•£—1851 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



39U 



- •«— btt bv till 



?S-- the disciMBon is better dropped.] 



T^Liaed to find that -Mr. Francis, of Hertford, 

 «J,«rded» prize at Chiswick, on the 7th inst., for 

 *■• - - in a cut state, consisting of the fol- 



««■ 



I 



Williams' Double Yellow, Single 



gpd the judges disqualified us, condemning them 

 Zd henr* vellow. Thev consisted of the following 

 . i'emm Yellow, Williams' Double Yellow, Bank- 

 Yellow, Smith's Yellow, Harrisonii, and Tea 



de Cazes. These six plants did not cost 



Of the value of 



from the circumstance of our being disqualified 

 have not again attempted exhibiting Yellow 

 the Horticultural Gardens. The Society's 



than 18 J. or 201. to produce them. 

 At cut blooms we leave others to judge, remarking that 



m 



D/tf^g it 



g^edole appears to require Rose9 in pots being under that 



While on the subject of judging, may we enquire 

 to certain sized pots, whether they must be that 

 tact size only, or not larger than that size ; for we 

 exhibited in May this year, Cinerarias in 6-inch pots, at 

 Qfe ck, acknowledged by the judges to be larger and 

 faff than those exhibited in 8-inch pots by other 

 OtflHtors, and yet they were disqualified on account of 

 the pots not being the proper size; but if wc had 

 dropped our 6-inch pots into 8 -inch ones, and put a little 

 Mottovc them, we should not luve been disqualified. 

 We cannot, however, see what increased skill in culti- 

 ration there would have been in that, and therefore we 

 beg that the judges will set us right on the subject. 

 E. Lcme and Son, Great Berkkampstcad. [The size of 

 pots, when mentioned in the schedule, must be attended 

 to. If larger or smaller than is required the exhibition 

 onght to be disqualified. If plants grown in 6-inch pots 

 ire merely transferred to 8-inch pots, they too would 

 be disqualified. J 



Salt in <j Gravel Walls. — I use salt, not because it is 

 cheaper (which it is), but because it does the work much 

 better than hand weeding. It clears off the smallest weeds, 

 lias, &c, adds to the solidity of the walk, and if the 

 operation is well done during dry weather in spring, 

 it is done for the season. We only employ it on walks 

 with Grass edgings, for it is as certain to kill Box as 

 weeds. In using it, we sow it all over the walks, to 

 within 6 inches of the edges, and then water, so as to 

 dissolve the salt. Sufficient filters towards the edges to 

 destroy all weeds. If done in rainy weather, it is liable 

 t be washed from the walks, and do mischief. Old 

 men, women, and boys can be better employed than in 

 crawling on walks. That salting walks will help to fill 

 the workhouse need not disturb Mr. Bailey. The 

 gardener who would discharge labourers on this account, 

 outfit to have a place in the Crystal Palace beside the 

 salting machine. /. W. R. 



CI at' of Torquay, — Permit me to call attention to 

 some remarkable specimens of flowers and trees which 

 were exhibited in the Crystal Palace on Saturday last. 

 They consisted of the prize bouquet and other collec- 

 ts shown at the Torbay Horticultural Society's 

 Inhibition as « Tender plants grown in the open air, 

 •nd wholly unprotected during the preceding winter." 

 Amongst them were branches of Olive from a wall 

 tree 3,5 feet, and a standard 1 5 feet high ; the Eucalyp- 

 tus globesus or blue Gum-tree of Australia, of which 

 Jon gave a drawing in a recent number ; also Helio- 

 trope, Petunia, Eccremocarpus, Bignonia. Acacia, Plum- 

 u*go, Pelargoniums, &c, from plants which have 

 withstood several winters. It appears from the observa- 

 tions which I have contributed to the reports of the 

 Begl rar-general, that the thermometer in ordinary 

 years never fills below 28°, or rises, during the summer, 

 tbove 76°, whilst in other parte of England the range 

 exceeds this by 20° or 30°. In regard also to the 

 famidity of the atmosphere, the remark of the Regis- 

 trar-general, " That the counties of Devon and Cornwall 

 are not only warmer, but the humidity of the air is less 

 than in other parts of the country," is confirmed by 

 every successive year's observations. Sir J. Clark adds, 

 Torquay is drier than the other places (on this coast), 

 aw almost free from fogs." E. Vivian, Hon. Sec. 



