October  1,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
3.‘51 
his  Koses,  bis  horses,  bis  foxes,  or  bis  farm  were  nearest  to  Mr. 
Machin’s  heart  ;  bat,  upon  my  honour,  I  would  be  rather  inclined  to 
back  the  Boses,  and  it  was  delightful  to  me  to  see  a  young  squire,  who 
had  been  cub  hunting  all  the  early  morning,  so  deep  and  keen  and  learned 
in  bis  buds  and  stocks,  maidens  and  cut-backs. 
The  Roses,  especially  the  H.P.’s,  seemed  to  be  still  in  good  bloom  ; 
and  if  Mr.  Machin’s  blooms  are  often  not  ready  for  the  Crystal  Palace, 
they  seem  to  continue  in  season  after  it  for  a  far  longer  time  than 
mine  do.  They  were  not  very  large,  but  of  capital  quality.  A  perfect 
bloom  could  be  found  of  almost  any  variety  with  little  trouble.  The 
Roses  are  grown  in  single  rows,  in  quarters,  something  in  the  way  of 
professional  style  ;  and  the  three  forms  of  Briar,  Manetti,  and  Polyantha 
are  used  as  stocks.  Standards  did  not  seem  very  successful.  Boxes 
with  glass  tops  were  used  instead  of  the  usual  paper  cones  for  proteoting 
the  Tea  blooms  from  rain.  They  have  at  least  this  advantage,  that  yon 
can  see  how  the  bloom  is  progressing  without  removing  the  protection. 
The  newer  sorts  were  all  well  represented,  and  a  large  quantity  of 
garden  and  single  Roses  are  also  grown.  Mr.  Machin  has  a  charming 
old-fashioned  kitchen  garden  and  pleasant  grounds  round  his  house,  but 
his  Rosea  are  the  feature.  He  has  a  capital  shed  with  every  convenience 
for  staging,  and,  indeed,  has  won  a  great  many  prizes  during  this  year 
and  the  last.  I  am  not  much  afraid  of  the  Roses  losing  their  place  in 
his  care  and  regard.  When  I  went  into  his  sanctum  a  large  table  was 
covered  with  labels,  and  a  list  of  Roses  was  posted  up  against  his  looking- 
glass.  There  was  a  well  used  fox  earth  but  a  few  yards  from  the  end  of 
his  Rose  quarter  in  a  small  cover,  but  Mr.  Reynard  was  carefully  fenced 
against  to  keep  him  out.  Yes,  I  think  the  Roses  will  win,  and  I  hope 
they  will.— W.  R.  Raillem. 
CENTAUREA  MACROCEPHALA. 
Some  of  the  Centaureas  are  common  occupants  of  gardens,  such  as 
the  silvery  foliaged  C.  ragusina  and  the  numerous  varieties  of  the  Corn¬ 
flower,  C.  cyanus,  but  there  are  others  that  are  seldom  seen  though  well 
worthy  of  a  place  in  any  border.  The  plant,  of  which  a  flower  head  is 
represented  in  flg  63,  is  a  bold  and  effective  Centaurea  in  suitable 
positions.  It  is  sometimes  designated  coarse,  but  that  is  not  worth 
much  consideration,  for  it  applies  equally  to  scores  of  other  excellent 
plants.  It  attains  the  height  of  6  feet  in  good  soil,  and  bears  large 
globular  golden  flower  heads,  that  look  well  rising  above  other  plants  in 
the  foreground.  There  are  no  special  difficulties  in  its  culture,  as  almost 
any  soil  suits  it,  but  it  is  a  strong  rooting  plant,  and  in  consequence  thrives 
in  a  deep  well  dug  border.  It  is  increased  by  division  or  seeds. — M. 
THE  PARTS  AND  FUNCTIONS  OF  FLOWERS. 
A  Few  Elementaey  Botany  Notes. 
Flowers  are  among  the  richest  objects  of  animated  Nature  which 
are  always  welcome,  whether  they  are  seen  growing  wild  or  cultivated. 
Their  attractive  colours  seem  to  appeal  to  our  cultivated  tastes,  and  our 
love  of  them  must  soften  our  natures,  making  us  more  receptive  of  their 
influence,  and  the  desire  to  know  more  about  them  becomes  paramount. 
We  seek  to  know  the  why  and  wherefore  of  their  existence.  It  is  a  grand 
thought  to  feel  that  they  have  been  placed  on  the  earth  to  beautify  it 
and  to  add  to  the  pleasures  of  our  senses  of  sight  and  smell.  They 
certainly  do  this,  and  more.  The  diversified  forms  and  colours  with 
which  they  present  themselves  have  a  deeper  meaning  and  wider  objects 
than  at  first  sight  appears.  When  we  come  to  study  botany,  even  in  its 
elementary  aspect,  we  soon  discover  that  the  colours  and  markings  serve 
more  important  objects  than  a  mere  temporary  display  of  beauty.  Their 
main  office  is  to  serve  the  plant  well  on  which  they  grow  by  endeavouring 
to  perfect  the  seed,  thus  providing  for  the  continuation  of  the  species. 
