November S, U87. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
389 
NORTHERN SHOWS—A CHALLENGE. 
Following closely on the heels of Mr. Molyneux in his tour amongst 
the northern Chrysanthemum growers I found a great deal of interest 
evoked by his notes as published in the Journal. There has been a 
strong rumour that Mr. Molyneux intends to exhibit at Sheffield at the 
forthcoming Show there, and some of the growers have an impression 
that one object in his northern journey was to view the nakedness of the 
land, and to see his chances of success if he ventured so far north as an 
exhibitor, and most growers, both great and small, with whom 1 am 
acquainted would be delighted if Mr. Molyneux would exhibit, say at 
either Hull on the 17th, or Sheffield on the 18th, or Liverpool on the 
29th. In the first place, by so doing Mr. Molyneux would give small 
growers and beginners an opportunity of judging for themselves as to 
the results of his teachings as set forth in his book on *• Chrysanthemum 
Culture,” and in the second place it would probably settle the vexed 
question as to the quality of flowers South v. North, and Mr. Molyneux 
has never yet exhibited in the north he would have the opportunity of 
winning liberal prizes and vindicating his position as champion grower. 
At present the northern growers object to his title as such until he has 
met them and vanquished them on their own ground.—W. D. 
MEASURING BLOOMS. 
I HAVE thought it may interest some of your readers if I were to 
describe a simple inexpensive contrivance we have in use here for 
measuring Chrysanthemum blooms. It consists of a thin deal board 
a foot square, on which is marked consecutive rings a quarter of an inch 
apart, all being drawn from the same point—the centre of the board. 
A slot wide enough to take the flower stems is made to the centre, and 
Fig. 50. 
on the outside of each circle is marked its diameter, which multiplied 
by 3 gives its circumference. A flower any size can thus be measured 
much more correctly and quickly than by any other method that I am 
acquainted with. I send with this a rough sketch of our board, which 
you may reproduce in a reduced form in your pages if you think well 
Our board is 9 inches in diameter.— Thos. Winkworth, 
DEEP CULTIVATION—GAS LIME. 
This subject has been previously so much discussed and approved 
by experienced men, that I am much surprised at the statement made 
by Mr. Iggulden on page 300, that was very ably responded to by your 
correspondent “ A Thinker,” which leaves but a narrow margin for any 
addition to be made, except that the majority of experienced men would 
rather agree with him than with Mr. Iggulden. In my opinion Mr. 
Iggulden’s statements are very misleading, for to obtain such crops with 
so little labour he must be favoured with exceptional advantages. There 
are few, I think, who will dispute the advantages of “ intelligent deep 
cultivation.” Certainly due consideration is required in the practice, and 
a thorough knowledge of the ground to be operated upon is necessary. 
It is not wise (quite the reverse) to bury good soil 2 feet deep, and bring 
to the surface that which is so much inferior. If the subsoil is good and 
has been previously double dug or trenched no harm can be done in 
bringing it to the surface. Much depends upon the nature of the. 
ground to be worked. If very heavy frequent double digging is beneficial, 
but if light this operation need not be so frequently performed. There 
is not so much labour in the operation as many are inclined to think, 
for after a piece of ground has been double dug and exposed to the 
influence of a winter’s frost, it will grow two or three crops without 
being even plainly dug again ; in fact for some crops, such as the 
Brassica tribe, the firmer the ground the better, especially for those 
which are required to stand through the winter. By judicious manage¬ 
ment ground can be beneficially deeply worked without running the 
risk of having “ coarse vegetables.” If ground is in fair order no manure is- 
required for such as Beet, Parsnips, or Carrots. For the latter a good 
dressing of gas lime is most beneficial, especially if it is an old garden, 
and in any ground that is found to contain wireworm gas lime is the. 
best remedy, but should be put into the ground for some time previous 
to sowing or planting—about one bushel to 20 square yards, and worked 
into the ground directly. Great care is necessary in the use of it; if 
used too freely it will destroy the first crop put in. Writing of the use 
of gas lime reminds me of a farm bailiff I knew, who, in preparing some 
ground for the cultivation of roots, Carrots, Mangolds, &c., for exhibition 
purposes, dressed the ground too heavily with gas lime, with the result 
of destroying two sowings of the seeds. I usually manage to have a 
portion of ground double dug every winter, and that portion I generally 
sow with Peas, for no crop I consider pays better for good cultivation 
than Peas. Ground that is deeply worked is much drier than that 
which is not, consequently it is proportionately warmer and better 
suited for the quick growth of vegetables. 
