418 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
March 9. 
I 
I 
less, dicliotomously-divided frond, of a purplish or livid-red 
colour.— Grev. Named from a word signifying cartilage. 
1. Chondrus crispus (Curled).—Very common, and of a 
very variable form. “Turner figures ten, and Lamouroux 
thirty-five varieties.” “At onetime it was much in repute 
for furnishing gelatine, a light, easily-digested food for in¬ 
valids; and as the chief supply at first came from Carrigeen, 
in Ireland, it was called Irish Moss, or Carrigeen. The 
market-price, at one time, was as high as 2s. Cd. per pound; 
had it continued at that rate, it would have yielded more to 
the industrious inhabitants of the sea-sliore than even a 
crop of their favourite potatoes. The fashion, however, has 
gone out, and the price has fallen; but the food prepared 
from it is as good as ever, and they who have tasted it will 
need no coaxing to partake of it a second time."— Rev. Dr. 
Londsborough. 
2. C. Nop.vegicus (Norwegian).—A rather rare and pretty 
plant, chiefly found in the south of England and Ireland ; 
fronds from two to three inches high; “colour a deep, 
rather dull, blood red.” 
Though so early in the year (February), marine plants 
have already begun to grow; and I have had a specimen 
of Delesseria sanguineum sent to me with lovely pink fronds, 
more than an inch long, and also a specimen of the pretty 
TJlva lactuca, of the most bright and delicate shades of 
green, together with Porphyra laccusata, glossy as a satin 
ribbon, bright and beautiful, and full of promise of what is 
to come. Like the Turtle and the Swallow, these plants, 
hidden as they are from our sight by the waves of the 
ocean, know their appointed time, and once more appear to 
gladden the eye with their exceeding beauty. How won¬ 
derful is the diversity of the works of God, the endless 
variety, and the provision that is made for every one ! How 
the land plants require fresh water for their support, and 
the sea plants salt water for theirs ; so that what is refresh¬ 
ing to the one, would be death to the other, and the reverse. 
The more we study the works of God, the more shall we be 
inclined to declare that His wisdom is infinite, and His 
power almighty! And surely His loving-kindness is also 
great, thus to refresh us with so many beautiful objects, and 
to give us some faint glimpses of Himself in His works. 
Both the earth and the sea are full of them! S. B. 
(To be continued.) 
POULTRY-YARD REPORT. 
SPANISH V . SHANGHAES. 
I purpose, during the present year, instituting a com¬ 
parison between the Shanghae and Spanish races. Mine, 
of the latter, are Minorca, a breed which has received at the 
hands of the great Spanish breeder merited praise, and 
from what he says, I presume we may calculate the laying 
powers of the Minorca as equal to those of their now aris¬ 
tocratic relations. 
Subjoined is the report for the month of January. 
JANUARY. 
Stock Shanghaes, 9 pul¬ 
lets of 1853. Of these two laid 
in December, and then be¬ 
came broody. One laid in 
January, and is now sitting; 
one is very ill; only three 
laying. 
Eggs during the month 30 
lbs. oz. dm3. 
Weight of eggs.. 3 13 2 
Highest weight of 
single egg ..0 2 0 
StockMiNORCAS,3 old hens, 
4 pullets of 1853. Of these 
only one of the old hens has 
laid, and that only during 
the last few days of the 
month. 
Eggs during the month 4 
oz. drs. 
Weight of eggs. 8 0 
Highest weight of 
single egg. 2 3 
I calculate the eating powers to be about equal, and I 
cannot say that I have found the Shanghaes so voracious as 
some give them credit. 
I may state that the house is the same, the partition 
being of lattice-work ; it is warmed by a stove; the Minorcas 
have the warmer position.—II. B. S., Monmouthshire. 
NEW BULB. 
The Messrs. Lee, of Hammersmith, sent a most 
beautiful new half-hardy bulb, in full bloom, to the last 
meeting of the Horticultural Society, which bulb was 
“ sent out by Mr. Backhouse, of York, who introduced 
it irom Caffraria. It was labelled, Imatophyllum sp.; 
but Dr. Lindleyhas named it, provisionally, as Vallota 
miniata. I told Mr. Lee it was a Vallota the moment 
I saw it; hut I asked him, particularly, to save me one 
or two of the seed-pods, as it is only by the seed and 
pod that most of the plants in this section of Amaryllids 
can be made out from one another. Vallota, itself, is a 
true Cyrtantlius, or the latter is a true Vallota, with 
curved flowers, as I have myself proved by crossing. 
There is not the least dependence, for generic distinc¬ 
tions, to be placed on the length, shape, size, and 
directions of the style and filaments, or on the way the 
filaments are attached to the parts. In some of the 
Cyrtanths, the filaments, or stamens, are joined nearly 
their whole length to the inside of the tube. In the old 
Vallota they are only joined one-third of their length, 
and there is hardly a tube at all to the flower. In this 
new species the filaments are wholly free, and the six 
divisions of the flower are free of each other also, 
throughout their length, which is more curious. The 
plant, without the flower, would pass for a Olivia; and 
the flowers, without the plant, would suggest Vallota. 
There is another turn to the question. If the scape 
is hollow it cannot be a Olivia; if it is solid, the plant 
is not only not a Vallota, but does not come into the 
same section as Vallota. I very much doubt if it is a 
true bulb at all, but only a strong, fleshy-rooted plant, 
like Agapanthus or Olivia. Yet I know that Mr. Back¬ 
house sold a dry bulb to Mr. Jackson, near me, which 
we supposed would turn out to he the same as Mr. 
Lee’s plant; but that bulb is a true Veltheimia. All 
this, however, belongs to the true naming of the plant, 
and has nothing to do with its value as a most desirable 
addition to our bulbs. 
Here is my home description of it. A strong, fleshy- 
leaved bulb; the leaves embrace each other at the bot¬ 
tom, and form a column; the largest leaves are fifteen 
to eighteen inches long, curving out a little from each 
side of the centre of the column ; they are longer, more 
smooth, and less blunt at the points than those of 
Olivia nobilis, but in that style; and there are six of 
them on each side, or twelve leaves to the whole plant, 
and some more coming up in the centre. The flower- 
scape is from ten to twelve inches high, flattened on 
two sides. The flower-heads, or umbel, holds twelve 
flowers, which spread out all round on peduncles, or 
flower-stalks nearly two inches long; seven flowers were 
open and five in bud; the opening of the flower is two 
inches across; the six divisions stand free of each other 
all the way from the bottom ; the three which corres¬ 
pond to a calyx (sepalinc segments), are a little shorter 
and more narrow than the other thin or petaline divi¬ 
sions; the colour is soft orange-scarlet, or Vermillion, 
getting lighter into a lemon-yellow down in the neck of 
the flower—the stamens are inserted at the very bottom, 
and are otherwise free, they are not quite so long as 
the flower; the anthers are attached below the middle, 
and are full of good pollen ; the stylo or stigma is 
slightly three-cleft. 
Asa warning to the owners of this valuable plant, I may 
remark, that it is very possible the seeds will be ripe long 
before the pod has turned colour, and if so, they will 
assuredly sprout before the pod bursts, and they are 
then as good as lost; if we aro right in the name, the 
pod will burst open near the bottom—not across the top 
as is more usual. Some of my crosses in Cyrtantlius, 
and the pollen of Vallota will come very near to this 
plant, but the flowers will be almost sessile, as that part 
may take after the mother. J). Beaton. 
i 
