is not of great extent, but here Mr. Wright, the gardener, had a good show of Chrysanthemums, and a crop of Trophy Tomatos to make one's mouth water.

A little further west is Encombe, an amphitheatre of wooded banks facing south, where Escallonia macrantha, big Myrtles, and a fine Eucalyptus testify to the mildness of the climate, but where the house about to be pulled down reveals cracks which remind one that it is not only earthquakes that have to be reckoned with.

Magnificent Bay trees, Hydrangeas, Abutilons, Bouvardias all stand out-of-doors unhurt save in exceptional seasons; and here Richardia æthiopica (the so-called Arum Lily) and Aponogeton make the pools gay. The great enemy here is the south-west wind, which sometimes blows like a hurricane, covering the foliage with salt deposit. But for this, almost anything will thrive, the common Cherry Laurel being one of the exceptions. Euonymus japonicus, Ligustrum latifolium Ligustrum latifolium and L. ovalifolium form admirable seaside shrubs. Pittosporum Tobira forms no bad substitute for Orange blossom, and close to the sea the Tamarisk waves its elegant plumy branches and pink flower-spikes as if salt spray and rude winds did not exist. Encombe has lately changed proprietorship, but the gardener, Mr. Brown, takes a pride in showing what can be grown in a district where the ordinary observer confined to the dusty highroads or stony beach would imagine nothing but the hardiest of hardy things would grow.

and per

The Folkestone lower road, to the east, runs at the base of a Greensand cliff, also richly clad with wild flowers meated by winding paths with here and there groups of Austrian Pines. Much might be done here by judicious planting. Clematises and hosts of showy wild plants might be introduced, but we dread to make the suggestion lest the wildness of the spot, already marred by trenches, earthworks, and paths, that suggest military roads rather than walks for civilian visitors, should be still further "improved." With such resources as Folkestone has in its undercliff, the greatest judgment should be exercised to develope its natural beauties, or at least to prevent their destruction, by wellmeaning but incompetent improvement committees.

New Harden Plants

LÆLIA ANCEPS SANDERIANA, n. var. BOTANICALLY this might be regarded as the same as Lælia a. Dawsoni; as matters stand actually, it would be more than risky to put this grand plant into the trade under the above quoted name; for there is a difference, and the difference is a well-marked one, recognisable by every one. In the elder variety there is an entire transverse purple zone on the anterior part of the mid-lacinia. In the fresh variety at hand there are two delightful purple eye-blotches at the same place, divided by a white area. The plant may fitly bear Mr. F. Sander's name. The sepals and petals are described as ivory-white. The markings of the disc are as vivid as in Dawsoni, the yellow would appear to be darker. H. G. Rchb. f.

BARKERIA ELEGANS AND CYCLOTELLA. The writer of those lines in the last issue, p. 115, should look to Gardeners' Chronicle, xiii., not only to p. 72, but to p. 112, also in the very centre of the page. There it is stated that the woodcut represents probably Barkeria elegans, although the description is of Barkeria cyclotella, sent first by Mr. Bull, then in a most admirable state by Mr. Day. After all such venerable orchidic patriarchs as Messrs. B. S. Williams and Dominy could be trusted for knowledge than to name old well-known Barkeria elegans, H. G. Rchb. f.

A TRIP TO JEYPORE.

(Concluded from p. 108.)

IN the parrot-cage I saw five parrots near each other on the ground; their colouring was grey on the wings and back, purple-pink on the chest and neck, and white on the head. I had before seen this kind of parrot as single specimens, but was never struck with its beauty till I saw these five together. It is evident that repetition of the same thing, whether bird or plant, or anything else, often adds to its beauty. I once saw something like 5000 pink peli. cans on a lake-a sight never to be forgotten! A soldier in uniform, whatever this may be, walking alone through Oxford Street, looks very much like carnival; but make a regiment in line of such speci. men, and see how much grandeur the whole assumes, It is the same with trees. A single specimen may be a fine thing, but a group of the same trees, or an avenue, acquires totally different characters from the single specimen. An avenue 100 miles long, however, is likely to bore the mind like a street organ always playing the same tune. These are the little things which have to be kept in mind in planning out exten. sive gardens. The charm consists in variety; in studying the effect of different shades of colour and form of foliage, and in putting before the eye, now and again, surprises in various ways, which the visitor does not see, and cannot see, till he turns round some corner, and be holds a novel picture-a coup d'œil-some grand specimen, or a blaze of colour. Mr. Dewes' scheme of book classification puts landscape gardening under the heading of "Fine Arts," and I think he is right. The ordinary artist, by combining imaginary scenes on canvas, often paints a pleasing picture. The landscape gardener, if everything be favourable-though his art, I think, is the more difficult of the two-should be able to make a real landscape by employing trees, shrubs, water, grass, buildings, &c., instead of paint. Flower beds are matters of detail which need not enter into the general scheme of a fine landscape.

I visited the old capital of the Jeypore State-the city of Amber, now in ruins. It is in a small valley adjoining a small lake, and about 6 miles out of the modern capital. The palace and fort are on the top of an adjoining hill, and are interesting places. The surroundings are picturesque, but hardly deserve the eulogium Bishop Heber is said to have given the spot, viz., "that he never viewed a scene so striking, picturesque, and beautiful." In the valley of Amber, close to the lake, I saw a few Mango trees, which appeared to do well. I do not know which is the more interesting-Ambèr itself or the road to it, strewed, as it were, on both sides with the ruined mansions of the grandees of past generations.

