May  21,  1903. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
449 
nus,  Ptelea,  Garrya,  Casimiroa  eclulis,  tlie  remarkable  Hand-plant 
(Cheirostemon  platanoides),  and  Prosopis,  Mimosa,  and  Acacia, 
which  form  dense  thorny  thickets  in  places.  In  some  parts  of  the 
coa.st  region  the  shrubs  are  overrun  with  the  beautiful  Antigonon 
leptopus,  producing  a  splendid  effect.  But  the  chief  vegetation 
of  the  vast  elevated  plain  consists  of  shrubby  and  herbaceous 
Compositae,  such  as  Vernonia,  Eupatorium,  Ageratum,  Brickellia, 
Baccharis,  Zinnia,  Dahlia,  Tagetes,  Cosmos,  Gaillardia,  &c., 
mingled  with  Zauschneria,  Larrea,  Bouvardia,  Pentstemon,  Rus- 
selia,  Heeria,  Lopezia,  Salvia,  Boerhaavia,  Maurandia,  Mentzelia, 
Desmodium,  Eschscholtzia,  Gilia,  Mirabilis,  Argemone,  Hunne- 
inannia,  Martynia,  Krameria,  Ephedra,  the  shrubs  Cercocarpus 
and  Fendlera,  the  curious  Fouquierias,  and  the  very  prevalent 
Agaves,  Yuccas,  Opuntias,  Mammillarias,  Cereus,  Echinocactus, 
and  other  Cacti,  with  Echeverias,  with  numerous  Grasses.  Only 
one  Aroid  (the  North  American  Arisaema  Dracontium)  enters  this 
region,  and  of  Palms  there  appear  to  be  only  Brahea  dulcis,  and 
perhaps  one  or  two  more. 
Some  of  the  above  genera,  together  with  Cooperia  and  Glypho- 
sperina,  are  epidemic  to  the  region ;  many  others  extend  to  other 
parts  of  America  ;  a  few,  which  will  be  mentioned  hereafter,  also 
occur  in  South  Africa,  and  some,  such  as  Quercus,  Pinus,  Salix, 
Salvia,  Vernonia,  &c.,  are  very  widely  distributed.  Of  all  the 
above,  perhaps  the  Cacti,  Yucca,  Agaves,  and  Fouquierias  produce 
the  most  striking  features  in  the  vegetation.  The  Fouquierias 
(there  are  four  species)  are  very  remarkable  plants.  They  have 
thick,  conical,  rather  fleshy  stems,  emitting  several  long  slender 
branches  armed  with  very  sharp  slender  spines,  Avhich  are  deve¬ 
loped  in  an  entirely  different  manner  from  those  of  any  other 
plant  with  which  I  am  acquainted. 
In  other  plants  spines  are  modified  branches  or  stipules, 
hardened  peduncles  or  outgroAvths  of  the  cortical  system.  But  in 
Fpuquieria  they  are  developed  from  the  long  petioles  of  the 
leaves  on  the  primary  or  elongated  branches,  for  the  fascicled 
leaves  of  the  extremely  short  secondary  growths  are  almost  with¬ 
out  petioles,  and  produce  no  spines. 
These  long-stalked  leaves,  then,  when  they  have  completed 
their  work  of  providing  food  for  the  plant  and  are  ready  to  fall, 
do  not  do  so  in  the  normal  Avay  by  separating  froni  the  stem  at  the 
base  of  the  petiole;  no,  they  have  a  mission  in  life  beyond  that, 
so  they  perform  a  sort  of  conjuring  trick  in  this  Avay.  The  epi¬ 
dermis  of  the  stalk  splits  from  top  to  bottom  and  all  round  at  the 
base,  and  Avith  the  leaf-blade  falls  away,  leaving  behind  the 
interior  Avoody  part  of  the  petiole  in  the  shape  of  a  very  sharp 
spine.  These  spines  are  probably  useful  to  the  plant  in  affording 
protection  from  broAvsing  animals  to  the  tuft  of  leaves  Avhich 
spring  from  their  axils  the  folloAving  season.  Some  of  these 
curious  plants  are  in  cultivation  at  KeAV,  Avhere  a  specimen  may 
be  seen  at  the  middle  of  the  Cactus  house.  It  should  be  noted 
that  many  of  the  plants  in  cultivation  from  Mexico  are  from  the 
tropical  part,  and  either  do  not  occur  in  this  northern  part  at  all, 
or  are  not  characteristic  of  it. — N.  E.  Brown,  F.L.S.,  Koav. 
