

1851.] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



$Vo 



■ 



_ T i * itaelf >* much prized In th< m as an 



%U ^ { f<*, onaccount of its mucilaginous properties 



^ «t i *>"!*, steW8 > * > and conM,1 " r ,l a 1 8 reilt 



In ttt^° it is very insipid, but certainly not 



than the far-famed bird's nest." Dr. Mac- 

 Uflui exhibited specimens of the plant brought from 

 Jwdjj ' I* 1 "- NV - D Mad^m. In that country 

 fr j§ c*Ued Sweekiang, and is used for food. 

 A (M poUonin<j **<A Indian sp< es of Datura. B; 

 Or Herbert Giraud, Professor of Chemistry and 

 Materia Medica, in Grant Medical College, Bombay, 

 jr < aud ha brought this subject before the Medical 

 aidPhvsica Society of Bombay, and the observations 

 forming the present paper were communicated to the 

 Botanical Society by -Dr. Balfour. The very numerou 

 of poisoning by Datura that have of late occurred 

 in Bombay, have afforded opportunities for observing 

 the action of a poison, of which but a scanty record is to 

 be found in the standard works on Materia Medica and 

 Toxicolofr S ral species of the genus Datura are 



throughout India ; and " Datura alba" 



Flora. I., p. 56*1) and "Datura fas- 



in dJMBOOfl 



(D. inetel Kox. flora, I., p 

 tnoai" (Rox. Flora, 1., p. 5&1), are found growing in 

 pinkos and amongst rubbish, about villages, all over 

 the countrv : although the species most familiar to 

 Europeans the u Datura SfrTMn^inm/' is unknown here. 

 rhv intoxicating properties of tin plants appear to 

 have been known amongst Eastern nations from time 

 immemorial, and they have long bean employed in India, 

 China (where D. ferox is used), and the islands of the 

 Eastern Archipelago to facilitate the commission of 



theft and other crimes ; for which nefarious purposes 

 the Datura Stramonium appears, of late years, to have 

 been in some few instances employed in France and 

 ■Germany. Here the cases of poisoning by the species 

 of Datura are so frequent, that the natives usually 

 recogi e them by their characteristic symptoms. The 

 motives that prompt the administration of the poison, 

 appear to be extremely various. It is remarkable, that 



although administered under many different circum- 

 stances, and with varied motives, it should so seldom 

 prove fatal here, that not a single case, in which 



nicate 1 to Mr. Moore, of the Glasuevin Botanic • irden, 

 by Major Madden, was exhibited. The plant grows in 

 the Himalaya, and resembles 11. albus in some respects. 

 In the open border it attains the height of 2 feet. It has 

 ovate leaves and terminal cymes. The flowers are of a 

 dingy yellow, and the calyx is covered with glandular 

 pubescence. Dr. Douglas Maclagan tried the effect ol 

 the plant on the eye. A single drop of the fresh juice 

 caused dilatation of the pupil in 20 minutes, and the 

 dilatation with slight double vision continued for 24 

 hours. — Dr. Mitchell was elected Local Secretary for 

 Nottingham, in room of Dr. Howitt, who has gone to 

 Australia.— T. Ivory, Esq., was elected a Fellow. 



As in the ornamental ground, 

 much credit to Mr. Win ton, 



I is small but compact 

 everything there does 



who has bee g gardener to Lady Scott for these last 

 years. There are two glass houses in this garden, 

 which are used for wintering plants in for turning out 

 in summer, as well as for growing Strawberries, Vines, 

 &c,, in. Mr. Winton lias two ways of growing his 

 Asparagus — in beds, and in single rows ; but he says 

 the single rows are always in cutting a week or more 

 before the 1 s. This place is altogether quite a blaze 

 of flowers during the summer. The moment a set of 



plants is done blooming another lot takes their place, 

 from the reserve garden, and in this way tne garden is 



the effects of Datura could be distinctly traced, has 

 terminated fatally ; and of 51 cases that were treated 

 in the Boml y Hospital during the past year, only 

 four presented alarming symptoms'. Notwithstand- 

 ing the recent prevalence of Datura-poisoning, it has 

 been only on the presumptive evidence of its character- 

 istic symptoms that its action has been inferred. The 

 poison is administered so stealthily, and the natives are 



10 backward in aiding the cause oi justice, that it isnext 

 to impossible to obtain positive evidence of the adminis- 

 tration of the poison, or to trace it to the culprit ; 

 although, from their familiarity with its nature, and 

 with the modes of its administration, it is evident that. 