On the way back I went to see the crocodiles, in an immense tank in the city. This is a curious and rather interesting sight. Some meat is taken for these animals. They are called by the keeper from the feeding point, which is a sort of balcony overlooking the tank. The call is a hideous and prolonged shout, I suppose in crocodile language. Anyhow, they understand it perfectly, as, soon after, they start from all directions of the distant banks, and a number of crocodiles' noses are seen approaching towards the feeding point, each cutting the surface of the water, and producing two small diverging waves. When they all congregate under the balcony, a piece of meat is tied to a rope, and the crocodiles are played with and tantalised by dangling the meat before them. The interior of their enormous jaws is of a pretty primrose colour. It is stated there are several hundreds of them in that tank. There are also eight fine tigers in the city, and a young one, ten months old, said to have been born in the place.

The country on to Ajmere is the same as before described, with distantly scattered villages, and limited patches of cultivation. Many parts of the country have "Babool" trees (Acacia arabica), though stunted in growth. There does not appear any reason why millions of this tree should not be grown, for its bark, gum, and firewood. In one of the tanneries at Cawnpore I was told that Babool bark is richer in tan than Oak bark, and is extensively used there.

Rajputana appears to be well suited for horsebreeding, if rain were always to be depended upon. This year (1884) there is in many places plenty of grass; the climate is dry, and water, I was told, is not more than 30 feet below the surface, so that wells do not appear a difficult thing to sink. I fancy the real difficulties are people and money. Of these

there appears to be a sufficiency to make a good beginning, if the different princes were not oriental. In the cities a large part of the population is non-productive, consisting of mere hangers-on of the palace so that the waste of money in display is enormous. AJMERE

is a very interesting city, full of archeological remains, with many buildings and tombs of the time of the Mahommedan dynasty. Many of the latter are about 400 years old. Near a shrine, on the top of a hill, called "Tara Gur," I saw a Jessamine tree (Jasminum grandiflorum), with a stem 12 inches in circumference. From various cross-examinations which I was able to make, I came to the conclusion that it must be a hundred years old, if not more. There is one of similar circumference near another Mahommedan shrine in the city. Both were flowering as if age were nothing to them. Near the latter shrine I saw an old Mimusops Elengi (Mulseri), a Tamarind tree, and a Mimusops Kauki (Khirni), which were said to have been planted at the time the shrine was built, that is, about 400 years ago. I had not, however, any means of ascertaining the truth of this. The trees looked old but healthy, and appeared as if there were still a long life in them.

In Ajmere there is a nice little public garden which would admit of being vastly improved and made picturesque, owing to its being on a hill side. Oa the upper part of this garden there is a small lake, bordered by several marble halls of the Mahommedan period. These, by a species of vandalism, were built up and turned into houses and offices, and the marble columns whitewashed. One of them is now being restored, and it is hoped, for the sake of the British name, that all the others will be also restored.

About 6 miles from Ajmere is Pùshkar, the holiest of all holy places of all India. It is the only place in India where there is a temple dedicated to Brahma. I visited this place on a holy day, the great fair and bathing day of the year, on the occasion of a full moon. There was a crowd of about 50,000 people, all in their holiday dresses. They looked very picturesque. There is a small lake, surrounded by hills, and edged on one side by bathing steps, the town, and its temples. A crowd of that size, staying there several days, does not retire without leaving dirt of all sorts. This dirt is washed down annually into the lake, the water of which is considered very holy. The people bathe in it and wash their underclothing in it. Most of them do not depart without drinking some of this very holy water. It contains turtles and crocodiles, and is of the colour of brown soup.

I did not notice any trees of any cqonseuence on the way. The sides of some of the hills are clothed with small stunted trees, and the forest officers, I was told, are employed reforesting others. There can hardly be any doubt that, in olden times, these hills were covered with forest, now most of them are as bare as one's hand.

On the top of "Tara Gur" are barracks, which are used as a sanitorium for invalid European soldiers. Here I noticed a very strange thing. Drinking water on the top of this hill is very precious, as there are no springs; and yet the annual rain water from the flat clean roofs of the barracks and other houses, is allowed to run off and down the hill, while numbers of water-men are employed with bullocks and skins to fetch bad drinking water from the bottom of the valley, or from Ajmere, 1000 feet or more below the baracks! The water from the surface of the hill is caught in tanks, but is only fit for washing; while the best and cleanest drinking water (rain water) from the roofs of the houses and barracks is thrown away, or allowed to mix with the general drainage water! Yet every one you meet tells you the water of Ajmere is very bad!

Ajmere is the headquarters of the RajputanaMalwa railway, and will probably one day become the Oxford of Rajputana. The Mayo College in marble is all but finished. This, with the boarding houses of the different states, each built in stone, and in a different style of oriental architecture form an interesting group of modern buildings. With so much engineering talent and learning looming in the future, Ajmere ought before long to be provided, not only with good water, but with many things that a civilised life may wish for.

AGRA.

I never pass through Agra without staying to have a look at the Taj and its garden. The monument affords a repose to the mind which no other form of architecture appears to give; and the garden is still largely preserved in the old Mohammedan style, with

matter is of some importance because, of course, if a purely male plant be cultivated no fruit is obtained, and the fruit, though of little value as an article of diet in this country, is ornamental and striking in appearance. In the tropics it is used in a cooked condition, in curries, pickles, &c. There are several species, the best known is C. papaya; C. cundina. marcensis, so-called from Cundinamarca, a State in New Granada, is of smaller stature; C. erythrocarpa has crimson fruit. M. van Volxem has raised various hybrids interesting for the beauty of their fruits, and of some of which we have given illustrations on a former occasion, vol. xix., 1883, p. 445.

SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF
BRITISH PLANTS.

AFTER the completion of a narrow-gauge railway on the Penryhn Castle estate, I was not a little surprised to see in what an almost incredibly short space of time many plants appeared on the cuttings. First to attract attention was a goodly number of the Great Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus), which sprang up the following season on a rocky cutting near Port Penrhyn, and in a situation where I was not before aware of its existence although I had occasion, almost weekly, to pass the place previous to the formation of the railway. Other plants which appeared in quantity were the Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), the trailing Hypericum (H. humifusum), and the wall Veronica (V. arvensis). The most remarkable appearance was, however, that of the Butterfly Orchis (Habenaria bifolia) which sprang up and flowered the following season after the completion of the railway. The cutting in which it appeared was in some places upwards of 20 feet in depth, and the plants came up at distances below the former level of the ground of from 6 to 10 feet. As this Orchid cannot flower from seed in a single season, it is apparent that the tubers must have remained dormant in the ground for a very long period, and until placed in a suitable medium for their development, for I certainly collected large well-formed spikes of bloom the following season, after the cutting was formed. The probability that the tubers may have been introduced with any surface-dressing is not consistent with facts, apart from the well-known difficulty that is always experienced in getting the plant established in a new habitat. A somewhat similar case to the above came under my notice a few years ago, in which the same Orchis appeared in great quantity in a newly-thinned plantation, and where I am fully convinced no plants had been seen for a number of years previously. A. D. Webster.

NOTES ON THE CULTIVATED ASTERS. VIII.

(Continued from p. 48.)

SUBGENUS III. BIOTIA.-Differs from Euaster by its unflattened achenes and shorter leafy points of the bracts of its multiserial involucres. Connects the genus Aster with Olearia (Eurybia) of Australia and New Zealand. Only two species, confined to North America.

39. A. corymbosus, Ait. A. divaricatus, Linn. Herb. Eurybia corymbosa, Cass. Biotia corymbosa, DC.Stem, 1-2 feet long, slender, flexuose, hairy upwards. Leaves cordate-ovate, all except the uttermost distinctly petioled, acuminate, thin in texture, sharply serrated, slightly hairy on both surfaces; upper leaves ovatelanceolate, sessile. Heads many, arranged in a lax corymbose panicle. Involucre campanulate, inch in diameter, well imbricated; bracts all with short semiorbicular erect green tips. Ligules 6-10, linear, whitish, inch long. Achene cylindrical, glabrous; pappus pale red, inch long.

Canada to Georgia, in woods and thickets.

40. A. macrophyllus, Linn. Eurybia macrophylla, glomerata, and Schreberi, Nees. Biotia Schreberi, latifolia, glomerata, and macrophylla, DC.-Stems stouter than in the last, 2-3 feet long, slightly hairy only towards the top. Leaves cordate-ovate, all except the uppermost distinctly petioled, acute, shortly serrated, firmer in texture than in the last; the lowest sometimes 5-6 inches long and broad, with a petiole longer than the blade; upper leaves sessile. Heads many, arranged in an ample panicle with corymbose branches. Involucre campanulate, 1-inch diameter; bracts in several rows, all with semi-orbicular erect green leafy tips. Ligules

SUBGENUS IV. ORTHOMERIS.-Bracts of the involucre dry and uniform in texture throughout, with erect tips, generally well imbricated. Ray-flowers fertile ; achenes rather flattened. Pappus moderately firm in texture. Next to Euaster this is the largest of the nineteen subgenera, but as adapted for gardening purposes it does not deserve a very high character. It contains altogether about forty species, five of which belong to the Eastern and sixteen to the Western United States, six to the Himalayas, one (Aster Willkommi of Schultz) to Europe, and the remainder to Siberia, China, and Japan, where it is the dominant type. I shall notice only the six species we possess at Kew at the present time in a living state.

41. A. altaicus, Willd. A. angustifolius, Lindl. A. spartioides, Clarke. Calimeris altaica and canescens, Nees. Galatella juncea, Lindl.-Stems many, from a woody rootstock, erect, varying from a few inches to 1-2 feet in length, sometimes much branched. Leaves oblanceolate, obtuse, sessile, entire, scabrous, the lower not more than 1-2 inches long. Heads solitary or few, in a corymb at the end of the branches. Involucre campanulate, inch in diameter; bracts few, lanceolate, nearly equal in length. Ligules about twenty, whitish, under inch long. Achene densely silky; pappus pale red, flexuose, nearly inch long.

A characteristic Central Asian type, extending from Afghanistan and the temperate region of the Western Himalayas through Siberia to China.

42. A. glaucus, Torrey and Gray.-Stems 1-2 feet long, much branched, quite glabrous up to the very summit. Leaves lanceolate, entire, sessile, glaucous, glabrous, acute or subobtuse, the lower 2-3 inches long. Heads numerous, forming a lax ample panicle with corymbose branches. Involucre campanulate,

inch in diameter, well imbricated; inner bracts lanceolate; outer oblong. Ligules 12--15, bright lilac, linear, -inch long. Achene hairy, & inch long; pappus pale red, flexuose, inch long, much protruded from the involucre,

Rocky Mountains, Wyoming, to Utah and Colorado. A very distinct type, introduced into cultivation from seeds collected by Dr. Parry.

