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106 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, May 18, 1858. 
greenhouse plants; to Mr. Run, gardener to Sir J. R. Scott, 
Hornsey, for six tall Cacti; to Mr. Rhodes, gardener to Mr. 
| J. Philpott, for eight Cape Heaths ; to Mr. Whitbread, gar- ( 
i dener to Mr. H. Colyer, for six Cape Heaths ; to Mr. Clark, i 
nurseryman, Streatham, for six greenhouse Azaleas; to Mr. I 
B. Peed, gardener to T. Tredvveli, Esq., for eight greenhouse j 
Azaleas ; to Mr. J. Reid, gardener to C. T. Gabriel, Esq., for j 
six greenhouse Azaleas; to Mr. Green, gardener to Sir E. j 
Antrobus, Bart., for six exotic Orchids ; to Mr. C. Turner, ! 
| nurseryman, for six Cinerarias; to Messrs. Eraser, Lea Bridge 1 
| Road, for twelve Pelargoniums ; to Mr. J. Wier, gardener to 
J. Hodgson, Esq., the Elms, Hampstead, for ten Pelargo¬ 
niums ; to Messrs. Eraser, nurserymen, for six fancy Pelar¬ 
goniums ; to Mr. Bray, gardener to Baron Goldsmid, for six 
fancy Pelargoniums ; to Messrs. Lane and Son, for a collection 
of Rhododendrons.— {Morning Chronicle .) 
RAPID GROWTH OF MUSA ENSETE. 
I trust I may be excused, by the readers of The Cottage 
Gardener, for presenting them with the following brief notice, 
of what must be considered the most extraordinary example 
j of rapid vegetable growth, that ever has occurred in this, or, 
j perhaps, any other country. 
I Musa Ensete, the subject of this notice, stands in the south 
wing of the Palm house, in the Royal Gardens, Ivew; and is 
seen, and wondered at, by almost every one of the thousands 
j who visit that establishment. Seeds of this superb Musa were 
; first introduced about three years ago, from Abyssinia, and 
many plants were successfully raised from these seeds, shortly 
j after their being received. They showed early signs of rapid 
j growth and great beauty, and they received good encourage- 
i ment to develope these qualities well. 
One plant was selected from the rest to receive special pains, 
so that its parts might be developed in the highest possible 
degree. Its rapid growth, under the good treatment it re¬ 
ceived, soon brought the necessity of placing it in a tub, for 
the largest-sized pot became too small for the daily increasing 
scope which its roots required. About the middle of last 
summer it received its last shift, when it was placed in a tub 
1 five feet six inches square, and nearly five feet deep. 
The dimensions of the plant, at the present time, are as 
follow:—Circumference of stem, six inches from the ground, 
six feet three inches ; height from the surface of the tub, 
twenty-six feet; length of leaves, fifteen feet; breadth, three 
feet. The number of these immense leaves are at present 
i fifteen, and they are still increasing. 
It is thought that the plant will flower and perfect its fruit 
! this summer, which will again present an opportunity of raising 
l it in numbers, for farther distribution abroad. 
In its native country, it is used by the natives something 
j in the same way as we use Cabbages, the leaves and stem 
being, in a young state, considered very wholesome and nutri¬ 
tious food.—A Few Gardener. 
BEDDING PLANTS. 
In answer to Mr. Beaton’s inquiry respecting Geranium 
Crimson King , at page 5 of this volume of The Cottage 
Gardener, 1 must say, I do not think it will ever be of much 
good to us as a bedding plant. 1 had some of it planted out 
last season, but it did not bloom freely. Perhaps some one 
may sav, that I planted it in a soil much too good for it; but 
I had Ignescens super ho growing in the same soil and situation, 
and that did not run to fohage so much, but continued 
flowering as freely as I could wish, from the time it was put 
out till the frost cut it down. 
I think Ignescens superha is the best hybrid bedding Gera¬ 
nium out; it is equally as valuable for early spring forcing 
in pots. It was sent out about the same timo as Gaillardia 
coronata nana. I have tried this Gaillardia three seasons, 
as a bedding plant. It is a fine showy flower, and so is 
Gaillardia semi-pleno, but they are both rambling growers. 
