371 
April  29,  1*97. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
HIBBERTIA  PERFOLIATA. 
This  interesting  plant  is  now  flowering  in  most  gardens  where  it  is 
grown,  although  unfortunately  there  are  exceptions  to  the  rule,  inasmuch 
as  Hibbertia  perfoliata  (fig.  77)  is  not  generally  cultivated.  The 
Hypericum-like  flowers  are  bright  yellow,  and  being  freely  produced 
render  the  plant  very  attractive.  Several  species  of  Hibbertias  are 
grown,  in  conservatories,  usually  trained  to  pillars  or  the  roof,  but 
H.  perfoliata  is  more  compact  in  habit,  and,  like  the  smaller-flowered 
H.  Reedi,  is  better  suited  for  culture  in  pots.  The  flowers  are  not  of 
long  duration,  but  so  many  are  produced,  and  in  such  close  succession, 
that  the  plant  continues  ornamental  for  a  considerable  time. 
APRIL  CHARACTERISTICS. 
The  end  of  April  is  peculiarly  the  period  of  Nature’s  “smiles  and 
tears.”  Of  late  the  latter  have  greatly  predominated,  and  occasionally 
they  were  of  an  exacting  description  ;  heavy  showers,  mingled  with  hail, 
and  sometimes  with  snow.  It  was  a  dangerous  time  for  blossoming 
trees,  many  of  which,  notwithstanding  the  recent  visitations  of  frost, 
are  already  in  flower.  Among  these,  in  my  own  garden,  is  the  beautifully 
foliaged  Prunus  Pissardi,  the  blossoms  of  which  form  a  striking  contrast 
to  the  crimson-purple  leaves.  This  is,  'assuredly,  one  of  the  most 
highly  ornamental  of  Eastern  trees. 
The  Early  Rivers  Plum  and  the  prolific  Victoria  are  the  earliest 
in  bloom  ;  among  contemporaneous  Cherries  are  Black  Eagle,  Mav 
Duke,  and  Werder’s  Early  Black.  Only  a  few  days  have  intervened 
between  the  blossoming  period  of  any  of  these.  The  Pear  trees  are 
usually  considerably  later,  bat  several  varieties,  such  as  Pitmaston 
Duchess,  Early  Crawford,  Rivers’  Fertility,  and  Doyenn^  du  Comice 
(which  Mr.  Rivers  once  assured  me  was  the  finest  Pear  in  cultivation) 
are  already  preparing  to  burst  into  bloom.  In  the  South  of  England 
they  are  considerably  earlier  ;  which,  considering  the  weather  we  have 
recently  experienced,  is  a  fact  their  cultivators  may  have  reason  to 
deplore. 
Very  picturesque  at  present  are  the  blossoms  of  the  rosy  tinted  Almond 
and  those  of  the  double  flowering  Peach,  both  of  which  trees  are 
highly  ornamental.  Ere  long  the  Apple  trees  will  be  in  full  beauty, 
and  there  is  every  prospect  of  abundant  bloom.  Irish  Peach  is  already 
exhibiting  its  roseate  buds,  and  such  varieties  as  Duchess  of  Olden¬ 
burg,  Stirling  Castle,  Lady  Sudeley,  and  Beauty  of  Bath  (a  great 
acquisition)  are  already  far  advanced.  But  the  blossom  of  the  Apple  is 
only  embryonic  in  April  ;  it  is  the  precious  possession  and  crowning 
glory  of  May.  Its  most  fascinating  contemporary  is  the  flower  of  the 
Hawthorn,  which  is  yet  in  its  infancy,  though  plainly  discernible  amid 
the  enfolding  and  protecting  leaves.  By  many  a  wayside  in  this  beautiful 
sea-girt  parish,  and  in  many  a  shadowy  glen  the  snow  white  blossom  of 
the  Blackthorn  presents  a  picture  which  only  can  be  witnessed  at  this 
season  of  the  year.  , 
One  of  the  most  charming  of  April  flowers  is  the  Auricula.  Though 
I  have  not  made  it  a  special  study  like  Mr.  Harry  Turner  or  the  Rev. 
H.  H,  D’Ombrain,  I  can  understand  their  admiration  for  this  vernal 
gem.  Lily  of  the  Valley  is  developing  very  rapidly  now  that  the  rains 
have  become  softer  and  more  congenial,  and  ere  long  its  intensely 
fragrant  flowers  will  be  found  nestling  in  all  their  gentle  loveliness 
among  its  luminous  leaves. 
Roses  at  present  have  such  brilliant  foliage  that  no  lover  of  Nature 
can  fail  to  admire  their  varied  hues.  Especially  radiant  are  such  varieties 
as  Madame  Pierre  Cochet,  Margaret  Dickson,  Mrs.  W.  J.  Grant, 
Niphetos,  Homere,  and  Perle  des  Jardins  ;  very  graceful  are  also  the 
Austrian,  Persian,  and  Penzance  Briars,  which  are  for  the  most  part  of 
a  pendulous  habit,  and  have  a  strong  fascination  in  the  fragrance  of 
their  leaves.  Lilies  have  of  late  been  growing  with  marvellous  rapidity. 
