5 



1851.J 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



71 



gant would it be to exchange it for a certainty of finding 

 jjways a <by and airy walk ! A little management 

 would insure very little of it being seen from outside, 

 particularly as it need be of no height. How well would 

 JTpay to cover in Leicester-square thus, and light it at 

 m>ht, instead of allowing it to be the vile object it has 

 been for many years. Tay, Somerset. 



Vitality of Seeds. — In numerous works on botany, 

 and kindred subjects, are recorded instances of the long 

 sustained vitality of seeds, the sudden springing up of 

 vegetable forms previously unknown in the locality, or 

 the disappearance of existing species, and the occupa- 

 tion o( their habitats by other species far removed in 

 affinity from their predecessors. Professor JLindley, in 

 the a Theory of Horticulture," tells us that he has 

 raised u Raspberry plants from seeds found in an an- 

 cient barrow in Dorsetshire, which seeds, from the 

 coins and other relics met with near them, may be 

 estimated to have lain there 16 or 17 centuries." And 

 from Professor Henslow we learn, that when portions of 

 the fens of Cambridgeshire are drained and ploughed, 

 crops of black and white Mustard appear ; and I think 

 the same author mentions a circumstance occurring at 

 Chelsea, of a plant till then unknown in the neighbour- 

 hood, being found growing in the soil, taken from an 

 old ditch there. Passing lately over a very wild track 

 of land called the ■ Chase," belonging to the Marquis 

 of Anglesea, adjoining his seat " Beaudesert," Stafford- 

 shire, I was struck with the following analogous cir- 

 cumstance. In many places the patches of Gorse or 

 Furze had been burnt; wherever this occurred, thou- 

 Bands of plants o/ Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) had 

 sprung up. I could not see a plant in any other situa- 

 tion. The outline of the patches of Gorse were very 

 intricate, and the young plants of Digitalis had followed 

 them exactly, but nowhere except the burnt patches. 



Jackson's Kidney Potato. — In the advertisement 

 respecting this Potatoe, there is a testimonial from Mr. 

 Sharp, late gardener at Pitfour, Perthshire, in which he 

 states that he has found it to be earlier and a superior 

 flavoured Potato to any other he knows ; and, on 

 account of its dwarf habit, he recommends it as an ex- 

 cellent variety for frame forcing. I had a small quantity 

 of this sort last year ; I planted about half a bushel of 

 it on the end of a border, the rest of which was occupied 

 with the old Ash-leaved Kidney. Both sorts were put 

 in whole, on the same day, and received the same 

 treatment in every respect. The old Ash-leaved Kidney 

 was full grown, taken up, and sold, three weeks before 

 Messrs. Jackson's was ready. As for its dwarf habit, 

 with me it grew fully two feet high, while the other sort 

 was not more than one. 



at 



It produced a good crop, but 

 not better than the other. I suspect that I must have 

 got Uie wrong variety, though I had the seed from 

 Messrs. Jackson. Perhaps the latter or some of your 

 readers who have grown this Potato will clear up the 

 matter, by .'stating their experience in regard to its 

 qualities, A Market Gardener, near Edinburgh, Dec. 19. 

 AUamanda cathartica. — I have always luxuriant 

 specimens of this fine stove shrub clad with flowers 

 from the beginning of June to the end of July. When- 

 ever it ceases flowering the weaker shoots should 

 be cut back half their length, and the plant 

 the same time plunged up to the rim of the pot 

 itt a>me loose material, such as half-decayed leaves 

 or>n-bark, where it will have the benefit of a 

 bottom heat of 55*. A gentle, but steady warmth of 

 tois kind round the roots keeps them in a sound, 

 Healthy state, ready to push and do their work when- 

 ever it is desired, and there is scarcely a leaf lost ; 

 whereas if left on a dry table or stage, as is customary 

 With many stove plants in the winter time, it requires 

 water oftener, as it quickly escapes by evaporation ; and 

 consequently the sudden change that takes place about 

 the roots, by watering at times in a low temperature, 

 and more especially when the plant is at rest, very often 

 proves fatal to the delicate spongioles of the AUamanda ; 

 or, at least, prevents it from flowering until it recovers 

 its health in a high temperature. In the beginning of 

 Uebruary it is necessary to turn it out of the pot, in 

 order to ascertain the state of the roots. If they are 

 toundto have made a considerable number of young fibres, 

 tney will require to be potted at once into a size larger pot, 

 using strong turfy loam, which is well mixed with vege- 

 table matter, and that has laid in a heap a year at least, 

 «aiag one-third of peat obtained where the common 

 •neatn grows best. 