Diplopappus Doellingeria

43. A. ptarmicoides, Torrey and Gray. albus, Hook. Heleastrum album, DC. ptarmicoides, Nees. Eucephalus albus, Nutt.-Stems tufted, erect, much branched, hairy upwards, 1-2 feet long. Leaves crowded, ascending, lanceolate, entire, acute, firm in texture, the lower petioled, 3-4 inches long, the upper sessile. Heads many, arranged in a lax corymbose panicle. Involucre broadly campanulate, multiserial,inch in diameter; bracts green, but rigid. Ligules 20 or more, pure white, inch long. Achene glabrous, hardly at all flattened; pappus white, inch long, its bristles very numerous, unequal, the largest thickened towards the tip, strongly ciliated.

A very distinct and widely spread species, extending from New England to Georgia, Colorado, Illinois, and the Saskatchewan.

44. A. tenuifolius, Linn. A. flexuosus, Nutt. A. sparsiflorus, Pursh. A. Tripolium, Walters, non Linn.Stem weak, slender, erect, glabrous, 1-2 feet long, more or less branched. Leaves few, distant, linear, entire, the lower 3-4 inches long. Heads solitary, or few in a lax corymb at the end of the branches, involucre obconic, multiserial, inch diameter; bracts lanceolate-acute; ligules bright lilac, lanceolate, inch long. Achene hairy, inch long; pappus soft, fragile, dirty white, rather longer than the achene.

in a lax simple corymb, sometimes solitary. Involucre broadly campanulate, well imbricated, inch diameter; bracts lanceolate, green, acute. Ligules 10-20, bright lilac,inch long. Achene hairy, rather compressed; pappus copious, flexuose, pale red, inch long.

A boreal species, extending from Newfoundland and the shores of Hudson's Bay southward through Canada to New Jersey.

46. A. acuminatus, Michx. A. divaricatus, Lam. non Linn. Diplostephium acuminatum, DC.-Stems simple, erect, pubescent, flexuose, 1-2 feet long. Leaves large, thin, obovate-oblong, acute, sessile, sharply serrated, the central ones 3-4 inches long, 1-1 inch broad, narrowed gradually from the middle to the base. Heads numerous, arranged in a lax panicle with corymbose branches. Involucre broadly campanulate, inch diameter; bracts few, pale green, lanceolate, acute. Ligules 10-12, linear, white or pale lilac, under inch long, Achene slender, inch long; pappus copious, flexuose, whitish, twice as long as the achene.

Damp, cool woods, Labrador to Pennsylvania, and along the mountains southward to Georgia. 7. G. Baker. (To be continued.)

THE CULTIVATION OF PLUMS UNDER GLASS.

FROM a commercial point of view this mode may be deemed inexpedient, because whenever our crop of Plums fails out-of-doors, we get an abundant supply of others for our markets from other places. This is unquestionably the case with respect to culinary kinds if not with the choicer kinds; but apart from these considerations, and looking at the subject from a purely horticultural point of view, it is an inexpensive method that is full of interest, and, therefore, should be recognised and encouraged, and the crop secured, whatever conditions of weather may prevail outside. The season of ripening is entirely under control, the fruit is free from the depredations of insects and other pests if proper precautions against them are taken, and, above all, there is the pleasure and satisfaction of producing fruit when it fails out-of-doors, or otherwise is of an inferior description. Plum-houses are already established in some gardens, and form an interesting feature and a very attractive one when the trees are in blossom or laden with fruit. I consider that grand old variety, Coe's Golden Drop, to be worth a house almost everywhere in this country, and particularly in northern and cold districts where it only ripens properly in most favourable seasons, and then rarely assumes that beautiful golden appearance which is essential to get it to perfection.

Plum trees require a well ventilated structure, with plenty of light; in form a lean-to or span will answer. This should be furnished with about two 4-inch hotwater pipes all round, so that a temperature of about 40° at night and 50° in the daytime can be maintained under any circumstances. The border should be made of good calcareous loam, about 3 feet in depth, and should be drained properly. The trees may comprise those in cordon form, and be run up at about 18 inches beneath the rafters or bars of the house, at about 4 feet apart, or the trees can be trained on trellises, similar to Peaches, at the aforenamed distance from the glass. The following may be selected as being good kinds for the purpose, viz., Rivers' Prolific, Green Gage, Jefferson's, Kirke's, Denyer's Victoria, Reine Claude de Bavay, and Coe's Golden Drop; the latter kind should be plentifully planted, by reason of its keeping properties, as well as being the best Plum in cultivation.

Owing to the vigorous habit of these trees, it will be necessary to check growth in some degree; therefore, when the trees are fairly established in the border, the roots will need to be curtailed by cutting them back somewhat, or partially lifting them, in order to make the trees fruitful and keep them in a bearing state. Water should be given copiously throughout the growing season, and the borders should never be permitted to become very dry.

TREATMENT.

As Plum trees are very impatient of fire-heat, especially during the early stages of growth, particular care should be exercised in this matter. Use no artificial heat at night if the house will stand at 40°, and 50° by it will be ample in the daytime until such time as natural means will provide what more is required. It should be given at all times except when very severe weather prevails, and as liberally as the

surrounding circumstances will admit-scarcely too much of it can be admitted at favourable times. Ordinary attention to syringing, training the shoots, and stopping them, will of course be necessary, and after the cleaning of established trees is finished it is advisable, before the flowering time comes, to well fumigate the house, or else syringe the trees over with quassia or tobacco water to free them from any insects which may abound and subsequently prove very troublesome and detrimental to the welldoing of the trees. G. T. Miles, Wycombe Abbey.

