March 3, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
428 
so rank and coarse that it was with difficulty the young 
trees could be preserved alive till they got above their 
redoubtable rivals. Orchids, Ferns, Parnassia palustris, 
and Epilobium angustifolium macrocarpum were among 
the choicer subjects ; and Lemna minor, with other 
aquatics, densely covered the ditches and pools, while 
Sphagnum, Polytrichum, and other Cryptogams were 
also abundant in suitable places. Many undoubtedly 
sprang from seeds ; but the Orchids attained perfection 
so quickly as to preclude the idea of their having 
originated in that way, and it is more than probable 
that their tuberous roots must have lain in a quiescent 
state, or almost so, for a considerable and now indeter¬ 
minable number of years. 
I have now given a few instances of the behaviour of 
plants in a wild state when left to their own resources, 
and when influenced by natural or artificial causes— 
that is, by the elements, by the lower animals, and 
also by man. Their battles, migrations, the colonisation 
of new countries, and the means by which these things 
are effected, the limited time at my disposal prevents 
me from discussing. There can be no question, how¬ 
ever, that the Jiand of man is responsible for the 
distribution of a great number of plants over the 
surface of the globe, either intentionally or uninten¬ 
tionally. Many subjects of economic importance have 
accompanied man in his migrations from time im¬ 
memorial, and out of 157 of the most valuable studied 
by Alphonso de Candolle, the original or wild types of 
32 of them are absolutely unknown. The anciently- 
civilised communities of pre-Adamite man have, in all 
probability, influenced or effected the existing distri¬ 
bution of a large number of plants, now far distant 
from their original home, although it may now be 
impossible to determine to what extent. 
That plants will often thrive and shift for themselves 
in entirely new homes we have evidence in vast areas of 
the prairies of La Plata, which are now occupied, to 
the exclusion of almost all other kinds of vegetation, by 
Cynara Cardunculus, as high as a man on horseback. 
Thistles and others of our native weeds have also run 
mad over the rich lands of some of our colonies. At 
home the American Mimulus luteus has so thoroughly 
established itself in various counties of Great Britain 
that I thoroughly believed it to be truly indigenous 
till I commenced the study of botany. Other exotics 
have also established themselves more or less securely, 
including the "Wallflower, Stock, Lepidium Draba, 
L. sativa, Rapistrum rugosum, Antennaria margaritacea, 
Saponaria officinalis, Alyssum maritimum, Geranium 
striatum, Centranthus ruber, Anthemis tinctoria, 
Galinsoga parviflora (a determined weed), and Setaria 
viridis, all of which I have detected in a wild or 
naturalised state. The agencies that favour these 
emigrants and colonists in their adopted country are a 
favourable climate, suitable soil, an absence of their 
usual enemies, and, above all, their ability to cope with 
and vanquish or establish themselves amongst their 
new competitors, the already existing vegetation.— F. 
( To he continued.) 
-- 
ORCHIDS AT AMHURST ROAD, 
STAMFORD HILL. 
Like those at many other suburban residences, the 
collection of F. C. Jacomb, Esq., in this neighbourhood 
is very much hampered for want of space to make even 
the moderate display of which the extensive family of 
Orchids is capable. 
The Odontoglossums are great favourites judging 
from the number and variety of them flowering even at 
the present time. The forms of 0. crispum, popularly 
known as 0. Alexandra, are rich and varied, and one 
of them we noticed was characterised by the great 
boldness of its flowers, which measured close upon 5 ins. 
across the petals. They were large, well formed, and 
pure white, with a purple blotch and yellow disc on 
the labellum. Another form was even more striking 
from the breadth of the various segments, the rotundity 
of the whole flower, and the bluntness of the labellum, 
which recalled that of 0. Pescatorei without the con¬ 
tractions at the sides peculiar to that species. An 
unusually fine form of O. Andersonianum had all of 
the segments broad, and spotted with red on a white 
ground. 
