March SI, 1900. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
with safety be planted out. Advantage should be 
taken of showery weather if possible, as the plants 
will then grow away more freely. Rather than 
plant when cold parching winds prevail, we would 
prefer to wait another week or so, as by so doiDg 
there will be a gain in the end. Sa'adirg will be 
more in request as the weather gets warmer. 
Radishes, Lettuce, and such-like, must be grown 
in such quantities as to keep up a supply. Mustard 
and Cress will grow if sown on the open border and 
protected with a hand light; while Chervil will grow 
freely if sown in the open ground. Weeds will now 
be showing themselves, therefore when the weather 
is fine the hoe should be got to work amongst grow¬ 
ing crops. This will not only keep the ground clean 
but will admit the air to warm the soil.— F.W.J. 
THE FLOWER GARSEN. 
Shrubs for an Alpine Garden.— On this occa¬ 
sion I propose giving some hardy and dwarf growing 
shrubs, whose presence, for shelter, for variety, and 
for winter furnishing on the rockery, is a necessary 
item in the constitution of the same. 
Ephedra monostachys.— Tnis is not at all a 
common little shrub, yet as we have room enough in 
most rock gardens to allow all the space it ever 
requires, we see no reason for its absence. The 
slender, trailing, green shoots are leafless bearing 
bracts instead, resembling the central stems of 
Equisetums, or Horsetails When well berried, 
the berries being red, this little shrubby 
plant is pretty and cheerful. It thrives in poor, 
gravelly soil so that those who are searching for 
plants for such soils might well search out this 
Ephedra. It is also known as E. vulgaris and hails 
from Siberia, being also found throughout parts of 
Europe. 
Pernettya mucronata. —In this bushy little 
shrub we have a better known member. Still, I 
think there is room for its increased adoption, in 
many northern gardens at least. The habit is not 
unduly compact, while the ovate leaves which are 
j-in. long, are dark green, and shine as though var¬ 
nished. It is a most ornamental and pretty rockery 
subject. Arbutus mucronata is a synonym, but it 
has no closer relation to the Strawberry tree, except 
that it belongs to the same order—Ericaceae. The 
abundance of bell-shaped white flowers adds yet 
another attraction. Its use need not be confined to 
rockeries but it may be planted by water margins in 
dry soil, or in clumps out in the shrubbery. On the 
rockery it is of great service as a protective or 
nurse plant. On its lee side many less hardy dwarf 
plants obtain a safe home. To those who would like 
to propagate it, layers constitute the easiest and best 
means. 
Podocarpus alpina.— The branches of thisPodo- 
carpus bend down after growing i ft. or 2 ft. high, 
the general appearance of the subject being like that 
of a small type of Yew. 
Genista sagittalis. — The flat, blade-like, 
stiffish shoots of this suitable rock plaot growing out 
as they do in close procumbent masses, make it at 
once a capital subject for the slopes of a bank or 
rockery. A sandy soil suits it and either an open or 
a shaded position may be selected. It bears sparse 
yellow flowers like the majority of the other 
Brooms. 
Santolina Chamaecyparissus incana. —Many 
seem to possess this plant without knowing its name 
if one is to judge by the frequency with which it is 
desired. Besides being a fine looking plant it (as 
the specific type in like manner does) possesses an 
exceedingly agreeable aroma. The foliage when 
pressed exhibits this characteristic. The plant is 
dwarf and bushy and differs from S. Chamaecy¬ 
parissus very noticeably in the colour of the close 
growing foliage. S. Chamaecyparissus is light, ashy 
gray, while S. C. incana is more hoary. A light soil 
and sunny position suits it well, and new clumps can 
be made from cuttings. 
Euonymus radicans variegata is frequently 
referred to and is too well known to require further 
notice. 
Helianthemum umbellatum. —There is a deli¬ 
cacy about this species of Helianthemum which 
makes it very ornamental and desirable to possess. 