should receive a good sprinkl 



«M^ e mUSt be efficient 5 over the large circular piece 



whirh -n POt place at least 2 inches of smalle r crocks, 

 Ww squire to be covered neatly all over with the 



WrtaK ° f Peat ' Then P^y fiU in with *e com- 

 inch X£ > J°> S0 that the coUaLr of the P lant » half 

 Placed rZ ^ t0p of the P ot - The ba]1 of the plant is 



^ M * VCU On thl« anA 4.1 — *_n -i .i , r 



round 



These must be well mixed, and 



The 



an 



orimnaHr, T Wltn the fin g ers > making il 



STidwhT^ in order * at a11 ma y 



wate£ J^ ^Pfeted the whole shon 

 wusiing of lukewarm water The nlant 



7^Z h :~ **■ W anadd^ 



"* *P a bottom-heat of 90*, with a moist i 



umre-water once every f( 

 will be found to have nei 



iVis — wuwer " buds W »U make their 



giving 



roots 



ight 



flower. It should be trained when the shoots are nearly 

 their full length. A Melon bed made of stable-dung is 

 one of the best places I ever found for growing the 

 AUamanda in. A large plant may be made of it in one 

 season. /. M^Pherson, Reswallie, Forfarshire. 



The Mildness of the Season is sufficiently indicated by 

 the number of flowers prematurely distributed about 

 our borders, as well as by the rapid growth of many 

 herbaceous plants. This day, Jan. 29, the following 

 are in flower in my garden, viz., Scilla sibirica, Poly- 

 anthuses, Snowdrops, Wallflowers, yellow Crocuses, 

 single white Hepaticas, and Helleborus niger, the latter 

 a mass of 1 3 fully expanded blossoms, each measuring 

 from 2\ to 3 inches in diameter ; Roses, Antirrhinums, 

 Aconites, Ranunculuses, Japan Anemones, Pansies, 

 Potentillas, Pseonies, Sisyrinchium grandiflorum. Some 

 Phloxes and Tulips, &a, are making vigorous growth, 

 for which I fear some may yet be punished, as was very 

 generally the case during last April and May. The 

 Coreopsis Atkinsoni (seeds of which I received last 

 spring from the Horticultural Society) has withstood 

 the winter. My plant is now of a lively green colour, 

 very robust, and to all appearance it will bloom early. 

 Is it considered an annual ? /. Edwards, Holloway. 



Rain. — The following fell at Goodamoor, Plympton 

 St. Mary, Devon, during 1850. It was measured by 

 Howard's rain gage : 



Jan. . 



Feb. .. 

 March 

 April . 



• • • • • 



■ ■ « 



Inches. 



„ 5.04 



. 5.28 



0.98 



8.76 

 May 3.41 



June 2.14 



July 4.44 



Carried forward 30.05 



Henry IL Treby. 



1850. 



Inches. 

 January ......... 0.84 



February 1.28 



March. 0.19 



April 2.73 



Mav 2 9 1 



June 1.17 



July 3.39 



Carried forward 11.81 



H. H. Treby. 



Days. 



on 15 



13 



19 

 17 

 10 

 15 



• . ■ 



• ■ 



■ • • 



• • • 



• •• 



Inches. 

 Brought forward 



30.05 



• • • 



• • 



105 



Au^. 



Sept. 



Oct.., 



Nov. 



Dec. 



.»........■••• 



4.22 

 5.81 

 4.06 

 7.13 

 5.56 



Days, 

 on 105 

 ... 23 

 ... 12 



19 

 21 

 17 



• • • 



56.83 



197 



Rain at Cobham, Surrey, during 



Days. 



on 8 

 ... 13 

 ... 6 

 19 

 16 

 7 

 14 



• • • 



Inches. 

 Brought forward 11.81 

 August 1.56 



October 1.48 



Days, 

 on 83 

 ... 15 

 ... 12 

 ... 11 



November 2.02 



™ • » 



... 14 



... 15 



■ ■ 



83 



19.47 



150 



*• is necessary 

 ^terial. and \ 



"o 



ill 



Garden Memoranda. 



Messrs Henderson's Pine-apple Place. — Jasminum 

 nudiflorum, in the shape of a small bush, has been 

 blooming in the open ground here for some weeks past. 