Of the 0. luteo-purpureum type there were several 
fine forms with rich and varied markings. Besides 
those to which no special names were given, there was 
0. Halli with its white lip and beautifully blotched 
sepals and petals ; 0. Wilckeanum with jagged and 
cut petals, a strongly fringed labellum, and all of the 
segments variously blotched with brown ; another sup¬ 
posed natural hybrid, namely, 0. mulus, and the 
richly-coloured 0. hystrix, to the endless and rich 
variations of which there seems no limit. There were 
several distinct forms of 0. triumphans, but one was 
particularly striking on account of the relative short¬ 
ness and great breadth of the various organs, especially 
that of the lip. The whole flower was heavily blotched 
with chocolate-brown and preserved its accustomed 
shining lustre. 
Amongst Oneidiums we might mention 0. cuculla- 
tum, 0. macranthum and 0. pubes, the last-mentioned 
being the best grown specimen we have seen for some 
time. The inflorescence was about 3 ft. long, strongly 
branched along the greater part of its length. The 
individual flowers are small, brown and yellow, but 
the myriads of them that are borne by a well-grown 
plant like the present, constitute on the whole an 
object of great beauty. 
By the employment of all these forms a greater 
amount of variety is secured than if the collection was 
wholly composed of Cattleyas, noble objects though 
they be. Of C. Trianae, which is the ruling or season¬ 
able Cattleya at present, two very choice varieties 
attracted our attention. These were C. T. alba, pure 
white with the exception of a faint yellow blotch in 
the throat of the labellum ; and another, to which no 
special name is given, with a richly-coloured labellum 
and darker purple stripes along the middle of the 
petals. Phalienopsis grandiflora, having escaped the 
fog, is now blooming finely. The flowering season of 
Cymbidium Lowii has already commenced, and some of 
the blooms on a spike of seventeen have expanded. It 
would be very unfortunate should this species habitually 
flower about mid-winter, for then we should have 
untold loss from the fogs, which, although intermittent, 
are then very prevalent, the buds being as susceptible 
of injury from that cause as those of Cattleya, Phalfen- 
opsis, and others. A specimen of Phaius grandifolius, 
bearing seven strong flower-stems in various stages of 
advancement, from the buds to the fully-expanded 
flowers, testifies to the suitable treatment it receives ; 
and the whole collection, as far as management and 
cultural treatment is concerned, does credit to Mr. 
Slay, the gardener. 
jPOTES FROM SCOTLAND, 
The New Professor of Botany in Edin¬ 
burgh University.— The Curators of the Edinburgh 
University met on the 23rd inst. to elect a Professor 
to fill the Chair of Botany, made vacant by the death 
of Professor Dickson. The candidates were—Isaac 
Bayley Balfour, Sherardian Professor of Botany, Oxford; 
James W. H. Traill, Professor of Botany, Aberdeen ; 
"William Ramsay Macnab, Professor of Botany, Royal 
College of Science, Dublin ; Patrick Geddes, senior 
demonstrator of Botany, University of Edinburgh, and 
lecturer on Botany, Heriot-Watt College; and George 
R. M. Murray, senior assistant, Department of 
Botany, British Museum, and Examiner in Botany 
University of Glasgow. The emoluments of the Chair, 
which was now vacant for the tenth time, are over 
£2,000, the endowment being £200. This included 
£100 for being Regius Keeper of the Botanic Gardens. 
The meeting lasted for nearly an hour, and the result 
was that Professor Bayley Balfour was appointed to the 
Chair. Professor Balfour, who is the son of Dr. John 
Hutton Balfour, Professor of Botany in Edinburgh 
from 1845 to 1873, was born in 1853, and now returns 
to his Alma Mater to fill the Chair which his father 
held for thirty-five years, and which has the peculiar 
lame of being the oldest medical or scientific Chair, 
except that of Mathematics, in the University. Pro¬ 
fessor Balfour has been actively engaged in the pursuit 
of science for the last eighteen years, and during that 
time he has filled some of the most important posts in 
his own branch of the subject both in England and 
Scotland. 
Royal Horticultural Society of Aberdeen. 
—A well-attended meeting of the acting directors of 
this society was held on February 21st, Councillor 
Lyon, chairman of the society, occupying the chair. 
The dates for the Grand Floral Fete, to be held under 
the auspices of the society, were fixed for 23rd, 24th, 
and 25th August in the Duthie Public Park, Aberdeen. 
The prize schedule was finally revised, and ordered to 
be printed and circulated among the members. It was 
also determined that efforts should be made to get a 
railway station or platform erected at the park previous 
to the fete being held, for the better conveyance of 
patrons. 
