April  5,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
291 
The  Hlldeshelm  Hose. — It  is  reported  that  Hildesheim’s  famous 
thousand-year-old  Rose  bush,  which  it  had  been  feared  in  the  last  two 
years  was  dying,  has  sent  out  new  shoots  and  runners  from  a  thick  root- 
stock,  and  seems  now  to  be  safe  to  last  for  a  good  many  years  to  come- 
The  plant  did  not  flower  last  summer. 
The  Anemone. — The  Anemone,  or  Windflower,  is  common  enough 
throughout  the  Home  Counties,  more  especially  on  the  borders  of 
woods,  where  it  may  be  found  in  the  middle  of  March.  What  are 
frequently  taken  for  the  petals  are  sepals.  As  in  the  case  of  the 
Marsh  Marigold  these  are  coloured,  and  the  petals  are  not  present. 
A  variety  of  the  Anemone  is  the  Pasqueflower  (A.  pulsatilla).  It  is 
of  a  purple  colour,  and,  unlike  the  Wood  Anemone,  secretes  honey.  It 
may  be  found  in  various  parts  of  Sussex,  and  notably  in  the  wood¬ 
lands  about  Uckfield.  The  Pasqueflower  has  a  thicker  stepi,  covered 
with  silky  hairs.  Years  ago  it  was  a  fashion  to  stain  eggs  with  the 
juice  of  the  Pasqueflower — Easter  eggs,  they  were  called. —  (“Echo.”) 
Influence  of  Electricity  on  Germination. — Some  remarkable 
experiments  with  electricity  have  just  been  made.  On  an  egg  which 
was  being  hatched  it  was  found  that  an  electric  current  of  sufficient 
strength  to  kill  the  fowl  did  not  destroy  the  vitality  of  the  germ  in  the 
egg.  But  the  chicken  when  hatched  was  one  of  abnormal  shape  and 
monstrous  in  appearance.  Experiments  with  seed  proved  that  a  seed 
planted  in  the  ground  does  not  grow  as  quickly  as  one  rushed  in  its 
development  by  electricity.  Two  lots  of  twelve  groups,  each  of  112 
seeds,  were  soaked  in  water  and  placed  in  cylindrical  glass  vessels  open 
at  each  end.  The  receptacles  had  dipping  into  them  copper  discs  to 
which  a  current  was  applied.  The  seeds  were  kept  at  a  temperature 
of  50°.  The  seeds  treated  electrically  grew  30  per  cent,  quicker  than 
those  treated  in  regular  manner. 
Iiong'  Xlfe  of  Seeds. — An  interesting  fact  has  been  observed  by 
Colonel  Thompson  during  the  past  two  years.  A  little  plant  called 
Pilea  microphylla  has  constantly  come  up  in  the  pots  in  which 
jadoo  fibre  has  been  used,  and  as  this  plant  is  a  native  of  the  West 
Indies  and  tropical  America,  it  is  clear  that  it  comes  from  the  mosS) 
which  is  obtained  solely  from  Yorkshire,  and  which  is  used  in  the 
preparation  of  jadoo,  though  in  this  climate  the  Pilea  cannot  grow 
in  the  open  air.  The  surmise  of  the  colonel  is  that  the  seed  was 
deposited  in  the  moss  ages  ago  when  a  tropical  climate  prevailed 
here,  similar  to  what  it  was  in  the  mid-Eocene  period.  If  this  con¬ 
jecture  is  correct,  we  have  some  extraordinary  testimony  in  favour 
of  the  great  vitality  of  seeds,  far  surpassing  anything  that  has  been 
advanced  in  this  connection  before. 
