THE GARDENERS' 



CHRONICLE 



— * .1 - ■ w *«i,i ft t thrf^thinTortlie i and those which excited by far the most interest, were 



the air amongst the roots would at the batten itfttj » ^^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^^ of wh;ch wm fce 



found in a leading article in another part of to-day's 

 paper. Flowers, except those contributed from the 

 Society's Garden, were scarce. Mr. Salter, of Hammer- 



Dependence on the wall of straw was pe: 

 cause of failure. If " E. J." wishes for 



SUC- 



cor 



stack. 



S^, he must thro* aside the roots, knock down hi 

 posts, and make the thatch moveable. W. Ivy-am, 



Hatfield. Herts. mmim . . , 



The t ^.-NobvUh standing the difference which 



"Ruricola" says exists between the formation of the 

 throat of the male and female cuckoo, I am as sure as 1 

 am of my own existence that Mr. Kidd is right in stating 

 that the female does utter the well-known cry, and also 

 that the cue >o does sometimes feed its own young. As 

 proofs of these assertions I offer the following. I have 

 stood within 3 feet of a cuckoo while depositing its e 

 in the nest of a robin, and I have heard that cuckoo 

 when she left the nest, after depositing her egg, 

 utter the pleasing sound u cuckoo " twice, as distinctly 

 as ever I heard it in my life. I am certain that it 

 was die female. I stood in a cellar where there 

 is a small grated window surrounded with Ivy. 

 A robin had made its nest on the ledge of the 

 window. Happening to be in the, cellar one day, and 

 hearing a rustling noise at the window, I went up to it, 

 ami flaw a cuckoo; but hi approaching I had disturbed 

 her. for she flew away. I observed that all the eggs 

 (four in number) of the robin had disappeared, and that 

 the nest was empty (whether the cuckoo had cast them out 

 or not I cannot tell, but I found the shells on the ground 

 when I went out). Thinking that the cuckoo might 

 return, I remained at the window as quietly as possible, 

 and she did return ; but she exhausted my patience, as 

 1 had to sit in a rather tiring position, in order to see 

 her, and 1 went out. On goii round to the window she 

 flew away ; and, as I have said, called " cuckoo " ttvice. 

 I looked in the nest and there was her egg, which I 

 know was not in the nest before she returned the second 

 time. I may state that coming out of the cellar and 



foing to the window did not occupy me 30 seconds, 

 n watching the progress of the young cuckoo, which in 

 due course, under the fostering care of the robin, made 

 its appearance, I have seen, from the same window, a 

 cuckoo more than once bring food to it. I well remem- 

 ber a cuckoo carrying food to a young one, some 

 10 y rs ago, at Kingsbury, in Middlesex. I recollect 

 it well, as it was the first young cuckoo I had ever seen ; 

 and I discovered it by seeing the old one go to the nest 

 with something in its mouth. I saw it go several times, 

 but I afterwards found that a hedge-sparrow did the 

 most of the feeding. I noticed it particularly, as I had 

 read that the cuckoo never did feed its own young. 

 Oj onum commenta delet dus, naturce judicia con- 

 firmat. John M iddlcmiss y Bentham Hill, Tonlridge Wells. 

 i Musa Carendisliii. — -This valuable tropical fruit has 

 being growing in great luxuriance in the hothouse of the 

 Rev. Sir T. G. Cullum, Bart., Hardwick-house, Bury 

 St. Edmunds, in a bed, without the aid of bottom-heat ; 

 but, in order to accelerate its ripening, the gardener 

 cut off the stem and suspended it in the warmest part 

 of the house. As the plant is readily increased by 

 suckers, will some of your readers favour me with the 

 best mode of cultivation ? N. S. B. y Bur?/ St. Edmunds. 

 Blocks for Orchids. — After some years' experiments, I 

 find that the best of all possible blocks on which to grow 

 Orchids, are formed from the root of Elder. They must 

 be allowed to dry, so that the bark strips off, and they 

 should be sawn into suitable sizes. Their gnarled and 

 rugged surfaces appear to be peculiarly agreeable to the 

 roots of Orchids. I have long used Elder for this 

 purpose, finding it by far the most durable of soft woods, 

 and at the same time snonsrv. so as to absorb due 



smith, sent a collection of Pompone Chrysanthemums in 

 a cut state, the produce of crosses between Mr. Fortune's 



Chusan Daisy and some of the larger flowered kinds. 

 Many of the sorts were very handsome ; but as they 

 were not shown in the shape of plants, a circumstance 

 to be regretted, little can be said with certainty re- 

 Blooms of a very beautiiul hybrid 



to the 



specting them. 



Epiphyllum were produced by Mr. Snow, gr 

 Earl de Grey. It was stated to have been raised be- 

 tween E. Russellianum and E. truncatum, but ifc^ was 

 much deeper in colour, and better shaped, than either 

 of its parents. A Certificate of Merit was awarded it. 

