THE GARDENERS' C H R O N I C L E. 



311 



7; P _« 1 f Potato ground is so loose, w, much < tit i 



■ .luOTwy- A *V A "*— r » a«_ Mvlam s excellen 



jsu nivalin quite under their roots, a L ' Mn *y««" 

 tlirou r h the soil 011 the otlier bide," 



A 



fiat 1 can 



H* fl ?^Sdy in a garden periodical, within a short 



ection ; and he added to the effect, that 



tion was what h considered the acme of 



-^cultivation. V modification of such a "loose ha- 



f^ n may possiMy approximate to what is generally 



a good condition of soil for growing crops ; 



'• tfflH UO one, OHhl of his reputation as a gped 



?L— would risk the assertion, that constantly stir- 



I 

 fcr 



tap 



Cr^twl about the majority of growing crops, was 

 j^ ^^^^i Both practice and theory seem alike in 

 pf it. All authorities recommend it. First-rate 

 to a man preach from the text incessantly. 

 ibre are two sides to every question, and the advo- 

 of either, no matter what may be the subject, are 

 to find matter for foundation to their argument. 

 sn not about to deny the efficacy of soil stirring, 

 jj. Every day do I see examples of its efficacy. 

 Bat Umt* are two or three matters so apparently con- 

 tradictory, that I must beg leave to bring them into 

 w ^ i because they are not patent enough, for 



one with half au eye must have noticed them 



^ If you go through a Wheat held by the beaten 



foot-way in spring, you will notice that all the plants 

 •rowing in the liardened soil of the path are more 

 robust, ot a richer green colour, and infinitely more 

 "tflkred" than those in the ordinary ridges. I shall 

 be met here by tlie assertion that it is because those 



I ants are on the outside of their neighbours, receive a 



er quantum of light and air, and are not pressed 

 opou by their fellows. I deny that this argument is 

 conclusive. Select single plants in any other part of the 

 field, all circumstances being similar, without the con- 

 solidated soil, and if the plants exhibit all the favour- 

 able characteristics of those on the borders of the foot- 

 way, 1 yield my position. They will not be found to 

 answer. If a Carrot or an Onion, or any other plant, is 

 allowed to spring up or grow in the liardened '* alleys" 

 of the gardeners' setd-beds, the same phenomena will be 

 exhibited as in the Wheat field ; and I know the same 

 argument will be opposed as antagonistic. But they will 

 ever be found, when fully investigated, to be faulty. Plants, 

 about the roots of which the -oil has become loose, from 

 the frosts of winter, or other causes, soon become sickly, 

 and of an opposite condition, is not speedily effected, the 

 plants, in the majority of instances, die, or become so 

 stunted, as to be worthless. The advice of a gardener 

 I was acquainted with, of no mean pretensions, if the 

 condition of his crops may be considered as conclusive 

 evidence, was " keep the soil consolidated above the 



roots of your growing crops. Never let a weed x gain a 

 footin. i>ut do not loosen the soil." In his garden I 

 kno* hat all the conditions aimed at and effected by 

 those of opposite views were realised. I do not record 

 the cursory observations without having given both 

 sides of the question their due consideration, nor without 

 the knowledge that to insist on the preference of a con- 

 solidated soil, when compared with one of an opposite 

 conditio! is to lay myself open to ridicule. But these 

 are anomalies, real or apparent, in the present question, 

 and I should like to see them reconciled. Q. I,. 





Ron* Botanic, Regent's Pabk, May 14 —This Society was 

 fortunate in having a dry day, though cold, for its first fete 

 tMi season. Without any thing very striking, if we except the 

 Hoses in pots, which were again produced in great beauty, the 

 thow may be ;-aid to have been a good one. It was inspected 

 by the Queen and II.R.H. Prince Albert a short time previous 

 »the admission of the public. Fal.ing as it did «o soon after 

 the Chiswick meeting, it was largely composed of plants 

 exhibited there ; and as these have been fully described last 

 ▼eek, we shall confine our remarks in the following report to 

 such subjects as were not shown on that occasion. 



lathe fine coiiecin of 80 Stove and Greenhouse Plants 

 furnished by Mr. May, jr. to Mrs Lawrence, of EaUng Park, 

 we remarked a pretty example of Hovea pungens, a plant which 

 few grow well; Gompholobtum poljmorphuui, beautifully 

 flowered, in the form of a small bush, in which shape it looks 

 much handsomer than trained on a trellis ; a splendid speci- 

 men of the graceful Bos-iaea disticha plumosa, measuring at 

 least 4 feet high and as much through ; and a very fine bush of 

 the Henchman Chorozema.— The second collecion in point of 

 merit came from Mr. Cole, gr. to H. Colyer, Esq.; and third 

 aud foun h groups were contributed by Mr. Stanly, gr. to H. 

