286 
HORTICULTURAL NOTES. 
same fault, and, though a remarkably free 
bloomer, must be discarded in consequence. 
Of the pale colours, a very distinct sort is 
Ivory's Pet, a small flower, not much larger 
than a Nierembergia, with a pale ground, the 
throat pencilled with dark purple, and the 
edge of the flower beautifully mottled with 
dark rose. Magna Charta is a larger flower 
of the same character, the mottling being dis- 
tributed over a broader surface ; and this 
mottling is not the result of decay, as is the 
case with Miller's Punctata, but is the 
natural and proper colour of the flower. 
Reliance has a finely pencilled throat, on a 
ground of very pale lilac, and slightly edged 
with purple. Kentish Beauty has a very 
dark pencilled throat, on a deep lilac ground ; 
and Enchantress has the same character of 
throat on a rich peach-blossom surface. Ovid 
is a large flower of superior form, and of a 
deep purplish-lilac colour. Triumphans, or 
Rosea alba, has a white flower edged with 
deep rose. Erubescens is an old but an 
abundant flowering kind, of a pale lilac colour ; 
and Lady Sale has very delicate pale lilac flowers 
slightly edged with pale rose. They may all 
be propagated by cuttings, which root freely in 
a gentle heat ; but, as they are liable to become 
long-legged, spring propagated plants are pre- 
ferable for bedding out. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 
Ceradia furcata. — One of the greatest 
novelties among plants, within a short period, 
is the Coral-bush of Ichaboe (Ceradia furcata, 
Jj'md.) ; but it is one of the most insignificant 
looking things imaginable. It has been re- 
ceived from the west coast of Africa, indi- 
cating a dry and sterile climate. It has been 
suspected to be the plant yielding African 
Olibanum, a fragrant gum-resin, burned as 
frankincense ; and little gummy exudations 
are put forth wherever a wound occurs on the 
stem ; but it appears that this is totally des- 
titute of fragrance when burned, and alto- 
gether different from the substance to which 
the name of Olibanum had been applied. It 
is interesting as being the first botanical in- 
troduction to this country from the famous 
guano island of Ichaboe. It has been grown 
by Messrs. Rollison of Tooting, and proves to 
be a plant of the composite order, and nearly 
related to the fleshy stemmed shrubs, formerly 
called Cacalias, but now known as Kleinias. 
It forms a singular-looking dwarf, shrubby, 
with very much branched and forked fleshy 
stems; and a few succulent, spathulate, light 
green leaves, are produced towards the ex- 
tremity of each ramification: the flowers are 
small, in solitary heads, of a pale yellow 
colour, and are so insignificant as to be hardly 
visible among the leaves. 
American Blight. — Mr. Hamp, of South 
Lambeth, recommends water heated to 170°, 
to be syringed on the affected parts of trees 
infested with American blight; or if the ti-ees 
are high, to be used a little hotter, and ap- 
plied with the garden-engine. If well done, 
he says, the trees seldom want a second appli- 
cation; and no apprehension need be enter- 
tained of injuring the trees by thus treating 
them. 
Experiments with Pines. — An experi- 
ment was tried at Brookland, during the last 
year, with respect to the soil for pine-plants. 
One-half of a pit of pine-plants were planted 
in prepared pine-soil, of a loamy nature ; and 
the other half in fine tan. The management, 
temperature, &c. were in each case precisely 
identical. Those in the loam look as well as 
pine-plants need look; whereas those in the 
tan are a complete failure. 
Peat-pots. — These are recommended, in 
the United Gardeners' Journal, for planting 
annuals and summer-bedding plants into, pre- 
viously to transferring them into the open 
ground. The advantage of them is, that being 
sunk under the surface without disturbing the 
roots, and being formed of a soft material, the 
roots easily penetrate, and thus grow away, 
when planted out, without sustaining any check 
in the operation. They are made by taking 
any quantity of peat-earth, adding to it one- 
fifth of leaf mould, and one-fifth of rotten 
manure, and mixing this up with water to the 
consistence of grafting clay, or stiff mortar : a 
round piece of wood, of the size the pots are 
required, is nailed on a flat piece of board, and 
the pots formed around this, about three- 
fourths of an inch in thickness, and laid in a 
shed to dry and harden : they are then used in 
the same way as earthenware pots. 
Covering Hot-houses. — Those who have 
paid little attention to the subject of maintain- 
ing the requisite temperature in hot-houses, 
with the least possible expenditure of fuel, 
cannot be aware of the difference produced by 
a covering even of thin material spread over 
the roof. In one of the stoves in the Botanic 
Garden, Regent's Park, a covering of thin calico, 
mounted on rollers, and used during summer 
for the purpose of shading, has been the sub- 
ject of experiment during the past winter ; 
and it was found that the difference produced 
by the covering, amounted to as much as 8°, 
thus avoiding the excessively injurious effect 
of applying 8° more of artificial heat than was 
actually required to maintain a given tempera- 
ture. 
Pruning Forest Trees. — Mr. Kay, of 
Finchley, after much observation, thinks the 
following scale of pruning will be found gene- 
rally practicable and successful: — The first or 
second year after heading down newly trans- 
planted trees, reduce the head one-third ; the 
next, one-fourth ; and so on in proportion, 
