331 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, February 28, 18C0. 
suffered more than any; a Taxodium sempervirens, 6 feet high, 
which was planted in October in an exposed situation, is slightly 
browned at the tips ; a Picea Nordmanniana, planted about the 
same time, is not touched; a young WelUngtonia gigantea, 
twenty inches high, has also escaped uninjured ; a patch of Sper- 
gula pilifera, planted in October, looks rather seedy, but will, I 
t hink, recover in the spring. 
All our bedding Geraniums, Calceolarias, &c., were in a brick 
pit tour inches thick, with a lining of farmyard-dung and a cover¬ 
ing of double mats, over which some long stable-dung was 
shaken; and though they were not uncovered for more than a 
week they were quite uninjured, as were some Cinerarias in the 
same pit.— Southborough, Bromley, Kent. 
NEW OR RARE PLANTS. 
Statice Beassic^tolta ( Callage-leaved Static?). 
Round by M. Bourgeau on the Island of Gomora, one of the 
Canaries. In a cool greenhouse it bloomed at Kew in August. 
Flowers pale purple.— {Botanical Magazine, 1. 5162.) 
Fgdbcroya flavo-viridis ( Yellow-green Fourcroya). 
A native of Real del Monte,— (Ibid., t. 5163.) 
Spie.ea Fortune! (Fortune's Spircea). 
Also called S. callosa. Native of North China and Japan. A 
handsome hardy shrub, from three to five feet high. Flowers 
pink.— (Ibid., t. 5164.) 
Ceanothus telutinus (Velvety Ceanothns). 
Discovered by the lamented Douglas in Oregon, but recently 
reared from seed by Messrs. Yeitcli & Sons, of the Exeter and 
Chelsea Nurseries. This very handsome evergreen ornamental 
shrub may be expected to be quite hardy, for it is found among 
the Rocky Mountains at a considerable elevation above the sea. 
— (Ibid., t. 5165.) 
Heteeocenteum Mexicanuw (Mexican Heterocentrum). 
It is also called Melastoma and 1leteronoma subtriplinervum. 
Native of the Xalape Mountains, at elevations of from 6000 to 
8000 feet. “ No doubt it will succeed well in a co<Jl greenhouse.” 
Sent to Kew by Messrs. Low & Son, of the Clapton Nursery. Its 
flowers, pinkish purple, continue during the autumn and early 
winter months.— (Ibid., t. 5166.) 
Torenia hirsuta (Hairy Torenia). 
This stove plant is a native of Hindostan, and “ perhaps more 
beautiful than that favourite plant, T. Asiatica.” Flowers 
reddish purple, the middle lobe of its lower lip white. Intro¬ 
duced by Messrs. Low A Son, of the Clapton Nursery.— (Hid., 
t. 5167.) 
THE SCIENCE OE GARDENING. 
(Continued from page 302.) 
The sap, after ascending the stem, and being distributed along 
the various branches, is poured by their vessels into their leaves 
and there undergoes that elaboration, the phenomena of which 
have been already described. The sap vessels are ramified from 
the wood of the branches along the upper side of the leafstalks, 
are minutely subdivided so as to form a web resembling lace 
work on their superior surfaces, and unite at the edge of the 
leaf with equally minute vessels, forming a similar web on their 
lower surfaces. These fall into larger vessels, which return the 
sap along the under side of the leafstalks, into vessels traversing 
the inner bark of the branches, stem, and roots, and the sap is 
found to be converted, during its elaboration in the leaves, into 
the peculiar juices of the plant. The limpid insipid sap has been 
converted into the austere Gallic acid and tannin of the Oak ; 
the acrid perfumed oil of the Lemon ; the insipid gum of the 
Cherry ; the starchy matter of the Potato, and the pungent resin 
of the Pine tribe. 
