102 



JOUENAIi OF HOKTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



[ Marcli 2, 1371. 



Mr. Bafeman soid he ■wonld first make a few observations on the 

 Orchids. The Masdevallias were eminently cool Orchids, as they 

 grew on the limits of perpetual snow ; they were also eminently 

 mimetic Orchids, and one known to ns only by drawings was M. ele- 

 phanticeps, so named from its flowers hearing some resemblance to an 

 elephant's head. The plant shown under that name was, however, 

 probably only a variety of M. coccinea, and therefore M. elephanticeps 

 was still a disideratnm. The fine specimen of Odontoglossnm Eossii 

 from Messrs. Backhouse was nest noticed, also the specimen of 

 Oncidium retusum latro which was not only curious in the colour of 

 its flowers, which was similar to that of Epidendrum vitellinum, but 

 had also ^ curious trick of pushing, but never coming to the point of 

 flowering. Notwithstanding every effort had been made in the 

 Society's gardens it had obstinately refused to do so, but Messrs. 

 Backhouse had succeeded; and no doubt in the future, when the bulbs 

 gained strength, the spike would be of much greater length. The 

 beautiful Cattleya from Bishop Sumner's gardener, Angrnecum 

 eitrinum, and some other Orchids having been briefly noticed, atten- 

 tion was next directed to a Berberis which a few days ago had formed 

 a splendid golden corona in one of the houses at Kensington, and it 

 was remarked that if it were desired to form it into a handsome plant, 

 it was only necessary to keep its head cut off. 



Mr. Bateman said he now begged to call attention to the serious 

 losses French horticulturists had sustained in the war, and after draw- 

 ing! a picture of what would be the results to the nurserymen and 

 market gardeners round London if a similar zone were trampled on by 

 contending armies to that which has been the field of operations 

 round Paris, said a Committee had been formed to aid French horti- 

 culturists. The Council, with the Fellows' permission, would, in addi- 

 tion, hand over any surplus seeds. The valuable Orchids at the 

 Jardin des Plantes had been literally pulverised, but the Society would 

 Bend any duplicates they possessed; Eew would assist; but still he 

 urged those who had plants to spare to do the same. It would only be 

 necessary to send to the Society the names of such plants in the first 

 instance, and for himself he expressed his confidence that English 

 horticulturists would contribute something handsome for their suffer- 

 ing brethren in France. In addition, a bazaar would be held in the 

 gardens the week after Easter under the patronage of the Princess of 

 Teck, the Duchess of Argyll, and others, and he invited contributions 

 of articles, and especially of bouquets. 



The Eev. M. J. Berkeley said, that after a careful examination, the 

 Gastronema shown by Mr. Bull at the last meeting, appeared to be 

 only a variety of G. sanguineum, or Cyrtanthus sanguineus, of the 

 " Botanical Magazine," t. 5"21S. Mi*. "Ware's beautiful collection of 

 spring flowers was next noticed, and especially ihe true Leucojum 

 vemum which it contained, and in connection with it the early-flower- 

 ing Crocus Imperatonius, to which the Chairman had drawn attention 

 last year. A "Wigandia in a diseased state, from Messrs. Henderson, 

 Mr. Berkeley said, appeared to be affected with precisely the same 

 disease as that which is so fatal to Verbenas, and the cause of this was 

 ascribed to an unsatisfactory condition at the roots, for, on turning the 

 Wigandia out of its pot, these were found to be in a bad state. 



Mr. Berkeley then read a paper which had been communicated to 

 the Agri- Horticultural Society of India last December, descriptive of 

 a mode of rendering the Litchi stoneless by scooping out the pith and 

 afterwards inarching, by which means, after each operation, the stone 

 became less and less. Dr. Hogg had informed him this was by no 

 means a new idea, for a similar method was mentioned in one of the 

 old authors, but he (Mr. Berkeley) confessed himself incredulous of 

 the success of the piocess, and on grounds which he stated. 



The Chairman then made some remarks on the prizes which he had 

 offered to the exhibitors gaining the greatest number of marks for 

 Bubjects illustrative of the phenomena of hybridisation, and said, as 

 soon as he could arrive at a definite conclusion as to the best manner 

 in which they could be competed for, he would make the result known 

 in the horticultural jotu-nals. 



A Meeting was held on the same day as the above, to consider Llr. 

 Marshall's new exhibition scheme (see pages 49 and 122). Mr. Mar- 

 shall was in the chair, and after inviting suggestions, and there being 

 a short discussion on the details, he proposed that the conditions 

 should be printed and circulated among exhibitors, and opinions in- 

 vited. Dr. Hogg said, as all seemed agreed on general principles and 

 the only differences were on matters of detail, he would propose that a 

 Committee be appointed to confer with the Council. He would not 

 advise a large Committee. The Chairman invited him to name the 

 members, to which Dr. Hogg demurred, but eventually the following 

 were nominated — viz., Messrs. Baines, W. Paul, "Williams, Moore, 

 Turner, Eraser, "Ward, and Dr. Hogg. It was then agreed that the 

 proposed regulations should be printed and sent out, to be returned to 

 the Committee previous to the nest meeting, March 15th. 



Additional Prizes. — G. W. Ricketts, Esq., offers first and second 

 prizes of 20s. and 10s. respectively for two erect-flowered and two droop- 

 ing-flowered Gloxinias, to be competed for on May 17th, also for 

 Carnations. 