many of the lower orders of the people are acquainted 

 with the adepts who employ it. These remarks, how- 

 ever, apply with equal truth to cases of poisoning by 

 such substances as arsenic and corrosive sublimate, the 

 presence of which may be determined by th< surer 

 methods of chemical analysis. From the information 

 Dr. Giraud has been able to coi t from natives, it 

 would apj u* that the seeds are the ] rts of the plant 

 usually administered. They are powdered and thrown 

 into nice, Bajree, and other grains ; or mixed up 

 with cakes and sweetmeats. Sometimes, however, an 

 infusion or decoction of the leaves is prepared and intro- 

 duced into the vessels in which the food is being cooked ; 

 but of the usual quantities of the seeds employed, or of 

 the strength of the infusion and decoction, Dr. Giraud 

 has had no means of judging. Of the cause that has 

 produced so idden and remarkable an increase in the 

 use < this poison, it is difficult to form any conjecture. 

 Viewing the most prevalent motive to Datura-]. oisoning, 

 it would seem as if some l mlarly organised band of 

 thieves had, within the last year invaded our island. 

 From 1837 and 1838, when a few ca s of poisoning, 

 supposed to be from Datura, were noticed by Drs. Bell 

 and McLennan, in the annual reports of the Native 

 General 11 pital, up to 1848 only from six to ten such 

 cases have been annually recorded ; but during the past 

 year, :>1 cases have come under hospital treatment. In 

 a note received by Dr. Cleghorn from the superintendent 

 of Thuggee in Mysore, it was stated, that the seeds of 

 Datura alba were employed by thieves to narcotise their 

 vicunas, and deprive them of the power ol resistance. 

 5. JRtport on the i tie of 1 n in the Edinburgh 



Botanic Garden. By Mr. M'Nab. The latter also 

 exhibited several sections of Oak stems found in the 

 course of excavations made at Tanfield, Canonmills, and 

 read the following notice supplied by Mr. M'Caul, who 

 had superintended the operations : — " In the course of 

 excavating a pit for a new gasometer nine years ago, a 

 number of Oak stems, the largest two feet in diameter, 

 were found, of which Nos. 1 and 2 are sections. At that 

 time I did not take any interest in such things, and 

 therefore cannot give any accurate information regardin 

 them. In the pit now excavating, and from 80 to 90 

 feet from the one alluded to, two fine trees were found, 

 from which the sections Nos. 3 and 4 were cut. The 

 portion they occupied wereabout 10 feet below the original 

 surface, beneath the lowest bed of gravel, and immedi- 

 ately over the boulder clay, ti r direction being nearly 

 east and west. Three of the pieces were lying horizontally, 

 and two of them had a rise towards the eg at an angle o 

 . " . At ^ ie western part of these stems roots in c nec- 

 tion with them could be traced ; but they mouldered away 

 to the touch.'' The sections exhibited have been presented 

 by Mr. M'Caul to the Museum at the Botanic Garden. 

 A specimen of Hyoscyamus raised from seeds comrau- 



Rotal Horticultural of Cornwall, May 1 6. —TV it wa6 

 the first exhibition tar the present \ear. The prizes were 

 awarded as follows :- Ornamental Piant. in flower, not pre- 

 viou-lj exhibited (Ahelia noribunda), Bronze M al, Mr. F. 

 Passinahsm. Best 12 Stove and Greenhouse Plants 'Azalea 

 indica praociflora, Aphelexis ppectabUis grandiflora, Pimelea 

 Hendersoni, Azalea triumpbans, Erica ventri<*o>a incarna'a, 

 Kiio^tetiion intermedium, Apbelexis humili*, Euphorbia splen- 

 deos, Begonia samru»nea, Acacia pulchella, Lesetammultia 

 formosa, Uloxiana T-uchlerii). Silver Meda', Mr. Passmgham ; 