In its descent in trees and shrubs it deposits between the bark 
and the wood that juice, known as cambium, from part of which 
the year’s increase or enlarged growth is obtained, and the re¬ 
mainder is deposited ready to be communicated to the sap during 
its course the following spring, as it may be required for the 
development of the next year’s foliage, flowers, and fruit. This 
abundant deposition of cambium is what the gardener terms 
“ ripening the wood.” In the Potato, Dahlia, and other tuberous- 
rooted plants, the deposition is in the tuber; it is in the bulbs of 
the Onion and Tulip, and in the fibrous roots of the Ranun¬ 
culus and grasses. 
! A knowledge of these facts suggested to the gardener that if 
the return of the sap were checked by a ligature so tight as to 
| compress the vessels of the bark, the fruit above the ligature 
would be rendered finer and more abundant. Practice has 
shown that this is the desired result; and it maybe taken as a 
rule, that whatever mechanical means checks the downward flow 
of the sap, causes the enlargement of buds or the production of 
new. If it be practised upon the Artichoke, a ligature being 
twisted round the stem, about three inches below the head, its 
size will be very much increased. If a similar ligature be passed 
round the branch of a fruit tree just previously to the bursting 
of its buds in the spring, the fruit on that branch will set more 
abundantly and be of finer growth. When the fruit is beginning 
to ripen, the ligature should be removed, that, the reflux of the 
sap to the inferior parts may be less impeded, and the growth 
of those parts be, consequently, less checked. The power to do 
this renders a ligature much superior to another mode of pro¬ 
ducing the same effect, first introduced in Germany—viz., by 
removing an entire zone of bark, about an inch wide round the 
branch to be rendered more fruitful, and taking care that the 
bark be completely removed down to the very wood. This was 
designated the ring of Pomona, but it certainly was not aus¬ 
piciously received by that deity, for although it renders the part 
of the bi’anch superior to the wound more fruitful for tw T o or 
three seasons, yet it renders the branch unsightly, by the swelling 
w hich occurs around the ripper lip of the w r ound, and is often 
followed by disease and unfruitfulness. 
No such injury accrues when ringing is performed on the 
lateral shoots of the Vine, which laterals are removed at the 
autumn pruning. 
i There must be a ring of bark full an inch wide removed; the 
I cuts being made boldly down to the very young wood, or albur¬ 
num, and every particle of bark, inner and outer, must be re¬ 
moved between the cuts. 
This drawing represents, faithfully, the 
| ringed part of a rod at the close of autumn, 
and shows how' the removal of the band of 
bark checked the return of the sap, and 
how, in consequence, the rod above the re¬ 
moved band increased in size beyond that 
j portion of the rod below the band, 
j The increase of size is not confined to 
J the bark. We have a Vine-branch in our 
possession, the wood of which above the 
ring doubles in diameter the wood below 
the ring. 
The effect upon the berries was, in every 
instance, to advance their early ripening a 
fortnight, and to about double the size and 
weight of the berries, when compared with 
those grown on unringed branches of the 
same Vine. Nor were the colour and bloom 
of the berries diminished; indeed, so ex¬ 
cellent were they, that we have seen them 
exhibited deservedly by the side of Grapes 
grown under glass, and they were sold in No¬ 
vember, at Winchester, for 2s. 6 d. a-pound. 
Ringing the branches of fruit trees, to 
render them fruitful, was practised in 
France, and recommended there in print, 
: about one century and a half since. There 
; are various letters upon the subject In the 
early volumes of the Horticultural Society’s 
Transactions, and in one of them (Vol. I.,p. 107), published in 
1808, Mr. Williams, of Pitmaston, gives full directions for ring- 
i ing the GrapeVine. He-tells the result in these words:—“I 
invariably found that the fruit not only ripened earlier, but that 
i the berries were considerablv larger than usual, and more highly 
j flavoured.” 
I The improvement in fruit obtained by ringing is not confined 
to the Grape Vine, nor merely to an increase of size. Josiah 
Twamley, Esq., of Warwick, exhibited to the London Horticul¬ 
tural Society, many years since (1818), Apples from trees in his 
garden, produced on branches ringed and unringed. In the French 
Crab the fruit by ringing was increased to more than double the 
size, and its colour was much brightened. In the Minchall 
Crab the size was not increased, but the appearance of the 