Many  of  my  candidums,  auratums,  excelsums,  davuricums,  and  Mar- 
tagons  ;  also  Liliums  Humboldti,  the  Caucasian  Szovitzianum,  and  the 
Chinese  Henryi  promise  to  bloom  very  early  this  year.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  tender  stems  of  Lilium  longiflorum  Takesima  and  L.  Harrisi 
do  not  seem  to  appreciate  such  weather  as  we  have  experienced,  and 
have  suffered  in  many  instances  from  atmospheric  visitations.  Lilium 
Krameri,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  distinctive  of  Lilies,  is, 
fortunately  for  itself,  only  beginning  to  appear, 
The  Narcissi  are  at  present  in  splendid  bloom  ;  the  invincible 
Horsefieldi,  which  has  immortalised  the  name  of  its  humble  originator  ; 
N,  Barri  conspicuus,  a  hybrid  of  great  distinction  ;  N.  ornatus,  Orange 
Phoenix,  Queen  of  Spain,  and  N.  Tazetta,  of  which  Homer  and  Sophocles 
sang  so  impressively — combining  their  rich  and  varied  beauties  to  form 
intensely  artistic  effects. —  David  R.  Williamson. 
Narcissus  triandrus  albus  (Angel’s  Tears).  —  A  London 
evening  paper,  in  describing  the  Daffodils  at  Long  Ditton,  observes  : — 
“  There  is  a  story  attached  to  the  name  of  the  ‘  Angel’s  Tears.*  Mr,  Barr, 
senior,  the  ‘  Daffodil  King,’  on  one  of  his  rambles  in  Spain  discovered 
the  flower,  and  gave  his  lad  orders  to  go  and  dig  the  bulbs  up.  The  day 
was  hot,  and  Angel  (such  was  the  youth’s  poetic  name)  shed  copious 
tears  at  the  idea  of  digging  bulbs  in  the  sun,  whereupon  Mr.  Barr,  on 
sending  home  the  bulbs,  alluded  to  them  jestingly  as  ‘Angel’s  tears,, 
and  the  name  has  adhered  to  the  Narcissus  triandrus  albus  from  that 
day  forth.” 
FRUIT  PRESERVATION. 
An  interesting  experiment  in  the  preservation  of  fruit  by  means  of' 
cold  storage  has  been  carried  our,  during  the  past  season  by  the  Technical 
Education  Committee  of  the  Kent  County  Council  at  Dartford.  The 
experiment  has  been  personally  superintended  by  two  members  of  the 
Committee,  Messrs.  Hesketh  and  Chambers,  whose  reports  are  now 
issued.  They  state  that  the  stores  were  kept  at  steady  temperatures  of 
30°  and  40°  until  near  the  end  of  the  year,  when  it  was  considered  there 
would  be  no  further  utility  in  prolonging  the  experiment  under  the  same 
conditions, 
Mr.  Hesketh’s  report  thus  proceeds  The  fruit  loses  weight  some¬ 
what  during  the  refrigerating  process,  as  is  evident  by  the  amount  of 
moisture  collected  off  the  bm,e  walls,  which  am  >unts  to  1  5  per  cent,  of 
the  weight  of  the  fruit  per  week.  This  moisture  is  absorbed  from  the 
fruits  by  the  air  during  its  natural  circulation  in  the  chamber,  and 
FIG.  77. — HIBBERTIA  PERFOLIATA. 
deposited  on  the  colder  surface  of  the  brine  walls  from  which  it  is 
drained  away.  The  air  is  thus  kept  in  a  dry  condition.  An  object  in 
future  experiments  will  be  to  reduce  this  desiccation  of  the  fruit,  but 
still  maintain  the  dry  condition  of  the  air,  which  is  so  essential  in 
avoiding  mildew. 
It  is,  of  course,  a  matter  of  common  knowledge  that  fruit,  especially 
of  the  harder  kinds,  can  be  kept  back  for  a  time  from  ripening  by  means 
of  refrigeration,  such  knowledge  being  taken  advantage  of  for  bringing 
fruit  from  Australia  and  the  Cape  to  England  ;  but  one  main  object  in 
this  experiment  was  to  show  the  cost  of  fruit  preservation  on  a  small 
scale,  such  as  our  fruit  growers  might  find  of  service.  A  careful  log  has, 
therefore,  been  kept  of  the  working  expenses,  and  this  shows  that  the 
total  cost  of  engine  power  (gas  at  3s.  61.  per  1000  cubic  feet  being  used 
in  a  gas  engine)  and  all  stores  amounted  to  8s.  9d.  per  day.  This  does 
not  include  anything  for  labour,  as  only  the  occasional  attention  of  a 
labourer  otherwise  employed  is  required.  The  cost  of  working  by  an 
oil  engine  would  be  approximately  the  same. 