 Bereus, Esq., and Me**rs. Pamplin, ot Lea-bridge. 



Collections of 20 Stove and Greenhouse Plants were 

 exhibited by Messrs, Green, Taylor, and Fraser. The former 

 Jtajellow and purple Azaleas, the blue Lescheuault, the rosy- 

 nowered Adenandra fragrans, two Everlastings, Pimelea spec- 

 ^ouifl, and a neat Boronia pinnata, which still ranks amonz 

 the 1 best species of the genus. Mr. Taylor sent a group of 

 wen grown plants, among which were the useful Ixora crocata, 



tw p P i piaot of lQe Bo *" leav ed Eriostemon, a white Azalea, 

 two roiygaUi, a handsome bush of Adenandra speciosa, and 

 ^racopnvlluni giactle, a plant whose neat spikes of sweet 

 S?" ln £ whlt « blossoms answer well for bouquets. Messrs. 



r/*H ip ad a briliiaDt example of Azalea refuigens, a pyra- 

 niwai Eno^temou neriiiblium, the blue Leschenauit, Boronia 



tw! aQd a pretr * llttle Ptoeleaipecabilis. 

 JLa ^"coitectton of 10 Stove and Gkeenhoose Plants was 



Produced by Mr. Croxford. We remarked in this beautiful 

 lrhPT, , E ^ acri8 m»niata and Pimelea Hendersoni, which, 

 B wu We i] & rown * »» a vtrv gay and really useful greenhouse 



•Mr. Speed's plants, which were fresh and beairitul 



shrub. 



inth 1\ r ^ y ^ ^i«i* t o, nuitix were iresn ana Deau'iiui 



2 '"re morning, suffered much from cold in the course .f the 



Otw ° a 11 btlorc evening arrived, had drooped considerably, 

 vwer collections also exhibited the ill tfleccs oi a cold wind, 



Wat Jh n l lhr ^ Sb the tent ?" Mr * William*, gr. to Miss Traill, 

 Pim 1 broaaleaved Bossiaaa, the charming Erica propendens, 

 Twrtfi* Hendersoni . ai * Everlasting, the beautiful violet 

 colli v e™ciUata, some Azaleas and Cape Heaths. Other 



ectionsot 10 Move aud greenhouse plant* were furnished 

 •L L° Ca T 011 ' Mr - Barnes, Mr. Hamp, Mr. Watson Mr. North, 

 hta* i* m *} ow t 9 ' Io Mr. Hamp's group we remarked the For. 

 Z»!k! ■ la witb SQOVVV noweri, large and sweet, a cousi- 

 ^? 0J<> improvement on those of the old iashioned <;. dorida. 

 oft?* IHD8 «— There was a large bank of the interesting tribe 

 mZ!- "J 1 , 8 ' Wim ' n alw aj9 seem to excite more attention than any 



what was \vu at Chiawick. In 



ent exhibition of tdanu were Ly caste 

 t\rianthina, in good condition ; a splendid bush of thi* Pari 

 Oamarote, which was, however, unfortunately insuuicieuti 

 iu bloftftom ; a fine Dtndrobium nobile aud Sacoclabtum 

 pramoMum.— Mr. Williams had the beautiful Liclia cinna- 

 barina, whose charminjr colour was approached, bat not 

 equalled, by that of the Orange Epidendrum, the small yellow 

 Dendrobium Jenkinsi, the white-lipped Zygopetalumrostratum, 

 and the larger variety of Dendrobium Pierardi. — Collections of 

 15 and 10 plants were numerous, and we remarked a noble 

 Cattle} a Mossias, shown as a single specimen, from Messrs. 

 Veitch. This could scarcely have had less than frora 20 to 39 

 glorious flowers on it, all in the highest state of perfection.— 

 Rarities consisted of Ornithochilus striatulus, from Mr. Carson ; 

 the Henshall Bolbophyl, a creamy yellow species, from Messrs. 

 Rollisson ; aod Trichopilia coccinea and an Epidendrum from 



Mrs, Lawrence* 



Azaleas, although in some instances fine, had in general 



lost much of the brilliancy which they possessed at Chiswick. 

 Mrs. Lawrence's Chinese Yellow, was, however, just in perfec- 

 tion, and a finer plaut it would have been difficult to discover. 

