Octota 19, 1876. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



351 



the rows and the shoots tied thereto as growth progresses. 

 Staking the plants is of the first importance in many localities 

 where summer and autumn gales prevail. The mischief the 

 wind does if the plants are not secured cannot be over-esti- 

 mated, as the stronger the growth the more are the plants 

 blown about, quantities of shoots being entirely twisted out of 

 their sockets and blown about the garden. Whenever such 

 gales are prevalent, Btaking is simply necessary, or some other 

 means of securing the plants, in order to keep them in vigorous 

 bearing. If all goes well robust Bhoots will be produced 

 towards the autumn, and all should be preserved in a growing 

 state as long as possible. Successional crops of Cauliflower 

 may be taken off from between the rows ; French Beans or 

 other crops may be also grown. 



A surface dressing 2 or 3 inches thick of manure from the 

 cow houses or mixed with stable dung, may be laid over the 

 ground after the stems have been cleared away ; enough loam 

 or refuse Boil to cover all should be placed over the dung, es- 

 pecially when the latter would be unsightly if uncovered. It 

 is advisable not to cover the crowns of the plants with the 

 dung. We prefer allowing the dung to remain on the ground 

 entirely, as it acts as a mulch during summer, even if no better 

 result is obtainable from it. The second year great care should 

 be taken to secure all the shoots from being twisted off by the 

 wind. If all goes well with this season's growth a few heads 

 may be gathered the following spring, but if care is not taken 

 to secure good growths it will be better to give the plantB 

 another year. In any case most of the gatherings ought to 

 be taken from the extra plants, which will require removing 

 the third or fourth year after planting, to allow space for the 

 permanent plants to develope ; or another use may be made of 

 these supernumeraries where forcing is carried on, and that is 

 to UBe them up for early supplies. Spinach, Lettuces, or Tur- 

 nips may be grown between the rowB the second season, but 

 afterwards the whole ground should be devoted to the Aspa- 

 ragus only. No digging should be allowed amongst the plants 

 after they are established ; and should signs of exhaustion 

 appear, some of the surface soil should be removed, and a 

 mixture of fresh loam and dung placed over the entire surface. 

 — R. P. B. (in The Gardener.) 



PORTBAITS of PLANTS, FLOWERS, am> FRUITS. 



Serapias paptlionaceo-lixgua. Nat. ord., Orchidaceje. Linn. 

 Gynandria Monandria. — " This very rare remarkable terres- 

 trial Orchid is presumed to be a natural hybrid between Sera- 

 pias lingua, Linn., and Orchis papilionacea, Linn., having 

 been found in considerable abundance growing in company 

 with those plants, and with Serapias longipetala, Poll (a 

 species closely allied to S. lingua). This hybrid was first 

 found near Genoa, and subsequently at Berre near Nice, and 

 other places on the Riviera, as well as near Trieste and Lucca, 

 and there are herbarian specimens at Kew from the depart- 

 ment of GerB in France." — (Bot. Mag., t. 6255.) 



Oxalis enneaphylla. Nat. ord., GeraniaceaB. Linn., Dec- 

 andria Pentagynia. — " In the ' Flora Antarctica ' Dr. Hooker 

 described this plant as the pride of the Falkland Islands, where 

 it grows in such profusion at Berkeley Sound, on banks over- 

 hanging the sea, as to cover them with a mantle of snowy 

 white in the spring month of November ; adding that it is an 

 excellent antiscorbutic and agreeable pot herb, though too 

 acid to be UEed except in tarts and puddings. When the 

 above was written this plant was supposed to be confined to 

 the Falkland Islands ; it was, however, found in the Straits of 

 Magellan by D'UrviUe's expedition, and by Lechler at Cape 

 Negro, also in the Straits." — (Ibid., t. 6256.) 



Laurentia cabnosula. Nat. ord., Campanulaceas. Linn., 

 Pentandiia Monogynia. — " A very elegant little annual, native 

 of muddy places in Sierra and Indian valleys in California, and 

 thence, north-eastward, to Wyoming territory (A. Grey). It 

 is remarkable as being the only American example of the 

 genus Laurentia, of which ten species are known, the rest being 

 natives of South Africa and the Mediterranean region. The 

 cultivated specimens differ widely from the native in habit and 

 appearance, the native ones being shorter, with very succulent 

 and indeed thickened stems, and having flowers not one-quarter 

 the size of the cultivated ones. L. carnosula was raised from 

 Californian seed by Air. Thompson of Ipswich, who flowered 

 the specimen here figured in July, 1875." — (Ibid., t. 6257.) 



