March 21, 1888.] 



Garden and Forest. 



41 



horticultural.* The next step of most importance was the 

 appointment of Sir W. J. Hooker in 1841. The greater por- 

 tion of what is now the Aboretum was then called the 

 Pleasure Grounds, and was simply nothing more or less 

 than a game preserve. The new Director lost no time in 

 calling the attention of the government to the cramped ac- 

 commodation for the hardy ligneous collections, and urged 

 the formation of a National Arboretum. A plan was drawn 

 out by Nesfield, one of the foremost landscape gardeners 

 of his time, and the lines laid down by him have in a 

 broad sense been followed. When Her Majesty relin- 

 quished the grounds in 1840 the "Board of Green Cloth " 

 ceased to control the destinies of Kew, and it was placed un- 

 der H. M. Commissioners of Woods and Forebts. In 1843 PS""" 

 mission was granted to utilize a piece of ground measur- 

 ing forty-eight acres as a pinetum ; of this plot the noble 

 palm house may now be said to form the centre. A con- 

 siderable number of fine Conifers still exist of those planted 

 at that time. Not until 1850 were the Pleasure Grounds — 

 more than 178 acres in extent — diverted from their use as 

 a game preserve and devoted to their present purpose. 

 For some time before the appointment of Sir W. J. Hooker, 

 Kew had languished for want of efficient support, but ever 

 since that event the establishment has progressed by leaps 

 and bounds. After the death of Sir W. J. Hooker, his son. 

 Sir J. D. Hooker, reigned in his stead, and no one in the 

 scientific world is unaware of the services rendered to hor- 

 ticulture and botany by the late director. The appoint- 

 ment of Mr. ^^'. T. Thistleton Dyer to his present post is a 

 comparativel)^ recent occurrence, but the works carried out 

 by him sufficiently prove that the establishment will de- 

 velop still further and will maintain its position at the head 

 of the botanic gardens of the world. 



Kew, February, iSS8. George Niclioisoil. 



Floral Notes from London. 



A new race of hybrid Begonias has been originated by the 

 Messrs. Veitch, of Chelsea, which promises to become of con- 

 siderable value for winter flowering. The foundation of this 

 race is the new Begonia Socotrana, which was discovered and 

 introduced a few years ago by Professor Balfour when e.xplor- 

 ing the little known island of Socotra in the Gulf of Aden. 

 This species is distinct from other cultivated Begonias, having 

 shield shaped or round leaves, and flowers of symmetrical out- 

 line about one and one-half inches across and of a bright rose- 

 pink. It flowers naturally in winter, and so it occurred to the 

 iVIessrs. Veitch that a good result could be obtained by inter- 

 crossing the Socotra Begonia with some high colored varieties 

 of the South American species, especially with those having 

 distinctly tuberous roots and which bloom in summer. The first 

 attempt resulted in the production of a pretty variety showing 

 intermediate characters between the parents. It had more 

 rounded leaves than its parent, B. insignis, while its flowers, 

 though smaller than those of B. Socotrana, were more highly 

 colored. It was named Autumn Rose Ijecause it began to 

 flower in autumn and continued nearly throughout the winter. 

 The next cross of B. Socotrana was with a tuberous variety, 

 and the pretty hybrid named John Heal resulted. It is a dwarf 

 compact plant, producing flowers very freely, and continuing 

 in bloom through the winter. The flowers are of a bright 

 cherry-crimson. A third variety is named Adonis, which has 

 much larger flowers than the preceding two, more regular in 

 form and of a pleasing rose-pink. The most recent hybrid is 

 called Winter Gem, a cross between B. Socotrana and a highly 

 colored tuberous variety. It has large, bold leaves, almost as 

 round as those of the Socotra Begonia, and large flowers of good 

 shape of a bright rosy-crimson borne well above the foliage. 

 Messrs. Veitch have a large number of seedlings yet to flower, 

 and judging by the rate of advancement in the few hitherto 

 produced, some good things may be e.xpected. 



The White Bornean Jasmine is one of the loveliest and 

 most fragrant plants one can grow for a continuous supply 

 of cut bloom during winter. At least, it is so here, and, no 

 doubt, the plant would behave as well in America. It is rather 

 a new plant, introduced by Messrs. Veitch a few years ago 



* Since the above letter was written the veteran ex-curator of the 

 Royal Botanic Gardens has passed away at the age of ninety years. 

