July 1, 1905. 
ACCHARU5 
OR 
H YOSCYA/AUS — 
WHICH ? 
In “Jewish Antiq.,” Bk. III., cap. VII., 
osephus, describing the high priest's mitre, 
efers to a plant which arose out of the cup 
f gold that formed part of the mitre’s decora- 
ion. The plant was known to the Jews by 
he name Saccharu9, but to the Greeks, who 
fere skilful botanists, he says it was known 
s Hyoscyamus. And for the benefit of those 
;o whom the plant was not known, he gives a 
ather prolix description, and, besides, not 
ery clear. “ The herb,” says the historian, 
|‘ is ofttimes in tallness about three spans, 
put its root is like that of a turnip (for he who 
should compare it thereto would not be mis¬ 
taken), but its leaves are like the leaves of 
Mint. Out of its branches it sends out a 
:alyx, cleaving to the branch, and a coat en¬ 
compasses it, which it naturally puts off when 
t is changing, in order to produce its fruit, 
this calyx is of the bigness of the bone of the 
ittle finger, but in the compass of its aperture 
s like a cup. This I will further describe for 
lie use of those that are unacquainted with it. 
Suppose a sphere be divided into two parts, 
round at the bottom, but having another seg¬ 
ment that grows up to a circumference from 
that bottom ; suppose it becomes narrower by 
degrees, and that the cavity of that grew 
decently smaller, and gradually grew wider 
again at the brim, such as we see in the navel 
of a Pomegranate, with its notches. And in- 
: deed such a coat grows over this plant as 
! renders it an hemisphere, and that, as one may 
|say, turned accurately in a lathe, and having 
its notches extant above it, which, as I said, 
grow like a Pomegranate, only that they are 
sharp, and end in nothing but prickles. Now 
the fruit is preserved by this coat of the calyx, 
which seed is like the "seed of the herb 
I ‘ Sideritis.’ It sends out a flower that may 
seem to resemble that of a Poppy. ” 
Is this plant to be identified with the 
Hyoscyamus of modern botany, or what is the 
plant ? And, if so, why should a plant of such 
noxious properties be associated with an office 
so immaculate ? D. C. 
[The description of the calyx seems to fit 
that of Hyoscyamus or Henbane. It is a 
poisonous plant, but so is Belladonna, with 
its beautiful name. The Mandrake and the 
Potato, or some parts of it, are also poisonous, 
yet both have wonderful legends attached to 
i them. —Ed.] 
A Letter 
TO THE 
Editor. 
Orchids for Amateurs. 
To the Editor of The Gardening World. 
Sir —■Re article “ Orchids for Amateurs ” 
in The Gardening World, June 3rd, 1905, 
by J. H. Chapman, I oan verify the several 
statements in that article that Orchids need 
not have special elaborate houses constructed 
to grow them in ; also that no special know¬ 
ledge is necessary for their cultivation ; also 
their prices compare reasonably with other 
plants, because I have Orchids growing in a 
miniature greenhouse 4 ft. 6 in. by 2 ft.°3 in., 
which stands against a window facing 
W.N.W. in a back bedroom. The plants are 
all in a strong, healthy condition, making 
strong, healthy growths, the spagnum moss 
being green on the greater number of the 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
plants. The greater part of my knowledge 
of Orchids has been obtained from Burberry’s 
book on “ Orchid Growing for Amateurs,” 
and from the various papers on gardening. 
Perhaps it is not well known that H. A. 
Burberry, late Orchid grower to the Bight 
Hon. J. Chamberlain, has now a business of 
his own at King’s Heath, Birmingham, so 
that plants can be had from him which are 
good value for money. I purchased mine 
from him, and I am very pleased with them. 
As a proof of what I say, I am sending you 
a flower, cut from a plant of Cypripedium 
tonsum, newly improved, which has bloomed 
under the conditions I have stated. What 
is your opinion of this flower? What would 
value of plant be (two growths)? Is it a 
typical flower? I have never seen this plant 
before, or seen its name in other catalogues, 
and should be glad of an expert’s opinion of 
the flower and its cultivation. I shall look 
out for it in The Gardening World, and 
hope the flower will reach you in good condi¬ 
tion. I could give you details if required. 
J. D. Q. 
[The flower sent us by our correspondent 
was a good typical form of Cypripedium ton- 
sum, and reached us in good condition. The 
petals and lip were less green than usual, 
being flushed with purple, probably due to 
slight variation amongst imported specimens. 
The system of cultivation might also have 
something to do with the increased colour, as 
it is evidently grown under cool conditions, 
and was of good substance, although quite up 
to the usual size. This is rather unusual, 
because several of the Cypripediums at least 
which are grown under very cool conditions 
are usually rather poorly coloured, and cer¬ 
tainly always under the average size of those 
which are grown under conditions favourable 
to this class of Orchid by professional growers. 
