300 
April  2,  lg96. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
-  Gardening  Appointments, — Mr.  Alfred  Barnes,  for  the  past 
six  years  in  the  Orchid  department  of  the  Right  Hon.  J.  Chamberlain, 
M.P.,  Highbury,  Birmingham,  has  been  appointed  head  gardener  and 
Orchid  grower  to  Major-General  A.  H.  Hutchinson,  Owthorpe,  Bourne¬ 
mouth.  Mr.  T.  J.  Jones,  late  general  foreman  at  Craig-y-Nos,  has  been 
appointed  head  gardener  to  W.  A.  Gilbertson,  Esq.,  J.P.,  Glanrhyd, 
Pontardawe,  Swansea  Valley, 
-  Luculia  gratissima, — The  late  Mr.  Stevens  of  Trentham 
Gardens  attributed  his  successful  culture  of  this  fragrant  plant  to  the 
use  of  limestone  in  the  soil.  When  layers  were  removed  from  the  fine 
specimens,  then  trained  to  pillars  in  the  large  conservatory,  they  were 
potted  with  a  compost  into  which  broken  limestone  was  freely  mixed. 
This  note  may  be  of  service  to  those  who  were  interested  in  “  G.  S.’s  ” 
practical  article  on  the  subject,  page  263. — K. 
-  Primula  obconica. — A  correspondent  of  the  “  Naturalists’ 
Journal”  remarks  that  those  who  cultivate  this  greenhouse  plant 
should  be  careful  how  they  handle  it  if  their  skins  are  sensitive.  The 
hairs  which  clothe  the  leaves  have  a  very  strong  urticating  nature,  and  in 
some  instances  the  irritation  they  occasion  has  been  violent  enough  to 
cause  a  kind  of  blood  poisoning.  Upon  some  persons  the  fine  particles 
diffused  from  the  foliage  set  up  violent  sneezing.  One  florist  in 
Scotland  actually  lost  his  sight  from  drawing  his  hand  over  his  face  when 
he  had  been  working  amongst  some  of  these  plants. 
-  The  Persian  Dye  Plants.  —  The  plants  from  which  the 
celebrated  dyes  known  as  Henna  and  Reng  are  produced,  give  rise  to 
the  most  important  Persian  industry  next  to  that  of  cultivating  and 
weaving  silk,  according  to  the  British  Consul  at  Ispahan.  These  dyes 
have  been  used  from  ancient  times  all  over  the  East  in  the  adornment 
of  the  person.  They  are  applied  to  the  nails,  hands,  feet,  and  hair,  and 
in  Persia  the  venerable  grey  beard  is  seldom  seen,  for  it  is  dyed  bright 
red  or  black.  Henna  is  produced  from  Lawsonia  alba  (syn.  L.  inermis), 
a  shrubby  tree  that  grows  wild  in  the  Bam  district  of  Persia.  In  some 
places  it  is  used  for  dyeing  woollen  fabrics  yellow  or  brown,  when  alum 
and  sulphate  of  iron  are  employed.  Reng  seems  to  be  obtained  from 
the  Dyer’s  Woad  (Isatis  tinctorea?),  which  is  cultivated  at  Bam,  and  is  a 
biennial.  It  produces  a  deep  black  dye,  and  is  the  hair  dye  of  the 
country.  The  treatment  of  both  is  the  same.  The  leaf  is  pulverised  in 
mills,  which  form  a  feature  of  life  in  Yezd.  There  are  thirty-five  of 
them  in  the  town,  with  an  average  of  two  stones  each,  which  are  cut 
from  the  flint  rock  in  the  mountains  of  Mehriz,  about  thirty-six  miles 
off.  They  are  usually  8  feet  in  diameter  by  about  2  feet  thick,  and  the 
whole  mill  is  worked  by  a  camel.  According  to  a  contemporary,  about 
2£  cwts.  a  day  of  the  leaf  can  be  crushed,  three  camels  taking  it  in  turns. 
When  ground  to  fine  powder  the  Henna  is  packed  in  bags  of  25  drachms 
each  and  is  exported  to  all  parts  of  Persia  and  the  Caucasus.  When 
prepared  it  costs  2d.  to  3d.  per  lb.,  the  cheapest  quality  finding  its  way 
into  the  wilds  of  Kurdistan,  the  finest  into  the  palaces  of  Teheran. 
