580 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  27,  1900( 
•to  London.  Holly  and  Christmas  trees  alike  arrive  in  tracks  at  Nine 
Elms,  and  the  buyers  go  over  there  and  make  the  best  bargains 
they  can.  A  truck-load  of  Holly  may  cost  between  £5  and  £6 ;  the 
buyer  divides  it  into  smaller  quantities,  and  so  manages  to  touch 
a  profit. 
Two  Special  Varieties. 
There  are  one  or  two  special  kinds  of  Holly  which  fetch  much  higher 
prices.  One  has  pure  white  berries,  and  is  sent  to  the  market  in  small 
bunches,  and  mainly  used  for  making  buttonholes.  Another  is  the 
variegated.  These  two  varieties,  together  with  the  common  Holly  of 
the  red  berries  and  the  dark  and  glossy  leaves,  are  sent  to  New  York  as 
the  proper  companions  of  the  French  Mistletoe  already  referred  to,  and, 
naturally,  they  also  are  bought  at  high  prices  by  people  who  have  not 
forgotten  tradition.  The  chief  part  of  the  Holly  which  actually  gets  to 
Oovent  Garden  comes  in  the  form  of  wreaths.  There  are  costers 
who  take  advantage  of  the  natural  laziness  of  humanity  at  large  to 
manufacture  these  and  dispose  of  them  to  the  salesmen,  through  whose 
agency  they  pass  to  the  shops  and  so  to  private  individuals. — (“  Morning 
Royal  Horticultural  Society.  ■ 
Scientific  Committee,  December  18th.  % 
Present  ;  Dr.  M.  T.  Masters  (in  the  chair),  with  the  Eev.  W.  Wilks, 
Mr.  Michael,  Mr.  Veitch,  and  the  Rev.  G.  Henslow,  Hon.  Sec. 
Quercus  R,,  sessiliflora. — Mr.  Wilks  showed  leaves  with  petioles  and 
sessile  acorns  of  this  variety,  and  remarked  upon  its  rarity  in  the 
woods  near  Croydon.  He  had  only  met  with  two,  but  very  handsome 
trees,  about  100  yards  apart,  and  probably  150  years  old.  He  observed  that 
this  form  of  the  Oak  keeps  its  leaves  longer  than  Q.  R.^pedunculata,  which 
is  the  commoner  of  the  two  varieties.  The  leaves  are  inclined  to  be 
tomentose  below,  giving  a  silvery  appearance.  Sir  J.  D.  Hooker,  in 
“  The  Student  s  Flora,”  records  this  character  as  belonging  to 
Q.  intei media,  a  subspecies  with  short  petioles  and  peduncles. 
Dr.  Masters  remarked  upon  the  scarcity  of  the  tree  in  Kent,  and  that 
it  formerly,  and  perhaps  still,  grows  at  Brockley. 
Madura  aurantiaca,  fruit. — An  unripe  fruit  of  this  American  tree 
was  sent  by  Mr.  Jas.  Vert  of  The  Gardens,  Audley  End.  It  is  known 
as  the  Osage  Orange,  and  is  a  native  of  the  Southern  United  States. 
It  is  allied  to  the  Mulberry,  and,  like  that,  has  a  compound  globular 
fruit.  The  tree,  being  spiuesoent,  is  often  kept  dwarf,  and  employed 
as  a  hedge  plant.  The  golden  fruit,  about  the  size  of  an  Orange,  is 
not  edible. 
Fruit  from  old  _  Melon  seed.— Mr.  Th.  Sharp,  Westbury,  Wilts, 
describes  his  experience  in  raising  Melons  from  old  seed  as  giving 
better  results  than  from  young  seed.  His  observations  are  as  follows, 
which  entirely  confirm  that  of  previ  ms  observers  : — ”  In  a  small  Melon 
house  I  noticed  two  plants  which  were  very  vigorous  and  survived  the 
first  crop.  They  produced  a  good  second  crop  of  female  flowers,  but 
somewhat  smaller,  as  were  the  male  flowers,  than  usual.  In  the  same 
house  was  a  batch  of  young  plants,  with  good  male  blossoms.  I  fertilised 
the  females  of  the  older  plant  with  the  pollen  from  the  younger.  The 
crop  of  fruit  was  nearly  double  that  of  the  first.  The  fruits  were  large 
and  of  excellent  quality  throughout.  A  year  or  two  afterwards,  having 
to  supply  ripe  Melons  in  May  and  onwards,  and  having  noticed  that 
plants  from  old  seed  produced  a  less  snccnlent  growth  than  did  those 
from  young  seed,  for  four  years  I  raised  my  plants  from  old  seed, 
always  growing  a  few  plants  from  new  seed.  I  then  fertilised  the 
female  flowers  of  the  older  plants  with  the  pollen  of  the  younger,  which 
plants  were  invariably  the  more  robust.  The  resulting  fruits  were  more 
reliable  in  good  quality,  and  thousth  the  female  flowers  had  been  small, 
the  fruits  were  large,  weighing  from  3  to  7  lbs.”  Mr.  Henslow  has 
given  very  similar  experiences  on  the  Continent  in  his  “  Origin  of  Floral 
Structures,”  p.  247 ;  M.  F.  Oazzuola,  in  addition,  found  that  Melon 
plants  raised  from  fresh  seeds  bore  a  larger  proportion  of  male  than 
female  flowers;  while  older  seed  bore  more  female  flowers  than  male. 
