February 11, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
379 
It is Jasminum nudiflorum, so named because the 
flowers are put forth before a single leaf appears. It is 
a native of China, and was introduced into this country 
about 1844. When introduced some doubt was ex¬ 
pressed as to its hardihood, but it has stood our severest 
winters without harm in many parts, of the country. 
It succeeds best when trained against a wall, where fre¬ 
quently its bright yellow blossoms will be seen con¬ 
trasting curiously with the snow which rests "upon it. 
As already stated, its flowers are yellow, very freely 
produced, and as it blooms in winter it is entitled to 
admission into every collection of choice shrubs.— E. B. 
The Ancuba. 
This very ornamental hardy shrub, introduced from 
Japan more than a century ago, is one of the most 
useful in'garden scenery, and for decorative purposes is 
an indispensable ornament to the well-kept shrubbery. 
It is also a very effective plant when nicely grown in 
pots, while they form exceedingly neat edgings to 
groups of plants, whether arranged in the conservatory 
or elsewhere. Since the introduction of the male 
plant to this country very interesting sports have been 
obtained, some of which are strikingly beautiful, more 
especially when grown in congenial soil and pure air, 
away from the smoke of densely-populated towns and 
manufacturing districts, the foliage being under favour¬ 
able conditions clean and healthy, with bright and very 
distinct forms of variegation. It is my recent ex¬ 
perience that leads me to dilate somewhat upon the—I 
may say—virtues of this common hardy old shrub, 
more especially, perhaps, with reference to its sportive 
characteristics since the two sexes have been brought 
into contact. In the month of November last I 
discovered on one of the plants under my charge several 
distinct sports, both in point of form and the varie¬ 
gated disposition of the leaves, some of which re¬ 
sembled a Croton in appearance. The whole of the 
cuttings—about two dozen—were taken from the parent 
plant, and inserted in my propagating pit, recently 
described in reference to the propagation of Carna¬ 
tions ; here they were well rooted and potted into 4-in. 
pots in three weeks, and very pretty dwarf plants 
they have proved. Thus, in a short time, plants 
were obtained, both useful as well as ornamental. 
Subsequently I put in cuttings on the 9th January ; 
these were rooted and potted on the -3rd February. So 
it may be observed that the Aucuba can be very 
readily obtained in the form of small compact plants, 
well furnished with foliage to the rim of the pots, 
the plants ranging from 6 ins. to 1 ft. high and up¬ 
wards. These, in contrast with other subjects, as is 
known to many, are highly effective, and can be 
utilised in those positions where many other plants 
would be out of character were they so placed.— George 
Fry, Lewisham. — 
Mushrooms. 
I have sent you a clump of Mushrooms, of which I 
may say I have had as many more as good. The bed, 
6 ft. square, is nearly covered all over in the same way, 
and I have been cutting large quantities for six weeks, 
and from present appearances shall continue to do so 
for some time. I have grown Mushrooms from spawn 
supplied by Messrs. Veitch for over twelve years, and 
have never had a failure.— George Kent, Everleigh 
Gardens, Marlborough. —[We congratulate our corre¬ 
spondent on his ability as a grower, for we have seldom 
seen a finer cluster, or eaten better “broilers.”— Ed.] 
Pitcher Within a Pitcher. 
I enclose for your inspection a pitcher growing within 
a pitcher that I exhibited last night at a meeting of our 
Natural History Society of Glasgow. It is quite an 
accidental freak. When I first saw it I tried to pull it 
out, and broke the lid off the inner one. It is some¬ 
what like growing an Apple or Pear inside a bottle.— 
G. Russell, The Redlands, Glasgow. [The curiosity in 
question consisted of two pitchers, one within the other, 
of Nepenthes Hookeriana. Naturally, the pitchers of 
that form—which is considered as a variety of N. 
Rafflesiana—are very short ; but the outer one of the 
specimens sent us was much larger than we usually see 
it grown, well formed, and splendidly coloured. What 
a theme for the naturalist if the large pitcher had 
devoured the small one, for then the species of Nepenthes 
would have been described not only as carnivorous 
members of the vegetable kingdom, but as cannibals ! 