 —Fruit was tolerably plentiful. Mr. Ingram, gr. to her 

 Majesty, at Frogmore, sent a finely-formed and well 

 ripened, smooth-leaved Cayenne Pine-apple, weighing 

 8 lbs. 4 oz., for which a Knightian Medal was 



The same variety, weighing 5 lbs. 13 oz., 

 _ . called Charlotte Roths- 

 child's Pine, 



furnished by Mr. Dodds, gr. to Col. Baker 

 Medal was awarded for the Cayenne. — Black Jamaicas, 

 weighing respectively 4 lbs. 9 oz. and 4 lbs. 5 oz., came 

 from Mr, Povey, gr. to the Eev. John Thornycroft. — A 

 Certificate was awarded. — A Jamaica, weighing 3 lbs. 

 9]oz., was also shown by Mr. Bundy, gr. to Lord 

 Dynevor, at Dynevor Castle, Llandilo. — From Mr. 

 Higgs, gr. to J. Barchard, Esq., came a very fine cluster 

 of*the fruit of Musa Cavendishii. The bunch con- 



awarded. 



together with a new kind, 



which resembles 



the 



Cayenne, were 

 A Banksian 



spon 



g}"> 



moisture ; bnt is difficult to obtain it of suitable size and 

 form. The roots which I have only tried during the 

 last year or so, seem perfect, and such plants as Cattleya 

 Mossise, Dendrobium aggregatum and Jenkinsii, soon 

 cover the blocks with their roots, which are thus pre- 

 served through winter without the slightest injury. If 

 the bark be retained, minute insects (and I believe young 

 woodlice) harbour and are troublesome ; the naked wood 

 is free from these objections. /. R. 



Names of Conifers.— -Why is the name Pinus austriaca 

 preferred to that of Pinus nigricans ? The tree is not 

 known by that name in Austria, to a small part of which 

 country it is restricted, and in which most of the 

 European Conifers are found. Host calls it nigricans, 

 ui the Vienna Botanic Garden it stands under that 

 name as well as in the « Flora Austriaca." It is hardly 

 more than a variety of Laricio, so common over the 



Tr^ °l Eur ° pe * %« i3 the Proper transla- 

 S n^^ eVm ^ U Dame > ^^tz Fohre (black Fir), 

 m contrast to P. sylvestris, their white Fir ; while 

 austriaca x S neither characteristic nor distinctive. What 

 is the distingtuahing character of the genus Chamiecy- 

 paris .- There appear to be two plants going under the 

 name of ilexicari Cypress in your hst^Chamsecyparis 

 thurifera and Cupressus thurifera -are they alike in 



%ZZ ^^f ? K«»« Persica I see numbered 

 among the three-leaved Pines ; this is hardly correct. 



hS^J e ™? e ™ ed * mo *S *■ normal two-leaved ones, as 

 5S?, TT\ and ^ypoB^iblyalsoto'its 



Snl n8el ; e ^ P ' t haIe P^ & [It appears that 



Ws pT °' ? - mtn ™"» Polished earlier than 

 Host a P. nigricans ; no doubt it i sa variety of Laricio 



™ V *P re6SUS to** ^ many-seeded. Cupressus thurifera 

 and Ciiaii^cypa mthurifera are t faegL plant] 



Horticultural, Dee. 2* 

 chair. 



sisted of upwards of 90 fruits, most of which were 

 ripe, and, upon some of them being cut up and tasted, 

 they proved to be very good. This was from the dwarf 

 variety of this Musa, which is most suitable for small 

 stoves ; a Banksian medal was awarded. Black Cluster 

 Grapes, attached to the branches, shrivelled, and in 

 the condition of raisins, but showing that they had 

 perfectly ripened, were exhibited by J. Hogg, Esq., of 

 King's Bench-walk, Temple. These had been produced 

 without any artificial assistance on an open wall, at 

 Norton, which is two miles north of Stockton-on-Tees. 

 The plant in question had been transferred to the 

 open wall, from a glass-house in which it produced 

 abundantly, a propensity which it appears still to 

 retain.— Mr. Middlemiss, gr. to A. Pott, Esq., Bentham 

 Hill, Tonbridge Wells, sent a fruit of the Dampsha 

 Melon, a variety which, although by no means first- 

 rate m flavour, has the property of keeping good for a 

 long time after being cut. The fruit shown was stated 

 to have been removed from the plant on the 8th of 

 September, and it was still in fair condition. The fruit 

 shown was oblong in shape, and had some resemblance 

 to a green and yellow mottled Gourd. — Mr. Cameron, of 

 Uckfield, furnished a dish of Mannington's Pearmain 

 Apple, a good keeping sort, possessing a brisk flavour, 

 and a great bearer. The specimens shown were stated 

 to have grown on nursery trees, two years from the 

 graft. Potatoes, the produce of New Zealand seed 

 which was distributed by the Society in April, 1849, 

 were communicated by J. Gaskell, Esq., of St. Nicholas. 

