



IS 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



183 



jm! M«i he end* turned downwards 

 ^rds the ground, and then **?££ 



p and 

 » ground 



£t h«jfb«- Now^-iiat" Nature does by lavish 

 • «f Med. I propose in some degree to imitate 

 rttJL 2"1> I ™>uld »»her do it by planting 

 *_? ,Mpd th« Deodar when commencing to plant. 





u«TTn.m ral, 3/arcA 18. — J. R. Go wen, Esq., 

 H0KICl the chair. H. Bentley, Esq., W. F. 

 ikfc. Esq. G. Peabody. Esq., J. Butler, Esq., Pro- 

 wSwone, Mrs. Knox, Mr. Stevens and Mr. 

 a_Ja. were elected Fellows ; and Mr. M'lntosh, 

 : ^to the Duke of Buccleuch, at Dalkeith Palace, 

 onding member. Among subjects of exhi- 

 ' ™"~*^ w example of the beautiful Jasmine- 

 Rhododendron (R. jasmiuiflorum), an 

 ii <rrcenhouse shrub, which was shown 

 fii^t time at Chiswick on the 18th of 



This came from the nursery of 





fa 



It consisted of a charming 



the 



fgst year. 



A tcb and was awarded a Banksian medal. 



A nice collection of Orchids, which received a Knightian 

 aedsl, was exhibited by Mr 

 Backer, Esq., of Wandsworth. 



) Cambridge Dendrobe (D.Uambndgeanum;, 



(be fragrant Burlingtonia, the long-tailed Lady's Slipper 



pripedium caudatum),one of the best sorts of Skinner's 



I together with the ivory-flowered Cyinbid 



'vmbidium eburneuin), a variety of it slightly tinged 



with ink, and the beautiful Dendrobium anosmum, 



D. 



which is closely allied to the Rhubarb-scented 

 mcrop: Hum. A Moscow Queen Pine Apple, scarcely 

 me, and on that account unrewarded, was produced by 

 it. Jones, gardener to Sir J. Guest, Bart. It weighed 

 libs. f» oz., a >od weight for a Pine at this season of the 

 w. Mr. Butcher, gardener to W. Leaf, Esq., showed 

 t dish of Muscat of Alexandria Grapes, for which a 

 (ertincate of Merit was awarded. As might be ex- 

 paeted, they were somewhat shrivelled, but they were, 

 lerertheless, good eatable Grapes. — Similar awards 

 were also made to Mr. Bennett, gr. to J. Smith, Esq., 

 md to Mr. Higgs, gr to J. H. Barchard, Esq., for ex- 

 hibitions of Keens' Seedling Strawberries. Mr. Bennett's 

 fruits were perhaps the largest ; but Mr. Higgs' were 

 the best coloured. — Examples of ornamental rustic 

 baskets, for placing flowering plants in, were furnished 

 by Mr. Howlette, of St. Osyth, Colchester. They were 

 of different shapes, so as to fit them for hanging up 



the walls of entrance halls, or in conservatories, 

 were formed of wood encased in Larch cones, whose 

 pointed outwards. The chains by which they were 

 ded consisted of the same kind of cones, fixed 

 lengthwise in wire, and, being attached to the 

 baskets by hooks, they could be separated from 

 them at pleasure, thus facilitating the introduction 

 W the plants.— Various dried vegetables, such as 

 Peas, Haricot Beans, Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, and 

 Turnips, &c, were exhibited from Peyrusset, Moller, 

 ad Co., of J 'aris. These were stated to have been dried 

 by a proc< peculiar to M. Gannal, the celebrated em- 

 Wmer of animal substances. This process is understood 

 ■nefly to consist in dividing the larger vegetables into 

 pieces, and placing them in an apparatus into which 



dried 



parted 



r 



with all 



In this 



length 



is 



air is driven, until they have ym.w% 

 their water, and have become perfectly dry. 

