November 23, 1871. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



397 



month of the Nan River, in tropical Africa. Eichia, including 

 the connate bracts, narrowing towards the scape, and acute at 

 the end ; colour a dirty yellow green, sprinkled with purple. 

 Flowers a quarter of an icoh long. Oolamn short, wings tri- 

 angular.— (/6ii., t. 5936 ) 



Pykus malus flokibunda. — "A prominent position in the 

 very front ranks of hardy ornamental deoidnous trees must be 

 allotted to this remarkably floriferous plant, which forms a small 

 tree, producing long slender branches, which burst out in early 

 spring (about the end of April) into leafy garlands of brilliantly- 

 coloured flowers. From each of the numerous buds proceeds 

 a short spur-like shoot of about an inch in length, bearing 

 aeveral of the small lanceolate, acutely-serrated leaves, and ter- 

 minating in a kind of corymb of seven or eight lovely blossoms 

 on slender peduncles, which thas convert the shoots into very 

 brilliant floral wreaths, measuring from 4 to 6 inches through. 

 The flower buds are ovate, about half an inch long, and of 

 rich crimson, looking like clusters of small elongated Cherries. 

 The calyx is narrow and acuminate, the segments woolly inside 

 and smooth outside, while the small oblong ovary is pubescent. 

 The blossoms are succeeded by small round fruits. When half 

 expanded the flowers appear striped with white and carmine, 

 the petals being imbricated, the inner part remaining white, 

 while the outer exposed half becomes coloured. Fully expanded 

 the flowers are white, the five petals being white inside, spread- 

 ing, oblong, rounded at the apex, and distinctly clawed; in the 

 centre is a tuft of numerous erect stamens, and five styles some- 

 what exceeding them in length. The gradation of colour, and 

 the varying form presented by the buds and flowers, are very 

 pleasing. Their profusion renders the plant exceedingly gay 

 and ornamental, and, indeed, in the earlier stages of davelop- 

 ment, owing to the abundant but gracefully disposed trusses of 

 highly-coloured buds, the appearance of the tree is truly 

 gorgeous. Beautiful as are the Almond trees ia the early 

 spring, they are utterly eclipsed by this handsome Pyrus, 

 which has not only a more elegant, but more brilliantly coloured 

 inflorescence, with a setting of small green leaves. 



"We cannot claim actual novelty for this plant, but it ia com- 

 paratively new, and so little known, that we doubt not our 

 readers generally will fiud in it a novel source of floral beauty. 

 The figure was derived from specimens furnished by Mr. Waterer, 

 of Knap Hill, and we have received others equally beautiful 

 from Mr. W. Paul, of Waltham Gross, Mr. Cripps, of Tunbridge 

 Wells, and the garden of the Eoyal Horticultural Society. 

 This tree should be introduced everywhere, and planted freely." 

 — (Florist and Pomologist, 3 s., iv., 241.) 



CORNICE vEEsus BLACK. 



Seeins in the Journal for November 16tli that Mr. Taylor has made 

 very severe remarts upon the case that was tried October 24th between 

 myself and Mr. Black, I ask Mr. Taylor if he will be so kind as to 

 prove that what he has said is true. He says the person I bronght with 

 me purchased some of the best of the things — Mr. Taylor is mistaken. 

 My first witness purchased the whole lot ; so there is no best or worst 

 about that. In the nest item, which was an account by itself, there were 

 3 lbs. 3 ozs. of Grapes. I told my witness to purchase the 2 lbs. 3 ozs. 

 which were in a punnet by themselves, and then ask the price of the 

 1 lb., and if he could get the salesman to sell it for less than the rate 

 the 2 lbs. 3 ozs. were sold at, to bay the 1 lb. also. The 2 lbs. 3 ozs. 

 were sold for 20s., and the salesman would not sell the 1 lb. under 10s. ; 

 flo if there was any best or worst in this last, the best was left with 

 the salesman. Mr. Taylor says it appeared I had been paid over and 

 above what my things realised. Surely if such had been the case, with 

 such able counsel as Mr. Black had in Mr. Moore, Q.C., the con- 

 test would not have been given up in my favour as soon as my last 

 witness was sworn, and before he was examined. — S. C. C. Coenick. 



LILY OF THE VALLEY CULTURE. 



We have several times tried a few of the imported clamps, 

 and with fair success, though we have had quite as good shows 

 from our own home-grown roots. Both grow best with the 

 pots in a very gentle heat and in a dark place, such as a Mush- 

 room house. When the shoots rise, and the bloom-stalks 

 show themselves, let them be exposed then to light by degrees, 

 without giving them any sudden check. Of course this extra 

 oare is chiefly necessary for early returns. These imported 

 clumps have, however, given us a lesson, and wa cannot keep it 

 to ourselves. Instead of allowing the plants to run into beds, 

 we shall be deceived if these imported masses do not stand 

 more thinly apart. Some that we turned out thinly in rows, in 

 little bundles, showed v^ry fair buds when we took them up. 