 It promises to be one of the most desirable of our 

 winter-flowering shrubs. The show house is already 

 gay with the various spring bulbs, such as Hyacinths, 

 Roman Narcissus, Van Thol and Tournesol Tulips, &c, 

 intermixed, here and there, with small examples of the 

 deliciously sweet-smelling Daphne odora rosea, Cycla- 

 mens, Chinese Primulas, and Cinerarias. These, again, 

 are backed up by Epacrises, the Winter Heath, Linum 

 trigynum, Camellias, Rhododendron Nobleanum, and 

 one or two other plants. The stove contained flowering 

 specimens of Centradenia floribunda, Pentlandia miniata, 

 an Amaryllid or two, some Begonias, which are always 

 gay during winter ; the white variety of Poinsettia 

 pulcherrima, and some other things ; the specimen house 

 was filled with excellent plants, neatly arranged. Erios- 

 temon intermedium, the most handsome of the genus, 

 was just coming into flower, in which condition it will 

 remain for many months. Styphelia tubiflora, one of the 

 earliest of Epacrids, was in full blossom, and we observed 

 a spike or two of the curious hybrid Veronica Andersoni 

 coming into beauty. Double Chinese Primulas, the red 

 and fringed white, were in bloom here. These were in 

 deep pans, and were specimens of considerable size. The 

 way in which they are cultivated here is to strike them 

 cuttings, in Spring ; keep them growing slowly till 

 August, when they are more liberally shifted and more 

 generously treated, and they blossom about Christmas. 

 After they have done flowering they are placed near 

 the glass, and kept rather dry and cool, so as to give 

 them a season of rest till the beginning of August, when 

 they are repotted, their branches spread out and pegged 

 down, and under this kind of management they blossom 

 much better the second year than the first, beginning 

 about Christmas and continuing on till May. The 

 old plants are thrown away after they have flowered, 

 the second year, and their places are supplied by one- 

 year-old plants. The variety of Cornea called * Brilliant" 

 was in blossom here, as was also a small plant of the 

 deep purple- coloured Hovea pungens, a beautiful New 

 Holland shrub ; but difficult to manage. We likewise 

 remarked in this house some "tree " Carnations, whose 

 perpetual habit of blooming must render them favourites. 

 After flowering they will be shortened back, summered 

 in the open ground, and then brought into the green- 

 house to blossom again next winter. It is stated that 

 Cryptomeria japonica, though hardy, becomes brown in 

 winter, when to be effective it should be green. A 

 specimen in this nursery exhibited this defect. It was 

 growing close to the edge of a small pond. 



examination of the fruits cultivated in Canada. It was 



also resolved, in order that information regarding the 

 structure, uses, and classification of plants may be more 

 widely disseminated, that a library be formed, principally 

 of botanical works. Office bearers were appointed and 

 another meeting convened for the further prosecution 

 of the objects of the society. 



Botanic Garden, Cambridge. — We understand that 

 Mr. J. Stratton, of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edin- 

 burgh, has been elected Curator of this Botanic Garden, 

 in the room of the late Mr. Murray. 



How to Destroy Ants and Caterpillars. — The fol- 

 lowing method of destroying ants and caterpillars, 

 though old, is but little known, and very successful and 

 simple. It consists in scattering spirits of turpentine 

 over the places where the insects are, by means of a 

 brush struck against the hand so as to cause the tur- 

 pentine to fall out like rain. If the ants are in a pot, 

 they will all leave if a little turpentine be applied, so as 

 to form a circle round it. Soap and water has been 

 long a famous remedy against caterpillars ; but M. 

 Manelle, to whom we are indebted for this article, finds 

 that soap lather is much more efficient. A wet brush 

 rubbed on a piece of soap produces, as is well known, a 

 great quantity of lather, and if this be applied to the 

 parts attacked by caterpillars, they are instantly de- 

 stroyed. If the caterpillars cannot be reached with the 

 hand, the soap may be applied to tlnm by a horse- 

 hair brush on a long handle. The morning: and evening, 

 when the caterpillars collect together, are the best times 

 for performing this operation. Flore des Serres. [We 

 presume that soft soap is here intended ] 



Method of compelling the buds of Camellia reticulata 

 to develop. — Every amateur is aware of the tendency of 

 Camellia reticulata to bud but not to produce branches ; 

 this tendency causes the plant to appear much poorer 

 than the other varieties, and accounts for the small 

 quantity of flowers usually found upon it. Last year, 

 towards the end of April, I pinched the young shoots 

 of a vigorous plant when they were about 6 inches 

 long. This year the plant has three flowers and 27 

 buds, many of them being on three or four-year old 

 wood, which never happens when this Camellia is left 

 to itself. Another similar operation will give nie a 

 plant with as many flowers as the other sorts. I only 

 remove the two last eyes. Neumann. 



