187'J. ] 
GARDEN GOSSIP. 
31 
— 0N December 20tb, a presentation was 
made to Mr. William Sutherland, who has 
occupied the position of general nursery man¬ 
ager witli the Messrs Ker, of Liverpool, for the 
past five years, on the occasion of his relinquishing 
his duties with Messrs. Kei’, to undertake a 
similar post with Messrs. Ireland and Thomson, of 
Edinburgh. A complimentary dinner took place 
at the Aigburth Hotel, and after the dinner Mr. 
Sutherland was presented with a handsome gold 
watch and appendages, by Mr. Hinds, of Otterspool, 
on behalf of the subscribers. 
— 21t Dangstein, Monnina xalapensis, a 
rare and pretty Polygalaceous shrub, is em¬ 
ployed for greenhouse decoration. It forms a 
small bush about two feet high, with alternate 
oblong, obtuse, shining, leathery leaves, and has 
dense terminal racemes 1-2 inches long, of flowers 
which are, individually, half-an-inch across, with 
two spreading wing-like sepals of a deep purple, 
the boat-like petals being of a rich yellow. It con¬ 
tinues a considerable time in perfect condition. 
— ®HE Lords Commissioners of her Majesty’s 
Treasury have appointed Mr. Sadler, in succes¬ 
sion to Mr. MacNab, to the Curatorship of the 
Koyal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh. Mr. Sadler 
has long been associated with the Gardens, through 
his connection with the Edinburgh Botanical Society, 
and the Scottish Arboricultural Society owes much 
to his energetic discharge of the duties attaching to 
the secretaryship of that body. 
— ®HE French Government has conferred 
the Legion of Honour on Mr. Martin J. 
Sutton, managing partner of the firm of 
Sutton and Sons, Reading, as a special recognition of 
the merits of the exhibits of that firm at the Paris 
Exhibition, and of the services thereby rendered to 
Horticulture and Agriculture. 
— ^The late Mr. M’Nab, of Edinburgh, has 
described in the Garden a very successful plan 
of layering shrubs, which may be called Wire- 
Layering. He says :—It has been adopted by me for 
the last forty years, and consists of twisting apiece of 
fine copper wire round the branch to be layered, 
sufiiciently tight to indent the bark. The plants 
operated on were Berheris dulcis, Andromeda fori- 
hunda, Allies Vattoniana, A. Hookeriiina, Azaleas, 
Bhododendrons, Roses, and many others. After 
preparing the shoots by trimming them up, par¬ 
ticularly when leafy or branchy, the copper wire is 
twisted round them, and they are fixed in the soil; 
if short and springy they are pegged down, and if 
the soil be dry, sphagnum moss and a few stones 
arc laid over the surface. Soon after layering, a 
swelling of the bark will take place, immediately 
above the ligature. During the following year it 
will be found that roots arc freely produced from 
the swollen portion, particularly round the under- 
part. When rooted, the layers can be detached 
immediately below the wire. By this method all 
the kinds tried made excellent plants. 
— Et lias been found tliat Salt-Water 
acts as a preservative of organic substances. 
Prof. Alphonse de Candolle, at a recent meeting 
of the Geneva Society of Physics and Natural 
History, presented a glass jar containing fruits of 
the coffee plant, collected before maturity in Mexico, 
which had been preserved in a liquid which chemical 
analysis proved to be salt-water. It was fifty years 
since the jar thus filled was hermetically sealed, 
under the eyes of Aug. Pyr. do Candolle, and the 
coffee-beans it contained proved to be in a thoroughly 
satisfactory state of preservation. The late M. Thuret 
was in the habit of preserving flowers of Orchids in 
a saturated solution of common salt, and after ten 
years the preparations were found to bo in good 
order, better even than those made with spirit of 
wine. Collections of flowers might therefore be 
readily made in flat white bottles, which would bo 
very convenient for examination, as several flowers 
might be so placed in each bottle as to bo seen in 
different positions, without turning the bottle and 
shaking its contents. 
— H VERY handsome and excellent Pine¬ 
apple, Lord Carington, has been brought 
under the notice of the public, through the 
agency of Mr. G. T. Miles, of Wycombe Abbey. 
When exhibited before the Fruit Committee of the 
Royal Horticultural Society, in 1876, it was greatly 
admired, and its flavour was pronounced to be un¬ 
exceptionable. Early in 1877 it was again submitted 
to the Committee, and considered to be such a de¬ 
sirable acquisition that a First-class Certificate was 
awarded to it, and it was named Lord Carington. 
The largest fruit which has been shown weighed 
7^ lb. The fine flavour which it possesses, combined 
with its wonderful keeping properties, will make it 
specially worth the attention of those interested in 
the cultivation of Pine-apples abroad for importa¬ 
tion. Its constitution is vigorous, its habit erect, 
and its weight varies from 41b. to 71 lb. 
— ^HE Chinese Primula Ruby King 
(S utton) is one of the most beautiful varieties 
yet obtained. The plants show a remarkably 
even dwarf habit. The stems are stout, of medium 
height, bearing large trusses of grand flowers, many 
of which are two inches in diameter, finely fringed, 
and of an intense purplish magenta. Whether the 
splendid colouring or the size and form of the 
flowers be regarded, the variety is most striking and 
magnificent. 
— ®he Giant Zittau Onion is a handsome 
late-keeping variety, which may be strongly 
recommended to those who require a sound 
keeping sort. It will keep firm and good till the 
month of July in a cool, airy room, after being 
stored from nine to ten mouths. The entire stock 
of seed is said to be in the hands of the Messrs. 
Veitch. 
— JtN the Paris parks, the Plumbago 
capensis is used for bedding, and proves very 
effective. A large, elongated bed in the Parc 
Monceau was entirely filled with it, the plants, 
being 5-6 ft. in height, and bushy in proportion, and 
producing such clusters of flowers as are never seen 
in conservatories. Evidently it is one of the best 
bedding plants for that climate. 
— 0^0 prevent Rabbits bjrking Trees, 
Mr. C. W. Dodd recommends a mixture sold 
by Messrs. Davidson, oil and colour works, 
Leith. It is of about the consistency of treacle, 
and may be applied with a black-lead brush. A 
fov drops on the stem of a small tree applied as 
