Shakespeare  and  Crocuses. 
Although  Shakespeare  does  not  mention  the  Crocus  by  that 
name,  be  does  not  omit  references  to  it  in  his  works,  as  seems  to 
be  suppo^d,  since  he  speaks  of  the  Saffron,  the  common  name  in 
bis  time  for  all  the  Q'ocuses,  and  even  for  the  Colchicums.  The 
a  Errors,”  “  Winter’s  Tale,”  and 
Alls  Well  that  Ends  Well”  appear  to  apply  to  the  product  of 
Crocus  sativus,  then  long  cultivated  for  its  stigmata,  which  were 
used  as  a  medicine  a  dye,  and  a  confection.  The  following  quo- 
^ation  from  The  Tempest  ”  is  not  so  clear.  It  is : 
Wbo  Li.e.,  Ins],  with  thy  Saffron  wings  upon  my  flowers 
-nittusest  honeydrops,  refreshing  showers.” 
If  the  correspondent  of  the  “  Daily  Chronicle  ”  (see  page  291  of 
our  i^ue  for  Apnl  3)  should  chance  to  see  this,  he  might  well  pro¬ 
cure  Canon  Ellacombe’s  “Plant-Lore  and  Garden-Craft  of  Shake¬ 
speare,,  '^hich  will  give  a  great  deal  of  information  worth 
knowing. — S.  Arnott. 
Early  Wasps. 
,  I  read  mider  the  heading  “Early  Wasps,”  in  a  recent  issue  of 
tbe  Journal,  that  last  year  there  was  an  unusually  small  number 
or  wasps.  I  must  differ  from  your  correspondent,  “  W.  G.,”  for 
about  here,  the  West  Riding  of  Yorkshire,  w'e  were  simply  eaten 
up  with  them.  We  had  whole  trees  stripped  of  their  fruit  in  a 
day  or  two  ;  I  saw  as  many  as  fourteen  to  twenty  wasps  hanging 
on  one  individual  Cherry.  Traps  that  we  hung  about  did  not 
seem  to  lessen  them  in  any  way,  and  one  day  I,  with  an  assistant, 
took  twenty-four  strong  nests,  and  two  and  three  on  other  days. 
1  may  say  that  the  gardens  were  almost  surrounded  by  coverts 
and  that  made  it  awkward  to  locate  the  nests.  For  the  benefit 
of  those  who  do  not  know  how  to  locate  a  nest,  I  will  explain 
■fchat  ono  slioulcl  watcli  a  wasp  leave  the  fruit  it  hasi  been  devour- 
mg,  and  it  most  surely  will  make  a  “wasp”  line  for  its  nest. 
Go  in  pursuit,  and  by  standing  about  where  you  lost  sight  of  the 
homeward  wasp,  you  will  soon  see  others  coming  and  drop 
straight  on  the  entrance  to  their  nest.  I  also  found  the  best 
method  of  digging  them  out  was  to  procure  some  “  E.  C.  ”  gun¬ 
powder,  which  fuses  when  not  compressed,  and  to  scatter  a  small 
quantity  down  the  hole.  Have  a  turf  ready  ;  ignite  the  powder ; 
put  the  turf  on ;  and  it  is  certain  death  to  all  the  insects  that  are 
at  home.  I  do  not  advise  killing  any  that  may  be  about  the  hole, 
for  the  slightest  noise  alarms  them.  They  takei  no  notice  of  any¬ 
one  if  they  will  go  about  their  work  quietly. — Pongo. 
An  Excellent  Alpine  Plant. 
Amongst  that  polygenous  order  of  many  useful  decorative 
garden  plants,  several  of  the  Veronicas  claim  a  foremost  position, 
and  as  one  eminently  suitable  for  the  rockery  garden  the  hardy 
evergreen  sub-shrubby  species,  Veronica  cupressoides,  a  native 
of  New  Zealand,  ranks  high.  This  is  not  so  much,  however,  for 
ite  interesting  diminutive  violet  coloured  flowers  as  for  the  per¬ 
sistent  evergreen  foliage.  _  Strangely,  though,  it  is  remarkable 
that  the  plant  is  comparatively  little  cultivated.  The  maximum 
height  of  its  growth  is  about  6in.  The  closely  adpressed  tiny 
leaves  encompassing  the  branchlets  gave  rise  to  its  suitable 
specific  nomen,  cupressoides,  and,  verily,  to  the  uninitiated  it  is 
difficult  to  distinguish  the  plant  from  some  dwarf  species  of 
Conifer,  unless  when  in  flower.  It  propagates  readily  from 
layers  or  cuttings,  also  by  large  divisions  of  the  branches 
inserted  in  the  open  ground,  when,  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks 
a  mass  of  rootlets  appear.  One  of  the  best  examples  extant  of  its 
culture  in  this  country  is  in  the  Botanical  Gardens,  Edgbaston, 
Birmingham.  Several  compact  masses  of  it  embellish  the 
“  Nettlefold  ”  Alpine  rockery  there,  and  more  especially  during 
tjie  winter  and  the  earlier  spring  season,  when  comparatively  few 
of  the  Alpine  plants  are  in  flower,  this  bright  green  Veronica 
suggests  an  emerald  precious  stone  upon  its  rocky  “  setting.”  In 
the  Edgbaston  garden  some  of  the  plants  spread  over  a  space 
several  feet  in  circumference  down  the  face  of  boulders.  Another 
somewhat  similar  species  of  Veronica  from  New  Zealand  is 
Hectori,  and  of  which  there  is  a  solitary  plant  at  the  Edgbaston 
gardens,  and  it  appears  to  be  ^ually  hardy  with  cupressoides. 
