292 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



In winter the plants, both great and small, but more 

 especially the latter, should be kept in a temperature of 

 from 10? to 12° Reaumur (54° to 59 Q F.). The period 

 of its normal growth begins in December ; the flowers 

 are formed upon the young wood. The earliest appear 

 on the stem and the principal branches, then on the 

 lateral ones, where a succession is kept up for some 

 months. The small plants, which are not more than eight 

 or ten inches in height, have already two or three flowers 

 at the tops of their stems. Perfection is not to be looked 

 for until the plants are two or three years old.^ ^ The 

 original plant obtained at the exhibition of the Societe de 

 Flore, at Brussels, a medal, as the most beautiful new 

 plant there. This same plant, which I have never used 

 for propagation, bore in 1850 more than 300 flowers, 

 from January to June. The flowers, which in form 

 resemble the great Periwinkle, are richly coloured with 

 violet, blue, and white, and contrasting as they do with 

 the glaucous foliage behind them, produce a most beau- 

 tiful effect. 



The plants, if they have rooted well, may in the month 

 of March be placed in a temperate house, in a shady 

 and airy situation ; they may be put very well in the 

 midst of Camellias and left there all the summer ; their 

 shoots will not become blanched, their growth remains 

 vigorous and short-jointed, their flower buds are well- 

 lmperiectiy Known formed and the flowers are abundant and last a long 

 to ) or readers ; the following facts relating to it may time. Towards the end of July, when the young wood 

 prove acceptable to them. is well ripened, the plants may be repotted. This is the 



anciseea confertiflora is a native of the province best time to repot them, for if they are repotted later, 



Sir William Dknison, in the letter which accom- 

 panied tL specimens now on view, that its timber 

 is i jut] to Oak for ship building. If so, the Tas- 

 mannian luck-yards must become some day of great 

 importance, for the trees are extremely common, ana 

 are said to grow 6 feet in length annually while 

 young. Two specimens now in the Exhibition 

 building, are taken from the same trunk, 134 feet 

 apart, and the highest is nearly 3 feet in diameter. 



We cannot be mistaken in supposing that the 

 making known the existence of sources of wealth 

 like these, will form one of the great results of the 

 Exhibition of Industry ; another may be the in- 

 troduction to our own shores of some at least of the 



timber, which now grows only at the 

 antip How far that is practicable, is a question 



that we shall probably discuss next week. 



Now 



sort of 



cage 



e aU4mportantc^d^r 



for his reception T- 10nof £ 



irt retirement. Th 



The *> bird* £* 

 y come r,i,» 7 ^ % 



t^ia and ZZS fffg* *&& 

 to despise all mixing \vfth tlf "* or « fi 

 hideous hubbub of our busy world an 5 "^ « 

 in the neighbourhood of crowded ~ u-* *M«M 

 Studying his habits, thiS? fffc **JS 



seem 



cages 



already 



may be had, see 



*S* fct 



the* 



tf 



living 



CULTURE OF FRANCISCEAS. 



By U. DE JONGHE, OF BRU86ELS. 



I have just read an article in the Gardeners' Chronicle 

 (p. 26*2), on the Francisea confertiflora, and, as perhaps 

 the origin and history of this beautiful plant (which, with 

 F. i niia will probably bo for some time to come 





sufficiently large to give the birds he£ hZH* 





of St. Paul, in Brazil, and is found on the summit of 

 Mount Cubaton, five leagesfrom Sanctos, where it grows 

 iu a heavy soil, shaded and surrounded by virgin forests. 

 It was discovered by my collector, M. Libon, and sent 

 by him to Brussels, where it arrived in November 1847. 

 A plant was sent iu May, 1848, to Messrs. Low and Co., 

 and from them it has found its way into the gardens of 



English ainatiiirs. 



1 am obliged to your correspondent " W. K.," Knows- 

 ley Hail, Lancashire, for the valuable information fur- 

 nished by him touching the cultivation of this plant. 