-  Weather  and  Crop  Prospects  in  Guernsey,— All  kinds 
of  outdoor  early  produce  bid  fair  to  be  fully  a  month  to  six  weeks  in 
advance  of  last  year  already  in  the  more  sheltered  places.  Potatoes  are 
ready  for  earthing  above  the  soil,  and  the  hedge  banks  have  long  been 
gay  with  Primroses.  The  crops  under  glass,  too,  having  had  the 
advantage  of  a  good  share  of  sun  heat  have  come  on  very  quickly,  and 
are  generally  looking  the  picture  of  good  health,  and,  except  for  an  odd 
case  here  and  there,  I  hear  very  little  at  present  of  disease  amongst 
Tomatoes.  At  some  of  the  early  places  picking  these  will  soon 
commence,  and  by  the  end  of  April  we  should  be  exporting  a  fair 
quantity.  Produce  also  in  the  unheated  houses,  such  as  Peas  and 
Potatoes,  has  made  good  progress  and  promises  a  good  return.  Broccoli 
and  Radishes  have  been  exported  freely  during  the  past  two  or  three 
weeks.  The  former,  however,  owing  I  expect  in  great  measure  to  the 
abundant  supply  from  many  sources,  has  realised  a  very  indifferent 
price  in  the  English  markets,  in  some  cases,  I  believe,  barely  clearing 
freights  and  expenses.  Radishes,  on  the  other  hand,  have  gone  off  very 
well  and  made  good  prices  all  round.  Bulbous  flowers  are  also  now 
going  away  in  large  quantities,  but  the  growers  generally  seem  anything 
but  satisfied  with  the  price  they  are  receiving  for  them,  one  large  grower 
whom  I  visited  last  week  saying  that  unless  prices  greatly  improved  he 
should  leave  a  considerable  quantity  unpicked,  which  seems  a  pity  after 
so  much  labour  in  planting  and  tending,  more  especially  as,  owing  to 
the  favourable  season,  all  the  Narcissi  are  remarkably  fine  this  year. 
Owing  to  the  abundance  of  grass  and  green  fodder  generally  cattle  have 
had  a  good  winter,  therefore  farmers  have  not  needed  to  make  heavy 
inroads  on  their  haystacks.  Last  year’s  Potatoes  are  almost  a  drug,  and 
are  selling  retail  at  about  3s.  the  cwt. — X, 
-  It  is  strange  that  in  Asia  and  Africa,  where  grass  will  not 
grow,  the  most  beautiful  flowers  and  shrubs  flourish  to  perfection. 
-  Mr.  E.  Molyneux. — The  many  friends  of  this  able  gardener 
will  be  pleased  to  hear  that  he  has  been  appointed  Steward  of  the 
Swanmore  estate  of  W.  H.  Myers,  Eeq.,  M.P.,  his  capacity  for  the  position 
having  been  proved  by  his  success  as  gardener  and  forester  during  a 
period  of  fifteen  years.  If  he  can  “  make  farming  pay  ”  and  also  satisfy 
the  occupants  of  90  acres  of  allotments  it  will  be  a  creditable 
achievement. 
-  Carnation  Uriah  Pike  — I  noticed  on  page  255,  Mr. 
Bardney  failed  to  flower  C.  Uriah  Pike  in  the  winter.  I  have  never 
grown  the  variety  in  question,  but  if  Mr.  Bardney  will  break  off  the 
shoots  at  the  base  of  some  of  the  plants,  and  take  cuttings  from  the 
shoots  that  will  form  on  the  flowering  stems,  it  will  cause  Uriah  or  any 
other  Carnation  to  flower  more  freely  than  layers  from  the  base  of  the 
plant. — A.  L.  G. 
-  Lachenalia  Leichtlini. — This  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
plants  in  cultivation  for  suspended  bakets.  The  foliage  droops  over  and 
around  the  basket,  and  forms  a  pleasing  contrast  to  the  spikes  of  golden 
flowers  which  stick  out  in  all  directions.  In  planting  the  bulbs  the 
first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  line  the  basket  with  moss,  and  place  the 
bulbs  so  that  they  will  grow  through  the  sides  as  well  as  the  top.  To 
those  who  have  only  seen  the  Lachenalia  in  pots  an  Irish  contemporary 
Btrongly  recommends  them  to  try  a  few  baskets  next  autumn,  and 
promises  them  they  will  not  regret  the  experiment. 
