498 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  25,  1897. 
habitat,  there  seems  to  be  something  very,  very  like  reason  and 
intelligence  at  work. 
Of  the  Nicaraguan  Acacia  every  thorn  is  tenanted  by  ants,  and 
if  the  plant  is  shaken  they  swarm  out  and  attack  the  aggressor,  and 
so  protect  the  tree  from  browsing  animals,  and  more  especially 
from  the  leaf-cutting  ants,  which  are  otherwise  terribly  destructive. 
The  plant  secretes  honey  for  its  guests,  and  fruit- like  bodies  grown  on 
the  leaflets  and  the  whole  contents  of  the  spines  are  evidently  meant 
for  their  support.  These  ants  are  not  known  to  exist  anywhere  else, 
and  whenever  i\Ir.  Bell  sowed  the  seeds  of  this  Acacia  where  none  of 
its  friendly  ants  existed  the  seedlings  were  promptly  devoured  by  the 
leaf-cutting  ants. 
The  Harebell  and  the  Daisy  seem  to  have  nothing  in  common,  or 
at  least  very  little;  yet  it  is  evident  that  they  mark  the  opposite 
extremes  of  one  and  the  same  series.  A  common  ancestor  for  both  is 
evident.  “  These  transition  forms,”  says  Oswald,  “  Harebell,  Bampion, 
Shee2)’s-bit,  Hemp,  Agrimony,  and  Daisy  have  deviated,  each  more  or 
less,  from  the  direct  line  by  reason  of  adaptation  to  climate  and  sur¬ 
roundings,  as  well  as  to  the  severe  competition  to  secure  a  place  in 
Nature.”  How,  without  conscious  intelligence,  are  we  to  explain  these 
gradual  adaptations  ? — {Paper  read  by  Mr.  W.  Pickard  at  a  meeting 
of  the  Sheffield  Chrysanthemum  Society.') 
(To  be  concluded.) 
COLOURED  BARK  FOR  WINTER  EFFECT. 
During  winter,  when  deciduous  trees  and  shrubs  are  destitute  of 
leaves,  it  is  interesting  to  notice  the  great  variation  of  colour  produced  by 
the  young  stems  of  various  genera  and  species.  In  some  cases  the  bark  is 
so  highly  coloured  as  to  make  it  worth  while  to  grow  groups  of  those 
things  on  purpose  for  the  winter  effect. 
It  is  also  interesting  to  notice  the  difference  in  the  colour  of  the  stems 
of  different  species  of  one  genus.  In  the  genus  Rubus,  for  instance,  we 
have  a  wide  variation  of  colour.  In  Salix  the  same  thing  occurs,  and  in 
some  species  a  wide  difference  occurs  also  in  the  varieties.  In  other 
genera  one  colour  appears  to  prevail  in  the  whole  of  the  species,  differing 
only  in  shade.  The  genera  which  are  most  productive  of  coloured 
stemmed  species  are  Rosa,  Rubus,  Cornus,  Salix,  Acer,  Spirsea,  Phila- 
delphus,  Betula,  Berberis,  and  Tamarix,  with  odd  species  from  other 
genera. 
Among  species  of  Roses,  some  of  the  best  coloured  are  R.  Carolina,  R. 
lucida,  R.  nutkana,  R.  ferruginea,  R.  pomifera,  R.  acicularis,  and  R. 
blanda  with  red  stems,  R.  rugosa  with  light-coloured  bark  thickly  covered 
with  brown  spines,  and  R.  alpina  with  red  stems  thinly  coated  with 
purplish  bloom,  the  latter  being  the  most  conspicuous  of  all. 
Many  of  the  species  of  Rubus,  such  as  R.  villosus,  R.  corylifolius,  and 
R.  laciniatus,  have  red  stems,  but  more  conspicuous  are  those  which 
have  their  stems  coated  more  or  less  thickly  with  white  bloom.  The 
best  of  these  are  ctesius,  lasiostylis,  biHorus,  leucodermis,  neglectus,  and 
laeemosus.  Cmsius  has  red  stems  coated  with  grey  bloom,  the  bloom  not 
being  too  thick  to  hide  the  red  beneath.  Lasiostylis  is  a  Chinese  species, 
resembling  in  habit  our  common  Raspberry.  The  stems  are  thickly 
entered  with  white  bloom  and  short  purple  spines.  BiHorus  is,  perhaps, 
the  most  consp  cuous  of  the  whole  group.  It  is  a  temperate  Himalayan 
plant  of  vigorous  habit.  The  stems  are  so  thickly  coated  with  white 
bloom  that  people  often  imagine  that  they  have  been  painted.  It  is, 
without  doubt,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  our  coloured  stemmed 
shrubs.  Next  to  this  the  most  striking  is  neglectus.  In  this  case  the 
stems  are  bright  red,  and  thinly  covered  with  white  bloom,  with  occa¬ 
sional  thicker  patches  of  bloom  which,  in  some  lights,  has  a  violet 
tinge.  Leucodermis  has  red  stems  thickly  coated  with  bloom.  Added 
to  these  there  are  deliciosus,  spectabilis,  and  odoratus  with  light  brown 
stems,  and  phisniculasius  with  green  and  red  stems  thickly  covered 
with  reddish  brown  hairs,  and  a  few  strong  spines  of  the  same  colour. 
