June 20th, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
665 
to shirt buttons. It is well known that the “ Old 
Bucks,” or “ Swells ” of the latter end of the last 
century, and the early part of the present one, more 
especially the bachelors, were notorious for their 
blue or green coats, with large bright golden or gilt 
buttons, hence the comparison of the old botanists 
of the double forms of B. acris, with their bold shining 
yellow flowers, to bachelors’ buttons. The plant has 
also a bold, careless, dashing sort of habit of its own, 
which no doubt aided them in the comparison. Both 
plants are good ones. Unfortunately I have lost my 
stock of R. aconitifolius fiore-plenus, but R. acris 
flore-pleno is in full flower.— N. J. D. 
[The popular name of “Bachelors’ Buttons” has 
not only been applied to the plants above named, but 
also to the flowers of Lychnis diurna, Centaurea nigra, 
and the double white Daisy. We consider, however, 
with our correspondent, that the name should be 
being of a beautiful sky-blue, but becoming deeper 
with age. It is one of the best of recently-introduced 
hardy bulbs, and one which, on account of its .early 
flowering, has certainly a great future before it. In 
gardens, it has hitherto been known as Muscari 
lingulatum, a name under which Mr. Baker formerly 
described it, and under which it was mentioned in 
our columns, at p. 425. It is also the M. azureum of 
Fenzl. 
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ADIANTUM NEO-CALEDONIA. 
Among the many beautiful Maiden-hairs now in 
cultivation, one of the most striking is that named 
above, and which is figured below. As its specific 
name indicates it is a native of New Caledonia ; it is 
of recent introduction, and is at once ornamental and 
attractive in appearance. Although it grows freely in 
was certificated by the Floral Committee in June. 
1883, and we saw it again a few weeks ago at the 
great Manchester Exhibition, when it was shown by 
Messrs. W. & J. Birkenhead, of Sale, who hold the 
stock, and to whom we are indebted for the 
accompanying illustration. 
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GIANT POPPIES. 
The old astrologers used to regard the Poppy as 
one of the flowers of the moon, but for what reason 
is not clearly understood. Perhaps it was the bril¬ 
liant scarlet P. rheas, so vivid in the cornfields during 
the summer, that they referred to. But what of those 
Giant Poppies, P. bracteatum and P. orientale. 
Travellers by the lines of railway that run from 
London into Beading, can scarcely fail to note in 
Messrs. Sutton & Sons extensive Seed Trial Grounds, 
applied only to Ranunculus acris flore-pleno. Much 
as we like pretty and appropriate popular names 
for plants, they are worthless and misleading for 
purposes of identification.— Ed.] 
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HYACINTHUS AZUREUS. 
This charming spring-flowering bulb is figured in 
the June number of The Botanical Magazine. It is 
somewhat curious to see it removed from the Grape 
Hyacinths (Muscari) and placed in Hyacinthus, but 
the reasons given by Mr. J. G. Baker, the well-known 
authority on this group, are as follows :—“ Although 
it has entirely the habit of our ordinary Grape 
Hyacinths, the segments of the perianth are not at 
all incurved, so that, although it forms a complete 
link of connection between the two genera, Hyacinthus 
and Muscari, its proper place is in the former.” The 
figure was taken from plants which flowered in the 
open ground at the latter end of February. 
The plant grows about 6 ins. high, bearing six to 
eight leaves; the racemes are dense, the young flowers 
the stove, it is also quite at home in an ordinary 
greenhouse fernery, where it keeps somewhat more 
dwarf; it is thus capable of wider cultivation than a 
stove Fern, and hence is a more valuable acquisition. 
It is of compact habit, growing to a height of 12 ins. 
to 15 ins.; the fronds are remarkably neat in appear¬ 
ance, and, as will be seen from the illustration, rise 
well from the crown. The stems are purplish-black, 
the leafy portion dark green. The leaflets are various 
in shape, some being roundish, others long, narrow, 
and tapering to a point, often deeply cut. The texture 
is firm and the fronds will no doubt prove to last well 
in water when cut, and thus constitute the species 
both ornamental and useful. 
The compost in which this, like all other Adiantums, 
grows freely, is a mixture of good fibrous loam, good 
leaf-mould, and sharp sand, a liberal supply of the 
latter being necessary to keep the compost well 
open. It does not like water on its foliage, but an 
abundant supply at the roots is essential. Given 
these conditions, the probability is that this species 
will become one of the greatest favourites. The plant 
singularly bold and striking patches of colour, bril¬ 
liantly red beyond any other flower of the many now 
gay in the early summer days. They are the huge 
brilliant blossoms of P. bracteatum and P. orientale. 
How brilliantly they look under the “imperishable glow 
of the summer sunshine ! ” 
What is grown as P. bracteatum is a very large 
rich deep crimson variety, the flowers of great dimen¬ 
sions. P. orientale has slightly smaller flowers and 
of a pale red or scarlet hue, and the latter appears to 
be the dwarfer growing of the two. But seedlings 
from P. bracteatum are found to come with paler 
shades, and those of P. orientale differ also. But 
more imposing looking subjects can scarcely be 
imagined for border culture. They make an excellent 
foreground to a line of shrubbery.— It. D. 
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Tojiatos. — It is said that a farmer in Salem 
County, New Jersey, U.S.A., last season raised 83 
tons of Tomatos on six acres of land, and sold the 
crop to a canning establishment for nearly 30s. per 
ton. 