Early Peas. —Anyone having the convenience of 
a warm vinery or Peach house, will find the following a 
good and inexpensive method of raising early Peas. 
Get a few boards of any convenient length, and about 
6 ins. wide, and on these place fresh turves of the same 
width, and about 2 ins. thick. In the centre of the 
turf make a narrow drill to hold the seed, then cover 
slightly with sifted leaf-soil, or any other light soil that 
may be at hand. After sowing, place on the floor of 
the vinery or Peach house. I mention the floor, as the 
turves are less likely to get dry there than upon a 
raised stage or shelf. As soon as the seeds break 
ground, they must be removed to a cool airy house or 
frame, where they will get plenty of light ; they must 
not be coddled in any way, otherwise long spindly 
growth will be the result. Weather permitting, plant 
outside when about 3 ins. high. Stake at once with 
small brushwood, which is a better protection during 
the earlier stages of growth than the long leggy stakes 
in general use. In planting, take a trench out with a 
spade large enough to bury the turf and Peas to within 
1 in. of the top.— J. T., Arlary. 
Ornamental-foliaged Plants : Aspidistra 
LUP.ida, —The comparatively simple cultural require¬ 
ments and accommodating nature of this useful foliage 
plant commends it to those whose resources for growing 
less hardy subjects are limited. A. lurida variegata is 
especially attractive. I am told by nurserymen in 
this locality that it is much sought after for decorative 
purposes. It thrives well in a compost of peat, loam, 
and silver sand, and the conditions of temperature and 
moisture suitable to its free growth can be secured 
either in a stove or intermediate house. Care is 
necessary in re-potting the variegated form that too 
large a shift is not given, otherwise the variegation 
may disappear for a time. One of the most distinctly 
variegated plants I have seen is growing in a 5-in. pot 
quite pot-bound, but in vigorous health. For general 
decoration in halls and rooms both varieties are very 
suitable, as they bear a good deal of knocking about 
with comparatively little injury being done to them. 
Draoexa Baptistii. 
This is an exceedingly attractive variety, and those 
who have not already got it in their collections would 
find it a most interesting and useful addition. The 
foliage when newly developed is of a deep green shade, 
striped with pale yellow, changing to dark bronze, 
irregularly striped with scarlet; but light is one of the 
principal factors in bringing out the varied colours of 
this as well as other plants grown for their foliage, of 
which the Croton is found to be a notable example. It is 
difficult to manage such plants well when they have to 
be grown amongst choice Ferns and other plants which 
do not thrive so well under a maximum of sunlight.— 
17., North Britain. 
--— 
The Amateurs’ Garden. 
Seed Sowing. —The advent of spring to the amateur, 
as well as to the professional horticulturist, implies a 
necessity for increased activity in every department of 
his large or small domain. He not only has to 
maintain his reputation, but, if possible, to extend and 
enhance all former achievements. How is the time to 
act ! This is the day of preparation ! With respect to 
the culinary department of the amateur’s garden, I 
must confess that my knowledge is of the dangerous 
order, being limited in quantity ; but in the matter of 
floriculture, my strong love for flowers and deep interest 
in them will, I trust, entitle me to a patient hearing. 
With regard to the benefits—to say nothing of the 
pleasure—to be derived from the pursuit of horticulture, 
I will merely record my opinion that I believe the 
former to be substantial and the latter to be of an ever- 
enduring description. No recreation, I think, is so 
real, so genuine, or so satisfactory as that which is to 
be obtained from this gentle craft. To the town- 
worker especially it brings refreshment and consolation 
of no mean order. Everybody should possess a hobby, 
and gardening is as good, as pure, and as wholesome as 
any other. Bacon says “ Gardening is the purest of 
human pleasures, and the greatest refreshment to 
the spirit of man”; and Cowper has it that “He 
who loves a garden loves a greenhouse too.” Thi9 
brings me, naturally, to the subject of my text, 
namely, the raising of plants from seed. It is hoped 
that a few practical observations may not be altogether 
distasteful to those who are seeking information relative 
to the culture of flowers. As I am frequently questioned 
as to the best means of preparing pots and boxes for 
