96 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, November 15, 1859. 
divided. If not the whole applied anew, at least let half of it 
for a foot square or more be given to each plant: it will then 
have a chance to thrive, and obtain nutriment for several years. 
ATJBIUETIA. 
Nat. ord ., Crucifer®. Linn. Tetradynamia Siliculosa. 
Generic Character.— Calyx base bi-saccate. Petals entire. 
Shorter stamens toothed. Silicle oblong, crowned by the style, 
valves concavely-plane. Seeds not margined. 
Aubrietia deltoidea (three-angled). Pedicels longer than the 
calyx; stems sub-9hrubby, prostrate; leaves lanceolately del¬ 
toid, with one or two large teeth; silicles hairy, inflated. 
3 in. Purple. April. Levant. Divided from Arabis. 
A. purpurea (purple). Pedicels shorter than the calyx; leaves 
oblong, sometimes entire, sometimes toothed, hispid. 3 in. 
Purple. April. Greece. 
A. - Mooreana (Moore’s purple). 3 in. April. 
Gardens. 
Low-growing spring-flowering plants, with purple flowers, 
generally recommended as rock plants; but they live and thrive 
well in a well-drained, dry, sandy loam, especially if a spadeful 
of sandy peat be added to the loam. 
Their pretty purple flowers are produced in March and April 
very copiously, and are then very ornamental. After they have 
done blooming, the patches which they form should be con¬ 
siderably reduced in size, in order to keep them round, neat 
plants. They are all evergreen. 
Propagated by division. Take up the plants, and divide them, 
taking care that each patch has its share of roots. Plant the 
divisions directly in fresh soil, and give a gentle watering to 
settle the soil. Such divisions with moderate care will last 
several years. 
BAPTISIA. 
Nat . ord., Fabaceeo. Linn. Decandria Monogynia. 
Generic Character. — Calyx campanulate, rather attenuated 
at base, four or five-toothed, persistent. Petals clawed, rather 
unequal; vexillum spreading, reflexed. Stamens free, decidu¬ 
ous. Pod bladdery, rather leathery, pedicelled, crowned by 
style, many-seeded. 
Baptisia alba (white). Branches glabrous; leaves ternate 
stalked, glabrous; leaflets elliptic-oblong, obtuse; stipules 
deciduous, subulate, shorter than petioles; racemes terminal; 
ovaries glabrous. 2 ft. White. June. N. America. 
B. aueiculata (eared). Blue. June. N. America. 
B. Australis (southern). Stem branched, diffuse ; leaves stalked, 
smooth; branches smooth; leaflets oblong-cuneate, obtuse, 
four times length of petioles; stipules lanceolate-acute, double 
length of petioles; racemes few-flowered, elongated; calyx 
quadrifid, lower segment blunt: pods apiculated. 2| ft. Blue. 
June. N. America. 
B. Conpusa (confused). Stem branched; leaves stalked, smooth, 
leaflets oblong-cuneate, or obovate; stipules linear-lanceolate, 
double length of petioles ; racemes elongated ;floioers alternate; 
bracts permanent, lanceolate, acuminate, longer than pedicels. 
2 ft. June. Blue. N. America. 
B. lanceolata (lance-leaved). Branches downy; leaves sessile, 
downy, leaflets stalked, cuneate-lanceolate, obtuse; flowers 
axillary, solitary, pedicels short, upper in a raceme. 1 ft. 
Yellow. July. N. America. 
B. minor (lesser). Stem erect, solid, glaucous; leaflets rhom¬ 
boid-lanceolate ; stipules lanceolate, longer than petioles; 
racemes axillary, bracteate; bracts cordate-lanceolate, lower 
permanent; vexillum entire. 1 ft. Blue. June. North 
America. 
B. mollis (soft). Stem finely downy; leaves stalked, finely 
downy, leaflets rather rhomboid-lanceolate; stipules foliaceous, 
linear-lanceolate; racemes spicate, terminal; calyx finely 
downy, teeth acute. 1J ft. Blue. June. N. America. 
B. perpoliata (perfoliate). Plant smooth; leaves perfoliate, 
roundish, quite entire, rather glaucous; flowers axillary, soli¬ 
tary. 3 ft. Yellow. August. Carolina. 
B. tinctoria (dyer’s, or Mild Indigo). Branches smooth; 
leaves stalked, smooth, upper nearly sessile, leaflets roundish- 
obovate; stipules setaceous, almost obsolete; racemes terminal, 
la ft. Yellow. July. N. America. 