 -M (Epacrla graiiditi »ra, Sprengelia iacarnva, Pimelea 

 decuseata, Le«chen uiltia biloba, Azalea triumpbans, A. optima, 

 lr. poeolum tricolorum, Vinca oceilata alba, Olerodendron 

 -<iu<imatum, Chiron la ttorlbuada, Clemati* Siebolrfii, and a 

 fancy Geranium). Mr. R. Friend, jr. to Mrs. a. C. Fox ; f>d 



Euphorbia splendei s, Clematis azurea sranditlora, Begonia 

 floribunda, Epaeri. minima, Gardenia florida, V. chya tricolor, 

 Azalea alba, Br Cavtnd'.shii, Chorozema cordifolium, 



Oxalis floribunda, Azalea caiminata, Corraja vemricosa), 



!r. G. N. SimmoniJ 4th (Clen-dendron splendens, C. 



ffine, Lehchenaultia grind ra, Epacr-s miniata, Vinca 



eellata, Trupoeolum tricolorum, Apbelexis sesamoides, 

 Tetratheca v. rtuillata, Erica florida, campanuiata, 

 Pimelea Niepptrgiana), Mr. Dauhu*. Best 6 varieties of 

 ditto (Aphelezis j.urpurea macranha, Epacris miniata, a 

 Gompb« bium, Le-chenauUia formosn, Chomzema rotundi- 

 folium, IVgonia alba cocci n**), Mr. F. PaHslnjtham ; *-'d 

 (Tetratheca vertitiliata, Ardi^i • crenulata, Erica Tentricosa 

 superba, Pimelea Hendersoni, Aphelexi- purpurea macrantha. 

 Azalea triuinph^ns), Mr. R. Friend ; 3d ( Eutaxia myrtlfolia 

 Leschenaultia biloba, Adenandra speciosa, Ch-rodendron affioe, 

 an E?erlastin^, Eriottemoa interoiediura), Mr. Daubux ; 4th 

 (Pimelea hi-|>ida, Tropseolum tritu.lorum, Azalea indica alba, 

 Epacris gr^n.iiflora, Epiphjllum Jenkinsoni, Nerium Oleander), 

 Rev. T. Phtllpotts. Best upecimen of Stove Plant (Torenia 

 Aeiatica), Rev. T. Phillpotts ; 2d (Clerodendron affine). Mr. 

 Daubuz ; 3d (Euphorbia tplendeos), Mr. 1\ Paesintham. 

 Beat Greenhouse specimen (Aphelexis purpurea granditlora), 

 Mr. F. Passingham ; 2d (Pimelea Hetidersoui), .Mr. R. Friend ; 

 3d (Chorozema Yarium), Rev. T. Pliillpotts. Best 6 Orchid*, 

 in flower (L'haius Wallii hii, Calauthe veratrifoUa. Oncidium 

 flexuo*um, and two Ljcasteh), Rev. T. Pbillp«»tts ; 2d (Caitleya 

 Mossise, Calanthe veratntolia, Oncidium leucochiium, and (). 

 pumiium), Mr. G. N Simmons ; 3 i (Lycastecruenta, MaxiUaria 

 pub«scens, Cattle\a Forbesii , Mr. W. M Tweedy. Best spe- 

 cimen (Cattleva Mos-ia ), Kev. T. Pbill. otts ; 2d (Calanthe 

 vera'ritoha), Mr. W. M. Tweedy. Beht 6 Gloxinias, Geaneras, 

 Acbimeues, or Sinninj^ias (Teuchleni, F>fian a , Maxima, Sin- 

 ni ia guttata, Aehunenes grand'tt ra, A. picta), Mr. Daubuz ; 

 2d (Ge*nera Donftlabii, 9. Suttonii, O. bulbosa, Achimenes 

 p ; cta A. fjranditioru), Rev. T. Phi 11 potts. Be*t (> Bu bous 

 Plants in flower, Mr. R. Friend. Best 6 Geraniums (Orion, 

 Beck's Rosy Circle, ArnaL's Virgin Queen, Forget »e-not, 

 Mannion, and a Seedling), Mr. R. Friend; 2d (liutielma, 

 Field Marshal, Ganes'M leager, BeePwinp.Cruentum, Forster's 

 Constance, Mr. Daubuz. Be-t 6 Fancies (Queen V tctoria, 



Anais I Kivers, La Belle African a, Unique, fcidome), Mr. 



F. Paisingham. Be&t 6 Hea'hs (Bowieana, Cavendishii, ven- 

 trico^a com»picua," v. purpurescens, v. faaciculata rosea, v. 

 superba), Mr. F. PassinKham ; "2d (elegans, perspicua nana, 



Loddlgestl, dilecta, and sauveoleus), Mr. Daubuz. Best 

 Specimen Heath (Erica coccinea minor), Rev. T. Phill- 

 potts- 2d (ventneosa blauda), Mr. F. Passingham. Best col- 

 lection of Azaleas, Rhododendrons, or K ilmias (Azalea 



constantly maintained in great heauty. 



