268 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
Dec. 27th, 1884. 
THE 
(frtjjitr (Srntofts’ Cakntrar. 
Winter Management: Giving Air. —Great 
care will have to be taken henceforth throughout the 
winter that air is freely admitted on every possible 
occasion when the weather outside is anything like 
favourable. Frequently on account of hard frosts and 
fogs the ventilators have to be very guardedly opened ; 
it is, therefore, of the first importance that health¬ 
giving pure air be freely admitted whenever it can be. 
By a careful attention to this matter, and to the proper 
regulation of the temperature, it is surprising to what 
perfection Orchids can be brought even in the neigh¬ 
bourhood of large towns. The healthy collection 
belonging to Walter Cobb, Esq., of Silverdale Lodge, 
Sydenham, is a very striking example of this, for go 
into his houses in the very worst weather in winter, 
the air in them always seems to be as sweet as in spring, 
and being charged with just the proper amount of 
humidity, the plants, it need scarcely be added, are in 
the most perfect health. 
To attempt to keep the air as pure as possible in 
winter, and the artificial heat as little perceptible as 
possible consistent with keeping up the proper tem¬ 
perature, is one of the most profitable things the 
grower can turn his attention to. Until the new year 
comes the keeping down of insect pests, and the 
arranging of any little comforts for the plants w’hich 
might suggest themselves, will give plenty to do, indeed, 
Orchid growers never have to look far for occupation, 
as they have generally long memorandums of work to 
be done ready against the time they can get about it. 
—James O'Brien. 
Zygopetaium Mackayi. —This old but very 
useful winter-flowering Orchid is not, I think, 
sufficiently appreciated by the majority of Orchid 
growers. We have several plants of it now blooming 
very freely in the intermediate-house. One plant in 
a 10-in. pot has produced nine spikes, averaging six 
flowers upon a spike. The sweet perfume of these 
plants quite tills the house in which they grow. I find 
they like an abundance of water nearly all the year 
round. They are potted in a mixture of loam, peat, 
and charcoal.— Tlios. Siincoe, The Gardens, Lake 
House, Cheltenham. 
Cypripedium niveum.—I have had a small 
piece of this Orchid for about two years, and which, 
while keeping quite healthy, I cannot persuade to 
increase in size. Will some of your readers kindly 
give me a few hints respecting its requirements ?— 
E. A. 
■—— 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 
Manchester Horticultural Improvement 
Society.— A meeting of this Society was held on 
Thursday, December 18th, in the Old Town Hall, 
King Street, Manchester, and some sixty or seventy 
persons were present, chiefly gardeners, the business 
of the meeting being a lecture by Mr. K. D. Astley, 
Science Teacher of Weaste, on the subject of “ Leaves : 
then Forms and Functions,” and the inspection of a 
number of very valuable books on Orchids, Palms, 
and flowering shrubs, kindly lent by C. W. Sutton, 
Esq., Chief Librarian of the City of Manchester. 
These books are of immense value to the practical 
gardener, and excited much interest amongst the 
members present. 
The lecturer (Mr. Astley) began by giving a rather 
humourous description of the popular idea of what a 
leaf is, but eventually describing it scientifically as a 
lateral expansion of the bark and woody tissue of the 
plant, a thin plate of cellular tissue, through which 
the end of a fibro-vascular bundle ramifies; that they 
were generally limited in the extent of their growth, 
exceptions to this occurring in Nephrolepis (fern); 
also that they were almost of every conceivable form 
that the mind of man could devise, in size from the 
eighth of an inch to a huge frond 17 ft. long, and 
from the shape of a small needle, as in firs, to a 
perfectly round circular disc, as in Victoria regia, 
some of them so filled with cellular tissue (soft matter) 
that it was piled cell upon cell in a rough and rugose 
manner, as seen in the Savoy Cabbage ; whilst others 
were so deficient of the substance that the leaf was 
reduced to a mere framework, as in Ouvirandra 
fenestralis, the lattice-leaf plant of Madagascar. 
