March 16, 1912.] 



THE GARDENERS 



CHRONICLE. 



107 



Hack fruits of moderate flavour. Mr. Wilson 

 describes this as a rambling plant, growing 

 in thickets in Central and Western China. 

 The best plants with us are trained up stakes, 

 fixed tripod-fashion, 8 feet in height. 



R. Swinhoii, Hance (see fig. 69). — This ever- 

 green Rubus is slender in growth ; plants at 

 Kew last season, supported by rough stakes, 

 reached a height of 8 feet. The stems are dark- 

 green, with a reddish tinge on the exposed side, 

 and armed with a comparatively few short 

 spines. The dark-green leaves average 3 inches 

 in length by 1£ inch in width, are ovate and ser- 

 rate, being lighter in colour beneath. The in- 

 florescence consists of five-seven flowers, borne 

 in terminal panicles ; the fruits when ripe are 

 black, and rather bitter to the taste. Mr. Wilson 

 collected this species during 1908 in Western 

 Szech'uan. 



R. tricolor, Focke. — This is a very distinct 

 species with prostrate stems, spineless, but 

 thickly clothed with light brown hairs, which 

 give the plants a striking appearance. The 

 longest of the past season's growths at Kew are 

 4 feet. Mr. Wilson described it as a moisture 

 and shade-loving plant. We have not had 

 long to wait for evidence of this, as during 

 the showery summer of 1910 the shoots averaged 

 •7-8 feet in length, about double the length of 

 those developed during 1911. The leaves are 

 evergreen, simple, cordate, 3-3^ inches in length, 

 the petioles being about 1 inch in length and 

 •densely clothed with hairs. The leaf is dark- 

 green above, the under-surface being covered 

 with a silvery-white tomentum between the 

 brown hairs on the veins. Mr. Wilson collected 

 this species at a considerable elevation in 

 Western China up to 10,000 feet. R. polytrichus, 

 Franchet, is synonymous. 



In addition to the foregoing species the follow- 

 ing, all described by Focke, are also in cultiva- 

 tion at Kew, but another season of growth is 

 necessary before any reliable information can 

 be given of their respective merits : — R. ama- 

 bilis (No. 830), R. Giraldianus (No. 815), R. 

 inopertus (No. 97), R. mesogoeus (No. 52), R. 

 pileatus (No. 858), R. simplex (No. 282), R. 

 Thunbergii var. glabellus (No. 2), R. trullisatus 

 {No. 57), R. vicarius (No. 948). 



The numbers in brackets refer to the speci- 

 mens and seeds collected by Mr. Wilson during 

 what is generally referred to as the Wilson-Sar- 

 geant expedition of 1907-08. 



It is to be noted that Mr. George Forrest has 

 also collected seeds of several species of Rubus 

 in China, and the development of his plants will 

 be watched with great interest. A. 0. 



NOTICES OF BOOKS 



A Great Work on Plums.* 



Eighteen hundred years is a long period to 

 "wait for a book, and yet since the treatise of 

 Athenaeus about 220 a.d., the world has waited 

 with exemplary patience for another treatise 

 dedicated solely to the Plum. The task of sup- 

 Plying a second work has been left to the 

 generosity of the American Government and the 

 skill of Professor Hedrick. These authorities 

 have issued a great work on the subject, which 

 will be received with delight the world over. It 

 is a stout octavo volume of 600 pages, and con- 

 tains over 100 most excellent coloured plates of 

 the principal varieties of American Plums, and 

 «uch European Plums as are of value in that 

 country or of special interest from the point of 

 view of history. Hence it is a work of reference 

 yhich every pomologist will be anxious to include 

 m his library. 



Those who know the careful work which Pro- 

 cessor Hedrick put into his companion volume The 

 ^apes of New York, published in 1908, will 

 J^iir ejio further testimo ny, but for the benefit 



of others we must say that his work, for com- 

 pleteness, accuracy of description, and luciditx 

 is worthy to stand by the side of that of th 

 greatest pomologists of any country, and in some 

 respects is better than any yet published. 



The points to which we allude are the careful 

 descriptions of the tree in all its parts, as well 

 as the fruit. The French writer Mas in his Le 

 Verger and Pomologie Generate took a step for- 

 ward in this direction, and Professor Hedrick 

 has improved upon him in many ways. 



