THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, August 9, 1859. 
273 
acquaintance with facts. Such manures have a greater attraction 
for moisture than is possessed by atmospheric air ; but it is much 
less powerful than the power of suction possessed by roots. There 
is no saline body which these will not deprive of the moisture it 
has absorbed—nor will any be surprised at this, when they 
know that the root of a Pear tree, half an inch in diameter, 
absorbs water with such force and rapidity as to cause mercury 
to rise up an attached tube eight inches in six minutes.—( Hale's 
Veg. Statics., Exp. xxi.) 
Somo manures increase the growth and vigour of plants by 
stimulating their absorbent and assimilating organs. This will 
only be admitted by those who allow that plants are gifted with 
sensation—a topic to be more fully discussed hereafter; but a 
few illustrative facts may be here stated. The Venus’s Fly-trap 
(IJionma muscipula) has jointed leaves, which are furnished on 
their edges with a row of strong prickles. Flies, attracted by 
honey which is secreted in glands on their surface, venture to 
alight upon them ; no sooner do their legs touch these parts 
than the sides of the leaves spring up, and locking their rows of 
prickles together, squeeze the insects to death. The well-known 
sensitive plant ( Mimosa sensitiva) shrinks from the slightest 
touch, Oxalis sensitiva and Smitkia sensitiva are similarly irri¬ 
table, as are the filaments of the stamens of the Berberry. One 
of this irritable tribe, lledysarum gyrans , has a spontaneous 
motion ; its leaves are frequently moving in various directions, 
without order or co-operation. When an insect inserts its 
proboscis between the converging anthers of a kind of Dog’s- 
bane (Apocynum androsscemifolium) they close with a power 
usually sufficient to detain the intruder until death. How often 
have we heard a farmer reply to an observation upon the tardy 
growth of Turnips, “ They will not grow apace, until their leaves 
are large enough for the wind to take hold of them ; ” and this 
is only because plants cannot be healthy and vigorous without 
exercise. Mr. Knight found that trees which were regularly 
shaken every day in his greenhouse grew more rapidly and were 
stronger than others which were kept still. 
The stimulating powers of excrementitious manures arise from 
the salts of ammonia they contain. Sir H. Davy found vegetation 
assisted by solutions of muriate of ammonia (sal-ammoniac), car¬ 
bonate of ammonia (volatile salt), and acetate of ammonia. Night 
soil, one of the most beneficial of manures, surpasses all others 
in the abundance of its ammoniacal constituents in the proportion 
of three to one. It may be observed, that the nearer any animal 
approaches to man in the nature of its food, the more fertilising 
is the manure it affords. We believe that a languishing plant— 
one, for example, that has been kept very long with its roots out 
of the earth, as an Orange tree recently imported from Italy, 
might be most rapidly recovered if its stem and branches were 
steeped in a tepid, weak solution of carbonate of ammonia, and, 
when planted, an uncorked phial of the solution were suspended 
to one of the branches, to impregnate the atmosphere slightly 
with its stimulating fumes.—J. 
(To be continued.) 
NOTES ON NEW OR RARE PLANTS. 
Lemonia spectabilis. Lindl. Nat. ord., Rutacecc. Native 
of Cuba.—Stove evergreen shrub, of somewhat irregular habit. 
Stem strong, covered with thick, rough, brown bark. Branches 
numerous, moderately strong, becoming brown as the stem. 
Leaves opposite, temate, upon short stout petioles; leaflets 
unequal, the centre one longest and broadest, elliptical; lateral 
ones lanceolate, elliptical, entire, dark green and shining above, 
paler beneath. Flowers axillary and terminal, pedunculate, with 
two or throe flowers upon each peduncle, all of which are shortly 
pedicillate. Calyx enclosed by two closely-embracing bracts, 
which are green, and larger than the calyx. Corolla tubular; 
tube short, swelling towards the limb ; limb irregular, composed 
of five elliptical lobes, the three lower of which are largest, rosy 
purple. Stamens growing upon the sides of the corolla. Pistil 
short, erect, with a five-cleft stigma. 
A very useful plant, blooming in June and July, not pro¬ 
fusely, but continually and regularly. It is but little known in 
gardens, although it has been in cultivation for seventeen or 
eighteen years. A compost of about three parts good fibrous 
loam, and one part of peat, with a free mixture of sand, is an 
excellent soil for it. Cuttings root freely enough in the usual 
way for stove plants. 
C-LEBODEKDBUJI SPEENDEKS. Tkunb. Nat. ord., Verbenacete. 
Native of Sierra Leone.—Moderately-strong growing climber. 
