February 16, 1901. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
391 
with a black background were in most cases very fine 
and exact delineations of the same. The three fiaest 
were a piece of Gleicbenia, the Whitepine of New 
Zealand, and a leaf named Maku, very similar to 
that of a Coleus or a Nettle. The venation of the 
leaf is shown with wonderful exactitude. We have 
seen prints of this stamp before, but never finer. We 
think it a highly interesting hobby for a gardener, 
even if he cannot put it to any other purpose than 
for study.— Ed ] 
THE PLANT MOUSES. 
The Conservatory. —The Epacris are still the 
finest plants in the greenhouses and conservatories 
at the present time. Cuttings of the various Heaths 
are now being taken by those who make the culture 
of this splendid genus a speciality. The plants in 
many cases have made stout fresh growths, and soon 
the flowers may be removed for the benefit of the 
cuttings. These may be inserted around the edges 
of small pots filled with a sandy compost. They 
can either be given a little bottom heat or may be 
merely placed in the stages of cool houses under 
hand lights. I think a gentle heat, say up to 6o°, is 
advisable. They take a good while to become rooted 
after which, however, they should be potted on very 
carefully. 
Attention to watering and pinching'are the chief 
demands made by them during summer growth. 
But when one considers all the trouble with hard- 
wooded plants in general and the cheapness at which 
one can buy them, it is excusable if only a very few 
private establishments propagate their own stock. 
The Acacias are coming finely into flower, and 
until they are fully expanded it is to their benefit to 
nourish them with fertilisers in a weak liquid state. 
Cuttings of Polygala oppositifolia may also be taken 
now that the plants are out of flower. All these 
hard-wooded plants should have any pruning they 
may require done to them, performed just after they 
have gone out of bloom. The Primula season has 
now about reached its full flush. The splendid 
gracefulness of the P. pyramidalis varieties call more 
than ever for notice. It is to be hoped that the 
florists will not create too many monstrosities out 
of them ! The Butterfly Cyclamens have not been 
so much seen this season. When strongly grown 
they are worthy of admiration. I recently saw a 
newer type still, than either the C. Papilio or the 
fimbriated or crested varieties. This new form had 
beautifully twisted petals which were spread out 
quite horizontally and brought to mind the screw- 
propeller of a steamer, only that the petals were 
flatter. I liked the novelty very much, as it was 
graceful and pretty and gave the plant a very 
floriferous appearance. Tulips, Hyacinths, Scilla 
siberica, Azaleas, Callas, Crocuses, T asminum 
grandiflorum, Peristrophe speciosa, and Begonias in 
variety are all gracing the stages at this time. 
White Hyacinths mixed with blue Chinese 
Primulas form a splendid and agreeable contrast. 
In like manner the Squills with Primula floribunda, 
or the latter with Lily of the Valley in pots, are also 
very attractive. We have a great deal to learn yet, 
so far as the arrangement of the plants goes. Staphy- 
lea colchica may be brought on in succession, and 
so with the other sorts of forced plants. The 
Chinese' Sacred Lily scents the house; and ODly a 
week ago I came across the Winter Heliotrope 
(Petasites fragrans) in a house, the presence of which 
accounted for the delightful fragrance which one 
immediately perceived. Our olfactory organ requires 
•'pampering” quite as much as our eyes. That 
contentment and blessful happiness can be advanced 
by a judicious system of purveyance of agreeable 
indrafts through the nasal channels is surely amply 
proved by the effect that a high class cigar has on a 
smoker. The contentment arises chiefly from the 
fragrant wafts in this case, and in a measure the 
argument applies to the sniffing of floral scents. 
Salvia Heeri with its tall herbaceous stems and 
crimson flowers is a grand plant for the dull months. 
So is Oestrum elegans as a pillar plant. Hibbertia 
dentata, with its dark leaves and stems and the 
bright Butrercup flowers, adds another good green¬ 
house climber. Few hard-wooded plants either can 
surpass the Chorizemas. In habit and general 
appearance, and for floriferousness nothing excels 
them. 
The Oak-leaved and other scented Pelargoniums 
when well developed furnish nice foliage plants for 
interspersing with tbe purely flotal plants. A batch 
of the best kinds should be raised occasionally. 