 . * nev ma y be preserved for any 

 time and it is said that their flavour is not 

 *all interfered with, inasmuch as nothing is taken 

 foni them, except the water they contained, and that, 

 jter they are cooked, they are just as good as when 

 rah gathered. If these facts, therefore, are borne out 

 fy*perience, the discovery is a very important one, 

 eren as regards vegetables, more especially to ship- 

 pers, for they can be furnished in this state in quantity, 

 *j It a very cheap rate ; but, in addition to vegetables, 

 Wts, as Apples, Pears, Apricots, &c, and even 

 •wers, may be dried and preserved by the same 

 PKttess, and, owing to the rapidity with which the 

 Jjjjjf is conducted, the latter retain their natural 

 wuis almost as brightly as when first obtained from 

 •U* ?*raen. In confirmation of this, several dried spe- 

 ^ens were shown to the meeting ; and it was stated 

 ™t others would be present at the great Exhibition 

 ? Hyde-park, when it is to be hoped that additional 

 ™*n*kou will be furnished on the subject, From the 

 ©•j™* w the Society came a beautiful specimen of the 

 jjj^;fl^ered Epidendrum (E. auramiacum), Mr. 

 anddi^ 6 ^ °^ ^endrobium mobile, Lyeaste cruenta, 

 rip* lii ! rose -coloured variety of the Guatemala spe- 



candida* Eriostemon cusmdatum. Forsvt.hia 



Botanical of London, March 7.— A. Hemrey, Esq. 

 in the chair. Several donations were announced, and 

 the continuation of Mr. Stock's paper "On the Botany 

 of Bungay, Suffolk," was read. 



Stokb Newington Chrysanthemum, Fthrmvy 21 

 J. Edwards, Esq., President, in the chair. The fol- 

 lowing is Mr. Taylor's lecture on the Chrysanthemum, 

 referred to at p. 151 of a late Number. j Mr. T. said, 

 " I shall confine my remarks to the practice I have 

 pursued in producing the beautiful blooms of this flower, 

 for which our annual exhibition is distinguished. That 

 perseverance and watchfulness are the only means by 

 which we can hope to obtain success in our labours, is 

 evident to all engaged in the cultivation of flowers ; 

 without assiduity on the part of the gardener, or amateur, 

 nothing beyond ordinary results need be expected, and 

 this is pre-eminently the case with the Chrysanthemum. 

 I stated last year, that the cut blooms produced by me, 

 at the exhibition of 1849, were from cuttings struck on a 

 hot-bed, mostly as late as March, and afterwards gradually 

 hardened off; but further experience has led me to 

 prefer propagating as soon after the blooming season as 

 I can get cuttings ; as by striking early it enables the 

 plant to store up sufficient matter in its young state 

 to meet the demands made on in the growing season, 

 for in my opinion the plant cannot be too strong, if the 

 production of large and perfect blooms is the object in 

 view. In selecting cuttings, I prefer the strongest 

 suckers, with a portion of root attached to them. I then 

 fill some 3-inch pots with sandy loam, and in each of 

 these I insert three cuttings : they are then placed in a 

 cold frame and kept rather close for a short time. 

 I am opposed to striking in heat, as it deprives them of 

 that robust habit in the early stage of their growth, 

 which is necessary to ensure superb blooms. In April 

 most of them will require potting : I ihen prepare a 

 compost, consisting of one-third yellow loam, one-third 

 rotten turf, and one-third rotten manure, mixing all 

 well together, and adding sufficient rough sand, or grit, 

 to make the whole porous. I shift them out of the 

 three-inch pots into six-inch ones, care being taken not 

 to disturb the young roots. After potting, I place them 

 in the open air, in a situation sheltered from easterly 

 winds, and sufficiently distant from each other to prevent 

 their growing up weakly. During their growth, I 

 frequently alter their position, in order to rightly balance 

 their shapes, and to prevent their rooting through the 

 pots into the ground. In the end of June, or the be- 

 ginning of July, if all goes on well, they will be ready 



This effected, by pro- 

 viding some large pots, in which there is plenty of 

 drainage, and using the compost mentioned above, but 

 in a much coarser state, I then place them in a situation 

 fully exposed to the influence of the sun, adopting the 

 same practice as before, and into each pot I fix stakes 

 for tying the plants as they may want it ; requiring, as 

 the Chrysanthemums do, a liberal supply of water 

 during the growing season, they should not, under any 

 pretence, be permitted to suffer from drought ; if this i 

 the case, deformed blooms will often be the result ; but, 

 on the other hand, the soil should not be so drenched 

 as to become soddened, for that would also prove 

 injurious to a fine bloom, as well as to the health of the 

 plant. If they are well established in their pots by the 

 end of August, I commence supplying them with liquid 

 manure at least once a week, beginning with it rather 

 weak at first, but increasing its strength in proportion 

 to the growth of the plant. I discontinue the manure- 

 water when the blooms expand, previously diminishing 

 its strength gradually until the supply is cut off. 