From the statements of M. Libon, and the specimens 



in my herbarium, it appears that the Franciscea confer- 

 tiflora, forms in its natural state, a bush, scarcely 3 feet 

 high, but covered with a profusion of violet-blue flowers. 

 Mr. « VV. K.," has succeeded in growing the plant in 

 a foreign climate, and showing how it ought to be treated 

 m Europ i houses, and for so doing, he deserves the 

 praise and thanks of all who care for the cultivation of 

 new an 1 beautiful plants. Having myself just finished 

 som • remarks on the cultivation of Franciscea eximia, 

 I send them for insertion in the Gardeners' Chronicle, in 

 the hope that they may prove interesting to the English 

 gardening world. 



0* the cult tion of Franciscea eximia.— The great 

 difficulty with which every one who attempts to cultivate 

 a topical plant in a European hothouse has to contend, 

 is .^onmee of the habits of the plant-of its period 

 of gro.vth-of its period of rest. In consequence of this 

 ignorance, winch can only be dispelled by careful 



«ri^^ after the plant's 



toatt 



w nad, see "Ca*e Bink»v 

 length be 17 inches; height 1 U - ?°' 7 )- 

 inches. The sides, Uk aid i mche3 5 de* » 

 mahogany and the front of str<J V L T* /* « 



immediately opposite. 



reception of his food."ll^ g T B ^5« 

 this purpose as a small white earth*! ** * 

 soap-dish, which should be fitted KST df * 

 hung on hinges, and made so i t^**' ^ 

 Place this at one of the sides towards 2! k T 11 * 

 cage and let it be secured by a button j£j* £ 

 just such a frame-work on the opposite side L • * 

 m the centre a circular glJl^Ct^ 

 water m this be changed twice, at least, dan? * 

 Ihere jnust be two perches, one above anLn u , 



The former slmnW h»K—A ' u : . ., e ' an(1 on « belo*. 



h 



they will not flower so early. 



In October the plant should be again placed in the 

 coolest place of a hothouse, where it should spend the 

 winter. If these directions be attended to, the Franciscea 

 eximia will be found to be easy of cultivation, and to 

 form a valuable addition to ornamental hothouse plants. 



5 and in consequence of the eagerness of' people 

 in perfection all at once/ and of their tendency to 

 emidenm ery thing that falls' short, though tea Sirf 

 L m I: h ? ir , ^^tations, many a new pLt has been 



BRITISH SONG BIRDS. 



(Cage Bibds, No. 13.) 



No. XXIX. — Having entered my protest against the 

 capture of nightingales, as being an act of wanton 

 cruelty, I will now proceed to my prescribed duty, and 

 show how to atone in the best way we can for our having 

 deprived them of liberty. This will be best evinced 

 in our care to provide them with a suitable domicile, 

 and food adapted to their constitution. But first, a 

 word or two about purchasing them, and selecting them 

 according to their merit. 



The principal dealers in these birds reside in the 

 classic region of the * Seven Dials ;" and as there is 

 much « trickery" practised here, I will pave the way for 

 plain sailing. 



In order to make a great show of business, some of 

 these dealers— one in particular— always collect together 

 a number of nightingales' cages, at least 10 days before 

 the birds arrive amongst us ! These are placed on high 

 shelves, after being artfully papered up in front with 

 tissue paper ; so as to make people believe that each 

 cage contains a nightingale. When folks express their 

 surprise at the birds coming over " so early," they are 

 told— « the birds are very wild, and must not be looked 

 at, for at least 10 days. At the end of that time they 

 will be quite tame, and in full song." This bait is 



no more. 



lot* 



OR 





This should run exactly across ^ * 

 from end to end, and be immediately in the «L? 

