JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
490 
[ June 16, 1881, 
Some were collected at an elevation of 10,000 feet. Many appear to 
be new to cultivation. He measured plants of Echinocereus pbceni- 
ceus 13 feet in circumference ! A vote of thanks was given unani¬ 
mously to Mr. Loder for the exhibition of his interesting collection. 
Lecture.— The Rev. G. Henslow commenced his lecture by describ¬ 
ing the carnivorous habits of Sarracenia, a hybrid plant having been 
exhibited by Mr. Yeitch. He alluded to the different kinds, such as 
S. purpurea and S. flava with opened mouths, and S. variolaris with a 
closed one, thus excluding the rain which is caught in the others. 
The surface of the lid and lip is covered with honey glands, which 
attract insects, and apparently stupify them, so that on crawling 
inwards over the deflexed spines on the surface they get detained by 
the long needle-like processes below. Though the circumstances under 
which a digestive fluid is secreted is not thoroughly known, there is 
but little doubt the carnivorous habit benefits the plant in the same 
way as it does our English Sundew. A fine blue Hydrangea Mariesii 
from Japan was commented upon, the lecturer remarking that the 
Hydrangeas of Jersey are almost invariably blue, but the cause had 
not been definitely found out. The origin of the large neuter blossom 
was explained, one of the natural forms being exhibited where the 
central flowers are minute and perfect, but those on the circumference 
of the bunch are neuter, being composed of an enlarged calyx, the 
fli wer remaining abortive within. Some Cactuses were alluded to as 
interesting as being perfectly hardy rock plants from Colorado, some 
from an elevation of 10,000 feet. They w T ere shown by the collector, 
Mr. E. Giles Loder of Weedon, Northamptonshire. Double Peeonies 
and Ranunculus furnished remarks on the various methods of pro¬ 
ducing double flowers. In one Paeony there was a repetition of corolla 
and stamen twice over, no pistil being in the centre. In another the 
carpels and stamens were all changed into petals, but they had 
assumed different forms lespectively. Iris, Gladiolus, Sparaxis, and 
Ixia illustrated the family Irideae, a fine group of which was exhibited 
by Messrs. Barr it Sugden. The lecturer described the various pro¬ 
cesses of fertilisation, showing how different they were in each case, 
yet all belonged botanically to one and the same family. 
AQUILEGIA STUARTII. 
A short time ago a flower of this Aquilegia was submitted to us 
by the raiser, Dr. Stuart, of Hillside, Chirnside, N.B., for our opinion 
relative to the merits of the variety. As it is one of the finest, if 
not the very finest, of the Columbines with which we are acquainted, 
we decided to have it engraved. The figure on page 489 shows 
the character of the flower and its striking contrast in colour ; 
but the richness of the sepals and the purity of the tubular petals 
must be seen to be appreciated, the former being a rich violet 
blue with a satiny gloss, and the latter ivory white with deep 
coerulean blotches. This beautiful variety is the result of a cross 
between A. glandulosa and A. Witmanniana, the latter being the 
pollen-bearer. It was exhibited on the 25th ult. at a meeting of 
the Berwickshire Naturalists’ Club, when it was named by Pro¬ 
fessor Balfour of the Edinburgh University. Dr. Stuart informs 
us that the “ batch of seedlings have flowered in the open air, and 
were exposed to the extreme temperatures we experienced in this 
region during the winter without any protection whatever. Every 
one acquainted with Aquilegia glandulosa (true) knows what a 
shy flowerer it is. On about a dozen plants of this hybrid I 
counted one hundred blooms in good order at one time. It is of 
a darker blue in colour than A. glandulosa, and the individual 
blooms are of larger size. The foliage resembles the parent. I con¬ 
sider it a refined and at the same time a robust and free-flowering 
variety of Aquilegia glandulosa, and as such an acquisition as a 
hardy herbaceous plant.” We congratulate Dr. Stuart on having 
been successful in adding such a handsome variety to a fine old 
genus of border flowers. 
NOTES ON POTTING PLANTS. 
One of the most important operations connected with plant¬ 
growing, and which unfortunately is often unskilfully performed, 
is potting plants. Amateurs may glean from calendars of opera¬ 
tions when and what to pot afresh, but it is difficult to convey in 
a few words exactly how the work should be done in all cases. 
Very few kinds of plants are identical in their requirements, and 
it is for the wmnt of this knowledge of what should be done that 
proves fatal to many much-loved plants. Cultivators, especially 
those living in towns, are generally at a great disadvantage with 
regard to suitable composts. We may recommend turfy loam, 
peat, and other special soils, but the question is, Where are they 
to be obtained ? The former is not always to be had at a reason¬ 
able price ; but the latter, and which for a few kinds of plants is 
indispensable, can certainly be bought in small quantities and of 
good quality. Those who have spent considerable sums of money 
on Ericas, Epacrises, Azaleas, Bouvardias, Camellias, and other 
hardwooded plants must not begrudge a small sum for suitable 
soils for them. To attempt to grow them in soil consisting prin¬ 
cipally of loam, perhaps fibreless and having previously been used 
in hotbeds, will only end in the loss of the plants. Any of the 
free-growing softwooded kinds of Heaths and the varieties of 
Epacris that have been cut back and are now breaking afresh, 
should, unless repotted last season, be shifted. Suitable soil con¬ 
sists of two parts good peat, one part each of fibrous loam and 
sifted leaf soil, with a liberal addition of sharp sand and charcoal. 