 Constant attention is essential in the early stage of the 

 growth of the plant. Without it the blooms will be in- 

 different. As laterals are produced I pinch them off, 

 but I never stop the main stem. As soon as the 

 blooming stems become visible, I remove all but three 

 or four, according to the strength of the plant. When 

 the flower-buds can be discerned I thin them, leaving 

 one bud on each stem. I prefer leaving the centre 

 bud, if it be round and perfect, but if at any time after- 

 wards the buds show signs of being deformed I remove 

 them at once. At this stage of the plants' growth the 

 earwig will commence the work of destruction by eating 

 the buds. My traps consist of Bean-stalks placed 

 among the branches ; they creep into these at night, 

 and in the morning I blow them into a bottle of wi 



have divided them into the two clones of cupped 

 (or curved) and reflexed flowers. Cupped— King, t^ueen. 

 of England, Princess Marie, Duke, Goliath, Two- 

 coloured Incurv- 1, Dupont de l'Eure, Vesta, Beauty, 

 Campestroni, Defiance, Pilot, Warden, Sydenham, Lu- 

 cidum, Formosum, Golden Clustered ; Reflexed — 

 Salter's Annie, Jenny Lind, Phidias (new), Rabelais, 

 Rebecca, Cloth of Gold. In regard to the properties 

 which constitute a perfect bloom, I consider that each 

 petal should be broad, thick, smooth at the end, and a 

 little cupped, or curved, but not so as to show the under 

 part too much ; the centre should be good, the whole 

 flower forming little more than half a ball. Vesta, in 

 my opinion, nearest approaches these propertie : . As 

 we cannot do without reflexed flowers at present, 

 they should have broad, thick, smooth petals, 

 lying regularly one over the other, and the centre 

 of the flower should be good, as, for example, 

 Salter's Annie ; all loose flowers, and those that have 

 notched petals, should be disqualified, as, for instance, 

 such varieties as Zoe, General Marceau, Perfection, 

 &c. The Anemone, or Aster-flowering varieties, should 

 either be distinctly classed at exhibitions, or entirely 

 discarded." After a short discussion, in which many 

 eminent cultivators of the Chrysanthemum took part, a 

 vote of thanks was awarded to Mr. James and Mr. Tay- 

 lor for their respective lectures, and the meeting closed. 



ftottrtss of £ootts 



for receiving their final shift. 



^fissima, 



amount 



Chin 

 litter 



ese 



* v 



r ***aosu s , anc 

 ? ™ followin 



Darned, the former a very hardy, the 

 ry early kind: together with Cytisus 



^ a* wished to receive them. Glout Morceau de 

 diVr^V 11 exceUent vari *ty, little known and very 



Nature 



.Bernard, and Fourcroy, or Merveille de la 

 The latter two are reported to be good : but 

 not yet been proved in the garden. 



water, which kills them, and replace the stalk. As 

 the blooming season draws near I remove the plants into 

 the greenhouse. My object being to obtain large flowers 

 they are not checked in their growth by stopping, they 

 are therefore tall, and, to some, might appear unsightly ; 

 but to remedy this defect I intermix Camellias with 

 them, the beautiful leaves of which afford an agreeable 

 screen to their tall stems. By having the flowers on 

 a level with the tops of the Camellias, a pleasing contrast 

 is created, which is very effectual. I have cut some of 

 my finest blooms froom plants grown under a south wall, 

 where they were treated exactly as under pot culture ; 

 as soon as the blooms begin to expand they must be 

 protected from wind, rain, and all kinds of inclement 

 weather. Some of the varieties, which flower early, 

 require shading from the sun ; the later flowers should 

 have a glass fixed over them, in order to enable them to 

 fully develope themselves by the time fixed for exhi- 

 bition. I need not say that a little attention should be 

 paid to tilting the glasses, so as to allow the condensed 

 moisture in them to escape, or it will destroy the 

 under petals before the upper ones are in per- 

 fection. The following list contains the varieties 

 which I consider most suitable for cut blooms. I 



Botanique Cn/ptorfamique on Histoire des Families Natu- 

 relles des Ptante* Jnferieims. Par J. Payer. 8vo, 

 Paris, 1 850. Pp. vi. and 2*23, fig. 1 105. 