-  The  Heat  Wave  in  Australia. — “  In  reference  to  the  heat 
wave  in  Australia,”  writes  a  correspondent,  “  you  may  be  interested  in 
a  letter  I  had  from  my  son,  who  is  on  the  borders  of  New  South  Wales, 
about  300  miles  from  Broken  Hill.  Here  is  the  record  for  the  week 
ending  January  20th  : — 115°,  116°,  117°,  119°,  115°,  120°!  Since  then 
I  have  received  a  line  to  say,  ‘  We  are  all  done  up  ;  thermometer  at 
122°  in  the  shadiest  spot  we  can  hang  it  1  We  have  had  many  sad 
deaths,  among  others  our  poor  gardener.  Sheep  are  dying  by  thousands  ; 
horses  are  all  knocked  up  for  want  of  water  ;  the  millions  of  rabbits 
own  the  country  ;  and  this  drought  has  ruined  many  persons.’  ” 
-  Flora  of  Zerafshan. — In  a  communication  to  the  St. 
Petersburg  Society  of  Naturalists  (“  Proceedings,”  1895,  i.),  M.  Komaroff 
thus  sketches  the  flora  of  the  Zerafshan  region  of  Russian  Turkestan. 
The  Aral-Caspian  flora  covers  the  lowlands  up  to  the  1000  to  1500  feet 
level.  Next  comes  the  prairie,  or  Steppe,  zone,  which  spreads  up  to 
about  3500  feet  of  altitude.  In  its  upper  parts  it  is  characterised  by 
Steppe  bushes,  of  which  the  Almond  tree  (Amygdalus  spinosissimus, 
Bunge)  is  the  most  characteristic  representative.  Higher  up,  from 
3500  to  6000,  or  6200  feet,  comes  the  zone  of  deciduous  trees,  which  may 
be  sul divided  into  a  lower  sub-zone  of  Mediterranean  trees  (Pistacia 
vera,  Celtis  australis,  Amygdalus  communis,  Acer  monspessulanum,  &c.), 
with  a  prevalence  of  fragrant  Labiatae,  which  attains  approximately  the 
4500  feet  level ;  and  an  upper  sub-zone  characterised  by  Maple  trees 
(Acer  lactum).  The  zone  between  6000  feet  and  nearly  8500  feet  is 
taken  by  the  Juniperus  trees,  which  correspond  in  Zerafshan  to  the 
Coniferous  trees  of  other  regions.  It  is  covered  at  its  upper  limits  with 
rampant  bushes  of  Juniperus  nana  and  pseudosabina,  Comarum,  Coton- 
easter,  Lonicera,  Astragalus,  and  so  on.  The  Alpine  zone  attains  the 
levels  of  11,000  and  12,000  feet — the  morainic  plants,  Didymophysa 
fedtschenkoana,  Corydalis  fedtschenkoana,  Cerastium  lithospermifolium, 
Saxifraga  axillaris,  and  Allardia  tomentosa  reaching  the  highest 
altitudes.  On  the  Zerafshan  glacier,  at  a  spot  where  it  was  covered 
with  some  gravel,  the  author  found  specimens  of  Saxifraga  axillaris, 
Epilobium  latifolium,  Arabis  tibetica,  Poa  karatavica,  and  one  Carex — 
a  fact  which  shows  how  careful  one  must  be  in  interpreting  the  real 
sense  of  plant-bearing  strata  imbedded  amidst  morainic  deposits.  It  is 
also  worthy  of  note  that  the  botanic  zones  of  Zerafshan  very  much 
correspond  to  the  zonal  geological  structure  of  the  highlands.  The 
Aral-Caspian  flora  covers  the  teolic  deposits  of  the  great  desiccated 
inner  sea  of  Central  Asia ;  the  Steppe  flora  coverB  the  Loess  girdle  ;  the 
Mediterranean  trees  and  shrubs  occupy  the  limestone*  and  the  marls, 
while  the  Juniperus  zone  spreads  over  the  crystalline  slates  and  lime¬ 
stones,  and  the  Alpine  flora  covers  the  higher  granitic  massives  of  the 
highlands.  Man  evidently  alters  to  a  great  extent  the  character  of  the 
vegetation,  Pistachio  tree?  groves  and  the  Juniperus  excels*  trees  being 
rapidly  destroyed  ;  while  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  sheep  which  are 
brought  every  year  to  the  Zerafshan  mountains  from  the  lowlands 
entirely  destroy  the  Alpine  prairies,  thickets  of  Artemisia  dracunculus 
taking  the  place  of  the  grasses. — (“Nature.”) 