PALMS.

THE following notes refer to some of the larger Palms now growing in the Palm-stove of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, and were originally laid before the Botanic Society of Edinburgh :

On the completion of the new Palm-house at the Royal Botanic Garden in 1858 the late Professor Balfour read to the Society a paper giving a detailed account of this fine structure, including a description of some of the larger Palms then growing, and mentioning their respective heights. The late Mr. MacNab also communicated to the Society from time to time much information regarding them. The object at present is to record the progress that has been made during the last twenty-seven years by those plants which still exist, and also to give some information regarding younger plants, several of which give indications of ere long outstripping the older ones. Of the old Palms the largest is a fine specimen of Livistona chinensis. The height of this tree in 1858 was 42 feet; in 1875, 45 feet; and it is now 49 feet high, showing an increase of 7 feet in twenty-seven years. The circumference of the stem at the base was 6 feet in 1875; it is now 6 feet 3 inches. It has a clear upright stem, 33 feet in height up to where the lowermost leaf is given off, and is in vigorous health for so old a plant. Of Seaforthia elegans there are two plants, now nearly equal in every respect. In 1858 the taller one measured 26 feet in height; both plants are now 47 feet 6 inches in height (an increase of 21 feet 6 inches in twenty-seven years). They have clear stems 30 feet high, and their circumference at the base is 3 feet 3 inches. For the latter measurements there exist no data for comparison. There are eleven fully developed leaves on each plant, averaging 14 feet in length. These two fine trees are in vigorous health, and are likely to go on improving for years to come. Corypha australis in 1858 measured 23 feet in height; it is now 41 feet. It has a clear stem of 20 feet 4 inches, and measures 3 feet 3 inches at the base. Phoenix silvestris in 1858 was 20 feet high; it is now 30 feet 4 inches, with a clean stem of 14 feet, the circumference at the base being 1 foot 7 inches. The leaves are 11 feet 6 inches in length, mostly curved downwards, and forming a fine canopy of foliage. The most remarkable of the older Palms is the wellknown example of Sabal umbraculifera, the Bull Palm of the West Indies. This grand tree was 30 feet high in 1858, and it is now 36 feet 4 inches. In 1858 the circumference of the stem at the base was said to be 5 feet 6 inches; ten years later 5 feet 4 inches is given; it is now 5 feet 3 inches; it seems difficult to explain how this has happened. In 1874 it had a clear stem of 14 feet, and the circumference below where the lowermost leaf is given off was 3 feet. It has now 17 feet 4 inches of a clear stem, and the circumference at the top is 3 feet 1 inch. The greatest difference occurs in the length of the leaves, which was, then 16 feet, the leafstalk being 10 feet, and the blade 6 feet long by 5 feet 6 inches broad; now the leaves measure 12 feet 6 inches, viz., 7 feet of leafstalk, and 5 feet 6 inches of blade; there is an increase, however, in the breadth, which is now 6 feet 8 inches. The smaller size of the leaves made may probably be an indication of diminishing vigour, owing to the great age of the tree; otherwise it appears to be perfectly healthy, and is developing numerous young leaves and abundance of flowers and fruit. The latter is produced in such quantity that it requires to be cut off occasionally to prevent the tree from exhausting itself too much. Since its removal ten years ago to its present position in the centre of what was formerly the old Palm-house, it was grown until last spring in a wooden box 7 feet 10 inches square by 5 feet deep, and rested on the floor of the house, which formed the bottom. Owing to the heat and moisture the box had become very much decayed,

showing the roots of the plant protruding in several places; it therefore required to be furnished with a new box. As the tree was resting on the floor, and in the best possible position, in the centre of the house, where it gets the light all round, no advantage was to be gained by moving it. Instead of the usual wooden tub, it was thought advisable to have a permanent structure built round it. When the square boards were removed to allow of this being done, a dense mass of roots was disclosed. The corners were carefully forked out, and any old soil that could be got at taken away. The whole ball was then covered with mats, and soaked with water. A stone tub or wall 34 feet 6 inches in circumference, 18 inches thick at bottom, tapering off to 12 inches at top, and 5 feet deep, was then built round it; openings were left at the bottom for drainage. and spaces round the sides for Ferns and other plants to grow in when the building was finished, additional drainage material and fresh soil were inserted; Ferns, Ficus stipularis and other plants, were planted round the sides and margin so as to cover the stonework. Being circular it takes up less room than it did formerly, and has also a much better appearance. Regarding the age of this tree, the late Mr. MacNab gave some interesting facts in a communication to this Society in 1874 He says: "This tree cannot be less than sixty years old. It was removed from the stove of the old Botanic Garden at Leith Walk, in 1822, and was kept in a lean-to house in the present garden for thirteen years. This house being only 18 feet high at back and 7 feet in front, it was greatly hampered.' Assuming the Palm to have been only 16 feet high when removed from this lean-to house in 1835, it has thus made 20 feet 4 inches in fifty years, to attain its present height of 36 feet 4 inches. This is equal to an increase of nearly 5 inches per annum. If the same ratio he applied to the 16 feet formed previous to 1835, that would give the age of our tree as being over eighty-eight years. We know, however, that during its infancy this species of Sabal makes very slow progress. For the first eight or ten years it produces long, simple, undivided leaves, after which it assumes the more or less divided palmate leaves characteristic of the adult plant. The seeds are consequently not in demand by nurserymen and others who require plants that will have a good appearance quickly. Many species of Palms, Livistona, Seaforthia, Chamaedorea, and others, assume their characteristic adult foliage, though in miniature, in from three to four years from the time of sowing the seed, and then make useful plants for decorative purposes, whereas Sabal umbra. culifera requires from sixteen to twenty years to become in any way effective.