The lecturer then proceeded to give an account of 
the germination of the seed. Scouting the idea of 
“mummy-seed” ever germinating, he spoke of the 
importance of moisture for enabling the young plant 
to burst its hard-seed coat; of ah to reach the seed so 
that the oxygen from the atmosphere could raise the 
heat and assist germination; of darkness, in which 
all seeds germinate best. He then traced the 
development, noticing the various chemical changes 
which take place. Mr. Astley next gave a description 
of the various modes of attachment of the leaves, 
their dividing and branching, together with many 
of their curious and varied modes of modification, 
mentioning the Acacias, the Sarsaparilla, the modified 
flowering branch of the Vine, the Passion Flower 
(which becomes a tendril), the pitchers of Nepenthes 
and Sarracenia, the Sundews, Bladder-worts, &c., &c. 
He then explained the movements of water in the 
plant, why it was required, its chemical action, also 
the beautiful action of the guard cells of the stomata 
(little mouths) of the plant, the effect of the loss of 
water on cut flowers, the advisability of again cutting 
the flower-stalks under water. The effect of sunlight, 
heat, and a damp atmosphere were clearly worked out, 
very much to the satisfaction of the meeting. The 
taking in of the various gases and other chemical 
constituents was simply but plainly shown. The 
lecture was well illustrated by many beautiful maps 
and diagrams, which were drawn on a large scale and 
painted by hand in natural colours. These diagrams 
were hung in a novel manner, and were easily moved 
and folded out of the w 7 ay. A long discussion followed 
the lecture, and a very cordial vote of thanks to Mr. 
Astley terminated the proceedings. 
■ a—■ =~B 
THE EMPRESS OF INDIA 
NASTURTIUM. 
When Messrs. James Carter & Co. sent out their 
famous variety, the King of Tom Thumbs, they gave 
us a bedding plant that far surpassed anything that 
had been seen before in Nasturtiums, and, needless to 
say, it became a great favourite. This in turn is 
now eclipsed by the same firm’s Empress of India, 
which marks a great stride in the march of improve¬ 
ment in these popular plants which has been steadily 
carried on for some years at Dedham. Those who 
saw it at the seed farm during the past season were 
much struck with the remarkable combination of 
colour in the foliage and flowers, the leaves being 
of a rich sheen of metallic blue, and the flowers a 
a shade of crimson-scarlet, the intensity of which 
must be seen to be properly appreciated. The habit 
of the plant is perfection itself, as may be seen from 
the accompanying illustration, for which we are 
indebted to the Messrs. Carter. 
AN AMATEUR’S STORY. 
ONLY A ROSE LEAF. 
(Concluded fromp. 255.) 
CHAPTER III.—THE CLOUDS GATHER. 
“ I could not help but notice the unaccountable 
coolness of demeanour shown by my new lodgers. 
The man was a tailor, intelligent and jocular, and 
anxious, it seemed to be agreeable. On one occasion 
he expressed a wish for a small plot of ground in my 
garden. I at once put a few poles at his disposal, 
and he seemed for a time to be quite pleased with the 
opportunity of digging it. A circumstance, however, 
that appeared singular to me was that he never 
seemed to put in any seeds or plants. However, he 
talked about getting some, and the time passed on, 
both the man and his wife becoming still more 
unwilling to converse. The school fete took place in 
the rectory grounds, and of course it was my duty to 
be present with the boys. Hot and weary with 
exertion, I sat to rest a few minutes on a garden seat; 
there the butler observed me, and kindly invited me 
into his pantry to sit a few minutes, and sip a glass of 
sherry. I then joined the teachers and visitors at 
tea. That night the Rectory was entered, and the 
whole of the family plate stolen. The Beeminster 
police were communicated with, and a reward offered 
for the recovery of the plate. An inspector and an 
officer arrived at Appleton, and after minute inquiries 
it transpired—in what way I do not know except from 
inquiries of the butler—that I had been in the pantry 
drinking the rector’s sherry. On the question being 
put to me, I at once admitted the fact. 
