January 27, 1881. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 65 
the flower markets. Although the flowers are almost devoid of 
fragrance, their clear pale yellow colour, fulness of form, and pret¬ 
tily- fringed petals are decidedly attractive, especially as the free- 
flowering habit renders the plant of considerable decorative value, 
and from this quality being well marked the certificate was awarded 
it as a “decorative variety.” 
Cypripedium purpuratum. —This species has no pretensions to 
be considered a novelty, but it is not very frequently seen, though 
several of the metropolitan nurserymen include it in their collec¬ 
tions, and it is now flowering. A few particulars concerning it 
may not be devoid of interest. It was figured in the “ Botanical 
Register ” in 1837, where it is stated that Mr. Knight of the King’s 
Road, Chelsea, introduced it a year or two previously from the 
Malay Archipelago, though the drawing was prepared from a plant 
in Messrs. Loddiges’ collection. It is of neat habit, the leaves 
pretty, bright green, with spots of a darker shade. The reddish 
scapes are 6 to 8 inches high, each bearing a flower about 3 inches 
in diameter from tip to tip of the petals ; the latter are half an inch 
in diameter, margined with hairs of a purple tint, green at the base, 
with dark spots ; the upper sepal is of medium size, white streaked 
with purple; the lip is rather small, and similar in colour to the 
petals. Though not one of the most handsome of the genus it is 
neat and worth growing. 
Cydonia (Pyrus) japonica alba. —It is not so generally known 
as might be expected that this plant is admirably adapted for 
forcing, though some gardeners value it very highly for that pur¬ 
pose. I recently saw plants of the variety at Messrs. Cutbush and 
Son’s Nursery, Highgate, where they are grown in pots and placed 
in an ordinary forcing house a few weeks before they are required 
in bloom. The flowers are now expanding freely, large, of good 
form, and pure white; the streaks of pink which are seen in the 
flowers of plants grown out of doors are absent, though the exterior 
of the unexpanded buds have a tinge of colour. For yielding a 
supply of flowers at the present season when the demand is so great 
the plant is of considerable utility, and it only requires similar treat¬ 
ment to that afforded the majority of such when forced—namely, a 
soil of rich turfy loam and occasional supplies of liquid manure. 
Rubus australis. —An elegant New Zealand plant rarely seen 
in cultivation except in botanic gardens and a few large collections. 
It is usually regarded more as a curiosity than as a decorative plant; 
but small specimens in pots are very graceful when well grown, and 
are decidedly attractive in a greenhouse or conservatory. Some 
examples in Mr. Cutbush’s nursery show its character admirably, 
and attract much attention from visitors. The peculiarity of the 
species consists in the long slender dark green stems and leafstalks 
and the trifoliate leaves, which are reduced to three linear midribs 
terminating in a small oval leafy expansion. The stems and petioles 
are thickly studded with small white spines, which contrast strangely 
with the prevailing dark green tint of the plant. It has been 
grown out of doors in various positions, but it is not quite hardy, at 
least in the north of Britain, as the late Mr. William Gorrie re¬ 
corded in his pamphlet that both the species and the variety cis- 
soides were killed in the winter of 1879 at Raitt Lodge, Edinburgh. 
Ansellia africana. —One of the most distinct and attractive of 
winter-flowering Orchids, and which during the last few weeks has 
been in fine condition in several metropolitan gardens and nurseries 
and at Kew, where it is remarkably well grown. It produces a 
large branching panicle commonly bearing from two to three dozen 
flowers, but occasionally a considerably greater number, which are 
about 1£ inch in diameter; the petals and sepals being obtusely 
elliptical in form, of a pale yellowish green ground colour, thickly 
marked with large roundish or bar-like blotches of purplish maroon 
or chocolate. The greater portion of the lip is pale yellow, and 
the general appearance of the flower most striking and handsome 
when viewed in front, but they are so twisted or widely spreading 
on the panicle that comparatively few are seen at one time, a cir¬ 
cumstance which slightly detracts from its beauty. It succeeds in 
the East Indian house in pots, and when flowering a cooler posi¬ 
tion may be assigned to it where the blooms will last for many 
weeks. It is a native of the island Fernando Po in the Gulf of 
Guinea; and ene or two varieties are known, that named gigantea 
being the best. A faithful figure of the species appeared in the 
“Botanical Magazine” in 1857, about thirteen years after its in¬ 
troduction.—L. Castle. 
Gishurstine. —Since you published your good opinion of Gis- 
hurstine (page 8) I have received other very good reports. These, 
with those of the leading gardening papers, will shortly be exten¬ 
sively circulated in the gardening world ; but before the power 
of Gishurstine to keep boots dry can be made generally known 
the impending thaw may come, and an excellent opportunity for 
testing a waterproofing material thus be lost. I therefore beg the 
favour of your publishing the accompanying report just received. 
