408 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COJIAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 5, 1885. 
cf a sober dark hue. Here let us notice the wonderful contrast the Ash 
affords. Its leaves have the bright glaucous green tint which they have 
at the height of summer. No tints are to be seen herp, and my experience 
Leads me to believe that the Ash leaves change less than any others. 
As we walk along we see, however, most glorious coloured leaves hung 
with the blackest of fruit. The common Blackberry now is almost as 
deep coloured as the Virginia Creeper. It is a most lovely object, though 
the fruit, luscious a9 it looks, is almost worthless. There is an old saying 
that the Blackberries are never worth eating after Michaelmas Day. As 
all these sayings refer to the old reckoning on old Christmas and old 
Michaelmas, we must add on twelve days to our calendar, and so old 
Michaelmas means the 11th of October. After my work was over on old 
Michaelmas Day, which was a Sunday this year, I went through our 
wood with members of my family better able to judge on such matters, 
and they all agreed that the Blackberries were flavourless and sour, but 
the leaves are now most lovely. Soon we came to the Mountain Asb, 
already bearing scarlet berries. Even the Holly is now covered with red 
berries, reminding one of the old saying, that when the Holly has many 
berries we are sure to have a hard winter, but this I have disproved for 
many years. But what a walk it is! and how quiet and peaceful Nature 
is this afternoon ! As we left our house the wind seemed high and felt 
col l, but here it is quite still. No branch moves, scarcely a leaf flutters 
Nature’s work is done, calm decay awaits her. Already signs show that 
this has commenced, but meanwhile 'he rests : a hu?h is over the woods, 
the birds are quiet, no sound of music steals through the Oaks. Now and 
then a wood pigeon the shyest bird I know, breaks out from its roosting 
tree with a loud noise, but only flies to another part of the wood, and no 
small birds are to be seen. 
Rabbits, however are here scuttling about as they are disturbed by 
our footsteps, but they make not the slightest noise. All speaks of peace 
and repose. But soon as we near the end of our walk we hear the music 
of the little brook that rises in our wood. And here all along the walk 
are the glorious Ferns, the common bracken. Ah I no mistake about the 
season here, the bracken fronds are quite brown and almost dead. Nothing 
shows the close of summer more plainly than the common bracken. And, 
alas 1 something else shows it in a very unmistakeable way ; it is not yet 
six, and already the shades of evening are gathering fast. The dew is 
rising, the air is damp, the sun bas set, and we conclude our walk in the 
lovely twilight.— Monkton Wyld. 
NOTES ON THE PLANT STOVE. 
The dull time of year is now rapidly advancing, when great care will 
have to be exercised in the plant stove. No more potting should be done 
then is absolutely necessary. Alocasias cannot be increased too much, as 
nearly all are well worth growing. Alocasia Thibautiana makes a line 
plant for exhibition, but it gets rather tall. In such cases get some 
sphagnum moss and tie it neatly round the stem, so as to encourage it to 
throw out roots. Syringing may be carried on at present, but on dull 
days it will be better to do so only in the morning. The sponge will be 
needed more than the syringe now. Alocasias and Anthuriums should be 
sponged about every three weeks. Three or four of the best foliage 
Anthuriums are A. crystallinum, A. Browni, A. Veitchi, and A. Waroc- 
queanum. 
Achimenes and Gloxinias must be stored away in a warm dry place until 
the time for starting them into growth again. Asparagus plumosus nanus 
is very apt to get infested with a very small white scale, but syringing 
with petroleum and water will soon destroy it. Caladium argyrites is one 
of the best plants for decoration either for the plant stove or for table 
decoration, and where there is a stock of bulbs they can be kept growing 
all the year round. A good companion for C. argyrites is C. minus 
■erubescens. 
Calantbe vestita is now pushing up its flower spikes ; a few of them 
should be placed in more heat so as to force them into flower earlier. A 
good plan (where there is a lot of Maidenhair Fern grown) is to place one 
psuedo-bulb in a 48-s : zed pot, so that when they are in flower the pot can 
be put underneath the Fern with the flower spike drooping out over it; 
this has a very pleasing effect. 