A*para<i>w. — Is there any advantage in cutting 

 Asparagi with the old-fashioned saw-knife I and is it 

 ^gnt to cut off all the heads not wanted, or to let them 

 ffw \ Some 



Rashleigh, Esq., H. St. John Mildmay, Esq., and Mr. 

 Francis of Hertford, were elected FeUowsi — Mr. May, 

 gr. to E. Goodhart, Esq., Langley-park, Beckenham, 

 Kent, sent a beautiful purple and white stripe: Phlox, 

 called Mayii variegata. It is one of the prettiest we 

 have seen of the many seedlings obtained from the 

 Drummond Phlox crossed with other kinds; and if 

 constant, will, no doubt, be an acquisition. — Mr. Mack- 

 intosh, Nurseryman, Maida-vale, Edgeware-road, fur- 

 nished a small example of a white Chrysanthemum in 

 blossom, in order to prove that this favourite autumnal 

 flower may be made to bloom in the middle of summen. 

 It was raised from a cutting put in in December last, 

 and had been grown on a greenhouse shelf near the 

 class. — Mr. Chapman, gr. to J. B. Glegg, Esq., was 



the nests of soma species of Attelabuue,and other leaves 

 rolled up by the larva*, apparently, of Tortrix viridana ; 

 Mr. Edwin Shepherd, a very strange variety of Vanessa 

 Io, with the margins of the wings white ; Mr. Preston, 

 an equally curious variety of the orange tip butterfly 

 with the green markings of the hind wings obliterated ; 

 Mr. A. Shepherd, a specimen of Smerinthus populi, with 

 an appendage on one side of the body, somewhat like a 



; Mr. Stainton, some cases formed 

 entirely of lichen by the larvee of a small species of 

 moth ; Mr. S. Stevens, two new British species of 

 Curculionidre, one of them belonging to the genus 

 Mecinus found on the Plantago maritima, near Graves- 

 end, and a new species of Elaterida?, found on the Oak 

 also a series of very beautiful lepidoptera, recently re- 

 beautifully ripened j ceived from Quito, including some very rare species, and 



fifth nidi mental wing 



awarded a Knightian medal for #> — w , »vu.^u. l u,., 1 v,uui, 16 ov,«.v „ v 4W4 v 0r ,.w,»«« 



Grosse Mignonne Peaches and scarlet Nectarines, aud apparently a new Papilio allied to the singular P. Zagreus; 

 two dozen finely swelled and highly-coloured Elruge and Mr/ Weaver, specimens of Fidonia carbonaria, 

 Nectarines, which received a Banksian Medal, were from Perthshire. Mr. S.Stevens communis 



produced by Mr. Tillyard, gr. to Lord Southampton, at 

 VYhittlebury. — Mr. Cuthill, of Camberwell, obtained a 

 Certificate of Merit for very fine fruit from the open 

 ground, of his Black Prince Strawberry, a valuable sort, 

 now becoming pretty well known. It is certainly the 

 earliest and most prolific of Strawberries, yielding as it 

 does a constant and plentiful supply of good fruit from 

 this season up to the very latest period at which Straw- 

 berries can be gathered out of doors. A singular cir- 

 cumstance connected with this variety is, that blossoms 

 have been detected on some of the plants exhibiting 

 a beautiful crimson colour. — Melons came from Mr. 

 Chapman, and Mr. Eekford, gr. to C. Child, Esq. The 



former sent two oblong fruit of the Sweet Melon of Cash- 

 mere, a white-fleshed sort of which lit tie is at present known. 



It is, however, evidently related to the Persian kinds ; 

 it looked as if it would be very good. . Mr. Eekford bad 

 two fruit of the Bromham Hall, one not externally 

 different from it, named Browns Green-fleshed, and 

 two of the Trentham Hybrid. — From the Garden 

 of the Society came the scarce Brassavola Digbyana, 

 with a broad fringed lip ; Cyrtochilum stellatum, 

 having bright green healthy leaves, a rare occurrence 

 with this plant ; Cyrtoceras reflexum, Franciscea 

 Hopeana, a profusely-flowered medium-sized bush of 

 Pimelea decussata ; Dillwynia clavata, one of the hand- 

 somest of the genus ; an Epacris, two Cape Heaths, 

 eight varieties of Achimenes, an Everlasting, and the 

 Chinese Indigo plant, (Isatis indigo tica). 



cated a notice 



of the capture of Gastropacha ilicifolia, a large moth, new 

 to this country, on Cannock Chase, in Staffordshire, by 

 Mr. Atkinson. A memoir on the economy of various 

 species of Bombus, by Mr. H. W. Newman, together with 

 supplementary notices by Mr. F. Smith, was read : like- 

 wise, some notes on a specimen of Goliathus eacicus by 

 Mr. Rich, who had kept it alive five months ; and a 

 supplementary monograph on the Evaniidao by Mr. 