In all ordinary winters the plant is quite hardy. It 
grows erect, the general appearance reminding one 
of a fine leaved Rosemary, The narrow leaves are 
glossy. It bears snow-white little flowers. It may 
be serviceable to refer to the collections of rock 
Roses which should be in every sunny garden 
Without en ering on any further special notices at 
present I should still like to add a few names of 
other subjects. These are Yuccas in variety, Picea 
excelsa pygmaea. P. e. Remontii, P. Laricio aurea, 
Juniperus virginiana compacta, Taxus baccata 
fastigiata, Artemesia arborescens, dwa r f Rhododen¬ 
drons, Pinus Strobus pendula, Thuja japonica 
pygmaea, Cupressus (Retinospora) squarrosa, C. 
plumosa, Ulex in variety, dwarf Hollies, Abies 
sibirica, A. canadensis and Ivy trained over raised 
knots and mounds.— J. H. D. 
• >»» —— 
TflE FERNERY. 
Potting, re-basketing and renewing of pockets and 
rockery arrangements are still occupying attention 
and time. Newly-potted or basketed Ferns should 
not receive much water, and in the case of tropical 
species, the water should always be made lukewarm 
before applying it. A steady and warm atmosphere 
is very necessary just at this present juncture. The 
air of the house should be kept charged with 
moisture, for if the atmosphere becomes dry the 
plants net yet fully established are sure to suffer. 
Besides this fact, a dry atmosphere originates infest¬ 
ation by thrips, red spider, scales, &c. The blinds 
will soon require to be placed upon the houses. 
There are some very fine Adiantums which I should 
like to notice, and these are as follows:— 
Adiantum curvatum. —This is fairly well known. 
However much appreciated by those who know it, 
at the same time it, like many another, occupies no 
space in the general run of stove Fern collections. 
No lover of plants surely can alienate himself from 
the flowerless section of vegetation, which includes 
the Ferns. A garden without a good fernery is to 
me like a summer flower garden without green grass, 
a dazzling thing, but quickly wearisome. 
A. curvatum takes after the A. pedatum type, only 
the moderately large pinnae are arched back 
curvingly like the wings of a gull when flying. It is 
a graceful grower, throwing the fronds well up and 
spreading out the lateral bifurcations or branches. 
It can be propagated from spores or by division. As 
a rule, with most Ferns division is preferable. 
A. Collisii. —The chief points of distinctiveness 
in Collisii lie in the rounded form of the pinnae of the 
fronds. The variety is not altogether a strong grower, 
yet attains a height of x ft. or more. The stems are 
strong and erect, the fronds being just nicely com¬ 
pact and suitable for any of the heavier floral 
decorations such as wreath'. A stove temperature 
is necessary. 
A. colpodes elegans. —As the name indicates, 
the plant is beautifully graceful and fine in its parts. 
The rachis or stems are slender and droop, though 
those in the centre support themselves. A well- 
grown plant has thus a handsome appearance. It is 
one of the finest Adiantums for purely stove decora¬ 
tive use that we possess. 
A. excisum. —Anyone having seen this species 
once will be able to identify it anytime afterwards, 
simply by glancing at its pinnae or little, cut (incised) 
leaflets. The incisions are about J in. deep around 
the edge of each-leaflet. The variety A. e. Leyi is 
a very pretty Maidenhair growing robustly and 
attaining from i ft. to ij ft. in height. 
A. henslovianum. —This tropical specie, is one of 
the most distinctive and pretty in any of our collec¬ 
tions. It differs considerably from all other 
Adiantums. The fronds are 18 in. to 2 ft. long and 
from 6 in. to 9 in. broad. The pinnae are dark 
green and curiously wavy on their undersides. From 
this latter fact the distinctive character of the species 
is well marked. 
A. Moorei. —Only as a basket Fern can I recom¬ 
mend this lax-growing and long-stemmed but very 
graceful Adiantum. When well established it cer¬ 
tainly presents an exceedingly pretty subject. The 
long, soft fronds with cuneate pinnae are just strong 
enough to half bear themselves up, so that looking 
upward at them their full effect is beheld. 
A. tenerum. —This species, with A. Veitchii and 
A, Williamsii, also the tall growing form of A. 
aethiopicum all belong to the more prepossessing 
and handsomer section of stove Adiantums. They 
are each quite distinct in appearance, but all agree 
in being robust growers, throwing up strong, tall and 
487£; 
broad fronds with well defined leaflets. A. tenerum 
should find a place in all collections. The same 
remark applies to the others mentioned in this note. 
