ACCRA  A L  or  noirru-u lture  and  cottage  gardener. 
June  13,  1901. 
1 02 
The  Californian  Trees. — No  tree  in  tie  Uni'ed  States  bas 
reached  the  “  sky-scraping  ”  altitudes  of  the  record  Ei  calypti,  bu- 
several  of  the  Sequoias  of  California  <  xceed  400  feet  in  height,  and 
have  a  girth  of  90  feet  at  the  base.  Theie  are  only  about  500  of  these 
euivivals  of  a  ^ast  age,  and  many  ate  ever  3000  j  ears  old.  They 
spiouted  abern  tbe  time  that  Troy  was  destroyed  and  Solomon’s  I  emple 
v\  as  built,  and  were  in  tbe  “ yellow  eere  of  life  ” — 1  heat  d  it  thus  quoted 
in  the  speech  of  a  town  councillor— w  ben  Alexander  was  weeping  for 
lack  of  new  opportunities.  In  the  Matiposa  Giove  is  a  tree  measuring 
100  feet  round  the  base,  and  near  by  is  a  cut  stump  31  feet  in  diameter. 
S  x  sets  of  quadrilles  have  been  danced  at  one  time  on  this  stump. 
Poisonous  Garden  Plants. — Among  the  gaiden  plants  commonly 
in  vogue  which  possess  a  poisonous  nature  botanists  mention  the 
Jonquil,  white  Hyacinth,  and  Snowdrop,  the  Narcissus  being  also 
particulaily  deadly,  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  to  chew  a  small  scrap  of 
one  of  the  bulbs  may  result  fatally,  while  the  juice  of  the  leaves  is  an 
emetic.  The  berries  of  the  Yews  have  killed  many  persons;  and  it  is 
pretty  well  known  nowadays  that  it  is  not  safe  to  eat  many  Peach  pips 
or  Cherry  kernels  at  once.  The  Lobelias  are  all  dangerous,  their  juice, 
if  swallowed,  producing  vomiting  and  giddinesp,  with  pains  in  the  head. 
Lady’s  Slipper  poisons  in  the  same  way  as  does  Poison  Ivy.  The  bulbs 
seem  to  be  the  most  harmful.  Lilies  of  the  Valley  are  also  as  much  so. 
There  is  enough  opium  in  red  Poppies  to  do  mischief  ;  and  the  autumn 
Crocus,  if  the  blossoms  are  chewed,  causes  vomiting  and  purging.  The 
leaves  and  flowers  of  the  Oleander  are  deadly,  and  the  bark  of  the 
Catalpa  tree  is  very  mischievous;  the  Water  Dropworr,  when  not  in 
flower,  resembles  Celery,  and  is  virulent. 
Tullpa  “jBiunhllde.” — Years  ago  this  beautiful,  early  flowering, 
single  Tulip  was  well  known  under  the  name  of  “Unique,”  so  that 
*•  Brunbilde”  is  simply  a  synonym  of  the  original,  the  former  name. 
At  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  meeting,  on  May  7th,  an  award  t  f 
merit  was  bestowed  upon.it  when  presented  before  the  Floral  Committee 
by  Messrs.  Barr  &  Sons,  King  Street,  Covent  Garden,  W.C 
Mr.  Richard  Dean,  V.M.H.,  called  attention  to  the  older  name,  Unique, 
under  which  this  Tulip  used  to  be  known.  The  committee  evidently  did 
Lot  all  agree  with  Mr.  Dean’s  verdict  (which  was  supported  by  Mr.  J.  H. 
de  Graaff,  and  in  a  letter  the  Messrs.  Barr  inform  us  that  the  names 
are  synonymous),  for  the  name  “Brunbilde”  was  allowed  to  pass. 
Messrs.  Hogg  &  Robertson,  of  Mary  Street,  Dublin,  on  the  same 
occasion  exhibited  this  Tulip  under  the  name  of  “  Pottebakker  While 
and  Gold,”  bearing  which  appellation  this  Tulip  is  largely  cultivated 
in  Holland.  Our  illustration  was  from  a  flower  from  their  exhibit.  Theie 
are  thus  three  names  for  the  identical  variety,  and  these  names  are  : — 
(1)  Tulipa  Brunhilde,  alias  (2)  T.  Unique,  alias  (3)  T.  Pottebakker 
White  and  Gold.  The  illustration  defines  its  handsome  form  ;  and  the 
colour  is  a  lovely  soft  creamy-white,  with  yellow  beams  running  up  the 
centre  of  each  petal,  and  the  base  is  also  yellow. 
