February 17,1887. ] 
JOURNAL of horticulture and cottage gardener. 
137 
borne in mind that it is important to procure the best peat and sphag¬ 
num, and the greatest care is needed to keep the plants clear of insects. 
Constant watchfulness and the immediate destruction of all pests when 
discovered will enable growers to prevent their injurious increase. A 
solution of softsoap is useful for applying with a sponge to remove 
thrips, scale, and other troublesome insects, green fly being readily ex¬ 
terminated by fumigation with tobacco. But this is a dangerous process, 
and unless conducted most carefully will result in serious damage. An 
invention, however, has just been brought into notice. The thanatophore 
seems likely to supersede the old method of fumigation. It is so con¬ 
structed that, a quantity of tobacco juice can be boiled, and the steam 
thus raised is forced through a pipe into the house. Mr. B. S. Williams 
has been experimenting with this lately, and speaks most highly of the 
results. Not only are the insects destroyed, but the flowers of the most 
delicate Orchids have been uninjured, a point that growers will readily 
appreciate. 
But these somewhat rambling observations must be concluded, and 
though only a cursory review of “ Orchid Lore ” has been attempted, the 
subject is one that could be extended almost indefinitely. The chief 
object has been to point out that the popularity of Orchids rests upon 
a solid basis, and to convey a few hints to cultivators who are com¬ 
mencing with these interesting plants. 
HYBRID TEA ROSES. 
Rose exhibitors will be obliged to “ D., Beal," for his letter in last 
week’s Journal respecting Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, showing plainly the 
company she should be associated with at an exhibition in competition. 
When first exhibited it was all confusion. I well remember the contest 
at Cardiff in July, 1885. My stand of H.P.’s contained a Lady Mary 
Fitzwilliam, and, I think, Dr. Budd’s of Bath. I recollect after making 
up my stand how undecided I was whether I should allow it to remain 
or not ; it was such a grand bloom. I decided at the last moment to run 
the risk and help to try the question, having La France and another in 
the stand, which I considered had as much Tea blood in them as the 
Lady. However, the Judge, referring to several Rose catalogues, found 
the Lady classed as a Hybrid Tea, and decided to disqualify it. 
Imagine my surprise a few days afterwards reading an account of the 
Manchester Show that the Judges there had decided Lady Mary Fitz¬ 
william to be the best bloom shown as a Hybrid Perpetual, and quite 
right. It should have been settled by the National Rose Society before 
the confusion arose.— Thos. Hobbs, Bristol. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
February 8th. 
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE. 
Dr. If. T. Masters in the chair. Present—Messrs. W. G. Smith, G. F. 
Wilson, H. M. Ward, A. Michael, G. Maw, P. McLachlan, R. I. Lynch, J. 
O’Brien, G. Murray, J. D. Llewelyn, H. N. Ridley, A. H. Smee, Dr. Lowe, 
Rev. C. W. Dod, and Rev. G. Henslow. 
Narcissi, species. —Mr. Maw exhibited specimens of several species. 
Commencing with N. cyclamineus he showed plants in flower from bulbs 
sent by Mr. A. W. Tait of Oporto, which were rediscovered by Mr. Johnston 
in 1885 or 1886. It was figured in ‘'Le Jardin du Roy” in 1621 as N. h : s- 
panicus minor, amplo calico foliis reflexis, aud in “ Theatrum Flor®,” pi. 
1637, as N. bispanicous minor luteus amplo calice foliis reflexis. 
✓J N. pallidus prcecox. —He exhibited a perfectly erect blossom of this 
species, a feature not uncommon amongst fl iwers usually pendulous, as in 
Campanulas. 
N. Cerbularia. —He read a communication upon this species of Corbularia, 
which appears in another page. Mr. Dod remarked that though called 
monophylla it often had two or three leaves, that it was confined to Africa, 
and had been wrongly identified with Ciusii from the Pyrenees. 
N. triandrus, variability o/.—Rev. W. Dod exhibited specimen o' this 
species, in which there was very great variations in the lengths of the 
stamens and style, a feature not known to exist in the Ajax section of 
Daffodils. Nothing was known as to the insects which visited it when in 
flower near Oporto early in March, or later in May elsewhere. 
