NOVEMBER in. 1888.] 



THE GAB BE NE I? S ' C HI? XI CL E. 



543 



flower is bell-shaped, the individual petals not being 

 reflexed as usual. It was raised from seed of a 

 flower like that figured and is a distinct advance 

 on it. 



Royal Microscopical Society.— The next 



meeting of the Society will be held on Wednesday, 

 the 14th inst., at 8 o'clock precisely, when the fol- 

 lowing paper will be read by Mr. W. Wbst:— " List 

 of Desmids from Massachusetts, U.S.A.'' 



PHOENIX DACTYLIFERA.— A large female speci- 

 men of this, the Date Palm, has been sent to the 

 Royal Garden, Kew, from the Cambridge Botanic 

 Garden. The plant has been growing in a box in 

 the Palm-house, and when packed in its case mea- 

 sured 33 feet in length, weighing upwards of 4i tons. 

 It arrived safely at its new home by rail, and has 

 been planted out in that fine and large conservatory 

 in the pleasure-grounds known as the Temperate- 

 house. 



Large Orchid Sale in America. — The 



largest and finest collection of Orchids ever offered 

 at a public sale in America by a nurseryman or 

 dealer was (we quote from Garden and ! 

 of New York), disposed of by auction, at the rooms 

 of roDNG & Elliott, of that city, on Tuesday of 

 last week. The sale included the entire stock which 

 Messrs. F. Saxdek & Co., of St. Albans, England, 

 had collected at their establishment in Jersey City, 

 and consisted of more than 1000 lots. The total 

 amount realised wasabout 7000 dols., and it would have 

 been considerably more if the sale had been con- 

 cluded. The day was too short, however, and 

 some 200 of the lots catalogued were not 

 reached. As a rule satisfactory prices were ob- 

 tained, but some of the very finest Orchids sold 

 for less than their real value. This was true of 

 the superb specimen of Vanda Sanderiana, which 

 brought only 230 dols. The original plant of Cypri- 

 pedium Boxalli atratum, which was certificated by 

 the Royal Horticultural Society of England, sold for 

 ItiO dols.; Cypripedium Chantinii, Philbrick's variety, 

 brought 160 dols.; and a wonderful specimen of 

 Cattleya Mossia; sold for 145 dols. Perhaps the 

 Cypripediums, all things considered, were sold to the 

 best advantage. It was noted that the bidding was 

 cpiite as brisk when darkness put an end to the sale 

 as it was at the beginning. It was noted, too, that 

 a larger proportion of plants than is usually the 

 case went to the trade about New York and Phila- 

 delphia, showing a confidence on the part of alert 

 dealers that the demand for Orchids, and the best 

 Orchids, is steadily growing in this country. 



MUSSAENDA BORBONICA.— An interesting com- 

 munication has recently been made to the Societe 

 tl'Acclimatation of Paris by M. Lapeyrere, a health 

 olticer of the French Navy, concerning a shrub, pre- 

 viously undescribed, belonging to the order Rubiacea 1 , 

 and found on the island of Reunion. It forms a bush 

 of 9 feet in height, with a short stem, and numerous 

 branches. The berries are round, slightly pressed 

 together at the points, of the size of a Cherry, and 

 of a blue-green colour, changing to violet when ripe. 

 They contain two seeds, in form resembling those of 

 Coffee, and showing still closer resemblance in 

 chemical composition. According to the analyses 

 made, Mussaenda seed contains caffein, an aromatic 

 essence, aether, oil, and the other substances in 

 greater or lesser proportions which are found in 

 Coffee. They offer, therefore, a good substitute for 

 the latter, or of Chicory, sweet Acorns, and other 

 substances generally mixed with Coffee. It is stated 

 that of Mussaenda seeds 3,000,000 kilogrammes can 

 be obtained annually. It will be remembered that 

 Mussaenda is a near ally of the Coffee. 



Casselus " Popular Educator. — We have 



received the first part of the new edition of Casseli.'s 

 Papular Educator. The monthly numbers of this 

 useful work are issued in a more convenient size than 

 before, and contain much new matter; the old 

 articles have been revised and brought up to date. 

