616 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 29, 1886. 
mens of the Abies Yeitchii. Chief, however, among 
the trees of Japan are the Cryptomeria japonica and 
Eetinospora obtusa, which attain to a height of about 
120 ft., and a girth of 20 ft. 
The United States Commissioner of Agriculture says 
that to those who have only been accustomed to see 
small dwarf specimens of the Japanese Arbor vitres and 
Conifers used for lawn decorations, nothing is more 
astonishing than the great slabs of wood which such 
trees supply in their native country. Of such slabs 
many specimens are seen in Japan, and the ornamental 
woods are also very numerous. A very useful Japanese 
hardwood is the Keyeki, which has a reddish hue ; and 
there are many varieties of Oak. From one of the trees 
grown in Japan—the Broussonetia papyrifera—theinner 
bark is taken and manufactured into paper, while from 
one of the climbing plants the woodmen make their 
clothing. The wood is steeped in water, then beaten 
with hammers, and the fibrous mass thus obtained is 
woven into cloth, which is dyed a deep blue colour. 
In the way of timber, the Japanese are able to supply 
the greater part of their own wants, and as the houses 
are largely built of wood, the quantity required is very 
considerable. A large quantity of timber is exported 
to China, and a small quantity is imported from 
America. In Japan there are large numbers of ponds 
fn which timber is preserved. These are usually con¬ 
structed near the mouth of a river, and into them fresh 
§pd sea water is allowed to flow, in the proportion of 
six parts salt to four parts fresh. Should there be a 
larger proportion of salt water, the timber is apt to 
beqpnye black ; if a larger proportion of fresh water, 
the wood is liable to attack from worms. The ponds 
are about 5 ft. in depth, and by means of canals many 
of them are often connected. The timber is piled in 
the form of a cube, and is kept in the pond from two to 
five years before being used ; the trees most frequently 
treated in this way being the Retinosporas and Cryp- 
topierias ; a part of the preserving process being the 
thorough washing and re-arrangement of the wood twice 
a year. Some of the ponds are made large enough 
to contain 10,000 pieces of timber .—Society of Arts 
Journal. 
- — - 
THE BOG GARDEN. 
Ms- P. 4 VL in his interesting account of his bog 
garden, asks for the experience of others in this direc¬ 
tion. I giye a short note of mine. I first had the 
Y ilson raft, which made a capital bog garden as long 
as it kept the different levels, but as the wood got 
v* ater-logged it sank so much that only quite wet 
plants became at home. A metal raft, made for me by 
an engineer, had not the floating power I ordered, so 
this served me the same trick, but is now a pretty 
floating island ornamenting an ugly tank. 
In 1878, I got possession of Oakwood, "Wisley ; in the 
wood there, there is deep bog and all degrees of mois¬ 
ture in the black soil, some plants are in their congenial 
positions, doing well. I then made an artificial bog 
with a small bog pond, this answered well, but I found 
it advantageous to make ponds, the soil dug out being 
worth for mould as much as the cost of digging the 
sides of them at a gentle slope down to the water’s 
edge ; this gives great facilities for growing all bog and 
moisture-loving plants. In our oldest pond the water is 
covered with Aponogeton distachyon, Water Lilies, &c.; 
then come very wet plants, such as Sarracenias ; ’then 
moving up the slope, we have Gentians, Primula farinosa, 
&c. ; then higher, Trientalis europcea ; then at the 
top, Gentiana acaulis, &c. My experience agrees with 
that of Mr. Paul, that most bog plants like full sun, 
though there are some decided exceptions ; my artificial 
bog has plenty of sun .—George F. Wilson, Heather- 
bank, Weybridye. 
SELECT HARDY PLANTS. 
^ A few days ago I made a note of a few thing 9 
snown by Mr. T. S. Ware, in his stand at South 
Kensington, that it seemed to me highly desirable to 
grow. There was Mertensia Virginica, the Virginian 
Cowslip, belonging to a genus that likes a little shade 
and some peat to grow in. It puts up flower stems 
18 ms. or so in height, terminating with clusters of long 
tubular flowers of a rich purplish blue. Give this plant 
a cool and light soil, and a half-shaded position, and 
success is certain. It is known, in some old gardens, 
under the name of Pulmonaria virginica. 
