411 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, September 28, 1858. 
sionally presents its keeper with a brood, which are jerked 
forth one at a time, and generally make at once for the front 
glass, to show themselves. 
Actinia mesembryanthemum. — Having described this 
pretty fully in previous papers, and especially at page 354, 
Vol. XIX (No. 493), I need not here do more than name it 
as the hardiest of its race. Indeed, it is hard to kill, and 
seems as happy for a time in a jug of beer, or a can of soap¬ 
suds, as in bright sea-water, and can be made into two at any 
time, by simply cutting it in half. It is very prolific, too, in con¬ 
finement. Last spring I had an immense number born to me, 
but they were speedily eaten up by the hermit crabs that 
haunted the same vessel; and the mention of the circum¬ 
stance may serve as a wrinkle for those who would not wil¬ 
lingly lose the products of their own marine fisheries. The 
safe rule is to assort the creatures, so that they can do no 
harm to each other. When indiscriminately jumbled together, 
accidents are to be expected. 
1. Sagartia dianthus 3. Bunodes coriacea 5, Porphyra laciniata 
2. Bunodes gemmacea 4. Corynactes Almanii 6. Plocamium coccineum 
The cut represents Sagartia diantlius, Bunodes gemmacea , 
Bunodes crassicornis or coriacea , and Corynactis Almanii. 
The broad-leaved Alga is JPorpJiyra laciniata. The other on 
the left is Blocamium coccineum. They are both of the red 
class, and useful to those who have had a little experience; 
but beginners should be content with green Algee until they 
discover, by experience, that a very strong light and utter 
stagnation of the water are as injurious to the plants as to 
the animals.— Shirley Hibbeed. 
THE ROYAL FAMILY OE BEDDING PLANTS* 
As soon as Her Majesty returned from Berlin, the whole of 
the Royal Family came up to Surbiton, by the South-Western 
Railway, to my house, and I had the honour of taking them 
down to the Experimental Garden, and to introduce them to 
the ladies there. Her Majesty's dress was of deep lilac, 
striped Carnation fashion; Princess Alice wore the same 
pattern, in a lighter shade; Princess Helena, a charming 
cherub, in French white, spangled with silver; Princess 
Louisa , also in French white, but striped like her mother’s 
dress ; and the little, laughing, pretty dear, the Princess 
Beatrice , was white, and all white, and as sweet as a Rose. 
The younger Princes were dressed a good deal like the girls. 
The Prince Consort , however, and the Prince of Wales , and 
the sailor Prince , were only differently dressed from what we 
usually see them about here. It was an honour, certainly, to 
see so much at the Experimental. But I shall tell how it 
was. A collection of twelve double Petunias, seedlings of 
1858, has been named after the Royal Family, by Mr. Scott, 
of the Merriott Nurseries, Crewkerne, Somerset, the raiser of 
them. He sent cut flowers of them to me, and I thought 
them exquisitely beautiful; but, knowing how double Petunias 
turn out in the beds, I expressed a doubt about these faring 
much better, and Mr. Scott agrees w ith me, that no double 
Petunia is yet safe for beds. But they make charming pot 
* This was referred to last week, but omitted. 
plants to decorate the greenhouse, the conservatory, and all 
show-houses during the summer, for which they are as easily 
managed, and look as well, in their way, as Fuchsias. Indeed, 
we want such things for the million, who cannot afford to 
have Dcndrobiums, and other stove plants, to keep their 
places gay after the beds are planted, and the Pelargoniums 
are over. Of course, those with small flower gardens, and 
who dress them and keep them up in the first style of fashion, 
will try to have beds of double Petunias, and will, doubtless, 
succeed, as they do with other things, which puzzle and baffle 
first-rate gardeners, who have too many irons in the fire 
already. 
Along with these, Mr. Scott sent another collection of 
striped single Petunias, which are as distinctly marked as 
Carnations and Picotees, one of which is just as large as the 
Magna coccinea at the Crystal Palace. And there are other 
double Petunias besides the Royal Family, one of wind i, a pure 
white, is as large as a middle-sized double, white, Camellia ; 
and another white has the centre petals as broad as those of 
the large Gardenia. 
Along with them were some first-rate Verbenas; one of 
them, called Syren , is the nearest to blue of all the Vorbenas,— 
Blue Bonnet being, I believe,, the next best blue. Well, as 
one expense is sure to bring on another, and knowing that 
Mr. Scott has an experimental ground for Verbenas, 1 asked 