 The subjects treated of include science, art, and 



languages, and there are besides instructive and in- 

 teresting essays on more general subjects. To the 

 practical utility of this work we can ourselves testily, 

 having found the first edition a valuable aid when as 

 an amateur teaching languages and certain sciences 

 to a class of artizan students ; hence we can strongly 

 recommend its use in garden libraries. The botanical 

 portion, however, in the former editions was inferior 

 and much behind the age. We trust this may bs 

 rectified in the new edition. 



The Apple AUDIT.— Some results of the late 

 Chiswick Conference will be specially interesting. 



The object was to ascertain not how many sorts are 

 in cultivation, but which are the best suited com- 

 mercially for special purposes in different localities. 

 The double audit taken shows, first, by the number 

 of dishes exhibited, what is the popular verdict ; and 

 the second, by the number of certificates awarded, 

 the merits of the particular variety as shown on that 

 occasion from various localities. Thus, Warner's 

 King was exhibited by seventy-eight exhibitors, and 

 received ten certificates, a percentage consiaerably 

 less than Peasgood's Nonsuch. Here are a few 

 figures relating to the most important kinds: — 





Dishes 

 exhibited. 



Certificates 



award..']. 



rer c< -i.t. 











Warner's Kins 



7* 



10 



12 



Cox's Orange 



Gl 



8 



12 



Lord SuffielJ 



M 



6 



11 



Stirling Castle 



S3 



Ij 



11 



Cellini 



53 



3 



in 



Peisgood's Nonsuch 



3 



5 



lo 



Ribston 



:.l 



:. 



9 



Worcester Pearaiain 



41 



5 



12 



P 









Louise Bonne of Jersey- ... 





13 



25 



Beurre d'Amanlis 



11 



» 



25 



„ Did 



.-,, 



3 



10 



.. Hardy 



■s; 



5 



25 



Doyenne da Cornice 



i:< 



7 



23 



Marie Louise 



56 



5 



9 



Fitnuston Duchess 



« 



7 



In 



ciation with some stiil left to us, M. de Caknaeut was 

 a leading spirit in the management of the Federation 

 of the Belgian horticultural societies. He was the 

 author of a monograph on Lilies, and his collections 

 of living plants at Maline= were well known, 



Sir Joseph Hooker.— The portrait of Sir 

 Joseph Hooker, inten led for presentation to the 

 I.innean Society, is to be painted by Mr, II::.isomeu, 

 the death of Mr. IYwk Holl having prevented the 

 realisation of the original plan. 



JUGLANS MANOHURICA, which wai recently 

 figured in our columns (see p. 334), is a most pro- 

 mising nut tree from Japan. A tree in the Arnold 

 Arboretum, from seed planted in the fall ol 1879, 

 has this year, says Garden and Forest, borne two 

 bushels of nuts. The fruit is larger, more nearly 

 spherical and less rough than our common Batter- 

 l. ,.; and is of very good flavour. The nuts are 

 borne in clusters with from six to thirteen together. 

 The tree has borne now for five years, and, besides 

 the valuable crop it yields, it gives good promise as 

 an ornamental tree. 



RHEUM NOBILE. — A line crop of seedlings has 

 been raised from seed saved from the plant that 

 flowered in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, 

 this summer. 



LlNNEAN SOCIETY.— A meeting will be held on 

 Thursday, November 15, at 8 p.m., when the follow- 

 ing papers will be read:— 1. "On the Mountain 

 Range of Flowering Plants, and Ferns, in Ireland.'' 

 By Mr. H. C. Hart, F.L.S. 2. "On the Mammals 

 collected by Mr. H. N. Ridlf.v in Fernando Noronha." 

 By Mr. Oldfeld Thomas. 3. " On the Birds col- 

 lected by Mr. H. N. Ridley in Fernando Noronha.' 1 

 By Mr. R. Bowdler Sharpe, F.L.S. 