I dare say any of our friends who have tried them, will be of 
the same opinion as myself, and that is, that they are not 
very fit for bedding, but are excellent border plants. 
If Mr. Beaton lias not seen Geranium Ignescens superha , 
or has not got it, I should feel a pleasure in sending him 
half-a-dozen plants of it; so that he might be able to give 
a description of it in some future number. Also, half-a- 
dozen of Ja quint a, the best dark Verbena out. It is in the 
way of Ariosto , but a great deal darker, with a fine white eye, 
and a nice compact habit.—J. W. Wills, Gardener to S. B. 
Kennard , Esq., Woodlands , Stanmore. 
NEW AND RARE PLANTS. 
Cattleya granulosa {Rough-lipped Cattleya). 
Discovered by Mr. Hartweg, about 1840, in Guatemala. 
“ Well cultivated, there are certainly few Orcliideous plants 
that can surpass it in beauty.” Blooms in August; flowers 
yellowish green, variously spotted with crimson .—{Botanical 
Magazine , t. 5048.) 
Polygonatum ROSEUM {Rose-coloured Solomon's Seal). 
It is a native of Altaic Siberia, at the River Kurtsch, arid 
of Chinese Songaria. It is common also in the Himalaya, at 
elevations of from 7,000 to 11,000 feet. Elowers pinkish. 
It is “ very pretty ” and hardy.— {Ibid, t. 5049.) 
Boleopiiyllum NeilgherrenSe {NeilgherryBolbophyllum) 
Collected by Mr. Mclvor, during 1849, in the Neilgherry 
Hills. It flowers in the warm Orchid house in January. | 
Elowers brownish green, petals tipped with reddish purple.— 
{Ibid, t. 5050.) 
Clianthus Dampieri {Dampier's Clianthus). 
This has been called Clianthus Oxleyi; Donia speciosa , 
and Colutea Kovce-IIollandiee. This splendid greenhouse 
shrub blooms in March. “ In point of size the flowers are 
quite equal to Clianthus puniceus , but in richness of colour 
far superior, the crimson of the petals being relieved by the j 
velvety purple-black disc of the standard of the petals.” It j 
was discovered as long since as 1699, by Dampier, in Dampier’s 
Archipelago, North-west Australia. It was introduced by | 
Messrs. Yeitch and Son, of the Exeter and Chelsea Nur¬ 
series.— {Ibid, t. 5051.) 
Fritillaria Gr.eca {Greelc Fritillary). 
It is a native of Mount Ilymettus. It is pretty and hardy, 
flowering in the open border during March. It has been 
called F. tulipifolia. Elowers tawny or reddish brown, 
spotted, but scarcely tessellated, with a green line down the 
centre, and round the edge of each sepal.— {Ibid. t. 5052.) 
STRENGTHENING A WEAK STOCK BY 
ADDING A SWARM. 
The weakness of stocks at this season of the year is, in 
almost all cases, owing to the great age and -want of fertility in 
the queens ; a state of tilings, which is the inevitable result of 
the absurd and unprofitable practice prevalent amongst bee¬ 
keepers, of destroying the two-year old stocks in the autumn, 
and keeping the swarms to breed from, the following year. 
I have now, in my own garden, a hive, which is tenanted by 
a colony having a queen of 1855 ; originally she was a most 
fertile mother ; in 1856, she led off a swarm and established a 
colony, from whence a virgin swarm and two casts proceeded 
the same season. This extraordinary increase I fully described 
in The Cottage Gardener at the time. In 1857, she again 
migrated from the colony established by the virgin swarm of j 
1856, and was placed in the hive that is now her residence. 
My object being to test her degree of fertility, I did not add j 
another swarm to the hivo, although the swarm was not a large 
one. 
The hive is now weak, although the queen is still breeding 1 
slowly, and the bees are carrying in pollen ; but, if left to 
itself, the stock will evidently prove an unprofitable one. I 
shall, therefore, add to it an early swarm, which, I believe, will 
be attended with the best results. My method of proceeding j 
will be to wait until a sw T arm comes off, and hive it temporarily S 
in a common straw hive. In all probability, I shall take 
away the old decrepid queen from the stock, but as such 
a proceeding is not absolutely necessary, I will not describe it, 
but merely state that the swarm may be added to the stock 