English  Hedges. — At  no  time  of  the  year  does  the  contrast  in 
the  scenery  of  England  and  most  Continental  countries  appear  in  a 
more  characteristic  light  than  now  in  early  summer,  when  ell  verdure  is 
at  its  most  luxuriant  point  of  growth  ;  and  the  hedges,  which  are  our 
most  conspicuous  point  of  difference,  border  every  field  with  a  succession 
of  rich  blossoms.  It  is  true,  says  “  Tbe  Globe,”  that  the  space 
subtracted  by  these  hedges  from  the  total  area  admitting  of  cultivation 
is  undoubtedly  considerable,  but  tbe  gain  to  the  island’s  beauty  i8 
almost  incalculable.  Every  hedge  bank  and  field  corner  is  a  little 
garden  of  its  own,  with  a  special  charm  derived  from  the  flowers,  birds, 
and  insects  that  dwell  in  it;  and  most  people  who  know  the  broad 
expanses  which  fill  the  greater  part  of  Northern  and  Central  Europe 
will  on  the  whole  agree  with  the  remark  once  overheard  from  an 
Englishman  at  the  end  of  a  three  months’  tour  abroad,  that  “  those 
foreign  parts  don’t  seem  to  have  any  real  country,  only  scenery  in 
places.”  Daudet,  a  Provencal,  is  said,  when  his  attention  was  called  to 
the  luxuriant  beauty  of  the  Christ  Church  meadows  at  Oxford  in  May, 
to  have  exclaimed,  “Vert  rhumatisme  !  ”  with  a  horrified  shudder; 
but  to  Englishmen  much  of  the  beauty  of  this  island  will  always  seem 
to  be  due  to  its  moisture-loving  fences  and  field  corners. 
Bubns  ulmlfollus  varlegatus. — For  use  in  any  part  of  the 
garden,  on  walls,  pillars  or  trellises,  this  golden  Rubus  is  commendable. 
The  foliage  is  tripinnate,  each  lobe  being  like  the  individual  leaf  of  an 
English  Elm.  The  central  portions  are  green,  the  veins  being  a  bright 
golden  colour.  The  growth  is  free,  and  the  shrub  is  in  every  respect 
very  beautiful. 
An  Ivy  Wreath. — Design  makers  are  frequently  called  on  to 
furnish  an  Ivy  wreath  as  being  appropriate  and  fitting  the  sentiment 
of  funerals.  These  wreaths,  after  being  made  in  the  ordinary  way, 
with  Ivy  leaves,  can  have  a  few  loose  sprays  of  Ivy  attached,  with 
sprays  of  Euonymus  variegatus,  flowers  of  Laurustinus,  a  few  V’olets, 
white  Camellias,  and  just  a  bit  of  Jasmine.  It  will  still  remain  an 
Ivy  wreatb,  and  as  beautiful  as  any  floral  piece  it  might  be  compared 
with. 
Ivy-leaved  Pelargoniums. — The  variety  Mrs.  W.  H.  Martin  is 
a  novelty  in  Ivy-leaved  Pelargoniums,  and  a  decided  acquisition  it  is. 
The  trusses  are  fairly  strong,  and  of  moderate  size.  The  colo  r, 
however,  is  the  surprise,  and  here  lies  the  beauty  and  interest.  The 
colour  at  its  best  is  a  pale  mauve-lavender,  but  fades  to  silvery  lilac. 
It  received  an  award  of  merit  on  June  4th.  Leopard  has  stronger  and 
larger  flowers  of  a  sweet  and  attractive  deep  rose-lilac  colour,  blotched 
toward  the  centre  with  deep  crimson.  The  trusses  are  large,  though  a 
trifle  lax.  It,  too,  received  an  award  on  June  4th.  Mrs.  J.  G.  Day, 
with  compact  trusses,  is  a  brilliant  crimson  scarlet ;  Ryecroft  Surprise 
is  rosy  pink  ;  and  Souvenir  de  Chas.  Turner,  which  is  well  known,  is 
brilliant  cerise. 