Narcissi, wild sp. from Portug il. —Mr. Burb’dge contributed the follow¬ 
ing notes On the 23rd of September, 1886, I received from A. W. Tait, 
Esq., of Oporto, dry bulbs of ten or twelve kinds of Narcissi. These bulbs 
were at once potted in sandy loam, and were then placed on a Bunny shelf 
in a cool greenhouse. Of these several have already flowered. The first to 
blossom was (No. 7) N. psiudo-Narcissus, a deep gol ien yellow form, having 
twisted perianth segments, which opened its first flowers on January 15th. 
followed a day or two later by (No. 8) N. minor. 
On January 19th (No. 13) N. cyclamineus openedits first bud, and a day 
or so aft rwards No. 11, a pale coloured long and Blender tubed Ajax, which 
has been called N. Johnstoni by Mr. Tait, opened its blossoms, while now, 
January 7th, as I write the 5th of the series (No. 9), a fine sturdy form of 
N. bicolor is in bloom. 
Two of the above—viz., No. 13 and No. 11, are so distinct and interest¬ 
ing botanieally that I beg to lay rough sketches and flowers of them before 
the Scientific Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society. Narcissus 
cylamineus (No. 13) is a very distinct species, and was re-discovered in 1886 
by Mr. Edwin Johnston of Oporto. This plant was long ago known, and, 
as I poin ed out on December 19th, 1885, in the Gardener's Chronicle, page 
789, it is figured in the “ Jardin du Roy,” 1623, and also in the “ Theatrum 
Floras,” 1637. There was a still earlier edit’on of this last-named work 
published in 1622, but I have not seen it, and so cannot vouch for the plant 
being figured therein. If it is so, however, that may prove to be the earliest 
illustration. 
It has several times and in several places been stated that this N. cycla¬ 
mineus is alluded to in Parkinson’s “Theatrum Botanicum ” (1610), but 
I have failed to find any reference to any Narcissi in that work, so that it 
seems possible an error of reference has occurred through the similarity of 
titles, the “ Theatrum Florae ” having been mistaken for the “Theatrum 
Botanicum.” In giving some account of the “Theatrum Flor®,” ed. 1637, 
in “ Gard ner’s Chronicle ” (l.c. supra), I in part copied the figure of this 
quaint little reflexed Daffodil with the object of directing attention to the 
probable existence of such a peculiar and long-lost species. Tho apt name 
of N. cyclamineus was applied to the drawing in Theatrum Flor® ” by 
the late Adrian Haworth when writing the last edition of his “ Narcis. 
Monog.,” published by Ridgeway in 1831, although, so far as evidence goes, 
he does not appear to have seen th; plant either living or dried. Indeed, 
sixteen years later the late Dean Herbert (“ Amaryllidacete,” 1817) ridicules 
Haworth’s idea of such a plant’s existence, and this, as we now know, on 
false grounds. Both Mr. Johnston, its rediscoverer, and Mr. Tait, who 
generously sent dried bulbs to English and Irish gardens, were anxious that 
the plant Bhould be named Narcissus Henriquezi, in compliment to tho 
well known and highly esteemed Professor of Botany in the University at 
Coimbra, and seeing that the plant living or dead had nev- r been seen since 
the time of Linnmus until last year (1886), and has never been authoritatively 
figured and described, it seems a matter for regret that this could not well 
have been done. Mr. Tait, alluding to N. cyclamineus in Lis “ Notes on 
the Narcissi of Portugal,” says it grows on the banks of a stream in sandy 
loam at an altitude of 300 feet, in which position (presumab’y near Oporto) 
it flowers from February 28th to March the 10th. 
As I send herewith living specimens and a careful sketch or drawing I 
need not further allude to the plant itself, except to say that I consider it to 
be simply a small, reflexed perianthed, short-tubed “ Ajax ” or “ Daffodil,” 
its most characteristic point being the extremely reduced flower tube. 
The other Narcissus to which I wish to allude is the pale sulphur- 
flowered N. (“Ajax”) “Johnstoni” of Mr. Tait (v. “notes” l.c. supra). 
