June 16, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
663 
I cannot resist quoting one more passage from Mr. 
Leo Grindon's book, as it seem ; to set forth one or 
two very interesting and instructive facts. He says : 
" The original seats of the growth of the Cocoa Palm 
appear to have been the south of Asia and the 
Islands of the Indian Archipelago. Thence it has 
made its way to every part of the littoral of the 
tropics, conveyed, doubtless, in great measure, by the 
waves. The peculiar nature of the fibrous envelope and 
the thickness of the shell enable the nut to remain in 
salt water for considerable periods without any injury 
occurring to the germ. The triangular form, a keel 
always undermo t, facilitates the sailing. Once afloat, 
it never rests, tossing about until cast ashore ; then, if 
the landing place be congenial, it at once takes root, 
and a new province is soon added to the broad 
dominions. Let us not forget that this throwing 
ashore comes of the intense and everlasting love of 
cleanliness on the part of the ocean. Emblem of the 
infinite type of all that is supreme, it refuses to 
tolerate the least atom of impurity ; the simplest relic 
of weed or straw is cast as far as it can reach, even 
the Cocoanut is allowed only on sufferance, and must 
go.''—R. D. 
{To be Continued.) 
-- 
ARDENING ^ISCELLANY. 
HYACINTHUS AMETHYSTINUS. 
A GOOD patch of this miniature Hyacinth is very 
charming. The tubular flowers are of a clear, 
bright blue, with paler edges, and quite unlike those 
of the ordinary Hyacinth. Close examination, how¬ 
ever, will show that the structure is the same, and 
the difference is chiefly in size. They are smaller 
than those of the Roman Hyacinth or those of the 
English Bluebell (Scilla nutans). Owing to these, 
facts it is most suitable for planting about the rock- 
work or where choice plants are grown and carefully 
tended. It is in no way delicate, however, and will 
succeed with the same facility as the common 
Hyacinth in cool, friable soil. As the bulbs increase 
and get plentiful they may be planted in small beds 
upon the grass as at Kew. The species is at its best 
long after the Oriental or common Hyacinths and 
spring flowering Scillas are over. 
PHORMIUM HOOKERI. 
This species is termed the Mountain Flax of New 
Zealand, and is much dwarfer than P. tenax under 
the same conditions. The flowering stems are about 
6 ft. high, and deep purple with a glaucous bloom ; 
the flowers themselves are not particularly showy, 
being greenish-yellow, tinted brown, with blackish- 
purple stamens and orange anthers. The foliage, of 
course, is the ornamental part of the plant from a 
horticultural standpoint, and is of a deep green 
above, glaucous beneath, and leathery. A plant of 
it has just flowered in the temperate house at Kew. 
The flowers are altogether lighter in colour than 
those of P. tenax, and the plant seems to have 
attained its full stature, as it is planted out; and 
very healthy and vigorous. 
VARIATIONS OF COLOUR. 
I HAVE been more than usually struck with the 
extreme variations in colour of several Roses; 
William Allen Richardson, Anna Ollivier, Mme. 
Lambard, Jean Ducher and others. Two plants of the 
former, side by side upon a wall, are as distinct as it 
is possible for two Roses to be. On one the blooms 
are deep orange, while the other is almost white. 
Yet they are quite true, and it may be the next crop 
of flowers will be quite the reverse in colour ; or 
possibly both extremes and also two or three examples 
between these may be produced upon either plant. 
More than once I have been told heat had consider¬ 
able effect in this direction ; but after growing the 
Rose from its introduction I am sure such has no 
effect whatever. We find the same variations upon 
plants both in the open and under glass. If the 
whole of the blooms invariably partook of one or other 
of these shades at one time, I might entertain the 
theory of culture as having considerable influence : 
but it is not so. In Anna Ollivier we have a second 
example of extreme variability ; sometimes we get a 
flower all buff and saffron, another may be pure lemon 
yellow and pass very well for Madame Hoste, others 
may vary between these or partake of both. Yet 
again, we sometimes have a bloom with a distinct 
splash of violet and blood red at the base of each 
petal. Marechal Nlel often varies from deep golden 
to pale lemon yellow. Madame Lambard furnished 
another instance of this change. If we turn to Carna¬ 
tions, Dahlias, Chrysanthemums and other florists’ 
flowers which have been brought to a high state of- 
perfection, we find many examples of similar nature. 
