July 19, 1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
51 
The Senecios, with their bright yellow cymes, take the eye on 
entering the ground before most of the other species. S. macro- 
phyllus has large erect undivided leaves, 3 feet in height, which 
strongly recall the foliage of the Water Dock, Rumex Hydro- 
lapathum. Above these are the great compound spikes, which 
look like a sheaf of rockets arrested in their flight, or giant yellow 
Kniphofias. A compact yellow cone, with a looser arrangement 
below, 6 or 7 feet high, composed of ragged beads of flowers, their 
irregularity is blended into the harmony of the general effect. 
S. K®mpferi has the same though looser rocket-like growth of the 
inflorescence, but the stalks are more numerous, the individual 
heads are larger, and the colour darker and not so pure and 
striking. The heart-shaped leaves cluster at the base into tufts, 
from which the inflorescence spring, and are each about 1 foot 
across. Senecio Hualtata, from the Argentine Republic, has 
florets of a creamy-white colour, with a yellow disc. It, too, has 
erect leaves of simple undivided type. The flowers grow on stout 
peduncles, and look able to resist gusts of wind. A fine plant is to 
be seen in front of No. 1 Museum. 
Lactuca hastata, from India, is a most striking Composite with 
lofty cymes of lilac-blue flower heads, loosely arranged but very 
effective through the size of each compound flower. Larger and 
more of a purple-blue than the Succory, it has heads of the same 
strap-shaped florets. The leaves are in dense masses at the base 
and running up the stems, with milky juice, in shape and colour 
like the Sow Thistles. It grows 7 feet in height. L. alpina does 
not attain by 2 feet the height of the previous species. It is 
more sturdy in growth, with larger leaves, and flower of a more 
purple tone. L. virosa is a slender and taller species, growing 
to 10 feet in height, with smaller yellow flower heads. L. un- 
dulata is a great mass of slender, intricately branched flower stems, 
studded with golden yellow flower heads, the whole compacted 
into a hemispherical mass feet high. The plant seems fairly 
to twinkle as the flowers catch the sun’s rays. 
Anchusa ilalica is in strong contrast with the above, both in 
colour and habit. Of a full but light ultramarine blue, it throws 
out scorpioid cymes from all points till it attains a height of 7 feet. 
Verbascum Chaixi, V. sinuatum, and V. malocophyllum, are all 
striking species of this showy genus, growing from 5 to 7 feet high. 
Among the Thistles Cnicus serrulatus, 0. setosum, and C. horridus 
are remarkable, some attaining a height of 12 feet. Onopordon 
acanthium shows well its handsome foliage. 
The taller Thalictrums rear their feathery tufts of creamy 
flowers to heights varying from 4 to 7 feet, have much of the 
charm of our Meadow Sweet. T. angustifolium grows to 5 feet, 
its variety nigricante 2 feet higher. T. glaucum and T. flavum 
grow side by side with them. 
While in the grounds Centaurea macrocephala is worth notice, 
with large yellow masses of florets surmounting, like those of the 
genus generally, great balls of purple bracts. It is inferior in 
height to the plants mentioned above, but for foreground purposes 
is extremely effective. Scabiosa caucasica var. amoena is another 
large-flowered though dwarfer species. Its heads, 4 inches across, 
of Campanula blue florets assert themselves strongly. The two 
circular beds filled with that most showy and effective Lychnis 
viscaria splendens plena, are unfortunately past their prime, but 
two other beds of Erigeron speciosum and splendidum are a 
sheet of steely blue flowers, the tender stalks too weak to bear up, 
however, the mass of flowers crowning them.—J. A. 
THE NUTRITION OF ROOTS. 
I AM very much obliged to those correspondents who have 
written on this subject, and regret that in this busy time I cannot 
answer them so fully as I could wish. I am sorry Mr. Gilmour 
thinks I write loosely, and that I must repeat I do not think he 
can have read all I have written. 
My original communication was on page 388, Journal of Horti¬ 
culture, May 17th, and the following week there was a short letter 
from me (page 409) withdrawing the first statement in the original 
letter, that roots only fed on vaporous moisture. I at first said this 
statement was not mine. It came from the late editor of a well-known 
science periodical, and perhaps there was some misunderstanding, but 
I believe the theory is also to be found in Dr. Masters’ principal 
work. I should doubt, however, if Mr. Gilmour (page 2, July 5th) 
is correct in saying or implying that there is no intermediate sta^.e 
between vapour and water. What, for instance, of an ordinary 
atmosphere where there is of course almost always some vapour, 
and a wet Scotch mist, or the cloud wherein were formed those 
hailstones 4 inches across which fell lately in Norfolk ? Of course 
Mr. Gilmour can “prefer to deal with my original question” weeks 
after I have withdrawn it, if he likes, but I do not feel called 
upon to answer him. 