 Tiioioh the work before us can scarcely be considered 

 as much more than a clever compilation, from various 

 sources, of interesting facts relative to the extersive 

 division of vegetables known under the name of Cryp- 

 togams, it may very justly be recognised as a most 

 useful contribution to the botanist in general. The 

 facts themselves are scattered up and down through a 

 thousand volumes, and the student who was desirous of 

 any general information had no easily accessible source 

 to which he could refer, till the appearance of the pre- 

 sent volume and that of Kbrber, nearly of the same 

 date, which we have already noticed. The numerous 

 figures are in general very clear and well chosen, and 

 the information just what is wanted. French autho- 

 rities, as is natural, have been most referred to, but not 

 to the exclusion of others, though it does not appear to 

 us that the author is really always quite an courant. 



Cryptogams are divided by M Payer into five classes, 

 Alga?. Fungi, Mosses, Ferns, and Rhizocarps, and these 

 are again divided into numerous orders, families, and 

 tribes ; but we think him far from happy in his 

 divisions, whether principal or subordinate. Lichens, 

 for instance, are made a mere family of one of the 

 orders of Fungi, and when it is stated that Mu or, with 

 its allied genera, forms a division of precisely the same 

 value in the same order, the incorrectness of such a 

 partition is at once apparent. It is easy to understand 

 the principle on which all the Ascophorous fungi and 

 Lichens should be placed in one great class, though 

 difficulties enough will arise by the way; but to make 

 them near allies of the Sporophorous fungi, is not only 

 against nature, but has not even the excuse of identity 

 of structure in their reproductive organs. We believe 

 the old Linncean notion of their affinity to Algae, to 

 which some names of great authority are even now 

 inclined, is much more tenable ; not only however are 

 Lichens included in Fungi, but a portion of them, such 

 as Opegrapka, Endocarpon, &c., are separated from the 

 rest, together with a portion of the fungi, consisting of 

 such genera as Hotter in,. , Sphceria. &c, under a distinct 

 familv, broken up again into a number of tribes. We 

 believe this association to be altogether wrong, and that 

 the constant presence of Gonidia in Lichens is a good 

 and permanent character, which will at once distinguish 

 cases in which the analogy is the strongest, as in certain 

 species of HysUvhuu and Opegrapha, provided the speci- 

 mens of the latter be in a state of vegetation. In old 

 weather-worn specimens, where the crust has vanished, 

 it may be perhaps impossible to distinguish very accu- 

 rately. As regards the genus Vcrrucaria, the same 

 observations may be made, except where true fungi have 

 been described as belonging to that genus or the con- 

 trary, of both which cases several instances might be 



brought forward. 



After a careful analysis of Collemals and of certain 

 Lichens, Mr. Thwaites discovered the closest re- 

 semblance between the structure of the frond and 

 that of some of the lower Algae, and quite at variance 

 with that of fungi, the Palmelloid structure prevailing 

 in some, and the Nostochoid in others. In cases of 

 Anamorphoses of Lichens, it is very rare indeed that 

 they assume a filamentous term, as is constantly the case 

 with fungi under such circumstances, Di&yonema and 

 Cora, which might be supposed the most favourable 

 instances, have evidently, now that their mode of fructi- 

 fication is known, a fungoid structure, belonging in fact 

 to the higher group of Hymenomycetous fungi under 

 the guise of Lichens, to the fruit of which thelv hymenium 

 bears no real resemblance, nor is the resemblance of 



genera 



their frond more than superficial. 



have been placed by authors amongst Alga?. Even in those 

 Sphceria?, which really seem the least like fungi, and 

 where the whole plant seems to consist of perithecium 

 without any mycelium, a careful examination will gene- 

 rally prove the existence of myceloid threads ; and if the 

 genus Capnodium or its abortive forms, together with 

 [those of Antennaria, be traced in their different 