B. VERSICOLOR (various-coloured). White, purple. N. America. 
B. viLLOSA (long-haired). Stems and calyces adpressed-pubescent; 
leaves nearly sessile, downy, leaflets lanceolate-obtuse; stipules 
linear, longer than petioles; racemes terminal; pod oblong, 
cylindrical. 2 ft. Yellow. June. N. America. 
A genus of rather tall, handsome, hardy plants not much 
known, but worthy of general cultivation; the foliage, as well as 
the flowers, is handsome. They require a deep, rich, sandy soil, 
with a portion of sandy peat added to it. 
Propagated by taking up the plants in spring, and dividing 
them into two or more portions, according to the size of each 
plant. Replant immediately in fresh soil, pressing it down 
firmly to each division, and covering the buds fully an inch deep. 
Cut down the stems in autumn, and dig the soil around each 
plant, adding more fresh compost every year. So managed they 
will not need removal again for seven years. T. Appleby. 
(To be continued .) 
NEW BOOKS. 
Wheat.* —Gardening, as we have often remarked, is the elder 
sister of Farming, and from the day of her birth in Paradise 
until the present century has always taken the lead in im¬ 
provements which her younger sister has tardily and reluctantly 
followed. From times antecedent of all records, gardeners have 
sown their seeds in rows, but farmers never thought of following 
their example until the time of Tull, and long did they deride 
and neglect his suggestion. Similarly from times past all re¬ 
membrance have gardeners employed liquid manures; but even 
still do farmers too generally allow the rich drainage of their dung¬ 
hills to flow away unused, and still fewer are they who wisely 
prefer liquid manuring. Many are the similar instances we could 
adduce of Gardening leading the van, and Farming, after a long 
interval, appearing in the rear of advancement; but we will only 
adduce one more illustration—it is the latest, and is the pub¬ 
lication which leads us to this notice. 
Many are the gardening works which have appeared in monthly 
numbers, each number devoted to a full and connected account 
of one or more of our garden crops; but not until this present 
year did any similar work on agricultural crops issue from the 
press ; and we thank Mr. Wilson, the Professor of Agriculture in 
the University of Edinburgh, for so well taking the lead—so 
well, that we wish he had been still more copious in his details; 
Professor Wilson glances over the ancient history of Wheat; 
dwells more upon the modem species and varieties; particu¬ 
larises the soil best adapted to its growth, the modes and ex¬ 
penses of culture, storing, and thrashing, concluding with a de¬ 
scription of its diseases, insect enemies, and chemical con¬ 
stituents. 
We repeat, what is done is well done, and we regret that the 
author had not more space, for he had materials around him to 
fill ten score, instead of five score pages. It is probable that 
the restriction arose from a wise caution, for fanners are not yet 
a reading class, and most of them think a book an evil propor¬ 
tionately with its size. Nothing, perhaps, evinces this more than 
their universal apathy relative to the history of their most 
valued products. As to know the pedigree of a bull increases its 
value, if that pedigree is to be found in Coates’ Herd Book, they 
are so far lucre-tempted to be learned in bullock biography ; but 
“ Of what use is it to know anything about the history of 
Wheat ? ” So general is this feeling that we do not know of any 
author who lias ventured to enter deeply into the subject. Let 
us gather together a few fragments relative to the history of 
this grain in our own country. 
Yv e believe it "was cultivated here when Caesar led hither his 
legions more than nineteen hundred years ago. It is quite cer¬ 
tain that the Romans imported Wheat from Gaul, for Pliny says, 
“ The lightest in weight comes from thence; when weighed a 
modius does not amount to more than twenty pounds.”—( Pliny's 
Nat. Hist., 1. xviii., c. 12.)f It is equally certain that the 
Britons on the coast of Xent, where Cscsar landed, resembled in 
their manners, customs, and arts their Gaulish neighbours. That 
like them they cultivated Wheat we have no doubt; lor, upon 
one occasion, when the Britons surprised the Roman soldiers, 
Caesar tells us those soldiers -were foraging, and cutting down the 
corn of the natives. He makes use of the word frumentatum, a 
* Our Farm Crops— The Wheat Crop. By John Wilson, F.R.S.E., &c 
London : Blackie and Son. 
+ A modius was equal to a peck and a half of our measure, so that the 
Gaulish Wheat of those days weighed rather better than 53 lbs. per bushel. 
Wheat from the coast of Africa weighed as much as 23 lbs. per modius, so 
that one of our bushels of this would have weighed fully 60 lbs. 
