FEBRUARY 5, 1898. 



THE 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



79 



Early Butterflies-— A correspondent "B.T.I." sends us from Woking 



Lord 



three specimens of the Brimstone butterfly {Goneptyrex rhamni), accompanied by supply, once stated that all the known fuel on the earth is the residue of ancient 



the following note : "As proof, if any can be needed, of the mildness of the 

 season, I send herewith three full-grown butterflies which I captured this morning 

 on a sunny bank where they were disporting themselves as act ively as if the summer 

 had come. 



The Royal Society has recently admitted to its fellowship Sir Nathaniel 

 Lindley, Master of the Rolls. Sir N. Lindley is a son of the famous botanist, Dr. 



vegetation. One ton of average fuel takes three tons of oxygen to burn it, and 

 therefore its vegetable origin decomposing carbonic acid and water by the power 

 of sunlight, gave three tons of oxygen to our atmosphere. Every square metre of 

 the earth's surface bears ten tons of air, of which two tons are oxygen. The 

 whole surface is one hundred and twenty-four thousand millions of acres, or five 

 hundred and ten million millions of square metres. Hence there is not more than 



j ✓ -J va — - -* 7 » — — — ■ UkLLkXVJlia KJ I O^j UU1 111 LI \ J* M*«r«W MV« ***vr*%* iiiMil 



J. Lindley, who, in addition to his work in nomenclature, and scientific research, three hundred and forty million millions tons of fuel in the earth, and this is 



did splendid service for horticulture. Dr. Lindley's " Theory and Practice of probably the exact amount, because it is probable that all the oxygen of our 



TT..-i..' .iii ?J • 1. il,„4. :n 4. * - T r • 



Horticulture " is a work that will not soon be forgotten. 



Filmy Ferns are ever a source of wonder and delight to those who love 



atmosphere came from primeval vegetation 



Presentations to the Hull Parks.— A short time ago a small collection 



1 ■ ^ _ 



— — — ^ — —————— — ~ — — - ■ ■ ' i 1 i v_ l (Viiu <~ * * «^ »*w » v ^- » * j . 1 w * »» * w v w — - — — — v v •» - ■ ^ ■ ■ vt mm m %m * Mi ■ * » v» »- ^ q ^*v^aa^x*w*v/*a 



ferns as a class, while to the uninitiated they appear as one of the most elegant, of orchids was presented to the Pearson Park, Hull, through the good offices of 



delicate, and beautiful of the many families of cryptogams. Those who make a D*. Hewetson, who, when visiting Brazil, obtained about thirty species, brought 



special study of ferns, especially the filmy species, will be glad to hear that Mr. home securely packed and cared for, and delivered them at Hull free of charge. 



G. S. Jenman has commenced to monograph the Ferns of the British West Indies Mr. Toyne presented the various parks with about one thousand five hundred tulip 



and Guiana. This is to be published under the superintendence of Mr. J. H. and narcissi bulbs. 



The National Horticultural Society of France has been honouring 



Hart, of the Royal Botanic Garden?, Trinidad, in the Bulletin periodically j\ 



issued from that establishment. The recent issue, put 5 of vol. iv., deals with the several of the leading horticulturists of its country by the presentation of medals 



two genera, Hymenophyllum and Tiichomanes, twenty nine species of the former of gold, silver-gilt, and silver. Gold medals have been awarded to M. Octave 



and forty-two of the latter being fully described. Forthcoming issues will be Opoix, head gardener at the Luxembourg ; and to M. Balu, head gardener at the 



waited for with considerable interest. Chateau of Vaux le Vicomte. Silver-gilt medals were presented to M. Coudray, 



Horticultural Club.— The twenty-third anniversary dinner of the Horticul- of the Luxembourg ; and to M. Branchard, head gardener at the Chateau de 



tural Club will take place cn Tuesday next, when Sir J. D. T. Llewelyn, Bart., Bagatelle, Bois de Boulogne. Silver medals were awarded to M. Pelet, of the 



M.P., chairman of the club, will preside. Mr. George Bunyard has undertaken to Luxembourg ; M. Troust, gardener to M. Berthmont ; M. Hure, gardener to the 



arrange for a selection of vccal and instrumental music. • The chair will, as usual, 

 be taken at six o'clock. 



Manures 



Experiments with manures for grasses were carried Sevres, gardener to M. Guion. 



