124 



me, hardener's JHontltlg. 



their flowers, — the latter probably being of more 

 consequence than the former ; for instance, the 

 pitchers of Sarracenia flava vary a good deal in size 

 and form, sometimes being scarcely distinguishable 

 from certaio varieties of Sarracenia Drummondii ; 

 but Sarracenia flava has as its name implies, a yel- 

 low flower, while S. Drummondii has a purple one. 



S. psittacina, the Parrot-like Sarracenia, is new 

 in cultivation, having been only recently in- 

 troduced into this country. Of S. purpurea 

 there are two varieties, one wholly green the other 

 with the pitchers of a rich purple. Of S. flava 

 there are, as already said, apparently many forms. 

 We need not here give the synonyms for the gener- 

 ally accepted names ; they may be found by those 

 v^ho care to seek them in Torrey's and Gray's 

 "Flora of North America," vol. i., p. 59, wherein 

 the substance of Groom's monograph of these 

 plants is embodied. 



Some little while since the S. purpurea was re- 

 commended as useful in the cases of small-pox ; but 

 the most that can be said of it is, that it is harmless. 

 According to the old doctrine of signatures, the 

 spotted S. variolaris, or S. Drummondii, ought to 

 be useful in this complaint, but we suspect they are 

 as inert as their purple brother. 



All the species of Sarracenia are now, we believe, 

 to be met with in cultivation in this country, and 

 it may be of service to some of our readers to give 

 the following table by which the different kind 

 may be easily recognised : — 



I I Pitchers erect 2. 

 ( Pitchers spreading horizontally S. psittacina. 



^ I Pitchers distended in the middle S. purpurea. 

 \ Pitchers trumpet- shaped 3. 



!Lid of pitcher erect 4. 

 Lid of pitcher bent over the 

 mouth of the tube S. variolaris. 



^ I Pitcher spotted at the upper end S. Drummon. 



1 Pitcher not spotted 5. 

 f. I Flower yellow S. flava. 



1 Flower purple 



S. rubra. 



On the Varieties of Variegated Gtreens, 

 &c., AS Ornamental Plants.— Mr. M'Nab ex- 

 hibited a beautiful series of specimens from Mr. P. 

 S. Robertson, Trinity Nursery, of the variegated, 

 tripled curled, laciniated, and proliferous Kale 

 plants, in colors varying from almost pure white and 

 green to beautiful rose-pink, purple and red. For 

 bringing into more general notice the cultivation of 

 these new favorites, the country is particularly in- 

 debted to the energetic labors of Miss Frances Hope, 

 of Wardie Lodge, whose garden at this season^ is a 



perfect marvel of beauty, and has been so during 

 the winter months for several years. Mr. Melville, 

 the gardener at Dalmeny Park, has also done much 

 to improve the breed of this new and useful race 

 of winter decoration plants. 



For a long time the tall cut-leaved varieties were 

 very generally grown in gardens and shrubberies, 

 but now we have four distinct races, classified by 

 Mr. Gorrie under the following beads : — Laciniated, 

 plumose, ramose, and proliferous or composite. 

 The latter is certainly very peculiar, the proliferous 

 growths proceeding, as they do, in compact clusters 

 from the primary and secondary ribs of all the 

 leaves. The colors in most of the above classes are 

 also very rich, and when artistically arranged — more 

 particularly as the cold season advances — a very 

 pleasing eff"ect is given to the flower garden. In 

 the selection of plants to be seed- producers, very 

 great care is required to see that all possess good 

 qualities either in color or style of leaf ; as one with 

 bad properties, if allowed to get into a flowering 

 state, will have a tendency to destroy a whole breed. 

 But what will be found much more destructive to 

 the successful saving of pure seed, is the seeding of 

 a field of any of the Brassica tribe in the neighbor- 

 hood, more particularly if they happen to be the 

 common German Greens, or any of the Savoy tribe. 

 If such should happen to be the case, the progeny 

 of the new varieties, which have been obtained with 

 care, will very soon become degenerated and worth- 

 less. Any very choice variety (after it has done its 

 duty in the flower garden) should be planted at the 

 base of the wall to seed, and separated from all 

 otber kinds ; but even this caution will not always 

 produce a satisfactory result. 



The only method to preserve a favorite variety is 

 to take the leaves and tops off, which will cause 

 them to make numerous side shoots, which when 

 removed, are rooted as cuttings. All the ordinary 

 good varieties intended for seed-bearing plants 

 should also be placed against a wall, covering them 

 with a net, but just before the seed-vessels ripen, 

 to prevent them becoming a prey to birds. It is 

 not absolutely necessary that the plants be protected 

 while in bloom. If good kinds are selected and 

 placed side by side to flower, a slight intermixture 

 will have a tendency to produce novelties much 

 more than by isolating them. 



While planting the young seedlings in rows for 

 the purpose of bringing them forward, previous to 

 taking their place in the flower garden, any that 

 appear inferior should be thrown aside. The young 

 seedlings generally succeed best in an open airy field, 

 where they are less liable to become leggy or drawn 



