April 18, 1839. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
321 
two months : they will continue nearly three months, as I observe some 
not opened yet, while the first were in bloom on January 27th. Fruit 
trees and bushes are bristling with fruit buds, promising well, and with 
favourable weather we may hope for an abundant crop of fruit. 
Daffodils. —I was much interested in the woodcut, page 298, as I 
possess three Daffodils of a similar grade, but apparently of finer form. 
Parsnips. —I observe on page 296, in Mr. Hudson’s article, some 
sensible hints as to the cooking of vegetables. 1 think the Parsnip is 
worthy of wider cultivation, and more varied cooking. I used to relish 
a roasted Parsnip, and I think if some good methods of cooking that and 
other vegetables were made known, the information would be acceptable 
to many readers. Can, then, some of your able correspondents give 
some hints on the subject 1 —W. T., Blantyre. 
Forced Strawberry Plants. —It will probably interest your 
readers to know that Strawberries can •be fruited twice in the year. 
Here in the favourei island we planted a row out in June and picked 
fruit from them in November; but only half the plants bore fruit. 
They received no special treatment except watering at the time of 
planting, and protection with bellglasses from autumnal frosts. I 
believe with careful management they might all be fruited. Plants so 
treated bear a crop of fruit the next summer equal to those in a two- 
year-old plantation. No doubt early frosts would be greatly against 
them in less favoured situations.— A Youngster, Hyde, Isle of Wight. 
Lent Lilies. —These plants grow and flower much better in a wild 
•state than in a cultivated garden. Thousands of flowers are gathered 
yearly from a patch in one of the woods on our estate near Kettering. 
They are growing in a stiff clay, with about 2 inches of heavy loam on 
the surface.—F. J. B. 
Foliage Plants and Chrysanthemums.— For the information 
•of “ An Amateur ’’ and others to whom it may be useful, I append 
a list of annuals and perennials suitable for grouping with Chrysan¬ 
themums. Celosia plumosa.—These are amongst the most beautiful 
decorative plants that can be used for the purpose. The seed requires 
to be sown in a pan of light sandy soil and placed in a frame with 
bottom heat ; one used for Cucumbers answers well. When strong 
■enough to handle transfer the seedlings to thumb pots and re¬ 
place them in the frame near the glass, repot as they require it, and 
■stand in a warm and moist frame during summer, where, towards 
evening, they can be sprinkled and the lights closed. Lavatera arborea 
variegata.—This, as the name denotes, is a variegated foliage plant, 
requires sowing in August in a pan of light soil and storing during 
winter ; pot off into small pots in spring, and gradually harden to the 
open ; repot and grow in a sunny place during summer. By this 
mode of culture the colour is brought out to perfection. Centaureas 
Clementei and candidissima are beautiful silvery foliage plants used 
extensively for bedding, but would answer the purpose of “ An 
Amateur ” well for the front of a group. Treated the same as Lavatera 
they show the proper colour of the foliage better than if used the same year 
■of sowing the seed. Kicinus Gibsoni is a sub-tropical bedding plant of 
great beauty, assuming the habit of some of the fan-shaped Palms. Sow 
seed in thumb pots in spring and stand in a warm frame to germinate. 
Repot as they grow, and gradually harden to the open air towards the 
•beginning of June. At the end of the summer they assume a bronzy 
appearance. They can be housed with Chrysanthemums. Grevillea 
robusta is about the most useful for the purpose named, and can be had 
from seed, but “ An Amateur ” would do best by buying a dozen from 
any florist or market-stall, where they could be had at a reasonable 
cost. They can be grown from year to year, and when tall can be 
cut back to break again. They also stand outside in summer. More 
might be mentioned, but the foregoing can be managed well by “An 
Amateur,” and with an amateur’s usual structures.—A. W. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Scientific Committee. —Present—Dr. M. T. Masters, in the chair ; 
Messrs. Morris, Dyer, Pascoe, Wilson, ; Prof. Ward and Church, Dr. 
Scott, Sir C. Strickland, and Rev. G. Ilenslow, Hon. Sec. 
Hybrid Ferns. —Mr. Morris exhibited three sets of seedling varieties 
of Scolopendrium vulgare, presented to Kew by Mr. E. J. Lowe, F.R.S., 
of Shirenewton Hall, Chepstow. Mr. Lowe has been investigating 
the effect of cross-fertilisation of different varieties of British Ferns in 
the prothallium stage. The results have been most interesting and 
suggestive. If spores from different varieties are sown together the 
archegonia on the same prothallium are often fertilised by antherozoids 
derived from other sources, and thus are produced numerous hybrid 
forms. For instance, the prothallium with the archegonia may be 
■derived from a spore of the rugose variety, while the antherozoids may be 
obtained from a prothallium of the digitate variety, or from one derived 
from a marginate variety. In the former case there would be produced 
a rugose-digitate variety, and in the other a rugose-marginate variety. 
If after fertilisation the prothallium is divided—as was done in nearly 
COO instances by Mr. Lowe—the plants derived from it and carefully 
cultivated have been found to vary considerably, and to partake more or 
less of the various characteristics of the spore-bearing plants. In the 
specimens placed before the Committee the conclusions sought to be 
attained by Mr. Lowe’s experiments were apparently fully borne out. 
