February 28,1895. 
411 
the gardening world. 
the most barren ground in three to four years dense 
and durable hedges may be obtained of it. The 
home of the Box-thorn is in the northern parts of 
Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, where we see the 
farms surrounded by stately hedges of this plant, 
even where the climate is of the most uncongenial 
character. The inhabitants of the districts named 
therefore set great value upon the Box-thorn, which 
is most advantageously propagated by layering in 
the months of March and April.— P. B. Christian, 
Engineer of Plantations, Tondern, North Germany. 
[We presume our correspondent refers to Lycium 
barbarum, a plant well-known in this country.— Ed.] 
-- 
NOTICES OF BOOKS. 
Transactions of the English Arboricultural 
Society. Vol. III., Part IV. Carlisle: G. and 
T. Coward, The Wordsworth Press, Carlisle. 
London : Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & 
Co., Ltd., 1893-94. 
The transactions of this society are printed in 
octavo size volumes, and the part before us extends 
to 157 pages. Prizes were offered for essays on 
forestry, and the leading award was made to Mr. 
John Maughan, Jervaulx Abbey, Bedale, who has 
since been elected as president of the Society. His 
essay is entitled " How Trees Grow,” and is mostly 
treated from a scientific point of view, and he intro¬ 
duces his subject with statements to the effect that 
the man who is an expert both in the theory and 
practice of his profession, deserves the most success, 
and that he who takes forestry as a profession must, 
in the near future, do so with some higher aim than 
simply for the purpose of earning his daily bread. 
The structure as well as histology or minute 
anatomy of all parts of a tree are discussed with a 
view to the ultimate improvement of the practice of 
forestry, by inducing attention to the habits and 
peculiarities of various kinds of trees, and the 
planting of them in situations and under conditions 
most likely to be suitable to their welfare, and to 
ensure their future success as far as lies within the 
bounds of science or human knowledge to determine 
or foresee the same. Under “ Root Structure,” the 
leading forms of the roots of forest trees are described, 
and the root systems of given examples of trees are 
tabulated with a view to indicate the adaptability of 
various kinds of trees to soils and situations. Much 
sound and valuable information is given in the 
lengthy paper, but there are some points in it that 
require explanation. For instance, it is said that a 
gardener, when pruning a fruit tree, never leaves a 
terminal fruit bud, because the fruit proceeding from 
it would never mature, as it can only receive crude 
sap for want of leaves above it. If the fruit can 
swell at all it must receive something more than 
crude sap, if the latter, as generally understood, is 
only water with the elements of plant food in it. 
Peaches do actually ripen at the end of shoots devoid 
of leaves. Interesting, however, is the statement 
that modern authors on forestry advocate well con¬ 
sidered mixtures of trees instead of the rotations 
advocated by older writers on the subject. 
A paper follows on “ The Best Method of Thinning 
Mixed Plantations,” and shows the advantages that 
would accrue to the production of timber and 
forestry in general, if planting and thinning were 
carried out on scientific principles, instead of the 
haphazard method that is allowed to proceed from 
generation to generation under the usurped name of 
forestry. Unless the mixture of trees is planted 
with a certain regularity, it is impossible to properly 
thin the trees so as to leave the most suitable, 
according to the nature of the soil in particular 
spots, to finally occupy the ground. There is a full 
elaborate, and illustrated paper on the ” Disease of tha 
Larch,” and which must prove exceedingly interest¬ 
ing to all concerned in the theory and practice of 
forestry, but especially to those who have to deal 
with the production of Larch timber, even if it only 
shows the helplessness of the forester to check the 
ravages of the disease. 
The numerous excursions organized by the Society 
to visit different estates shows an energy of en¬ 
deavour to acquire and disseminate a wide know¬ 
ledge of the science of forestry by inspecting the 
work being carried on under varying conditions. 
One of these was to Studley Royal and Fountains 
Abbey ; on other occasions they directed their steps 
to North Tynedale, Welbeck, and Worksop Manor. 
The two latter places lie in the ” Dukeries,” a term 
applied to the district situated within and around the 
celebrated Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. 