Forced Roses are already iu the conservatory and 
the growers will have to watch now, so as to regulate 
the supply. AmoDgst the flowering shrubs already 
in bloom are Spiraea Van Houttei, Prunus japonica 
fl. pi., Daphne indica rubra, and Rhododendrons, 
particularly R. indicum var. calyciflorum with great 
clusters of salmon-pink flowers. 
The Stove. —At this time the stove is generally 
in a pretty mess. Potting and top-dressing, re¬ 
arranging and pruning, washing and cleaning, are 
operations that occupy our time in the warm plant 
houses for the nonce.— J.H.D. 
©leanings fanm fljc Dmrlti 
nf Srtentq. 
The undermentioned subjects were discussed at the 
meeting of the Scientific Committee of the Royal 
Horticultural Society on the 29th uit. :— 
Bryonia dioica root —Mr. W. G. Smith sent 
an enormous root of the common Bryony. He says 
that the weight, after being kept for two months in 
a dry room, was just over 21 lb., and had not the 
ends of thick branching roots been broken off it 
would have been at least 5 lb. heavier. The length 
of its broken condition was 2 ft.; the circumference 
at the middle was 22J in. It was dug out of brick- 
earth at Caddington Hill, near Dunstable. It 
appears to much exceed the average size, for Dr. R. 
Hogg writes in his "Vegetable Kingdom”: "The 
roots are of an immense size, sometimes 1 ft. or 2 ft. 
long, and as thick as a man’s arm.” It is 
occasionally offered for sale as the "Mandrake,” but 
the latter is not a British plant. Though the root 
abounds in starch, which could be extracted by 
grating it to a pulp and straining with cold water ; 
but the juice is decidedly poisonous, as are also the 
berries of the Bryony. 
Abies lasciocarpa var. arizonica. — Foliage 
and bark of this new variety were sent by Herr H. 
Henkel, from Darmstadt. Though the species ranges 
from Oregon to New Mexico, this tree only occurs 
on the mountains of Arizona. The bark is remark¬ 
able in being of a cream colour and corky in nature. 
The foliage is bright glaucous green above, but white 
from a silvery bloom below, probably due to its 
mountain habitat. Herr HeDkel observes that he 
has succeeded in importing and establishing this 
tree, which he names Abies arizonica, Meniam, 
var. argentea. The plants were collected at an alti¬ 
tude of from 7,250 to 10,000 ft., the temperature 
being as low as — 25 0 to — 30° (C.) or — 13 9 to — 
22° (F.). 
Australian Rhubarb.—Specimens were sent by 
Mr. Sutton of this Rhubarb alluded to at the last 
meeting. The stems are very slender, are about 1 ft. 
long, of a bright scarlet. 
Pinus austriaca attacked by beetle.— A 
branch perforated by some beetle was received from 
a resident of Fordington, Dorchester. It was sent to 
Mr. McLachlan for determination. 
Croci species and varieties.—An interesting 
series was exhibited by Mr. E. A. Bowles, of 
Myddelton House, Waltham Cross, Herts, who con¬ 
tributed the following particulars :— 
C. biflorus v. argenteus.—An abnormal bloom with 
eight perianth segments and five style branches. V. 
estriatus.—The unstriped form from F.orence, V. 
Leichtlini.—A small-flowered form intermediate 
between v. estriatus and v. nubigeuus, pale blue, 
external surface of outer segments yellowish with 
broad band of pale blue down the centre; anthers of 
a curious shade of greenish grey. This tendency to 
melanism in anthers of Croci of the section annulati 
of Maw was further illustrated by specimens of C 
Crewei, in which the anthers are a deep chocolate, 
and C. chrysanthus vars. fuscotinctus and fascoline- 
atus, with anthers of a dark smoke colour, and the 
typical form of C. chrysanthus, in which the barbs 
at base of the anthers are tipped with black. 
C. Korolkowi in two vars. a, Tne type as distri¬ 
buted by Dr. Regel, and figured by Maw; a small, 
shy flowering, late form; external surface of outer 
segments grained with rich brown, throat externally 
nearly black, j 3 , Larger, paler, very floriferous and 
robust in habit, in bloom three weeks earlier; exter¬ 
nal graining grey, greenish blue at throat. 
C. ancyrensis.—Type and a specimen externally 
feathered with browD, a variation njt hitherto 
noticed in this species. 
