THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
271 
February 14.] 
used, among the humbler classes, as a funeral decora¬ 
tion. In the olden time, it was always selected for 
this purpose, but now the custom is not so general. 
Still, as connected with the dead, it may teach us a 
useful lesson. It bids us remember that we, also, are 
hurrying to the tomb—the dark and silent grave, in 
which there is no repentance. It reminds us that 
“ the dust” shall “ return to the earth as it was; and 
the spirit shall return to God who gave it.” These 
are solemn, salutary truths: let us pause and listen. 
Old and young are alike called upon to hear them; 
and let us remember, before we go down into “ the 
valley of the shadow of death,” that “the rod and 
staff of” Christ alone, can “comfort” us in our pas¬ 
sage through it. 
EXTRACTS EROM CORRESPONDENCE. 
The Effect of Gases on Olb and Young Leaves. 
—At page 255, vol. I., of the CoTtage Gardener, 
Mr. Beaton invites a solution of the following query : 
“ How is it that a deleterious gas will kill the old 
leaves of a plant, without affecting those leaves that 
are newly formed on the same plant?” As a mere 
“ amateur,” I venture, with great diffidence, to offer 
the following explanation:—The organs of young 
leaves not being perfected—I mean those organs by 
which they inhale and respire not being fully deve¬ 
loped—they are, therefore, in that condition, not liable 
to be injured by being surrounded by a noxious gas; 
whereas, the older leaves being fully organised, they 
are in a state to imbibe the deleterious gas, and are, 
consequently, destroyed.—T. 0. 
[T. 0. is perfectly right in this explanation; and, 
moreover, has thus furnished a key which will some 
day reconcile the existing difference between theory 
and practice, on the subject of pruning the grape¬ 
vine —a subject, by the way, which has never yet been 
explained properly. Practice h as been right all along 
on this point, but is still groping in the dark for the 
true answer to the'question, Why is it right? An 
unforseen accident in a grapery, some seven or eight 
years since, revealed the real principle on which this 
practice is founded to half-a-dozen gardeners, who 
have since instituted experiments which confirmed 
their view of the question. But the subject is out of 
my beat here; and I conclude by answering T. 0., 
that it is not proper to retain vine-leaves which are 
produced with us after the end of August—that is, on 
plants which have been growing since the spring.— 
D. Beaton.] 
A DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF CAMELLIAS. 
WHITE. 
Alba plena. —The old double white, not surpassed by 
any other; a full double flower of good substance, and 
handsome form, 2s 6d. 
Alba plena, var.fimbriata. —Like the first, with the petals 
beautifully fringed, 2s 6d. 
Alba plena fimbriata, var. insignis. —A large round 
flower, formed like a ranunculus, 5s. Hugh Low & Co., 
Clapton. 
Candidissima. —The purest white, finely imbricated—that 
is, with the petals laid over each other, growing less and 
less to the centre; a good old kind, 2s 6d. 
Cmmatiflora. —Curved flowered, very double imbricated. 
Decus Italicum. —Imbricated form ; magnificent flower, 
of the first order, 2s 6d. 
Due de Brabant. —Poeony-shaped ; sometimes imbri¬ 
cated ; deep pure white, 2s 6d. 
Edita. —Milk-white; finely imbricated; centre well raised; 
very double, 5s. 
Frederica alba. —Pure white, imbricated, 3s Gd. 
Grunellii .—Very pure white; finely-formed petals 
Harrisonii. —Very round petals ; rather small flowers ; 
imbricated, and of the purest white. 
Innocenza. —Of the purest white; fine form ; a superb 
flower. 
Magnifica. —Superb, very double, large, and imbricated. 
Martha. —Very grand, and perfectly imbricated. 
Myrtifolia alba. —Raised by Dr. Herbert, the late Dean 
of Manchester, from imbricata alba, a beautiful well-shaped 
flower. 
Nobilissima ,— Very pretty, pure white, and of a good 
form. 
