January 23.J 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
251 
the opposite side of the flowers, the anthers expand, and 
the stigma for the first time comes to light, and may be 
seen seated in a little cavity on the top of the column ; 
somewhat after the way this part is arranged in Goode- 
nuuls, as instanced by a common greenhouse plant, 
Leschenaiiltia formosa. This kind of irritability is seen 
in many other flowers, but the way the anthers and 
stamens are connected into one body is not seen in any 
instance that we are aware of out of the orchid alliance. 
Stylidium mucronatum was first discovered by Sonder, but 
introduced into this country by Messrs. Lucombe, Piuce, 
and Co., of Exeter, from Swan River seeds. It is a pretty 
greenhouse or room plant. Stem tufted, and very leafy. 
Leaves smooth, spreading, narrow, bristly pointed. Flower- 
stem one on each branch, nine inches high, covered, as well 
as the calyx, with hairs tipped with glands; flower-leaves 
(corolla) bright yellow, with a zigzag line of orange. 
Tea-like Freziera (Freziera theoides).—Botanical 
Magazine, t. 4546.—The genus Freziera was named by 
Swartz, in memory of A. F. Frezier, a French botanical 
traveller in Chili and the South Sea Islands. The spe¬ 
cific name intimates that the leaves are like those of the 
tea plants of China. The nearest genus and species 
among its kindred is Lettsomia tomentosa, a beautiful 
Peruvian shrub, described by Ruiz and Pavon, the 
Spanish travellers, in their Flora Peruviana. It belongs 
to the same Natural Order as the Tea and Camellia, 
j Theads (Temstromiaceae), and to the first order of the 
thirteenth class of the Linnsean system, Polyandria 
monogynia. It is a native of the Blue Mountains in 
Jamaica, is a strong evergreen shrub, requiring the tem¬ 
perature of a warm greenhouse, or a structure with a 
temperature between a common greenhouse and a stove, 
, which gardeners call an intermediate house. The leaves 
! are glossy green, and notched on the edges, and smaller, 
but much in the shape and consistency of those of the 
Camellia, provisionally termed leathery leaves, owing to 
then- stiffness. The flowers, which are of a creamy white 
and nearly two inches across, hang down singly from 
the axils of the leaves, and afterwards give place to ber¬ 
ries as large as a small cherry, juicy, and of a fine purple 
colour. It was sent to the Kew Gardens, in 1849, by 
Mr. Wilson, of the Botanic Garden, Jamaica, where it 
flowered in September, 1850. Altogether it is a welcome 
addition to our gardens. 
The Gordonias of North America and Javlt, it will be recol¬ 
lected, are stationed among Theads, and with the Tea plant, 
the Camellia, and a few others from Cliina, they form the j 
principal plants of the order known to the British gardener; 
but there are many very beautiful trees and shrubs of this j 
same order in the woods of South America and in the East ; 
Indies which remain yet to repay the exertions of the plant i 
collector. The Assam tea plant we have seen seems much i 
more robust in all its parts than plants of the China species 
of the same age and under similar management. 
Freziera theoides is described in the Flora of Jamaica as 
resembling the Black Tea plant of China, both in leaves and 
flowers. It is an evergreen shrub about four feet high, 
though in Jamaica it attains to five times that height. Leaves 
alternate, pointed oval, dark green, saw-edged. Calyx in five 
segments, with two petals heart-shape, point uppermost. 
Seeds angular and numerous. 
We must observe, and express our deep regret, that while 
the above was being penned, intelligence has arrived that 
Dr. M’Fayden, the author of the “ Flora of Jamaica,” had 
been hurried to the grave, a victim to his professional duties, 
amid the fever and cholera now devastating that island. 
THE FRUIT-GARDEN. 
Present Position of Hardy Fruit Culture. —An 
inducement presents itself to offer a few general obser¬ 
vations under this head—probable usefulness to those 
who intend planting fruit-trees this spring ; and what is 
done in this way, we may add, must be done speedily. | 
It would appear, that there is as much room still for 
improvement in this department of gardening as in any 
other—perhaps more. In The Gardeners Journal for 
January the fourth occurs the following remarks :—“ In 
passing through this famous emporium of vegetables, 
fruit, and flowers, Co vent Garden, two or three days ago, 
we were particularly struck with the scanty supply of 
hardy English fruits. The only good pears, for example, 
were two or three samples of Glout Morceau, and the 
Jersey and Guernsey Ohaumontelle." The apples, too, 
are said mainly to consist of the Ribston Pippin, which, 
it is well observed, has never yet become “ a drug ” in 
the market. 
Many other remarks occur, which we have not space 
to quote, all, however, tending to show that the selection 
and cultivation of hardy fruits in Britain is anything 
but what it ought to be. 
Whilst adverting to the complaints of the metropo¬ 
litan horticultural press concerning this question, we 
may as well add, that an article in The Gardeners' 
Chronicle of the same date, by a strange coincidence, 
animadverts somewhat strongly on the want of skill in i 
the English hardy fruit gardener, as compared with 
his continental neighbours. 
Now, all this is sufficiently astounding. The question 
instantly occurs to the mind-—how is it, in the first | 
place, that our great London commercial gardeners (who 
are known to be pretty astute as to matters of profit, as 1 
connected with the demands of the markets) cannot [ 
arrive at such modes of culture as shall not only readily j 
supply the market demands, but absolutely glut them? ■ 
Another view of the question also arises; some of the 
gardening periodicals are, it may be said, replete with 
information on this head, and have been ever since the 
days when the ill effects of stagnant and over manured 
soils were first pointed out. How then is it, that a 
