314 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, February 15, 1859. 
This is one of the best of figs, ripening in the beginning 
and middle of August. Tree an excellent bearer, pretty 
hardy, and bears as a standard in favourable situations. 
It forces well. 
Brown Italian. See Hr own Turkey. 
Brown Naples. See Brown Turkey. 
Brown Turkey (Ashridge Forcing; Blue; Common 
Blue; Blue Burgundy; Brown Italian; Brown Naples; 
Long Naples; Early; Ho wick; Italian; Jerusalem; 
Large Blue; Lee's Perpetual; Murrey; Burple; Small 
Blue; Fleur Rouge; Walton). — Large and pyriform. 
Skin brownish red, covered with blue bloom. Flesh red 
and very luscious. Tree very prolific, hardy, and one of 
the best for out-door culture, as a standard. August and 
September. 
Brunswick (Bayswater; Black Naples; Brown Ham¬ 
burgh; Clementine; Hanover; Madonna; Large White 
Turkey; Rose Blanche; Rose Beyronne; Peronne; Rose; 
Red). —Very large and pyriform, oblique at the apex, 
which is very much depressed. Skin greenish yellow in 
the shade; violet brow n on the other side. Flesh yellow 
under the skin, tinged with red towards the centre. Very 
rich and excellent. Middle of August. The tree is very 
hardy and an excellent bearer, and certainly the best for 
out-door cultivation against walls. 
Chestnut-coloured Ischia. See Brown Ischia. 
Clementine. See Brunswick. 
Common Purple. See Brown Turkey. 
Cyprus. See Yellow Ischia. 
Early. See Brown Turkey. 
Early Purple. See Black Ischia. 
Early Violet. —Small, roundish. Skin brownish red, 
covered w r ith blue bloom. Flesh red, and well flavoured. 
August. Tree hardy, and an abundant bearer; well 
adapted for pots and for forcing, when, according to Mr. 
Fivers, it bears three crops in one season. 
Early White (Small White; Small Early White ).— 
Fruit roundish-turbinate, somewhat flattened at the apex. 
Skin thin, pale yellowish white. Flesh white, sw r eet, but 
not highly flavoured. August. 
Figue-Poire. See Bourdeaux. 
Fleur Bouge. See Brown Turkey. 
Ford’s Seedling. See Marseilles. 
Hanover. See Brunswick. 
Howick. See Broion Turkey. 
Italian. See Brown Turkey. 
Jerusalem. See Brown Turkey. 
Large Blue. See Brown Turkey. 
Large White Genoa. —Lai'ge, roundish-turbinate. 
Skin thin, of a pale yellowish colour, when fully ripe. 
Flesh red throughout, and of excellent flavour. End of 
August. This is a variety of first-rate excellence, but 
the tree is a bad bearer. 
Large White Turkey. See Brunswick. 
Lee’s Perpetual. See Brown Turkey. 
Long Naples. See Brown Turkey. 
Madeleine. See Angelique. 
Madonna. See Brunswick. 
Malta ( Small Brown). — Small, roundish-turbinate, 
compressed at the apex. Skin pale brown, when fully 
ripe. Flesh the same colour as the skin; very sweet, 
and well flavoured. End of August. If allowed to hang 
till it shrivels, it becomes quite a sweetmeat. 
Marseillaise. See Marseilles. 
Marseilles {Ford's Seedling; Pocock's; White Mar¬ 
seilles ; White Naples; White Standard; D'Atlienes; 
Blanche ; Marseillaise). —Medium sized, roundish-turbi¬ 
nate, slightly depressed, and ribbed. Skin yellowish 
white. Flesh white, very melting and juicy, with a rich, 
sugary flavour. Ilipe in August. One of the best for 
forcing; and also succeeds well in the open air against a 
wall. 
Murrey. See Brown Turkey. 
Negro d’Espagne. See Black Genoa. 