There is no evidence, however, that the inner one has 
been materially affected in any way except in size and 
colour. The brownish crimson blotches are much 
paler, and scarcely at all developed internally—a result 
merely of weak or diffused light. The outer pitcher 
measured over 5 ins. in length, exclusive of the lid, 
and from 2 \ ins. to 3 ins. in diameter, exclusive of the 
fringe, which was very well developed. The other 
pitcher had got inside accidentally when in a small 
state, and having grown considerably there, cannot 
now be removed without injury. It would be interesting 
to know what its behaviour would have been if entirely 
submerged in the fluid secreted by the glands of the 
outer one, especially while it was young.— Ed.] 
Begonia Diadema. 
We have an ornamental-foliaged plant in the above 
that is extremely valuable as a decorative plant during 
the winter months to brighten up the miscellaneous 
subjects that are grown in the stove. It is then of 
most value, when it shows up its bright markings to 
the best advantage. It should be kept in a greenhouse 
during the summer and autumn months, potted, and 
taken into the stove about October, where it will soon 
commence to make its new leaves, which will be much 
larger and finer, from having been rested in the 
greenhouse during the summer months. It resembles 
B. metallica in the style of its growth, the colour of 
the leaf being an olive-green, thickly splashed on the 
surface with greyish white spots. The colouring of the 
leaf is sufficient to give it a place amongst ornamental 
Begonias, but the form adds greatly to its beauty. 
The leaf is irregularly cut into five or six segments 
averaging 4 to 6 ins. in length, the width of the whole 
being about 12 ins., and the length from the base of 
the footstalk to the apex of the longest segment about 
the same. It might easily be described as the 
maculated fingered-leaved Begonia, the form somewhat 
resembling a very large open hand. The flowers are 
pinkish white, borne in trusses well above the foliage. 
— TV. G. 
G-lazed Pots for Plant Growing 1 . 
Referring further to this subject, I think Mr. Potts 
might easily have perceived that my remarks were not 
so much for the purpose of advocating the use of glazed 
pots, as he infers I tried to do, as of simply quoting 
facts which speak for themselves. Had they not been 
used successfully by men in distinguished positions in 
the gardening world, the remarks of your correspondent 
might have had more weight; but they also give their 
testimony from extensive practice. It is obvious that 
such as market men could not grow plants at a profit 
in glazed pots, but in private places where plants are 
grown in pots of suitable sizes for conservatory work, 
the case is entirely different.— M., North Britain. 
The Egg Plant (Solanum ovigerum). 
There are several forms of this species, perhaps 
differing only in the colour of their fruits, of which 
there are white, yellow, red, and violet varieties. 
These interesting plants, if well grown, command 
universal admiration, and they are so easily grown and 
propagated that the most non-professional of gardeners 
need not despair of attaining some measure of success 
if he carries out the following directions. Last year 
these interesting plants formed one of the most 
attractive groups in a public garden. If they are 
so attractive to the public, may I not reasonably 
ask how it is that they are not more generally grown 
in private gardens ? If only one of the many readers 
of The Gardening World, who has not yet grown 
them, will take my hint and give them a trial, I shall 
feel that my note has not been written in vain. Sow 
the seed in spring in pots in a compost of fine loamy 
soil and sand ; cover them but lightly, and stand the 
pots on a moderate hot-bed, covered with an ordinary 
frame. "When large enough to handle they should be 
potted singly into small pots in loam, leaf-soil, sand, 
and a little manure, all mixed together. For a final 
shift they should be potted into 7-in. or 8-in. pots in 
some good rich soil, to which may be added as a 
valuable addition some good rotten dung. They are 
subject to the attacks of red-spider, so they must be 
constantly syringed on fins days ; look well to aphides, 
and fumigate at once if these annoying visitors infest 
them, or they will certainly leave their marks behind 
in the shape of spoiled foliage. They need plenty of 
air and light, which is essential to all good cultivation, 
and during the time of flowering they need more air 
than previously to enable them to set their flowers, 
and so bear fruit worthy of the trouble bestowed on 
their cultivation. The white-fruited variety produces 
fruit so exactly the imitation of an egg that many are 
the questions asked respecting them, especially by 
the fair sex, which fact alone ought to stimulate 
gardeners in their efforts to please those by w'hom they 
are employed.— IF. C. G. 
Lonicera fragrantissima. 
