Deoetnber 2), 1894. 
JOURNAL] OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
563 
- Vabiegated Mistletoe. —Mr. J. Grieve contributes the 
following note to the “ Transactions of the Botanical Society of 
Edinburgh —“ There is at present growing on a healthy Thorn, in the 
Dean Cemetery of this city, a form of the common Mistletoe sufficiently 
striking to merit attention being called to it. As will be seen from the 
specimen exhibited, the leaves are beautifully variegated, such a 
departure from the normal type being very unusual. Indeed, I do not 
know of any other example of the Mistletoe ‘ sporting ’ in this manner, 
and I have ventured to place it before the Society in order to learn if 
any of the members have met with such ‘ sports ’ in this parasitic plant. 
The specimen exhibited is some ten or twelve years old, but no record of 
it has hitherto been made.” Mr. Dunn remarked that he had seen 
variegated specimens of Mistletoe, but only on unhealthy hosts. 
- Alberta magna. —Writing to the “Garden and Forest” an 
English correspondent says, “ This plant was distributed in 1891, but it 
had been in cultivation at Kew several years before that time, and there 
is now a plant in the winter garden 7 feet high, besides smaller speci¬ 
mens in pots. One of these recently flowered for the first time in 
cultivation. The genus belongs to the order Kubiacese, and while 
A. magna is a native of Natal, the only other species known is a native 
of Madagascar. The leaves of A. magna, which promises to grow into 
a small tree, are not unlike those of the Cherry Laurel, and the flowers, 
which are in crowded terminal panicles, are tubular, an inch long, and 
coloured bright crimson. When fully grown the plants will, no doubt, 
produce larger heads than those at Kew, and as the flowers are 
succeeded by winged fruits of a bright red colour, the plant has a double 
attraction. From its behaviour at Kew it is possible that it will bear 
a few degrees of frost. It is evergreen, and pleasing to look at even 
out of flower.” 
- A British Tree Fern, —There are a few of our native 
species of Ferns which, having an upright caudex, assume, in 
miniature, the habit of their antipodal relations. It is seldom, 
however, that one meets with a specimen of sufficient height to 
arrest attention. Calling, a few days since, at the gardens of 
T. Proctor-Baker, Esq., Broomwell, Brislington, Mr. Archer, the 
gardener in charge, showed me a plant of Lastrea pseudo-mas (of 
Wollaston) better known as L. filix-mas var. paleacea. On measuring 
it, I found its height, from the soil to the top of crown, to be 
2 feet 6 inches, and the girth, taken about 4 inches below the crown, 
2 feet. It has been in its present position for twenty-five years, and 
had for some years previously been grown in a pot. How many years 
since the spore that produced this plant first showed its tiny prothallus 1 
If I may judge from a rather long experience in raising Ferns from 
spores, I say not less than one hundred, and very probably it is more. 
What do others say ?—T. S., Henbury Hill. 
- Flowers in December in Dublin. — Mr. F. W. Moore, 
the efficient Curator of the Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, has given a 
representative of the “ Dublin Evening Telegraph ” some particulars of 
this abn rmal condition of things, which came under his own keen and 
experienced observation. He stated that he had never known the Elm 
trees to retain their leaves so long as they have done this year, and 
added that many other kings of the forest displayed no anxiety to shed 
their leaves. He further declared that so far as his knowledge went he 
had never before known Dahlias and Tropmolums to be in full flower 
on the lat of December as they were in the gardens. But this is not 
all. Roses and Carnations are in a similar condition. To show how 
much milder the past three months have been than those in the corre¬ 
sponding period of last year, it is only necessary to state that in the 
Botanic Gardens during the first mentioned thirteen weeks the quantity 
of coal used in connection with the conservatories and hothouses was 
not two-thirds of that consumed in the latter quarter. 
- Animal Manures. —I could not follow “ A Reader ” (page 541) 
in his advice that spreading manure on to ground is wasteful because the 
rains will wash their virtues out of them. Is not that absolutely con¬ 
trary to received theory in relation to mulching, which is based abso¬ 
lutely on the belief that virtues of manure are washed into the soil by 
rains, and thus feeds plant or tree roots? Again, chemists strongly 
advise that it is better to spread fresh animal manures on to soil at once 
rather than to stack them to ferment and waste, because then the 
manurial properties are washed into the soil, and utilised for present or 
future crops. Tne great waste found in methods of storing animal 
manures arises from fermentation, by which ammonia is so freely 
liberated and wasted. Thus old hotbed manure has had its ammoniacal 
properties wasted in the fermentation that generated heat, and is far 
below fresh manure in the existence of plant foods. I have long held 
that next to burying fresh manure into the soil at once, the best thing 
to do with it is to spread it onto the soil as a mulch.—A. D. 
