THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, May 12, 1857. 80 
GOLDFUSSIA ISOPHYLLA. 
This is Ruellia isophylla of gardens, and is 
a small shrub, requiring a hothouse. It re¬ 
sembles the now common Goldfussia anisopkylla 
in general appearance, but having all the leaves 
of equal size, and a less straggling habit. The 
leaves are narrowly lanceolate, tapering to the 
point, slightly serrated. The flowers usually 
appear in threes at the end of a rather slender, 
short, axillary peduncle. Their calyx is very 
unequal. The corolla has quite the form of 
G. anisopkylla , is very pretty, pale violet, with 
dark violet herring-bone veins on the tube at the 
back of the lobes. The stamens are inclosed 
within the tube, stiff, erect, hairy on the outer 
side. The two larger anthers have hemispherical 
fleshy connectives, on which is planted a pair of 
deep lobes, one above the other, each opening 
towards the side of the corolla by a pair of 
valves; the smaller stamens are almost* rudi¬ 
mentary, stand at the foot of the others, and are 
firmly united to them, so that this plant is at 
once didynamous and diadelphous. The ovary 
is oval, tipped with glandular hairs, and seated 
in a fleshy-toothed disk; each cell contains two 
superposed ascending ovules. The stigma forms 
one side of the end of an acuminate style, and 
is therefore perfectly simple.— ( Horticultural 
Society’s Journal.) 
Gaedening at the Noeth Pole. —When the 
late Sir. E. Parry was wintering in the Arctic 
circle during 1821 scurvy, the great enemy of 
i the polar voyager, was kept at a distance by 
the use of antiscorbutics, liberally 'supplied to 
the expedition. To these was added a regular 
growth of mustard and cress, in boxes filled 
with mould, which, owing to the superior warmth 
of the ships, was now carried on on a larger 
scale than before. An amusing incident is con¬ 
nected with the preservation, during the voyage 
out, of the mould in which these vegetables 
were grown. While the ships were detained 
at Kirkwall a boat came off to the “ Fury ” 
with some sacksful of earth, which the ship’s carpenter 
(an Aberdeen man, who had formerly belonged to the 
merchant service) was ordered to stow away below. At 
this he ventured somewhat to grumble, and to question the 
utility of the article in question. “Never mind!” says his 
mate, John P-, from whom the account comes, “never 
mind! Depend on it the Captain has something in his 
head, and it ’ll be all right! ” The obnoxious sacks were, 
accordingly, stowed away, but, during the voyage across the 
Atlantic, they proved too much for the carpenter’s patience, 
and, at length, he ordered P-to throw the lumber over¬ 
board, as a mere fancy on the part of the Captain, no longer 
remembered. P-shook his head, but his superior was 
determined, and away went the bags, not, however, into the 
sea, but, at all events, out of sight. Days and months 
passed, and the affair was forgotten. Winter Island was 
reached, and the ships were frozen in. One day an order 
was given to the carpenter to provide some long shallow 
boxes. This done,—“ Now then, my man,” says the Captain, 
“ for those sacks of earth ! ” Down comes the unfortunate 
carpenter to his mate, in a state of ludicrous perplexity. 
“ Eh! P- , but what will we do, man ?—Here’s the skipper 
singing out for the sacks we heaved overboard!” “ We, 
indeed!” says P-, “but, never mind, it’s all right; they 
never went overboard at all! ” and, doubtless, many of his 
messmates had cause, at Winter Island, to be grateful to 
him that it was all right.—( Memoirs of Sir IF. E. Parry.) 
PRUNING OLD TREES. 
In a recent number Mr. Robson gives us advice about 
pruning old trees. Wishing to be of some service in this 
matter, and knowing how much practical working is of use, 
I am induced to send my experience, hoping to benefit 
those placed in similar circumstances. 
When I was in Scotland I had an orchard containing 
about 200 trees, principally Apples and Pears, and a few 
Plums. These had not seen the pruning knife for twenty- 
five years, were covered with moss, bore but little fruit, and 
that of a very inferior quality, being both small and deficient 
in flavour. 
The undergrowth was pasture, very mossy, and full of 
small nettles. 
The treatment I adopted with the latter was as follows 
(I entered into possession in May, too late to touch the 
trees that season) :—I let the grass grow, and cut a small 
crop in July. I then let it lay at rest for three months, 
when I put sheep upon it until the 1st of February. I 
then passed it over twice with a machine I invented at the 
time, called a “ Fog Cleaner,” which in its action tore up 
the nettles and moss by the roots, carrying them along with 
it. In April I sowed broadcast “common washing soda” 
pulverised, one cwt. to the acre (the orchard was nearly 
four acres), mixed with 20 bushels of soot. I cut in July, 
and the crop was very heavy, the undergrowth being fully 
two feet in height, and the high grass nearly double this. 
The difference between the two years was as follows :— 
First year, weight of grass 150 stones of 22 lbs. each. 
Sold at 4^d. per stone. 
Second year, weight of grass 245 stones of 22 lbs. each. 
Sold at 8d. per stone. 
