246 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
December 17, 1892. 
March, and April; ten tons in May and June; three 
and a half tons in July, August, and September , and 
seven tons in October and November , and nine tons 
of Peaches in April, May, and June, the average 
price of the Grapes being put at is. 6d. per lb., and 
of the Peaches at is. 2d. each. 
The staff employed during the whole year varies 
from thirty to thirty-five, their wages ranging from 
is. yd. to 4s. a day ; but during the busy season 
from 120 to 150 girls are employed, at wages ranging 
from is. 3d. to 2S. 6d. a day. Hitherto the sale of 
fruit grown at this and similar establishments, 
which have since been started, has not been very 
remunerative to the producer, owing to the 
exorbitant profits made by the “ Middleman, 
though the public in France is beginning to show 
a decided regard for forced iruit in preference to the 
coarser kinds sent from ihe south. This will, no 
doubt, account for the fact that there has not been 
much inclination to follow M. Cordonnier’s example, 
though fresh houses are being erected at St. Quentin, 
Tergnier, Lille, Tourcoing, Fougeries in Brittany, 
and several places in the central department. 
C. B. P., in The Field. 
NEPENTHES MASTERSIAN A. 
One of the most popular of the hybrid or garden 
forms of Nepenthes is N. Mastersiana. There are 
several subvarieties of it in cultivation differing 
chiefly in colour, but sometimes in form. The most 
popular form is that in w’hich the stalk leaves the 
broad base of the pitcher somewhat abruptly, and 
the colour is of a rich claret-red. There is a pale 
variety of this, possibly a number of them, differ¬ 
ing merely in a shade of colour, though in some 
cases this may be influenced by the mode of culti¬ 
vation . 
The dark form is distinguished in some nurseries by 
the name of N. M. rubra. On the contrary there is 
a very pale, almost green, variety in cultivation also 
distinguishable by the way that the pitcher tapers 
gradually into the stalk supporting it. This is con¬ 
sidered by some to be the type, while the dark one 
gets that distinction by others. Some confusion is 
thereby created, and would-be admirers of the plant 
are sometimes disappointed in ordering N. Master¬ 
siana by receiving the green one. 
It would be an advantage if some uniform system 
of naming the forms were adopted in order to avoid 
such disappointment. The pitchers of many of the 
species in a wild state are dimorphic, that is, of two 
forms. Those produced at the base of the plant and 
consequently near the ground are broadest at the 
base with a slender stalk proceeding directly from 
the base. As tne stems run up, becoming for all 
practical purposes climbers, then the pitchers pro¬ 
duced upon them taper gradually at the base, form¬ 
ing a long, curved neck, connecting them with the 
stalk. Their peculiarities agree with those of the 
pale variety above named, and which, without 
knowing the history of the plant, would seem to 
indicate its origin. 
The dark-colcured form is undoubtably the finest 
and will always be held in high esteem by cultivators 
generally. It produces the greatest number of 
pitchers and that too on dwarf, slow growing stems, 
making one of the handsomest basket plants that 
could be hung up in a stove. The parents were 
N. Khasiana and N. sanguinea. The latter is a rare 
plant and rather difficult to cultivate. On the con¬ 
trary the progeny is most easy of cultivation. The 
dark colour is derived from N. sanguinea. Wings 
are almost absent in the latter, and in N. Master¬ 
siana they are by no means prominent while the 
fringes are. reduced to mere teeth, and they are not 
very numerous. 
-- 5 -- 
CROWEA SALIGNA. 
White flowers are generally associated with the 
members of the Orange family, to which this plant 
belongs ; but there are few having more highly 
coloured blooms, including the plant under notice. 
The leaves are lanceolate and relatively broad for a 
species of Crowea, hence no doubt the name C. 
latifolia, which is sometimes given the plant in 
cultivation. The species is evidently variable, for 
there are several other forms under different names, 
and which would appear to belong to this species. 
The flowers are borne singly in the axils of the 
leaves, and are of a warm rose. The usual period of 
flowering is summer, but it evidently may be had in 
flower in winter, although not perhaps so profusely. 