 Westwood. It was announced that a new part of the 

 Transactions, vol. 1, N.S., part 5, was ready for distribu- 

 tion among the members. 



^ottrwf 



of ftoofts* 



r 



The President in the chair. 



LiNNEAN, June n 

 Dr. A damson exhibited several fossil plants, in sand- 

 stone and lime-stone, from the Cape of Good Hope. A 

 paper was read from Mr. B. Clarke, on the position of 

 the raphe in anatropal ovules. The author observed 

 that the position of the raphe in single ovules was very 

 constant in many families of plants. He treated of the 

 position of the raphe in six divisions ; 1. In pendulous 

 ovules with the raphe turned away from the placenta. 

 This was seen in a large number of Endogens also in 

 Ranunculacese, Piperacese,andin A race a.' and Piperacese; 

 % Pendulous ovules with the raphe lateral, seed in 

 Malpighiacese, Cheuopodiacese, and several genera ; 3. 

 Pendulous ovules w i th the raphe next placenta. This is the 

 ordinary position of the raphe in anatropal ovules. 4. In 

 erect ovules, with raphe turn 1 away from placenta, 

 seen in Composite, in Pensea and Calythrix. 5. Erect 

 ovules, with raphe lateral ; very general in Exogens. 

 6. Erect ovules with raphe next placenta. The ordinary 

 form in erect anatropal ovules. The paper concluded 

 with some observations on the theory of the position of 

 ovules. A letter was read from Thomas Forster, Esq., 

 dated May 21, Bruges, "On the present season in 

 relation to the migration of birds, and, other natural 

 phenomena. The author observed that there was 

 always a great disproportion between the numbers 

 of migratory birds that arrived as compared with 

 those that went away, and that this disproportion 

 was always greater in late springs, and specially 

 after mild and damp winters. The swallow, sand- 

 martin, and swift, had, this season, been very late 

 in Belgium ; and the house-martin (Hirundo urbica) 

 had not yet appeared at all. Insects, which were usually 

 common, were very scarce this spring ; and the 

 vegetable world had suffered generally, plants being 

 later in flowering, and producing much fewer flowers. 

 The month of April had been 8^ Fah. below the usual 

 average of temperature. 



Observations on the Culture of Roses in Pots. By 

 William Paul; second edition, pp. 4 3. Piper, London. 

 Beginners, in this kind of cultivation, will find this a 



most useful pamphlet, and it may doubtless be road 



with advantage by persons even experienced in the 



art. Tlie excellence of Mr. Paul's Roses, in pots, at 

 our great metropolitan exhibitions, fori . perhaps, the 

 best guarantee that could be offered of his ability to 

 teach ; and those who would wish to obtain similar 

 results, cannot do better than follow his instructions 

 implicitly. A few woodcuts, illustrative of training and 

 pruning, have been introduced into this edition, which, 

 altogether, must be considered a very cheap shilling's 

 worth. We heartily recommend it to the notice of all 

 cultivators of the " Queen of Flowers." 



custom here, weakens the plants. According to the 

 ■™ice of one of your correspondents, I dressed the half 

 ot my beds with a thick coating of salt in March ; the 

 consequence of which was that they did not shoot for 



S: Wee . k f after the 0thers ' and are 110t >' et equally 

 prolific with those not salted. I did not measure the 



luantity of salt but, as directed, put on enough to make 



wS^r^° k M if U had Bnowed - K Si W« Studies 



nnffl ' i y0U all ° W man y of the >" oun S shoots t0 grow 

 2J*y°u have done cutting, you will weaken the eatable 



Ito.! ? * [*"> lf y0ur bed is weak ' wiU do no harm. 



™ *hcn beds are weak, they should not be cut at all 



ui they are stronger. If strong enough, every shoot 

 ™J be cut, and that is the right w ay. J * 



Garden Memoranda. 



Botanic Garden, Chelsea. — The alterations com- 

 menced in this ancient garden, some three or four years 

 since by Mr. Fortune, have been completed ; they con- 

 sisted chiefly in the clearing out of overgrown and 

 unimportant plants, breaking up the formal arrange- 

 ment of the hardy plants, converting the greater part 

 of the surface into lawn, on which the herbaceous and 

 other hardy species were planted in irregular beds, 

 according to their natural orders, and erecting a new 

 stove 60 feet by 20, and a greenhouse 40 feet by 20. 