 as to allow ample room for the bird's tail Thp u- 

 perch should be similarly fixed from end to JZ 

 placed immediately behind the tin drinking-pan. „ * 

 barely two inches distance. To keep y^Z 'J 

 private, a green silk curtain may be fixed on » Z» 

 roller, at the top of the cage, immediately over tfcS 

 This could be drawn down or raised ad libitum It k 

 seldom, however, that a curtain is required 



Now for his Majesty's food. Being an insectiymw 

 bird, the nearest assimilating diet that we can pro* 

 him is, raw r«»ip-steak, all lean, and perfectly sweet 

 If tainted in the least degree, and he partake*" of it 

 it will be all « dick-y » with him! * * 



be£n 8 ,,,M,r„ ' i ' • ,CU ' nad a little more tim e 

 Deen spent m endeavouring to bring it to perfection 



would have proved well wnnh, „f „„L '^ I " CC ,' 



increase^ I p 



of the Gam rg 



generally swallowed by parvenus, who keep on calling, 



till at last they do hear a nightingale sing ! Perhaps, 



there are two " real " birds among the whole of the 



proved well worthy of continued faVour^nrl P apered - u P ca S es , ! ! ^it'le caution, and a little com- 



"pularity. It is then, ii my option Xdutv I Z?, P T ^ i*' 8 \ ntel,, 'g ible " hin V will put a 

 --• «•-•-*—• ' - > °P ,mon > tne ^ty I novice mi h.s guard, and enable him to appear a 



knowing'' one. He cannot speak too little ; but he 

 had need be " all eye, and all ear." 



As April nightingales, when fresh caught, can never be 

 depended upon for their continuance in son ? , their 

 rateable value is but trifling. Five shillings is quite 

 ample m any case, unless indeed a bird « comes out" in 

 some remarkable manner, and sings the week through 

 lnis however is of rare occurrence. Besides, a night- 

 ingale l8 naturally of a sulky disposition ; and if moved 

 trom one place to 



Si ei "o h H g tJlem Which m ^ en ^le the 

 «wdtr er to bring them as soon as possible into the 



6g.ee degree of beauty, that they may not be prSud^ed 

 and thrown away as unworthy of notice. Thb I shall 

 now proceed to do for the Franciscea eximia" Vhl'ht 



Oh romefe, is to be found in several of 



the jonrn^s more exclus^devoted Tbl^ 

 ^SZZZZ™** 25 f -^ by M. Liton i 



in a 





Th r 



lateral . 

 plants of this Fran 



stems as 



j„ m . f ;. A another, will perhaps remain 



t^\t°l , T Y t m ° ment In his second se ^n, I smith. 

 c e>t une toute autre chose. But this entirely depends 

 upon yourself, as I shall show. y nepenas 



SP'^Th^^P 169 ar ? ^ hat the ^-dealers 

 rank. ihat is, they are full of snatches of rap- 



The trouble necessary to be expended upon 

 birds is great, yet are they worthy of it. To ensure 

 your beef being fresh, procure it twice, daily, of your 

 butcher. A pennyworth each time will suffice. Now 

 for manipulating with it, and " preparing " it deZra k 

 regie. 



All operations in connection with a nightingale's food 

 must be performed on a circular slab of marbk, and the 

 naked hand must be kept at a respectful distance. Ua 

 a silver fork to hold the beef, and scrape it with a mil 

 sharp steel case-knife. If the rump-steak be tender ui 

 lean, as it ought to be, it will scrape " kindly." Discard 

 from it all the fibrous matter, and place the residue <■ 

 one corner of the slab. Moisten this gradually with i 

 little cold spring water, and then mix with it some yolk 

 of hard-boiled egg. The consistency of the whole should 

 be moderate, neither too thin nor too solid. Either 

 extreme is to be carefully guarded against 



Such of the above food as remains uneaten, should h 

 thrown away about 1 p.m., and the earthenware diah, 

 after being thoroughly scalded, should be re-filled. Sfl. 

 only does the meat become tainted through the exc* 

 sive heat of the weather, but it is speedily rendered 

 nauseous by the constant incursion of blow flies, who* 

 pestiferous breath and all-but-living eggs pervade all 

 J animal matter within their sight, smell, or reach. 