A. cuneatum elegans and A. c variega^um.— 
1 he shapely cuneate leaflets of the former variety 
and its close growth render it distinctive and charm¬ 
ing. For floral arrangements it has not superseded 
the finest and most graceful Maidenhair, A. gracilli- 
mum, but as an additional fine-leaved Fern for the 
stages it is worth consideration. A. c. variegatumis 
probably the only variegated Adiantum we possess, 
omitting such as A. scutum roseum, this being 
entirely rosy.— F. L. 
@ leanings ftttrm ffjc Doclh 
of Skietttq. 
The undermentioned subjects were discussed at the 
meeting of the Linnean Society of London, on 
March 15th. 
Dissections of Flowers —Prof. Farmer, F.L.S., 
exhibited (as lantern-slides) several photographs of 
dissections of fljwers, and made remarks on the 
utility of such illustrations for teaching purposes. 
His views were supported by Mr. J. C. Shenstone. 
Hybridisation of Orchids —Mr. R. A. Rolfe, 
A.L.S., exhibited specimens and drawings of Paphio- 
pedilum, both of species and hybrids, with their 
capsules, to illustrate remarks on the hybridisation 
of Orchids. Additional observations were made by 
Mr. A. O. Walker, Dr. Rendle, and Prof. Farmer. 
Plants from Mount Roraima.— Mr. I. H. Bur- 
kill, F L.S., gave an abstract of a Report on the 
Botanical Results of an Expedition to Mt. Roraima, 
in British Guiana, undertaken in 1898 by Messrs. 
F. V. McConnell aid J. J. Quelch. The same 
travellers had made a previous journey of shorter 
duration to Roraima in 1894, a narrative of which 
had appeared in the journal Timehri, edited by 
Mr. Quelch, at Georgetown. During the second ex¬ 
pedition in 1898, nine days were spent in collecting 
on the summit. The plants, obtained in these two 
journeys, had been named by Messrs. Brown, 
Massee, Rolfe, and Wright, of the Royal Gardens, 
Kew, by Herr Stephanie of Leipzig, and by Dr. 
Brotherus of Helsingfors. The number of new 
species to be described was said to be considerable, 
and the interest attaching to the collections was un¬ 
doubtedly great. 
Acknowledged authorities on plant-geography had 
considered it probable that the vegetation of the 
summit of Mt. Roraima when better known would 
compare well with that on the Paramos of 
Venezuela ; but this was not the case. The charac¬ 
teristics of the treeless Paramos were absent from 
Roraima : and Bonnetia Roraimae—the commonest 
of species on the summit—attained, where sheltered, 
a height of 40 feet. Lower than the Paramos on tbe 
slopes of the Andes was the Befaria zone, and to 
this the upper flora of the mountain was to be 
ascribed ; the rest of the vegetation being a Brazilian 
type. Many of the plants collected were of ana¬ 
tomical interest; the huge mucilage-cells of the leaf 
of Bonnetia Roraimae, and the quaint pitchers of 
some of the Utriculariae were especially noteworthy. 
The complex chain of mountains to which 
Roraima belongs includes other peaks of similar 
height, such as Duida over the upper Orinoco; 
but in this direction the chain terminates with the 
low lying forests of the Casiquiare, which has barred 
immigration from the higher Andes. 
The additions to botanical knowledge now made by 
Messrs. McConnell and Quelch might be said to em¬ 
phasise the remarkable smilarity which had been 
found to exist in the floras of Roraima and the 
Kaieteur Savannah. In illustration of his remarks, 
Mr. Burkill exhibited some of the more remarkable 
plants collected, and lantern-slides from photographs 
taken in the course of the expedition, showing the 
nature of the country explored. A discussion 
followed, in which infirmaion concerning special 
groups of plants was afforded by Messrs. Hemsley, 
N. E. Brown, C. S. Wright, and A. R. Rolfe. 
Bryozoa from Franz Josef Land. —The 
Zoological Secretary gave an abstract of a paper by 
Mr. A W. Waters, F.L.S., on Bryozoa from Franz 
Josef Land, collected by the Jackson-Harmswo th 
Expedition, 1896-97. 