LEAF-COLOURS IN AUTUMN. 

 A PAPKR on the colours of antnmiial foliage by Mr. H. C. 

 Sorby, appears in_tbe Ust/inmber ofjthe Quarterlv Journal of 



Science. The chemical substances which give rise to the vary- 

 ing tints of aatumn he divides into five classes or genera : — 



1. CMoTopliyll, or the green colouring matter, which is very 

 rarely found pure, even in fresh leaves. It is insoluble in 

 water, but soluble in alcohol or bisulphide of carbon, and the 

 spectrum has a well marked absorption band in the red. 



2. Xanthophyll, or the yellow colouring matter ; this is inso- 

 luble in water, but soluble in alcohol and bisulphide of carbon : 

 the spectrum shows absorption at the blue end. It is found in 

 various fruits, flowers, and roots. 3. Enjthropliyll, or the red 

 colouring matter. There is a strong absorption in the green 

 part of the spectrum; the various kinds are usually soluble in 

 water and dilute alcohol, but not in bisulphide of carbon. It 

 is found in red flowers and leaves. 4. Chnjsophyll, or the 

 golden yellow colours, soluble in water and diluted alcohol, but 

 insoluble in bisulphide of carbon. 5. Pkaiophyll, or the group 

 of various browns, soluble in water, but not in bisulphide of 

 carbon. These are mostly due to the oxidation of chrysopbyll. 

 TJnfaded green leaves are coloured mainly by chlorophylJ, but 

 the tint is very much modified by xanthophyll and by colours 

 of the chrysophyll group. The various tints of autumnal foliage 

 are produced by combinations of different members of the above 

 groups ; and Mr. Sorby gives the following scheme of their rela- 

 tive abundance : — During complete vitality and growth, we have 

 different kinds of chlorophyll and chrysophyll producing more 

 or less bright green ; during low vitality and change, erythro- 

 phyU and xanthophyll make their appearance, producing more- 

 or less green-brown, red-scarlet, or bright orange-brown; while 

 during death and decomposition phaiophyll and humus (brown- 

 black) usurp their places, and gradually cause a uniform dull 

 brown colour. — {Enylish Mechanic and World of Science.) 



THE FROSTS teksus VEGETATION. 



Mr. Eoeson baving asked for iaformation (page SS) as to the 

 effects on vegetation of tlie late severe weather, I am induced to ofifer 

 a few particulars. For many miles in estent ronnd here exposed 

 enlinaiy vegetables have in most cases sn&'ered severely, and with me,, 

 such as Savoys, Kales, and Brussels Sprouts, are materially injured, 

 infinitely more so than the same kinds were by the memorable severe 

 weather of lSo9-6a. BroccoUs and yonng Cabbage plants are com- 

 pletely destroyed ; the latter, however, would doubtless have escaped 

 injury but for an insufiicient covering of snow, which, by the way, 

 appears to have fallen more sparingly in South "Warwickshire than in 

 many parts, especiaUy in the south of England. 



Here I may remark that the importance of protecting frozen 

 plants from the adverse influence of bright sunlight, has been forcibly 

 esemphfied by an instance that lately presented itself to my notice, in 

 the shape of several hundreds of young Cauliflower plants pricked out 

 under large hand-hghts, and which, inadvertently, had been afforded 

 no other protection from the alternating frosts and sudden thaws, in 

 consequence of which every plant is hors de combat; whereas, had 

 some slight covering been thrown over them, even after they had been 

 considerably frozen, prior to the thaw, I beheve the majority of them 

 would have been saved, if I may argue from the result of the practice 

 I fortunately adopted in protecting those I have under my own charge. 



I hear sad accounts on all sides of injury to stored roots, such as 

 Potatoes and Mangold W urzel, and to Apples, where sufijcient protective 

 means were not, or could not be afforded. Evergreen shrubs and trees, 

 however, appear to have sustained comparatively little injury in the 

 grounds here, except in two or three cases ; fully-exposed Laurustinus 

 is materially injured. The lowest reading of Negretti's registering 

 thermometer was 30' below freezing on the morning of the 31st of 

 December, and I learn that i" below zero was registered about five 

 miles from here in a low-lying vale, where at all times during frosty 

 weather a lower temperature is registered than with us. 



The following are the readings of my thermometer from December 

 23rd to January Ist. It is fixed in an open part of the garden, and at 

 4 feet from the ground. 



Dec. 23rd, 19' below freezing point. 



„ 24th, 28° „ „ 



„ 25th, 26° „ „ 



26th, 5= 



27th, 15' 



Dec.2Sth, 7' 

 „ 29th, 5' 

 „ 80th, 25" 

 „ 81st, 30' 



Jan. 1st, 24- 



below freezing point. 



— "W. Gakdinee, Lotcer Eatington Park Gardens, Stratford-mi-Avoti' 



STONE FRUIT FAR NORTH. 



I WAS not aware till lately that you wished to have a report 

 of the stone fruit grown liere. My experience is so limited 

 that my contribution, I am afraid, will compare very unfavour- 

 ably with those of most of your correspondents ; yet it may 

 prove useful to north-country growers whom I am very anxious 

 to encourage. 



A south wall here, fronting one point east of south, and 

 built in compartments of brick and of stone alternately, feet 