A seedling from our Bull Palm, raised certainly not less than eighteen years ago, is now 6 feet high, measured to the tip of the leaf, and has 7 inches of stem. This is the largest of our young plants, and has thus increased at the rate of 4 inches per annum. Assuming that the old plant increased at the same rate while forming its first 6 feet of growth, and allowing the remaining 10 feet to have increased at the same rate which the plant has made during the last fifty years, viz., 5 inches per annum, this would give ninety-two years as the lowest approximate age of our tree.

Regarding some of the younger Palms which have not been measured hitherto, the largest is a fine plant of Euterpe edulis. It is now 47 feet 6 inches in height. It has a clear stem of 34 feet 9 inches, and the circumference at the base is I foot 10 inches. This plant has made very rapid progress. It was removed from the east range of houses fifteen years ago, and was from 12 to 13 feet high at that time. It was then growing in an earthenware pot 16 inches wide, and is now in a tub 5 feet wide, by 3 feet 10 inches deep.

Cocos plumosa is 44 feet 9 inches high, and has 30 feet of a clear stem. The circumference at the base is 4 feet 8 inches, and it is about thirty years

of age.

Caryota excelsa measures 37 feet 7 inches in height. It has a clear stem of 18 feet, and the circumference at the base is 3 feet 1 inch.

A young vigorous plant of Cocos Romanzoffiana is 34 feet 4 inches high, and it has a clear stem of 22 feet 8 inches, the circumference at the base being 3 feet 10 inches. This plant was received from the nurseries of Louis van Houtte, at Ghent, in 1865, and is now about twenty-six years old. These large Palms, with the exception of Sabal umbraculifera,

already mentioned, are all growing in round wooden tubs, made of Oak, and placed on rollers. The principal advantage of this system of having the plants in tubs instead of their being planted out in the ground of the house is the comparative ease by which they may be removed to other parts of the house, when they become crowded. It is just five years since most of the larger plants were retubbed and arranged. Several of them have already become so crowded that considerable rearrangement will be again necessary. Another important advantage is, that we are thus enabled, by occasionally turning the plants round, to assist them materially in keeping their stems upright. In certain portions of the house, when they remain too long in one situation, the leaves become drawn to the position of most light, which ultimately causes the stem to become bent. W. Lindsay.

HISTORY OF ORCHIDS AT KEW.

ON considering the great number of exotic Orchideæ, now introduced and cultivated in this country, and the high prices they realise at public sales, it occurred to me that a brief history of the early introduced species, and their gradual increase, might be interesting to your readers. In the last edition of Miller's Gardeners' Dictionary, published in 1768, about thirty species of Epidendrum are noticed, of which he says "But as the plants cannot, by any art yet known, be cultivated in the ground, it would be to little purpose to enumerate them; though could the plants be brought to thrive, many of them produce very fine flowers of uncommon forms." He further says, that he had "Three species sent from America, which he planted with care in pots, and placed them in a stove where they showed their flowers, but the plants soon after perished."

In Aiton's first edition of Hortus Kewensis two

species of Epidendrum are described, namely E. cochleatum and E. fragrans, as growing in the gardens in 1789, and Dr. (afterwards Sir J. E.) Smith says:— "We have scarcely seen any one species of this genus, except in a dry state, before the year 1787, when E. cochleatum flowered at Kew; nor was it till October, 1788, that E. fragrans of Swartz exhibited its fragrant and elegant bloom in the same rich collection. At present, several species are to be seen flowering in the spring and autumn. The following

were in a thriving state in the Royal Gardens, Kew, in 1794-Epidendrum coccineum, E. secundum, E. lineare, E. ciliare, E. cucullatum, E. ensifolium, E. ophioglossoides, E. ruscifolium, E. fuscatum, E. tripterum, E. Barringtoniæ sessile, E. altissimum sanguineum, E. natans, and E. glaucum. They are all cultivated in the stove, with very great heat; being mostly parasitical they flourish best with fragments of half-rotten bark at their roots. They may be increased by parting their roots, or what is commonly called offsets, of which they generally have plenty." In the second edition of Hortus Kewensis (published in 1813) 115 species are enumerated, of which thirtyone are British and eighty-four exotics, the greater number being epiphytal and natives of the West Indies, a few of the East Indies, Cape of Good Hope, and New South Wales.

In the early part of the present century Dr. Roxburgh sent from India Cymbidium aloifolium, C. præmorsum, Aërides odoratum, Geodorum purpureum, G. citrinum. G. dilatatum, which, with the two recently introduced species of Dendrobium, D. cucullatum and D. Pierardi, and the West Indian epiphytal species, were in 1822 growing in pots on a back shelf of a low-roofed house, then called the propagation-house. In the spring of 1823 a collection was forwarded from New South Wales by Allan Cunningham, consisting of Dendrobium speciosum, D. æmulum, D. linguæfolium, D. rigidum, D. pygmæum, Cymbidium reflexum, and others.

SPECIAL HOUSE FOR ORCHIDS.