Death of Mr. C/trnf/e.-We regret to announce the 

 death of Mr. Thomas Christie, which happened on the 

 19th ult., at Blackrock, Dublin. He wbs 98 years of 



oprp 



gardener to the present Sir Harcourt Lees and his 

 father, the late Sir John Lees, during the long period 

 of 75 years. He was born in Fifeshire on the 2d 

 February, 1753, and went to Ireland in June 1772, to 

 act in the capacity of a journeyman gardener to the 

 late Lord Monntjoy, in the Phoenix Park. Early in 

 1776 he went to live with the late Sir John Lees, as 

 steward and gardener, where he remained until Iris 

 death. A service of such long duration is, perhaps, not 

 on record, and certainly, no man ever performed the 

 duties intrusted to him with more fidelity. Within 

 four days of his death he was superintending his men. 

 He was a keen observer of political events, and living 

 as he did during the most eventful periods of Ireland's 

 history, he was able to record many remarkable scenes 

 he had witnessed, as well as to refer to the great 

 changes which had taken place within his recollection. 

 In appearance and dress he personified the respectable 



gardeners of the last century. 



Potato Cultivation in Jersey. — Notes on several 

 varieties of early and second early Potatoes, grown last 

 vear hii Mr. Bernard Saunders as extracted from a register 



and had discharged the duties of steward and 



Miscellaneous. 



Montreal Botanical Society. — We learn from thef 

 Montreal Ga te that a meeting had been held on *** 

 29th of December last, for the purpose of *£*£*$ * 

 Botanical Society in that city. It was resolved tnat 

 it should have for its object, principal., mutual instruc- 

 tion in the study of botany, the investigation of plants 

 indigenous to the county, and the classification and 



kept by him:— I. "Shepherd's Fame," « Cockney," or 

 " Barrington," planted the first week in January, were 

 ready for use early in May, and were dug up for seed 

 in July, first-rate in quality ; dwarf, and produced 

 no blossom ; crop, from 6 to 8 cabots per perch. 2. 

 " Early Frame," planted on the 4th of January, were 

 fit for use early in May, very dwarf, no bloom, dug up 

 for seed on 12th July, quite ripe, a good middle-sized 

 Potato ; produce, full 8 cabots to the perch, and ex- 

 cellent in quality. 3. " Martin's Early," planted on 6th 

 January, fit for use by the middle of May, moderately 

 dwarf, shows bloom, but does not expand, the stalks 

 were destroyed by blight in June, which caused the 

 produce to run small, and only at the rate of 4 cabots 

 to the perch ; in some seasons that quantity is doubled. 

 4. " Forty-fold," or u Osborne's Early," red or blue, 

 planted on 6th January, fit for use in the beginning of 

 May, dug up on the 12th July, quite ripe, very small, 

 but of good quality, dry and floury ; produced about 

 5 cabots to the perch, and were free from Wight 5. 

 "Gold-finder," planted on 10th January* «?ag up ripe ui 

 July ; did not bloom, but grew strong and were fit 

 for use in middle of May ; a well fr*own variety ; crop 

 full 3 cabots to the perch, and f "excellent quality. 6. 

 "Hammond's Seedling," pk«*d 12th January, were fit 

 for use in the middle of *iay, and were finally dug up 

 ripe in July : very s-^d, and a fine large Potato ; no 

 bloom ; produce ^ about 6 cabots to the perch, and 

 excellent in quality — some seasons the crop is 8 

 cabots to *iie perch. 7. " King's Seedling," planted 4tfa 

 Jant^ry, were fit for use in the beginning of May, and 

 wpe in July, a fine new oval-shaped Potato, raised 

 " Martin's Early." It produces but very few small one*, 

 has no bloom, and very little stalk. It is remarkably 

 white when boiled, mealy and good flavoured ; produced 

 from 6 to 7 cabots per perch ; this is only it* «J«w 

 year's trial, so that it promises to be an acquisition. 

 8. " Thurston s Conqueror," a very dwarf kind witn no 



