602 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[NOVEMBER 24, 



the latter ripens in store is very uncertain, anil 

 Noveau Poitean is in season with Marie Louise. 



In all large establishments there are many 

 persons about who are fond of the Pear, and it 

 would often be the means of saving the gardener's 

 best fruit if he were to consider this, and provide 

 for it by planting those varieties which are free 

 bearers, and which, if not first-rate, are of fair 

 quality. Such are Beurre de Capiaumont, Aston 

 Town, Summer Franc Keal, Thompson's, Jersey 

 Gratioli, Windsor, Autumn Bergamotte, Vigneuse, 

 Louise Bonne, Bishop's Thumb, Souvenir du Con- 

 gres, Beurre Clairgeau, and Brown Beurre. I am 

 sorry to leave off with these varieties, miny deli- 

 cious Pears being even now omitted, but the lists 

 — Mr. Sheppard's and this — seem to be rather too 

 abundantly found in autumn Pears. In ordering 

 the Pear trees from the nurseryman do not forget 

 to add some trees — bushes rather — of various Quinces. 

 The fruits are very generally liked as preserves and in 

 other ways. F. M. 



Pear Beurre Henri Courcelle. 

 A small Pear ; a seedling from Bergamotte Espe- 

 ren, raised by M. Arsene Sannier, which makes up 

 for its small size and indifferent appearance by its 

 exquisite flavour. Its form is like that of Berga- 

 motte Esperen, but it is late, and does well on 

 the Quince, and is very fruitful. Bulletin d' Arbori- 

 culture. 



Plant Notes. 



IMPATIENS HAWKERI. 

 This is a bold free-flowering species bearing 

 red flowers on longish stalks, which Btand out 

 well above the foliage. Perhaps this might be 

 placed with such as I. Hookeri, which is a strong 

 grower, bearing large flowers, and it is a credit to 

 any cultivator who succeeds in flowering this plant ; 

 but the one in question has certainly the merit of 

 being free-flowering, as plants with us have been 

 continually blooming from the early part of the year, 

 and promise to continue throughout the winter. 

 Some say that it requires a large amount of pot- 

 room, and compare it unfavourably with I. Sultani 

 and Episcopi ; but to us it seems unnecessary to 

 make this comparison, as both kinds may be re- 

 girded as strikingly different. Those who have 

 seen it in flower in this neighbourhood are much 

 impressed with its large handsome flowers. Cut- 

 tings strike freely, and if these, when rooted, 

 are potted into strong fibrous yellow loam, together 

 with some coarse sand, and grown in a light 

 position in a warm house, the nodes are produced 

 closer together than would otherwise be the case 

 if they received contrary treatment. If it could 

 be crossed with I. Sultani or one of its varieties 

 doubtless the result would prove satisfactory, but 

 unfortunately these large flowering kinds do not, as 

 far as our experience goes, intermingle with these 

 smaller flowering species. There is a difference 

 between the pollens of these two species both in 

 colour and shape. In I. Sultani the pollen grains 

 are reddish and barrel-shaped, while those of I. 

 Hawkeri are round and yellowish ; but whether these 

 differences are sufficient to prevent a cross being 

 made between the two we are unable to state. 



Sechium eddle. 

 This is by no means a free-flowering plant in this 

 country, that is, as far as our experience goes, and 

 therefore it is not likely to become very popular. A 

 specimen is now flowering profusely in one of the 

 warm-houses of the Cambridge Botanic Gardens. It 

 is a member of the Cucumber family, and is a much 

 esteemed vegetable in the tropics. The fruit is 

 about 4 inches in length, and is furnished with a 

 number of small harmless prickles ; it contains only 

 one seed, which germinates within the fruit, and 

 never separates from it. The shoots are long, 

 almost of an indefinite length, one we measured 



being more than 25 feet in length. The tendrils are 

 from three to five-cleft, but are more generally pro- 

 duced in fours, and when out of flower it is not 

 unlike a Cucumber plant. It has monoecious Rowers, 

 of dull white colour; the male flowers are in 

 racemes, while the others are solitary. Both male 

 and female flowers have a number of secreting 

 glands in the tube of the corolla, about which many 

 small reddish-coloured ants were particularly busy. 