There is further a singular interest attaching 

 to this book from the fact that the evolution of 

 so many varieties has taken place in compara- 

 tively recent years, and records have been in 

 many cases carefully kept, so that the genesis 

 of hundreds of new varieties h been studied 

 with an exactness not possible with other 

 fruits. There is therefore valuable material for 

 the biological student as well as the horticul- 

 turist. The crossing of the American species 



Fig, 70.— rtjbus lasiostylus: a species 



having bluish-white stems, 



with European varieties, and also among them- 

 selves, have provided many new Plums of great 

 interest, but perhaps the greatest revolution was 

 caused by the recent introduction of the Japanese 

 varieties. Prunus triflora, which is almost cer- 

 tainly of Chinese origin, has introduced new 

 " blood " of very distinct character, and these 

 varieties, known in England generally as Cape 

 Plums on account of their export from South 

 Africa, offer an opportunity of which hybridisers 

 have not been slow to avail themselves. It 

 seems, however, that at present these varieties, 

 and also the descendants of American species, 

 are not generally equal in quality to those of 

 European origin derived from Prunus domestica, 

 and it is, of course, to the latter species that 

 attention will be mostly directed by readers in 



this country. 



The description of the varieties is, 

 been stated above, the fullest yet available, and 



we have not-d but very few mistakes in the 

 historical details. In two cases errors are re- 

 produced from Dr. Hog 3 Fruit Manual. The 

 Bush Plum of K, ut was found in a hedge at 

 Borden, near Sittingbourne, and not as stated 

 " Boben." The Diamond, or Black Diamond, 

 was found also in a hedge by a labourer named 

 Diamond near Paddock Wood, and not raised in 

 Hooker's Nursery as stated by Bogg. A further 

 case is that of the St. Catherine Plum, which the 

 author says was " first mentioned by Quintinye." 

 It was, however, known and written upon before 

 this, as we find it in Honnefond's Jardinier 

 Francois in 1651. mentioned by Claude Mollet in 

 1652. and it had reached England certainly by 

 1675, all dates considerably in advance of the 

 publication of Quintinye's great work in 1699. 



The proof reading 1 s been done with remark- 

 able care, and it is difficult to discover printers* 

 errors. We note, however, on p. 151 Esperin 

 for Esperen, and on p. 271 Prince for Pi nee, the 

 well-known nurseryman of Exeter. Names are 

 shortened according to the rules of the American 

 Pomological Society, but we wonder why Altham 

 is adopted for the Reino Claude d Althann? 



We dwell on these few details in no captious 

 spirit, but it is of the first importance that such 

 errors should be noted and their perpetuation 

 prevented. 



Professor Hedrick's book stands as a monument 

 to the splendid help which the Government is 

 ready to give to its subjects in America. The 

 production of such a work as a " commercial 

 proposition " would be an impossibility, and 

 pomologists of all countries have reason to be 

 grateful for this splendid monograph, and for the 

 generosity which is shown in its distribution. Z?. 



FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE. 



as 



has 



PURPLE FLOWERS WITH WHITE 



VARIETIES. 



Referring to Habenaria conopsea alba (see 

 pp. 63, 90, and 107), and specially to Mr. W. H. 

 Cox's letter (p. 107), I may say that most Orchids 

 with purple flowers have also white varieties. In 

 recent years I have found here Anacampseros 

 pyramidalis alba, a very splendid plant, with 

 pure-white flowers, Orchis undulatifolia alba, O. 

 papilionacea alba, O. maculata alba, and Ophrys 

 aranifera alba. 



Of Crocus imperati I have found two white 

 varieties, one already offered as C. imperati albus, 

 has very large pure-white flowers, though in its 

 early stage the outside petals are pink. The 

 other plant which I would name C. imperati 

 uncerensis, is white except for the yellow centre, 

 I have found this beautiful variety here in one 

 place in a Chestnut forest, about five to six large 

 bulbs, one clump, but I hope that next year I 

 may find others in the same place. 



Of Viola pseudogracilis, I have only the 

 typical purple species ; the white variety I have 

 not yet found, yet I am sure that it exists. 

 Viola splendida from the Monte Virgine is near 

 to pseudogracilis. For two years I have found a 

 fine white variety, which I have named V. splen- 

 dida eburnea. These two varieties were offered 

 last year for the first time. Willy Milller. 



YUCCA WHIPPLEI. 



Yucca Whipplei (see p. 106) does not make 

 suckers. Three years ago one plant flowered 

 splendidly in the garden of Mr. Casertam, San 

 Georgio, Cremano, and I have collected rip« 

 seeds, not hybridised artificially. Two years 

 ago I crossed Y. constricta with the pollen of Y. 

 aloefolia, and have now many young plants, 

 which already show the hybrid character. My 

 young plants have not a trace of filaments, like 

 aloefolia, whereas in Y. constricta the filaments 

 are well marked. The leaves are not so drooping 

 as the female plant, but stiffer, and like tnoao 

 of the pollen parent. Willy Mutter, Naples. 