Masdevallia polysticta. Nat. ord., Orchidacete. Linn., 

 Gynandria Monandria. — " Imported from Peru by Mr. Ortgies 

 of the Botanic Gardens of Zurich ; native of the temperate 



region of the Andes in Northern Peru, and discovered by 

 Mr. Roezl."— (Ibid., t. 6258.) 



Callipheubia Habtwegiana. Nat. ord., AmaryllidaceK. 

 Linn., Hexandria Monogynia. — " It was discovered by Hart- 

 weg about 1S42 amongst the mountains of the province of 

 Bogota in New Grenada, and has lately been imported by 

 Mr. William Bull, from one of whose specimens the present 

 figure was made in July, 1S7L" — (Ibid., t. 6259.) 



Icactna Mannii. Nat. ord., OlacinaceiB. — "A native of the 

 Gulf of Guinea, where it was discovered at Old Calabar by Mr. 

 Gustav Mann (now inspector of indiarubber forests in Assam), 

 when collecting for the Royal Gardens in 1863 ; he, however, 

 sent no living specimens. In 1865 its large tuberous roots 

 were sent by the Rev. Mr. Thompson to Mr. Clark of the 

 Glasgow Botanical Garden, which flowered in October, 1870." 

 —(Ibid., t. 6260.) 



Apple. — Eedleaf Russet. — " This Apple was raised from 

 seed by Mr. Cox of Redleaf , who thus speaks of it : — ' The Red- 

 leaf Russet is ostensibly, accordingly to my own manipulation, 

 a cross between the Golden Knob and the Golden Harvey, but 

 there is a possibility that I was anticipated by the beeB, as a 

 tree of the Old Nonpareil grew near by ; and I am the more 

 confirmed in this because the fruit possesses three of the 

 characteristics of the Old Nonpareil — namely, the shape, the long 

 stalk, and the tenderness of flesh. The colour of the skin is 

 that of its parent, the Golden Knob. The yellow colour of the 

 flesh would seem to be derived from the Golden Harvey, while 

 the growth of the tree and manner of bearing resemble both 

 Old Nonpareil and Golden Harvey more than the Golden Knob. 

 When in perfection the flavour is most delicious and peculiar 

 to itself, and it may be considered in perfection from February 

 till the end of May, after which, although keeping Eound till 

 the end of July, the flavour gradually deteriorates.' " — (Florist 

 and Pomologist, 3 s., ix., 229.) 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 

 Me. Charles Turneb, Slough, has forwarded to us blooms 

 of a new Dahlia named Artist, which opened too late for the 

 autumn shows. It is a very gay and striking flower, and likely 

 to be effective in the exhibition stand, and especially so for 

 garden decoration. The flower is full, firm, and symmetrical ; 

 the colour is yellow, irregularly flaked with crimson lake 

 deepening to the centre. The flowers in size and shape are 

 similar to those of Leah, and, like that useful Dahlia, Artist 

 has strong stems supporting the blooms well above the foliage. 



A coebespondent sends us the following note : — " The 



solicitude evinced by Messrs. Sutton & Sons of Reading for 

 the welfare of their numerous employes is proverbial. Some 

 time ago an establishment named, the "British Workman'' 

 was opened by the firm, and recently they have erected a 

 Tehpebasce Cafe and Restaurant contiguous to their premises 

 for the use of their dependants and the public generally, and 

 which it is hoped will possess attractions which will substan- 

 tially promote habits of temperance, and provide the means 

 for social intercourse, which too often can only be found in 

 inns and taverns. This valuable contribution to the cause of 

 temperance is deserving of patronage and success." 



The objects of the Pelargonium Society are : — 1, To 



promote the improvement of the various sections of the Pelar- 

 gonium ; 2, To facilitate the introduction of new species and 

 varieties ; 3, To give system and method generally to the 

 practice of hybridisation. These objects it proposes to accom- 

 plish by offering prizes, as liberal as the support accorded to it 

 may permit, to be competed for by British and foreign exhi- 

 bitors ; by determining the merits and distinctive qualities of 

 new varieties, and their suitability for conservatory decoration, 

 or bedding-out purposes, or both; by cultivating all obtainable 

 new varieties, British and foreign, side by side, and in con- 

 junction with approved old kinds — during the first year under 

 glaES, and in the second year out of doors, facilities for ac- 

 complishing which, it is hoped, may be afforded by the Royal 

 Horticultural Society at Chiswick ; by the formation of a 

 register in which approved Borts shall be entered and from 

 which inferior varieties shall be eliminated ; and by facilitating 

 intercourse and interchange of opinion between raisers and 

 cultivators. The qualification of membership is an annual sub- 

 scription of one guinea paid in advance. 



We have recently seen how valuable as a bedding plant 



is the new Ageratuh Countess of State, which has been 

 favourably mentioned by the Eev. Mr. Peach. This Ageratum 



