8(i 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Nove.mjjek 1. 
true ono. lie says lie has had several that have turned 
out counterfeits, which, like counterfeit sovereigns, are 
useless, except to the utterers, when they are not caught 
in the fact, 'there is nothing so grievous to the mind 
of a respectable dealer as that of sending to his customer 
a ])lant not true to its name, which he has had from 
some person in the trade, expecting it to be the genuine 
variety. If he is largely dealing in any popular plant, 
and has obtained the origin of his stock from some one 
that has deceived him, I leave a discerning public to 
judge how distressing his feelings must be, when he 
ilnds he unintentionally has been distributing, to per¬ 
haps numerous customers, a plant not true to its name; 
and what is worse, spreading the mistake, or evil, it 
may be designated, on account of his high and deserved 
(except in such a case) character, he has been supplying 
otlier men in the trade, equally as respectable as him¬ 
self, with plants from the false one. This is a great evil, 
and I think the sending out plants, in the first instance, 
of any kind not true, ought to be punisbable by an ex- 
jiressed law, for there is no knowing how far, through 
the innocent instrumentality of the honest well-known 
sterling dealers, the deceit may be spread. These re¬ 
marks have been drawn from me in consequence of the 
letter from my Manchester correspondent, and I trust If 
ever a dealer is found wilfully and knowingly sending 
out to nurserymen any kind of florist-flower not genuine, 
that, for the protection of innocent men, and the public 
in general, such a dealer may be publicly exposed in the 
gardening periodicals, such exposure to operate not only 
as a warning to would-be-cheats, but also as a punish¬ 
ment to the actual offender in the first onset. 
I have been drawn from my original purpose when 
commencing this essay on the Petunia, and if I have 
made myself clearly understood, I may hope my remarks 
may do good, by removing the onus of wrong dealing 
from the innocent, and placing it where it ought to be, 
upon the guilty man. 'The Petunia is advancing, not 
only in public favour, but also with the florist, because 
it is found capable of improvement by hybridization. I 
may suppose now that tlie Petunia phanicca is extinct; 
but I well remember, some twenty years ago, being highly 
delighted when I first saw the plant in flower. It had 
then a great degree of beauty, but was without a good 
form. ]\Iy young brethren would scarcely recognise it 
now, in tliese days of improvement, in form, colour, and 
substance—the three grand properties of every florist- 
flower. As I do not desire to omit any flower that can 
be placed under the class of florist-flowers, I shall devote 
a week’s essay or two to this showy plant—the Petunia, 
and after they are placed in the hands of our Editor, I 
will give a series of brief descriptive lists of every kind 
of Jlorist-Jiower that is worthy of cultivation in 1853, 
something similar to tho one I gave lately of the Dahlia. 
I am aware that this is an onerous task, but I do not 
shrink from it, being well awai’e such lists are extremely 
useful and desirable to the amateur florist, for whose 
instruction I chiefly write on this subject; and I should 
be much obliged to every grower of good varieties of any 
kind of those flowers, if he would send me a true descrip¬ 
tion of every first-rate variety, in order that the list 
I might be complete, and, consequently, more extensive 
i and useful; the descriptions to bo classed under the 
! heads—form, substance, colour, size, and habit. Such 
j lists, drawn from various quarters, would be far more 
complete and essentially useful than any single one that 
any one dealer might furnish in his catalogue. I hope 
my wish for these descriptions will be attended to at 
once, as the season is fast approaching when it will be 
desirable to put them into the hands of tho purchasers, 
in order that they may jn'oeure them in time for tho 
next year. 'They may either be sent to me, at Victoria 
, Nursery, Uxbridge, at once, or be sent to the Editor, 
! 2, Amen Corner, Paternoster Row, London. 
To return to tho Petunia. In the first place it is de¬ 
sirable to know what are the properties of a good Petunia. 
1. Form .—The flower should be round without notches 
on the edge, and it should be rather inclined to cup, tliat 
is, the outer edges should not bend back. 2- Substance .— 
Tlie petals should be stout, and able to keep tlie form 
nearly as long as the colour lasts perfect. 3. Colour .— 
When a self, it should be clear without fading at the 
edges; when striped, each stripe should he well defined, j 
and each colour distinct. 4. Size .—Each flower should 
be at least one-and a-lialf to two inches across ; if large 
they are liable to bend back. 5. Habit .—'The plant ' 
should be rather dwarf, and produce flowers abundantly; 
the foliage should he rather small, in order that every , 
flower may bo seen distinctly. 'T. Aiu'leby. 
(Z'o he continued.) 
CONIFERiE. 
{Continued from page 40.) 
Dacrydium. —'This name is derived from dacru, a tear, 
on account of the gummy tear-like exudations on the 
leaves and branches. 'The foliage of the plants in this 
genus are singular and ornamental. I had intended, 
when I first began these essays on Couiferae, to confine 
myself to the hardy species only ; but as The Cottage 
Gardener and Gentlesian’s Cojipanion is now found 
on the tables of those who have large conservatories, 
I think my list ought to include such Coniferae as are 
ornamental and suitable for such garden buildings. 
For this reason I include the genus at the head of this 
article, and shall also mcludo other genera of a similar 
character; and I do this for the simple, yet sufficient, 
reason, that of rendering the essays complete and useful 
to every class of readers. 'That the genus Dacrydium is 
too tender to bear the open air is, I fear, too certain a 
fact; but the species are admirably adapted to ornament 
a conservatory or winter garden, either planted out in 
the borders, or grown in pots. In either case, they 
should be grown in pure, strong loam, well drained. 
Dacrydium cupressinum (Cypress-like D.), from New 
Zealand, where it is called by Europeans the New Zealand 
Spruce Fir. Dr. Solander first discovered this tree when 
accompanying Captain Cook on his first voyage. 'I’hat 
attentive commander, in order to prevent the attacks 
of that scourge of sailors, the scurvy, made from this 
tree a kind of spruce-bcer, but found it so very astrin¬ 
gent, that be was obliged, in order to prevent the bad 
effects of tbis quality, to mix it with a tea made of the 
tea-plant of that country (the Lejytospermim scoparkim). [ 
'This species was found on the sides of tho hills, and ■ 
also on the sea-coast nearly down to the water. 'The . 
trees were tall and slender, reaching nearly one hun- ! 
dred feet in height, whilst the stems seldom exceeded ! 
three feet in diameter. 'This disproportion, however, 
was not seen, because the stems were hid by widc- 
spreadiug, drooping branches. 'The wood is hard, more 
so than any other resin-bearing trees in that country, 
and is beautifully variegated with white and red. ^ 
Dacrydium elatum (Tall D.).—'This is the Juniperns \ 
rigida of Dr. Wallich, and tho J. data of Roxburgh. ' 
It is a native of Pulo-Penang. 'J’he tree attains a great 
height, and is very ornamental. Introduced about 1830, ^ 
but is yet rather scarce. 
Dacrydium Franklandh syn. D. huonense (Iluon i 
Pine), found in a district of that name in Tasmania, i 
'This is a valuable tree in that country; the timber ' 
is used for ship-building and other purposes. Mr. James I 
Backhouse, tho nurseryman at York, travelled througli 
that part of tho world, and wrote a very interesting 
“Narrative of a Visit to tho Australian Colonies,” and 
describes this tree to be large, and of a pyramidal form, 
growing to the heighth of a hundred feet, with a trunk 
