Jtlue  3,  1397. 
Journal  oE  horticulture  ARrb  cottage  garUener 
m 
plant  of  this  Trinity  Flower  cannot  realise  the  effect  of  a  mass  of 
purest  white  rising  among  the  freRh  green  leaves,  strong  and 
vigorous,  unlike  the  plants  we  so  often  see. 
By  the  little  Water  Lily  pool  the  double  Caltha  paluitria  is 
thickly  studded  with  its^  large  golden  buttons.  It  is  more  happy 
there  than  in  the  dry  bo'rders,  and  is  evidently  in  luxuriant  health 
where  it  grows  in  the  wet  soil  and  with  its  roots  running  down 
into  the  water.  Comparatively  common  though  it  is,  this  old  double 
Marsh  Marigold  shows  how  line  a  plant  becomes  when  it  receives 
congenial  fare.  On  another  Bide  the  sister  Caltha  leptosepala  is 
happy  too,  but  its  white  flowers  suffer  in  comparison  with  those 
of  the  commoner  species.  C.  leptosepala  has  been  tried  in  several 
positions,  but  with  its  roots  iu  the  water  it  is  evidently  more  happy 
here  than  anywhere  else.  It  does  not  cover  itself  so  freely  with 
flowers  as  C.  palustris  fl.-pl..  but  produces  them  more  sparsely  for 
a  long  time  in  succession.  It  is  a  native  of  North-West  America, 
whence  it  was  introduced  in  1827.  The  pure  white  flowers  are 
produced  from  one  to  two  (but  generally  one)  on  rather  long 
peduncles,  and  are  here  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  across. 
The  glossy  green  leaves  are  radical,  cordate,  and  generally  entire 
round  the  edges,  but  are  occasionally  crenate.  It  is  said  to  be 
described  and  figured  in  Hooker’s  “  Flora  Boreali-americana,” 
vol.  i,,  plate  10.  As  already  said,  it  is  evidently  happier  with  its 
roots  in  the  water  than  anywhere  else,  but  does  fairly  well  in  a 
half  shady  moist  nook  in  the  rock  garden  also.  It  is  certainly  not 
a  showy  or  effective  plant,  but  gives  a  pleasing  variety  where 
there  is  room  for  a  large  collection.  The  English  name  of  Slender- 
sepaled  Marsh  Marigold  is  not  particularly  attractive,  althongh 
somewhat  alliterative. 
The  quaint-looking  Epimediums  generally  attract  admiration 
by  reason  of  their  singular-looking  flowers  and  their  slender  habit, 
combined  with  the  exquisite  tints  assumed  by  the  leaves  at  different 
seasons.  The  European  E.  alpinum  is  attractive,  and,  although 
naturalised  in  Britain,  is  worthy  of  a  place  in  many  gardens.  The 
Japanese  E.  Musschianum  is  at  present  very  pleasing  close  to  the 
edge  of  a  narrow  border.  Mussche’s  Barrenwort  is  not  so  fine  as 
E.  macranthum,  perhaps  the  finest  of  the  genus,  but  is  very  suit¬ 
able  for  such  a  position  as  that  in  which  it  is  grown  here  or  for  the 
rock  garden.  The  little  flowers  are  described  by  some  as  dull  white, 
but  the  qualification  of  “dull”  does  a  little  injustice  to  the  blooms. 
They  are  not  of  the  pure»t  white,  but  do  not  look  “dull  white” 
when  seen  on  the  plant  with  its  fresh-looking  leaves  formed  of 
nine  little  cordate-ovate  leaflets.  It  came  from  Japan  about  sixty 
years  ago.  and  a  figure  of  it  will  be  found  in  the  “  Botanical 
Magizioe,”  table  3745. 
Near  at  hand,  but  presenting  a  great  contrast  to  the  unassuming 
beauty  of  the  Barrenworts,  is  a  clump  of  the  old  Tulip  known  as 
Golden  Eagle.  There  has  been  of  late  a  general  effort  to  ascertain 
the  correct  names  of  some  of  these  old  garden  Tulips  cow  having 
their  renaissance.  This  variety  has  pretty  well  proved  its  right  to 
the  name,  which  has  also  bee  a  applied  to  another  showy  one,  the 
correct  name  of  which  is  Golden  Crown.  The  latter  is  at  first 
entirely  pure  yellow,  and  then  becomes  edged  with  red,  which 
gradually  broadens  as  the  flowers  reach  and  pass  their  perfect  stage. 