Ornithogalum  lacteum.— Mr.  Veitch  brought  a  beautiful  spike  of  this 
plant  in  full  blossom.  It  was  especially  interesting  as  having  been  out 
m  Sr  Africa  from  Table  Mountain  on  November  27th.  It  was  then  put 
into  the  refrigerating  chamber  of  a  ship  on  the  28th,  and  thus  had 
lasted  exactly  three  weeks  in  a  perfectly  fresh  state,  illustrating  the 
possibilities  of  the  transport  of  out  blossoms  from  the  colonies. 
Seakale,  defective.— Mrs.  A.  Williams,  of  Coed-y-Maen,  Welsh  Pool, 
sent  samples  of  Seakale  ;  they  were  thin,  and  carried  numerons  bnds  on 
the  crowns.  This  was  the  result  of  defective  soil,  described  as  a  stiff 
one  and  damp,  imperfect  nourishment,  and  neglect  in  removing  the 
snperfluous  buds,  instead  of  leaving  one  only  in  which  the  energy  should 
be  concentrated. 
Elm  trees  at  Bath  dying.— Mr.  Milbum,  superintendent  of  the 
Botanical  Gardens,  Victoria  Park,  Bath,  records  the  dying  of  some  five 
■Elms  ;  The  trees  were  planted  between  fifty  and  sixty  years  ago.  They 
form  part  of  a  line  which  still  remains  apparently  healthy.  The  trees  in 
question  are  situated  on  the  base  of  a  sloping  bank  running  E.  and  W. 
On  the  S.  side  is  a  stone  wall  from  6  to  8  feet  in  the  foundations. 
The  subsoil  is  blue  clay.  Consequently,  the  trees  have  root  room 
only  one  side.  Moreover,  the  last  two  or  three  seasons  have  been  very 
dry.  In  addition  to  this  a  destructor  has  been  erected  200  yards  off  ; 
also  close  at  hand  are  the  gasworks.  Matter  is  conveyed  in  the  air 
from  both  these  works,  as  it  is  deposited  in  the  form  of  a  blaok  oily 
scum  on  the  lake  situated  a  little  N.  of  the  Elms.”  As  Professor  Oliver 
showed  in  his  paper  on  ”  The  Effects  of  Urban  Fog  upon  Cultivated 
Plants  ”  (Journ.  R.H.S.,  xvi.  p.  1),  the  extremely  poisonous  nature  of 
vapourised  carbonaceous  products,  there  would  seem  to  be  ample  cause 
of  an  injurious  influence  upon  the  trees,  apart  from  the  want  of  freedom 
in  root  production. 
Double  Cyclamen. — Dr.  Masters  reported  as  follows  upon  the 
specimen  sent  to  the  last  meeting  from  Messrs.  Ker  of  Liverpool :  “  In 
these  flowers  there  were  five  sepals,  five  distinct  petals,  no  stamens, 
but  several  rows  of  additional  petals.  The  ovary  was  normab” 
Plants  from  Cambridge  Botanic  Gardens. 
Mr.  R.  I.  Lynch  forwarded  the  following  interesting  species,  for  which 
a  nnanimous  vote  of  thanks  was  passed,  and  to  the  three  first  named 
were  awarded  botanical  certificates  :  Kleinia  pendula,  with  fleshy 
stems  and  scarlet  heads  of  .flowers,  from  Somaliland  ;  Kalanchoe 
marmorata,  another  fleshy  plant,  and  Nematanthus  longipes 
(Gesneraceae).  A  few  observations  are  here  added.  The  genus 
Kleinia  is  a  Groundsel,  or  Senecio  with  fleshy  stems ;  K.  neriifolia,  the 
“  Barode,”  being  a  native  of  the  Canary  Islands;  most  of  the  species 
are  S.  African.  K.  pendula  has  a  rod-like  fleshy  stem  the  thickness  of 
a  pencil,  from  which  a  long  pendulous  peduncle  arises  at  the  apex. 