Princesse de Sagan ; M. Mabillat, gardener to M. Bardac ; M. Bosset, gardener to 

 M. Dessondaix ; M. Quinton, gardener to Madame Carmault ; and to M. Germain 



out at Dalmeny>st year by Mr. Drysdale, agent for the estate. Seventeen plots 

 of one-third acre each were devoted to the experiments. The land was in 



The Field Museum, Chicago, has just acquired by purchase the 



herbarium of the late Professor Michael S. Bebb, of Rochford, 111. Professor 



good condition, having received thirty tons per acre of well-rotted farmyard Bebb was an authority upon the troublesome genus Salix, and his herbarium is 



manure in 1894 and grown a wheat crop in 1895, followed by a b.rley 

 crop in 1896. The grass seeds were sown in the barley, and the crop wa s 

 harvested as hay in 1897. The plots were variously dressed with artificials, 

 but certain plots intended to serve as control or check plots received none. The 



11 * 1 1 v 



probably second only to that at Kew in respect to willows. The entire collection 

 has been purchased for five thousand dollars. It contains over 50,000 specimens, 

 representing 30,000 species, including the valuable material gathered on the 

 Mexican boundary and Canadian Pacific surveys, and the Peary and Greely polar 



crop on each plot was weighed as hay, and the best result was obtained after a expeditions, 

 dressing of one hundredweight of superphosphate of lime and two hundredweight Economic Plants for the United States.-The Secretary of Agri- 



of sulphate of ammonia per acre. The profit, after allowing for cost of fertilisers, culture for the United States has placed in his estimates for the coming year an 



was 41 iss. per acre over the unmanured plots. The first cutting yielded three item of twenty thousand dollars to be set aside from the fund for the free 



tons and the second one and a-quarter tons per acre. A similar experiment, in distribution of seeds, for the purpose of introducing valuable economic plants into 



which nitratetof soda was substituted for sulphate of ammonia as the source of the States. If Congress sanctions this item Mr. D. G. Fairchild will be entrusted 



nitrogen, gave a somewhat less favourable financial result. In addition, moreover, with the work of introduction, 

 the quality of the hay frcm the sulphate plots was throughout superior to that from 



the nitrate plots. Hence, it is concluded that for land such as this, in good con- ( , • « iu • • ;u ,x r a t eru- 

 dition and ^tnn^rf in tu ,roii»„ ~( .1 t? .u i u . . h formed in Melbourne in connexion with the fund for establishing a permanent 

 anion, ana situated in the valley of the Foith, sulphate of ammonia and simer- • i r.u i . r» at h t- • u j .u . c j K, i , 



T,V.^r,v,ot^ f~-~. a- i- • . #../.... «nu oupti memorial of the late Baron von Mueller. It is honed that the fund wil he larce 



phosphate form an effective mixture of artificials for promoting the growth of hay. 



Floral Fete of 1897 resulted in a profit of of a prize to be associated with his name and awarded as a recognition of botanical, 



£421 103., the gross takings, ,£2,390 25. 4d., showing an increas2 of £$7 16s. Qd. horticultural, or pharmaceutical research in the Australian colonies, 

 on the previous year. At the annual meeting Mr. S. Dickenson referred to the 

 success of the fete during the past nine years, stating that the total profit in that 

 period had been £$, 95 6 185. 6J., out of which the committee had built shelters 



The late Baron von Mueller.— An influential committee has been 



Wolverhampt 



memorial of the late Baron von Mueller. It is hoped that the fund will be large 

 enough for the provision of a bust of the late Baron, and also for the endowment 



Koda or Kodo Millet in India.— Mr. A. E. Grant, of the Hygiene 



Laboratory, Medical College, Madras, states, in a letter to Nature, that there 

 have been several well ascertained examples of poisoning from diseased or im- 



greennouses, andpaid for music in the public parks, and created a reserve fund of propsrly-prepared Koda millet {Paspatum scrobiadatum) duiing the past year in 



no less than ^786 12s. Wolverhampton is to be congratulated upon the enter- 

 prise and public spirit of its horticulturists and other business men who assist in 

 making the fete so great a success. 