Crotons may still be kept well syringed twice a day, and about once a 
fortnight with a mixture of petroleum and water. If so treated there 
need be no fear of thrips, nor yet of the small scale which infests Crotons 
when they are not. doing well. Curculigo recurvata variegata will be 
useful during the winter; it will grow well in either stove or intermediate 
house ; it is increased by suckers. Sponge Dracrenas, chiefly on account 
of water getting into the axil of the leaf, which will soon cause them to 
decay off. Dieffenbachia and Ixoras are much infested with insects, the 
former being subject to green fly and the latter to both fly and thrips. It 
is better not to fumigate if there are any Orchids in‘the same house, 
as tobacco smoke is very injurious to the foliage of some Orchids. Fit- 
tonias, Panicum variegatum, Peperomia, Phyllotmnium Lindeni, Sonerila, 
and Tradescantia should be increased as much as possible, for if only in 
small pots almost any variegation looks pleasing in the winter. Also any 
small suckers of Pandanus taken off now and inserted in the propagating 
frame will make good plants by next summer.—A Worker. ° 
IN THE VALLEY OF THE WILBERFORCE. 
Under the above title Mr. F. N. Adams sends us an article describing a 
botanical visit recently paid to that district of New Zealand in company 
with Messrs. Brown and Arnold, and from this we take the following 
extracts. The article appears in extenso in the New Zealand Country 
Journal for September. 
“We made an early start next morning, passed the swamp fed by Lake 
Georgina, whieh lies in the hollow between Mt. Barker and a hill'on the 
right, Craigieburn range in the distance. The river Ryton comes next, some 
100 feet bel >w ; travelling downhill being a welcome change from the pre¬ 
vious uphill work. This river draining the spurs of the Craigieburn range 
was very low, but in spring it would be hard to cross even on horseback. 
To the left was the carriage road range, hiding the ‘ gloomy Lake of 
Coleridge,’ but we caught an occasional glimpse of the water through the 
spurs. Swamp hens were numerous in the boggy ground, and we saw Paradise 
ducks on Lake Selfe, which is about three-quarters of a mile long by one 
and a half wide. The lake has a grand natural background—the snow- 
covered peak of Mt. Gargarus in the distance ; in front, tussock-clad hills 
with a fringe of bush, principally Fagus, Veronica, Olearia, Cassinia, bare 
rocks and jagged peaks jutting up here and there. When we arrived at the 
Harper it was in slight flood, one branch being 2 feet deep. Stayed at 
Fisher’s whare all night in company with Mr. King, who had helped us 
across the Harper, The weather looked threatening Dext morning, and we 
crossed the first branch of the Wilberforce in the teeth of a nor’-wester. 
The road on the island is very rough travelling over stones and tussock; 
posts mark the route to the Government hut, where we made a short halt 
for refreshment. After leaving the hut we had a few miles of shingle, then 
the main branch of the Wilberforce and several small streams to negotiate' 
before we could reach the flat at the mouth of the Moa river. This flat is a 
patch of good fertile land. Here were collected the large seed capsules of 
Mimulus radicans, and the purple berries of Pratia macrodon ; patches of 
Celmisia spectabilis covering the road. Crossing the Moa river, which runs 
very swiftly, we took the newly formed road through the bush up to the 
camp, which we heard was six miles up the river at the junction of the 
N. Creek. As we passed through the zones of Beech, Celery Pine, and 
Pitch Pine, we saw the smoke of a fire ahead, which proved to be the camp 
of the roadmen. About two miles farther on we saw the light of the Moa 
Creek camp, and crossing the Moa again on a tree thrown across it we soon 
found ourselves among tents, whares, &c. 
“ Mr. Landers welcomed us with the true hospitality which the dwellers in 
tents have always given to the stranger, and the cook put before us a sub¬ 
stantial meal, which came to the famished botanists like manna in the 
wilderness. Slept like tops in comfortable camp beds, and next day we met 
with Mr. Slater, a prospector, who knew the country. He took us over the 
Moa river, and showed us the habitats of Gleichenia Cunninghami and 
Dracophyllum Ti aversii. This Epacrid grows 30 feet high, towering above 
the other parts of the bush, its long branches extending horizontally, 
bearing a tuft of leaves at the extremity, from which rises the bloom like a 
Pine Apple. It is certainly the most remarkable tree of the Alpine flora. 