Golden  Eagle,  on  the  contrary,  retains  its  bright  yellow — perhaps  a 
little  deeper  than  that  of  Golden  Crown — to  the  end,  and  is  also 
less  pc  iated  in  the  segments,  and  with  me  is  hardly  so  tall.  I 
believe  both  are  referred  to  T.  Billietiana,  which  appears  to  be 
rather  a  variable  species,  and  comparison  certainly  givei  strength  to 
this  view.  Many  persons,  of  whom  I  am  one,  have  been 
misinformed  about  which  was  the  true  Golden  Eagle,  so  that  others 
may  be  the  better  of  the  present  remarks.  Both  are  effective 
Tulips  among  herbaceous  plants,  where  their  flowers  are  seen  to 
great  advantage. 
Soon  the  Narcissi  will  be  gone  for  the  year,  and  before  they 
depart  one  would  like  to  say  a  word  or  two  about  the  smallest  and 
neatest  of  the  Burbidgei  group.  Possibly  we  have  too  many 
varieties  among  these  hybrid  Narcissi,  and  the  value  of  some  is 
reduced  here  by  their  flowering,  not  before  but  contemporaneously 
with  N.  poeticus  ornatus.  There  are,  however,  some  very  beautiful 
flowers  among  these,  and  admirers  of  the  Narcissus  are  pleased 
that  one  group  at  least  bears  the  name  of  the  talented  curator 
of  Trinity  College  Gardens,  who  has  done  and  is  doing  so  much 
to  increase  the  knowledge  of,  and  love  for  the  Daffodil.  In 
gathering  together  my  small  collection  of  this  group  I  have 
included  a  good  proportion  of  those  with  yellow  or  primrose 
coloured  perianths  to  form  a  pleasing  variety  to  the  early  flowers  of 
the  poeticus  group.  Among  these  is  the  one  referred  to,  Little 
Dirk,  a  charming  little .  flower  of  sturdy  habit  and  good  sub¬ 
stance,  with  pleasing  primrose  perianth,  and  a  small  cup  with  a 
bright  orange-scirlet  edge.  Those  who  like  large  “floppy  ”  flowers 
had  better  leave  it  alone,  but  the  many  who  admire  small  blooms  of 
perfect  form  might  with  advantage  add  N.  Burbidgei  Little  Dirk 
to  their  gardens.  Too  soon  the  Poets’  Daffodils  will  have  departed 
to  join  the  others  in  their  summer  sleep.  Meanwhile  we  look  on 
them  admiringly  among  the  throng  of  other  flowers  which  have 
welcomed  the  coming  of  summer,  and  of  which  there  is  no  space  to 
tell. — S.  Arnott. 
IN  SEARCH  OP  SUNSHINE. 
The  Leapt  Groves  op  Sans  Souci. 
When  the  sun  is  glinting  the  young  leaves  in  the  magnificent 
avenue  of  the  Unter  den  Linden,  when  its  hot  rays  stream  from 
the  white  columns  of  the  Brandenburger  Thor,  then  does  young 
Germany  wend  its  way  to  Potsdam.  Make  no  charge  of  exaggera¬ 
tion  regarding  the  word  “  hot.”  It  was  the  28th  of  April,  but  a 
sun  of  fine  midsummer  quality  beat  down  on  the  queenly  capital 
of  Germania  Unitas.  The  white-hatted  cabbies  (some  of  whom 
have  heads  too  large  for  their  hats,  and  others  hats  too  large  for 
their  heads)  wagged  placid  slumber  ;  the  caf6  proprietors  took  out 
their  shop  fronts  bodily,  and  tossed  them  no  one  knows  where  ;  and 
dewy  globules  sparkled  on  the  duel-scars  of  the  long-legged  officers. 
Happy  those  whose  way  took  them  through  the  green  and  shadowed 
grove  of  Berlin’s  great  road  to  the  home  of  her  warrior  kings. 
I  had  made  no  particular  noise  about  my  intention  to  visit  Sans 
Souci,  nevertheless  I  found  a  considerable  crowd  at  the  station. 