The  leaves  are  reduced  to  minute  prickles.  Kalanchoe  belongs  to  the 
Crassulacese,  is  from  tropical  Africa,  but  has  species  in  Asia  and 
Brazil.  It  has  tubular,  greenish-white  flowers,  nearly  6  inches  in 
length,  and  fleshy  obovate  leaves.  Nematanthus  longipes  has  sub- 
fleshy  lanceolate  leaves,  and  long  scarlet  tubular  flowers  protruding 
from  one  side  of  the  calyx.  It  belongs  to  Gesneraceae.  There  are 
only  three  or  four  species,  all  natives  of  Brazil. 
Phylica  ericoides  (Rhamnacete),  called  Bruy^re  du  Cop,  is  a  Heath¬ 
like  plant,  with  terminal  clusters  of  minute  white  flowers. 
Lindenberqia  grandiflora  (Schophularineae),  figured  in  the  October 
number  of  “  Bot.  Mag.,”  is  a  genus  with  yellow  flowers,  and  nearly  allied 
to  Mimulus.  There  are  eight  species  in  E.  Africa,  Arabia,  E.I.,  and 
the  Malay  Archipelago. 
Senecio  vulgaris  x  8.  squalidus,  a  remarkable  natural  hybrid 
between  these  two  British  plants,  the  former  being  the  Groundsel  and 
the  latter,  naturalised  on  old  walls  at  Oxford  and  elsewhere.  The 
flowers  are  small  inch  from  tips  of  ray  fl'orets)  with  the  foliage  of 
Groundsel.  It  comes  perfectly  true  from  seed,  and  has  commenced 
being  a  weed  in  Camb.  Bot.  Gardens.  It  is  said  to  grow  wild  with  its 
parents  near  Cork. 
Cardamine  chenopodifolia  is  remarkable  for  bearing  perfect  seed, 
both  above  and  below  ground.  Mr.  Lynch  observes  that  he  has  two 
sets  of  plants — one  always  raised  from  seeds  out  of  the  subterranean 
pods,  and  another  set  always  raised  from  the  other  seeds,  in  order  to 
see  whether  in  course  of  time  any  modification  of  habit  may  arise  in 
consequence  of  growing  always  from  seed  produced  in  the  same  way. 
The  white  flowers  are  excessively  minute,  and  are  fertilised  in  bud,  the 
anthers  being  closely  adpressed  to  the  globular  stigma,  the  conditions 
usually  prevailing  with  normally  self-fertilising  Crucifers.  The 
subterranean  pods  are  white  and  spindle  shaped,  and  a  quarter  of 
an  inch  in  length.  They  contain  one  or  two  seeds,  being  separated  by 
a  delicate  white  membranous  false  dissepiment.  They  are  attached 
to  slender  pedicels,  1  inch  long,  which  turn  abruptly  downwards  from 
their  point  of  insertion  in  the  stem.  These  are  doubtless  the  result  of 
oleistogamous  buds. 
Heliamphora  nutans. — The  flower  consists  of  five  or  four  sepals,  no 
petals,  many  stamens,  the  pistil  having  a  long  style  and  truncated 
apex,  not  spreading  into  an  umbrella-like  expansion  as  in  the  allied 
genus  Sarracenia.  There  is  but  one  species,  a  native  of  Venezuela. 
Begonia  venosa. — This  is  remarkable  on  account  of  its  fleshy  leaves 
and  large  scarious  stipules,  both  features  being  characteristic  of  hot 
and  dry  climates. 
Cecropegia  dichotoma,  with  tubular  flowers,  the  tips  only  of  the 
corolla  remaining  coherent.  C.  stapeliaeformis  and  C.  elegans  and 
C.  Woodi  all  remarkable  fleshy  climbers,  the  last  bearing  tubers  and 
pendulous.  It  has  been  figured  from  the  Cambridge  plant  in  Bot.  Mag. 
of  March,  1900. 
Bonplandia  geminijlora  (Polemoniacese),  is  remarkable  for  the 
corolla  being  lipped,  two  upper  petals  cohering  above  the  tube  and 
provided  with  a  white  lined  base  as  a  “  guide,”  the  three  other  petals 
project  forward,  upon  which  the  subdeclinate  stamens  rest.  The  long 
style  with  three  spreading  stigmas  project  a  quarter  of  an  inch  beyond 
the  anthers.  It  is  a  monotypic  genus,  of  one  species  only,  and  a  native 
of  Mexico. 
Nepenthes  Veillardi,  a  species  of  Pitcher  Plant,  with  small  pitchers 
3  inones  long,  and  remarkable  for  the  white  border  round  the  incurved 
red  margin.  The  lid  is  red,  and  the  under  side  of  the  leaves  russet  but 
smooth. 