Galax  Iieaves. — These  leaves,  which  within  a  few  years  have 
become  so  popular  in  floral  design  work,  are  gathered  in  the  mountains 
of  North  Carolina  and  Eastern  Tennessee.  Picking  begins  early  in 
September,  but  the  leaves  cannot  be  shipped  safely  by  freight  until 
later.  The  bronze  leaves,  which  are  in  much  greater  demand  than  the 
green,  cannot  be  got  until  about  the  middle  of  November,  when  the 
rich  colouring  is  caused  by  successive  frosts.  The  pickers  put  the 
leq,ves  in  bundles  and  take  them  to  the  general  merchandise  store, 
where  they  are  received  practically  as  cash  at  about  25  cents  a 
thousand.  The  receivers  have  no  regular  arrangement  for  storage  of 
large  quantities,  and  aim  to  unload  the  material  as  fast  as  received, 
which  they  usually  do,  as  the  demand  about  equals  the  supply.  Dealers 
north  place  contract  orders  with  them  for  certain  quantities  to  be 
delivered  at  their  convenience  between  specified  dates.  The  leaves  are 
packed  dry  with  a  little  sphagnum  moss  among  them,  which  supplies 
all  the  moisture  they  need.  They  keep  better  and  travel  better  if 
frozen  ;  in  fact  the  same  conditions  that  are  required  for  hardy  Ferns 
in  storage  just  suits  them,  and  most  of  the  damage  to  them  comes  from 
the  same  cause  that  injures  the  Ferns — heating  in  transit.  The  dealers 
place  them  in  commercial  cold  storage  houses  at  about  28°  Fahr.,  and 
if  in  good  condition  when  stored  thus  they  will  remain  so  for  an 
indefinite  period.  Florists  after  receiving  them  should,  says  the 
“  American  Florist,”  aim  to  keep  them  constantly  in  a  temperature 
below  freezing  until  ready  to  use  them. 
£L  Wonderful  Tree. — It  is  said  that  a  great  many  Burmans  are 
being  attracted  just  now  to  Amarapura  to  visit  a  Banyan  tree  at  that 
place,  which  is  said  to  be  yielding  rather  a  plentiful  supply  of  water. 
Incisions  are  made  in  the  tree,  and  as  the  water  exudes  it  is  caught  up 
in  bottles  and  other  vessels  and  carried  carefully  away.  The  people 
believe  that  this  water  has  numerous  medicinal  properties,  and  is  very 
efficacious  in  the  cure  of  almost  all  diseases  flesh  is  heir  to,  especially 
blindness.  It  is  described  by  one  who  has  drunk  it  to  be  very  cold  and 
not  unpleasant  to  the  taste. 
Frost  Flowers. — The  phenomenon  called  “  Frost  Flowers  ”  was 
discussed  before  the  Biological  Society  in  Washington,  U.S.A.,  recently, 
by  Dr.  L.  H.  Dewey.  The  so-called  flowers  are  composed  of  ice,  which 
forms  on  frosty  mornings  in  autumn  and  early  winter  on  certain  plants. 
The  peculiar  thing  to  be  explained  is  that  frost  flowers  do  not  form  on 
all  plants,  but  only  on  about  twenty-six  species,  as  far  as  is  yet  known. 
Among  these  are  Frostweed,  Dittany,  Marsh  Fleabanes  and  cultivated 
Heliotrope.  The  phenomenon  is  apparently  due  to  capillary  move¬ 
ment  of  water  in  the  plant,  but  a  wholly  satisfactory  explanation  is 
lacking. 
Orchards  and  Fowls. — At  Ruxley  Lodge,  Esher,  are  several 
considerable  orchards,  old  and  new.  When  walking  through  one  of  the 
older  ones,  perhaps  a  couple  of  acres  in  area,  a  few  days  since  I 
remarked  to  Mr.  Miller,  the  gardener,  that  the  fowls  who  had  the  run 
of  the  orchard  seemed  to  scratch  freely  in  the  surface  dressing  put 
down.  He  remarked,  “  Yes  ;  I  have  let  the  poultry  run  here  for  two 
years,  and  for  that  time  have  never  been  troubled  by  insect  pests.” 
