220 



Roman Hyacinth.— This pretty little bulb, 

 now so much grown under the name of Roman 

 Hyacinth, is not, as you seem to suppose, the 

 Hyacinthus romanus. That is a very different, 

 thing, and is now usually referred to the genus 

 Bcllevalia. The plant in question is rather a min- 

 iature variety of the H\'acinthus orientalis, and we 

 venture the supposition that it has been obtained 

 by " selection," in the same way as the Pompon 

 I Dahlia — indeed, it would have been better, called 

 j Pompon Hyacinth. — Gardener s Clironicle. 



Connecting Relations between Animal and 

 Vegetable Kingdoms.— It seems but a few years 

 ago when we were taught that the animal and 

 vegetable kingdoms were composed of entirely 

 different kinds of substances. Nitrogenous com- 

 pounds were said to belong to the animal kingdom; 

 and the vegetable kingdom was said to be formed 

 of carbonaceous matters only. First starch, then 

 woody fibre, then coloring matters like indigo, then 

 alkaloids like quinine, were, one after the other, 

 thought to distinguish the vegetable from the ani- 

 mal creation ; but each of these substances, or their 

 representatives, have at last been found in animals, 

 as has been shown in a paper by Dr. Bence Jones, 

 on the " Dyaletic separation of gases,'' read b.fore 

 a recent meeting of the British Associaticn for the 

 Advancement of Sciences. 



i HiPPOPllAE RTIAMNOIDES. — This is a most beau- 

 ; tifiil berry-bearing r'lant, although it is seldom seen 

 ; in fruit. This fact, no doubt, arises from our ig- 

 norance of its being unisexual. Hence, wherever 

 it is planted, it is generally alone, and therefore no 

 berries can be produced ; moreover, it is a strag- 

 : gling grower, and not by any means a general favo- 

 \ rite with planters. I had the good fortune, how- 

 \ ever, a short time since, to pay a visit to the nursery 

 i of Messrs. Ba -khouse k Son, of York, where I saw 

 a bush 7 feet in height, and as much through, 

 • having its stems literally covered with berries, 

 I which are sessile. These spikes of berries, if I 

 \ may be allowed the expression, were from 6 to 9 

 inches in length ; the berries themselves are of a 

 primrose color underneath, and with a ht le rose 

 color next the sun, about the size of large Holly 

 berries, and somewhat oval in shape. Mr. Back- 

 house informed m,e that he travelled a long way to 

 procure the male plant many years ago, but the 

 si -^irht which this tree prese ted must have amply 

 repaid him. The male and female were planted 

 close together, and the only care bestowed for this 

 rich harvest was to occasionally shake the male 



tree while in flower, thereby causing the pollen to 

 fly olf in clouds, and fall on the flowers of the 

 female plant. As many persons are now seeking 

 after berry-bearing plants, I have little doubt that 

 if you make this known, it will lead to Hippophae 

 rhamnoides being often included in collections. — E. 

 in Gardener's Chronicle. 



The Natural Forms of Dwarf Pears.— A 

 correspondent of the Gottage Gardener gives the 

 f )llowing experience of pear forms in the north of 

 England : 



Doyenne d'Ete makes a very short but robust 

 growth on the quince stock, and bears an abun- ; 

 dance of fruit, which ripens about the 1st of Aug. \ 

 The fruit should be gathered before it begins to j 

 turn yellow. It will then be melting, juicy and j 

 sweet. It soon becomes mealy if kept more than a j 

 day or two. | 



Beurre Giffard forms a small but compact bush j 

 on the quince. The growth is quite satisflictory. j 

 The shoots require to be shortened to 4 or 5 inches ; 

 in length about the beginning of Jul3^, as the tree | 

 forms fruit-spurs sparingly. I 



Beurre Goubault makes a most beautiful bush, \ 

 like a forest tree in miniature. Bears abundantly | 

 and regularl3^ The fruit ripens well, is juicy, melt- 1 

 ing, with a pleasing aroma. It is ready for _ se j 

 about the first week in October. | 



Fondante d'Automne forms a beautiful vase- j 

 shaped bush, bears treeK% and the fruit ripens well, ! 

 and is melting and sweet, with a most agreeab e 

 aromatic juice. It is ready for the table about the 

 middle of October. 



River's Summer Beurre d'Aremberg grows freely 

 on the quince, is healthy, and shows no sign of 

 canker. It will be a free bearer, I think, because 

 the tree is already studded with fruit-spurs. 



Beurre Superfin makes a handsome spreading 

 bush, grown vigorously, and ripens its wood well : 

 bu^ hitherto the blossoms have always been small 

 and weak. 



Alexandre Bivort forms a handsome spreading 

 bush, grows freely, and puts forth a proper amount 

 of fruit-spurs. 



Comte de Lamy a- sumes the shape of an upright 

 cup, makes a stout robust growth, and produces a 

 moderate crop of medium-sized fruit, which ripens 

 well in October. 



Doj-enne Boussock grows into a fine spreading 

 bush, and bears freely very fine, large fruit, which 

 ripens well. Two Pears of this variety weighed IS} 

 ozs. The flesh is crisp and juicy, with the flavor 

 of an apple, and very refreshing. This fruit is ripe 



