672 Hetro&pect'we Criticism. 



ciety would raise before their conservative wall a screen of hardy evergreens, 

 of the height requisite for giving the required shade and shelter to the tender 

 shrubs trained upon it, they would find themselves benefited by it on the 

 occurrence of another severe season. Shrub and tree nurslings so situated 

 would be in a great measure proof against a sudden fall of temperature, the 

 screen before the sun guarding against unseasonable excitement as effectually 

 as any high and breezy locality, and furnishing shelter at the same time. 



If I recollect rightly, you have somewhere [ ? ] spoken of the sun shining 

 in winter time upon the plants trained on the conservative wall in the Horti- 

 cultural Society's Garden as being beneficial, but I beg to correct you on 

 that point ; and, had you been here in 1838, my garden would have furnished 

 you with reasons for submission under the correction, particularly by means 

 of camellias and Edwards/« mlcrophjlla with a cover over head, and Li- 

 gustrum lucidum without any sort of cover or protection, but sheltered both 

 from winter sun and storm. The latter plant has now a flower spike upon 

 it^ EdwardsM chilensis, though well protected, but not similarly to E. mi- 

 crophylla, died. 



I hope you will give us a chapter on the winter of 1837-8, in your intended 

 supplement to that work by which you are to be known hereafter : need I 

 name the Arboretum Britannicum ? I read it, as it appeared in numbers, with 

 unwearied attention, and I remain your debtor for tlie information acquired. 

 — R. Tongue. Forton Cottage, near Lancaster, Oct. 18. 1840. 



Curtailing the alleged Species of Herbaceous Plants. — I wish Dr. Lindley 

 or yourself would exercise the same assiduity with regard to curtailing the 

 number of species of herbaceous plants,, as you have praiseworthily employed 

 in diminishing the species of shrubs and trees. I am sure there is much ne- 

 cessity for the labour in the ^i'ster, iSaxifraga, and Delphinium families. I 

 see Z>elphinium mesoleucum ranks as a species in the specimen page of 

 Paxton's Pocket Dictionary, which appeared in your review of that work ; 

 your Hortiis Bi^itannicus also gives it the same rank : yet it does not come 

 true from seed. Whilst on this subject, let me say that Tiola flavicornis, 

 which is suspected to be only a variet}' of V. canina, is not deserving of such 

 suspicion, and appears to me not to merit degradation ; on these grounds, 

 that it flowers later, by a month or so, than V canina, and disappears entirely 

 in the winter, which is not the case with V. canina, its stems and part of the 

 leaves, at least, being visible in winter. I have grown two plants of V. flavi- 

 cornis in my garden two or three years ; plants which I collected from Ros- 

 sall Warren, near the new town of Fleetwood, at the mouth of the Wyre ,• 

 and of V. canina I have had too many plants, and am now discarding it as a 

 nuisance. So you see I have had ample means of comparing the two. — Id. 



The Crop of A^jples in this neighbourhood has been unusually large, and, as 

 far as I can judge from travelling 130 miles to the west, fully equal through- 

 out the country. The load is so great as to require props to su])port the 

 branches. The apple higglers bought the orchards in a lump, not thinking it 

 worth while to measure them. I have heard that inferior apples were so low 

 as a shilling a sack. — R. Lowndes. Binfield, Berks, Oct. 26. 1840, 



Quej'cus pedunculdta. — Have you remarked that one species of oak has 

 been covered with acorns, I mean that growing upon a long stalk; whilst on 

 the short stalk there are few or none. I noticed it very distinctly in the New ' 

 Forest as I passed along, but here, where we have only those two kinds in 

 common use, the fact is indisputably so, though in Billingbear Park I ob- 

 served some of the short stalks with a tolerable crop of fruit, but the acorns 

 very small, — Idem. 



Art. III. Retrospective Criticism. 



Naked Barley, (p. 312.) — T send some observations that have occurred to 

 me on perusing the article (p. 312.) on naked barlej'. The fate of the naked 

 species of barley (of which there are several) is a singular one. They are 