 The result of three trials with them is, that they are not 

 less liable to disease than sorts in usual cultivation. 

 A sample of a nice-looking dessert Pear, called Triomphe 

 de Jodoigne, was furnished by Sir. Rivers, of Saw- 

 bridgeworth, from one of his potted plants ; it arrived 

 too late to be critically examined. — From Mr. Law- 

 rence, of Parliament-street, came common garden 

 watering-pots, with globular roses, instead of those 

 of the usual form. This is found to be an im- 

 provement, inasmuch as it disperses the water better 

 and quicker than the old-fashioned rose. — From 

 the Garden of the Society came Beaufortia decussata, 

 Muraltia Heisteri, three varieties of Epacris, the beauti- 

 ful Winter Heath (E. hiemalis), and plants of various 

 Pompone and other Chrysanthemums. The Daisy- 

 flowered kinds were mostly new and unnamed, having 

 nothing by which to distinguish them, except the numbers 

 under which they were received from M. Van Houtte, 

 of Ghent. The following Pears were furnished in good 

 condition, viz., Beurre Diel, Napoleon, Glout Morceaux, 

 Passe Colmar, and Forelle. The latter were smaller 

 specimens than those shown at the last ; but they 

 were still perfect. The Apples sent consisted of 

 Beachamwell, Dutch Mignonne, 



avels 



the 





or 1200 mjp 



a sketch of Mr. Bates' very important tr 

 America, un the district of Para, and up ^ * 

 Amazon, from whence he had sent back coll*,!- 

 insects and plants. If Mr. Bates obtained the S? * 

 he needed, he proposed to explore the nvm*i £ 

 of a branch of the river Amazon, called fC 

 which penetrated the Brazils, some 1000 

 He is now at Para. The remaining part of mTx^ 

 paper on two new genera of South American 1 »W 

 read. In a note, the author stated that Ins new ** 

 Tetraraplus, resembled Nuttall's genus. Oxvt^J S f?* 

 also belonged to the Erigone*. The iS 

 belonged to the order Bignoniacere, and was a leS"* 

 spiny shrub, about 8 feet in height, and found vmT* 

 on the western declivity of the Cordilleras, xh 

 given to the plant was Oxycladus aphyllus. ° 

 so much from the true Bignoniaceee, that the auth 

 proposed for it a sub-tribe, Oxycladece, and placed t* 



^^^ under the heads of Bigno ^ 2 



name 



It differed 

 the 



2B0 tires txl &qoU. 



Game Birds and Wild Fowl; their Friends and ike* 



Foes. By A. E.Knox. Van Voorst. 12nio, pp *64 

 We formerly noticed, with commendation, Mr Knox's 

 " Ornithological Rambles in Sussex," and we must not 

 withhold our tribute of praise to this his second an 

 better production. He is a true lover of Nature and 

 looks at everything with the eye at once of a keen sports- 

 man and a practised naturalist. As a narrator of the 

 scenes which a field zoologist so heartily enioya he 

 scarcely yields to any one in graphic skill. 



A few extracts from the author's account of a wild- 

 fowl expedition, in the winter, will, we think, more than 

 justify this statement : 



" I had made preparations over night for a regular 

 field-day. The distance from my residence to the moutli 

 of the haven was little more than a mile along the 

 shore, and I was thus enabled — though not without a 

 certain degree of labour, which, however, the intense 

 cold rendered less irksome — to carry my own guns and 

 ammunition, and at the same time to dispense with the 

 services of an attendant, who, as experience had taught 

 me, proves rather an incumbrance than an advantage on 

 an expedition of this kind. My long duck-gun was now 

 unpacked, and a heavy double, weighing about 11 lbs., 

 also put into requisition. A supply of Eley's cartridges 

 suited to the calibre of each, with well dried powder and 

 waterproof caps, were stowed away in the larger 

 pockets of my shooting coat, while the smaller recep- 

 tacles contained the minor sundries necessary to com- 

 plete my equipment. But although I willingly 

 dispensed with the services of a biped attendant, 

 I had one companion whose assistance was 

 all to me on such occasions. This was an 

 water spaniel, whose education I had myself super- 

 intended in his native bogs and on the shores of 

 the Atlantic, and whose sagacity, courage, and uocuity 

 far surpassed those of any dog that I have been able to 

 procure in this country. He was rather larger tnan a 

 setter, but his legs were shorter and stronger ; his cott 

 was curly, entirely of a liver colour, and ot a fine suky 

 texture ; his ears long and pendulous ; his teet *« 

 webbed like a duck's, to the very toes ; his lace » 

