88 
FLORA AND SYLVA 
EupATORiuM MicRANTHUM. — This Mcxicaii 
shrub, under its better-known name of E. 
Weinma?mianum^ is fairly common in the south- 
west, and very valuable for its late flowers. I 
see it stated in the article on Eupatoriums (p. 
26) , that, " it is sometimes grown very prettily 
as a wall shrub in the open air in the south- 
west of England," but all the specimens I know 
are grown in bush form in the open borders, 
with no wall near them. They form rounded 
shrubs, one of the finest I am acquainted with 
being 8 feet in height and as much through. 
In September TLscaUonia Jloribunda^ or mo72te- 
ivlrAv/x/V, produces its white pyramids of flower, 
which are haunted by countless butterflies. In 
the following month, when its blossoms have 
faded, JLiipator'mm micranthum begins, and by 
the close of the month is covered from its 
topmost spray to the ground with its flat, white, 
fragrant flower-heads, to which the remaining 
butterflies flock. It holds its flowers through 
the greater part of November, and in Decem- 
ber a fair sprinkling is still to be seen. Now, 
in January, grey, fluffy seed-vessels, which are 
not unattractive, take the place of flowers. — 
S. W. FiTZHERBERT. 
The Witch Hazels [Hamamelis). — This 
comes to us as a fine bold branch covered with 
spangles of gold, from Messrs Cripps of the 
Nurseries, Tunbridge Wells, — a curiously in- 
teresting winter-flowering bush. Coming so 
well at this time of the year in the southern 
country, the Witch Hazels are not only good 
for out-door gardens but also for the house. 
Cutting bold branches for the house saves the 
flowers from the vicissitudes of the open air. 
There are several hardy kinds : — The Tree 
Witch Hazel [H. arbor ed)^ often considered 
the best ; the Japan Witch Hazel [H. japon- 
ica) and its variety zuccariiiiarm, of dwarfer 
habit and less bright in colour ; and the new 
Hairy Witch Hazel {H. mollis), well shown 
at a recent meeting of the Royal Horticultural 
Society, and very distinct with its paler bark, 
stouter and more rigid stems which are but 
little branched, and flowers in which the petals 
are so much broader and less curled as to gain 
in beauty, even in the small plants shown. The 
old Hamamelis virginica blooms in the autumn 
when its small yellow flowers are in a great 
measure hidden and ineffective. 
Shortia Uniflora. — To the Editor of Flora: 
Sir, In reference to the brief mention of Shortia 
uniflora in the notes accompanying the coloured 
plate of S. galacifolia on page 9 of your January 
issue, I must dissent from the author's remarks 
that S. uniflora is " so near the American kind 
as hardly to be distinguishable from it," and 
j that its flowers " are a little smaller " than those 
of S. galacifolia. On the contrary, the mature 
j plants are quite distinct, and the flowers of 
! the Japanese form are the larger of the two. 
I As an example of this I find the blooms in 
i your illustration do not exceed an inch, whereas 
most of the 27 flowers on one of my plants of 
S. uniflora last season measured if inches in 
diameter. I refrain at present from going into 
further details, as a photo of this plant (taken 
in 1902) and my recent notes thereon, will be 
found in Vol. XXIX. of the Journal of the 
R.H.S., but during the last three years it has 
much increased in size and vigour, and I am 
glad to say is promising well for this spring's 
blooming. — Yours faithfully, \\\ T. Hind- 
marsh, "Alnbank," Alnwick. [We hope short- 
ly to publish a drawing of this fine plant of 
Shortia uniflora, with notes upon it by our 
correspondent.] 
SONGS OF THE WOODS AND 
FLOWERS : A Down Garden. 
There lies a little garden 
High on the Sussex downs, 
Far from the haunts of fashion, 
Far from the noise of towns. 
The sea-birds soar above it, 
The rabbit stays to peep, 
And slowly round it saunter 
The shepherd and his sheep. 
No tree shuts out the sunshine, 
No fence withholds the wind ; 
Soft turf affords the shelter 
The chosen flowers find. 
Safe in their grassy corners. 
Rejoicing with the sun, 
Narcissus, Tulip, Iris, 
Stand glorious one by one. 
And oft their beauty calls me 
To throw the tools away, 
And share in sunlit silence 
Their unmolested day. 
Edith C. M. Boodle. 