This also grows at an elevation of 300 feet on the banks of a stream in 
sandy loam. Of this I send a partially dried specimen and a rough trac ng 
of a drawing as made from fresh flowers, and these will serve my purpose 
better than a description. As an “ Ajax ” or form of N. pseudo-Narcissus 
this plant is peculiar in having a long, narrow, or clarinet-shaped flower 
tube, this tube with the ovary at its base being equal in length to the 
cylindrical, blunt-mouthed crown. The perianth segments are in fr sh full- 
grown flowers more or less patent, and the crown is 1J inch long, and, like 
N. muticus, ra her abrupt’y cut off at the free end. Tue flower tube instead 
of being peculiarly short and obconical, as is that of N. muticus, is on the 
contrary more like that of N. incomparabilis. The whole flower i3 of a 
bright but pale primrose or sulphur yellow, aud altogether appears quite 
distinct from any other “ Ajax ” or Daffodil known to me. 
N.B.—The numbers used in these notes are those of Mr. Alfred Tait as 
employed in his “ Notes on the Narcissi of Portuga’,’ published at Oporto 
in May, 1886.—F. W. Burbidge, F.L.S., M.R.I.A., I'rinitg College Botanical 
Gardens, Dublin. 
A botanical certificate was unanimously awarded to Mr. Tait for hii 
introduct’on (by his rediscovery of it) of N. cyclamineus. 
Lapicdra gracilis. —Mr. Maw drew attention to this Morocco Amaryllid, 
describ 'd in J. Bab’s Sp cilegium Flor® Maroccan®, “ Journ. Linn. Soc.,” 
Bob, vol. xvi, p. 678-9, as Lapiedra gracilis, Baker, n. sp , but which i«, with¬ 
out doubt, Tapeinanthus humilis. It was described bom a faded specimen 
(into mixed withL ueojum trichophyllum) in the Kew Herbarium, collected 
by Schonsboe near Tangier. 
Crocus Karduchorum. —He also exhibited a drawing of Crocus Krrdu- 
chorum, collected by Mr. Hubbard in the neighbournood of Sivas in 1885, 
3° or 4” west of Milieus and Sherwan, where it was originally discovered by 
Theo. Kotschy. Ic is allied to C. zonatus (of which he exhibited a drawing) 
of the Taurus, but a much smaller plant, with exceptionally small leaves, 
lasting on till the ensuing flowering tim •; two sets of leaves thus occurring 
contemooraneously, one being hidden within the sheathing leaves. 
Scales on Lcclia. — The following report was received from Mr. 
MacLach’an:—“Those scales on the leaves of L®!ia brought by Mr. 
Boscawen to last meeting of Scientific Committee prove not to be Coccids, 
but thi sedentary females of a ve"y abnormal form of Aphides—Cerataphis 
latani®, Boisdural. They were found originally on Latania, but have also 
occurred on several Orchids and other hothouse plants. An account of 
them will be found in the Appendix to vol. iv. of ‘Buckston’s British 
Aphides,’ p. 193, plate 134. It war originally describe! as a Coccus, but 
when the male became known the real position became evident.” 
Some discussion followed as to the real nature of the white fringe-like 
border, whether it is a waxy secretion as describe 1, or membranous, as Mr. 
Michael suggested might p issibly be rhe case, judging from analogy. 
Marechal Biel Hose Deformed. —Dr. Masters exhibited a cutting of this 
Rose which had a large tuberous swelling at the base. It was referred to 
Mr. H. Marshall Ward for examination aud report. 
Euonymus japonicus Fasciated. —Mr. O’Brien exhibited a specimen 
showing this peculiaiity. 
Cordyceps Taylori. —Mr. W. G. Smith exhibited a specimen of this 
remarkable p irasitic fungus with antler-like processes, the whole growing 
from the neck of a large caterpillar. It was received from Baron Muller 
from Australia. 
Primula siniensis Malformed. —Dr. Masters exhibited a plant showing 
cordate ovate leaves of an unusual but probably primitive type. He 
remarked that this species has lately been found wild on the mountains of 
Hong Kong. 
Some remarks were made by various members on the hybridisation of 
Primroses, Mr. Maw observing that th.re were from fifteen to twenty known 
natural hybrids in Europe, but P. sinensis was not known to have ever ben 
hybridised by any other species. 
Mr. O’Brien remarked that when attempts were mido to cross, the 
offspring were purely of the maternal form. Ttr s was so with Zygopetalum 
Macka.yi and with Lilium auratum when crossed with other species. VVhen 
crossed with L. tigriuum the stems had bulbils characteristic of that 
species. 
A reply was received from Mrs. Sterling in acknowledgment of the letter 
of condolence from the Scientific Committee cm the death of her father, 
Mr. A. Grote. 
