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146 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ August 12 , i 860 . 
armour is unsuited for carrying pollen. But even if it could carry 
away a few grains of pollen on coming out of the flower, what a 
journey it would have to take before it could reach a Snapdragon on 
the other side of the garden, or on another flower bed—what sandy 
deserts of gravel walks, what forests of Box edgings it would have to 
traverse, with little chance that the few pollen grains would hold on 
to their resting places ! To the bee the journey is a small affair—the 
work of a few seconds. Gently press the sides of a Snapdragon 
flower and its mouth will open like that of a nestling bird. You may 
see the pistil, but may find no grains of pollen on it. Yery soon 
after it is fertilised the flower loses its springiness, and the mouth is 
no longer shut. Ants may now enter and feed on the nectar that is 
left. The plant has no longer any interest in keeping them out. 
The petals of the plant known 
as Love in a Mist,Nigella (fig. 32) 
develope a ladel-shaped nectary 
with a lid which small insects 
cannot raise ; but the hive bee 
lifts the lid with great ease. 
Fig. 32.—Petal of Nigella. The Calceolaria hides its nec¬ 
tar on the lappet of the slipper, 
which is turned in so as not to be seen from the outside. It is almost 
impossible for a creeping ant to reach the nectar ; but the bee settles 
on the toe of the slipper, bears it down by its weight, and looses a 
pair of springs, which turn up the lappet with its nectar. What the 
bee does may be imagined; but it is far better when the time comes 
that it shouid be observed. 
The protective value of prickles against intruders attempting to 
climb to the flower from the ground is too obvious to require much 
explanation. The flower head of the Carline Thistle and a few bracts 
from the involucre of the Corn Blue-bottle will serve to show how 
very decidedly Nature can give notice to a snail creeping up the 
stem—no road this way. Well, you see, we are observing the results 
of long ages of development, wherein mutual relations between 
animals and plants have been established ; and now they are at least 
to some extent effectual. 
Thorns, which are modified twigs, serve to protect the whole plant 
rather than the flower ; yet the hedges in May owe their snowy 
honours to a plant selected, not for its beauty or its sweet perfume, 
but because of its strong and sharp spines. The thorns of some 
tropical plants are fearful weapons, and Mr. Belt mentions a double 
capacity in which the thorns of the Bull's-horn Acacia (fig. 33) defend 
the plant on which they grow. When young the interior of the thorn 
is filled with a sweet pulp, on which a very warlike ant, called the 
Two-coloured ant, loves to feed, making a hole for that purpose near 
the point of the thorn, which does not seem to be put to any incon¬ 
venience by the loss of its inside. The Two-coloured ants use the 
hollowed thorns for habitations, laying their eggs and bringing up 
their young in them. If a branch of the tree be shaken the ants 
swarm out from the hollow thorns in myriads, and as they both bite 
and sting severely no animal ventures to browse upon the branches ; 
and a much more dangerous enemy, the Leaf-cutting ant, is never 
known to strip of its foliage a tree thus defended. The grateful tree 
in return for protection produces on its leaves little cups of honey, of 
which the ants are very fond ; and for their more solid food each 
leaf bears appendages, which under the microscope look like golden 
Pears. The ants visit these from time to time, and when the little 
Pears are ripe the ants nip them off by their stalks and carry them 
away to their nests. 
Viscid Stems and Leaves .—Many common plants are distinguished 
by such names as glutinosa, or viscosa, referring to the sticky sur¬ 
faces of their leaves or stems, which serve to protect the flowers from 
the visits of woodlice, plantlice, earwigs, and other creeping things. 
The Common Butterwort, Pinguicula, has its leaves in such a 
slimy condition that few insects are able to creep over them, yet it 
is not to be reckoned amongst the carnivorous plants. Beautiful 
diatoms have been found in its slime, apparently m a thriving 
condition. 
A very curious modification of this kind of defence is found in 
plants which secrete a milky juice in little delicate capsules just 
beneath the outermost skin of the flower stem. A species of Lettuce 
is an example. The ant is able to creep up the lower part of the 
stem without hindrance, but as soon as it approaches the flower the 
sharp booklets of its feet pierce the little milk-bladders, and are soon 
clogged with the white fluid, which, on exposure to the air, becomes 
like birdlime. The poor insect, in sad trouble, passes its feet 
through its jaws to get rid of the sticky juice, but this only makes 
matters worse ; the jaws become clogged, and at every struggle the 
claws make fresh orifices through which the milk oozes, the result 
being almost always fatal to the ant. 