Branches quadrangular, rusty brown. Leaves opposite, on very 
short petioles, ovate, lanceolate, acute, sometimes acuminate, 
waved at the margin, and shghtly reflexed; veins prominently 
reticulate, dark green and shining above, paler beneath, with the 
midrib very prominent. Inflorescence in terminal panicles. 
Calyx furnished with five acute, brownish segments, quite smooth. 
Corolla t ubular ; tube slightly bent and short; limb divided into 
five unequal, concave, elliptical lobes, of intense crimson. Sta¬ 
mens much exserted, somewhat curved, two short and two long. 
Pistil much exserted with a bifid apex. 
An excellent stove climber, blooming in June very profusely. 
It does best planted out in a compost of turfy loam and peat, or 
leaf mould. It should be allowed a good rest in -winter ; and if 
freely cut back in spring, it will shoot away strongly. Cuttings 
of short-growing shoots, in spring, root pretty freely. 
Pavetta Caeeba. Tkunb. Nat. ord., Cinchonacece. Native 
of the Cape of Good Hope.—Stove evergreen shrub of excellent, 
compact habit. Branches stiff, woody, round. Leaves obovate 
or elliptical, acute or obtuse, shortly petiolate, smooth, thick, 
coriaceous. Inflorescence in dense, terminal, corymbose panicles, 
the pedicels of which are furnished with extremely minute 
bracts. Calyx composed of four erect, stiff, acute, short seg¬ 
ments, dark green. Corolla tubular, about half an inch long, 
narrow, and nearly equal throughout, with a limb of four, 
spreading, nearly elliptical, white lobes. Stamens four, alternate 
to the lobes of the corolla, ultimately reflexed, and lying over the 
outside of the tube of the corolla. Pistil long, exserted nearly 
an inch beyond the mouth of the corolla, and surmounted by a 
slightly club-shaped stigma. 
A most useful stove plant, blooming in June and July very 
freely. It bears considerable resemblance to Ixora, to which it 
is nearly allied. It is not so partial to bottom heat as Ixora, 
but in other respects it requires the same treatment. Good loam 
and peat, with plenty of sharp sand form an excellent compost 
for it, and cuttings of the young wood in spring root readily. 
Blabeeopus teneatus. Dec. Nat. ord., Apocynacece. Native 
of the East Indies.—A branching, stove evergreen, growing to 
the height of about six feet. Branches strong, roundish, abound¬ 
ing in the milky sap so characteristic of this family of plants. 
Leaves shortly petiolate, very acute, long, linear-lanceolate, un¬ 
dulate, entire; midrib prominent; veins many, nearly parallel, 
with one marginal vein. Inflorescence in terminal corymbs, with 
smooth pedicels, furnished with very small scale-like bracts. 
Calyx of five minute, green, acute segments. Tube of the corolla 
an inch or more long, narrow, and swelling slightly tow'ards the 
limb, wdiicli is composed of five, deeply cut, twisted, lanceolate, 
reflexed lobes, pure white; throat narrow', somewhat hairy. 
Anthers nearly sessile, placed near the throat of the corolla, but 
enclosed in it. Style long, filiforme, with a roundish, small 
stigma. 
An excellent stove plant, and well deserving a place in choice 
collections. The flowers, which are alw ays profuse, are also fra¬ 
grant ; and though not lasting individually, there is a long suc¬ 
cession of them in June and July. Turfy loam and peat, with 
plenty of sand, make a very suitable soil for this plant; and 
cuttings of moderately-ripened shoots root moderately free.— 
S. G. W. 
THE COLOURS OF FLOWERS PROMOTED BY 
CHARCOAL. 
A French amateur in the Paris “ Horticultural Review,” 
states—“ About a year ago I made a bargain for a Rose bush 
of magnificent growth and full of buds. I w aited for them to 
bloom, and I expected Roses worthy of such a noble plant, and 
of the praise bestowed upon it by tho vendor. At length, when it 
bloomed, all my hopes wore blasted. The flowers were of a 
faded colour, and I discovered that I had only a middling multi¬ 
flora, stale-coloured enough. I, therefore, resolved to sacrifice 
it to some experiments which I had in view. My attention had 
been captivated with the effects of charcoal, as stated in some 
English publications. I then covered the earth (in the pot in 
which my Rose bush was) about half an inch deep with pulverised 
charcoal. Some days after, I was astonished to see the Roses 
which bloomed of as fine a lively rose colour as I could wish. I 
determined to repeat the experiment ; and, therefore, when the 
Rose bush had done flowering I took off the charcoal and put 