 These structures are very well adapted for plants, being 

 low, span-roofed, and light ; they are close glazed with 

 rough plate glass. The stove is heated by hot-water ; and 

 is perhaps only deficient in not having any provision to 

 supply bottom heat to the plants — a circumstance 

 of the more importance in consequence of the mis^ 

 cellaneous character of a botanic garden collection. 

 We noticed in the stoves good plants of the Upas tree 

 (Antiaris toxicaria), the Allspice (Eugenia Pimenta), 

 the Cinnamon (Cinnamomuni zeylanicum), the Chu-lau 

 (Chioranthus inconspicuus), used medicinally in China* 

 as well as employed in scenting some of the perfumed 

 teas. A good example of the very curious and really- 

 ornamental Ruibarbo (Jatropha podagriea), had been 

 flowering for some months past. There is a fine old 

 plant of Zanaia elegans ; and we noticed a small species* 

 of Zamia, called Ux\ furacea, a dwarf branching stemmed 

 kind, from which arrowroot of the best quality is some- 

 times obtained. A small house full of Aloes, Gasterias,. 

 and allied plants, was tolerably gay, with flowering 

 examples of this now neglected race, many of which 

 deserve to be more generally cultivated for their inte- 

 resting and distinct exotic aspect no less than for their 

 freely -produced and very ornamental blossoms. In the 

 open air, one of the most interesting plants we saw 

 was a large old specimen of one of the shrubby 

 spiny branched Tragacanths, here called Astragalus 

 pseudo-tragacantha, the plant having lately been ex- 

 posed by the clearing away of some old rubbish- 

 ing " roekwork." Fabiana imbricata was flowering 

 very freely, trained on the outside of one of the 

 greenhouses, and is here found to be quite hardy, 

 Munich, &c, a fine series of insects from the Cape of and very ornamental at all seasons. The lions of 

 Good Hope was presented by Mr. Hooper, and a beau- ! the garden, the " old " Cedars, are, we are sorry to 



Entomological, June 2. 

 F.L.S., President, in the 



J. O. Westwood, Esq.' 



chair. In addition to 



! nti\ l\ me ° Ue ment5oils that cutting them down I numerous donations of Entomological publications from 

 uam the cutting season is over, which is the general the Natural History Societies of Moscow, Stettin, 



^ortftif^ 



Horticultural,^,^ 17. 



cn *u\ Lord Gardner, T. Lawford, jun., 



J. B. Glegg, Esq. in the 



Esq., J. 



ti ful specimen of a hornet's nest by Mr. H. W. Newman, 

 of Stroud. Mr. W. W. Saunders exhibited some beau- 

 tiful Fulgoridse from India, and also a very remarkable 

 cocoon of open net work from Assam, together with th 

 moth produced from it ; Mr. Douglas, the singular cases 

 formed of the flower-buds of Erigonum vulgare, by the 

 larvee of a small moth ; Mr. I. F. Stephens, a new British 

 Tenthredo (Selandria sericans of Hartig) ; Mr. West- 

 wood, various insects which attack the leaves and young 

 fruit of the Pear, at the present time, including both 

 sexes of the beautiful Lyda fasciata, the pretty little 

 Argyromyges scitella, (the larvte of which form large 

 lotches on the leaves at a later period of the year), 

 various case-making caterpillars, Ac* ; Mr. Rich, som 

 very splendid Goliath beetles, and other coleoptera from 

 West Africa ; Mr. Robert Ellis, some curious cases 

 found upon and formed of the leaves of the Oak, being 



see, rapidly decaying ; and indeed the out-door plants 

 generally give evidence of having to struggle against 

 a very un-onial atmosphere, which we understand i& 

 daily becoming more smoke-polluted. Though so near 

 the Thames, the plants here suffer much from drought, 

 the subsoil being a sand-bank, and the surface-soil 

 exhausted. More efficient means of irrigation seem to 

 be much required. We must not omit to mention some 

 of the noble species of Ferula, or Giant Fennels, which 

 seem to flourish in the dry subsoil which they here find* 

 Two of these species are now coming into flower. 



Miscellaneous. 



Sale of Orchids. — A small collection from New Gra- 

 nada, was sold by Mr. Stevens the other day, at the 

 following prices : — Uropedium Lindenii from 2/. \2s.6d. 

 to 5£, ; Oncidium candelabrum, from 3'. to il. ; Odon- 







