March 15. i«»3. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 221 
- inches long, white, with a reddish tinge, and large bright scarlet 
corollas ; the petals rounded and closely imbricated. 
Scientific Committee. —Sir J. D. Hooker in the chair. 
Titlipa Chisiana. —Dr. M. Foster made some remarks on the east¬ 
ward extension of this species, stating that it had been found in 
South Persia, further east than had been recorded. 
Lachenalia Nel&oni. —He also exhibited flowering spikes of a Lache- 
nalia named aurea x rosea, which appeared to be the same as 
L. Nelsoni. It had a red rim to the edges of the petals, and some 
features resembling L. tricolor. What “rosea” referred to appeared 
doubtful. ^ 
Frost at Lamorran.— The Hon. and Rev. J. T. Boscawen stated that 
the frost last Friday was 12° Fahr. in a valley, the thermometer being 
on the ground and fully exposed. It was 10° of frost less on the 
higher and more open country. Mr. Loder said he had recorded — 3° 
on the same night at Weedon, at an altitude of 300 feet above the 
sea. 
. Potato Disease. —Dr. Masters read a portion of a paper on this sub¬ 
ject forwarded to him by Mr. A. Stephen Wilson, and having special 
reference to the “sclerotia” which Mr. Wilson had discovered in 
nearly all the organs of the adult plant as well as in the seedlings 
and tubers. The sclerotia are supposed to germinate and lie in a 
state of incubation in the haulm ; ultimately they give rise to the 
conidial threads. The conidia form according to circumstances either 
(1) zoospora, (2) plasm granules, or (3) secondary conidia. These 
are succeeded by oospores and a non-parasitic mycelium, from which 
latter, as it creeps through the soil, are thrown out “ floats ” and 
specks of the seminal plasm. The seed tuber comes into contact with 
the plasm in the soil, it is absorbed and becomes developed in the 
shape of sclerotia, and thus the life cycle is completed. From the 
tuber or seed to the conidia is the parasitic arc; from the conidia to 
the tuber is the non-parasitic arc. The author illustrates his position 
by what happens in the case of cereals, wherein the plasm, say of 
must or rust, is absorbed by the cells of the scutellum or cotyledon, 
passes through a period of gestation, and then germinates. Mr. G. 
Murray observed that a microscopical examination of certain speci¬ 
mens did not clearly reveal any organic connection between the 
sclerotia and the Peronospora mycelium, and he thought that possibly 
they might prove to be glandular bodies of some kind belonging to 
the Potato itself. Moreover, they could not be true sclerotia in the 
fungoid sense, as the latter are a compact mycelium. 
Plants Exhibited.—A hybrid between Carica cundinamarcensis 
and C. erythrocarpa. Fruit and foliage of this plant were brought by 
Mr. Green, gardener to Sir G. Macleay. He observes that the fruit of 
this species is borne all the way down the stem, and is much smaller 
than that of C. Papaya, the “ Papavv tree ” of tropical America, which 
is borne in a cluster at the summit of the tree. The fruit was devoid 
of seeds. 
Retinospo r a pisifera and It. plumosa. —Mr. Noble contributed a 
specimen showing the foliage of these two supposed species on one 
and the same plant. 
Juniperus chinensis. —Mr. Noble also sent a male spray taken from 
a female tree, growing from an altitude of 14 feet from the base of 
the latter kind. 
Garrya elliptica grafted on Aucuba japonica. —He also sent a young 
plant showing the two together. Mr. Henslow remarked how this 
was an instance where physiological affinity corroborated morpho¬ 
logical, in that while Endlicher placed Garrya between the Hop and 
Plane tree, Bentham and Hooker assigned its position next to Aucuba ; 
but the discovery of its power of grafting on Aucuba was a purely 
accidental attempt by a gardener in Mr. Veitch’s nurseries. 
Primula “ Miss Eckford,” exhibited by the gardener of Dr. Sankey 
of Shrewsbury, was a curious instance of an attempt at dialysis 
of the petals, which were very deeply cleft, somewhat in imitation of 
the Ragged Rubin ( Lychnis Flos-cuculi). 
Primula sinensis, Seedling.—A supposed hybrid between Auricula 
and Primula was sent by Mr. Roberts of Rose Hill House, Ipswich. 
The pedicels and calyx were of a pinkish hue, the corollas white, but 
with no trace of “ mealiness,” the foliage closely resembling an 
ordinary P. sinensis. 
Primula denticulata. —Six very fine varieties of this species from 
Nepaul were sent by Mr. J. T. D. Llewelyn.—(Hot. Mag. 3951)) 
Phajus maculatus. —Mr. Boscawen exhibited a fine spike of this 
Orchid, which he described as being nearly hardy. 
Lectuue. —Dr. M. T. Masters in the chair. Mr. Henslow first 
called attention to a fine collection of Primulas of the Polyanthus 
type exhibited by Mr. Waterer, as well as a collection of finely 
flowered double white ones by Mr. Cannell, and a series of six varie¬ 
ties of the Nepaul Primrose sent by Mr. Llewelyn. It was at one 
time thought that the common Primrose, which has given rise to so 
many excellent types under cultivation, was the same species as the 
Cowslip, the probable origin of all our older Polyanthuses, and that 
the Oxlip is a hybrid between them ; but Mr. Darwin was inclined to 
think them distinct, as their habit of growth and time of flowering 
do not agree, as well as that they differ in the details of their flowers. 