 Some of her other specimens were also excellent, as were like- 

 wise Messrs. Fraser's. 



Roses in Pots formed the grand feature of the show — 

 sweet, large, and beautiful. Messrs. Lane's collection, which 

 was tirbt, was uncommonly fine. Their Coupe d'Hebe wa.- 

 a mass of flowers, lich in colour and regular in form. Mr. 

 Francis too, had the same variety in beautiful condition, 

 as had also Messrs. Paul. Indeed few Roees are more 

 handsome or useful than this fine kind. Among other va- 

 rieties we noticed Louis Bonaparte, Mieilez, Baronne Prevost, 

 Geant des Batailles, Souvenir de la Malmaison, Duchess 

 of Sutherland, Vicomtesse des Cases, Devoniensis, Blairii 

 No. 2, Pauline Plantier, Paul Perras, Armosa, Augustine 

 Mouchelet, Elise Sauvage, Goubault, Niphetos, William Jesse, 

 Mansaie, Madeleine, La Reine, Bougere, and Aubernon. In 

 the Amateurs' Class, Messrs. Terry, Williams, Roser, Rowland, 

 and nitty, had beautifully managed plants, more especially 

 Mr. Terry 'e. The foliage was clean aud healthy, and the 

 blooms numerous and well blown. Dr. Marx, Persian yellow, 

 Lamarque, Las Cases, Mrs. Bosanquet, Bouquet de Flore, 

 Bourbon Queen, Bardon, Teglioni, Fabvier, Odorata, Gomtesse 

 de J eepede, aud Madame Legras, were remarkable for beauty 

 and prolusion of bloom. Mr. Francis had a box full of Geaat 

 des Batailles, "worked" plants in i»-inch pots, each havng a 

 single stem about a foot high, with a brilliant crimson or 

 rather scarlet flower on its summit. These excited much 

 interest, as well they might, for such plants will doubtless 

 be found very useful for many purposes for which large 



specimens would be worthless. 



Cape Heaths were numerous, and for the most part well 

 bloomed. Spleudid plants were produced by Meters. Smith, 

 Cole, Rollisson. Veitch, and others. Among the different 

 varieties, were aristata major, Beaumontiana, Westphaliugia, 

 ventricosa coccinea minor, lortiliflora, suaveolens, Cavendishii, 

 Favoides and its purple variety, Macnabiana, mutabilis, 

 ampullacea, Spreugeii, hybrida, ilorida, intermedia, ventricosa 

 carnea, fastigiata lutescen*, perspicua nana, metulaetiora, 



odora rosae, and Hartnelli. 



The bebt Single Specimens consisted of the Cattleya 

 already alluded to, from Messrs. Veitch; a huge Pimeleaspec- 

 tabiiis aud Boronia serrulata from Mr. May, gr. to Mrs. Law- 

 rence ; Erica perspicua nana, from Mr. Smith, gr. to W. 

 Quilter, Esq. ; Epacrie grandiiiora, from Messrs. Fraser ; and 

 Leschenauitia lormosa, from Mr. May, gr. to Miss Traill. 



New Plants. — In addition to those produced at Chiswick, 

 Messrs. Veitch had Pimelea Verschaffeltiaua, Messrs. Hender- 

 son Ceanothus papillosum and rigidus, and Francisceaconferti- 

 rlora, a promising violet-Howered species ; the sulphur- 

 coloured Biun*lelsia nitida, from Jamaica, was shown in thi* 

 class by Mr. Mitchell, ot Brighton ; Marshall's Walldower, dif- 

 fusing a fragrance like that of Violets, by J. Edwards, Esq., 

 ot Ilolloway ; the Oleander-leaved Allainanda, and some 

 equally well known plants from Messrs. Henderson, of the 

 Wellington-road Kureery. We also remarked that Certificates 

 of Merit were awarded to cut specimens of Beaumontia gran- 

 diiiora, and the very fragrant Murraya exotica. Mrs. Lawrence 

 had Pimelea Nieppergiana, Hoy a bella, and a cut spike ot 



Amheratia nobili?. 



Pelargoniums. — Nurserymen: the first prize was awarded 

 to Mr. Turner, Royal Nuraery, Slough; 2, to Mr. Beck, of 

 Isleworth ; 3, Mr. Bragg. Amateurs: 1st, Mr. Cock, of 

 Chiswick ; 2, Mr. Uobinson. Six plauts : 1st, Mr, Bray ; 2, Mr. 

 Chapman; 3i Mr. Gaines. Fancies — Nurserymen: 1st, Mr. 