We noted it in bloom in the Bush Hill Park 
nurseries of Messrs. H. Low & Co. It was intro¬ 
duced in 1790, that is just over 100 years ago, from 
New South Wales, but like many other highly 
interesting and ornamental hard-wooded plants, it 
does not get the attention it formerly enjoyed. A 
greenhouse temperature such as is suited for Heaths 
would meet its requirements admirably. A compost 
consisting of one part of peat and two of fibrous 
loam with plenty of sand, as in the case of many 
other allied plants, would enable it to be grown to 
perfection. 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED, 
The undermentioned subjects were exhibited at the 
meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society on the 
13th inst., and received awards according to their 
merit:— 
Camellia Sasanqua Single Red. —This Japanese 
species, although an old introduction in the double 
form at least, is nevertheless very uncommon in 
British gardens at the present day. The flowers of 
the single red may be compared to those of the 
Sweet-Briar for size, but are more uniformly dark in 
colour. There are five to six obovate, emarginate 
petals of a uniform soft rose. The centre is occu¬ 
pied with numerous yellow stamens. The stems are 
slender, and furnished with small, elliptic, leathery 
leaves, of a deep shining green. The plant is small 
in every way compared with C. japonica, but it is 
certainly pretty and interesting, and if it proves 
hardy as stated to be, it will certainly find admirers 
even if it was necessary to growit in sheltered places. 
A First-Class Certificate was awarded it when shown 
by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea. 
Chrysanthemums. 
Vicountess Hambleden. —When in their best form 
the blooms of this variety are of great size, and of a 
delicate blush pink. The earliest blooms of the 
season, that is, from the crown buds are liable to be 
pale as are those that come in December. In fact, 
of three blooms shown on the 13th inst., two of them 
might be described as pure white, and the third one 
pink. The florets are broad, of good substance, and 
regularly incurved, as that would be understood 
when applied to the incurved Japanese section to 
which Viscountess Hambleden belongs. 
Enterprise. —The florets of the ray of this large 
Anemone flowered variety, are very numerous, 
quilled almost throughout their length, and slightly 
depressed below the horizontal. The quilled or 
tubular portion is rosy-pink, and the flattened tip 
white. The hemispherical disc is of a pale sulphur 
or primrose-yellow. 
Robert Owen and Waban. —Both of these were 
recently certificated by the National Chrysanthemum 
Society, and are described on p. 209. All the four 
varieties above mentioned were exhibited by Mr. 
Robert Owen, Castle Hill, Maidenhead, and were 
accorded Awards of Merit. 
Mrs. Robinson King. —As is now pretty well 
known this is a sport from Golden Empress of India, 
and has much darker yellow flowers than its parent, 
with the same large and beautifully incurved heads. 
As the bloom gets old, the lower florets assume a 
bronzy tint forming a band of that colour round the 
base of the bloom. An Award of Merit was 
accorded it when shown by Mr. Peter Blair, gar¬ 
dener to the Duke of Sutherland, at Trentham Park, 
Stoke-on-Trent. 
Mademoiselle Marie Recoura. —This may be 
described as a Japanese vaiiety pure and simple, 
measuring 6J in. to 7! in. in diameter when well 
done. The florets are long, quilled, moderately 
slender, with occasionally a floret amongst the 
others, flattened about half-way down, and all pure 
white. They are arranged rather loosely, but are 
very numerous, leaving no room for an open eye. 
Blooms were shown both by Messrs. H. Cannell & 
Sons, Swanley, and by Messrs. Pitcher & Alanda, 
Hextable, Swanley, when an Award of Merit was 
accorded in each case. 
Fred Dorner. —In this we have a Japanese 
variety of rather peculiar form. Flowers of 
moderate size are semi-globular and very compact, 
while the larger ones are more than hemispherical; 
in fact, they are deeper than they are wide, giving 
the head an elongated appearance. This latter form 
would measure about 4 in. in diameter and 4J in. in 
depth. The florets are revolute at the edges, making 
them appear very narrow. Different flowers vary in 
different shades of pale yellow. The variety was 
shown by Messrs. J. R. Pearson & Sons, Chilwell, 
near Nottingham, and was accorded an Award of 
Merit. 