- Rainfall During November. — As showing the great 
difference that exists in one county as compared with another, I 
instance this part, south of Hants, with the note by Mr. J. Easter, 
Nostell Priory, Yorkshire, giving his experience on page 639. Here 
5'68 inches of rain fell during the month of November. With the 
exception of 0’17 inch recorded on the 20th, the whole of the amount 
fell during the first sixteen days; 1'04 inch the 11th, and 1'27 inch on 
the 14th, were the greatest amounts registered during any twenty-four 
hours. Up to the present time, December 14lh, the rainfall recorded 
here for the present year is 34 45 inches, which is 4'43 inches above the 
average for the year. On two occasions only, 1882 and 1891, during 
the last twelve years we have registered more here. In the first named 
year the record was 36-10 inches, and during the latter year the total was 
38-52 inches. Last year we registered 22 08 inches, or an increase of 
over 12 inches up to the present date, and the year not yet at an end.— 
E. Molyneux, Swanmore, 
- The Ascent of Sap.—T he note on this subject on page 539 
reminds me of a treatise I read a short time since entitled, “ Does Sap 
Flow from the Roots ? ” The author, by clever reasoning, made it appear 
th j,t the old-fashioned notion that sap really does come from the roots was 
altogether in error. To those persons who have had any experience with 
timber it will appear absurd to assume that sap comes from any other 
part. The writer in question, however, asserted that the sap is supplied 
to the tree by the aid of its leaves, sufficient being stored up in the 
autumn to carry on Nature’s functions until more is procured in the 
spring after the bursting of the tree into leaf. Happening to mention 
this to a tree cutter of over forty years’ experience, he laughed, and 
said, “Ask he how it is that an Oak tree in the spring will bark easy 
half way up, and above that the top branches will not ‘ run ’ at all ? ” 
This is an undoubted fact, that at times, according to the state of the 
growth, or the rise in the sap, the top branches cannot be peeled at 
all, while a few feet lower down the bark parted quite readily from the 
main stem and some of the lower branches.—E. Mi 
- Grape-Growing in Kent. —Having read this correspondence 
and being one of the gardeners who are employed in the production of 
Grapes in Kent, I agree with the informant of “ W. S.” (page 648). 
So far as the district in which I reside is concerned, first-class Grapes 
are somewhat of a rarity. Seldom have I seen them equal to the 
examples grown north of the Tweed. I cannot, however, say I have 
seen the London fruit shows to know what the counties of Middlesex 
Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Worcestershire are capable of pro¬ 
ducing, and thereby draw a line for this part of Kent. All that I 
venture to say is, that this district has not produced any equal to 
examples of Mr. Kirke’s that I have seen, and my residence in Kent 
is of more than one year’s duration. Good Grapes can be, and are, 
grown in Kent, but most times lack the finish which is necessary 
before they can be termed “ first-class,” and which I put down to 
climatic conditions, coupled with the general system of planting.— 
Scot, [We have some other correspondence on this subject.] 
LIME. 
“ W. I.” (on page 540) recommends this chemical for the treatment 
of garden refuse, omitting to mention, however, by what means he 
induces his men to use it. I for years have tried to introduce lime into 
my garden, but so far have utterly failed. The cause of my subordinates’ 
resistance has hitherto been a mystery to me. Perhaps someone else can 
explain the matter. Does lime hurt the men’s hands or injure their 
clothes ? lam inclined to suspect the latter, and that working on soil 
previously so dressed burns their boots. Of course, if this is the case, I 
can easily understand their apparently ineradicable objection to the use 
of lime ; but the working classes are so full of fads and fancies in the 
present day that I sometimes feel tempted to introduce lime at the point 
of the bayonet, metaphorically speaking. 
Then, however, another even greater difficulty arises. Lime, if 
applied in sufficient strength to kill slugs, wireworms, earwigs, and 
other insect pests, must of necessity destroy also the nitrifying bacteria— 
those beneficent microbes whose sole occupation is the preparation of 
tree and plant food. If these are killed or even injured the soil becomes 
ipso facto sterilised, and I much question whether we are quite as well 
off after the application of lime as before. Should this view be correct 
then “ W. I.’s” garden refuse is, inconsequence of his treatment, worth¬ 
less, and I therefore ask “ what profiteth ? ” If any of your corre¬ 
spondents have had experience in, and would give some practical 
information upon these points, I should be much obliged.— Inquirer. 
