398 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
February 21, 18*31, 
become more evident in the specimen under note as it 
gains strength. When first obtained, it was a very 
small piece, with short stems ; now the litter are 2 ft. 
long. The lip is rounder and blunter than that of D. 
Wardianum, while the yellow blotch is larger and 
better defined, and the maroon blotches at the base 
.much smaller. The petals are also narrower than those 
of the last-named species, while the flowers as a whole 
are much larger than those of D. crassinode. D. mela- 
nophthalmum was the name given it at one time by 
the late Professor Reichenbach. 
Zygocolax Veitchii. 
Few are acquainted with this beautiful plant from the 
fact that it is a hybrid, and cannot be distributed 
with the same rapidity as a plant which can be imported 
by the hundred or thousand, and disseminated through¬ 
out the land at small cost. The hybrid in question 
was raised from Zygopetalum crinitum, fertilised with 
the pollen of Colax jugosus, both in themselves Orchids 
of high intrinsic value and beauty. It is intermediate 
between the two parents. The sepals and petals are of 
a soft greenish yellow, blotched with purplish brown, 
and the lip is yellowish white, striated about the veins 
with violet-purple. The leaves are 9 ins. to 12 ins. 
long, slightly exceeding the length of the scape. The 
plant is now flowering finely in the grand collection of 
Baron Schroder, The Dell, Egham. 
Cymbidium eburneum. 
A few years ago this Orchid was very scarce, but of 
late years the many importations received have made it 
plentiful, so that it is more frequently met with. I 
saw a splendidly grown specimen the other day at 
Arundel Castle, bearing upwards of fifty flower spikes. 
This is the greatest number I have seen upon one plant. 
Mr. Burberry, the gardener in charge, is proud of it, 
and well he may be.— Rusticus. 
-- 
£3 Li L X As. X X XS. S * 
Manchester Horticultural Improvement.—At the 
last fortnightly meeting of this society, held on the 5th 
inst., Mr. E. Griffiths Hughes presiding, Mr. J. 
Edwards read a paper on the Carnation and Picotee. 
He said the Carnation was the old Gillyflower, and that 
the Picotee was simply a variety of the same species, 
and a comparatively new development of the flower. 
It was by no means an uncommon error to regard them 
as two species, and he had actually seen a Carnation 
and a Picotee staged at an exhibition as distinct species 
of hardy flowers and allowed to win. Almost every 
shade of colour seemed possible in the species except 
true blue. 'Why Nature should refuse that and give 
us the many shades of purple, in which blue was the 
leading component part, he could not understand. 
He would not claim for the Carnation the title of 
summer queen, which was justly claimed by another 
flower, but at any rate she was entitled to the first post 
of honour. In his own garden at Blackley she reigned 
as Queen Regent, since Her Majesty the Rose had 
abdicated, pending something being done to purify the 
atmosphere. With regard to the past history of the 
Carnation, it seemed probable that it was early in the 
sixteenth century that the first striped flowers were seen 
in this country, and they came from the south of 
Europe. There was a beautiful reference to Carnations 
and streaked Gillyvors in the Winter's Tale, which 
showed that in Shakespeare’s time these flowers were 
common. The Picotee, as we knew it, was not then 
dreamt of. The disposition in some of the flowers to 
push the colour out towards the edge of the petals had 
not yet been detected, if, indeed, it had existed. It 
remained for a later generation of florists to pursue the 
development of the flower in that direction, and with 
what success let our finest Picotees proclaim. Mr. 
Edwards gave some practical suggestions with reference 
to the cultivation of the flowers and a list of the best 
varieties grown. Messrs. Plant, Neil, ElkiD, Birken¬ 
head, H. Bennett, Tait, jun., and Hadfield took part 
in the discussion which followed. 