"Die Naturlichen Pflanzenfamilien. '— 

 The last number of this useful publication contains 

 the commencement of Dr. Pittzer's Monograph of 

 Orchids. 



Dahlias from Rothesay, N.B.— We have 

 received from Messrs. Dobbie & Co., of Rothesay, 

 blooms of Dahlias, show, Cactus, and pompon, 

 gathered in their nursery on November 5. They 

 show the extreme mildness of the weather there 

 during the past month. The flowers were gathered 

 from their Dahlia grounds, which they tell us are 

 still gay and brilliant, and the plants showing hardly 

 a trace of injury from frost. The lighter coloured 

 varieties seem to have lasted best. Queen of the 

 Belgians and Mrs. Gladstone, are but little inferior 

 to the best blooms of the season. Mrs. Hawkins 

 (Cactus), J. Green, and Ethel Britton are also very 

 good. 



M. DE CANNAERT d'HamALE — The death of 

 this veteran Belgian horticulturist, so well known to 

 many of our fraternity, is announced. M. de Cax- 

 naeet was indeed a familiar figure at all the 

 principal horticultural meetings. He was a member 

 of the Belgian Senate, learned, genial, and 

 enthusiastic, and died full of years at Malines on 

 the 2nd ult., having been born in 1803. Together 

 with our much-lamented friend Morren, and in asso- 



XEPEXTHES DICKSONIANA x . 



This is a very distinct, and, as our illustration 

 will show, a very beautiful variety. Its origin is 

 curious. Whether it would ever have originated in 

 Borneo, Sumatra. Singapore, or adjacent islands, we 

 do not know. Possibly it might do. But in this 

 country, at least, without the aid of railways and 

 post-offices, it could hardly have done so. Stage- 

 coaches might have been rendered available, perhaps, 

 but at the date of stage-coachts one, at least, of the 

 parents was unknown in this country. In fact, the 

 plant before us is the offspring of Nepenthes Rafflesiana 

 as flowering in the Edinburgh Botanic Garden by the 

 pollen of N. Veitchii, as supplied from the nurseries 

 of Messrs. Veitch at Chelsea. Mr. Lindsay, the 

 Curator of the Royal Botanic Garden, effected the 

 cross, raised the seedlings, and desired that they 

 might bear the name of Professor Dickson, the late 

 Professor of Botany in the University, who took 

 much interest in this class of plants. The hybrid in 

 question is now some three or four years old, and at 

 first it gave so little promise of the beauty it has since 

 evolved, that there were, we believe, serious doubts 

 as to whether it was worth preserving. Some one 

 (may his name be blessed !) pleaded for it, and the 

 result is now before us in the shape of the handsome 

 pitcher plant illustrated from Messrs. Veitch's 

 specimen, at fig. 78. 



N. Rafflesiana is known as one of the earliest 

 introductions of the kind, and is still one of the hand- 

 somest of its race. N. Veitchii is remarkable as one 

 of the most distinct of the genus in the yellowish 

 colour of its pitchers, and in the very broad flattish 

 frill which surrounds the mouth. In the hybrid 

 we have the characters of both species curiously 

 intermingled. We were about to give these points 

 in detail, but perhaps few of our readers would thank 

 ns for so doing. Suffice it to refer to our illustra- 

 tion, adding, what is not there shown, that the 

 leathery deep green leaves are about 20 inches long, 

 tapering at the base into a channelled stalk, 4—.") 

 inches long. There are three parallel nerves between 

 the midrib and the margin, which are not shown in 

 our illustration, but which should be noted because 

 that way lies the means of discrimination between 

 many of the species. The colour of the pitcher is a 

 pale green, thickly mottled with crimson blotches ; 

 the rim is very broad (1 inch), not so flat as in 

 Veitchii, but more so than in Rafflesiana, finely 

 ribbed, and some of the ribs striped with purple. 

 The lid is oblong, pilose on the outer surface, purple- 

 spotted within, markedly two-ribbed, and with a long 

 horn-like spur at its base. The wings of the pitcher 



