October 31, 1872. ] 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



343 



pollen and thrusts it into the stigrnatic tube, and after having 

 thus fertilised the flowers she consigns a few eggs to the young 

 fruit, the seeds of which her larva) feed upon. 



The Yucca is the only entomophilous plant known which 

 absolutely depends for fertilisation on a single species of insect, 

 and that insect is remarkably modified for the purpose. The 

 plant and its fructifier are inseparable under natural con- 

 ditions, and the latter occurs throughout the native home of 

 the former. In the more northern portions of the United 

 States, and in Europe, where American Yuccas have been in- 

 troduced and are cultivated for their showy blossoms, the 

 insect does not exist, and consequently the Yuccas never pro- 

 duce seed there. The larva of the Pronuba eats through the 

 Yucca capsule in which it fed, enters the ground and hiber- 

 nates there in an oval silken cocoon. In this stage the insect 

 may easily be sent by mail from one part of the world to 

 another, so that seed may easily be obtained from American 

 Yuccas here without any trouble on the part of the gardener, 

 simply by importing the Pronuba cocoon. — (Nature.) 



SOLANUM CAPSICASTBUM CULTURE. 



A dense compact habit of growth, clothed with foliage of a 

 deep green , and with a profusion of bright scarlet berries dis- 

 persed very evenly amongst, and producing a most charming 

 contrast to, the foliage ; the lower branches drooping with 

 fruit in winter, and almost concealing the pot from view, 

 while the numerous higher branches rise to a centre in the 

 form of a dwarf cone — such is a fair description of the ap- 

 pearance of a well-managed plant of Solanum Capsicastrum, 

 and when thus seen there are few plants more beautiful or 

 useful for in-door decoration during winter. It is an old 

 favourite which I have so used for several years, and having 

 just now thirty or forty nice little specimens in a very promis- 

 ing condition for the ensuing winter, it occurs to me that a 

 word or two about them may prove useful to some of your 

 readers. 



Some seed was sown about midsummer last year ; the seed- 

 lings were potted singly in 3-inch pots as they became large 

 enough, and were shifted into 5-inch pots during the autumn. 

 Watering, pinching-off any long straggling shoots, and screen- 

 ing from frost, were all the care bestowed till spring ; then a 

 bed was prepared in an open border by mixing a lot of ma- 

 nure, rough leaf mould, and sand with the ordinary, and in 

 this instance very poor, soil of the garden. Into this the 

 plants were turned out of the pots in April, sufficiently far 

 apart to allow ample space for the season's growth, and water 

 was given freely, and liquid manure occasionally, throughout 

 the summer. Under this simple treatment the plants have 

 grown with wonderful vigour. They were taken up and potted 

 in September, and are now as fine a lot of plants as one could 

 wish, very uniform in size and appearance, averaging fully 

 6 feet in circumference by nearly 2 feet in height. Some of 

 the plants are even larger than this, having a spread of nearly 

 8 feet. The crop of berries is quite in keeping with the size 

 of the plants, that of one plant, which I had the curiosity to 

 count, amounting to nearly three hundred. 



In lifting the plants from the summer bed care was taken to 

 retain a little soil about the roots, in order that the check 

 might not be so severe as to affect either the foliage or the 

 berries. As they were potted, any crowded branches were 

 separated and fastened to slight supports ; but nothing like 

 regular training or tying-out of the branches was attempted, 

 nor, indeed, was it necessary, as stiffness and formality could 

 only be the result of endeavouring to "train" plants that 

 are naturally so well shaped. — Edward Luckhuest. 



autumn months, in which we have but little to do, we still con- 

 tinue to close at 8 p.m., whilst such general trades as grocers, 

 drapers, &c, in many cases close at 6 or 7 p.m., having also a 

 portion of one of the week days set apart for a holiday. — One 

 or Them. 



SEEDSMEN'S ASSISTANTS. 

 It is perhaps not generally known, except to employers and 

 employes, that during the spring months an assistant's average 

 hours are from 8 or 9 a.m. until midnight or 1 a.m. for three 

 or four days a-week, and before he can obtain so undesirable 

 a situation years are requisite to enable him to become ac- 

 quainted with the trade in all its branches. For a salary of 

 from £50 to £80 per annum we are expected to keep up an 

 appearance as respectable as clerks, who, though better paid, 

 have far shorter hours. Whilst mechanics and the greater part 

 of the assistants in other trades have obtained a considerable 

 advance of wages to meet the present high price of food and 

 clothing, also a decrease of hours, we, almost alone, as a class, 

 have had no advance of salary ; and during the summer and 



DAHLIA DODD'S MARY. 