Now  it  is  his  practice  to  accumulate  an  immense  quantity  of  leaves 
from  all  descriptions  of  trees,  as  most  gardeners  do  in  such  places,  and 
to  utilise  them  for  creating  some  warmth  for  frames  in  the  spring.  In 
the  early  winter,  ere  the  new  leaves  are  collected,  this  leaf  matter,  for 
it  is  not  yet  soil,  is  removed  into  the  orchard,  where  some  is  cast  about 
under  the  trees,  and  thus  constitutes  excellent  dressing,  whilst  the 
remainder  is  put  into  a  large  heap  to  more  completely  decay.  Naturally 
such  material  is  eminently  calculated  to  contain  insect  life,  but  if  so,  at 
least  it  is  soon,  devoured  by  the  poultry,  for  they  search  it  and  scratch 
it  so  continuoirsly  that  poor  indeed  is  the  chance  for  egg,  grub,  maggot 
or  larva  to  escape.  The  dressing  feeds  the  soil,  which  is  of  deep  sand, 
remarkably  well,  and  retains  moisture  much  longer  than  it  would  were 
it  not  so  mulched.  There  are  huge  crops  of  Apples  so  obtained  at 
Ruxley  Lodge,  although  many  of  the  varieties  there  are  those  that  no 
one  would  plant  now.  But  not  far  off  on  lower  ground  there  is  a  fin© 
orchard  on  clay  planted  a  few  years  ago,  where  good  varieties  of  both 
Apples  and  Pears  do  remarkably  well,  and  doubtless  will  for  many 
years.  Close  by,  within  the  ancient  enclosed  abbey  garden,  is  a 
Blenheim  Pippin  espalier,  evidently  150  years  old,  that  still  carries  fine 
fruit. — A.  D. 
Eate- keeping  Apples. — At  the  last  meeting  at  the  Drill  Hall, 
amongst  other  Apples  sent,  for  so  late  in  the  winter,  in  capital 
preservation  by  Mr.  Parker  from  Goodwood,  were  really  good  and  fresh 
Sturmer  Pippins.  I  have  found  this  variety  to  keep  well  from  retentive 
soil,  but  I  hold  with  it,  as  with  so  many  other  Apples,  that  much  of  the 
keeping  properties  depends  on  the  period  at  which  fruits  are  gathered. 
Sturmer  Pippin  wants  a  long  season  to  finish  it  well,  and  my  judgment 
is  in  favour  of  growing  it  as  espaliers,  because  not  only  can  the  trees 
in  such  case  be  netted  over  if  desired,  but  the  fruits  suffer  no  harm 
from  rough  winds  in  the  autumn.  The  Sturmers  that  came  from  Good- 
wood,  whilst  not  only  plump  and  fresh,  had  undoubtedly  the  best  flavour 
to  my  taste,  certainly  King  of  Tompkin’s  County  obtained  an  award  of 
merit  for  its  soft  pleasant  eating  flesh  just  then,  but  it  had  no  special 
flavour.  Such  an  award  was  given,  doubtless,  because  the  fruits  had 
kept  so  well.  But  I  emphasise  in  the  matter  of  getting  both  Apples 
and  Pears  to  keep  well,  Mr.  Woodward’s  treatment  of  his  trees  at 
Barham  Court,  where  he  specially  waters  liberally  all  that  are  to  carry 
crops  late  into  the  autumn.  Such  soaking  helps  materially  to  fill  the 
fruits  with  sap  and  the  trees  to  retain  the  fruits  so  much  longer.  To 
these  liberal  waterings  are  added  mulches  of  manure  also.  Such 
soakings  are  exceptionally  needed  when  we  have  very  dry  autumns,  for 
we  must  not  forget  that  whilst  moderate  rain  may  penetrate  a  few  inches 
into  the  soil  and  greatly  assist  crops,  only  thorough  soakings  get  down 
and  assist  tree  roots.  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin,  which  when  well  done 
keeps  to  the  end  of  February,  as  mentioned  by  “  E.,”  is  yet  naturally 
an  earlier  ripener  than  is  Sturmer  Pippin.  Mr.  J.  Crook  gets  fine 
long-keeping  Cox’s  from  standard  trees  grown  in  his  orchard  beside  the 
river  Exe  at  Forde  Abbey,  Chard. — A.  Kingston. 