“ ‘ Change your boots,’ said the inspector. 
“ ‘ Why ? ’ I inquired. 
“ ‘ Because I tell you,’ was the curt reply. 
“ The boots were carefully compared with the im¬ 
pression left on the soil near the window that had 
been forced. And I was asked if there was another 
pair at home. 1 Yes,’ I replied. They were sent for, 
and they fitted the impression exactly, showing where 
a sprig or two was missing. The result was that I 
was given in charge for the robbery, taken before a 
magistrate, and committed to prison, bail being 
refused, though proffered by the rector himself. 
“ Stupid, bewildered, dazed, as if under the spell of 
some horrid nightmare, I was unable to speak or 
realize my position. Oh, the terrible agony of the 
wakening ! My fair fame blighted ! My parents ! 
My brothers and sisters ! My Polly! Never to meet 
a friend or neighbour again without a look of 
suspicion and distrust. ‘ The curse of God is on me,, 
I said, and I looked round my little cell and thought 
for a moment of a means of putting an end to my 
terrible suspense and degradation by destroying a life 
so useless and despised and burdensome. And then 
as calmer thoughts returned and with them the 
consciousness of perfect innocence, I looked upwards 
towards the little grated window at a narrow strip of 
blue sky. It was open, and one could hear the sound 
of voices in the street without, and the elegant twitter 
of swallows beneath the eaves, then came a whiff 
from a neighbouring hay-field, and then, borne no 
doubt on a breath of mercy, a solitary Rose-leaf came 
fluttering slowly down into my very hand, and with it 
came the message to me, as clear as if written on the 
walls of my cell or spoken close to my ear, the words 
that came in my darling Polly’s note—‘ Hope thou in 
God.’ 
“ The tedious hours sped slowly and painfully, but 
at last the day of trial came, and I was sanguine of my 
acquittal. That morning another Rose-leaf fluttered 
in—a happy omen, I thought. Placed in the dock, I 
looked earnestly at the face of the judge, then at the 
jury, some of whom I recognized, then at the eager 
crowd of visitors. In half-an-hour it was all over— 
the chain of evidence, although only circumstantial, 
was terribly conclusive. I was seen at the Rectory on 
the afternoon of the day of the robbery, in the very 
room whence the plate had been stolen. It was found 
concealed in my garden ; the impression of the boots 
coincided precisely with the soles of mine, and, as if 
to make the proof of my guilt undoubted, another 
link in the chain had been added ; in a drawer in my 
sitting-room a silver pencil-case and knife were 
discovered which were sworn to by the butler. An 
envelope also was found bearing the address of the 
rector. After a few minutes consultation the dreaded 
words, 1 We find the prisoner guilty, my lord, but 
wish to recommend him to mercy on account of his 
previous irreproachable character.’ In answer to the 
question if I had anything to say why sentence should 
not be passed, I could only stammer out ‘ Not guilty, 
my lord; perfectly innocent; perhaps time will 
show 7 .’ After a few words from the judge in justifica¬ 
tion of the leniency shown, I was condemned to hard 
labour for two years. Taken back to jail in the prison 
van, I was ordered to exchapge my clothes for a prison 
suit, my hair was cut short, and thenceforth until my 
two years’ confinement was completed I was to be 
known as ‘ No. 17.’ My cell was in another part of 
the prison, and lighted from the roof only, where no 
twitter of swallows could reach my ear, nor scent of 
hay-field or fluttering Rose-leaf revive my drooping 
spirits. 
“ But still during those terrible months the message 
came, night after night, as I lay on my wretched 
plank-bed, and it was repeated by me till it glowed 
and glittered in points of fire on my cell walls, and 
