340 



JOUENAL OF HORTICtJXTUEB AND COXTAaB GAKDENER. 



[ May 2, 1865. 



raising the duns; to within 2 inches of the frame top, bxifc 

 was imablo to do so for want of material. By obtaiiiinfj drop- 

 pings daily from the stable the desired height and heat wore 

 soon attained, and the heat of the bed has since been easily 

 kept up by the incorporation of a few barrowloads of dung 

 which accumulated in the course of twelve or fourteen days. 

 The heat has been and is still very uniform, and answers 

 admirably for Melons and Cucumbers. The stock of jjlants 

 propagated since the 3rd of February consisted of variegated 

 Geraniums of various kinds. Chrysanthemums, Fuclisias, 

 Verbenas. Lobelias, Dahlias, Gazanias, Agoratums, Helio- 

 tropes. Variegated Alyssum, Begonias of varieties, Gna-pha- 

 lium lanatiuu, Centaurea of sorts, &c. The last of the whole 

 batch was potted oil' on the 1st of April. The plunging 

 material hanng been removed from the frames, was re- 

 placed with some appropriate for tlie oultui-e of Cucumbers 

 and Melons, which are now the sole occupants. These few 

 notes may be of service to some of j'our amateur readers, 

 although the system is by no means novel, for seven or eight 

 years ago I saw it adopted with good results at a small 

 place in Sun-ey. — Jas. Beckett, Cou'denhiowes, N.B. 



EXTRACTS PBOM SIR W. J. HOOEEE'S 

 EEPOET ON THE EOYAL GARDENS AT ElEW 



DTTEiua 1S64. 

 Tee number of visitors to the Eoyal Gardens daring the 

 past year presents an increase of 72,24S over that of 1863 ; 

 and was distributed as follows :— 



Total number on Sundays 218,308 



Total nu-.i.ber on weekduys 254,909 



BOTANIC GARDENS. 



The most important change which I have to mention in 

 this department, and indeed in many respects the most im- 

 portant that has occun-ed since 1841, when I was appointed 

 Director, has been the retirement (owing to an allection of 

 the eyes), of our able and highly valued Curator, Mr. John 

 Smith, who, for upwards of forty years has superintended all 

 departments of the Eoyal Gardens, and whose services and 

 fidelity have been recognised by the Treasury in granting 

 him the highest scale of pension. Indeed, previous to my 

 taking office, Mr. Smith's services to the Gardens and to 

 science were mentioned with approbation by the Commis- 

 sioners, whoso report on the condition of the Eoyal Gardens 

 was presented to Parliament in 183S ; and they especially 

 drew attention to the fact, that to Mr. Smith alone (then a 

 foreman) was due the credit of having named any of the 

 plants, whether for the interest of science or the instruction 

 of the public. 



As may well be supposed, it has been found impossible to 

 obtain another cur.ator who combines with the necessary 

 amount of skill as a cultivator, and efficiency as a general 

 manager, that knowledge of rare, curious, and useful plants 

 which our late Curator so eminently possessed. But his 

 successor (also Mr. John Smith), late head gardener to his 

 Grace the Duke of Northumberland at Syon House, not 

 only bears the highest testimonala for skill and ability as a 

 horticulturist and as a general manager, but has further 

 long been known to myself and other botanists as having 

 that special fondness for the cultivation of tropical and 

 economic plants, for which the Syon gardens have long been 

 celebrated throughout Europe. 



I have only to add that Mr. Smith, who entered upon his 

 office on the IGth of May, has proved himself eminently 

 qualified for the curatorship, and is rapidly acquiring that 

 special knowledge for which his predecessor was distin- 

 guished, and which experience alone can bring. 



About "WXX) live plants and 4G00 packets of seeds have 

 been distributed. 



Steps are being taken to introduce the Ipecacuanha into 

 Ceylon and India. Young plants have been received from 

 Mr. C. H. Williama, of Bahia, and are being propagated for 

 tranamission. 



The Cork Oaks, mentioocd in my last report as having 

 been sent out at the request of the Government of South 

 Anatralia, have arrived in excellent condition, and are 

 thriving. Under the direction of George Macleay, Esq., 

 similar cases of live Cork Oake have been sent to Victoria, 

 Sydney, and Queensland; of theae the second alone bos 



failed, and other cases are now prepai'ing to be sent there ; 

 tliose sent to Victoria and Queensland have arrived in good 

 condition. 



