800 



THE GARDENERS MAGAZINE. 



Ai'KiL 1912. 



walls of the cells, which cells are, however, 

 often transformed into minnte spiral 

 ducts to facilitate the passage. It is m 

 the leaves themselves that we best may see 



the vein systems proper. 



In the dicotyledons, to which mcst of our 



and to one who lo\ es flowers and can rightly 

 interpret their language, rockets, clove 

 carnations, and clustering roses, silently, by 

 their ambrosial breath, disclose their pre- 

 sence within the secluded walls of their 

 nearest veinlet, such draft being trans- sanctuary as surely as if their loveliness 



stantly evaporated through the })ores of 

 the leaves, or used up in them as building 

 material, which water is rei)laced by ab- 

 sr)rption from cell to cell, in the first place, 

 and. in the second, a draft upon the 



t,«s Wo,rVrr;ia„U ; mitW *„ the la,ger a„d larger one.. t„ ,he eye. 



moduce t^^^^^ pAma\-y leaves on germina- nnti finally, no matter how^ large the tree 



pioauce xwu iMimai^ X reaches the root system, 



tion, we see the greatest diversity, so great 

 indeed that it would be difficult to match 

 exactly in plan the vein systems of the 

 leaves'^of any two species, or even varieties. 

 Wehave only to select leaves from any of the 

 shrubs or trees in our gardens to note the 

 wonderful differences in the delicate net- 

 works whi<h their leaves present,while most 

 <'ertainly w^e could never nuit<'li any two 

 in detail even from the samr plant. In 

 each we can note how, commencing with 

 a main vein, really a continuation of the 

 stalk itself, lateral veins branch off. .and 

 divide and ramiiv. aiwl form intercminec- 

 tions, until eventnally tliey ccnstitute a 



or plant mav be, it reaches the root system, 

 -which collects it from the soil through a 

 myriad al>sorbent points, and it is the 

 province of that system to extend in pre- 

 civse proportion to the foliar demands above 



the ground. 



Chas. T. Dri ery. V.M.H., F.L.S. 



DOUBLE ROCKETS* 



Although grown to some extent in her- 

 baceous borders, it is rarely, save in cot- 

 tage gardens, that double rockets are seen 

 at their best. It is often in the humblest 

 plot that one finds the sweet old-fashioned 

 flowers growing in the greatest luxuriance. 

 At such times one is tempted to wonder if 

 the jK)ssibility exists of plants bein 

 sM'ayed by sentiment ; if it is the desit e to 

 brighten the lowly lives that prompts such 

 bounteous blossomi 



DoubU^ Rockets are among those flowers cases, the surroundings do not appear esi>e- 



oially adapted to mduce vigorous growth. 

 A cottage garden is now in my mind's eye. 



to which the term ^ W)ld-fashioned is ap- 

 pl'ed— a word w^hich to the multitude con- 



veys 



the idea of something superseded,, on It -s but a small space of ground, yet it is 



A GROUP OF DOUBLE EOCKETS. 

 Sweetly-scent€d, old-fashioned flowers of great beauty 



continuous network, the meshes of which 

 are filled with the tiny green cells that 

 form the leaf proper. 



In the monocotyledons, or plants with 

 only one primary seed leaf, the diversity 

 is much less, since in these plants, whether 

 they be himible grasses or stately palms, 

 the veins run longitudinally from end to 

 end of each leaf, or subdivision, and are 

 easily torn into strips, which it is impos- 

 sible to do in the case of a netted vena- 

 tion. Apart from the mere question of 

 transport of the sap of plants, or blood 

 of animals, there is also, between the two, 

 the immense difference involved m the pre- 

 sence in the latter of a definite impelling 

 force, viz., the heart, which acts as a force- 

 pump by its incessant muscular contrac- 

 tions, and thus keeps the blond in active 

 circidation throughout the venous and ar- 

 terial systems. 



In the plant there is nothing analogous 

 to this, and the circidation is entirely in- 

 duced bv the fact that water is being con- 



account of lack of merit, by new-comers of 

 more brilliant attractions. To the select 

 few, however, old-fashioned things have the 

 <'harm of association, independent of their 

 intrinsic w^orth, connected, as they are, wnth 

 the less ostentatious beauties of the past, 

 and fraught ^vith the fragrant memories of 

 old times. The Rocket, however, although 

 somewhat neglected, is quite able to stand 

 on its own merits, and with its white spires 

 of bloom, and the perfume that on still, 

 dewy evenings of early summer fills the soft 

 air with exquisite fragrance, it possesses 

 charms which are certainly not inferior to 

 those of the gaudy, scentless pelargoninm. 

 by w^hich it and other lovely old plants have 



been ousted. 



Of yore, despite bars and bolts, tlie 



hidden dangbters of Aiuby levi-aled t(» their 



hosen the secrets of their hearts, and 



oftentimes, in like manner, tin* unseen 



occupants of sequestered gardens waft, by 



the aid of their accomplice, tlie wandering 



( 



filled with sweet old flowers. There the 

 rockets grow in masses ; from the glaucoiis 

 cushions of the white pinks arises the <leli- 

 cate essence from the countless fnngtHi 

 blooms. Madonna lilies lift their snowy, 

 scented spires; the moss rose and ^we';t 

 brier exhale from flower and leaf tluji 

 mingled fragrances ; the jasmine abov*^ tm^ 

 porch distils its sweetness from a tliou-^aiv 

 snowy stars, and the passmg . ' 



odorous with the scent of the blossoius tiiai 

 crown the great lilac bush with a \eii 



rosy-lavender. . , , i 



The pleasures of the garden are '"'^y^^J^*^^ 

 but there are none that transcend ^}^^^ 

 fragrance, not even the delight of tlie ^^.^^ 

 in suave colour harmonies, ^^^^^^^'^^/^ii^ 

 trasts or breadths of lovely tints. , 



l)ath ami tbe l>uilding is but a narrow 

 strip, raised al>ove \]w path hy an ci^ -- 

 of stones. It <locs not sntter, indeed i. ; 

 lack of solicitlKh^ but its attendaj.ts - 



ahnshouse the l)or<h'r l)etweeii 



zephyr, sweet messages to the passer-by women, and ' women's knees are we 



