550 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 30, 1887. 
crimson petioles, somewhat suffused with green on the 
upper surface. The quality as well as earliness adds 
greatly to its value. The tips of the young exposed 
leaves were somewhat hurt with the recent severe frost, 
which would indicate that it is more tender than most 
kinds, although Prince Albert gave evidence of having 
suffered in a similar manner. At present there does 
not seem to he any difference between the latter and 
Mitchell’s Royal Albert, although later on they may 
not prove to be identical. The petiole or leaf-stalk is 
moderately strong, and crimson suffused with green on 
the back, while the whole upper side is green. Another, 
named Albert, is probably identical 'with Mitchell's 
Royal Albert. The leaf-stalks of Crimson Perfection 
are moderately stout, and of a fine intense crimson 
over nearly the whole external surface, and thus have 
colour to recommend them, while they are moderately 
early. A distinct-looking sort named Scotch Mammoth 
had pale green, very soft and smooth leaves, while the 
petioles were bright crimson, evidently becoming 
greener as they get old. 
To this list it is unnecessary to add more than the 
well-known sort named Myatt’s Victoria, and grown 
extensively all over the country. It is a fortnight 
or so later than most of those mentioned above, but it 
makes up for this in the much greater abundance of 
produce, v T hile both colour, quality and forcing 
properties are by no means to be despised. The stout 
fine red squarish leaf-stalks often attain a size equal to 
those of the green Rheum Rhaponticum ; while for 
preserving purposes it is far preferable to the latter. 
Myatt’s Victoria, Johnstone’s St. Martin, Hawke’s 
Champagne, Dancer’s Early Red, Scotch Mammoth 
and Crimson Perfection, are six of the most distinct, 
although we do not pretend to say which is best, since 
any of the above-mentioned would probably give great 
satisfaction. __ 
SELAGINELLAS. 
These form one of the most attractive, as well as one 
of the most beautiful class of plants, and well-grown 
specimens always lend a charm amongst a collection of 
Ferns. No collection of Ferns should be without a few 
of the best sorts of Selaginella. Many of the 
kinds may be grown easily in a warm greenhouse or 
fernery, and few require the proper stove treatment; 
but the few that do must be kept to the growing-stove 
temperature, or they will only linger and die, instead 
of making nice plants. Some of the sorts look re¬ 
markably well growing on rockwork, but where planted 
so, let the patches be large enough to give effect, and 
thus show the true character of the plant. Again, 
some of the varieties, like S. Kraussiana (denticulata), 
come in well for covering walls in damp ferneries, or 
edgings along a path in a greenhouse, and many other 
purposes, such as lining the outside of hanging baskets, 
which, if kept damp enough wdien first put into the 
basket, will soon commence to grow, and hide the 
unsightly wire and soil, that are often more conspicuous 
than they need be. I find the latter variety is very 
much in demand for forming a green groundwork round 
fonts in churches ; and when so used, with flowers 
arranged on it, gives a pretty effect. Therefore, where 
convenient, good patches of this should always be kept 
about. 
It is to a few rather better species that I wish to 
draw the attention of readers of The Gardening 
World —sorts that are adapted for staging upon the 
exhibition table, and which should be more used than 
at present. I find that the majority of growers are 
not prone to give up old favourites and try a few of the 
newer introductions, which, if grown well along with 
some of the best of the older varieties, would enhance 
the value of their collections considerably. Selaginellas 
o not like a heavy soil, but one composed of loam, 
peat and leaf-soil in equal parts, to which may be added 
some good broken sandstone and a sprinkling of sharp 
silver sand. The drainage of the pot or pan must be 
perfect, and the plants should at no time be potted too 
deep in the soil, for the rhizomes like to run near the 
surface. A little sphagnum moss laid on the surface of 
the pans has a great tendency to encourage the growth 
of the rhizomes more rapidly than when left bare. 
They like an abundance of water as soon as they get 
well established in the new soil, and will soon show 
signs of poverty if kept too dry. 
