178 
JOUENAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Angnafe  20,  1896'. 
-  Rhus  COTiyus. — This  interesting  old-fashioned  decidnoBS 
shrub,  known  as  the  Venetian  Sumach,  or  the  Wig  Tree — the  latter 
appellation  owing  to  the  fancied  resemblance  its  plume-like  inflorescence 
has  to  a  wig — appears  to  be  unusually  floriferous  this  year,  if  I  may 
judge  by  the  quantity  sold  in  the  Birmingham  market,  where  its 
elegant  pale-purple  coloured  trusses  have  been  much  admired.  The 
name  “  Wild  Olive,’’  arises  presumably  from  its  small  green-colo«ired 
Olive  fruit-like  berries,  resembling  the  latter  in  appearancei  It  is  a 
shrub  deserving  of  extended  introduction  amongst  shrubbery  borders 
and  other  suitable  positions,  the  wonder  being  that  it  has  been  com¬ 
paratively  little  grown. — G. 
-  Wakefield  Paxtox  Society.— At  the  ordinary  weekly 
meeting  of  the  members  of  this  Society,  held  on  the  8th  inst.,  a  goodly 
number  assembled  to  listen  to  an  essay  by  Mr.  G.  Bott  of  Walton,  one 
of  the  oldest  and  most  popular  members  of  the  Society.  Mr.  B,  Whiteley 
presided,  and  Mr.  L.  Dobinson  was  in  the  vice-chair,  and  the  attendance 
included  the  Mayor  (Councillor  Milnes)  and  the  ex-Mayor  (Councillor 
J.  Nicholson).  Mr.  Bott’s  subject  last  Saturday  evening  was  "Notes  on 
the  EosaceaB  Order,’’  and  in  a  well-prepared  paper,  the  reading  of  which 
occupied  about  forty  minutes,  he  dealt  with  the  subject  ’n  a  very  clever 
and  thorough  manner,  and  the  interesting  and  instructive  details  he 
gave  were  listened  to  with  the  closest  attention.  A  short  discussion 
ensued  on  the  paper. 
-  Trachelium  C(ERULEum.  —  Formerly  a  commonly  grown 
cultivated  plant,  this  pretty  blue-flowered  Throat  wort  is  now  seldom  found 
in  greenhouses.  It  was,  therefore,  a  surprise  to  many  who  saw  the  large 
number  of  plants  employed  by  Mr.  Pledger,  gardener  to  the  Rev.  B.  W. 
Northey  of  Epsom,  in  the  effective  plant  group  which  he  arranged  the 
other  day  at  that  place.  The  Trachelium  is  a  native  of  Italy,  and 
although  rarely  grown  as  such  is  usually  termed  a  hardy  herbaceous 
plant.  Practically  it  is  a  greenhouse  perennial,  as  it  is  easily  propagated 
by  cuttings  put  in  now  or  in  the  spring.  Many  years  ago  it  was  freely 
employed  to  form  specimen  pot  plants.  The  flowers  are  borne  in  broad 
flat  bracts  or  clusters,  are  small  like  those  of  Slatice  incana,  and  blue. 
Mr.  Pledger’s  plants  were  all  raised  from  seed  sown  in  the  spring.  They 
were  from  1 .5  to  18  inches  in  height,  and  blooming  profusely, — D, 
-  Linaeia  ALPIKa. — Visitors  to  the  Alps  or  other  European 
mountain  regions  cannot  fail  to  notice  a  beautiful  tufted  plant  growing 
in  moist  crevices  of  rocks  and  covered  with  attractive  flowers  of  a  deep 
violet-blue,  with  a  bright  golden  throat.  The  leaves  are  linear,  or 
almost  terete,  nearly  an  inch  long,  and  placed  four  in  a  whorl  around 
the  slender  stems.  The  flowers,  which  measure  about  half  an  inch  in 
length,  are  spurred  and  produced  in  terminal  loosely  capitate  racemes 
throughout  the  summer.  This  plant  is  one  of  the  most  desirable  and 
effective  rock  plants,  easy  to  grow  almost  anywhere,  and  readily 
increased  by  means  of  seeds.  If  grown  in  exposed  and  sunny  positions 
it  requires  an  occasional  watering  to  develop  the  best  qualities.  It 
thrives  best,  says  a  transatlantic  contemporary,  in  slightly  shady  places 
in  a  deep  and  moist  fissure,  or  where  it  is  protected  by  overhanging 
rocks  or  ledges,  or  close  to  a  waterfall,  where  the  air  is  moist  and  cool. 
