — Sir, Permit me to add a few 

 remarks to your description (Vol. VII. p. 54*1.) of my mode of increasing 

 these most lovely plants. My first trial in this way was on a large plant 

 of Cattleya crispa, which had eight old shoots and two young shoots gone 

 over the side of the pot, I took a sharp penknife and cut the plant through 

 carefully in three places, taking care not to disturb the plant, nor cut any 

 roots ; to my great surprise, in a short time I had two fine young shoots 

 at the side of each old shoot where I had cut, giving me eight young 

 shoots in all ; and, I believe, had I cut the plant through at the side of all 

 the old shoots, I should have had sixteen young shoots. I should say in 

 this place, that the two young shoots that were on the plant before I cut it 

 through did not suffer by the cut. I think they grow equally as strong as 

 before, and faster, which makes me think that the old part of the plant is 

 of no use to the young shoots after they have made their roots. I have 

 been informed by a botanical friend, that this method of increasing the 

 parasitical plants will not succeed except on large established plants; 

 but I have tried it on very small plants, and have found it to answer as 

 well as on larger ones : of course, the more old shoots there are, the more 

 young ones there will be. I have tried it on most of the species here, and 



