February 17, 1863. ] JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



137 



NEW VEGETABLES. 



A yeae or more ago seeds of one or two Chinese ve|_ 

 were disseminated through the medium of the Horticultural 

 Society, or some other public body, one of the packages reaching 

 the writer; but through some accident or mismanagement, I did 

 not get any to grow. Perhaps some other of your readers may 

 hare been more fortunate, and if so, it would confer a favour on 

 the community if the result were recorded. 



The names given to me were so indistinctly written, and seemed 

 intended for a word so uncouth and unpronounceable, that I 

 cannot repeat them. The seeds were about the size of those of 

 Cucumbers. 



That the Celestial Empire contains vegetables that might be 

 turned to useful account amongst us there is no doubt ; and 

 though our palates may have become too much habituated to 

 the use of those we now have to easily accommodate themselves 

 to the production of another country, the younger members of the 

 community could easily accustom themselves to the new article, 

 if it came before them in an agreeable and acceptable form. I 

 therefore thus publicly ask, through the medium of your Journal, 

 if any one has reared the new vegetables, and what is their 

 opinion on their merits ? — An Old Subscriber. 



TO THE EDITORS OF THE JOURNAL OP 

 HORTICULTURE, 



AND THE MANY KIND FEIENDS, WHO, HAVING SYM- 

 PATHISING HEARTS, HATE CONTBIBUTED SO LIBEEALLY 

 TOWARDS BELIEVING US IN OUR GEEAT DISTRESS. 



Kind Ladies and Gentlemen, — We, the undersigned 

 Lancashire botanists, having received much through, your 

 kindness and sympathy in this our hour of suffering, now 

 return our heartfelt thanks. Many of us were suffering 

 most acutely both for food and clothing, when our kind 

 friend, Mr. John Hague, appealed to your Christian 

 sympathies on our behalf — an appeal which has scarcely 

 ever been made in vain on behalf of wretchedness and 

 distress. In our case we feel more deeply the kindness of 

 those friends at a distance who, though entire strangers, 

 yet could feel for us more than the common sympathy 

 of humanity, shown by a response that has both sur- 

 prised and gladdened the hearts of the recipients, and 

 filled them with thankfulness and gratitude, not only to 

 the generous donors but to that kind Providence who 

 has raised up such kind friends in this our lime of need. 

 Some of us were reduced almost to the last stage of des- 

 titution, because we could not become the recipients of 

 parish allowance to be treated like common pauper3, no 

 distinction being made by the parish officials ; neither 

 could we stoop to beg, our only desire being to earn our 

 bread by honest daily toil, which is the greatest sweetener 

 to our cup through life. This was the reason why some 

 of us were suffering, when our kind friend, Mr. Hague, 

 made his appeal, and for your noble response we beg to 

 tender our sincere thanks and heartfelt gratitude. 



Also, to you gentlemen, the Editors of The Journal 

 of Horticulture and Cottage Gardener. 



And may the Giver of all good return you an hundred- 

 fold for what you have lent Him ; and may He add His 

 blessing free from sorrow, and preserve you all in the 

 enjoyment of health and happiness to a ripened age, is 

 the sincere prayer of your most obedient humble 

 servants, 



Rodger Schofield, John Whitehead, Titus Broadly, Henry 

 Collins, Joseph Harrop, Thon as Horrocks, John Dingham, 

 "William Kelsall, Joseph Longsden, Mark Dean, Henry New- 

 ton, Joseph Beech, John Newton, John Oldham, James Pick- 

 ering, James Smith, Robert Gordon, Charles Whitehead, 

 John Roberts, John Tafr, Edwin Chough, James Eirk Smith, 

 Richard Bird, Edward Richardson, Uriah Eay, Lee Poden, 

 Mrs. Howard, Frederic Schofield, William Parkinson, Samuel 

 Moss, John Eulme, Nancy Smith, Jethro Ferns, James 

 North, Henry Cropper, George Hokhouse, Luke Wild, Jethro 

 Tinker, Ann Lees, 'lhomas Andrew, Mrs, James Parkinson, 

 Daniel Hayden, Thomas Cheetham, Edward Lees, Thomas 



Broadbent, William Middleton, John Kinder, Michael Ward, 

 John Moss, James Smith, John Johnson, Thomas Bircha!], 

 James Stafford, William Scott, Benjamin Piatt, Ebemzer Piatt, 

 John Middleton, Samuel Beard, James Piatt, Daniel Piatt, 

 Charles Haigh. 