 smooth; his forehead broad and open. But .tlie nw 

 striking feature was his eyes. Nothing in car™ 

 physiognomy could surpass the intel hgence oi bku 

 expression. They were of a bright golden colour, W* 

 those of a sparrow-hawk ; restless, and always on 

 m ™« . i~A'JL*\~. « ; MM ,« .ml adventurous spirit, jM 



all in 

 Irish 



glass, l naa uie eatisiaction oi oua*» »*«b ~j- . * • 4ninne r J 

 not likely to be anticipated by any wande rin, « 

 who micrht I**™ mnwivftd the birds already, ana F £ 



move ; indicating a joyous and adventurous 



an ardour and perseverance, which indeed we r 



minent qualities in the character of their P os ™. 



" As I swept the shores of Hie estuary with U P^ 

 glass, I had the satisfaction of observing that my ^^ 



not lik< w m 



who might have perceived the birds ah- r , ^^ce 

 venture on a random shot before I couw ^^ 

 operations, or even decide on the best mod ®. within 

 them into effect. There was not a human ^^ gur&ce 

 sight, nor could I discover a single boat on 



of the water." iU , fj>wl footer, 



; boat of a wau^ ^ when 



and of one who waa no novice in the c ar ^.^ j 

 the first feeling of dh* pointment ^A^ i should 

 iily succeeded in persuading BayseU O p € rations 



1*1 v a mnw ii1pa.su rA from witU68SlDg been tfe 



which would to>« wss 



" It was evidently the gun 



derive more pleasure from 



than in spoiling his sport 



result of a premature movement on 



of his p 



ursuit-- 



Court Pendu Plat, 

 Blenheim Pippin, Waltham Abbey, Seedling and Tower _ 



of Glaramis, the two latter being kitchen Apples.— In yet at least half a mile from the objects 01 "r^ lJn igbt 



consequence of a clerical error in the notice of the but it occurred to me at the same mom eEt ioUS but 



alteration of the by-laws read at the last meeting, the even manage to convert him into an UDt j acka i>— 



important ally in contributing to W) T gU rvey °* ** 



following was re-read on this occasion as for the first 



^V" - : 11 h P ro P os , ed t0 re P eal the following by-law of share of it. "Taking," therefore, a hasty s " x ^ tri ve 



the Society, viz. : Chap. 4, Art. 0, " Every Fellow may at harbour and its shores, I saw that if I <* uia , «-* 

 any time compound for all his future annual contribu- 



te 



dna#o f 



conceal myself at a certain point on ft 8^ the sw*j* 



tions by paying ten times the amount of his annual sub. belt of shingle at some distance, over wlucu i ^ 

 smrmtum," *™1 t. ch^w. *k. «,_i would probably fly when returning to the^ ^ 



perhaps have the good luck to mt f^ P na . t .guard S** 

 no time in carrying out this plan ; the coj z^ ^, 

 ferried me across the mouth of the ^^^f the**** 

 by taking a wide circuit and availing ;myw my a dva**j 

 of the ground where it was possible w »» d p0 int t ■£ 

 I succeeded at last in reaching the desir_^ r^. 



E. BaiRBi, Esq., in the 



senption ;" and to substitute the following words : 

 " Every Fellow may at any time compound for all his 

 future annual contributions, by paying, when first 

 elected, 4 21. ; at the end of 7 years, 31/. 10s.; at the end 

 of 14 years, 26/. 5s. ; at the end of 20 years 21 Z." 



«»1^— HI, , n — I i mr , ■■m„i ■■!' ,i | — ^ ^ mm t^.m^^ff^^^^^^^^^^ 



Linnean, Dec. 2.— W. Yahrell, Esq., in the chair. 

 \i *°°5Vf thc B . otanic G a^en, Chelsea, presented 



^ ^ staminiferous cones 



to the society specimens 

 of Zamia furfuracca. Mr. 

 collections of insects, one 

 made by Mr. Frederic 

 Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, 



krg'e to c'o'nc^Tmysdf «»dmy dog in ■ ^^ direct** 



having scraped a hole in 



Adam White exhibited two I placed my suns on either side of me, 

 consisting of Hymenoptera, '"~~ '^ 



White, and the other of 

 and 



5Ti— * 1,iD s le suflk 



all my attention to the exciting ■«*« ' d by **£ 

 The hoonera were Btill there, surro^ ^ 





^" 1UBii > **<:• a — •&• GRANDE, Em. in th P I . n w™i« u • * X xne 0WMsr ot The hoopers were Btm uw*, — - from tner"^j 



The greatest novelties exhibited! fij^^^ 1 ^^ Coh>optera, made by jflocks of wild duol^fiome 500 yarjjrom eJ<# 



socca«on, Mr. W. H. Bates, in bouth America. Mr. White ffa v« . .ku T ^ni^L and about half that o» 