My  gratification  at  this  fact  was  modified  by  the  discovery  that 
special  fast  trains  were  running,  and  this  afforded  another  explana¬ 
tion  of  the  presence  of  so  many.  It  is  just  half  an  hour’s  run 
from  the  important  Btation  called  the  Potsdamer  Bahnhof,  and 
here  let  me  express  a  sense  of  what  is  due  to  those  authorities 
who  have  made  Berlin  what  Bismarck  made  Germany — great, 
imperial,  and  impressive.  The  plan  of  the  town  is  such  as  to  make 
a  candid  cockney  weep  for  his  poor,  tortuous  muddle  of  a  London. 
Charles  Dickens  secured  immortality  for  Mr.  Weller  the  younger 
when  he  gifted  him  with  a  knowledge  of  the  dear,  dirty,  old 
metropolis  that  was  “  extensive  and  peculiar  ;  ”  but  a  German 
Dickens  could  not  make  a  German  Sam  by  a  similar  stroke  of 
genius.  The  great  streets  of  Berlin  run  in  a  vast  series  of 
parallelograms,  and  anyone  with  ordinary  intelligence  can  swiftly 
learn  to  make  his  way  from  one  part  to  another  without  rambling 
into  blind  alleys,  or  taking  short  cuts  which  add  to  the  distance. 
Moreover,- the  local  railways  put  plans  of  their  system  in  the  com¬ 
partments.  There  is  a  Ringbahn  or  circle  railway  in  addition  to 
the  great  State  lines,  and  by  a  little  study  of  the  plan  the  whole 
town  can  be  traversed  without  troubling  to  worry  people  with 
questions  in  a  language  you  only  half  understand. 
Berlin  does  not  plant  trees  in  all  its  streets,  but  in  addition  to 
the  wonderful  Linden  avenue,  which  is  some  70  yards  wide,  and  is 
a  Piccadilly,  Rotten  Row,  and  Clapham  Road  (with  the  tram  lines) 
all  in  one,  there  are  others,  such  as  the  Koniggratzerstrasse,  that 
are  tree-lined.  The  latter  skirts  the  large  park  known  as  the 
Thiergarten,  and  leads  direct  to  the  station  which  is  in  special 
connection  with  Potsdam.  There  are  dozens  of  streets  wider, 
finer,  and  infinitely  cleaner  than  Regent  Street.  All  the  buildings 
are  lofty  and  massive.  They  are  not  of  solid  stone,  although  they 
look  like  it ;  but  the  bricks  are  faced  with  what  may  be  termed 
plates  or  moulds  of  a  white  composition,  by  the  universal  use  of 
which  a  striking  and  bold  uniformity  is  secured  throughout  the 
whole  of  the  City.  It  would  be  of  no  use  to  follow  the  same  plan 
in  London  unless  a  facing  compound  could  be  employed  that  would 
defy  the  persistent  rain  of  powdery  filth  that  makes  us  so  sombre 
and  gloomy.  We  could  use  more  trees,  though,  especially  in  the 
making  of  new  thoroughfares. 
There  was  to  be  a  horticultural  party  to  Potsdam  on  the 
Saturday  following  the  opening  of  the  great  exhibition,  bat  I  had 
to  be  elsewhere  on  that  day,  and  so  I  went  earlier  alone.  In  this, 
had  any  formidable  obstacle  loomed  up,  I  could  have  found 
encouragement  in  the  example  of  Smollett,  who  liked  foreign 
travel,  and  liked  to  go  by  himself.  I  have  referred  to  the  large 
number  of  others  who  went  also.  I  was  a  little  surprised  to  see 
them  all  take  to  their  heels  a*  soon  as  they  got  out  of  the  train, 
but  the  explanation  came  when  I  turned  a  corner,  for  there  was  a 
pleasant  stream,  and  a  pleatant  bier-garten  beside  it  and  a  pleasant 
steamer  on  it.  I  had  no  idea  where  the  latter  went  save  a  vague 
speculation  that  it  might  be  to  San#  Souci  by  a  back  water  way  ; 
but  I  might  have  boarded  it  had  there  been  a  square  inch  of  surface 
left.  The  people,  however;  were  packed  like  American  Apples 
in  a  barrel,  and  were  just  about  as  plump  and  rosy.  It  is  not 
often  a  German  beer-garden  is  seen  empty  on  a  hot  day,  but 
