August 24, 1901. 
829 
THE GARDENING WOJRLD. 
Irish Honours—Irish gardeners are delighted over 
the successes of Irish grown stuff at English shows. 
In the spring they were enthusiastic over the successes 
obtained by Irish grown bulbs ; now they are 
delighted at the sweep which Messrs. R. Hartland 
and Sons, of Lough Nurseries, Cork, and Messrs. 
A. Dickson and Sons, Newtownwards, recently made 
at Hanley show. Messrs. A. Dickson and Sons won 
four firsts and a second for Roses, while Messrs. R. 
Hartland made a sweep with their famous Begonias. 
Coprophilous Fungi. — At a meeting of the 
Linnean Society on June 20tb, Messrs. George 
Massee, F.L.S., and E. S. Salmon, F.L.S., com¬ 
municated a paper on Coprophilous Fungi. The 
authors have had under observation many genera of 
coprophilous fungi considered rare or hitherto absent 
from Britain, including species of Gymnoascus, 
Magnusia, Sporormia, Thelebolus, &c. ; and a series 
of experiments have confirmed the supposition that 
the spores of these fungi require to pass through the 
intestinal canal of an animal previous to germination. 
In some species the spores are mixed with a muci¬ 
laginous substance, which on being ejected from the 
ascus coagulates in a mass insoluble in water. Such 
spore-masses as happen to be thrown upon grass 
must often be swallowed by herbivorous animals 
along with their food, and subsequently produce 
fruit on the dung of the animal. By this means the 
distribution of certain species is effected. 
Doubtful.—We often hear of strange things per¬ 
formed in some continental laboratories, but this 
latest yarn, hailing from Naples will not go down 
even with a broad reasoning, at least not as the 
experiment is detailed in various contemporaries. 
Here is an example. " A flowerless exotic that grows 
normally with its roots fixed in sand and its leaves 
immersed in water had this position reversed, some 
of its leaves being buried in the sand and the roots 
standing up in the position the stems and leaves 
would normally occupy. After being subjected to 
this treatment for some time, the roots gradually 
changed to stems and leaves while the buried 
portions of the plant adapted themsblves to the 
nature of, and carried on the functions of the roots.” 
We have known many remarkable cases of plants 
adapting themselves to their environment, but surely 
this is a case of a journalist adapting his matter to 
the fancifulness of his mind. 
Tree Planting—It is much to be regretted that 
with the present scarcity of timber and pa>ing 
prices, a greater area of the uncultivated lands of 
our country has not been planted up. There can 
be no doubt whatever that with the keeping back 
of the supplies by foreign countries—conservancy 
being now imperative — home grown timber will 
take a place in the market that it has never before 
done in the history of our country, and it therefore 
behoves us to make all the possible haste to ward off 
a timber famine, which we have long predicted is 
imminent. What an amount of labour could be 
afforded by extensive woodlands ; what a shelter 
to the wind-swept downs and hillsides ; what an 
improvement from a landscape point of view, and 
last, and most particular, what a revenue might 
accrue if only our Government would take up the 
question of afforesting some of the vast uncultivated 
lands of our country.— A. D. Webster, in Farmers’ 
Gazette. 
Revision of the Genus Hypericophyllum.—At 
the Linnean Society on June 20th, Mr. N. E. Brown, 
A.L.S., read a paper entitled “A Revision of the 
Genus Hypericophyllum, with Notes on certain 
allied Genera of Compositae.” After pointing out 
that the genus Hypericophyllum had been founded 
by Steetz on a remarkable plant collected by Peters 
in Portuguese East Aftica, and that specimens of it 
were so rare in collections that much misappre¬ 
hension prevailed regarding it, he remarked that 
Bentham had united it with the genus Jaumea, Pers. 
An examination, however, of the material now 
available had demonstrated that this view was 
untenable ; he regarded Hypericophyllum as quite 
distinct from Jaumea in its distribution, habit, ard 
appearance ; in the possession of glands in its leaves 
and tissues; and in its remarkable pappus, the 
hooked bristles of which appeared to be unique in 
this order. He therefore proposed to restore this, 
with three other genera, to their former generic 
tank, and furnished a key to their distinctive 
characters. In addition, he described a new species 
(H. scabridum) from British Central Africa, whence 
specimens had been received at Kaw from Nyassa- 
land between Kondowe and KaroDga (Whyte), from 
the Manganja Hills (Kirk), and from the Shire 
Highlands, near Blantyre (Buchanan). Some 
further remarks were made by Mr. W. P. Hiern. 
