468 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Lychnis grandiflora. By G. T. Grignan (Rev. Hort., Jan. 1, 

 1911, p. 12; coloured plate). — A very handsome plant of good habit, 

 flowers large, brilliant deep orange red on erect stalks. Not a new 

 plant, but one which has been largely lost sight of, though well worthy 

 of cultivation. As some doubt exists as to its absolute hardiness it is 

 best to treat it as an annual. Several variations in colour have been 

 noted and MM. Cayeux and Le Glerc have a strain of true salmon 

 colour.— C. T. D. 



Manure, Influence of, on taste of preserved vegetables. 



By M. Weinhausen {Gartenflora, vol. Ix. pt. 7, pp. 145-151). — The 

 use of a mixture of superphosphate, sulphate of ammonia and kainit 

 improves the flavour of vegetables and does not prevent such pre- 

 served vegetables from keeping. — S. E. W. 



Masdevallia pachyura (Bot Mag. tab. 8361).— Ecuador. Family 

 Orchidaceae; tribe, E'pidendreae. Herb, dwarf and tufted, with- 

 out pseudo-bulb; leaves, 3-4 inches long; scape, 6-9 inches long, 5-7 

 flowered; flowers, from tip to tip of perianth leaves, 2 inches, straw- 

 coloured with reddish dots, the tails and mid-ribs of lateral sepals 

 yellow. — G. H. 



Meconopsis Simplicifolia(-Bof. Mag. tab. 8364). — Himalaya. 

 Family Papaveraceae ; tribe Eupapavereae. Herb, leaves radical, 

 4-8 inches long; flower, single, 3 inches across, pale blue. — G. H. 



Meliosma cuneifolia {Bot. Mag. tab. 8357). — Western China 

 Family Sahiaceae. Tree or shrub; leaves obovate-cuneate, 2^-7 inches 

 long; panicle, pyramidal, 8 inches across; flowers, greenish-yellow, 3 

 lines wide. — G. H. 



Millets. By G. A. Gammie {Mem. Dept. of Agric, India {Pusa), 

 iv. 1, 8 pp. and 5 plates; January 1911). — Description of botanical 

 characters of genus Setaria cultivated in the Bombay Presidency: 

 S. glauca and S. italica with varieties, illustrated by plates. — W. G. S. 



Nitrogenous Manures, the Availability of Certain Unusual. 



By B. L. Hartwell and F. E. Pember {U.S.A. Exp. Sin. Rhode Island^: 

 Bull. 142, June 1910). — The materials used for a series of pot experi-j 

 ments were '* nitrogenous manure," hide and skin meal, tartar manure,! 

 and beet-refuse compound, while dried blood and nitrate of soda were 

 used for purposes of comparison, and calcium cyanamide to ascertairj 

 its effect when applied just before the seeds were sown. The " nitro-) 

 genous manure " was the most effective of the four first named, and yeij 

 it was only about half as valuable as dried blood, the same amount ol 

 actual nitrogen being applied in each case. The usual direction thai 

 calcium cyanamide should be applied a few weeks before planting 

 seemed to be justified by the experiments, the germination and earh 

 growth of barley being delayed considerably by its application jus 

 before seed-time, thougb millet did not appear to be affected injuriously 



A. P. 