It having become evident that the mode of culti vating these epiphytal Orchids was not successful, a portion of the end of the propagation-house was set aside for them, and a bed was formed, consisting of loose turfy soil interspersed with small portions of stems of trees, on which the plants were placed, where many of them grew freely, most of them rooting into the soil, and clinging to pieces of wood. He also between the years 1823 and 1828 forwarded about forty tuberous rooted species; they were planted in a bed of peat soil, mixed with chopped sphagnum and kept moist, contiguous to the preceding, where

they remained for several years, producing their curious flowers, all of which are figured in the Botanical Magazine. Between the years 1823 and 1825 a considerable number of species were received from Trinidad, forwarded by Mr. David Lockhart, the superintendent of the garden, amongst which were the first plants of Stanhopea insignis, Oncidium Papilio, Lockhartia elegans, Catasetum tridentatum, Ionopsis pallidiflora, and others, all of which were epiphytal, and many of them being sent growing on portions of branches as cut from the trees, which, being accompanied by instructions from Mr. Lockhart as to how they should be treated, led to the successful cultivation of epiphytal Orchids. A few species were also received from the Cape of Good Hope, one being the curious plant of Bonatea speciosa, and from Java and Australia Calanthe veratrifolia. On the removal of the house in 1836 they had to be transferred to another in which they did not thrive, and very few of these plants have since been imported.

Up to about 1830 Orchids were looked upon merely as curiosities in botanic gardens, and by a few amateur plant lovers, the only trade collection being that of Messrs. Loddiges, of the once celebrated Hackney nursery, who had early become interested in the cultivation of Orchids. Their list published in 1825 enumerates eighty-four species under thirty-one genera, but the flowering of Stanhopea insignis at Kew, and the splendid Cattleya labiata, Mossiæ, and crispa, Aerides odoratum and Saccolabium guttatum, brought Orchids (then known by the general name of Epidendrums) into special favour with a few amateurs, one of the first and most enthusiastic being Mr. James Bateman, of Knypersly Hall, Cheshire. Their cultivation was taken up by the Horticultural Society at their gardens at Chiswick, where a house was set apart for their special cultivation, and led to houses being specially set aside for them elsewhere. They rapidly became popular and favourites at horticultural shows.

But to return to the progress of the Kew collection after 1826. New species were successively added, and in 1836 a low-roofed small house was altered and appropriated to their cultivation, in which they flourished for several years, growing and flowering freely. Shortly after the appointment of Sir W. Hooker as Director, in 1841, one of his first desires was to have the Orchid collection increased, and for that purpose a collection of 200 species of the commoner kind was purchased of Messrs. Loddiges. With this, importations, and presentations, the collection in 1848 amounted to 755, and in 1850 to 830 species and varieties.

By this time a large and spacious house was erected for their cultivation, but on account of its interior being fitted up with smooth stone and slate shelves, and its roof glazed with large squares of thick sheet glass, it was soon found that an atmosphere was generated ungenial to Orchids, and they had to be removed. Although placed under the management of three successive foremen recommended to the Director as adepts in the cultivation of Orchids, the collection greatly deteriorated under their management both in health and loss of species.

In 1862 the collection again revived, and lost species were restored; and in 1864, the time of my retirement, the collection amounted to 638, being 192 less than in 1850. 7. Smith, Ex-Curator, Royal Gardens, Kew.

CORYANTHES.

[IN our number for May 6, 1882, we gave a full description and illustrations of the extraordinary flowers of Coryanthes elegantissima (by mistake called C. macrantha). The article is too long for reproduction here, but we are glad to have the oppor. tunity of adding the notes on the microscopical structure of an allied species, forwarded by Dr. Herdmann, which form a fitting complement to what has been before said. ED.]

On the surface of the column next the "pitcher," or lip, just above the entrance to the spout-like passage, the epidermal cells are prolonged into tooth-like projections or scales. These are arranged with considerable regularity in an imbricating manner, and all have their points directed downwards, i.e., towards the top of the column where the stigmatic surface is. Figure 26 shows the arrangement of these scales :

A is a surface view, B is a small part of A more highly magnified, while c gives a profile view as seen in a section. This structure looks as if it was intended to prevent bees from climbing up the column instead of creeping through the passage.

The inside of the bucket-like lip itself is, so far as I examined it, perfectly smooth, being lined by epidermal cells with flat surfaces.

The "horn," H, fig. 28, which produces the slightly sweet fluid is somewhat difficult to sectionise on account of its softness and stickiness. First, I examined it fresh and made some sections, then I put the remainder in absolute alcohol for a week, and afterwards made a further examination of it, and took another series of sections. The superficial layer of cells all over is formed of moderately thick-walled, very protoplasmic cells, with distinct nuclei (fig. 29, A). They are nearly cubical, or in some cases elongated vertically. Fig. 29, C, shows a surface view of these cells. Underneath this layer lies ordinary thin-walled parenchymatous tissue (fig. 29, A). In the sections made from the fresh "horn," the protoplasm of the superficial cells contained a great many spherical clear bodies of various sizes, and these in many cases contained two or three smaller rounded bodies (see fig. 29, B, which is a highly magnified repesentation). These were not starch grains; they stain yellow with iodine. They were probably not oil globules, since they were apparently unaffected by the addition of ether and alcohol. The surface of the horn when fresh was covered by the slightly sticky secretion, and this showed under the microscope the same rounded clear bodies which were present in the sur

6

66

C

FIG. 26.-CELLS FROM THE COLUMN OF CORYANTHES. (SEE TEXT.)

face cells. The rest of the secretion seemed a watery or slightly viscid fluid which took on a uniform stain with aniline blue or eosine, and showed no structure under a high power of the microscope. In the sections made from the pieces of the "horn" which had been kept for a week in alcohol, the clear rounded bodies were almost entirely absent. This seems to show that they are soluble under the prolonged action of alcohol. The plate or rounded projection from the base of the labellum is placed above the pitcher in the natural position of the flower. The upper surface, upon which bees would alight, is very decidedly con

vex.