Vines. — These  are  extensively  cultivated  in  the  island  of  Corfu,  on 
the  plains  along  the  mountain  sides,  and  the  failure  of  the  Vine  or  the 
Olive  crops  vitally  affects  the  well-being  of  the  islanders.  It  is  there¬ 
fore,  states  a  daily  paper,  on  account  of  the  ravages  caused  last  year  by 
Peronospora  on  the  Vines  and  Dacus  oleae  on  the  Olives  that  Corfu  is 
now  suffering.  The  wine  exported  in  1900  was,  as  already  stated,  from 
the  vintage  of  1899,  and  its  value  amounted  to  £28,889,  while  the  value 
of  wine  exported  in  1899,  and  which  belonged  to  that  year’s  crop> 
amounted  only  to  £15,483,  showing  a  decrease  of  £13,406  over  that  of 
1899.  This  large  difference  is  to  be  attributed,  however,  to  the  high 
price  asked  for  it  by  the  proprietors,  owing  to  the  entire  destruction 
of  the  wine  crop  of  1900. 
The  Olive  Tree. — Like  other  fruit  trees,  the  Olive  tree  has  many 
enemies  to  contend  with.  Besides  the  birds,  there  are  numerous  insects 
which  attack  the  fruit,  the  wood,  and  the  leaves.  The  most  dreaded  of 
these,  says  our  Consul  at  Corfu,  is  a  small  fly  called  Dacus  olese,  which 
is  about  half  the  size  of  a  common  house  fly.  The  female  has  a  sting 
like  a  wasp,  with  which  she  punctures  the  fruit  where  ehe  deposits  her 
eggs.  It  is  calculated  that  a  single  fly  will  thus  destroy  300  or  400 
Olives.  The  only  known  remedy  is  to  gather  the  fruit  early,  and  by 
crushing  it  at  once  destroy  the  larva9.  The  prospects  in  August  and 
September  last  seemed  most  favourable,  and  it  was  expected  that  from 
200,000  to  250,000  barrels  of  oil  would  be  produced,  but,  owing  to  the 
damage  caused  by  the  fly,  added  to  the  continuous  heavy  rains  and  the 
prevalence  of  south  winds,  the  fruit  fell  to  the  ground  prematurely,  and 
the  yield  amounted  in  all  to  about  80,000  barrels. 
Rose  Papa  Gontler. —  Mr.  Neisb,  the  much-esteemed  gardener  at 
Caldy  Manor,  Cheshire,  the  residence  of  Mr.  J.  Bruce  Ismay,  grows  this 
very  beautiful  Rose  to  perfection  ;  and  if  handsome  foliage,  robust 
growth,  and  exquisitely  formed  and  scented  buds  of  the  purest  rose 
colour  count  for  anything,  then  by  all  means  let  indoor  Rose  growers 
include  the  variety  Papa  Gontier.  Originally  Mr.  Ne’ish  received  a 
dozen  plants  from  abroad,  weakly  enough,  with  the  strange  command 
that  they  must  be  grown  in  large  tubs.  These  they  were  placed  into, 
but  not  without  a  certain  amount  of  misgiving  on  Mr.  Neish’s  part. 
However,  they  commenced  to  send  out  wonderful  growths  and  huge 
bunches  of  flowers  by  the  score,  so  much  that  the  plants  now  take  up 
the  centre  of  a  large  house,  making  a  marvellous  display.  During  the 
period  of  growth  and  flowering  slight  warmth  is  given,  afterwards  they 
are  cut  back  and  allowed  to  make  their  summer  growth  outside,  and 
plaoed  in  the  house  in  January  after  the  Chrysanthemums  are  over. 
The  idea  and  the  success  attending  the  use  of  these  large  tubs  has 
so  pleased  Mr.  Neish  that  he  intends  to  try  other  varieties  under  the 
same  conditions.  In  conclusion,  I  may  state  that  the  flowers  of  this 
Rose  have  not  the  substance  of  R.  Me-ieohal  Neil  or  R.  Catherine 
Mermet,  but  the  effect,  as  I  saw  them,  was  perfectly  entrancing,  both 
in  the  bud  state  and  when  full  blown. — A  Visitor. 