Ealing and District Gardeners’ Mutual Improve¬ 
ment.—At the usual weekly meeting held in the 
Victoria Hall, on the lltli inst., there was a goodly 
number of exhibits of flowers in season. A large and 
well-flowered specimen ofDmdrobium nobile, exhibited 
by Mr. Denison, gardener to T. A. Gledstanes, Esq., 
attracted a considerable amount of attention. The 
same exhibitor had two small pieces with more highly 
coloured flowers, and a piece of D. Ainsworthii. An 
interesting plant was exhibited by Mr. A. Wright, 
gardener to E. H. Watts, Esq. This was Dendrobium 
crassinodi-Wardianum, a supposed natural hybrid, 
whose parentage is indicated by the name. TEe lip is 
rounder and blunter than that of D. Wardianum, and 
the maroon blotches are much smaller. Mr. Griggs, 
gardener to A. G. Dixon, Esq., showed two fine pieces of 
D. Wardianum, and a species of Eria. Mr. Simmonds, 
gardener to W. Willan, Esq., had a basket of a b_illiant 
red variety of the Chinese Primula, and which showed 
up well by gas light. Mr. Drink, gardener to D. Brill, 
Esq., had a basket of a fern-leaved, white-flowered 
variety. Mr. Gates, gardener to Professor Henslow, 
showed cut flowers of Sparmannia africana, Primulas 
and Pelargoniums. Half-a-dozen well-grown and 
flowerel plants in different varieties of Primula sinensis 
were staged by Mr. E. Chadwick, gardener to E. M. 
Nelson, Esq. ; Mr. Edwards, gardener to W. Owen, 
Esq., had some pots of pretty Lacheualia tricolor. Mr. 
Long, gardener to E. P. Oaksbot, Esq., had an exhibit 
consisting of Freesia refracta alba, Lily of the Valley, 
Cinerarias and Chinese Primulas. 
After the judging was done, the chair was taken by 
G. Nixon, Esq., who announced that there were two 
questions before the meeting for discussion. These were, 
firstly, “Whether or not all the shoots of Asparagus, 
large or small, should be removed as they appeared, 
until the final cessation from cutting ” ; and secondly, 
“ Whether a severe winter like the past had the effect 
of destroying insect life.” After the discussion which 
took place, Mr. Denison read a paper on Dendrobiums, 
in which he treated upon the history of, and gave a 
few practical hints on the cultivation of about 30 of the 
more popular species. 
Hawick Horticultural Mutual Improvement.—The 
members of this association met as usual on the evening 
of the 13th inst. to hear a paper dealing with the 
question, “What is a Bulb ? ” by Mr. George Wood, 
Summerfield Nurseries. Confining himself entirely to 
scaly bulbs, Mr. Wood started with the seedling bulb, 
traced its career minutely through all the different 
stages of its growth, and explained the various functions 
and parts of the bulb, and their relative positions to 
one another. The paper was highly appreciated by the 
members, and was very favourably commented upon by 
all present. The following exhibits were on the table : 
from Mr. Wood, Summerfield Nursery, a very fine pure 
white Cyclamen, with flowers measuring 3 ins. across, 
and which were formed much after the style of a 
Christmas Rose ; the blooms, eight in number, were all 
equally well formed, and should it reproduce itself true 
from seed, will be a startling novelty. Mr. Johnstone, 
Sillerbitliall Gardens, had some very fine specimens of 
Hyacinths, Tulips, and Narcissus; and Mr. George 
Davidson, Croft Road, had a very nice plant of Poly¬ 
podium vulgare, var. Cornubiense. A hearty vote of 
thanks was accorded to the exhibitors and chairman, 
which brought a very pleasant and profitable evening 
to a close. 
Royal Horticultural of Perthshire_The monthly 
meeting of the members of this society was held on the 
4th inst., in the Hall of the Perthshire Society of 
‘Natural Science, Tay Street, Perth. Mr. Leslie, 
gardener, Pitcullen House, was in the chair. Mr. Gal¬ 
loway, Ballendrick, read an interesting and instructive 
paper on the cultivation of the Dahlia, which was dealt 
with both as a bedding plant and for show purposes. 