A LARGE SPIRAEA ARUNCUS. 
Of all the herbaceous species of Spiraea none is 
capable of producing a finer effect when in bloom 
than the subject of this notice. The only one to 
which we may compare it is the shrubby S. ariae- 
folia, which produces great panicles of creamy white 
flowers, but the plant is of spreading and drooping 
habit. S. Aruncus is herbaceous, of erect habit, 
and strictly deciduous, dying down to the ground in 
autumn. There are male and female plants in 
cultivation, but the latter is seldom seen in collec¬ 
tions, and is not particularly attractive. The male 
plant owes its splendid appearance to the erect and 
dense habit of the plant and the great size of the 
branching panicles of creamy white flowers. The 
stamens also serve largely to give the plant the pre¬ 
possessing appearance it possesses. 
The plant varies from 3 ft. to 5 ft. in h< i fe ht and is 
well adapted for border culture as well as for an 
isolated specimen on the lav. n. The illustration 
accompanying this notice was prepared from a 
photograph sent us by Mr. D Buchanan, gardener 
to the Earl of Stair, Bargany, Dailly, Ayrshire, and 
represents an old-established plant growing at a 
corner of one of the lawns in the flower garden. It 
is 30 ft. in circumference, 5 ft high when in bloom, 
and carries annually seventy to eighty handsome 
panicles of its plumy looking flowers. A bush 10 ft. 
in diameter is a treat for anyone to behold, that being 
the width of this grand specimen. 
-- 
COED DERW. 
A short time ago it was my privilege to be con¬ 
ducted round the garden of E. C. Buxton, Esq , 
J.P , Coed Derw, near Bettws-y-Coed, North Wales, 
by Mr. Howard, the gardener (an old Dalkeithian). 
Coed Derw is situated on the banks of the Llugwy, 
at the bottom of a mountain range several hundred 
feet high and scarcely climbable on account of its 
steepness, yet covered with Firs from base to 
summit, planted amongst stones and boulders by 
Lord Ancaster more than thirty years ago. How 
they have made any growth at all is a marvel, for 
there appeared more stones than soil on the surface. 
Near the base other trees and the Oak grow fairly 
well, the translation of Coed Derw being Oak Wood. 
Coed Derw is a multum in parvo sort of place, for 
though the glass area is only small, Melons, Cucum¬ 
bers, Peaches, Figs, stove and greenhouse plants are 
well grown. But it is the pleasure ground that 
rivets attention. Here, all kinds of herbaceous and 
alpine plants find a home in the borders and amongst 
the rocks and stones which protrude at every step. 
The walks in this part of the garden seem to have 
been formed by moving loose stones, and stones as 
placed by Nature form the outlines. 
As we proceed we come to a part not quite so 
stony and rocky. Here are nine varieties of 
Bamboos, 3 yds. to 5 yds. in diameter and the tallest 
3 yds. high, and Spiraea flagellata, 9 ft. across and 
8 ft. high, whilst large specimens of shrubby 
Veronicas, full of flower, were noticed in different 
parts. Some of the Conifers planted about twenty- 
seven years ago, lining the carriage road, have made 
excellent growth, Abies Douglassii being 40 ft. high, 
Cupressus lawsoniana, 30 ft., and C. 1 . lutea was 
also fine. 
I must not omit to mention a pond containing five 
varieties of Water Lilies, which seemed quite at 
home. I commenced to take down names of these 
and other things, but as I did net know which to 
select as the most worthy, I gave it up. I can truly 
say that Coed Derw is a most interesting garden 
situated in a most delightful spot. 
What must strike the horticulturist on visiting 
Bettws is the absence of gardens attached to some 
of the older-built houses, nothing more than a strip 
2 ft. to 3 ft. wide, supported by a low wall topped 
with iron railings. Where the houses are built this 
was inevitable, for at the back, commencing from the 
back door, is a mountain almost perpendicular, and 
in front the highway, and a few yards beyond that 
the river Llugwy, with its rumbling torrents, like a 
passing train. It appeared to me that the rock had 
been hewn and the space and stones utilised for the 
dwellings. 
Some of the more recently built houses have 
gardens, but the price is too prohibitive to have 
large ones—£15 a year ground rent for a piece 22 yds. 
by 45 yds., which, for agricultural purposes, does 
not seem to be worth 20s. an acre. Rent for land is 
rather stiff. As showing how things would grow at 
Bettws, I noticed on a recently built house a Ches- 
hpnt hybrid and Celine Forestier Roses in splendid 
Spiraea Aruncus at Bargany. 