 Ayres ; -', Mr. Gaines ; 3, Mr. Ambrose. Amateurs : 1st, Mr. 

 Cock ; 2, Mr. Hobmson ; 3, Mr. Miller. Capes : 1st, Mr, Parker ; 

 2, Mr. Uoser. 



Among seedling Pelargoniums, the best was Mr. Hoyle's 



Magnet, which was awarded a Certiticaie of Merit for fine 

 colour, and abundance of bloom. He had also Chiettain, which 

 is a good flower, acd others ; Mr. Turner showed First of May ; 

 Mr. Dobeou, gr. to Mr. Beeu, Leader, a very promising flower, 

 Gem, Vulcan, and Isabella; and Mr. Ayres received a Certiti- 

 caie of Merit for his Fancy called Formosiseimum. 



Calceolaria 8 were furnished by Mr. Gaines. Although 

 good, we did not remark among them anything new ov very 

 striking. 



CiNtKARiAi were shown by Messrs. Henderson, Lane, and 

 Gaines. The sorts consisted of well knov-n kinds. 



Verbenas. — Two or three nicely managed plants were pro- 

 duced by Mr. Lockner. 1 he varieties were Minerva, Wonder- 

 ful, Desdemona, Heroine, Perrier, aud Heme du Jour. " 



Rhododendrons. — We noticed a glowing crimson kind from 

 Messrs. Hollissou ; and Messrs. Staudi»h and Noble had a 

 purple sort with very large trusses. The latter looked as .if 

 it might be hardy. 



Pansies were shown by Mr. Turner, Mr. Bragg, and others; 

 and we observed a stand of Tulips in tolerable condition for | 

 the eeason. 



Among Mjscellaneohs, Subjects were some Ferns and 

 Lvcopods, a few Alpines and a small group of Banksias, and 

 similar plants. 



Entomological, May 5. — J. O. Westwood, Esq., 

 F.L.S., President, in the chair. Mr. Samuel Stevens 

 exhibited a new British species of Curculionidse allied 

 to Dorytomus, recently captured near Fenny Stratford, 

 on Sallows ; also a living specimen of the fine Callidium 

 sanguineum, from Bromley, Middlesex ; also an Adela 



ajbt read, containing a detail of ownerou* experiment* 



made with insect* of different orders and gen ft ; 

 allowing the eff is produced upon them by changes of 

 temperature, aud by immersion in various gases and 

 vapours, such as carbonic acid gas, azote, oxygen, coal 

 gas, ammoniacal vapour, muriatic acid, nitric acid, 

 alcohol, chloroform, sulphuretted hydrogen, &c. Mr. 

 F. Sinith exhibited several female winged ants 

 taken at unusual periods, namely, Myrmica grami- 

 nicola taken in December, and Formica cunicularia 

 taken in April. He also read some notes commu- 

 nicated by Mr. Ker, on the habits of several species 

 of bees and wasps from New Holland, belonging 

 to the genera Lestis (in which he described a new 

 species generally confounded with L. muscaria) and 

 Abispa, the former of which are reared in cells, 

 placed one above another in the soft wood of the* 

 Xanthorrhea, whilst the latter is solitary in its habits, 

 forming a nest of clay, with a curious thimble-shaped 

 orifice at its lower edge. Mr. Douglas exhibited a 

 specimen of a very delicate specie* of gnat (Trichocera 

 sp. ?) which he had reared from a pupa which had 

 bored itself a passage through the hard sand-stone of 

 a quarry at Charlton, Kent. Mr. S. Stevens brought 

 for distribution specimens of Hylastes rhododactylus, 

 reared from Broom stumps from Coombe-wood. The 

 President stated, that for the accommodation of foreign 

 Entomologists who might visit London, during the 

 Exhibition in Hyde-park, the Council had resolved, that 

 the Society's collections might be inspected any day, 

 in company with an ordinary member. 



Miscellaneous. 



Qucrcus agrifolia, a /tardy evi reen Oak from Cali- 

 fornia. — A few miserable living plants of this species 

 w» re sent home by Hartweg from California, and are 

 now beginning to grow iu the Society's Garden. It will 

 probably be a hardy evergreen tree, concerning which 

 Nuttail, who knew it in its native country, has the fol- 

 lowing remarks : — * This species, almost the only one 

 which attains the magnitude of a tree in Upper California, 

 is abundantly dispersed over the plain on which St. Bar- 

 bam is situated, and, being evergreen, forms a 

 spicuous and predominant feature iu the vegetation of 

 this remote and singular part of the Western world. It 

 appears more sparingly around Monterey, and scarcely 

 extends on the north as far as the line of the Oregon 

 territory. It attains the height of about 40 or 50 feet, 

 with a diameter rarely exceeding IB inches ; the bark 

 is nearly as rough as in the Red Oak. The wood, hard 

 and brittle and reddish, is used only for purposes of fuel, 

 or the coarse construction of log-cabins. As an orna-' 

 mental tree for the south of Europe or the warmer 

 States of the Union, we may recommend this species. 