The forest itself has a history extending back to 
Roman times, and even to-day some thousands of 
majestic trees are still standing which have braved 
the storms of centuries. Lengthy reports of all 
these excursions furnish readers with an idea of the 
principal features'of each estate that are worthy of 
inspection. 
ARDENING MlSCELLANY. 
PENTSTEMON ANTIRRHINOIDES. 
This curious species has just been introduced to 
Italy as new, but was introduced to Britain in 1824. 
In all probability, however, it never at any time 
became common, and to all appearance will never 
attain anything like the popularity of the fine florists’ 
varieties which have descended from P. Hartwegii. 
The flowers are large and lemon or sulphur yellow, 
and much inflated with large lips. They have been 
reckoned to bear some resemblance to those of an 
Antirrhinum on account of their :form and colour ; 
hence the specific name. The species is a native of 
the mountains ot California, and in Italy flowers 
from the first year of seed. Summer is its period for 
flowering in this country, and it forms a dwarf, very 
much branched subshrub with small spathulate- 
lanceolate or oval leaves, having a generally grayish 
hue, indicating, it would seem, a dry climate. A 
light and dry, well-drained soil would be most suit¬ 
able to its welfare and enable it to pass through our 
fickle and generally humid winters. Some young 
plants established in small pots should be kept in 
store against loss in severe winters like the present. 
HIBISCUS CRASSINERVIS FLAMMEUS. 
Neither the type nor the variety under notice have 
been introduced to this country, though the former 
at least has been known to science for many years 
as a native of tropical Africa, and is described 
amongst the plants native to Abyssinia. It has been 
introduced to Italy and is figured in the Bulletins della 
R. Socicta Toscana di Orticultura for January last, from 
which it would appear to be a highly ornamental 
subject well fitted for culture in pots and vases. It 
is described as a dwarf and very beautiful shrub, 
very much branched, evergreen, and flowering from 
May to December. The flowers are of moderate size 
compared with those of H. rosa-sinensis, but they 
are produced in clusters or short, somewhat leafy 
racemes at the end of the flowering shoots, and well 
above the foliage. The plant prefers a situation well 
exposed to sunlight, in light or sandy fresh loam. 
Stagnant humidity and the shade of tall trees are 
very hurtful to it. Considering the country from 
which it hails, it would doubtless require stove treat¬ 
ment in this country. 
GARDEN FUEL. 
I have read with great interest the remarks on this 
subject by " Gamma ” at p. 389 and I think with 
him that gardeners, when allowed, ought to use the 
best fuel as no doubt it is the cheapest in the end. If 
good fuel was more generally used, I have no hesita¬ 
tion in saying, that there would be fewer complaints 
made by the gardener to his men of the fluctuations 
of temperature. But gardeners are not always 
allowed to choose or even order their garden fuel. I 
know of several places where the factor or estate 
manager does it, and some of them seem to think, as 
“ Gamma ” says, that ** anything is good enough for 
the garden ; ” in fact, I believe some of them would 
have the gardener to burn road scrapings if they 
could. At one place at which I had the charge of 
the glass department the gentleman, not being an 
enthusiastic horticulturist, always grudged the coals, 
and, as there was a lot of sawdust at the sawmill, he 
gave orders that it was to be burned at the gardens 
instead of coal, with the result that we got nothing 
else to burn all the winter but sticks and sawdust 
I may say that sticks and sawdust burn 
well enough, but, what are they as compared 
with coal. Most of the sawdust is taken out again 
in the form of ashes or powder. We had three 
furnaces, and it took a man, doing scarcely anything 
else but putting on the fuel. In the case of hard 
frost it became critical, and it was no use to think of 
banking the fires and going to bed, as we could easily 
have done if burning coal, so one had to sit up all 
night, and keep the fires going. In this case the 
head gardener was of course entirely blameless; he 
tried to reason with his employer, but all to no 
purpose, so we had to make the best of it.— Cameo. 
A Fl.ORIFEROUS HYACINTH. 