An interesting discussion followed the reading of the 
paper, and at the close a hearty vote of thanks was 
accorded to Mr. Gallowaj-. A similar compliment to 
the chairman terminated the meeting. 
--— 
We regret to announce the death of Mr. David Easson, 
at Dryburgh, Camperdown, early on Tuesday morning. 
Mr. Easson had reached the rips old age of 81. He 
was a native of the parish of Fowlis Easter, where he 
was born in 1809. He learnt the business of a practical 
gardener, and after serving some time in the Carse of 
Gowrie he entered the service of the Camperdown 
family about 1832 as head gardener. In that 
capacity he discharged his duties in such a manner 
as to win for himself the approval of his em¬ 
ployers. On the death of Mr. John Swan, who was 
grieve on the Home Farm of Camperdown, in 1854 Mr. 
Easson was entrusted with its management, in addition 
to his duties connected with the gardens. Further- 
responsibility devolved upon him on the demise of Mr. 
Taylor, head forester, when the care of plantations, 
parks and woods came under his supervision. He was 
subsequently appointed factor for the whole of the 
Lundie estates, and thereafter removed to Dryburgh, 
which became the home farm. For fully- a auarter-of- 
a-century he fulfilled these important duties with a 
fidelity and watchfulness that could not have been 
surpassed. He was held in the highest esteem by Lord 
Camperdown and his family, who placed in him the 
most implicit trust. 
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 
A zal ea ixdica. — •/. H., E: The compost to use for the Indian 
Azaleas should consist of one-half good fibrous peat, and the 
other half loam, leaf-soil and sand in equal proportions. Mix 
well together, drain the pots welland carefully, and pot firmly. 
There are various reasons for your plants dropping their leaves. 
In the first place they all lose a number of their leaves in 
winter ; and secondly, the change from a cool to a warm 
atmosphere would cause a number of the old ones to drop. To 
counteract this when placed in heat, you should syriDge them 
regularly twice a day. Furthermore, is it not possible that you 
have allowed the plants to become dry during the winter? because 
this alone would cause many of the leaves to drop, in afterwards 
attempting to force the plants. In the neighbourhood of 
London, the Azaleas have lost much of their foliage in some 
cases, on account of the heavy fogs with which we have been 
visited. Your plants will probably right themselves again after 
growth recommences. 
Name of Plant.— J. C. : Senecio articulatus, known also as 
Kleinia artieulata and Cacalia articulata. 
Magnolia, Bramble, &c.— Flos: No species of Magnolia is 
a native of Paris, nor even of Europe, as they all come from 
North America, Northern India, China aDd Japan. The bour¬ 
geons or buds you speak of as not opening unless the sun shines 
would probably be of those of Crocus sativus, C. nuaiflorus or 
C. speciosus, all autumn-fiowering species. Crocuses and 
Tulips, especially the former, remain closed unless the sun 
shines. The word ronce is often used to signify brambles or 
thorns generally, but with the explanat'on you give, and the 
uses to which it is put, we imagine the common Bramble 
(Rubus fruticosns) or its varieties are mesnt. Wine or brandy 
could be made from its fruits, as in the case of the Raspberry ; 
we often see the commons covered with it in this country, 
but the leaves are not eaten by sheep. Some Nepenthes are 
always dwarf ; others assume a climbing habit, and attain a 
considerable height; but we should not say that they thus 
attain a greater height than most plants. There are others of 
more rampant and rapid growth, including such as Vitis (Cissus 
and Ampelopsis), Calamus, and many of the climbing Aroids. 
Sr. Brigid Anemones. — AT. M., Aberdeen .-—The Anemones 
you speak of are simply varieties and strains of A. coronaria, 
the species which is so plentifully spread about ill gardens 
everywhere. The St. Brigid strain is one that has been 
originated and improved in Ireland. Various other names have 
been given to strains raised by different growers. These strains 
are generally single, and are raised from seed. If you want the 
line double forms, it w-ould be necessary to buy the named 
kinds. We presume, however, that you refer to single Anemones, 
and if you have plenty of space to grow them, it would be worth 
your while to get a packet or two of seed from different sources 
every year, and always select the best varieties for preservation 
as they come into bloom. 