 —Ed. 



from Borneo. It has a tendency to climb, its shoots being 

 slender and rambling. It flowers abundantly; every twig bears 

 a cluster of blossoms. It delights in a warm and moist house, 

 and if in a light position will produce a continuous crop of 

 bloom for several weeks. 



The Double Chinese Primula, Eva Fish, is not a new variety, 

 having been put in commerce years ago by Messrs. Hender- 

 son, but rarely, if ever, has it been seen in such perfection as 

 at an exhibition of the Royal Horticultural Societv at a late win- 

 ter meeting, when it was honored with a certificate. It is dis- 

 tinct from all the others in point of color, which is a sort of 

 plum-purple. The flowers are very large, perfectly double, 

 being, in fact, like compact rosettes, and are borne in great 

 trusses, rising well above the luxuriant foliage. There is no 

 other double Primula of a similar color to compare with this 

 one, and it will probably become even more popular than 

 heretofore. Each flower of the double Primida makes a neat 

 buttonhole bouquet and they are much used for this purpose. 



Will. Goldring. 



Plant Notes. 



Hardy Begonias.- -Mr. Pringle's note concerning the re-dis- 

 covery of Begonia gracilis in Northern Mexico, reminds me to 

 ask \\\\y the old hardy Begonia Evansiana {discolor) is so 

 much neglected. I once had a bed of these plants in northern 

 Maryland, which occupied the same spot for eight or ten 

 years. The bulbs were occasionally lifted and reset, as they 

 became too thick in the bed, but had little other attention, 

 being treated as a little group in the shade of trees in an out- 

 of-the-way place. The plants came through a temperature of 

 18° below zero in 18S0, without any covering. My practice was 

 to plant early Tulips among them, in the fall, to make a bit of earlv 

 color, and by the time the Begonia leaves appeared above ground 

 the Tulips were ready to be lifted. In autumn the bed was a 

 mass of rosy bloom, until frost cut the flowers down. I have 

 never seen it planted elsewhere, and it is now hardly known 

 except in old green-houses, where it sometimes becomes 

 almost a weed from the dropping of the bulblets from the axils 

 of the leaves. It is far more reliable as a bedder than any 

 Begonia I ever used. 



Crozet, Va. W. F. Massey. 



Grevillea Thelemanniana. — This elegant little Proteaceous 

 plant is one of the prettiest of the genus, and a native of 

 Australia. It attains a height of diree to five feet, and has 

 slender, drooping Isranches, terminated bv pendulous racemes 

 of bright red flowers tipped with yellow, their beauty being- en- 

 hanced by the delicate pinnate leaves. Although a scarce 

 plant it is a comparatively easy one to grow, and will do well in 

 company with Azaleas. It should be potted in a compost of 

 equal parts of peat and loam with a good sprinkling of sand ; 

 care should be taken not to give it too much pot-room. During 

 the winter months — which is the time the flowers generally ap- 

 pear — the plants should be kept comparatively moist at tlie root, 

 but the atmosphere of the house should be dry, and a tempera- 

 ture from 45° to 55° maintained. The Protcacece are not so 

 popular as they should be, probably on account of the extra 

 attention the plants require during the hot days of summer, 

 when neglect of watering may result in their death. A good 

 plan in summer is to plunge the pots to their level, out of 

 doors where water is handy. This species is easily increased 

 by cuttings of half-matured shoots inserted in sand in a cool 

 house. F. Goldring. 



Allium Neapolitanum is the prettiest wliite flowering species 

 of the genus, a native of southern Europe, barely hardy here, 

 but well fitted for pot culture. We had it in capital bloom in 

 February in a cool green-house. The bulbs are roundish, very 

 small and silvery gray, the foliage is flat and moderately broad", 

 and the flowers quite pretty, white and loosely arranged in full 

 umbels terminating a scape some fifteen inches long. The 

 plants set and ripen seed freely and by sowing this seed a fresh 

 stock of the plants can be readily secured. 



Ornithogalum Arabicum.— Dry bulbs of this plant potted last 

 October and then grown along in a cool green-house are now in 

 bloom. The flowers are large, white with black centres, showy 

 and in flat-headed racemes 'terminating scapes, some eighteen 

 to twenty-four inches long. The foliage is long, flat and slender, 

 but I cut it into about half its length antl in this way secure a 

 tidy form. This species and O. /^'i^/^ww, from South Africa, arc 

 the best for pot culture, and both are easily grown. f K F. 