Horticultural Conferences at Antwerp, organised uy luc ™ y «> 



Horticultural Society of that famous city, are being held at the Palais des Fetes 

 of the Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp. The first was held on January 30, 



7s to he Ml I dC f ° SSChere delivered an address "Pon Exotic Orchids. 1 his ugaao n wormy 01 me name wuu.u u^u^ , a , „.ur C umc man 1 nave 10 give m u. 



n M T d °R l * u ■ IeCtUrC ° n thC SUb ' jeCt 0n Februar y 6 - ° n February I therefore write with a view to eliciting the help of some worker in Britain or 



decoration 6 ? * W .y dl . scuss the merits of vari °us plants suitable for house elsewhere who has the necessary leisure and facilities for work of this sort, 



ment of V'lTr 1 ! lshing ' and on Februar y 2 7 will deal with the Manage- samples of the grain, husked and unhusked, from different localities, and can 



with Fl \ r> S ' The concIudin g conference of the present series wil! deal supply the necessary references to the literature of the subject. The investigation, 



India. Owing to the prevailing scarcity of the usual food-grains, it is probable 

 that Koda millet has been extensively sold and eaten in localities where its use is 

 ordinarily unkno wn. I hoped, he says, to undertake an investigation my self into 

 by the Royal this matter, which is one of great importance both from the hygienic and economic 



points of view. After consultation, however, with Surgeon-Major van Geyzel, 

 chemical examiner to the Government of Madras, I have decided that any inves- 

 tigation worthy of the name would occupy far more time than I have to give to it. 



I have 



T-i . . 1> ~* picacni series wu: ueai 



with lloral Decorations, M. de Bosschere opening the discussion. Exhibits are 

 invited we are pleased to see, as only by ocular demonstration can such confer- 

 ences be made of the highest possible value and interest. 



for ^!T hal °i deS Verna ' a Pretty H " le hardy P erennial that ^ admirably suited 

 for wild gardening, is this year flowering very early. Although a South 



I take it, would have to be of a chemico-biological nature, and would be most 

 appropriate, say, for a thesis, or in connection with some fellowship. I hope that 

 someone who can cany the work right through, and will ascertain the exact 

 source and constitution of the poison (? a volatile alkaloid;, will write to me at 

 the address given. In another ten years, perhaps, there will be some attempt to 



EurODean nl 'f U -n-UHUUgn a SOUtn mc auuitoa S nrv.n. / >r r~> v ~ 



^an pjant, u has so long been cultivated in this country that in not a few provide the men and the facilities for such work, even in India, when the Victoria 



sider * eSCaped from g ard ^ns and become naturalised, so that many con- Institute is an accomplished fact. We may add that the Kodo millet is an erect 



from M & *h ^ When establis hed it spreads freely, and then, usually grass growing from one to two feet high. In some parts of India it is much grown 



rom arch to May, it produces its pretty deep blue flowers that are so much like for food, the grains being used as rice or ground into meal ; they are, however, 

 u n S ^ !° rget * me ' n0tS ' but borne on smalI *r cymes. Mr. A. 



Wigh 



W. Kime, of West- likely to act as a narcotic poison 



lodes nicelv * fl 9va *T' ua a 1CW 5 P e cimens 01 omptia- The Prize Cup offered by Mr. H. Deverill, Banbury, to the amateur or 



ing of Tanwv 28 u^t ? lcked b ^ him in the woods at Yarmouth on the morn- cottager gaining the most prizes for vegetables grown from his seeds at the shows 



Aoril and \iL s \u StateS that the Species does not usualI y fl °wer till in the United Kingdom in 1897, has been awarded to Mr. Alfred Radcliffe, mill 



^prn and May in the spot where it is blooming so early this year. 



^il BUri i; e5e C ° tt0n Trade ' acCOrdin S to the Customs authorities, is 



warehouseman, 30, Savill-road, Elland, Yorks. 



increasing rapidl Th a - • ' ° — — auiuuuuw, k> -The Florilegium Haarlemense" for January, 1898, contains fine 



57,928cwt valu^ * he tradcisin raw cotton, and during 1896 7 amounted to coloured plates of the following bulbous plants : Hyacinth Hadyn, a single violet 

 the raw prod ^ Welve lakhs of ru P ee *- The r€Cent and continued large demand variety that has been in cultivation since i860. Tulips Dachesse de Parma, 



Lower UrtfMb?tS£. COUpled with the fin f crops of cotton both in Upper and Thomas Moore, and Ophir d'Or are effectively grouped in one plate ; the former 



somewhat resembles the well-known Keizerskroon, but has a browner tint of red, 

 while the yellow is less conspicuous ; it has been in commerce since 1837. The 

 third plate consists of representations of three double forms of narcissus, viz., Van 



qualir s Tn/ , PraCt T 1Cal,y a " th « nrst-ratelcotton Burma can produce; poorer 



to veTr but m u n ^ N ° BurmeSe COtt ° n Came t0 the U»«ted Kingdom 



period mUSt * remember «l that China took 46,893 cwt. during that 



Sion, Orange Phoenix, and Sulphur Phoenix ; the former a variety of N, 

 Telamonius, and the two latter both incomparabilis forms. 



