1874 .] 
SELAGINELLA KBAUBSIANA. 
151 
The month of May brought us no relief ; the wind continued to blow keenly 
from the north and north-east, with bright sunshine and frosty mornings. On 
two occasions only during the month did the thermometer register more than 
59°. On the 9th the frost was, for the season, unusually severe throughout the 
country. In many cases, I am told there were 10°, 12°, or 13°, which made sad 
havoc among fruit crops of every description, to such an extent, in fact, that the 
apple crop on the banks of the river Severn has been completely destroyed; not there 
alone, but in aU low-lying districts. This is the report which has reached me, 
and may to some extent be exaggerated, yet, in the main, I fear it is too true. 
With ourselves, in the low situations of our park, the frost has considerably 
nipped the foliage of the common Oak, Tulip-tree, Juglans nigra^ and mandschurica ; 
the latter we can hardly select as a test tree, as it suffers almost yearly, less or 
more, unless planted on high ground. 
Here, bush fruit is abundant; also Apples and Cherries ; but owing to the 
Continued drought, a large portion of the crop is dropping off. Strawberries are 
plentiful, but unless we have rain at once, the fruit will be small, and the suc¬ 
cession short. A substitute may be found by the use of the water-pot—a 
process involving great labour, and by no means quite satisfactory in its results. 
Peaches have set so thickly as to require thinning. Our Apricots are under glass, 
hence beyond casualties. Plums are deficient, little more than a third part of a 
crop; and the same may be said of Pears. We are suffering severely from 
drought; we have only had two days’ rain since the beginning of April—about 
the 7th of the month.— Alexander Cramb, Tortworth. 
SELAGINELLA KRAUSSIANA. 
f N one of the recent numbers of the Florist [p. 137], I observe a notice of 
this plant as being hardy in some situations, and consider this a most im- 
f portant fact. It is generally known in gardens as S. denticulaia^ a name it 
is in no way entitled to ; and more rarely as S. hortensis^ but S. Kraussiana 
ought to be adopted as the more correct specific title. I here especially allude to 
this Club Moss with a view of advocating its use as a carpet-plant for flower¬ 
beds during the summer months, a purpose for which it is largely used in 
Paris, more especially in the attractive little Parc Monceaux. If planted 
in any rich, sandy compost, and sheltered from rough winds, it would doubt¬ 
less succeed well in this country, and prove a most valuable addition to the 
flower garden. It requires a copious supply of water, and in France, where it 
forms dense, turf-like carpets, it is sprinkled every morning; the system of 
watering with movable hose, there generally adopted, rendering this a very 
expeditious and simple operation. As a carpet or surfaciag plant for a cool con¬ 
servatory, or the beds of a winter garden, this has, I believe, no equal, and it 
deserves to become popularly used for this purpose, even if it fails to succeed 
outside. One of the beautiful ferneries at Manley Hall used to be carpeted with 
this verdant, turf-like Lycopod, and during the early spring months a charmingly 