This is another charming yellow-flowering shrub, and 
though classed with the climbing plants, yet makes 
an excellent hardy subject for planting on a lawn. 
When freely blooming, it produces an abundance of 
Jonquil-scented flowers of a peculiar yellowish white 
colour, having yellow anthers. I have seen, on a fine 
sunny day in February, the bees busily getting honey 
or pollen from the flowers. I have known this plant 
to flower in December when occupying a sheltered 
position ; but much depends, of course, on the character 
of the weather. One of the most able of English gar¬ 
deners in the midland counties—Mr. William Ingram, 
of Belvoir Castle Gardens, who is also a bee-keeper— 
says of this plant that it “seems to combine the 
fragrance of the Orange blossom with that of the 
Honeysuckle. Perfumers will do well to look after it, 
and all who keep bees should certainly cultivate it, as 
on every warm day I have seen it alive with them. 
Continuing long in blossom, and being rich in nectarious 
secretions, it must be valuable to the apiarian.” It is 
one of those hardy plants of which it can truly be said 
it is not so much grown as it; deserves to be.— R. B. 
Double Primroses. 
The mention of the pretty double sulphur Primrose on 
p. 362 has led me to overhaul my little collection, and 
I find, although they have been kept in a cold frame 
during the winter, that they are coming on rapidly 
into bloom. I potted them up to have them in flower 
in April, instead of which they will be in bloom in 
March ! I have the fine old double crimson sending 
up some strong flower buds ; the purple, crimson- 
purple, rose, lilac, white, blush, Cloth of Gold, Early 
Sulphur, Croussii and platypetala plena, and the best 
part of them are bursting into flower. Everything at 
present points to an early spring ; all kinds of spring¬ 
flowering plants appear to be hastening on to bloom 
with amazing rapidity. My Auriculas, in a house 
where scarcely a gleam of sunshine can reach them, are 
becoming quite active, and flower stems are developing. 
As I write, February 6th, it is sunny and very mild, 
and things will come on with race-horse speed if this 
weather continues. I wish I could hit upon some plan 
of keeping double Primroses through the summer ! Do 
what I will they die ; and it is necessary to get a fresh 
supply from the north every autumn.— R. B. 
Nepenthes Gurtisii. 
Variety amongst Pitcher plants is by no means 
exhausted yet, for amongst several that are but little 
known or not yet sent out, and which swell the magni¬ 
ficent collection in Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons’ nurseries 
at Chelsea, is a new one named N. Curtisii, at once 
very handsome and distinct, and which is to be sent 
out this year. On the specimens which we noticed 
the pitchers were of considerable size and length, but 
narrowed and very much curved at the base. Probably, 
as in other species and varieties, this is merely one 
stage, and consequently only one of the forms the 
plant is capable of developing. We refer to the broad- 
based or bottomed form which is generally the first to 
develop, and is nearest the ground when growing in a 
wild state. The pitcher is cylindrical, and of a deep 
crimson-brown colour, mottled and striped with oblong 
or variously-formed bright green blotches. The col¬ 
lection contains from twenty to thirty species or 
varieties, and are well furnished with pitchers even at 
this dull period of the year. 
Hardy Ferns: The Garbonell Collection. 
Kew has had what people are pleased to term a wind¬ 
fall, in the shape of one of the finest private collections 
of hardy British Ferns in the three kingdoms. The 
late W. C. Carbonell, Esq., of Usk, Monmouthshire, 
well known in connection with the raising and culti¬ 
vation of hardy Ferns, desired that his entire collection 
of these plants should go to the national establish¬ 
ment at Kew on his decease, and just before the new 
year this was accomplished in six railway trucks. The 
whole collection numbers, we believe, over 4,000 plants, 
of about 1,000 species and varieties. Aspidiums 
(Polystiehums) predominate, some of the forms being 
extremely delicate in outline, division of pinme, &c., 
Lastrieas, Athyriums and Scolopendriums, the latter 
especially, being well represented. The old Kew 
rockery, which was rebuilt last year to hold the 
nucleus of a British Fernery, has been extended right 
round what is known as the ice well, and here what 
will be hereafter known as the Carbonell collection 
will find a home. It is to be hoped the plants will do 
well, and, above all, that as they are certain to have 
been carefully named, the labels will not get shifted. 