It is a sad matter to have to explain a joke, but I am afraid that 
my allusion to “Naillem’s ” (page 2) “well-known authority” and 
“ valuable seal ” was meant as a lame attempt at pleasantry upon 
his remarks on his own nom de plume. I will try once more to 
put what I wanted to bring out. I had stated (not in the Journal) 
that manure under the roots of plants, and not penetrated by them, 
would benefit those roots by the rising moisture carrying upwards 
some of the manorial elements. A certain good practical authority 
denied, or at least doubted this, and I wrote to put the question to 
the test, which seems to have been decided in my favour. 
Unfortunately as I was writing, that other point from another 
authority about the “ vaporous moisture ” came to me, and though 
I disclaimed it the next week, my disclaimer seems to have been 
unnoticed. “Litera scripta manet,” but I do not want to have 
any more to do with that matter at present. Mr. Gilmour “ prefers 
to deal with it,” and I have much pleasure in leaving it in his hands. 
—W. R. Raillem. 
FLORAL FACTS AND FANCIES—3. 
When the sunshine and showers change the aspect of our 
gardens and flowers are abundant, we may notice that amongst 
the earlier ones blue, or some tint approaching it, is a prevailing 
colour. Mention has been made of the blue or purplish Iris and 
Hyacinth. Another flower is very notable, lowly of growth indeed, but 
which some would rank second in importance to the Rose as a 
universal favourite and associated also with much of sentiment and 
legend, the blue Violet. Beside various cultivated varieties of the 
sweet Violet many other Violas are now introduced into gardens, 
flowers more showy if not fragrant, and all Pansies or Heart’s- 
eases are, in fact, Violets too. 'There is no doubt that the Violet is 
the Ion of the Greeks, one of the few flowers the history of which 
runs back to a remote period. It is said to have been one of the 
floral offerings presented to Zeus by the maids of Ionia, hence the 
name ; and this suggests that one of the meanings still attached to 
the flower is a very old one, and that it has long been symbolic of 
regard or love, probably also of youth, hence it was frequently asso¬ 
ciated with early and untimely death. A classical poet desired to 
see the Violet spring from the grave of a deceased friend, and a 
similar idea is expressed by Shakespeare, Milton, and Tennyson of 
our own land. The fact that in the Middle Ages one of the prizes 
awarded to a bard who excelled his companions in a rhythmical 
competition was a golden Violet may have led some to attach to 
the yellow Violet the significance of merit or “ modest worth,” and 
the white is symbolic of “ purity.” Again, the blue Violet tells 
not only of love but of “ faithfulness ” too. For this reason it was 
chosen by the Napoleons to represent their cause, which had vicissi¬ 
tudes very trying to its adherents’ constancy. Another fact to be 
noted is that “ Violet ” was a name applied formerly to fragrant 
flowers of diverse families ; thus there was the Water Violet, the 
Dame Violet, and to some folks even the Wallflower was the Wall 
Violet. 
Coming to the Pansies or Heartseases, plants rich in varied 
colour and full of poetic memories, the history of which starts with 
the little species (V. tricolor) of our fields. The name of “ Pansy” 
does probably point to the French pensee, and reminds us that the 
flower was offered as a love token, expressing the wish that the 
receiver would think of the giver. To hand back one of these 
flowers, in which the purple predominated, was to reply, “ You 
occupy my thoughts.” Though it has been argued that “ Pansy ” 
might have come from “ panacea,” alluding to the virtues of the 
plant; and “Heartsease” did certainly originate in a belief that 
it could benefit the heart—literally, not metaphorically. Shake¬ 
speare has, in well-known lines, reftrred to the presumed magical 
effect of the juice when dropped on the eyelids of a sleeper, and 
there he calls it “ Love-in-idleness,” seemingly a familiar name for 
the Pansy 300 years ago, which we interpret as “ love in vain,” a 
less hopeful meaning. “ Three Faces under a Hood ” and “ Herb 
Trinity ” were other old names, suggested by the triple blending 
of colours. The fancy of some Scotch people saw a resemblance in 
the corollas of Heartseases to an animal’s face, hence arose the 
name of “ Cat’s-face.” Poets have thought the Pansy a coquettish 
flower, one that, while it exhibits some shyness, appears to be look¬ 
ing out for admiration, and if we look at them along the borders 
we see how fond they are of the sunshine. The Pansy is one of 
the few flowers in which the primary colours of blue and yellow 
mingle ; usually these run distinctly, even in blooms of many 
shades. We cannot, for instance, raise a Rose or Dahlia with any 
blue ; these are of the cyanic, not the xanthic type. 
Another blue flower sacred to love and friendship, though of 
low growth, the garden Forget-me-not, is a favourite both in 
England and France ; but Germany is supposed to have given 
birth to the legend that explains its name. Much more prolific in 