Mr. Iggulden’s personal remark concerning “ A Thinker,” whether 
true or otherwise, is not calculated to be generally interesting to corre¬ 
spondents or readers of the Journal, and the less such remarks are 
indulged in the better, as they can serve no useful purpose, and often 
are mischievous in the end.—W. Simpson, Knomley. 
THE STRUCTURE OF FLOWERS WITH REFERENCE 
TO INSECT AID IN THEIR FERTILISATION. 
(Continued from page 366.) 
The last, but not the least remarkable example of the adaptation of 
Cowers to the visits of insects for the purpose of fertilisation to which I 
will allude is that of the Orchidaceous family of plants. The flowei of the 
Orchis is very abnormal. Its genera vary amazingly in the structure of 
the anther, the column, the lip, and indeed of all parts, but in the con¬ 
solidation of the style and stamen they are all agreed. “ The flowers,” 
to quote the words of an eminent modern botanist, Otto W. Thome, 
“ are rarely solitary, usually in spikes, racemes, or panicles ; and the 
superior perianth consists of two whorls, each of three leaves. Of these, 
the inner whorl is always irregular, and often has a spuired lip or 
labellum, the remaining five leaves of the perianth forming together the 
galea or helmet. The stamens are united with the style into a fleshy 
column or gynostemium, upon which the anthers are so placed as to 
stand above the stigma, which is but little developed, and consists- 
usually of a large viscid surface. Of the six stamens which are probably 
originally present, only one, L ss often two, attain perfect deve¬ 
lopment. When only one is thus developed, it is always opposite the 
labellum ; but when two, then one is on each side of the gynostemium^ 
Only a few Orchids have the pollen grains perfectly distinct; usually 
they are united together in fours, and thes=! again into granular masses ; 
or the grains are combined by a viscid fluid into a club-shaped mass or 
pollinium within each anther lobe. The two pollinia terminate at their 
lower end in a pedicel consisting of the dried-up viscid substance, con¬ 
nected together by a viscid gland or rostellum, as in the Bee Orchis, or 
distinct, as in Orchis morio.” 
If we dissect a flower of the early purple Orchis, we shall find that 
the stigma is bilobed, and consists of two almost confluent stigmas. It 
lies under the pouch-formed rostellum. The anther consists of two- 
rather widely separated cells, which arc longitudinally open in front: 
each cell includes a pollen mass or pollinium. The pollinium consists 
of a number of wedge-shaped packets of pollen grains united together 
■ by exceedingly elastic thin threads. Below the pollen mass is the elastic 
caudicle. The end of the caudicle is firmly attached to a viscid button¬ 
shaped disc. Each pollinium has its separate disc, which has a ball of 
viscid matter at its under side. The rostellum lies immediately below, 
and the balls of viscid matter lie concealed within it. Let me now try 
to explain how this mechanism accs. Suppose an insect, say a bee in. 
search of honey, to alight on the labellum, which forms a good landing 
stage, and to push its head into the chamber, at the back of which 
lies the stigma, in order to reach with its proboscis the end of the 
nectary, or what does quite as well to show the action, push a sharply 
pointed lead pencil into the nectary. Owing to the projection of the. 
pouch-formed rostellum, it is almost impossible to push an object into 
the gangway of the nectary without touching the rostellum. When 
this is effected one or both of the viscid balls will almost invariably 
touch the intruding body. These balls are so viscid that they stick 
firmly to whatever they touch, and the viscid matter sets hard and dry 
like cement within a minute or so. As the anther cells are now open in. 
front, when the insect withdraws its head, or when the pencil is with¬ 
drawn, one or both pollinia will be withdrawn firmly attached to the- 
object, sticking up like horns. The firmness of the cement is necessary, 
for if the pollinia were to fall sideways or backwards they would never 
fertilise the flower. Now let us suppose the ins ct to fly to another 
flower, or insert the pencil with the pollinium attached into another 