Miscellaneous. 



Mfthod of Preserving young Fr t Trm from the 



attacks of Hart* and Rah . — All lovers of gardens 

 know by experience that hares and rabbits devour 

 with great avidity the annual bark of young fruit trees, 

 and particularly of dwarf App tr.«-. monp; which 



the most healthy and vigorous are always destrojed 

 the first, in consequence ■ iheir bark being the most 

 teud<*r and savoury. As soon as the gr< und in covered 

 with snow, these animals, no Ion r timling anything in 

 the fields on which they can browse, begin their de- 

 vastations in the gardens : if they are numerous, and 

 the fall of snow h< . y, afew nights only are sutiieient 

 for them completely to ruin the most beau til ul plantation, 

 and to annihilate the i ult of many years of labour and 



Happily, nothing is more easy than to 



care* 



th 



marauders 



these trees beyond the attacks of 

 protected by the law. The following is the plan 1 havo 

 adopted with complete success during the last six or 

 seven years. I mix about 4\ pounds of quick-lime, 

 in lumps, with 2± gallons of water, and add a few 

 handfuls of soot, stirring the liquid until the two 

 substances are intimately incorporated. 1 t n take a 

 handful of Rye-straw and bind it on a stick to form a 

 kind of brush, with which 1 grey-wash the trunk and 

 branches of my trees from the ground to at least a 

 yard above it ; for should the snow drift by the wind 

 against the foot of the trees, the hares, by means of the 

 inclined plane thus afforded them, would be able to 

 attack the Usees at a much greater height. The wash, 

 applied hot, has also the advantage of preserving the 

 bark of the trees in a state of perfect health, and 

 preventing the increase of moss, which is often per- 

 nicious in its effect, and always very disagreeable to 



the eye. It is desirable that this pr< rvative appli- 

 cation should be made in dry weather, in order that the 

 mixture on drying may adhere to the bark ; for should 

 it rain at the time, or immediately afterwards, the 

 mixture would be washed from the trees, and it would 



If 



Mr. Daubuz. Best specimen of ditto (v arietta), Kev. 1 

 Pbill potts; 2d (optima), Mr. F. Passingham. Best collection 

 of Cinerarias (Cerito, Annie, Miss Harriet, Climax, Purpurea, 

 Princess Royal), Mr. F Paatiinghaai ; 2d (6 seedlings), Mr. W. 

 M. Tweedy, beat specimen of ditto (Cerito), Mr. F. Pas- n*- 

 ham. Beit collection of Ca'ceolavias (Eiegans, Eclipse, Lucy 

 Neal, Rebecca, Alboni), Mr. Daubuz; 2d (Delicata, Queen « 

 Beauties, Capttvaiion, Resplendens, Standard, Sir C. flapier), 

 Mr. F. Passingham. Best sp-cim» n of ditto (seedling). Mr. 

 Daubuz. Best collection of Heartsease (Zabdi. Sjlpb, Prinoe 

 of Orange, Optimus, Coruish Lass, Rainbow, Caroline, Poly- 

 nices, Climax, Duchess of Rutland, Supreme, Marchioness of 

 Lothian, Magnificent, Attraction, Superb, Juventa), Mr. W. 

 Woolcock ; 2d (Ophir, Lady Sale, Taulioni, Lucy N*al, Splen- 

 did. Blue Perfection, Great WeBtern, Caroline, Oats's Seedling, 

 Climax, Malvern, Punchy Rev. Canon Rogers. Best 6 Roses 

 in pots ( Baron ue Prevost, Nipbetos. Duchess of Sutherland, 

 Higbclerc Seedling, Madame Lsffdy, La Belle Allamande), Mr. 

 P. Passingham ; 2d (Souvenir de la Malmaison, Geant des 

 Batnilles, &c), Mr. R. Friend; 3d (Triumphant, Geant des 

 Ka'ailles, Madame Desprez, General Lamoriciere), Admiral 

 Reynolds. West B riton. 



