APPOINTMENTS FOR THE ENSUING WEEK.

Royal Horticultural Society: Meeting of Fruit and Floral Committees, at 11 A.M.; Scientific Committee, at 1 P.M.; General Meeting, at 3 P.M. Show of Pot Roses, Azaleas, &c.

theroe & Morris' Rooms. Sale of Carnations, Plants, &c., at Pro

Sale of Imported Orchids, from Messrs. F. Horsman, and Shuttleworth, Carder & Co., at Stevens' Rooms.

Sale of Valuable Collection of Shells, at Stevens' Rooms.

Sale of Imported Orchids, at Protheroe & Morris' Rooms.

Sale of Greenhouse Plants, at the Nursery, Latimer Road, Forest Gate, by Protheroe & Morris.

PUBLIC attention has been directed of late

to the subject of FORESTRY by Dr. LYONS, Sir JOHN LUBBOCK, and others; a Forestry Exhibition has been held in Edinburgh, and an English Arboricultural Society has been founded which we hope may flourish, and hold discussions, and distribute information, as that of Scotland has done. There is no doubt as to the mismanagement which prevails in the cultivation of woods in all parts of England. The income of most estates might be largely increased by the felling of timber that has ceased to thrive, by adapting the trees to the soils, and by proper thinning, and filling the gaps in underwoods. "The waste and loss are dreadful."

Arboriculture is an art requiring much study and practice; it is a special industry, like that of the gardener. An untrained eye cannot detect the difference between a stunted tree, which ought to be felled, and another of the same size, which is growing fast, and should be saved. Few landed proprietors understand the rudiments of arboriculture, and persons whose knowledge is undisputed and who travel widely have assured us that the land stewards, even on timbered properties, are frequently as ignorant as their employers. In this matter our own personal experience is confirmed by that of the Premier. One may add to these strictures that if instruction in forestry was needed some years since, it has become still more necessary on account of the diminished resources of agriculture, the increased demand for timber, our dependence on foreign supplies, and the probability of an extension of those industries which require timber for their development. It is probable, too, that a large demand will be created by the necessity for increased shed-room for live-stock, especially in those parts of the country where the tendency is to diminish the size of farms and to extend the area of grass-land and increase the number of cattle. There is no need to fear the absence of a market for all the timber that may be planted.

The industry of basket-making, to cite only one case, is dependent on wood, and other kindred industries would grow out of it if the materials could be obtained. The land is here and its cultivation languishes, but the products most in demand, such as Willows, Ash and Chestnut poles are not easily obtained. Unfortunately there are no schools of forestry in England at present, though they exist in France and Germany, and are spoken of for England. The best seminaries for the training of a useful class of practical foresters are the great tree nurseries. The services of the various firms of nurserymen in the department of arboriculture have been very great, and one could not avoid observing this at the Forestry Exhibition. The grounds of the Exhibition at Edinburgh, planted as they were by competent nurserymen, were most instructive. Messrs. VEITCH'S Sciadopitys verticillata and Quercus cuspidata may or may not be the coming timber trees destined to shelter the bullocks of the future; but the enterprise which brought them here gave us many of the best of our trees-the Larch, for instance, and the Silver Fir, which is coming rapidly into use in the construction of

farm buildings, as well as the Corsican and Douglas Firs, which are both winning favour for their rapid growth and general usefulness. It is easy, then, to understand why Messrs. VEITCH were awarded a gold medal for rare specimens. At a former period novelties were introduced by noblemen and planters of wealth. Under the new régime of commercial activity they are due to the enterprise of private firms, to whom we owe the introduction from abroad, and the creation by breeding and crossing, of innumerable useful or beautiful specimens of trees, shrubs and flowers, in woods gardens. The nurseries, then, have become the headquarters and schools where the most reliable information and soundest teaching upon forestry should be sought.

or

A column might easily be filled by describing the skilful planting and arrangement of shrubs in the various tree nurseries; how they are set in such form as to attract the visitor and render their inspection easy; how massed, the tallest behind, the low-growing sorts in front, forming a slope on either hand. The names alone of the attractive exotics that line this approach and introduce you to the forestry department further on would fill a column, and a slight sketch only of their history, whence they came, by whose enterprise imported, by whose skill, courage, and endurance as collector for the firm at home they were secured would fill a volume; in fact the reader may remember that the conveyance of several specimens of a single plant, the Breadfruit, formed the occasion of a volume,

the Mutiny of the Bounty; and he may remember the elaborate precautions which were found necessary in fitting up Captain BLIGH'S vessel for the conveyance of its unusual freight. GEORGE III., however, was not more interested in the voyage of the Bounty, and the treasure it was believed to carry, than the various members of firms must have been in the passage and arrival of many of the shrubs which now seem quite at home. The history of the introduction of the Cinchona into India is also most creditable to Government authorities, and especially to those at Kew.