Q  have  the  red,  yellow,  and  purple  barked  forms  of 
o.  vitellina,  the^  yellow  stems  of  lucida,  daphnoides  with  the  young  shoots 
coated  with  white  bloom,  and  fragilis  var.  basfordiana,  a  tree  of  consider¬ 
able  size,  with  the  young  growths  red  and  yellow. 
^ke  genus  Cornus  adds  considerably  to  our  list,  as  some  of  the  very 
best  coloured  stemmed  plants  belong  to  this  family.  The  most  con¬ 
spicuous  are  alba  and  its  varieties,  Baileyi,  Nuttalli,  amomiim,  sanguinea, 
and  stolonifera  with  red  stems,  and  alternifolia  with  dark  purple  stems  ; 
also  a  yellow  stemmed  variety  stolonifera. 
ornamental  stems,  the  most  noticeable  being  Ginnala, 
which  has  the  old  wood  brown  and  the  young  red,  japonicum  and 
varieties,  and  palmatum  with  stems  varying  in  the  different  varieties  from 
grey  to  dark  red,  and  argutum  with  bright  red  stems. 
.  ^  Spirasa  and  Philadelphus  the  stems  of  most  of  the  species  are 
bright  brown,  the  colour  being  more  marked  throughout  the  latter  than 
the  former  genus.  Of  Spirasas  the  brightest  are  S.  salicifolia,  canescens, 
japonica  va,r.  glabrata,  bracteata,  media,  arguta,  and  Menziesi.  Several  of 
the  Berberis  have  red  or  brown  bark,  the  most  noticeable  species  being 
virescens  with  red,  and  integerrima  with  dark  brown  stems. 
1  other  genera  which  have  one  or  more  species  with  bright- 
co  oured  bark  there  is  Tamarix,  with  very  dark  purple,  almost  black 
s  ems.  Ribes,  with  the  species  sanguineum,  with  reddish-brown  stems  ; 
aureum,  with  brown  ;  alpinum,  with  grey  stems  ;  and  speciosum,  with 
e  young  wood  light  and  the  old  wood  dark.  Neillia  opulifolia  var. 
lutea  has  bright  brown  bark,  as  also  has  Stephanandra  flexuosa  and 
Nevinsia  alabamensis.  Added  to  these  we  have  the  bright  green  of 
Kerria  japonica,  and  the  numerous  species  of  Cytisus  and  Genista  ;  also 
the  greenish-brown  young  wood  of  Staphylea  trifolia,  and  the  red  stems 
of  several  of  the  species  of  Ceanothus.  Although  not  exactly  beautiful, 
the  winged  stems  of  Euonymus  alatus  are  interesting.  The  stems  are 
four  cornered,  the  angles  being  formed  of  cork,  which  extends  along  the 
whole  of  the  growth. 
Among  trees  we  have  the  bright  brown  of  Taxodiiim  distichum,  the 
silvery  trunks  of  Beech,  and  the  golden  bark  of  Fraxinus  excelsior  var. 
aurea,  together  with  a  great  variation  among  the  species  of  Birch.  Of 
the  latter  the  common  Birch,  Betula  alba,  is  well  known,  its  white  trunk 
and  dark  pendulous  branches  being  very  consjucuous  among  other  trees. 
Besides  this  there  are  papyrifera  and  ulmifolia  var.  costata,  both  with 
white  bark  ;  Ermanni,  with  the  old  bark  dark  brown,  which  during 
winter  peels  off,  leaving  the  young  bark  beneath  white  ;  and  lutea  and 
nigra,  with  dark  brown  bark.  The  manner  in  which  large  strips  of  the 
outer  bark  of  nigra  peel  off  is  very  interesting.  A  plant  of  this  should  be 
found  in  all  collections. 
Many  more  plants  could  be  mentioned  which  are  more  or  less  useful 
and  interesting  from  a  gardener’s  point  of  view,  but  these  will  be  sufficient 
to  show  what  a  wide  variation  of  colour  exists  in  the  bark  of  hardy  trees 
and  shrubs.  The  colour  is  always  best  in  well-grown  first  year’s  wood, 
so  it  is  necessary  to  aim  at  good  wood  each  year  if  an  effect  is  wanted. 
In  large  gardens  or  parks  a  few  masses  of  these  coloured  stemmed  plants 
will  be  found  an  acceptable  addition,  especially  as  some  will  grow  where 
really  good  flowering  shrubs  would  be  a  failure.  By  the  side  of  a  pond  or 
lake,  or  on  a  marshy  piece  of  land,  the  varieties  of  Salix  vitellina  would 
be  at  home.  (It  may  be  mentioned,  in  passing,  that  to  obtain  the  best 
colour  from  these  the  wood  should  be  cut  hard  back  each  spring,  so  that 
long  young  shoots  are  made.) 
