96 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[May 15. 
Botanical Magazine, t. 4556.—This is one of a group of 
genera of Acanthads, which have been named by dif¬ 
ferent botanists, but on whose validity some doubts 
have been raised by late systematists—as Enlicher and 
Lindley. The present genus, Hydromestus, originated 
with a German botanist, named Scheidweiler, and is 
from liydor, water, and mestos, full, in allusion to the 
power which the imbricated bracts have of holding 
water. Here and there we find Acanthads furnishing 
objects of great beauty and interest to gardeners—as in 
Thunbergias, Justicias, Aphelandras, Eranthemums, and 
others—but the great mass of the order, comprehended 
in a few more than a hundred genera, and above seven 
hundred species, are little better than tropical weeds, 
where they are most abundant, and, perhaps, constitute 
three-fourths of the coarse herbage. 
Acanthus mollis itself, on which the order was founded by 
Jussieu, is the most northern plant of the order, a native of 
Greece, whose beautiful leaves furnished the type of the 
noble architectural ornament of the Corinthian capital. 
This, the classical Acanthus of architecture, is almost the 
only plant of the order to which any medicinal uses have 
been ascribed. They are all of them of but trivial use to 
mankind. The Indian species of Acanthads, in Dr. Wallich’s 
herbarium, were submitted to Professor Nees Von Esenbeck 
for arrangement, at the time the labours of Dr. W. were dis¬ 
tributed among European botanists, by the East India Com¬ 
pany, for Dr. Wallich’s great work on the rare plants of 
India. It was in that work that the first great revision of 
the order was made, and the limits of sections and genera 
were investigated, and a natural arrangement of the whole 
proposed. Since then, Professor Meisner proposed some 
further improvements in the order; and he truly asserts, 
that there are few natural orders which still require a very 
searching investigation more than Acanthads. 
Hydromestus maculatus is a native of Mexico, and was not 
spotted on the leaves when grown at Kew, so that the cause 
of its being called maculatus seems to depart in our stoves. 
It is an evergreen undershrub, with cylindrical, purplish 
branches, having long-stalked leaves in pairs, broadly spear- 
liead-shaped, dark green, and very glossy above, but iialer 
beneath. Flowers, in spikes at the end of each branch ; 
bractes, lapping over each other like the cone of a Eir, but 
in four rows, and blight yellowish green; corolla, funnel- 
shaped, yellow ; calyx, in five sepals, four of equal size, but 
the fifth broader and more blunt; stamens, four, with hairy 
filaments; style, one. It belongs to the 1-k-Didynamia 
2-Angiospermia, class and order of the Linnsean system. 
THE FRUIT-GARDEN. 
The Raspberry. —Towards the middle of this month 
the raspberry requires some little attention, or much of 
the energies of the plant will be wasted; and the fruit 
consequently will be inferior both in quantity and 
quality. It is truly astonishing to witness the perfection 
to which this fruit may be grown by selecting a proper 
soil, and by a high course of culture ; a fruit, too, which 
at first sight, from its natural habit and general appear¬ 
ance, might convey the idea of one just emerging from 
the wild state. But compare a dish of highly cultivated 
Fastolffes, with one of the wild ones gathered from the 
woods, and observe the difference. It has, indeed, be¬ 
come a noble looking, as well as useful fruit, by the 
immense improvement effected in kinds as well as 
culture. One of the first handlings requisite, as far as 
the branch is concerned, is to thin out superfluous young 
shoots on the canes, presuming the bushes to be in high 
culture; for, without this, they will scarcely pay for the 
attention we claim. This proceeding consists in dis¬ 
budding inferior shoots where much crowded, which is 
sure to occur with robust plants; and these may, where 
dense branches of shoots exist, have about a third 
stripped away. Persons, however, must judge for them¬ 
selves ; let no one thin out shoots from plants in a 
lank condition, as thinning is a most scientific proceed¬ 
ing. We have this week applied a top dressing to our 
bushes more than two inches thick, composed of lialf- 
rotten leaves from the woods; this was done immediately 
on the heels of a soaking rain, a favourite practice of ours. 
The suckers springing from the root must also have 
attention; all that are not wanted for future use should 
be drawn away, not cut off. This done, little else will 
be requisite until gathering time. 
Double-bearing Raspberries. —Such having been 
cut down to the ground in the spring, will now have 
produced a multitude of suckers, and these must be well 
thinned, for this kind, if crowded, will not succeed It 
is a very good plan to train them on lines of string, or, 
what would be far preferable, on wires stretched on 
posts. These wires being fastened with nuts and screws 
might be a portable affair; and wlien the row becomes 
exhausted, could be readily removed to another site. 
The stools being about eighteen inches apart in the row, 
about three fine suckers will be enough for a stool. 
However, as they do not all show fruit, it is well to 
reserve four or five at the first thinning; and, in the 
course of a month or six weeks, it will be seen which are 
fruitful. Then they may be so thinned finally, as that 
the shoots may be trained about eight inches apart on 
the string or wire. In order to sustain the canes well, 
two horizontal and parallel lines of string or wire will be 
necessary—the one at about fifteen inches from the soil, 
and the other at about thirty inches ; on these the canes 
are, of course, tied as they advance in height. Let us 
strongly advise a good mulching to these, also, as soon 
as the final thinning of the suckers has been accom¬ 
plished; for it is impossible to get them too robust 
after this; and those who can get a little Peruvian 
guano, will do well to infuse three ounces in each gallon 
of tepid water, and apply this liberally once or twice 
during droughts, when the blossoms are unfolding and 
the fruit swelling. 
Gooseberries. —This seems likely to be an unusual 
season for heavy crops of this very useful fruit; and it I 
will be well for those who are thus situated, to thin even 
the dessert kinds for tarts or dumplings. We have be¬ 
fore observed, that over cropping is a most fertile cause i 