 (Can you inform me the name of this ant, as it 

 seems most common amongst stove plants, but its 

 name is not widely known ?) The fruits are some- 

 times imported and sold in Covent Garden under 

 the name of Chayotes. It has been introduced into 

 Madeira and other Atlantic Islands, from whence 

 we received our seed some two years ago. The 

 root is also spoken of as being edible, resem- 

 bling a Yam both in flavour and form. Unfortunately 

 the plant at Cambridge cannot be fruited, owing to 

 the proposed demolition of the house in which it is 

 planted out. W. Harrow, Cambridge Botanic Gardens. 



SPECIMEN TREES IN KEW 

 GARDENS.— II. 



The Stone Pine (figs. 84 and 85, pp. 604 and 

 605). — One of the most characteristic trees at Kew 

 is Pinus pinea. It is to be found on the lawn, to the 

 left, not far from the entrance from Kew Green, 

 and near the Director's office. It is not remarkable 

 for the height of its trunk, but the head, as 

 will be seen from our illustration, is very character- 

 istic. The French call this Pine the Parasol Pine, 

 from its umbrella-shaped head. In some places 

 along the Riviera, and especially in Italy, the Stone 

 Pine forms a marked feature of the landscape. M. 

 Joly has lately described a specimen near St. Tropez 

 which has a height of 16 metres, while the diameter 

 of the head is 26 metres. The leaves are in pairs, 

 each 4 — 5 inches long, and of a dark green colour, 

 while the rich brown cones, of the size of a Cocoa- 

 nut, take three years to ripen, and are remark- 

 able for their prominent scales, the apices of 

 which are dome-shaped and ribbed, reminding one 

 of the dome of the cathedral of Florence. The 

 seeds are oblong-ovoid, and are a favourite delicacy 

 with the Italians. The wing of the seed is rela- 

 tively narrow, forming a hatched-shaped mem- 

 branous process surmounting the seed. This tree 

 is remarkable for the occasional development of 

 shoots with long single leaves instead of the usual 

 pair — leaves similar, in fact, to those which are pro- 

 duced on the young plant in succession to the 

 cotyledons. 



In this country the tree is somewhat spring-tender, 

 on which account we rarely meet with fine specimens, 

 but we have received cones from Mr. Powell, of 

 Drinkstone Park, and others. Messrs. Dammann, of 

 Portici, have also favoured us with specimens of a 

 golden-leaved variety. The Ravenna forest, once 

 so celebrated and rendered popularly known by 

 Leigh Hunt and Byron, was composed of this tree. 

 These groves of stately Pines rose terrace alter 

 terrace for mile after mile along the Adriatic shore, 

 but were killed in the winter of 1879-80, as gra- 

 phically narrated in our columns June 4, 1881, 

 p. 736. Such a wave of intense cold had not been 

 known along the Adriatic for centuries, and that was 

 proved by the Pines, which had grown up with the 

 city's growth. Our correspondents at the time speak 

 of gaunt bare trunks, attesting the destructiveness of 

 the frost and to the severe loss of the peasants, whose 

 living largely depended on the collection of the seeds. 

 It is, however, quite possible that young seedlings 

 protected by a mulching of the fallen leaves, may 

 have survived, and if so that they are now gradually 

 bidding fair to replace the trees that were killed. 