It is only lately that these chaste flowers became an obisct 

 of interest, and that a succession had to be kept up for a con- 

 siderable time. We had no great stock to go to, so when we 

 wanted a number of good pots, we used to take up a part of a 

 bed well matted with roots, tear it to pieces, pick it over, and 

 after selecting the best-swelled prominent hard buds, we packed 

 from six to nine of the roots in a 6-inoh pot. What was left 

 we used to plant again in the usual bed-fashion. Now we 

 should be inclined to plant entirely in rows, and in little sepa- 

 rate clumps in the rows. We last season took up a few as 

 described, potted them, and when their flowering was over we 

 put the pots in the orchard house, so that the leaves should 

 experience no check. They wore then turned out of the pots, 

 the contents of each pot making two or throe patohao, and well 

 mulched ; when taken up they had buds almost as otrong as 

 imported roots. Meanwhile, those persona who have no such old 

 beds or patches to fall back on, had better have at once a dozen or 

 a score of patches from Holland. Bulb merchants make a puint 

 of importing these patches sufficiently largo, with a mass of roots, 

 to fill a 6 or 7-inch or even a larger pot. The patches will cost 

 from Is. to Is. Gd. each, and whether obtained by the dozen 

 or the hundred, we would advise the dark treatment with a 

 mild heat at first. If the pots were partly plunged in a tempe- 

 rature of 70°, whilst that at the top close to the buds was merely 

 from 55° to 60°, success would be more certain. We have found 

 placing an empty reversed pot over that containing the roots 

 an advantage. Towards spring all these precautions are of less 

 moment. lu the open air the plants thrive well in good sandy 

 loam, and a mulching with rotten dung in summer will improve 

 the size and maturity of the flowering buds. Good flower stems 

 may be expected if the buds are firm and a quarter of an inch 

 or more, in diameter. We lately saw a great number of plants 

 which were expected to be useful for forcing. Hardly a bud 

 shoot was larger than a good-sized stocking needle. Such 

 plants would require two years' growth and great care to make 

 them fit for forcing. Ladies who like to gather such haautiful 

 flowers for themselves, should be merciful on the fine healthy 

 leaves, for if these are taken at all freely the buds for next 

 year will be inferior. — E. F. 



GORHAMBURY.— No. 1. 



There are few places of greater interest to the antiquary than 

 St. Albans and its neighbourhood. Its venerable abbey, if not 

 equal to some of our cathedrals in architectural beauty, has 

 nevertheless peculiar features of its own. Bold, massive, and 

 commanding in appearance, it is still more notable for the 

 vavious materials of which it is composed. Stones from tho 

 walls of the ancient city of Vernlam, mixed with Roman bricks 

 from some neighbouring dwellings and Saxon masonry, form 

 the heterogeneous matter used by the Normans in constructing 

 this pile. Verulam seems to have been situated not more than 

 the distance of a couple of stone throws from the abbey ; and 

 antiquarians have of late, by patient exploration, pretty clearly 

 laid down the boundaries of this old settlement, though they 

 cannot definitely say by whom it was destroyed. The crumbling 

 remains of flints and mortar appear to indicate the period of 

 its existence as being long anterior to the Eoman invasion, 

 while an adjacent church, that of St. Michael, is reported, and 

 on very good grounds, to have been built on the site of another. 

 Although an historical interest is attached to the neighbour- 

 hood of St. Albans, the town itself presents little that is re- 

 markable excepting its agreeable position, which is somewhat 

 elevated, the ground falling away gently on all sides, differing 

 in this respect from those of most other towns in this aistriot ; 

 Hertford, Ware, and Luton being all in valleys. 



Our business, however, is not with St. Albans but with Gor- 

 hambury, a manor and park upwards of two miles to the west 

 of that town. Alighting from the North-Western Railway, and 

 taking the nearest footpath to Gorhambury, we pass (he spot 

 where stood Verulam, the ruins of which in few places are more 

 than a yard in height. From this place there is also a good 

 view of the noble abbey. We continue our way thnugh the 

 churchyard of St. Michael, and leaving tho various itgended 

 Prae Wood on our left, we find ourselves confronted by the 

 entrance lodge to Gorhambury, but the park itself is some dis- 

 tance beyond. The road is wide, and bounded by neatly clipped 

 hedges, with arable land on each side ; and passing along we 

 at length reach another gate, which admits us tu the park. 

 Here a long stretch of carriage road winds through a paik of 

 unusual size, studded with numerous trees and flanked on at 

 least two of its sides by an extensive wood. The mansion is at 