"Have you seen Dodd's Mary?" was a pertinent queiy 

 among " the ancient gentlemen who hold up Adam's pro- 

 fession " in England, some forty years ago. I have no doubt, 

 Mr. Editor, but what you have, and remember "her endear- 

 ing young charms," as well as your correspondent does. How- 

 ever that may be, I nevertheless have seen the veritable Dodd's 

 Mary, then " in the pride of youth and beauty ;" now " all 

 faded and gone." I was then a youthful aspirant for flori- 

 cultural fame ; a hopeful tyro in the art of horticulture, when 

 my preceptor started me off one bright May morning, with 

 half a guinea in my pocket, in quest of the subject of this 

 letter. The distance I had to walk was some eighteen or 

 twenty miles, to a nursery near Leeds, in Yorkshire. I well 

 remember the kind-hearted proprietor inquiring how far I had 

 come, and asking if I was not hungry and fatigued. I believe 

 I confessed to feeling a little so. At any rate I breakfasted 

 with Mr. Major, his family, and Miss Mary Dodd, who was 

 then on a visit there. 



With a face beaming with good nature Mr. Major addressed 

 the young lady, saying " the young lad who was seated with 

 them had come to buy Mary Dodd, or Dodd's Mary, one or the 

 other, and for which half a guinea was offered." With a ready 

 apropos she replied that " the sum named was a fair equiva- 

 lent for Dodd's Mary, but would not buy Mary Dodd, who was 

 a jewel beyond price." So it was decided that the other Mary 

 was the one on sale, which was duly bought and paid for. 

 After carefully packing up, we started off towards home. 

 " All's well that ends well," is a trite aphorism. And so far 

 all seemed to have gone well, as we journeyed onwards, Dodd's 

 Mary and I. 



It was my misfortune to overtake a so-called " Mammoth 

 Circus Company," which had halted at a roadside tavern " to 

 dress," and refresh themselves with copious libations of gin 

 and ale, so as to make a " grand and imposing display" on 

 entering the little town in the distance. I of course, boy like, 

 waited until the " brilliant and gorgeous spectacle " was ready 

 to advance, and keeping pace with the " immense cavalcade," 

 witnessed the " triumphal entry " of the "talented troupe of 

 world-renowned artistes," on their " richly caparisoned and 

 highly trained steeds." I kept pretty close to " Mr. Merry- 

 man, the fun-poking clown," who with a face as funny 

 as Grimaldi's, was mouthing and mimicking, with all the 

 strange facial grimaces, " from grave to gay " that the most 

 accomplished of " merry Andrews " was capable of. 



" From windows lassies looked a score, 

 And neighbours met at every door," 



to enjoy the passing fun, as now and again " the great buffoon " 

 gratuitously treated the gathering crowd to several " feats of 

 agility," such as " throwing lofty somersaults and flip-flaps 

 on his bare-backed horse." 



Mounted on a milk-white steed was " a maid in all her 

 charms," in the assumed character of Lady Godiva, and who 

 seemed so beautiful and fair, that I innocently wondered 

 whether she was really a woman or an angel. Alas ! poor 

 mortal, as she proved to be, she fell from her horse ; " drunk 

 as a lord," somebody said. Poor Lady Godiva ! how I pitied 

 her, as the "gay cavaliers" dismounted from then: prancing 

 steeds, and "rushed to the rescue." As " the gallant knights " 

 charged through the ranks of gaping rustics, we, Dodd's Mary 

 and I, were jostled and tumbled together with the prostrate 

 Lady Godiva. 



During the " rough-and-.tumble " time which followed, I had 

 tenaciously held on to my charge, until a clodhopper's hob- 

 nailed boots crushed the hand that vainly strove to save from 

 danger the much-prized Dodd's Mary, who was literally 

 severed in two. ■ In less time than I have occupied in telling 

 the troubles that befel us, I was outside the crowd, shedding 

 tears either from the pain of my lacerated hand, or sorrow at 

 the sight of the poor mutilated Dodd's Mary. In the mean- 

 time the fallen though fair daughter of Eve, alias Lady 

 Godiva, or my " angel in muslin," had changed her role ; was 

 transformed to "the Queen of Beauty," and, seated on the top 

 of " the golden ehariot," among the musicians, looked none 

 the worse for the fall, but, if possible, seemed more imperiously 