Potato. 
Colossal. —The tubers of this exhibited were of 
moderate size and pebble shaped, that is, rather 
short in proportion to their iength, flattened, and 
rounded at the end like a water worn pebble. The 
skin is white or yellowish, and slightly rough. In 
short, it may be described as a fine-looking Potato, 
A First-class Certificate was awarded it by the fruit 
committee when shown by Mr. C. Fidler, Seeds¬ 
man, Reading. 
-* 5 -- 
Hardening Miscellany. 
oh 
PHCENIX AN DAM AN EN SIS. 
At first sight this Palm seems to be [somewhat in 
the way of P. rupicola, but the leaves are shorter 
and perhaps not so graceful in outline. The pinnae 
are broad, leathery, deeply channelled, and of a rich 
dark green. The terminal pinna is rather distinct 
in its way, by being very narrow; in fact it is some¬ 
times reduced to a mere shred representing a midrib. 
The plant, however, is dwarf, compact, ?"d evidently 
slow growing. It may be seen in the stove at Kew, 
and, judging from the name, the species come from 
the Andaman Islands. 
HISTORICAL REVIEW OF FERNS 
At the last meeting of the Manchester Horticultural 
Improvement Society, Air. A. Stansfield presiding, 
Mr. Thomas Hick, of Owens College, delivered an 
address upon Ferns, illustrated by numerous 
mounted specimens and sketches. He pointed out 
that only one aquatic species of Ferns is known. 
The terrestrial Ferns are widely distributed geo¬ 
graphically, and have a long geological history. 
They prefer moist, shady situations, and even the 
tree Ferns met with in the tropics are always found 
accompanied by a soil and an atmosphere full of 
moisture. In barren soil, or even where the atmos¬ 
phere is very dry, tree Ferns are entirely wanting. 
Having described the various characteristics of the 
roots, stems, and fronds or leaves, and the structure 
and fertilization of the Ferns, Air. Hick gave a his¬ 
torical review of the plant. The reproduction of 
spores was discovered by Alorison in 1699. In 17SS 
Erhart first made known with certainty that the per¬ 
fect Fern plant is preceded by the development of a 
deeply two-lobed body, to the under-side of which 
the perfect Fern is attached. In 1S27 Kaulfurs gave 
the .first accurate microscopic investigation of the 
germination of the spores, and the development of 
the prothallium. In 1S42 Bischofl discovered a 
wart-like excrescence on the back of the prothallus, 
and that the first frond breaks forth Jrom this ex¬ 
crescence and grows upwards, while the first roo, 
likewise comes from it and grows downwards. In 
1844 Nageli discovered antheridia and spermatozoat 
which he maintained were probably male organs. 
In 1848 Count Leszyc-Suminski ascertained the 
nature of the archegonia, and in 1850 Alechlin first 
showed that the young archegonia were open, and 
gave the first reliable observations on the entrance 
of the spermatozoa. 
A SUCCESSFUL COTTAGERS' SOCIETY. 
It is not always that we find a Cottage Gardeners’ 
Society so successful, financially, as that at St. Aus¬ 
tell, in Cornw'all. Although there have been losses 
during the past year or two, the committee have 
at their bankers, bearing interest, something ap¬ 
proaching £60. This is entirely independent of the 
.£55 to be spent in the purchase of a silver epergne 
for presentation to the 21 years’ indefatigable secre¬ 
tary to the society, Air. Hancock, and which has 
been privately subscribed. This is a good example 
of what may be done in the way of local shows, even 
by the cottager. 
MASSANGEA HIEROGLYPHICA. 
A great many of the Bromeliads are grown purely 
for the sake of their flowers, and when they.are 
produced, their duration is relatively short. The 
plant under notice seldom if ever flowers in cultiva¬ 
tion, but it is always beautiful and interesting on 
account of the remarkable and curious markings of 