Most flourishing accounts of the Cinchona plantations 

 continue to arrive from India. 



In the Nilgherries, Sir Wni. Donison informs us, that 

 though the country had in April last suffered from 112 days' 

 drought, yet Va" Cinchona plantations had not been damaged ; 

 and that the i^hmts were being jM'opagated at the rate of 

 .■!0,000 to 40,000 monthly. From Ceylon Mr. Thwaites writes 

 that in September last he had 190,000 plants, the tallest 

 G foot high ; — that applications had been received for 

 2S, 500 plants, of which 9000 had been supplied ; and that 

 he expected to issue 20,000 monthly. 



HEBBAEIUM AND LIBBAET. 



The scientific duties of the Eoyal Gardens continue to be 

 the most onerous connected with the establishment ; owing 

 to the incessant demands for the names of plants in our own 

 and other gardens, and of those collected by travellers and 

 explorers on Government and other expeditions; and for 

 information as to economic plants and vegetable products ; 

 in addition to the extensive and ever-increasing colonial and 

 foreign correspondence and publications. 



The principal works done in this department, or in con- 

 nection with it, have been, — 



1. The publication of the second volume of the Flora of 

 the Austialian colonies, by G. Bentham, Esq., assisted by 

 Dr. Mueller, of Victoria, who continues to sendkis own Her- 

 barium for examination, and all the newly discovered plants 

 as they are received by him, with notes and observations, 

 for this work. The third volume is in progress ; published 

 under the authority of the several Austi-alian Governments. 



2. The Flora of the Cape Colony, British Caffraria, and 

 Natal, by Dr. Hai-vey, F.E.S., of Dublin, and Mr. Sender, of 

 Hamburgh. The third volume of this will shortly appear, 

 published under the authority of the Cape Government. 



3. Dr. Grisebach's West Indian Flora is comi^leted in one 

 thick volume, and was published under the authority of 

 the Secretary of State for the Colonies. 



4. Mr. Thwaites' Enumeration of Ceylon plants is com- 

 pleted and published. 



5. The first volume of a Handbook of the New Zealand 

 Flora, prepared by Dr. Hooker at the desire of the Govern- 

 ment of that colony, is now published; and the second 

 volume is in course of preparation. 



6. The ninetieth annual volume of the " Botanical Maga- 

 zine," being the twenty-fourth prepared at Kew, has been 

 published by the Director, with seventy-two coloured plates 

 of new and rare plants that have flowered in the Eoyal and 

 other British gardens. 



Of other worlrs in preparation the most important are ; — 



7. The Flora of British India, by Dr. Thomson, F.E.S., 

 under the auspices of the Secretary of State for India. 



8. The outlines of tl)0 Flora of tropical Aft-ica, by Pro- 

 fessor Oliver and Dr. Hooker. 



9. Dr. Mueller, of Geneva, has spent three months at 

 Kow, for the purpose of describing the Euphorbiaoea; for 

 M. de Candolle's Prodromus. 



10. M. C. do Candolle, of Geneva, has described the natural 

 order of Peppers for the s.ame work. 



1 1 . Mr. Lowne has named and arranged his large Palestine 

 and Lebanon collections, made during the Rev. Mr. Tris- 

 tram's exijcdition. 



12. Dr. Kirk has rendered us great service in arranging 

 and naming his own .and other East African collections, and 

 the Mauritius ones of tho late Dr. Ayres, Judge Blackburn, 

 and others. 



13. Mr. Spruce is residing at Kew for tho purpose of 

 arranging his Andean, &c., collections. 



14. Dr. Triana of Bogota was for several months engaged 

 on his Flora of Now Grenada, published for the Government 

 of that Eepublic. 



15. The Japanese and Korean collections of Mr. Oldham, 

 amounting to about 13,000 specimenB, have been named and 

 distriliuted to various public museums. 



10. The distribution of tho great Herbarium of the East 

 Indian Company ha n been proceeded with ; and that of 

 tlie Kashmir, Punjab, and Ifimalayan collections of Dr. 

 Falconer commenced. 



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