I suppose most lovers of hardy plants know the 
~\ ernal adonis, that in regard to the size of its flowers 
may be regarded as the queen of all the Butter-cup and 
Globe flower race. Fine as this is, it “pales its in¬ 
effectual fire ” before the Pyrenian adonis (A. pyrenaica). 
If, as some are disposed to think, this is nothing but a 
fine form of A. vernalis, then it is yet a superb plant; 
but, it appears to me to be quite distinct, having 
larger, more rounded, and slightly deeper colored 
flowers, and it fully deserved the First Class Certificate 
of Merit, recently awarded it by the Royal Horticultural 
Society. Then, there is the dwarf double form of the 
Marsh Marigold, Caltlia palustris fl. pi., a most showy 
and attractive spring-flowering perennial, that, loving 
a marsh place, should be treated to such, so beautiful a 
subject is it ; but it is of no use to plant it in hot dry 
places. The difficulty of having it moist can be over¬ 
come by sinking in the soil an earthenware pan, 4 ins. 
or 6 ins. in depth, and standing the pot in it, taking 
care that it is kept full of water. I have seen large 
clumps of this in the moist climate of Manchester, 
doing grandly. 
A iola pedata, the Bird-foot Violet, and its white 
variety are exceedingly pretty plants, but require 
special treatment. It is the most beautiful of all the 
American "V iolets, and in a wild state it inhabits sandy 
or gravelly soil in the Northern States of America, and 
is of easy culture in this country, grown in the choice 
rock garden, or in pots in a cold frame. It is not so 
much cultivated as it deserves to be. Lupinus Nut- 
krensis is a distinct and charming species, a dwarf¬ 
growing perennial, bearing spikes of bright blue flowers, 
and requiring a fairly light soil. 
Orobus varius, or Vera, is a distinct and beautiful 
species, the flowers variously colored, and produced 
with great freedom ; it is an excellent companion to 
the old O. vernus, from which it greatly differs. It is 
not a new plant, but decidedly scarce. Lastly comes 
a charming white Allium named flavium, bearing large 
trusses of white flowers. The Alliums are sometimes 
objected to on the score of the strong smell they give 
forth, but they are worth growing, and the one under 
notice in particular.— E. 1). 
-—>L<—- 
A NEW SYRINGING STAND. 
At the Royal Horticultural Society’s Meeting, on 
Tuesday, Mr. G. Freeland, Tunbridge, Kent, exhibited 
a new Syringing Stand, designed to facilitate the 
washing and application of Insecticides to plants in 
pots. It is constructed to hold a plant, in any size of 
flower-pot, in a horizontal position ever a water-tight 
frame or tray, with raised sloping sides and mounted 
on short legs, in such a way that the foliage does not 
touch any part of the frame, and is in no danger of 
being bruised or broken. When the plant is placed in 
position the Insecticide is applied to the under side of 
the leaves by means of a Syringe or Spray Distributor. 
The tray and raised sides and end catch all the splashes 
and drippings, and convey them back to a pail placed 
at the end of the stand next the operator. By this 
means none of the Insecticide gets to the roots of the 
plant, and there is no waste of the solution. 
It is thus described by the Inventor :—“ The contri¬ 
vance for holding the pots consists of three strips of 
wood about 3 ins. wide attached to the lower end of the 
tray by hinges fastened to one end of each strip. Two 
of these strips are so attached that, when partially 
raised on their hinges, they form the shape of the letter 
V, and the angle of this V can be altered at will, by 
means of a simple arrangement. The end of the third 
strip of wood is hinged .close to the bottom of the V, 
but at right angles to it, and this slip can be raised and 
lowered by means of a small chain fastened to one ex¬ 
tremity of the V, passed through an eye in the upper end 
of the third strip, and secured to the other extremity of 
the V by a hook. The pot is to be held in a horizontal 
position and the rim placed in the V, which must be 
adjusted to suit the size of the pot, and the height at 
which it is to be held above the frame. The third strip 
is then raised by tightening the chain until it acts on 
the lower end of the pot as a lever, and, according to 
the height at which this lever is set, the pot can either 
be held in a horizontal position, or at any angle, up or 
down, as may be desired. The rim of the pot is pre¬ 
vented from slipping forwards through the V by little 
ledges attached to the strips. When the pot is in 
position it can be turned round at will without altering 
the holder, so that all sides of the plant can be syringed 
alike. The pot lies in the holder as in a cradle, held 
in position by its own weight, which, acting upon the 
chain, tends to draw the three strips together, and so 
secures the pot. When the holder is once adjusted it 
will do for various sizes of pots without alteration, as it 
will to some extent adjust itself, the only difference 
being that larger pots will be held higher above the 
tray than smaller ones, which is exactly what is 
required. The whole apparatus is arranged to fold up 
into a small compass, and can be put away under a 
stage, or in any other convenient place.” 