Mr. Dyer alluded to Mr. Lowe’s specimens exhibited before the 
British Association as being very extraordinary in character. He 
observed that the prothallia of Ferns usually bear antheridia first and 
then archegonia, being thus analogous to protandrous flowers. If left to 
itself it rarely produces more than one seedling, the whole of the energy 
at the disposal of the prothallium being concentrated in one individual ; 
but by cutting a prothallium in two, as Mr. Lowe has done, at least one, 
if not more, archegonia could be borne by each halt, which then re¬ 
tained its own individuality, each having possibly been crossed, and 
thus producing a different form from the other. He also referred to the 
fact that it was only during the lifetime of Sir Joseph Banks that the 
existence of the prothallium of Ferns was known. 
Oxalis sj). —Mr. Morris also exhibited some bulbs covered with 
remarkable scales of a rich brown colour, apparently of a new species 
of Oxalis collected in South Africa by Mr. Farini in 1885. The outer 
scales are an inch in length, entire, and of a linear pointed character. 
The inner scales are thread-like and wavy. In situ they are packed 
closely together, forming a matted cushion round the bulbs. Unfortu¬ 
nately none of the latter reached this country in a living state. From 
the material available there can be little doubt the plant is a species of 
Oxalis, but different from anything represented under cultivation. It 
was suggested that the spiral character of the inner scales may assist 
the bulbs by their hygroscopic character to rise near the surface after 
rains and to descend during dry weather. 
Sclerotinia on Snowdrops. —Prof. Marshall Ward exhibited one of his 
very successful cultures of this disease raised from the fungus which 
attacks Snowdrops. He has worked out a very complete life history, 
which will be hereafter published. With reference to Mr. Barr’s 
experience of the dying out of Snowdrops in a rich soil, Mr. Wilson 
remarked that he inquired of Mr. Melville of Dunrobin Gardens, 
Golspie, Suth., who raises large numbers. His reply is that they do very 
well with him,- his land being a deep, free, black loam resting on an old 
sea-bottom of gravel and sand. He adds that he thinks Snowdrops and 
other bulbs are very impatient of an adhesive, clayey, or wet and cold, 
as well as ill-drained soil, good drainage being imperative. The question 
was raised as to the meaning of the common expression “ predisposition 
to disease ” in plants. Mr. Dyer remarked upon the ambiguous and 
misleading character of this term, and emphasised the necessity of ascer¬ 
taining in each case the real cause of an attack by a fungus. Thus, if 
a hypha entered by the stoma, a varying degree in the size of this organ 
might make all the difference as to the immunity of a plant from a 
parasitic attack, which, therefore, would have had nothing to do with 
the constitution of the plant, and so might not be in the least degree 
enfeebled. Sir C. Strickland remarked that certain varieties of 
Potatoes had at first been liable to the disease, but resisted it after¬ 
wards. Hence in their case also it might have been due to some such 
mechanical cause as a thickened cuticle, and not necessarily to an 
altered constitutional character. 
Blue Primroses. —Mr. Wilson exhibited a bowl containing three 
flowers of “ Scott Wilson” Primrose and one flower each of its descendants. 
Most of them have a more or less blue colour ; some having less of the 
blue-plum colour, and are apparently nearer to a true blue than has 
been hitherto obtained. 
Daffodils and Rot. —Rev. C. Wolley Dod forwarded some Daffodils 
suffering from rot, with the following remarks:—“Owing, I believe, 
to the cold spring and summer of last year it has been unusually de¬ 
structive, and I have lost nearly one-third of my crop. I have divided 
the Daffodils sent into two lots. Those in No. 1 are affected with a rot 
too well known to Daffodil growers. I attribute it to the presence of 
too much wet in the soil ac the ripening stage of growth, assisted by 
coldness of soil. You will see that little or no new roots are made. 
The way in which whole clumps die off has led me sometimes to think 
the disease may be contagious. The bulbs in No. 2 are differently 
affected, and I think from a different cause. Last year I lost far more 
Daffodils from this affection than I have done this year. I attribute it 
simply to the mechanical effect of severe late frosts coming when the 
soil is wet, as the seat of the damage is on the surface line. The violent 
constriction in the heavy soil caused by the frost cuts the leaves nearly 
in two, and no further growth is made. These 1 No. 2’ Daffodils seem 
all to have made a healthy start.” The general opinion of the Com¬ 
mittee seemed to coincide with Mr. Dod’s, that both results were 
probably due to some defective conditions of the soil. In the first case, 
in which no roots were produced, most probably this was an insufficient 
drainage ; and in the second the decay was due to the land being heavy 
and wet, and then probably roughly forked over, so that clods were 
partially resting upon the growing bulbs, which could not satisfactorily 
raise the foliage. It will be observed that Mr. Melville strongly advo¬ 
cates good drainage, whether it be natural or artificially made, for all 
bulbous plants. 
Warts on Vine Leaves. —Mr. J. Wright sent leaves thus affected 
from a Black Hamburgh Vine, a Royal Muscadine in the same house 
being unaffected. Last year the atmosphere of the house was kept 
rather moist, and this year much drier, but neither condition appeared 
to have any effect upon the state of the leaves. The cause was suggested 
by Prof. Marshall Ward and others to be deficient ventilation, the effect 
of this being to increase the humidity of the air to too great an extent ; 
this in turn produces a turgidity of the cells, with a consequent hyper¬ 
trophied condition, resulting in the so-called “ warts.” 
Underground Temperatures.. — Mr. Henslow exhibited tables of 
curves, showing the variations in the maximum, minimum, air, and 
underground temperatures at a depth of 12 inches for the preceding 