 Perhaps some correspondent may be able to say 

 whether or no this surmise is correct. In the mean 

 time the following extract will suffice to give an idea 

 of the former impressions of these forests : — 



" This pinetum stretches along the shore of the 

 Adriatic for about 40 miles, forming a belt of variable 



width between the great marsh and the tumbling 

 sea. From a distance the bare stems and velvet 

 crowns of the Pine trees stand up like Palms that 

 cover an oasis on Arabian sands ; but at a nearer 

 view the trunks detach themselves from an inferior 

 forest growth of Juniper, and Thorn, and Ash, and 

 Oak, the tall roofs of the stately Firs shooting their 

 breadth of sheltering greenery above the lower and 

 less sturdy brushwood. It is hardly possible to 

 imagine a more beautiful and impressive scene than 

 that presented by these long alleys of imperial 

 Pines. They grow so thickly one behind another 

 that we might compare them to the pipes of a great 

 organ, or the pillars of a Gothic church, or the 

 basaltic columns of the Giant's Causeway. Their 

 tops are evergreen, and laden with heavy cones, 

 from which Ravenna draws considerable wealth. 

 Scores of peasants are quartered on the outskirts of 

 the forest, whose business it is to scale the Pines 

 and rob them of their fruit at certain seasons of the 

 year. Afterwards they dry the Fir cones in the sun 

 until the nuts which they contain fall out. The 

 empty husks are sold for firewood, and the kernels 

 in their strong shells reserved for exportation. You 

 may see the peasants — men, women, and boys-- 

 sorting them by millions— drying and sifting them 

 on the open spaces of the wood, and packing them 

 in sacks to send abroad through Italy." 



The Flower Garden. 



Planting. — Although this is generally considered 

 one of the best months in the year for planting 

 deciduous subjects and most evergreens, one cannot 

 advise a continuance of that operation in wet or 

 retentive soils. In hilly districts and on sandy and 

 gravelly soils the case is different, and there need be 

 no more delay than is occasioned by the unfavour- 

 able weather. Stake and tie such as require it as the 

 work proceeds, and finish off with a mulching of half- 

 decayed materials to keep out frost. In new plant- 

 ing the soil should be trenched two spits deep 

 beforehand, and, if poor, a heavy dressing of decayed 

 manure should be worked in with the staple. Where 

 Rhododendrons, Azaleas, and other shrubs preferring 

 a peaty soil are going to be planted, and the natural 

 soil of the locality is unsuitable, the best way to 

 ensure success it to clear out the old soil to a depth 

 of 2 feet, and replace it with peat ; by doing this the 

 first cost may be great, but as a set-off against this is 

 the success of the planting. 



Roses. — As soon as the soil is in a state fit to be 

 trodden upon planting may be done so far as 

 regards H.P.'s, but Tea and all tender varieties 

 of the Rose will be better for being left till the 

 spring. In planting new beds take out most of the 

 old soil to a depth of 2 feet, and replace it with good 

 turfy loam if obtainable, and a liberal admixture of 

 rich manure. When setting out the plants allow a 

 space of from 2 to 3 feet between the dwarfs ; 

 see that each one is labelled, and that a mulch is 

 afforded the plants. Old plants that are unsatisfac- 

 tory but which are worth saving may be lifted, re- 

 planting in fresh soil. Cut off all suckers and 

 shorten with a sharp knife any thick straggling 

 roots. In severe weather some slight protection to 

 Tea varieties should be afforded. 



Turfing may still be done whenever there is an 

 absence of frost. Never beat turf when it is frozen, 

 this operation always destroying the appearance of 

 it for a long time ; neither let it lay in stock for a 

 long time, but open out the turves to the light. 

 The aspect of the garden will be rendered inviting 

 if the lawn be kept in good order by sweeping and 

 rolling at short intervals, but do not sweep the grass 

 when it is wet, or the worm-casts will give it a 

 smeared appearance. The same directions apply 

 equally to walks made of binding materials. Shell 

 and sea-sand walks need only to be raked smoothly at 

 this season. The edges of the turf should be cut 

 with the shears for the last time this season. J. 

 Horsefield, Heytesbury. 



Plants and Their Culture. 



Pandanus. — Although a somewhat large and varied 

 genus there are only about half-a-dozen commonly met 

 with. They form distinct and telling decorative 

 subjects, and are of very easy culture ; in fact, with 

 a moderate amount of dryish heat, light, and water, 

 good-sized specimens may be grown ; but very large 