It is nearly related to C. javanicum, but is a 
bolder flower, and in the condition sent us 
certainly more interesting. It gets its name 
from the absence of cilia on the edge of the 
petals, suoh as are present in allied specie^ 
The word “ tonsum ” simply means shorn, 
and was given bv the late Professor Beichen- 
bach in allusion to this absence of cilia. We 
should be pleased to learn from our corres¬ 
pondent how he succeeded in growing this 
species so well in a miniature greenhouse 
in a window. Average price, 10s. 6d.— Ed.J 
£100 per Acre Profit.— A Spalding grower 
has made this season a profit of £100 per acre 
for three acres of Narcissus blooms. 
* * * 
England’s Largest Orchard. —The largest 
orchard in Great Britain is said to be that at 
Toddington, Gloucestershire, and comprises 
600 acres in extent. 
* * * 
Excess of Perftlme in Flowers. —It has 
been observed that the perfume of the Lilac 
this year is unusually strong, so much so that 
it has caused sickness and fainting attacks. 
Wallflowers are said to have the same peculi¬ 
arity this year. 
* * 
An Onion-scented Hyacinth.— A clever 
floriculturist has succeeded in producing a 
Rose with coal-black petals, and the highest 
professors of this form of culture do not yet 
despair of producing a Hyacinth that will 
smell like an Onion.—“Punch.” 
* * * 
A Potato without Vines. —A Potato cul¬ 
tivator in Montana, U. S.A., has produced a 
new species of Potato, which, he claims, will 
revolutionise the methods hitherto practised 
by growers. The new variety of Potato is 
grown without vines, and is a big cropper. 
535 
Chickens will now be growing fast, and 
must be given plenty of room in which to 
ramble. Those of my readers whose lot is 
cast on a farm, or in the country where the 
garden is large and spacious, will have little 
difficulty in this matter, but those who reside 
in urban districts are greatly handicapped, 
and as many of these are to be found amongst 
the readers of The Gardening W orld, I in¬ 
tend this week devoting my space to helping 
them. 
In the country poultry keepers are able to 
let the chicks roam at large, but this cannot 
be done in the confines of a suburban garden. 
Space is space in these, and one needs to make 
the most of it. At this time of the year, when 
there are growing chicks about, the great con¬ 
sideration is new ground. Birds will grow 
faster, thrive better, and keep more healthy 
on a small piece of fresh ground than they 
will on a large piece which is foul. Therefore, 
when the area devoted to the chickens is 
limited, it is best to divide it off into lots and 
shift the chickens from one piece to the other 
about once a week. This will prevent the 
ground becoming overcharged with the excreta, 
and, each piece getting a rest in turn, will re¬ 
cover itself, and thus there will always be 
fresh sweet ground to put the birds on. 
Early-hatched chickens will now be moult¬ 
ing, and it will be advisable to mix a little 
suTphur in their soft food every morning, 
about a teaspoonful to each dozen chickens, 
but do not give it when the weather is damp 
and cold. Sulphur opens the pores of the 
skin, and in rough weather, such as we ex¬ 
perienced during Whit-week, the chickens are 
apt to take chill and die. A little iron should 
be placed in the drinking water three times 
a week. The most simple way of doing this 
is to use sulphate of iron, a piece about the 
size of a walnut being sufficient for each 
gallon of water. 
During the hot weather vermin abound, and 
the loose body feathers which lie about the 
poultry houses and runs afford them very com¬ 
fortable and happy breeding grounds. It is 
wise, therefore, each morning, when feeding 
the fowls, to pick up all loose feathers about 
the place. It does not occupy any great 
length of time, and adds immensely to the 
general comfort and well-being of one’s stock. 
It must ever be remembered that neither adult 
fowls nor chickens can thrive if the poultry- 
house is overrun with vermin. 
Young chickens are often attacked with the 
complaint known as “ gapes.” The poor little 
things run about crying most piteously, as 
though they were very hungry, and keep open¬ 
ing their mouths in a gaping manner ; hence 
the name of the complaint. The disease is 
peculiar to young chickens, and does not affect 
old birds, although they may be on the same 
ground. It is caused by a collection of minute 
worms in the throat. There are several well- 
known and simple remedies, each of which 
is very efficacious. The one I invari¬ 
ably use myself is a 10 per cent- solution of 
carbolic acid and glycerine—that is, one drop 
of the acid to each ten of glycerine. Into this 
I dip a feather, insert it down the throat of 
the chickens affected, and give it a sharp twist 
round, so that it may reach the walls of the 
throat all round. This operation should be 