This structure is almost entirely formed of thin walled parenchymatous cells, and as the first series of sections which I made showed nothing else, I was unable to understand why the bees should eat this part of the flower,* and was inclined to think that it might be the sweetest secretion from the "horns," which after all attracted them to the plant. Some other sections which I have made since, show, however, that one part of the plate (which part I am unable to say for want of materialthe last sections were made from small fragments of the structure) has the surface layer of cells filled with granular protoplasm (fig. 27, A), and in some cases prolonged upwards into long finger-like projections (fig. 27, B). All intermediate conditions between A and B can be found, and in some places the projections are even longer than those shown in B. Fig. 27, C, represents a surface view of A. In all cases these cells are distinctly nucleated, and I have no doubt this is the tissue the bees feed upon, if, as Crüger says, it is the plate-like projection that they eat. W. A. Herdmann, Zoological Laboratory, University College, Liverpool.

THE VALUE OF ORCHIDS. - At Messrs. Protheroe & Morris' Sale Rooms, Cheapside, on the 23d inst., a very fine variety of Lælia anceps, with pure white sepals and petals, was knocked down to an eminent firm of nurserymen for 90 guineas (94 10s.). Imported and unflowered pieces of white Lælia anceps realised 31 guineas, 17 guineas, and 13 guineas respectively; and an established plant of Lælia elegans in flower sold for 25 guineas.

* See Darwin's Origin of Species, 6th ed., p. 154.

FROM A BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

GARDEN.

JAN. 10, 1885.-Fifteen moons of change and chance have waxed and waned above this little spot of garden ground-this green oasis in the wide fertile desert of Buckinghamshire cornlands-since last the pleasures and the pains of it crystallised into written words.

Drearily grey and bleak, the level fields lie all around us. So bleak, se limitless, when, as at this time, the horizon is shrouded in cold mists and fog, are they, that they have been compared to the Steppes of Tartary! Our oasis has enlarged itself during these long months. "The Bocage" has been created. From out of the forest gloom of the Fantaisie suddenly the path leads into the bright surprise of a broad band of flowers. If I shut my eyes for a moment I can recall it in all its summer bloom. Nearest to the wood-side a Beech, and a Silver Birch, and a deep green Portugal Laurel, grow together. Underneath among the stones, spreading out over them their glossy leaves, are large white-flowered Periwinkles from the Olive valley of Roccabruna. (Since this has been their home, however, the flowers have lost their first purity of whiteness.) Then, quite beyond the shadow of the wood, shines out a long perspective of brilliant colour, flowers in clumps, and lines, and patches quite filling up the whole length and sunny breadth of flower border. There was nothing in it rich or rare, but every sort of sweet-smelling old-fashioned flower seed was sown there, and most of them thrived to perfection in the newly trenched ground. There was Lady's Pincushion of all shades of velvet-brown and purple stuck full of the whitest pins, and smelling deliciously. Sweet Sultan (or the Sultan's flower, Cyanus floridus turcicus, Parkinson) lilac, yellow and white. The name is accounted for by the old herbalist because "the great Turk, as we call him, saw it abroad, liked it, and wore it." We had the Sultan's flower in lilac, white, and yellow, and the yellow is worth all three, though it is the least easy to grow. Somewhere it must do well, for the London flower-shops are full of it in its season. But something went contrary with yellow Sweet Sultan here. Then there was Marvel of Peru-oldfashionedly Mervaile of the World-a West Indian plant, whose seed was long ago sent into Europe, and dispersed in almost every garden of note. It is “Bella Notte” in Italy, under the influences of whose sunshine it is said to be most fragrant when the sun goes down. We had some Italian seed also, but though coloured the same as ours-red, white and yellow, and striped-the flowers had no scent. Then there were whole beds of Mignonette (somewhere I have seen Mignonette translated "Old Man's Darling "), and Clove Carnations, and sadcoloured Night Stocks, and honey-scented Alyssum, beloved of honey-bees, and Sweet Peas, and Tenweeks Stocks, and a hundred things that I forget; and later on came a deep glow of bronze-leaved Lobelia cardinalis, and auratum Lilies towered in perfumed splendour above the slighter annuals, and white stars of Nicotiana shone in the dark evenings, and there was quite a thicket of Dianthus superbus ; and behind all, along the back of the border, and against the line of young Alder hedge, grew great pillars of single Dahlias. So luxuriantly they grew in the new-made soil, so strong and rich in flower and foliage, that their tall, topmost flowers grew almost out of reach. The great bushes of red Juaresi, alternate between the white, were a wonderful sight, when at last their slow-blooming buds had opened out all over them; but in a single night, with the first frost, their glory departed, and hanging their discrowned heads, they stood in black and shrivelled ranks. Along the walk between the flower border and "The Park" we planted a line of scarlet and pink Thorns, and made the first start with a Holly hedge. The young Hollies would do well but for Kitty, the domestic donkey! She is a handsome, wayward donkey, with well marked zebra legs, and whenever she sees me near she gallops up, and poking her nose between the bars of the iron rails nibbles off a young Holly shoot. It is done, of course, to tease me, for she cannot mistake them for Thistles. At the end the walk turns and skirts a broad space of seedling Rhododendrons. On the left a narrow turf walk leads off, winding through the thickest part of the Bocage. This turf walk is my pride. The plan of it may not be fault