Many young specimens were collected; those about 2 feet high are very 
handsome, with filiform leaves drooping like a Dracaena. There is another 
variety, D. longifolia, but its leaves are smaller and more imbricated. The 
tree was met with up to the snow, so that its hardy character cannot be 
doubted. The prevailing timber tree on Moa is Libocedrus Bidwilli, the 
Incense Cedar, the Kawaka of the Maoris. The tree attains to 30 or 40 feet 
in height, its conical top and dark green foliage being visible above the sur¬ 
rounding bush. The bark, which peels off easily in spring, is utilised by 
the miners in various ways. Like all Cedars, the wood is dark red anil 
splits readily into slabs, but as the centre of most of the trees is hollow, and 
the wood very soft, it is not of much value as timber. It is singular that the 
wood of the other variety, Libocedrus Doniana, which grows in the North 
Island, is hard and valuable. The Ribbonwood, Plagianthus betulinus, is 
easily distinguished from the surrounding forest at this season by its 
golden leaves : the tree is deciduous, and its leaves had been touched by 
frost. 
“ On our return to the North Creek we separated ; my companions taking 
different routes, but I had definite objects in view, and in company with 
Mr. Slater went in search of Ranunculus Godleyanus. Mr. Landers told us 
that the yellow Buttercup grew at a considerable elevation up the North 
Creek, so we made a start in that direction. Following that creek, which 
flows into the Moa river a few chains above the camp, on either side were 
spurs of the Cascade range covered with forest up to the snow-line ; at 
intervals were small waterfalls pouring over precipices among the large 
boulders which had been rolled down the creek. Ranunculus Lyalli was 
plentiful on the banks, Veronicas lined the margins of the bush, while fine 
specimens of Angelica gingidum occurred some 2 feet across. The miners 
called it Aniseed, because the leaves and seed have a similar flavour. Horses 
are very fond of this aromatic herb and eat it greedily. Crossed the North 
Creek on a temporary bridge which led to the reef, on the slopes of the 
mountain ; it is situated 1G00 feet above the creek, and can only be worked 
in fine weather ; in winter the claim wonld be covered with snow. Leaving 
the track we followed the bed of the North Creek, climbed very big boulders, 
and crossed the creek several times. When not in flood this creek is about 
the size of the Avon, but when there is a fresh it is a mountain torrent, 
tumbling over boulders and washing everything before it. Dracophyllums 
g ew on the slopes in abundance, their peculiar heads standing up clear of 
the bush. Passing No. 2 creek we saw Mountain Lilies growing under the 
side of boulders and burnt scrub, whilst others grew on the vertical faces of 
rocks, the roots wedging themselves into the crevices. Ourisia macrocarpa 
grew in patches 2 or 3 Let across—its bold dark green foliage, purple under¬ 
neath, and large trusses of white flowers rendering it one of the finest of 
Alpine herbaceous plants. We found the best patches growing in peaty 
soil with water trickling among their roots, on the sides of watercourses. 
The other variety, O. macrophylla, we found growing in similar situations 
but the leaves and blooms are smaller. Some fine plants of Aciphylla 
Monroi, 8 inches high, were noted, evidently the male variety. The scenery, 
up the creek baffles description ; ahead there is Mt. Mystery, to the left 
Mt. Williams with its ragged-looking peaks sticking out of the snow, and on 
the right mountains covered with forest, the creek between. We had some, 
hard climbing to reach No. 5 creek, where the rare Aciphylla with red 
midribs and spines was met with. Half a dozen specimens were collected. 
A large Aciphylla with dark green leaves grew among the boulders. 
Carmichmlia odorata was apparently very local, as it was only met 
with once in No. 5 creek ; it was out of bloom, but the miners said it 