(To be continued.) 
THE KNOWFIELD NURSERIES, CARLISLE. 
The Knowfield Nurseries, of the firm of Little & Ballantyne, 
are only a short distance from the now crowded town of Carlisle, 
and the route to them is very picturesque. Although the firm is 
carried on under the above title the only proprietor of the nursery, 
which has been established about eighty years, now is Mr. Watt. 
Mr. Baxter Smith was formerly a part proprietor, and his exten¬ 
sive experience was of great value to the firm, and the nursery 
became one of the most noted of provincial establishments. The 
entrance to the nursery is very imposing. The drive from the 
entrance, a quarter of a mile long, is quite straight, and for 
several years it has been a great object of this firm to render this 
drive as attractive as possible, and hence the side borders are 
planted with much taste with Conifers in great variety and of 
dwarf habit. Thujas, Retinosporas, Junipers, and Hollies in choice 
varieties are planted in panels, and the effect is unique. The 
lesson to be learnt by the visitor cannot but be useful, for he is at 
once impressed with the great value of such plants as are artisti¬ 
cally disposed in this splendid drive. 
At equi-distances in this drive are openings through which the 
visitor can inspect the several quarters devoted to the rearing of 
the shrubs, fruit, forest trees, Roses, See., which are grown in 
immense numbers. The glass department is situated at the top 
of the drive, and consists of many houses filled with Vines in 
pots, and an excellent selection of choice fine-foliaged and 
flowering plants. Yery noticeable were Camellias, Begonias, 
Gloxinias, and Pelargoniums in choice varieties ; also Orchids, 
Ferns, new Dracmnas, and Crotons, all bright and healthy. The 
plant department is altogether very satisfactory, and Mr. Watt 
intends to still further improve and develope it. There were also 
several houses devoted to Roses and Clematises. The propagating 
houses are very numerous, they are all small span-roofed. Roses, 
Conifers, Rhododendrons, Clematises are budded or grafted in 
these structures and then transferred to the frame ground, which 
is about an acre in extent. 
The alpine and herbaceous department, which is ensconsed behind 
tall Beech hedges, and is very complete. Anemones, Hepaticas, 
Pyrethrums, perennial Lobelias, Aquilegias, Anthericums, Cypri- 
pediums, Delphiniums in great variety, including D. nudicaule, 
with its charming orange-red flowers ; Funkias, Geums, Helian- 
themums, (Enotheras, and numerous varieties of hardy Orchises, 
Phloxes, Potentillas, Primulas in twenty-six hardy species and 
varieties, and Saxifrages. Scrophularia nodosa variegata was very 
fine ; it is finely variegated with white and blotched with green, is 
perfectly hardy, and invaluable for either spring or summer arrange¬ 
ments. * Another plant we must not omit to mention—viz., Lamium 
aureum, with beautiful golden yellow leaves streaked with silvery 
white', and as dwarf as the Golden Feather. Well represented 
also are hardy bulbs, ornamental Grasses, Bamboos, hardy aquatic 
and bog plants ; of the latter we observed Aponogeton distachyon, 
which flowers nearly the whole of the year. Dahlias and other 
florists’ flowers are also grown very extensively. 
Near to the manager’s house, Mr. Greggs, is the original speci¬ 
men of the copper-coloured Oak, Quercus pedunculata nigra, 
raised here some thirty years since. It is surprising that this fine 
tree has not been more extensively planted. Its small dark 
serrated leaves would associate well with most deciduous trees 
and be of service to the landscape artist. In traversing over 
nearly 130 acres the visitor cannot fail to be struck with the ex¬ 
tensive “ breaks ” devoted to forest trees, fruit trees, Coniferse, Roses, 
■which owing to the elevated position of the nurseries and their 
northern locale, assume a sturdy hardy character, and are avail¬ 
able for planting in bleak or cold districts. The Corsican Pine 
is grown in thousands, there being an increasing demand for 
planting forests and woods owing to its quick growth, and also 
from the fact that ground game seldom touch its bark. Abies 
Douglasi is also largely represented ; it has been found valuable 
for planting in sheltered places where Larch does not succeed. Of 
the latter the stock is very large, and has been mostly raised from 
seed collected from healthy trees grown in high altitudes in Scot¬ 
land, and from Tyrolese seed. 