Under  favourable  condiiions  it  forms  quite  large  tufts,  and  is  then  very 
effective, 
-  The  Prevention  of  Forest  and  Prairie  Fiees;  —  This 
is  a  matter  that  has  to  be  seriously  considered  in  many  of  the  United 
States,  especially  in  those  where  large  tracts  of  country  are  liable  to  he 
fired,  and  where  such  fires  are  likely  to  extend  to  villages  and  town¬ 
ships.  A  recent  report  from  the  Chief  Fire  Warden  of  Minnesota  shows 
in  a  very  clear  manner  the  organisation  provided  for  suppression  of 
forest  fires,  and  damage  to  State  forests.  The  Chief  Warden  appoints 
sub-wardens  in  the  various  localities,  while  mayors  of  cities  act  as  such, 
and  these  have  to  publish  an  abstract  of  the  penalties  proposed  under 
the  Act  to  prevent  the  lighting  of  prairie  and  forest  fires  ;  they  must 
co-operate  with  wardens  of  neighbouring  districts,  and  arrest  without 
warrant  any  found  violating  the  Act,  and  bring  such  before  a  magistrate. 
Railroad  Companies  in  Minnesota  have  to  use  spark-arresters  on  their 
locomotives,  and  keep  their  tracts  clear  of  combustible  matter.  They 
must  also  concentrate  all  available  help  to  extinguish  fires  occurring 
along  their  route.  Besides  his  duties  as  above  indicated,  the  Chief  Fire 
Warden  has,  says  a  contemporary,  to  investigate  the  extent  of  forests  in 
the  State,  the  cause  of  and  damage  done  by  fires,  and  methods  for 
promoting  re-growth  of  timber,  Minnesota  has  about  6,000,000  acres  of 
prairie  land,  and  during  the  year  73,000  acres  were  burned  over,  in 
addition  to  8000  acres  of  forest.  The  damage  was  estimated  at 
1325  dollars. 
-  Buttons’  Tender  and  True  Bean.  —  I  found  this  fine 
climbing  Bean  in  great  form  the  other  day,  both  at  Ampthill  House 
and  at  Wrest  Park.  Both  Mr.  Empson  at  the  former  and  Mr.  McKinlay 
at  the  latter  place  are  good  vegetable  gardeners,  and  speak  in  the 
highest  terms  of  Tender  and  True.  I  found  the  average  height  when 
well  grown  to  be  from  5  to  6  feet,  If  the  bottom  or  bushy  growth  be 
reduced  when  the  plants  begin  to  climb  the  bine  will  go  much  higher. 
Not  only  is  the  crop  of  beans  produced  a  very  heavy  one,  but  the  pods- 
seem  longer  and  cleaner  than  are  those  on  the  ordinary  dwarf  or 
Canadian  Wonder  strain.  The  soil  throughout  the  district  is  very  sandy,, 
but  in  any  case  Beans  do  well  there.  With  Tender  and  True  and  any 
good  Ne  Plus  Ultra  stock  of  the  Scarlet  Runner  garden  needs  seem  to  be 
fully  satisfied. — A.  D. 
-  Recreation  and  Health  in  Botanising. — “All  work  and' 
no  play  makes  Jack  a  dull  boy,’’  and  physicians  prescribe  against 
overwork.  They  send  their  patients  abroad,  to  the  mountains,  or  the  seas,  in 
fact  anywhere  that  is  far  enough  eff  to  get  them  away  from  their  daily 
avocation,  and  give  them  a  rest  and  a  change  of  scene  and  air.  Some 
of  them  take  their  own  medicine,  but  others  do  not.  Dr.  Koenig,  says 
‘‘  Gardening  ”  (American),  believes  in  practising  the  doctrine  he  preaches,- 
and  in  botany  he  finds  recreation  and  relief  from  worldly  cares.  He 
has  set  all  Thursday  afternoons  aside  for  field  botany.  On  those  after¬ 
noons  he  slings  his  tin  specimen  case  over  his  shoulder,  and  with  a 
genial  companion  or  two  betakes  himself  to  the  woods  and  fields. 