The strange point is that they should vary so much 
under exactly the same treatment. One could under¬ 
stand it if they remained constant to one shade under 
given conditions.— Experience 
PAULOWNIA IMPERIALIS. 
How very seldom in England one meets with this 
fine tree, and yet how much it has to recommend it ! 
In the month of May it puts forth its uncanny look¬ 
ing blossoms, its grimy bark giving the Foxglove-like 
blooms a funereal aspect, for the tree covers itself as 
with a violet coloured pall; then in due course, when 
the huge leaves appear, it again arrests attention 
because of its foliage. For a town garden it is a 
grand subject, for it affords ample shade, and 
flourishes when other trees around it are about to 
give up the ghost for want of a drink. For months, 
and in the dryest summer, it can, without a murmur, 
become and remain a total abstainer, which few of 
our good town trees can do without showing it 
badly. In Paris the Paulownia is much en evidence 
in the Boulevards,and looks particularly happy there. 
It has this great advantage, that it wears a fine bushy 
head at a convenient height from the ground, and 
does not grow up like a Chestnut or a Lime to block 
the view. I am partial to Limes, Chestnuts, and 
Planes, but they want looking after when young.— 
Devoniensis. 
VERBENA FOXHUNTER. 
I AGREE with you about the scarceness of good 
Verbenas. Thirty years ago I grew 2,000 plants, 
principally Foxhunter, scarlet with a white eye, and 
a far better variety than Firefly. I should be glad 
if any of your readers could tell me where to get it 
now.—S. C., Bolton. 
THE GARDENING CHARITIES. 
Reading in the Gardeners' Chronicle of last week the 
editorial remark that “ our gardening charieties are 
not supported as they should be by the gardening 
community, and too much reliance is placed on the 
benevolence and good nature of outsiders," I am 
tempted to ask you to allow me to put a question, 
through your columns, to the proprietors of that 
paper, which I think you will agree with me is not 
an unfair one under the circumstances. My ques¬ 
tion is this. Do the proprietors of the Chronicle 
consider themselves members of the " gardening 
community ’’ or as " outsiders," and in either case, 
what have they done for the gardening charities ? 
I am old enough to know that the Chronicle and the 
Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution have been 
in existence about the same length of time, the 
latter the longest perhaps, yet in the list of sub¬ 
scribers to the “Benevolent" I can only find the 
Chronicle credited with ^ 42 , which, distributed over 
a period of fifty-four years, works out at an average 
sum of 15 s, 6 Jd. (about) per annum, an amount 
which certainly does not err on the score of gene¬ 
rosity, seeing that the annual subscription is only one 
guinea. Turning to the annual lists of sub¬ 
scribers to the Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund, now 
established about seven years, I have searched in 
vain for any record of a contribution from the pro¬ 
prietors of the Chronicle to that charity. If these 
gentlemen do consider themselves as members of 
that “ gardening community ’’ from which they must 
have drawn many thousands of pounds, then I 
cannot help thinking that their record as supporters 
of the gardening charities hardly entitles the 
Chronicle to throw stones at their less fortunate 
fellow workers ; while should they desire to be con¬ 
sidered only as " outsiders," then the lecturing of 
their supporters must be considered as a question of 
taste, on which I make no comment. In conclusion, 
may I add that the great collecting day for the 
"Benevolent ’’ is next Thursday.—^)! Old Gardener. 
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iNG World, i, Clements Inn, Strand, London, W.C. 
SOCIETIES. 
Royal Horticultural, June 12 th. —The meeting on 
this occasion was characterised by a very extensive 
display of various subjects now in season. There 
were three tables along the centre of the hall and 
tvyo side ones, all filled from end to end, and another 
table extended round the far end of the building. 
Orchids, hardy herbaceous plants. Begonias, Ferns, 
flowering trees and shrubs. Pelargoniums, and 
Carnations were the leading features, independently 
of the Violas and Pinks. A large group of Orchids 
was set up by R. I. Measures, Esq. (gardener, Mr. 