Crocus Fleiscberi, a delicate species with long, 
Darrow perianth segments, white, the thr-e outer 
externally lined purple ; v. albus, without the exter¬ 
nal purple markings except at the throat, and con¬ 
trary to rule with albino forms, has the appearance 
of being a more robust form with wider perianth 
segments. 
C. Balansae, an abnormal bloom, semi-double, of 
the form with outer segments externally rich 
mahogany colour. 
C. dalmaticus, the true plant, with large, very pale 
mauve flowers, outer surface of outer segments pale 
buff, veined with grey at the base. 
C. tomassinianus, pale and dark vars. 
C. Imperati, several varieties. 
All from open ground except Fleischeri and Korol¬ 
kowi type, which were grown in a cold frame. 
At the meeting of the Linnean Society of Lon Ion, 
on January 17th. the undermentioned were some of 
the subjects discussed : — 
The Bressa Prize.—The President announced 
that the “ Bressa Prize,” offered by the " Academie 
Royale des Sciences de Turin,” would be awarded 
lor the most striking and useful discovery in physical 
and experimental science, natural history, pure and 
applied mathematics, physiology, not excluding 
geology, history, geography, and obstetrics The 
value of the prize offered is 9,600 francs, or nearly 
/400, and the competition is open to experts and 
inventors of all nations, the competition closing on 
the 31st December, 1902. 
A Hybrid Fern.—Mr. C. T. D.-uerv, F.L S., 
exhibited a hybrid between Ceterach officinarum and 
Scolopendrium vulgare, which he ha! received from 
the late Mr. E. J. Lowe, F.L.S. The fronds were of 
somewhat foliose Ceterach form, but entirely devo d 
of scales, and with the upper third confluent, 
resembling the tip of a Scolopendrium frond, the 
fructification partly Scolopendroid and partly 
Asplenoid. From this combination of characters, 
the exhibitor considered the plant to be a true hybrid 
between the species named. Mr. C. H. Wright, 
A.L S., exhibited, on the other hand, numerous 
herbarium specimens of Scolopendrium vulgare, 
Ceterach officinarum, Asplenium marinum, Asp. 
Hemionitis (palmatum), and Scolopendrium nigripes, 
by which last three species it was demonstrated that 
sori in faced pairs (Scolopendrium type) may not 
only appear on species classed as Asplenium but 
that, on the other hand, simple Asplenoid sori may 
exist on species classed as Scolopendrium (eg, 
S. nigripes and A. Hemionitis as exhibited and 
shown in a drawing by favour of the Kew authori¬ 
ties). Mr. Wright therefore was inclined to the 
opinion that the presumed hybrid was merely a form 
of Aspl. marinum, basing his opinion partly on the 
leathery nature of both Scol. vulgare and Ceterach 
fronds as contrasted with the thin papery texture of 
the exhibits. 
Mr. A. W. Bennett remarked that in view of the 
extremely wide difference between the genera, very 
strong evidence indeed would be required to establish 
the fact of hybridisation between them. Mr. C. H. 
Wright entered at some length into the various 
modes of attempting cross-fertilisation in Ferns ; but 
the factors of uncertainty are so difficult to eliminate, 
that until some delicate means have been devised 
for the actual transference by hand of individual 
antherozoids to alien amhegonia, hybrtdity in Ferns 
can hardly be scientifically proved. Mr J Fraser 
added soma remarks bearing upon the indefinite 
classification of genera, evidenced by the exhibits 
with respect to fructification. Mr. Druery, in reply, 
considered that tne Kew examples demonstrated that 
a far closer alliance existed between Scol. vulgare 
and the Asplenia than appeared on the surface, the 
presumed generic line between the forms of fructifica¬ 
tion being broken through, and hence the possibility 
of hybridising. He also pointed out that as A. 
marinum had also very leathery fronds, this argu¬ 
ment per contra failed. One of tbe specimens of A. 
marinum exhibited with Scolopendroid sori in 
quantity, found in France, might also, he considered, 
possibly be a natural hybrid with S. vulgare, especi¬ 
ally as its fronds and some pinnae were peculiarly 
forked, dilated, and irregularly abnormal; while it 
is well kuown that the two species are often closely 
associated in their habitats, so that their spores 
might easily mix. 