Since I last wrote I have sold plants, &c, sent for the purpose 

 of giving aid to the distressed botanists, to the amount of £'3 1G»., 

 and have received from Mr. P. M'Culloch, gardener to S.r 

 A. A. Hood, Bart., M.P., Audries, Bridgewater, Somerset, 16s., 

 collected from the men under him. I have been able to help 

 eight botanists and their families in the neighbourhood of 

 Broadbottom and Mottram, about six miles from here, whose 

 destitution I only heard of three weeks ago. I wrote to the 

 relieving officer of the district, and he gave me some valuable 

 information about their distress. The principal mill in that 

 district had been stopped thirteen months, and most of the 

 persons I gave help to worked at it, and they were wretchedly 

 off. There are eight more persons than the above who have 

 received assistance. — John Hague, 36, Mount Street, Ashton- 

 under-Lyne. 



PORTRAITS OF PLANTS, FLOWERS, AND 

 FRUITS. 



Ceretjs pterogonus (Wing-angled Cereus). — Nat. ard., 

 Caetaceas. Linn., Icosandria Monogynia. — Native of Carthagena, 

 South America. Flowers white, blooming in August. — (Botanical 

 Magazine, t. 5360.) 



Phideanassa obtuSA (Blunt Pha?dranassa). — Nat. ord , 

 Amaryllidacese. Linn., Hexandria Monogynia. — Called also 

 Phycelia obtusa. Native of Pichinca Mountain, near Quito, 

 more than 10,000 feet high. Flowers scarlet, tipped with greenish- 

 yellow. Blooming in winter. — {Ibid., t. 5361.) 



Cypbipedium Hooxerje (Lady Hooker's Cypripedium). — 

 Nat. ord , Orchidaceae. Linn., Gynandria Diandria. — Imported 

 by Messrs. Low & Sons, Clapton Nursery, from Borneo. Leaves 

 variegated, dark green, with pale mottling. Flowers variously 

 marked with yellow and purple on a pale green ground. — (Ibid., 

 t. 5362.) 



Plumbago rosea ear. coccinea (Scarlet Rose Leadwort). — 

 Nat. ord., Plumbaginacere. Linn., Pentandria Monogynia.. — It 

 has also been called Thalia coccinea. Messrs. Veitch & Sons, 

 Exeter and Chelsea Nurseries, received seeds of it from the 

 Neilgherry Hi!ls. Flowers brick red, in panicles. — (Ibid. y 

 t. 5363.) 



Cinchona officinalis (La Condamine's Peruvian Bark). — 

 Nat. ord., Rubiacece. Linn., Pentandria Monogynia. — Native 

 of Ecuador Mountains. Flowers pink. — (Ilid.,t. 5364.) 



Fuchsias. — Sanspareil, crimson tube and sepals, corolla 

 white. Hei-cules, tube and sepals crimson, corolla double and 

 deep purple-coloured. Raided by Mr. G. Smith, Tolhngton 

 Nursery, Hornsev Road. Very beautiful. — (Floral Magazine, 

 pi. 133.) 



Pelaegoniums. — Monitor, a large dark flower, deep shaded 

 rose, with large black spot on each petal. Had first-class 

 certificate. Queen of Whites, lower petals silvery white, upper 

 petals carmine, with narrow white border. Had a first-class 

 certificate. Both raised by Mr. Dobson. — (Ibid., pi. 134.) 



Pompon Chrysanthemums. — Fairest of the Fair, florets lilac 

 blush with slrery tips. Raised by Mr. Salter. Mary Lind, 

 upper side of florets lilac blush, under side purplish. Julia 

 Fngelbcch, golden, with brown points. These two were raised 

 by Mr. Smith.— (Ibid., pi. 135.) 



Hybrid Achimenes. — Carminata elegans, spikes very large; 

 flowers deep crimson. Raised by Mr. Parsons, of Danesbury, 

 near Welwyn.— (Ibid., pi. 136.) 



Pelaegoniums. — Regina formosa (Beck), rose-coloured. 

 Conflagration (Foster), crimson red. Royal Albert (Hoyle), 

 carmine rose. Belle of the Ball (Foster), sub-spotted rose. 

 Royalty (Foster), very distinct roBy carmine. — (Florist and 

 Fomologist.) 



Geosse Caleeasse Peae. — Seedling of Van Mons. Flesh 

 crisp, juicy, sweet, but without much aroma. It is a very large 

 variety. — (Ibid.) 