In  drier  places  masses  of  Cornus  would  look  well,  particularly  if 
planted  thinly  and  the  ground  beneath  carpeted  with  Winter  Aconites, 
Snowdrops,  Chionodoxas,  or  kindred  plants.  The  white  Rubus  looks  well 
when  grown  near  masses  of  evergreen  shrubs.  Masses  of  Cornus 
sanguinea,  species  of  Roses,  and  Spirmas  might  be  made  in  parks  and 
plantations,  where,  besides  being  bright  in  winter,  they  would  be  useful 
as  cover  for  birds.  Most  of  the  plants  mentioned  are  of  the  easiest 
cultivation.  Many  grow  well  in  inferior  soil,  but  it  is  better  to  give  a 
little  good  soil  to  last  the  plants  for  the  first  year  or  two ;  after  they  have 
once  become  well  established  they  will  take  care  of  themselves.— W.  D. 
CULTIVATION  OF  PERENNIALS. 
Perennials  are  becoming  veiy  fashionable,  and  deservedly  so,  as 
they  are  better  suited  to  our  climate  and  give  a  greater  display  for  a 
longer  period  than  man}'  of  our  tender  bedding-out  plants  that  require 
housing  nearly  eight  months  in  the  twelve.  What  is  more  beautiful  in  the 
autumn  months  than  a  carefully  selected  border  of  perennials,  planted  in 
large  patches,  coming  into  flower  just  as  the  tender  bedding- out  plants  are 
almost  past  their  best? 
,  Many  of  the  tall-grow  ng  sorts  are  suitable  f(jr  room  or  table 
decoration,  as  they  can  be  cut  with  a  good  length  of  stein  ;  in  fact  some 
are  quite  as  suitable  for  that  purpose  as  many  of  our  “  stove  ”  or  “green¬ 
house  ”  flowers,  and  when  arranged  with  taste  the  effect  is  all  that  can 
be  desired. 
Perennials  require  good  cultivation,  as  they  soon  exhaust  the  soil  of 
nourishment  ;  and  on  that  account  wo  make  a  practice  of  lifting  all  plants 
every  third  year,  and  give  the  border  a  good  manuring,  putting  in 
plenty  of  leaf  mould  and  wood  ashes  along  with  the  manure. 
Although  perennials  can  be  planted  almost  any  period  in  the  winter 
and  spring  months,  I  consider  November  the  best  time  to  lift  and 
re-arrange  them,  provided  the  weather  prove  suitable  for  the  operation,  as 
the  jdants  will  then  make  fresh  roots  and  establish  themselves  before  the 
shortest  day.  Our  soil  being  rather  light  and  of  a  sandy  nature  here,  I 
make  a  practice  of  putting  the  manure  next  to  the  subsoil,  thereby 
inducing  the  roots  downwards,  so  that  should  the  summer  be  very  hot  and 
dry,  they  are  then  able  to  withstand  the  drought  with  impunity. 
Perennials  require  as  much  attention  in  their  culture  as  any  other 
plants  if  good  results  are  expected,  and  when  well  arranged,  according  to 
height,  in  a  long  border  they  are  very  effective  indeed. 
Calceolarias  give  a  poor  return  for  the  labour  bestowed  on  them, 
especially  in  a  very  dry  season,  as  we  have  discarded  them  altogether  and 
found  an  excellent  substitute  in  Viola  Ardwell  Gem.  This  Viola  is  very 
sweet  scented,  the  colour  very  pleasing  to  the  eye,  being  of  a  bright  lemon, 
and  is  greatly  admired  by  all  classes.  I  have  not  seen  any  Viola  that 
can  surpass  it  in  constitution,  and  for  standing  the  drought.  It  also 
ffowers  longer  than  any  I  know  of,  throwing  the  flowers  well  above  the 
foliage. 
Before  ending  this  note  on  perennials  I  may  here  remark  that  if 
successful  results  are  anticipated  the  plants  must  be  lifted  regularly  as 
advised  above,  or  they  will  soon  overgrow  themselves,  and  then  look 
very  unsightly  ;  instead  of  throwing  up  good  spikes  of  flower  they  will 
degenerate.  On  the  other  hand,  if  done  as  recommended,  they  will  give 
satisfaction  to  employer  and  employed  alike.  Such  has  been  my 
experience  in  different  localities.  I  think  there  is  a  great  future  for 
herbaceous  perennials,  as  they  make  a  grand  display  when  carefully 
selected,  surpassing  our  tender  bedding-out  plants,  and  are  also  more 
useful  for  cutting  and  decorative  purposes.  There  is  an  endless  variety 
of  perennials,  and  tastes  differ  so  much,  that  I  defer  giving  a  list  of  aiiy 
specially. — W.  K.  Pettigrew,  Ileuell  Grange  Gardens. 