I must now bid adieu, for a short week, to this king of 

 birds. The fair moon has just entered her second 

 quarter ; the nights are brilliant and inviting for i 

 ramble ; and nightingales, thank God, are yet to be 

 found in the woods, the groves, and the copses. That 

 I shall seek them, and drink so deeply of their flood* <x 

 harmony, that I shall sing their further praises with evei 

 an increased zest, William Kidd, New-road, Hanim* 





call 



turou, song ; , nd ^ ^ f£ ^ ^'7 " ™£ 



SETS 2?*£ d , iffi ™'* «s — «s?s 



tion to his 



The voice of the lover while paying adora 

 It h„,L ^ - S0UrS id01 '" is heard b °th f J 2d near 

 180 J^^fin!L rf ^«-«- -lody, n rnd 



Home Correspond* 



Mr. CuthiWs Market Gardening I ., 



)rld has heard of flip fame of the London market 



All the 



they wereunnack-Pd nn.Ti i ' 7 * Immediately after mediatelv «<!« 1 7 ' , g ? to nest > almost im- 

 Brazil, and ^Sddf^f fiSg 8 f Uow e ^h from | intend,/ Z Tj ™^ i°«P^tion they draw-all are 



less stare to 



Many of our 



out, would doubt- 



from a p«* 



hoi 



first 



intended for the par ^ 



W the time ^ ^ V ' ^ ** ° f * ™* 1^ *%J2$TS* ™ S ^'^£ 

 nnd at the end of ££ '^Vf -g-n f hop°e that tel^ZoT"^ ?P in th « 

 roots, which lined ti,-_. .._ 8 % ,t . had . ^t out some fine thn*, ih« v ^ J:?* S m V°. d y ma y reach the ears nf 



roots, which lined ^poT^Sbi^ 1 ^ ^ SOme fine 



my success with this 



Guided by 



but not every one bred and located in the countl J xce] . 

 get an opportunity to be an eye-witness of their • ^ 

 lent modes of cropping, based on long "IfT? 1 ^ 

 sought out with an anxiety sharpened by mgn ■ 

 ana the severity of competition 

 who talk so much about land wearing 



see men taking first-rate crops urn - 

 of ground on which, perhaps, the same kind mw 

 been repeated, it may be, at least 40 M****'* 

 50 years. Now as these keen P^ 10 ^^ 

 not « write a book," but would rather retain a wr . { 

 in the shrine making art for the goddess i ^ ^^ 

 must be admitted that Mr. Cuthill has prod uwo 

 of papers which cannot but be of ei 

 to agriculturists and horticulturists 



the 



last 50 



a sen* 

 both 



two iu pure leaf-moui.Tbuftje' £j P '^ ted ,, the °th~er 

 «.at ,t was with diffienhv S „-. m f ered . 80 much, 



treated 



those they so idolise, and from 

 so remorselessly torn. Vain hope, truly 

 It is well to be deliberate ' K 7 



mjrale. 



ears of 

 whom they have been 



nasupenonty over the other two. ' mamtai ned 

 -Ihe flowering period of Fran ' 



given out by « snatches, 8 _ 

 by- If, on the contrary, you 



to agriculturists and liorticuiturisis , an ^. i&n* 

 wish that they may receive the attention tney of 

 Only knowing Mr. Cuthill through the m ^ 

 his pamphlet on the Potato and other u. ^ 

 ters, I can but infer that he is one 01 ^^ ^ %J 

 characters who now and then spring up, _ ^ ^.^o 

 he fttim* : •JTir* m V M "^ "J I the scum from stagnant surfaces ; and to ^ 



S^^K^^ and COncea,ed or obscSred affairS ' m V h fiScon^ 

 ne is "love.slck. ,, P»* c hi* ..i^.-^j ^_. t_i__ t>..ii a mere rule of tniee j 



have before mj+ggi* 



xt is wen io De del berate in iUZ % 



ingale. Hear him, i yTcan bX^l * ^ ht - 

 eandlelight. If his «L Te^sW Mfi'"" 1 ^ 



meet with a bird loud 



Buy km at once. 



ery 



Surely these papers -»-- . n _. tpm » l— 



some of our farmers ; and if so, they maj te ^ ^ # 



imagine that half- starved soils pay au 