Fruitful  Cordon  Pear  Trees. 
vice  of  fruits  oA'er  a 
lengthened  time, 
and  'it  is  found 
more  satisfactory 
to  employ  fewer' 
varieties  repre¬ 
sented  in  the  best 
by  several  trees 
than  a  longer  list 
and  greater  num¬ 
bers  of  kinds.  The 
soil  at  Hartham 
Avould  seem  pecu¬ 
liarly  fertile  in  the 
groAvth  of  fruit  and 
vegetables  ;  and  in 
planting  ncAv  trees 
Mr.  Welch  uses 
burnt  refuse  freely, 
having  found  by 
experience  AA'hat  an 
attractiA'e  bait  this 
is  in  stimulating 
surface  fibrous 
roots.  A  mulch  of 
good  manure  fos¬ 
ters  this  healthy 
and  dc.sirable  state. 
A  young  orchard 
recently  planted 
with  the  same  care 
shoAA’s  marked  pre¬ 
cocity  in  fruit  bear¬ 
ing.  Good  trees 
from  the  start  Mr. 
Welch  insists  ujmn, 
and  very  wisely 
too. — W.  S. 
Cordon  Pears  at  Hartham  Park,  Wilts. 
The  value  of  the  cordon  system  as  affording  an  early  crop  and 
a  varied  one  has  been  often  demonstrated  in  the  pages  of  the 
Journal.  Too  much  emphasis,  hoAvever,  can  scarcely  be  given  this 
method  of  Pear  groAA  th  ;  especially  when  such  high-class,  clear¬ 
skinned  frnit.s  as  I  have  .seen  at  Hartham  Park  are  so  regularly 
.secured.  The  accompanying  photograph  depicts  the  character  of 
the  trees  more  clearly  than  Avould  be  possible  to  do  in  Avords  ; 
though,  unfortunately,  fruit  is  not  discernible  among  the  ample 
leafage.  Sir  John  Dickson-Poynder,  M.P.,  is  devoted  to  garden¬ 
ing,  both  ornamental  and  economic,  and  in  this  he  is  ably  seconded 
by  his  gardener,  Mr.  Welch.  Thoroughness  is  a  marked  attribute 
of  this  good,  all-round  gardener.  His  aa  cII  con.struoted  border  AA'as 
the  first  step  to  be  taken  toAvards  Avhat  has  proved  a  highly  suc¬ 
cessful  issue  in  Pear  culture. 
An  excavation  about  4ft  in  Avidth  and  30in  deep  A\;as  first 
inade.  the  bottom  layer  being  Bath  stone  clappings,  enclosing  a 
2in  drain-pipe  to  carry  aAvay  any  superfluous  AA'ater  that  may 
happen  to  collect  in  autumn  or  Avinter.  This  Avas  all  made  firm  with 
the  ramming  stick.  The  soil  composed  of  turfy  loam  and  garden 
soil  in  equal  proportion, s  formed  the  staple ;  ' burnt  clay,  wood 
ashes,  and  leaf  soil  in  small  quantities  Avere  added  in  the  course 
of  construction.  The  trees — all  single  cordons — Avere  planted  in 
the  autumn  of  1894,  and  alloAved  in  successive  years  to  pursue 
their  cour.se  unpruned  until  they  had  filled  their  allotted  space. 
The  majority  are  groAvn  on  the  Pear  stock,  and  it  is  found  that 
the.se  do  better  than  the  feAv  worked  on  the  Quince.  They  each 
have  a  .space  of  21in  alloAved  them,  and  from  the  first  Avere  trained 
obliquely.  For  the  past  four  year.s  the  crop  from  about  six  dozen 
trees  have  averaged  from  1,000  to  1,400  fruits  of  the  very  liighest 
standard  of  quality. 
As  affording  an  idea  of  the  size  of  some  individual  fruits,  it 
may  be  mentioned  that  Marie  Benoist  haiS  turned  the  scale.s  at 
29oz,  and  Pitmaston  Duchess  26oz.  Beurre,  Alexander  Lucas, 
and  Doyenne  du  Cornice,  too,  give  extra  fine  specimerrs.  Other 
varieties  grown  are  Beurre  Superfin,  Beurre  Diel,  Beurre 
d’Amanlis,  Beurre  Bachelier,  Emile  d’Heyst,  Berganiotte 
Esperen,  Nouvelle  Fulvie,  Marie  Louise,  Louise  Bonne  of 
Jersey,  and  Glou  Mor^eau.  Strangely  enough  this  last  i,s  the  lea.st 
satisfactory  of  the  whole,  proving  once  more  the  well-known  and 
familiar  rule  that  all  Pears  cannot  find  their  ideal  in  any  one 
garden  or  soil,  suited,  it  may  be,  so  well  to  the  Pear  tree  in 
general. 
As  an  aid  to  the  Pear  trees  and  their  crops,  Mr.  Welch  applies 
water  copiously  in  droughty  weather,  and  protects  the  surface 
roots  with  a  good  mulch  of  manure.  They  are  not  given  to 
over-gro.ssness ;  the  fibrous  nature  of  the  roots  and  the  regu¬ 
larity  of  the  crops  stay  this  common  tendency  in  trees 
restricted  in  branch  area.  The  varieties  enumerated  comprise 
a  selection  that 
Avill  maintain  a  ser¬ 