The authority of the writer is so great and the opinion so decided 
that it ought to ensure Gishurstine being fairly tried. I may add, 
that though Gishurstine was originally devised for thick country 
boots it is now used also on ordinary walking boots over upper 
leathers and soles, and even on ladies’ and children's boots, as it 
takes a good polish with blacking. It can be had from any nur¬ 
seryman or seedsman. 
Report from Mr. A. F. Barron, Royal Horticultural Society, 
Chiswick Garden, W., 22nd January, 1880.—“ I write to thank 
you for bringing the Gishurstine under my notice. I have tried 
it myself, and my foremen in the garden have tried it, and found 
it excellent—far superior to anything we have ever used.”— 
T. I. 0. G. C. 
VEGETABLES TRIED AT THE EXPERIMENTAL 
GARDEN AT GIRTFORD. 
(Continued from page 42.) 
Onions .—Of the spring-sown the earliest to bulb and to come 
quickly off the land was the Cracker, an American sort from Mr. 
Jas. J. H. Gregory of Marblehead, U.S. It was a flat bulb with 
sulphur-coloured stem, but does not keep well. The best of all 
the keeping varieties appears to be New Zittau Round Yellow, a 
large handsome somewhat globose variety of the White Spanish 
type, the skin being of a rather redder tint ; it will prove a 
solid and good weighing market Onion. Of autumn-sown sorts 
Trebons was the largest and best ripening, better in both the past 
seasons than Giant Rocca. The earliest was Early White Italian 
Marzajole. 
Peas .—Upwards of one hundred established varieties were 
again tested, and of many of them numerous comparative sowings 
were made. The Earliest of All, a round blue variety, proved 
true to its name, the pods beifig fit to gather three days in 
advance of the best type of Harbinger and a week before Ring¬ 
leader ; the height is 2 feet 6 inches, and in most other respects 
the Earliest of All was much of the character of Ringleader. Of 
all the dwarf varieties Minimum, a very compact-growing early 
white wrinkled variety, is the dwarfest, as it will bear favourable 
comparison with “ Nain tr&s hatif a Chassis ” of the French, 
which is a very dwarf selection of Tom Thumb. Minimum is 
also extremely productive, and this combined with its dwarf habit 
and excellent flavour render it also well adapted for forcing. 
Messrs. Bliss’s American Wonder, which has been tried two 
seasons, is an excellent dwarf variety, having a good deal of the 
character of Little Gem as originally sent out by Mr. Turner. 
In early market varieties Messrs. J. Carter & Co.’s selection from 
William I. proved one of the best, the pods being of a deep green 
colour and coming very true in character, showing the careful 
attention this firm give to such matters. Amongst main crop 
3 feet Peas John Bull, a very large-podded blue wrinkled variety, 
was very conspicuous in many comparative sowings, being un¬ 
approached in size and beauty of pod, fertility, luxuriance, and 
regularity of growth by any other Pea of its class. In tall varieties 
Telephone, which appears to be a well-filled blue-wrinkled Super¬ 
lative, is the finest and best, and if I desired to grow only one tall 
Pea it would be Telephone. 
Potatoes .—The best of all the American, if not the best of all 
recent introductions, is in my opinion Beauty of Hebron. It is 
one of the earliest of the transatlantic sorts, preceding Early 
Rose and producing very large and handsome tubers of superior 
quality, the skin of a paler tint than “the Rose.” It has a mode¬ 
rate top only, and if it were not for the slight tint of skin it would 
command a high price in the market. It was grown at the 
Garden on a considerable scale under parallel circumstances with 
Myatt’s Prolific; and although the market price of Beauty of 
Hebron was considerably less than Myatt’s, the former, from its 
wonderful productiveness, proved the most remunerative. Scotch 
Champion was unsurpassed both in quality and quantity of pro¬ 
duce as a round late variety, and was but slightly diseased. 
Magnum Bonum proved very productive, but in quality it is not 
equal to Champion, and, as previously alluded to, it showed 
disease materially. It is nevertheless a valuable acquisition. 
Rhubarb .—Through the kindness of Mr. Yeitch 1 was enabled 
to try many of the early varieties of Rhubarb, and of these John¬ 
stone’s St. Martin’s was earliest and best in quality, although it 
has the disadvantage of not being so good colour as some of the 
succeeding sorts. Crosses of these, however, raised in the Garden 
inherit the good qualities of St. Martin’s combined with a better 
colour. 
Squashes and Marrows —The best Squash was a green-skinned 
American variety received from the United States, the flesh, how¬ 
ever, being deep yellow, and even in the young state firm and 
rich in flavour, and much superior to the yellow varieties. The 