White Jasmine. —Jf. il., Aberdeen : The plant you have is no 
doubt Jasminum officinale, the common white-fiowered species. 
As it flowers on the young wood that is made during summer, 
you Deed not hesitate to prune it in closely. Remove all the 
young wood it made last year to within a few buds of tlie base 
of each shoot. If you can lay in strong young shoots to cover 
bare places on the wall, by ail means do so. Should tlie plant 
be wanting in vigour, enrich the soil with a good top-dressing 
of farmyard manure after loosening it up with a fork. The 
plant, furthermore, delights in full exposure to the sun, and if 
it is on the north side of a house, or heavily shaded by trees, 
this matter should be seen to. Either shift the plant into a 
more favourable position, or if old, then layer some of the shoots 
so as to get young plants to grow elsewhere. If-shaded by trees 
you might remedy the evil by judicious pruning, so as to let 
sunshine play upon the Jasmine. 
Nicotina F ijmigator. — S . W . : We do not know the address 
of the manufacturers. 
Communications Received.— R. S.—H. S.—W. A. JL—S. W. 
W. B.—J. J. N.—J. W.—W. H. E.—H. Fox (next- week)—J. B 
—E. B. -J. S. R. 
-->2£<-- 
TF.ADE CATALOGUE BECEIVED. 
Edward Webe & Sons, Wordsley, Stourbridge. — Annua 
Catalogue of Farm Seeds. 
.--- 
THE WEATHER. 
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean 
reading of the barometer during the week ending Feb. 
14th was 30'25 ins., and that of the thermometer 
38 '4°, the latter being 0 '7° below the week’s average in 
the 20 years 1S49-68. The direction of the wind 
was variable, the horizontal movement of the air 
being 35 per cent, below the average in the 16 years 
1860-75. The duration of registered bright sunshine 
in the week was 17'0 hours at Greenwich, and 15'5 
hours at Glvnde Place, Lewes. 
LONDON "SEED TRADE. 
February 1 6th. 
Messrs. Hurst & Son, 152, Houndsditch, and 39, 
Seed Market, Mark Lane, E. C., report an increasing 
trade in Agricultural seeds. Superfine qualities English. 
Red Clover and Cowgrass realise high figures. Trefoil 
is dearer. Foreign Red and "White Clover steady. 
Rape seed scarce. Ryegrasses unchanged. 
-- 
OOVENT GARDEN MARKET. 
February 18 Ih. 
Vegetables.— Average Retail Prices. 
s.d. s.d. s.d. s.d. 
Artichokes, Globe, doz. 3 0 6 0 Herbs _per bunch 0 2 0 4 
Beans, French, per lb. 2 6 3 0 Horse Radish, bundle 3 0 5 0 
Beet . per dozen 2 0 3 0 Lettuces ..per dozen 16 2 0 
Brussels Sprouts Mushrooms, p. basket- 13 2 0 
per half sieve 3 0 4 Onions .... per bushel 3 6 5 0 
Cabbages - per doz. 1 6 2 0 Parsley_ per bunch 0 6 
Carrots _ per bunch 0 6 Radishes ..per dozen 1 6 
Cauliflowers, English, Sea Kale.per lb. 2 6 3 0 
per dozen 3 0 6 0 Small salading, punnet 0 4 
Celery_per bundle 2 6 Spinach, per strike ..3 6 
Cucumbers _each 10 16 Tomatos ....per lb. 10 14 
Endive, French, doz. 2 6 3 8 Turnips _per bun. 0 6 
Potatos.—K ent Regents, SOs. to 100s. per ton ; Kent Kidneys, 
80s. to 100s. per ton ; Champions, 70s. per ton. 