The present season is the best to make up new pans 
of these plants, and in the case of the dense-growing 
varieties, they should be broken up rather small and 
placed in little patches all over the pan. This, if kept 
rather moist overhead and warm, will soon cover the 
surface of the soil completely. The taller-growing sorts 
may have a few small plants placed in one pan if it is 
desirable to cover the latter up quickly; but for 
making the best-fronded varieties, one good plant 
placed in the centre and allowed to grow freely, will 
make a far more handsome specimen. They require to 
be shaded heavily, with an abundance of moisture about 
the stages on u'hich they are placed, all through the 
growing period. I do not profess to know every kind 
of Selaginella grown, but the following I can confidently 
recommend as a few of the best that have come into my 
hands at various times. The stove sorts may be 
summed up in the following, and to the names by which 
they are generally known I will add the synonyms, 
where any exist. Very often this synonym causes great 
confusion amongst gardeners. One man often grows a 
variety under one name, and another grows his under 
one of the synonyms attached to the same variety. I 
have known this state of things sometimes lead to very 
serious argument, each grower asserting he is perfectly 
right as to the name under which he grows his plant. 
Both are generally right, but they will not give them¬ 
selves the trouble to look up the synonyms. 
S. amcena is an introduction from Mexico, and is 
destined to become one of our best exhibition] sorts. 
It grows about 1 ft. high, perfectly erect, having the 
stem furnished at the top with ovate-acuminate pinnules 
of a bright cheerful green colour, constituting it a very 
elegant variety. 
S. Africana (S. Vogelii, S. fulcrata) is a very fine 
species belonging to the plumose section, having large 
triangular fronds of a deep green colour, produced on 
tall stems about 9 ins. to 12 ins. high. 
S. caulescens is a species producing long, erect 
arching fronds, proceeding from a conspicuous creeping 
rhizome, and is both distinct and elegant. 
S. cognata has a sub-climbing habit, the erect stems 
being furnished with ovate branches of very dark green 
colour. 
S. cuspidata (S. circinalis, S. pallascens ) produces a 
profusion of circinate fronds of a very elegant character 
and of a beautiful shade of green. 
S. erythropus ( S. umbrosci) is a fine species, pro¬ 
ducing long caudate fronds, the pinme closely over¬ 
lapping each other. This makes a very handsome 
specimen. 
S. grandis. The fronds of this distinct species have 
broad close-set leaves, and are of erect habit. The 
colour of the fronds is a bright grass-green. 
S. Victorise is a very elegant kind, of sub-climbing 
habit, the stems being very erect, and producing fronds 
on each side of an ovate-acuminate outline, and a very 
dark green colour. 
S. Wallichii is a species of sub-climbing habit, pro¬ 
ducing, on erect stems, fronds of a bronzy green colour, 
broad and bold in outline. It is a very robust grower, 
but requires a great amount of heat to bring it to per¬ 
fection. "When at its best, undoubtedly it will take 
first rank amongst any yet brought out. 
The following sorts may all be grown in an ordinary 
warm Fernery, and as they are geneially known, need 
not be particularly described :— 
S. Brownii S. japonica 
S. ceesia ( S. uncinata) S. Lyallii 
S. csesia arborea S. Martensii ( S. Hagelii, 
S. densa ( S. apus, S. Bra- S. Danielsii) 
ziliensis) S. Martensii variegata 
S. Galeottii (S. Scliottii) S. perelegans (S. belula) 
S. involvens S. Wildenovii ( S.pubescens ) 
S. caesia and its variety S. c. arborea are the two 
forms that are highly tinged with blue on the surface 
of the fronds ; and at no time should the sun be 
allowed to shine upon them, or they will soon lose their 
characteristic beauty and elegance. — JF. G. 
-- 
ORIGIN OF CULTIVATED 
PLANTS. 
At a moderate computation there are 100,000 species 
of flowering plants known to botanists throughout the 
world. The number might be easily augmented, or, 
on the other hand, curtailed according to the opinion of 
different authors. In dealing with cultivated plants, 
I shall confine myself to a few of the most important 
and strictly economic subjects, leaving entirely out of 
account all those grown for purely ornamental purposes. 