As small shifts only must be given, the soil should be broken up 
somewhat finely, and it ought not to be either very dry or very 
wet; the pots used to be perfectly clean and drained carefully, 
commencing with a large corner piece of potsherd, surrounding 
this with other large pieces, covering these with much finer pieces, 
and placing over them a thin layer of moss. Should the soil of 
the plants to be potted be in a sweet condition and therefore full 
of healthy roots, the ball ought to remain intact with the excep¬ 
tion of the removal of old drainage, and be transferred to a pot 
of a size to admit of no more than an inch of fresh soil all round. 
Before potting carefully remove with a pointed stick any sour 
soil on the surface of the balls, then place a little of the roughest 
soil on the drainage, next more soil, which, when firmly rammed, 
will raise the ball to near the rim of the pot. Gradually fill-in 
the soil, rendering it firm with a stick, finishing off neatly to 
within the depth of the rim of the pot. 
Azaleas are now growing freely, and as the roots also are com¬ 
mencing active growth, now is the time to shift such as may 
require it. Large specimens are not repotted often, but young 
healthy plants should be shifted at least every two years, and 
what has been recommended for the Heaths and Epacrises is 
equally applicable to Azaleas. All will be materially assisted if 
placed after repotting in a slightly increased temperature, say in 
a vinery that is being closed early and syringed freely. Probably 
in amateurs’ gardens there are more sickly than healthy Camellias 
and Azaleas, the cause of which may generally be traced to the 
bad root-action, this being the result of either unsuitable soil, 
defective drainage, excessive waterings, or all combined. Where 
the balls are found to be in this unsatisfactory state, on no 
account shift into larger pots, but carefully pick away the sour 
inert soil (usually that last given), trim off the dead roots, and 
repot the reduced ball into as small a pot as can be used. By 
these means only can such plants be restored to health, and there 
are many other kinds often to be met with that might with ad¬ 
vantage be treated similarly. Camellias when in a healthy state 
are most safely repotted after the new growth is matured and the 
buds set. Being coarser-rooted, rougher compost should be em¬ 
ployed. A rather larger pot may be employed, and the soil will 
not require to be made as firm as in the case of the finer-rooted 
plants. No particular compost is absolutely necessary for Camellias, 
but the less fibre the soil contains the greater is the need for 
liberal drainage and the addition of lumps of charcoal, or, as a 
substitute, broken potsherds, in order to keep the soil porous. A 
very suitable compost consists of equal parts fibrous loam and 
peat, with a slight addition of sifted decomposed manure and 
sharp sand. If really good fibrous loam is available peat may be 
dispensed with, employing three parts of loam to one of good leaf 
soil, with a small quantity of fine manure and sand or road grit. 
Camellias may even be grown in fine loam and leaf soil in equal 
parts, but much care must be taken with the drainage, covering 
the crocks with moss. The latter may also be used for the other 
soils, but in those cases some of the roughest of the soil is first 
placed over the drainage, and this tends to keep it clear. It must 
be added, how'ever, that loam which contains lime is not suited 
for Camellias. 
A mixture of two parts loam to one of leaf soil, with a small 
quantity of manure and either sand or road grit, is suitable for 
Balsams, Fuchsias, Chrysanthemums, Carnations, Tuberous-rooted 
Begonias. Salvias, Cinerarias, Roses, Pelargoniums, Petunias, and 
other common plants. As the majority of the foregoing are 
coarse-rooted the more fibrous the loam the better, and it should be 
broken up roughly. Balsams now growing in 3-inch pots may 
be transferred into 8-inch or 10-inch pots ; Chrysanthemums 
may be shifted from 4-inch pots into 10-inch or larger for flower¬ 
ing ; Carnations from 3-inch into 9 or 10-inch pots ; Tuberous- 
rooted Begonias (strong roots) from 5-inch into 10-inch pots ; 
Begonia weltoniensis from 3-inch into 6-inch or 8-inch pots; 
Salvias from 4-inch pots or larger into 10-inch pots ; Cinerarias 
from 3-inch into C-inch or 8-inch pots ; Roses (spring-struck) 
from 4-inch into 9-inch pots ; Pelargoniums and Petunias from 
4-inch into 8-inch pots. These shifts may appear excessive, but 
if the after-treatment given be right, the results will be satis¬ 
factory and labour will be economised. 
No plant should be repotted with the soil in a dry state, and 