Its  habit,  however,  is  very  distinct,  being  much  less  bushy  and 
compact,  with  elongated  whipcord-like  lateral  branches, 
strikingly  suggestive  of  one  of  the  Horsetails  (Equisetum)  in  the 
appearance  of  the  cylindrical  branches.  ’  In  conclusion,  it  may  be 
remarked  that  there  is  also  a  variety  by  the  name  of  Veronica 
cupressoides  variabilis  (syn.  V.  salicornoides),  and  several  other 
species  natives  of  New  Zealand. — W.  G. 
The  Bothy:  A  Suggestion. 
We  sincerely  trust  that  our  readers  will  respond  to  the  follow¬ 
ing  suggestion  contained  in  the  letter  which  we  herewith  print 
from  a  London  wholesale  florist,  and  who  desires  us  not  to 
divulge  liis  name  in  the  meanwhile.  The  letter  says : — “  I  have 
been  very  interested  in  your  articles  re  bothies  and  gardeners.  I 
think  it  would  be  as  Arell  if  you,  could  arrange  to  give  some 
further  particulars  and  illustrations  as  to  design  and  construc¬ 
tion  of  the  same,  and  I  should  be  quite  willing  to  give  a  prize,  say 
of  three  guineas  for  the  best  design  suitable  for  accommodating 
six  men.”  We  promise  to  give  the  matter  the  consideration  it 
requires  during  the  ensuing  week,  and  will  express  ourselves  m 
our  next  issue. 
Hypericum  humifusum. 
A  correspondent,  “  H.  R.,”  page  324,  asks  for  information  of 
a  plant  under  the  above  name.  It  is  generally  distributed  over 
this  country,  and  he  should  not  have  much  difficulty  of  finding  it 
in  Kent.  I  have  a  specimen  gathered  several  years  ago  in  an 
adjoining  county — Sussex — about  six  miles  from  Tunbn^ge 
Wells,  near  a  village  named  Hartfield.  It  is  a  trailing  plant, 
with  small  obloug  leaves.  The  flowers,  which  are  pale  yellow,  are 
not  produced  as  freely  as  they  are  by  most  of  the  other  species. 
Shall  be  pleased  to  send  “  H.  R.”  part  of  my  specimen  if  it  would 
be  of  any  use  to  him. — J.  S.  Upex,  Wigganthorpe,  York. 
Gardeuers  aud  Their  Studies. 
I  would  like  to  add  a  few  remarks  to  the  letter  of  “  H.  R., 
Kent,”  re  field  botany  and  bothyites.  Four  years  ago  I  was  in  a 
bothy  in  the  Midlands  where  the  foreman  and  one  or  two  others 
(including  myself)  used  to  spoil  a  good  many  flowers  in  trying 
to  see  what  they  were  made  of.  However,  we  did  not  get  on 
much,  as  nobody  amongst  us  knew  anything  about  botany ;  but 
once  started  I  wanted  to  know  more  about  it,  and  in  the  winter 
of  1900,  being  in  Birkenhead,  I  joined  a  botanic  class,  in  which, 
under  an  able  instructor,  we  had  some  very  pleasant  and  instimc- 
tive  meetings.  In  the  summer  months  we  had  field  meetings 
on  Saturday  afternoons  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  plants,  and 
several  of  us  found  it  no  hardship  to  start  work  at  4  a.m.,  in 
order  to  attend  the  meet;  of  course  we  were  laughed  at  by  some, 
but  I  do  not  think  that  out  of  fifty  memhers,  “  males  and 
females,”  there  was  one  who  had  occasion  to  regret  going  out. 
I  spent  some  of  the  pleasantest  hours  of  my  life  whilst  collect¬ 
ing,  and  am  very  proud  to  say  I  have  got  a  botanic  certificate. 
Now,  alas !  I  am  miles  out  in  the  country,  and  none  seem  to  trouble 
whether  wild  flowmrs  grow  or  die.  The  answer  I  generally  get 
when  asking  anybody’s  opinion  is,  “  it’s  all  rubbish ;  ”  so  I  shall 
have  some  lonely  rambles  with  only  my  “  Oliver,”  &c.,  for  com¬ 
panion.  Truly  there  is  room  for  improvement  somewhere. — 
A  Journeyman. 
- - 
Fruit  in  France. 
The  Gooseberry  and  the  Grape  may  both  be  seen  growing 
successfully  in  alternate  rows  in  cottage  gardens  between  Calais 
and  Paris,  and  anyone  travelling  forty-five  miles  beyond  Paris, 
on  the  Marseilles  Railway,  to  Thomei^r,  will  see  the  vineyards 
which  supply  Paris  with  30,0001b  weight  daily  throughout  the 
autumn  with  the  delicious  Chasselas  de  Fontainbleau  dessert 
Grape,  grown  in  the  open  air,  not  to  mention  fields  of  other 
sorts  grown  for  wine.  In  the  gardens,  woods,  and  on  the  road¬ 
sides  close  by  one  may  also  see  Gooseberries  and  other  hardy 
garden  fruits,  the  common  wild  Scotch  Bramble,  and  the  Elder¬ 
berry  (Boortree)  bearing  crops  of  excellent  fruit.  I  have  still 
the  notes  made  in  a  stroll  over  the  vineyards  more  than  twenty 
years  ago  about  these  fruits,  and  it  may  interest  some  to  know 
that  the  fine  hedges  planted  there  for  protection  consisted  of  the 
common  Spruce. — N.  B. 