Every  step  is  interesting  to  him,  every  plant  is  a  familiar  friend,  and 
whenever  a  wild  plant  not  known  before  to  be  indigenous  in  the 
county  is  first  discovered  in  it,  the  find  is  of  scientific  value.  Only  a 
person  with  botany  in  his  heart,  as  the  Doctor  has  it,  can  appreciate 
the  intense  pleasure  to  be  had  in  these  outings.  Dr.  Koenig  is  preparing 
a  handbook  of  the  plants  found  wild  in  this  county. 
-  The  Butteeworts. — These  are  very  ornamental  bog  plants, 
looking  at  first  sight  something  like  very  large  Violets.  The  common 
species  (Pinguiciila  vulgaris)  is  frequent  at  the  north  of  this  kingdom, 
often  growing  at  some  elevation  on  mountains,  as  on  some  of  the 
Snowdon  range.  It  is  the  plant  long  famous  in  Lapland  as  the  T&t 
Gras,  and  in  daily  use  there  for  coagulating  milk*  The  leaves  of  this 
species  all  grow  rourd  the  root,  and  are  of  dull  yellowish  colour,  some¬ 
times  looking  as  if  they  were  cut  out  of  parchment.  The  edges  roll 
inward,  and  are  so  bestudded  with  little  dots  that  one  might  fancy  that 
powdered  glass  bad  been  scattered  upon  them  ;  while  if  the  leaf,  or 
flower-stalks,  or  cups  are  touched  by  the  finger,  they  are  felt  to  have  so- 
greasy  a  surface  that  we  wonder  not  that  the  Hollander  calls  the  plant 
smeerblow.  This  clammy  substance  arises  from  the  dots  or  glands,  and 
is  said  to  prove  destructive  to  a  minute  kind  of  gnat  or  midge,  so 
common  on  marshy  lands.  The  stalk  of  this  plant  is  about  -1  inches 
high.  In  Wales  the  Butterwort  is  made  into  a  pleasant,  though  not  verjr 
strongly  flavoured  syrup,  by  boiling  it  with  sugar. 
-  A  New  Grape. — Under  the  name  of  "  Mrs.  Wingfield ’’  Mr. 
J.  W.  Empson,  gardener  to  that  lady  at  Ampthill  House,-  Bedfordshire# 
exhibited  at  the  Drill  Hall  last  year  a  Grape  which  seemeij.to  be  to  the 
Fruit  Committee  too  near  to  Madresfield  Court,  though  submitted  as- 
distinct,  and  as  being  stouter  in  skin  and  a  much  better  keeper.  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  this  Grape  “  Mrs.  Wingfield  ’’  the  other  day,  and' 
had  not  the  least  difficulty  in  coming  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  very 
distinct  from  Madresfield  Court.  It  is  not  represented  as  Mr.  Empson’s 
seedling.  Really  it  came  from  a  nursery  as  Muscat  Hamburgh,  which  it 
certainly  is  not.  In  planting  the  span  vinery  in  which  it  is  growing 
several  years  since,  it  fortunately  happened  that  it  came  next  to  Madres¬ 
field  Court,  and  the  diversity  found  in  habit  and  general  character  bas- 
from  the  first  been  evident.  Now,  when  the  leafage  of  the  Madresfield 
is  already  showing  largely  the  familiar  redness,  that  of  Mrs.  Wingfield 
is  as  green  and  as  luxuriant  as  that  of  Gros  Colman.  Then  the  bunches 
of  the  Madresfield  are  of  the  usual  long,  tapering  or  Muscat  form, 
whilst  of  the  new  variety  they  are  more  like  Alicante  clusters,  quite 
massive  in  shape.  Really  the  Grape  has  the  long — if  not,  indeed,  longer — 
oval  berry  of  the  Madresfield,  with  its  rich  flavour,  and  the  cluster,, 
form,  and  stout  skin  and  colour  of  the  Alicante.  That  it  is  a  fine  keeper 
and  will  hang  well  till  March  Mr.  Empson  has  fully  proved.  For  that 
reason  it  should  make  a  fine  market  Grape.  The  Vine  is  carrying 
numerous  bunches,  and  some  of  them  will  be  sent  to  the  Drill  Hall  in 
the  winter  that  the  Fruit  Committee  may  see  it  again.  The  house  in 
which  it  is  planted  was  started  in  January.  Mr.  Empson  thinks  that  in 
a  later  honse  started  in  March  the  variety  would  keep  as  long  as  any 
Alicante.  How  it  originated  is  not  known.  It  seems  to  be,  as  seen 
at  Ampthill,  a  remaikably  valuable  late  Grape. — A.  D. 