Nerii. See White Ischia. There is no fig bearing 
this name distinct from White Ischia; and the variety 
Mr. Knight introduced under that designation was the 
same. By the name “Nerii,” is intended the “Nero,” 
or Black Fig, of the Italians, and the variety Mr. Knight 
received under that name was evidently incorrect; the 
true Fico Nero being the Black Ischia, and not the White 
Ischia. 
Nero. See Black Ischia. 
Noire de Languedoc. See Black Genoa. 
(Eil de Peedrix.— Small. Skin yellowish, with a 
brownish tinge, having a small, bright red circle under 
the surface round the eye : hence the origin of the name. 
Flesh white, tinged with red, rich, and highly flavoured. 
Tree an abundant bearer. 
Peau Dure (Peldure; Verte Brune). —Medium sized, 
oblong ovate. Skin thick and tough, dark violet. Flesh 
purplish red, and well flavoured; but, when over-ripe, it 
acquires a little acerbity. 
Pocock’s. See Marseilles. 
(To he continued.) 
THE SCIENCE OF GARDENING. 
(Continued from page 299.) 
The presence of one of the constituent gases of the atmosphere— 
oxygen, is also essential to germination. Ray proved that Lettuce 
seeds will not germinate in the exhausted receiver of an air pump, 
though they did so when the air was re-admitted; and, though 
the experiments of Ilomberg threw some doubt upon this con¬ 
clusion, yet it was fully confirmed by the researches of Boyle, 
Muschenbroek, Boerhaave, and Saussure ; for they showed that 
Homberg must have employed an imperfect apparatus, and their 
experiments embraced many other seeds than those of the Lettuce. 
So soon ns pneumatic chemistry demonstrated that the atmo¬ 
spheric air is composed of several gases—viz.:— 
Oxygen ....... 21 
Nitrogen.79 
100 
With about one per cent, of aqueous vapour in the driest weather, 
and about one part in every thousand of carbonic acid gas, the 
question then arose—Which of these gases is necessary for germi¬ 
nation ? and Sclieelc was the first to demonstrate that it is the 
oxygen. Achard afterwards proved that seeds will not germinate 
in nitrogen, carbonic acid, or hydrogen gases, unless mixed with 
oxygen ; and though C’arradori doubted the correctness of his 
experiments, his doubt was shown to be groundless, by the more 
accurate researches of Gough, Cruickshank, Saussure, and others.* 
Senebier carried his experiments still further; and has determined, 
that although seeds will germinate in an atmosphere containing 
oue-cighth of its bulk of oxygen, yet that the proportion most 
favourable to the process, is one-fourth. Germination will pro¬ 
ceed in an atmosphere of pure oxygen, but not so readily as when 
it is mixed with other gases. The same phenomena attend the 
incubation of eggs—they will, not hatch in the vacuum of an air 
pump, nor will the process proceed so satisfactorily in any other 
mixture of gases than atmospheric air. 
Radish seed refuses to grow when the oxygen in the air about 
it amounts to no more than one-fortieth part; and Lettuce seeds 
require in it, at the least, one-sixth : when it amounts to only 
one-eighth, they refuse to germinate. This is a reason why of 
all kitchen-garden seeds, the Lettuce is one of those which re¬ 
quire the most shallow sowing. 
It is necessary that the oxygen should penetrate to the cotyle- 
donous or inner parts of the seed, as is evident by the changes 
which take place during germination : and it is further proved by 
experiment. When healthy seed is moistened and exposed in a 
* Although seeds will not geminate in an atmosphere of nitrogen, yet 
they all absorb a small quantity of this gas when germinating. It is a con¬ 
stituent of most young roots, especially of their spongioles, or extreme 
points. There is reason to believe that ammonia is formed during germina¬ 
tion, and that it acts as a stimulant and food to the young plant. Seeds 
containing nitrogen, germinate more rapidly than seeds of the same genus 
which do not contain this gas. 