Those who grow Hyacinths for exhibition are quite 
satisfied when each bulb throws up one good spike, 
and dissatisfied when favoured, or rather dis¬ 
appointed, with the plurality of spikes. It is not 
uncommon for a bulb to throw up two or three 
spikes if allowed, but uncommon for it to produce 
half a dozen. We think it] rare, however, for one 
bulb to develop fourteen flower-bearing scapes, and 
that is what has actually occurred in the hothouses 
of E. H. Watts, Esq., Devonhurst, Chiswick. The 
variety in question is Vuurbaak, and is grown in a 
32-size pot without any special treatment beyond the 
fact that it was placed in heat with a batch of others 
to bring it into flower earlier than the general 
collection. It has now been flowering for some 
time, and will prolong its season for some time, as 
several of the smaller spikes pushed later than the 
rest. There are two fair-sized and twelve smaller 
ones set round them with an arrangement that 
reminds one of a bunch of cut flowers gathered on 
purpose. The flowers are single and dark rose in 
bud and when they first expand, but they soon 
assume a brilliant red hue when fully developed. A 
very similar instance to this in the case of a double 
Tulip has occurred in Germany, and a wood-cut 
illustration of it is given in the A llgcmeine Deutsche 
Gartner Zeitung, of the 15th of February. Eight 
flowers are shown in the illustration, and the bulb is 
said to bear twelve to sixteen blooms. 
PORTER'S INVINCIBLE CROCKS. 
When reading Mr. Pettinger’s article on potting in 
The Gardening World, p. 395, I notice that he 
mentions Porter’s Invincible Crocks, but though he 
speaks of them as if he had only just made their 
acquaintance, he evidently thinks they are a first- 
rate article. Well, as I have used some hundreds 
of them during the last three years, I am able to say 
from experience that they are a first-rate article in 
every sense of the word. They are very cheap, very 
durable, and do their work thoroughly, not only 
worms, but every other kind of vermin being kept 
out of all pots in which they are used. They save 
their cost over and over again the first year, and as 
they last for a great many years it brings the cost of 
them to the merest trifle. I know several gardeners 
who use them, and, like myself, they think very 
highly of them. There is not the least doubt in my 
mind that they will in time be looked upon as quite 
an essential commodity to the proper potting of a 
great many kinds of plants when they get better 
known. To Chrysanthemum growers they are 
simply invaluable.— W. K. 
THE SEVERE FROST. 
The degrees of frost recorded here from the 6th to 
the 16th inst. inclusive are as follows :—6th, 25 0 ; 
7th, 34«; 8th, 28°; 9th, 24°; 10th, 35°; nth, i 4 °; 
nth, 22<*; 13th, 188; 14th, 20 0 ; 15th, 14 0 ; 16th, 
12?. —Joseph Lane, Palgrave, Suffolk. 
- 
THE ROMANCE OF FLOWERS. 
The motive of all science is the attainment of truth. 
The only merit of fairy tales is that they are the 
image of the truth—a simulacrum invented to stimu¬ 
late the intellects of children not yet robust enough 
to sift truth from error. Yet of the thousands of 
grown persons in this country who are not obliged to 
toil or spin, how great a proportion seek their mental 
amusement in fairy tales, or fiction, which is the 
same thing! Plow few ever think of turning to 
science as a source of recreation ! Some titillate 
their ambition by the collection of old postage 
stamps; others by field sports and competitive 
games ; and these may be held as harmless pallia¬ 
tives of much leisure—the last-named, indeed, being 
valuable, inasmuch as they develop the limbs and 
brace the constitution. 
But many a man’s life might be turned to better 
account, many people would become conscious of a 
motive for living, were they to turn their faculties to 
unravelling the secrets of Nature. To the majority 
—far the greater majority of educated persons— 
Nature is a closed book ; but a book which anyone 
who has leisure may learn to open. Some of its 
pages, indeed, have never yet been traversed by 
mortal eye ; but patient hands are at work year after 
year, opening new pages ; anybody who chooses to 