H. Chapman), Cambridge Lodge, Camberwell. The 
prevailing features of it were Cattleyas, Miltonias, 
Cypripediums, and Masdevallias. Miltonia festiva 
is by no means a common kind, but the plant in this 
case bore a dozen blooms. The varieties of M. 
vexillarium were numerous and effective. Cypripe- 
dium Lawrencianum Hyeanum, C. Harrissianum 
virescens, are rare and new green varieties. (Silver 
flora Medal.) A smaller group was exhibited by 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, including a 
magniflcent piece of Dendrobium glomeratum with 
rose flowers and a scarlet lip, Laelio-Cattleya 
Hippolyta, Disa langleyensis, and several hybrid 
Masdevallias. They also had some Ferns, including 
the bold and telling Pteris ludens, and Sarracenia 
Wallisii. Laelia purpurata var., with six flowers on 
a raceme, was shown by W. W. Mann, Esq., 
Ravenswood, Bexley. Cypripedium Sargentianum 
and Odontoglossum Statterianum were shown by 
T. Statter, Esq. (gardener, Mr. R. Johnson), Stand 
Hall, Manchester. Phalaenopsis speciosa, P. s. 
Imperatrix, Laelia grandis Wigan’s var , and others 
were shown by F. Wigan, Esq. (grower, Mr. W. 
H. Young), Clare Lawn, East Sheen. He also had 
a fine plant named Dendrobium veratrifolium. A 
small group of Orchids was staged by Messrs. F. 
Sander & Co., St. Albans. They had several fine 
plants of the fragrant Oncidium Lanceanum, and the 
curious Pescatorea Lehmannii superba, and P. 
Klabochorum. An interesting group of Odonto- 
glossums, including O. sceptrum, O. s. aureum, O. 
Wilckeanum grandis, O. cordatum aureum, and 
O. excellens, all in excellent condition, with long 
spikes, were exhibited by W. Thompson, Esq., 
Walton Grange, Stone, Staffs. A pale variety of 
Odontoglossum citrosmum was shown by William 
Sopsr, Esq., 307 , Clapham Road. A magnificent 
plant of Cochlioda Noetzliana was shown by M. 
Linden, Brussels. He also had various others, 
including Bifrenaria tyrianthina, Aerides Reginae, 
and some Cattleyas. A variety of Lycaste Deppei 
was shown by J. T. Bennett-Poe, Esq., Holmewood, 
Cheshunt. A showy group of Orchids, chiefly 
Odontoglossums, was exhibited by De B. Crawshay, 
Esq. (gardener, Mr. S. Cooke), Rosefield, Sevenoaks. 
The forms of Odontoglossum crispum were very 
numerous, and all of first-class merit. O. c. Trianae, 
O. c. Mademoiselle Cecile de Rochefort, O. c. Miss 
Florence M. Bovill, O. c. pulvereum, with dusted 
flowers, O. citrosmum Rosefield var., and O. luteo- 
purpureum leucoglossa were all exceed! ngly choice 
and attractive in their several ways. (Silver Flora 
Medal.) A Cultural Commendation was awarded to 
Major Joicey (gardener, Mr. F. J. Thorne), Sunning- 
dale Park, for well-grown specimens of Miltonia 
vexillaria. He also showed Dendrobium atrovio- 
laceum and Anguloa Clowesii. (Silver Banksian 
Medal.) Cattleya intricata, Cyripedium bellatulum 
Lowii, and some very choice forms of Cattleya 
Mossiae in two groups were exhibited by Messrs. 
H. Low & Co,, Clapton. They also showed Lilium 
Lowii. Cypripedium bellatulum Wittii was shown 
by Arnold B. Witt, Esq., 5 , Blomfield, Maida Vale. 
Odontoglossum crispum mirabile, O. c. grande 
maculatum, and O. c. Baroness Sohroder, all very 
remarkable varieties, were exhibited by Baron 
Schroder (gardener, Mr. H. Ballantine), The Dell, 
Egham. Messrs. W. L. Lewis & Co., Southgate, 
had a small but effective group of Orchids, consist¬ 
ing largely of Cattleyas and Odontoglossums. 
Cattleya gigas albo-striata and several of the forms 
of C. Mossiae and C. Mendelii, were fine. (Silver 
Banksian Medal.) Odontoglossum crispum Hazel- 
bourne variety, O. c. virginale, and several others 
were staged by Welbore S. Ellis, Esq. (gardener, 
Mr. Masterton), Hazelbourne, Dorking. A small 
and interesting group of Orchids was shown by Sir 
Trevor Lawrence, Bart, (grower, Mr. W. H. White), 