The fine Polyanthus forms exhibited by Messrs. Waterer, Dean, Ac., 
however, all result from various crossings of Primula vulgaris (the 
Primrose), the usual flowers of which—though apparently growing 
singly from the rootstock—really rise from an abbreviated peduncle, 
which elongates under cultivation. The P. nepalensis is very like 
our English P. farinosa of Yorkshire, and this again closely re¬ 
sembles P. magellanica of the extreme point of South America. It 
was originally introduced by Mr. Veitch, and is figured in the 
“Botanical Magazine” for 1842, plate 3959. The double forms of 
Primula are acquired in the usual way of conversion of stamens into 
petals ; but the specimem showed a tendency to “ dialysis,” or sepa¬ 
ration of its petals. This is not unknown to take place in Campa¬ 
nulas, Convolvulus. He then compared this process of “doubling” 
with the hose-in-hose variety of Azalea, the normal condition of 
Canna with several stamens more or less “ petaloid,” and Cineraria, 
where the result arose from the change of form of tubular flowers 
into strap-shaped. 
Sisymbrium millefolium , a European species with finely divided 
leaves, suggested remarks upon an allied species, S. Irio, or London 
Rocket, which appeared suddenly after the burning of London, and in 
the Oxford Botanic Garden after burning weeds, Ac. It was suggested 
by Dr. M. T. Masters that it might be specially due to the increase of 
the quantity of potash and other salts, which stimulated the dormant 
seeds into life, similar results arising after burning forests in America. 
Lilacs. —Mr. Henslow alluded to the practice of forcing coloured 
Lilacs in the dark to develope udiite-flowered sprays, and remarked on 
M. Bert’s experiments with plants grown in high latitudes, and which 
bore more brilliantly coloured flowers than when grown in the neigh¬ 
bourhood of Paris, the colour not depending directly on light, but on 
the supply of nutriment supplied by means of the foliage. Hence 
Hyacinths and Crocuses will bear blossoms of their normal colour in 
the dark, but the Lilac, not having sufficient nutriment in store, cannot 
perfect the colour when forced in the dark. 
Mr. Henslow described the Juniperus and Retinospora mentioned 
in the report of the Scientific Committee, while Dr. Masters added 
the observation that the spinescent form of foliage represented the 
young state, while the adpressed foliage was characteristic of the 
adult condition. There was a difference, the microscopical structure 
of the foliage corresponding with their form, and which seem corre¬ 
lated to a corresponding difference in the vigour of growth. 
jjr 
tip- 
fry 
i '* \P.g 
WORK .FOffTHE W E E'K,.' 
By the most skilful Cultivators in the several Departments .] 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Early Potatoes when producing their shoots above the ground 
they should be covered lightly with soil. This is a good way to 
protect them, as where there is a large quarter covering with 
branches is not practicable. Teas should be earthed up and 
staked as soon as they are well above ground. Main-crop kinds 
for June and July should be sown at once. A deep soil and 
plenty of manure will assist them to withstand the drought and 
prolong their time of bearing. Broad Beans should be earthed 
up, and the main crop of these may also be sown. Large pods for 
exhibition are not to be obtained from crowded plants, but to 
have the pods 12 inches loDg the plants should be grown singly, 
or not closer than 3 feet apart. 
The earthing of autumn-sown Cabbages should now be com¬ 
pleted. Many do their best to have “new Cabbage ” by Easter, 
but general crops will hardly be in by that time this spring. 
Backward plants, however, may be brought rapidly forward by 
shaking a small handful of nitrate of soda around the stem of 
each. This is a quick-working stimulant for all vegetables. 
Radish seed should be sown fortnightly in small quantities. Small 
seeds generally may now be sown. Good soil and a sunny 
sheltered spot has advantages for them at all seasons. 
In February last the ordinary seed-sowing was so retarded that 
we had two or three dozen protectors made in the form of small 
boxes 18 inches square, fi inches deep, and without top or bottom. 
These were placed between the Potato mounds at the bottom of a 
south wall, and after placing fine dry soil in them to the depth of 
3 inches, we sowed our Lettuce, Cauliflower, Leek, Parsley, and 
other seeds in them with good results, as we never had a finer lot 
of young plants at this season than we have now in these little 
cheap protectors. Besides affording shelter to the young plants 
they proved a barrier to the slugs and snails. Now we are sowing 
again in these boxes, and the plan might be generally practised 
with advantage in the spring months. 
All Broccolis, Brussels Sprouts, Savoys, &c., should be cleared 
off the ground as soon as they cease to be of use. Manure or 
lime the ground according to requirements, and dig and plant 
with Potatoes. Having the rows 3 feet apart, and filling up 
between them by-and-by with autumn or winter greens, is 
