48 
THE FLOKIST AND FOMOLOGIST. 
[ Maiicj.', 
in firmly. The spring is the best season for re¬ 
potting. When the plants are mainly grown in 
loam, the growth is short-jointed and fruitful, and 
little or no pruning is required. 
— J^EEE are some fast-growing large-leaved 
Oaks which will succeed on dryish loamy 
soil;— Greu-gveen. —Quercus altissima, Cerris 
crispa, pubescens, pyrenaica; Variegated icith 
Yelloxo or White. —Q. pedunculata foliis maculatis, 
p. foliis argenteo-pictis, p. Joveauensis maculata, 
p. foliis pulvernlentis. Yellow. —Q. pedunculata 
Concordia, one of the best yellow-leaved trees. Bed- 
purple. —Q. pedunculata atropurpurea; sessiliflora 
purpurea or nigricans is not so satisfactory. Red 
in Autumn. —Q.ambigua, nigra, obtnsiloba, palustris, 
Phellos, and ilioifolia, the latter a shrubby species, 
suitable for a poor sandy soil. 
— JIn the Gardener., Mr. Bardney, writing 
of Hoese-Eadish, states that the whole stock 
should be lifted annually, that portion that is 
fit for use being laid-in in some convenient place. 
The side rootlets should be selected for replanting, 
and cut into lengths of from 7 in. to 8 in., all 
the young fibry roots being scraped off with the 
back of an old knife, and then rubbed with a rough 
cloth, with the exception of half an inch at the 
bottom, which should be left to form roots when 
planted ; they should be tied in bundles and plunged 
in coal-ashes, or laid into the ground with their top 
ends exposed until March, when they should be 
planted in ground that has been deeply trenched 
and well manured, in rows 18 in. apart each w'ay. 
They are best planted with a dibble, and the holes 
filled up with light soil, covering the crown about 
2 in. Treated in this wmy, the small pieces planted 
in March will by the end of November have become 
clean, straight sticks 6 or 7 in circumference, fit 
for lifting. 
— 0/HE Builder states that M. Lostal, a 
French railway contractor, recommends Quick¬ 
lime AS A PeESEEVATITE FOE TiMBEE. He 
puts the sleepers into pits, and covers them with 
quicklime, which is slowly slaked with w'ater. Tim¬ 
ber for mines must be left for eight days before it 
is completely impregnated. It becomes extremely 
hard and tough, and is said never to rot. Beech- 
wood prepared in the same manner has been used 
in several ironw'orks for hammers and other tools, 
and is reputed to be as hard as iron, without losing 
the elasticity peculiar to it. According to the 
Kurze Berichte, lime slaked in a solution of chloride 
of calcium is used at Strasburg as a fire-proof and 
w'eather-proof coating for wood. 
— m* Bbetot, of the Paris Academy, has 
devised a simple method of taking Impeessions 
OF Plants, requiring only a large sheet of 
paper, some olive-oil, black-lead, ashes, and resin. 
The paper is first lightly oiled on one side, fhen 
folded in four, so that the oil may filter through the 
pores, and the plant may not come into direct contact 
with it. The plant is placed between the leaves of 
the second folding, and in this position pressed—• 
through other paper—all over with the hand, so as 
to make a small quantity of oil adhere to its sur¬ 
face. Then it is taken out and placed carefully on 
white paper, another sheet is placed above (since 
two impressions can be taken), and the plant is 
pressed as before. On now removing it, an in¬ 
visible image remains on the paper. Over this a 
quantity of black-lead (or ashes, Ac.) is distributed 
in all directions, as in applying sand to writing, and 
the image then appears in all its parts. With an 
assortment of colours, the natural colours of plants 
may be reproduced. To obtain fixity, re.sin is added 
previously to the black-lead in equal quantity, and 
e.xposed to a heat sufficient to melt the resin. 
— S’he Lettuce Disease is sometimes a 
troublesome infliction on plants grown in 
frames, which are affected by a parasitic fungus 
which ultimately destroys them. M. Max Cornu 
(Comptes Rendus, December 16, 1878), recommends 
growers to prevent the diffusion and local produc¬ 
tion of the parasite. If the parasite makes its ap¬ 
pearance early, the culture of the Lettuce should 
be postponed; if late, then the crop should be 
gathered before its appearance. Care should be 
taken to avoid sowing with the seed debris wdiich 
may contain S23ores of the jiarasite. The seeds, too,. 
should be gathered from healthy jilants, and all 
diseased leaves removed. Alkaline sulphurets might 
be tried. Care should be taken, in opening the 
frames, that the wind does not disseminate the 
spores; each suspected frame should be opened 
sejoarately, while the others are closed. The site for 
the frames should be changed each year, and fresh 
soil made use of. The mould is a species of Perono- 
spora allied to that which produces the Potato dis¬ 
ease. 
— Kn Staphylea colchica we have a 
new form of Bladder-nut. allied indeed to 
the Europsean StapJii/lea 2 ^itinaia (a most 
striking hardy shrub, wdth light green pinnate 
leaves, and ch'ooping clusters of elegant white 
flowers), but differing in its wider leaflets, gener¬ 
ally erect clusters, larger flowers, spreading sepal.s, 
and smaller seeds. S. colchica is a native of 
the Caucasian jirovinces to the east of the Black 
Sea. Under natural circumstances it flowers, like 
its congener, in early spring, so that it is a most 
desirable plant for the shrubbery; but it is more 
especially to be recommended as a jfiant for early 
forcing. Its pure white flowers rival, if they do not 
excel, the white Lilacs and Deutzias, but they are 
deficient in fragrance. Messrs. Veitch and Sons 
have showed it in very nice condition, at both the 
January and February meetings of the Eoyal Horti¬ 
cultural Society. 
-friE. Geoege P. Tye died at his residence, 
Stamford Eoad, Handsworth, Birmingham, on 
January 19th. Mr. Tye will be long remembered 
as the producer of the Improved Kegistered Hya¬ 
cinth Glass, introduced about 1852, which was 
indeed a great imjrroveuient on the old tall, ill- 
contrived vessel in which Hyacinths were in former 
times grown. 
— ^He. NiNian Niven died at Drumcondra, 
on February 18th, in his 80th year. He was 
of Scotch birth, but removed to Dublin when 
24 years old, and for a considerable period held the 
130st of Curator of the Glasnevin Botanic Garden, 
now for many years most ably filled by Dr. David 
Moore. Mr. Niven has subsequently been success¬ 
fully occupied as a laiidscaiic gardener, and was 
highly res^jected by his fellow-citizens, as an evid¬ 
ence of which, there were 30 carriages in his 
funeral corlege. 