Of the 100,000 species it is remarkable how few, 
comparatively, are of direct, and, consequently, of im¬ 
portant service to the wants of man. De Candolle has 
enumerated and studied only about 247 of these, of 
which 199 are indigenous to or grew spontaneously in 
the old world, while about forty-five are considered as 
of American origin, and the original home of three 
others has never been determined. 
Before cultivation, and the consequent distribution 
of plants by man, very few economic species were 
common to both worlds, and those were very unequally 
distributed over the inhabitable surface of the globe. 
There were no useful plants indigenous to the arctic or 
antarctic regions, nor to Patagonia or the Cape of Good 
Hope. One tree indigenous to the continent of 
Australia and New Zealand has been cultivated within 
modern times, namely, the Blue Gum, Eucalyptus 
globulus ; and Tetragona expansa, a very indifferent 
vegetable, is all that contributes to the support of man 
amongst native plants, although the country has been 
peopled by European settlers for about a hundred years. 
We know nothing of the history or primitive con¬ 
dition of things that lead to cultivation ; but at the 
same time there can be little doubt that as a district 
or country began to be populated, fishing, hunting and 
wild products were insufficient to supply the necessary 
food, and led to useful plants being taken more or less 
into man’s care. How effectually this has been done 
can be inferred from the fact that until lately very few 
long-cultivated plants were known in a wild state ; and 
even now, after considerable research, calling in the 
aid of the botanist, the philologist, the palaeontologist 
and archeologist, some have been found very sparingly 
in a wild state, and 3—5 are believed to be extinct in 
their original or native homes. In many cases it is 
difficult to determine whether an apparently wild plant 
is merely a remnant of or an escape from cultivation. 
This is especially the case in cultivated fields and near 
human habitations. 
About forty-four species have been subjects of the 
especial care of man, and have followed him in his migra¬ 
tions from an unknown period of the world’s history, 
dating back for more than 4, GOO years. To this category 
greater number may belong ; but it is difficult to prove 
t in the absence of reliable evidence. Another remark¬ 
able fact, notwithstanding the intercommunication 
between all parts of the world and its inhabitants, is that 
no plant has been discovered within the last 2,000 years 
rivalling in utility Maize, cereals in general, Millets, 
Rice, the Potato, the sweet Potato, the Date and the 
Banana. Many of these, probably, date back 4-6,000 
years. The most ancient seats or centres of cultivation, 
as far as can be ascertained, were Egypt, China, Meso¬ 
potamia, India and the Malay Archipelago. There is 
actual evidence of cultivation in Egypt dating back 
for 2,000 or more years b.c., and the evidence even 
then argued an advanced civilisation and its neces¬ 
sary accompaniment—agriculture. The latter appears 
equally ancient in China and the Talley of the 
Euphrates. In all dry countries agriculture originates, 
and is most successfully conducted, on the banks of or 
near rivers, owing to the necessity of irrigation. 
The cultivation of any species is comparatively recent 
compared with its probable age, or, in other words, its 
advent on the earth’s surface. We are tolerably safe, 
in computing that no cultivation existed prior to the 
glacial epoch, and that the modern flora of our northern 
hemisphere during that period, which lasted some 
thousands of years, was distributed more near the 
Equator, and migrated northward as the limits of 
perpetual snow receded towards the North Pole. This 
argument favours the idea, or conclusively demonstrates, 
that our northern flora has all become naturalised 
during the present geological period, but in no way 
proves its origin, seeing that the same species, or part 
of them, were compelled to migrate southwards before 
the advancing glaciers and physical conditions against 
which they were unable to contend. 
The three great regions, more or less isolated, in 
which primitive agriculture first began to assume any 
importance, are China, South-west Asia (including 
Egypt), and intertropical America. In reference to 
the last, it may be stated that the United States, with 
its vast resources, can only claim to be the home of the 
so-called Jerusalem Artichoke and the Gourds, as far 
as nutritious food-producing plants are concerned. 
The old world civilised, and agricultural communities 
established themselves along the banks of rivers, while 
those in the new world settled on the uplands of 
