188 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[December 26. 
the beautiful Gordonias of the western hemisphere, 
introduced by Messrs. Rollison, of Tooting, from Java, 
as the specific name implies. The genus Gordonia was 
named by Ellis, a London merchant and botanist, in 
compliment to his friend Mr. James Gordon, then a 
nurseryman at Mile-end; and so great was the com¬ 
petition for having the honour of naming such beautiful 
plants as Gonlonia pubescens and lasianthus, from the 
swamps of Georgia and Florida, in North America, that 
| five other botanists entered the lists against Mr. Ellis, 
j Catesby called it Lasianthus, from lasios, hairy, and 
j antlws, a flower; and so true did this name appear, that 
j it has been retained for a specific designation, as above. 
Sweet named the genus Polyspora, from polys, many, 
j and spora, seed; but finding his mistake, and being 
j ashamed of it, he endeavoured to saddle his Polyspora 
j on Camellia axilaris —a double mistake, when we con¬ 
sider how many seeds the Camellia furnishes from one 
fruit! Marshall, another writer on American plants, 
called it after the great Franklin, Franklinia ; and those 
not interested in this contest regretted much that one of 
the finest genera in the wilds of North America could 
not he retained to commemorate the name of the son of 
a tallow-chandler at Boston, the projector of “ Poor 
Richard’s Almanac,” of the American Republic itself, of 
the first public library, and first Fire Insurance Com¬ 
pany, and the author of the brilliant discovery of the 
j identity of the electric fluid with the lightning, and 
whose simple language in his publications on electricity 
is said by Sir H. Davy to be “ as worthy of admiration 
as the doctrine they contained.” Our countryman 
Salisbury called it by a name signifying “ The Milky- 
I tea: ” Lacathea, from lac, milk, and thea, the tea plant. 
I Tliis name introduces the reader to the first view of the 
natural affinity of Gordonia, its real station being 
among the Theads (Ternstrbmiaceas), a natural order 
first proposed by Mirbel of Paris in 1813, of which the 
Tea and the Camellia are the chief representatives in 
I British gardens. Korthals, a foreign botanist, is the 
j last candidate on our list, and he comes with two heavy 
j unpronounceable names ; but all were lost to more 
j deserving competitors; and our London merchant with 
j his London friend have won the prizo legitimately by 
! the law of priority. We have thus incidentally learned 
j that the American Gordonias, lasianthus and pubescens, 
| have their large white flowers covered with woolly down, 
| their juice milky, and that they belong to Theads; and 
; we may further state that their bark is used by the 
I American tanners, that they are large handsome trees 
j in their native swamps, aud only at best but half-hardy 
[ shrubs in England. How far the Java species now 
! represented may agree with them in these respects, we 
■ have not Materials enough on hand to certify. 
! We make no doubt, however, but the following account of 
it will be of interest to those among our readers who may 
be looking out for our selections of such novelties as come 
within our province in these biographies :—It belongs to the 
; Natural Order of Thccuts, and to 13 -Polyandria 1 -Monoyynia 
of Linnneus. In the Kew Gardens it is an evergreen shrub, 
two feet high. Leaves alternate, oval but pointed, and rather 
paler green than those of the Camellia. Flowers single, 
from the angle between the leaf and the brand], erect, with 
two or three small green floral leaves or bractes, just below 
the Calyx-, this is divided into five roundish oval segments, 
and rather hairy. Petals, or flower-leaves, five, reversed egg- 
shape, that is, with broadest end outwards, and slightly 
twisted. It will probably succeed in a warm greenhouse, if, 
as is believed, it comes from the high mountains of Java. 
B. J. 
THE FRUIT-GARDEN. 
pine culture (Concluded from page 175). 
April.— Towards the middle of this month there will 
he manifest signs of a liberal growth having commenced, 
and in proportion to its rapidity must be the admission 
of air. There are those who advocate a very close course 
of treatment all through the spring, and this, with the 
old and nonsensical disrooting system, was necessary, 
especially with the black Pines. The case is, however, 
widely different with strong and healthy plants which 
have not needed disrooting; and hence we find the 
advocates of free ventilation increasing, both in numbers 
aud earnestness—very many contending for a moderate 
circulation of air during the night. 
With a little freedom in growth, accompanied by a 
free perspiration, the plants will begin to require occa¬ 
sional waterings; indeed, the Queen section will have 
required it before March was out. With regard to 
such as the Black Jamaica, the case is widely different; 
it is astonishing how long these pines will not only 
subsist, but thrive without water. Queens, Envilles, 
Providences, &c., will require it thrice to their once— 
especially the Queens. No further special observations 
apply to this month. 
May. —We can do little else than repeat the April 
directions; atmospheric moisture must continue to in¬ 
crease with increasing heat and light. The syringe may 
now be plied two or three times a week, always choosing 
bright afternoons for its application. The closing up, 
or reducing the air, must now be deferred until four 
o’clock p.m., and the giving of air must take place pro¬ 
portionately sooner; indeed, such ought to have been 
named in April. The plants will now be in high vigour, 
and an increase of ventilation at all fitting times, will 
keep them sturdy in proportion to their height. If they 
are all right at root, and plenty of atmospheric moisture 
can be commanded, we advise the discontinuance of 
shading in the end of April or beginning of May, unless 
the roof be of an'excecdingly bright character, and the 
squares of glass very large. Rather let atmospheric 
moisture more abound, accompanied by a freer venti¬ 
lation still. 
June. —We come now to the question of final shifting 
or repotting, which, of course—as far as the size and 
character of the fruit is concerned—ought to be ruled by 
the requirements of the plants T but here expediency 
sometimes steps in. It is a pretty well-known fact, that 
under a good and regular course of culture, the final 
shift has much influence on the period at which “ the 
show,” or rising of the fruit takes place. About seven 
or eight months, perhaps, may be allowed with such as 
the Queens, but the Black Jamaicas will be about a 
couple of months more. However, to advise for many 
contingencies, will lead us wide of our object, and we 
must now observe, that if those strong successions have 
done well, their pots will be filled with flue roots by the 
end of June, and shifting into the fruiting-pots will 
become necessary. We will, however, pass on to the 
next month. 
July. —At whatever period the last shifting occurs, the 
same routine of potting may be observed; we have 
nothing new to say, except that as the size of the pot i 
increases, so may in proportion the size of the lumps 
of turf, &c. A chance now occurs of renewing the plung¬ 
ing medium, if necessary, but much caution must be 