-->Z<-- 
THE STUDY OF WILD FLOWERS 
AS A PASTIME. 
Now that the fields and hedge-rows are getting gay 
■with the flowers of our own indigenous plants, it will 
not be out of place if I now call attention to a subject 
which has often been thought over by me, and that is, 
the little regard which the young people pay to our 
own British plants. Many young ladies of my ac¬ 
quaintance can take a visitor into the conservatory, 
give the names of all the plants contained therein, 
together with some fact connected with many of them ; 
but take them into the fields, among our own flowers, 
and but few of them have any acquaintance with any 
but Buttercups, Daisies and such-like common flowers, 
which force themselves on their notice. Now even in 
districts where the flora is not well represented, there 
are many flowers to be found, by one interested in 
them, which even escapes the eye of the casual observer, 
and these, together with those more profusely displayed, 
makes the study of wild plants interesting everywhere. 
Once a taste for the pursuit is acquired, one’s own im¬ 
mediate neighbourhood is rendered more interesting, 
and the pleasures of a visit to a distant part, with its ne¬ 
cessarily somewhat different flora, is greatly increased. 
To the young, the study of our wild flowers is a 
pleasant pastime ; to the traveller, a lightener of the 
fatigues of the road ; to the healthy and strong, a 
means of contributing to the preservation of that 
health and strength ; and to the ailing, who are not 
equal to rough exercise, a pleasant means of occupying 
the mind, and exercising the body. Perhaps these last 
appreciate the pleasures of a knowledge of our wild 
flowers most of all, and get more good from the quiet 
pursuit than any. The youthful and hearty should 
therefore remember this, and commence the study ; as, 
although now strong and boisterous, and surrounded 
by friends, in whose company they delight, they never 
know when the time may come when, by failing health, 
or some of the other chances of this life, they may take 
greater pleasure in a solitary ramble, and be glad to 
make friends of the flowers in the fields and hedges—at 
least, they should learn by what names to address them. 
Useful books are now published on the subject, and 
I should advise each little circle of friends to band to¬ 
gether for frequent rambles book in hand ; by one 
purchasing one of the cheap books on the subject and 
another a different one, a useful set of references can be 
got together at little cost to each. I cannot too strongly 
recommend these little parties for botanising excursions, 
as they are infinitely preferable to the often aimless 
pursuits of the young, and contribute to the acquiring 
of knowledge which is pleasant and useful as long as 
they live.— M. A., Camb. [Should any of our readers 
experience difficulty in identifying any of the plants, 
we shall be happy to name them. —Ed.] 
-- 
THE VARIEGATED “KARAKA." 
The Karaka tree of New Zealand, Corynocarpus 
lsevigatus, has been known in this country for some 
forty years or more, the first record we have of its 
flowering being in 1846, but it has never in any sense 
become common. We have, however, several times 
lately, seen a variegated form in Mr. B. S. "Williams’ 
nursery, which possesses merits as a decorative plant 
that should ensure for it a wider range of cultivation. 
This also came from New Zealand, whence it was 
introduced by Mr. "Williams, and has been named 
C. lffivigatus aureo-marginatus, the broad irregular 
margin of the leaves being of golden yellow, and the 
centre olive-green. It is a handsome plant, of a com¬ 
pact habit of growth, with the leaves in a young state 
measuring from 4 ins. to 5 ins. in length, and about 
2 ins. in breadth, of stout texture, and the variegation 
very bright. An attractive subject for the permanent 
decoration of a greenhouse or temperate house. 