 It forms a roundish summit, and spreads but little till it 

 attains a considerable age. As a hedge it would form a 

 very close shelter, and the leaves, evergreen and nearly 

 as prickly as a Holly, would render it almost impervious 

 to most animals. The leaves vary from roundish ovate 

 to elliptic, and are of a thick rigid consistence ; the ser- 

 raturt> are <[uite sharp ; the young shoots are covered 

 more or less with stellate hairs, and for some time tufts 

 of this kind of down remain on the under side of the 

 midrib of the leaves, which are, however, at length per- 

 fectly smooth, and of a dark-green above, often tingpd 

 with brownish yellow beneath. The stamuiiferous flowers 

 are \ery abundant, and rather conspicuous ; the racemes* 



the flowers with a con- 

 spicuous calyx and 8 or 10 stamens ; the female or 

 fruit-bearing flowers are usually in pairs in the axils* or 

 juncture of the leaf with the stem, and sessile, or without 

 stalks. The cup of the acorn is hemispherical, and fur-** 

 nished with loose brownish scales ; the acorn, much 

 longer than the cup, is ovate and pointed x We do note 

 recollect to have seen this tree properly associated with 

 any other, except occasionally the Platanus racemosa ; 

 their shade is hostile to almost every kind of under- 

 growth. By Persoon this species is said to have been 

 found on the eastern coast of North America, while 

 Pursh attributes it to the north-west coast, about Nootka 

 Sound. It does not, however, extend even to the terri- 

 tory of Oregon, as far as my observation goes." Nee 

 says, u I have only seen branches collected at Monterey 

 and Nootka. The leaves of the young plants are per- 

 fectly smooth when first developed, of a thin consistence, 

 with numerous slender sharp dentures beneath ; they 

 are of a brownish yellow colour^ and appear smooth 

 and shining." The long narrow acorns-, almost conical, 

 are a remarkable feature in the species. Journal of the 

 Horticultural Society ', vol. vi., p. 157. 



Hothouses in tloe time of the jR< ns ; by M. Dureau,de 

 la Malic. — In the memoir a short time since read to the 



the length of 3 or 4 inches , 



Academy upon the subject of Roman hothouses and pits, 

 cuprella, being the second known British specimen ; and heated artificially, I omitted several quotations which 



°*er kiQd ot tiow 



er. We did not recognise among them, hoiv- 



i 



a beautiful series of beetles and butterflies from the 

 river Amazon, just received from Mr. Bates. The 

 President stated that an entire bed of Strawberries, 

 planted last autumn in his garden at Hammersmith, 

 had been destroyed by a very minute beetle (Haltica 

 aerata) closely allied to the Turnip flea, the leaves and 

 young shoots being completely riddled by the insects. 

 The plants were of the Alpine variety, termed the 

 " Fraises des quatre saisons." Mr. Sheppard ex- 

 hibited a hermaphrodite individual of ihe Poplar hawk 

 moth, the right le being male, and the left ^ide female. 

 Mr. Waring exhibited some very remarkable spiders 

 from the west coast of Africa. A note upon the 

 -beouomy of Trichiosoma lucorum, by Mr. Maysmor, 



was read. An elaborate papex*, by " Dr. Davy, was 





proved my statements, and they have consequently been 

 impugned" My first authority is Columella (XI., 3, 51, 

 53). Tiberiu* being in ill health, was advised to eat 

 Cucumbers every day. The Roman gardeners cultivated 

 these vegetables in frames, containing hot dung, and ex- 

 posed to the sun in front of a wall. The frames were, 

 moreover, on wheels, so as to be easily moved into, and 

 continually placed in the sun's rays, and were, in addi- 

 tion, furnished with pieces of talc, by which they were 

 covered at r it, and by which the plants were protected 

 from frost and cold. « Thanks to this invention," says 

 Columella, " Tiberius was supplied with Cucumbers at 

 nearly every season of the year {fere toto anno)" Mar- 

 tial (V1LJL, 14), the contemporary of Domitian,who 1 ad 

 in his palace a hothouse, containing exotie plants^ called 