Cultivation  sometimes  thwarts  this  object,  preventing  the  normal  pro¬ 
duction  of  seed  by  cultivating  certain  tendencies  which  may  have  been 
accidentally  exhibited,  these  departures  from  the  strictly  normal 
functions  of  certain  organs  being  chiefly  noticeable  in  the  conversion  of 
stamens  into  petals  by  which  semi-double  and  double  forms  of  flowers 
are  produced. 
The  laws  of  plant  life  have  been  carefully  studied  by  botanists  from 
Linnaeus  dovrnwards,  until  now  there  has  accumulated  a  mass  of  know¬ 
ledge  of  plants.  Founded  on  this  theoretical  knowledge,  which  has  been 
subjected  to  the  strictest  scientific  investigations  and  proved  to  be 
reliable,  nearly  all  our  successful  practical  methods  in  the  pursuit  of 
agriculture  and  horticulture  have  been  built  up. 
A  knowledge  of  botany  explains  why  the  practical  methods  we  adopt 
in  propagation  are  successful  and  also  why  we  fail.  There  are  reasons 
for  both,  and  it  is  at  least  interesting  to  know  that  they  can  be  pointed 
out.  It  is  not  necessary  to  disguise  the  fact  that  there  are  practical 
gardeners  who  think  very  little  of  studying  botany,  and  term  it  only  fit 
for  young  ladies.  They  overlook  the  palpable  evidence  that  they  as 
practical  men  are  possessed  of  considerable  botanical  knowledge,  but  as 
they  have  not  obtained  it  theoretically  but  practically  the  fact  is  ignored 
that  it  originally  sprang  from  botanical  researches. 
Having  taken  some  interest  in  elementary  botany,  and  feeling  that 
perhaps  some  among  the  younger  readers  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture 
might  scan  with  pleasure  a  few  notes,  imperfect  perhaps,  hut  yet 
calculated  to  excite  further  search  into  the  subject,  I  offer  them  as  a 
whetter  to  their  appetites  and  a  recommendation  to  pursue  the  study  as 
opportunity  permits.  Flowers  being  more  or  less  conspicuous  organs 
a  general  definition  of  them  as  seen  upon  plants  and  divided  into 
separate  parts  is  at  first  essential. 
When  referring  to  the  whole  of  the  flowers  on  one  stem  the- 
cbmprehensive  term  inflorescence  is  applied.  This  term  is  alike  appli¬ 
cable  to  an  arrangement  which  only  comprises  one  flower  as  it  is  to  an 
arrangement  which  includes  more.  Infiorescenses  are  of  three  kinds — 
definite,  indefinite,  aud  mixed,  A  definite  inflorescence  consists  of  one 
on  which  a  flower  is  borne  on  an  apparent  extremity  of  growth,  but 
below  it  others  branch  forth,  forming  an  arrangement  of  flowers  which 
differ  somewhat  in  the  different  species,  but  yet  have  the  same  general 
term — definite.  The  Chrysanthemum,  Carnation,  and  Pink  are  examples. 
FIG.  63.— CESTATTEEA  MACEOGEPHALA. 
An  indefinite  inflorescence  is  one  in  which  the  individual  flowers 
commence  to  open  at  the  base,  and  continue  opening  for  an  indefinite 
period  until  all  the  flowers  have  been  developed.  In  the  meantime  the 
older  flowers  may  have  died  or  dropped  off.  A  spike  is  a  good  example 
of  an  Indefinite  inflorescence,  being  an  assemblage  of  single  flowers  upon 
a  stem.  Quite  another  form  of  inflorescence  is  also  indefinite — viz.,  a 
capitulum  or  head  of  flowers.  This  is  indefinite  in  the  way  that  the 
outside  flowers  of  a  Thistle,  Dandelion,  Daisy,  single  Dahlia,  and  other 
composite  flowers  open  first,  the  younger  or  centre  last.  Perhaps  this 
is  not  quite  clear.  Wp  commonly  speak  of  the  whole  inflorescence  as 
the  flower  or  bloom,  whereas  it  is  really  made  up  of  a  number  of  very 
small  flowers  set  closely  together.  This  collection  of  small  flowers  is 
usually  surrounded  by  a  circular  row  of  petals,  sometimes  coloured, 
frequently  white,  for  instance  the  Cineraria  and  the  Marguerite  or  Paris 
Daisy.  In  a  spike  of  flowers  the  individual  blooms  are  more  con¬ 
spicuous  even  when  closely  set  together,  but  as  a  rule  they  are  detached. 
If  such  a  spike  having  closely  set  flowers  were  flattened  down  into  a 
round  compact  head  by  pressure  from  the  top,  the  arrangement  of  the 
small  flowers  would  be  similar  to  that  we  see  in  a  capitulum  or  head,  i  ^ 
In  some  spikes  the  flowers  are  sessile,  which  means  that  they  have 