South Devon Horticclicsal, May 20.— This new Society 



held its first exhibition in the Royal Botanical and Horticul- 

 tural Gardens, Plymouth. Several prizes were awarded ; but 

 we have only been furnished with a list of the awards, without 

 the names of the flowers for which they were given. 



f 



Garden Memoranda. 



Stratford-on-avon. — In the 



W. O. Hunt's, Esq., 

 garden here, there is one of the handsomest plants in 

 the kingdom, of the Chinese Glycine, or Wistaria 

 sinensis ; it covers at the present time 2248 superficial 

 feet of wall ; there areat least 25,000 racemes of blossoms 

 upon the tree, the effect of which is magnificent. J. £. 



Lady Scott's, Petersham. — This interesting villa 

 stands on the banks of the Thames, near Richmond. 

 In front of the house is a small, but well arranged 

 flower garden, whose beds are quite a mass of gaudy 

 flowers all the spring. This is effected by means of 

 Anemones, Hyacinths, Tulips, Narcissus, Nemophila, 

 the beautiful hardy yellow Primrose, and its de- 

 lightflil c nmpanion the single dark blue Russian Violet. 

 These are succeeded by the usual bedding plants ; 

 the walks here and there are trellised over and 



also the west front 



full of 



be necessary to re-commence the operation, 

 mixture also is applied during a frost, there would be 

 little chance of perfect succeM ; as the part of the bark 

 on which it would be laid would be thawed. If, 

 however, through want of foresight, a frost sets in during 

 the course vi the operation, and it becomes urgent to 

 complete it, we may do so with perfect success by 

 choosing that moment of the day in which the sun 

 strikes most strongly with his rays the trees on which 

 we wish to operate* Three gallons of this wash *re 

 sufficient to secure two or three hundred dwarf trees 

 from the ravages of hares ; a result that may be 

 obtained for a pennyworth of lime and tl*e day's work 

 of an active labourer. This plan is equally infallible 

 for the preservation of grafts and all nursery collections. 

 From th* French o the Baron Vander Siracten {in tlie 

 Jowrwd Afjricole de Verviers.) 



Sale oj < *.— A small collection from Veragua and 



Sierra Leone, was sold the other day, by Mr. Stevens, at 

 the following prices :— The Sweet Trichopil, W. 15s. ; a 

 Brassia, 1 L ; Trichopil,newsp.,lL ; the Long-tailed Lady's 

 Slipper (Cypripediuin caudatura), from 2£. to 91. \Qs. ; 

 Sobralia labiata, from 1 1 to 1 1. As. ; a Huntleya « with white 

 flowers," ditto ; the Spotted Saccolabe (S. guttatum), 

 from 21. to '6L \5s. ; Angrsecum caudatum, from 1/. 10s. 

 to 2L 2s. ; other lots, of which there were in ail 155, 

 realised from 1/. to 21. per lot. At a previous eale, 

 which consisted chiefly of Dendrobes, a few plants of 

 D. albo-sanguineum of Lindley, a beautiful new species, 

 fetched from 21. 12a. §d. to U. 5s. each. 



TIte Gardnerian Herbarium. — In consequence of the 

 lamented death of Mr. Gardner, instructions have been 

 given to the executors to sell, without reserve, the entire 

 of the above-mentioned collections of this gentleman, 

 which have recently been received in London for that 



The whole Gardnerian Herbarium, that is, the 





covered with Rose trees, as is 

 of the* house. The greenhouse was 

 handsome flowering plants, and the lawn closely 



and in beautiful condition. The kitchen garden 



purpose. 



collection arranged by himself for his own use, it is 

 wished should be disposed of separately and by private 

 contract ; it is admirably arranged, and as fully and 

 correctly named as probably any of like extent, all the 

 specimens upon the best stout demy folio paper, 

 measuring 16 inches long by 10 \ inches broad, 

 genus is included in one or more envelopes 

 siime paper in folded sheets, and marked 

 outside with the name of the genus, that 

 Natural Family, and numbered according 

 numbers and arrangement in Endlicher's u Genera 

 Plantarum." The specimens are invariably in excellent 

 condition, no trace of insect having been seen in any of 

 them ; and we have reason to believe that they are all 

 poisoned. From as accurate a calculation as has yet 

 been made, there are about 1 4,000 papers containing 

 specimens, and we think we are within bounds when we 

 say that there are 12,000 species of Phaenogamous 

 plants and Ferns. The collection is, as may be antici- 



Every 

 of the 

 on the 

 of the 

 to the 