Heine des Vierges. —Perfectly imbricated, and of a pure 
white. 
ROSE OR PINK. 
Apollinea d’ Italic. —Imbricated ; very double. 
Ariadne. —Another of Dr. Herbert’s seedlings; very 
pretty; poeony-shape. 
Caroline. —Large flower; delicate rose. 
Chandlerii elegans. —First-rate flower; fine form ; deli¬ 
cate rose. 
Felecite.^ Fine large flower ; very handsome; first order. 
Floyii. —Lively rose ; large petals ; well-rounded ; im¬ 
bricated ; stamens and pistils visible ; very pretty. 
Hendersonii. —Fine form ; delicate rose. 
Lefebvriana. —A finely-formed variety, of a most beauti¬ 
ful rose. 
Pictorium superbum roseum. —A grand flower; well im¬ 
bricated; superb. 
Pulasky. —Imbricated rose ; superb form. 
Rubini. —Admirable satin rose, perfectly imbricated. 
Reticulata. —Large petals ; deep rose ; fine large flower. 
Triumphans amabilis. —Charming rose ; first order. 
Vexillo diFlore. —Imbricate; very grand; superb flower. 
Triumphans de Gand. —Very grand ; poeony-shaped ; 
brilliant rose. 
Woodsia .— Deep rose; very large. — T. Appleby. 
(To be Continued.J 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
*** We request that no one will write to the departmental writers 
of The Cottage Gardener. It gives them unjustifiable trouble 
and expense ; and we also request our coadjutors under no circum¬ 
stances to reply to such private communications. 
Vine Against Back-wall of Vinery (TV. H. B.). —If in 
your vinerv you keep your vines solely to the rafters, and keep your 
back-wall ‘whitened so as to reflect’ heat and light, you may con¬ 
fidently train vines against the back-wall, placing a main shoot 
opposite the centre of the light. Mind, however, your success will 
depend upon having a space in the centre of each light unoccupied 
by the foliage of the vines under the rafters, and, also, to having no 
such thing us a stage for plants to prevent the rays of light reaching 
the back-wall. In such circumstances, we have had fine-coloured 
black grapes, but we should recommend you to try chiefly, in such a 
position, the Dutch sweet water and the Royal muscadine. Vines in 
pots would also answer admirably being placed upon a shelf in such 
a position. You would have the produce earlier, but with less cer¬ 
tainty, and with more trouble, than from vines planted out. Failing 
to adopt these means of covering the back-wall, you might plant 
with great propriety. If you did not commence forcing until the 
middle of February, you'might plant it with Camellias. Being 
stimulated at the early part of the season, they would set their buds 
early, and commence blooming in the end of October, continuing to 
do so during the winter, when there ivould be nothing interesting in 
the appearance of the vines. 
Auriculas and Heaths in the Same House (Ibid).— We 
see no objection in the shape of the air that both require ; but we 
fear that the shade so indispensable to the Auricula, at its most, in¬ 
teresting period, would not agree with the heaths. See what friend 
Appleby says. 
Errata.— At p. 234, for Mrs. Think on, read Think in Time; col. 
2, fifth line from top, read shoot for short; 14t.h line from top, for 
heat, read touch; 41st line from top, read Persicum for Persian ; 51st 
line from top, read vegetation for regulation ; 52nd line from top, 
read latter for laeter; 56tli line from top, read leaves for bows. 
Green Fly on Black Currants (Omega).— The louse, or Green 
fly, on the underside of your black currant-trees, is the Aphis jibis- 
nigri, or Black-currant louse. It is of a pale whitish-green colour. 
Cover each bush with a table-cloth, or other covering that will retain 
the smoke, and then fumigate it with slowly-burning tobacco. Tan- 
ner’s-bark, when thoroughly decayed, is a very good manure. Even 
applied fresh to heavy soil, it helps to improve its staple, by rendering 
it more porous. 