The Corsican Pine (Pinus Laricio) is a tree which has awakened a great deal of interest among planters. The Corsican Pine is now used in those localities where the Larch was formerly planted. It is largely used for telegraph poles. The Corsican Pine requires to be several times transplanted when young. The books on forestry-excellent and full of sound information as some of them are-do not mention this peculiarity, and yet it is of vital consequence that the plants should be transplanted three or four times before the final removal, since this tree is less disposed to produce a vigorous mass of fibrous roots than either the Spruce, Larch, or Scotch Fir, and is therefore more difficult to establish. These operations increase the cost of the plants, and for the sake of economy they ought, in planting for profit, to be set thinly and mixed with inex. pensive nurses, such as Larch, which is a particularly suitable nurse, the plants costing little, owing to the small amount of labour required

in raising them, and because they are useful as early as ten or twelve years after planting, so that they can be cut for hop-poles or stakes, when they are no longer required as nurses, and this would not be the case with any other Conifer, none possessing the early, utility of the Larch.

Another great merit of the Corsican Pine is its accommodating disposition in regard to soil; it will thrive in the lightest_or the heaviest, and BROWN says in The "We have seen healthy crops of Forester, it on most soils, from a stiff clay loam to a sandy soil." It need hardly be added that it makes timber fastest on a "good soil," and, like the Conifers generally, it prefers sandy loams that are light and dry, and have an open subsoil. It will grow, however, both on the sites that are natural to the Scotch Fir and on those cooler soils which the Silver Fir delights in. On stiff land it is absolutely essential that the surface-water should be removed by gripping.

The Corsican Pine is coming rapidly into favour, as Mr. BROWN predicted that it would do, because, as he remarked, it grows much more rapidly, and attains a larger bulk of timber in a given time, all circumstances alike, than the Scotch Fir; and the timber, which is well impregnated with resin, is easy to work and very durable. A tall tree which Mr. LOUDON regarded as one of the finest in the country, grows to a height of 80 feet or 90 feet on the left of the main entrance to Kew Gardens ; but it has few side branches, and will not hold its own long, in growth, against other specimens having more foliage.

So far as hedge plants are concerned, there is none to beat the Quick or Hawthorn, but the Myrobalan Plum is a fast-growing shrub, suited for any soil. It has been scarce, owing to the difficulty of obtaining the plums. It is a more robust, or at least faster growing Thorn than the Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), as any one may discover who sees the beds of seedlings of the two sorts side by side, where the Prunus myrobalana stood 4 feet high and the Blackthorn only half as high at the same age.

The Alder is in demand by planters for the growth of timber for clog soles and bobbins, which are used by the million. Some may think the Sycamore an unimportant tree. It is becoming a very profitable one, selling when large at 10s. per cubic foot, or 5s. to 75. when smaller. One was sold by auction at Hawick last autumn at £30. Sycamores of such large size are of course only found on good land. The Wellingtonia, on porous soils-but not on the marls, where it makes poor progress-is the tree of fastest growth in this country, and of smallest utility perhaps! Next to it, for rapidity of growth, is the Poplar (Populus canadensis), which not only makes much timber but very useful timber, in quick time. Some of the finest trees we have seen grow by the Trent at Burton.

ANCHOMANES DUBIUS.-In our volume for 1872 we figured one or two flowers of this plant detached from the spadix, but we had no opportunity at the time of figuring the spathe and spadix. Anchomanes dubius is one of those striking Aroids which from a thick fleshy tuber send up, first a spadix, and afterwards a large stalked much cut leaf of much beauty. The inflorescence here figured (fig. 152) is remarkable for its singularly delicate and unusual coloration, the outer surface being pale olive-purple, the interior glossy cream-coloured. The spadix is covered for five-sixths of its length with densely packed cream. coloured male flowers, the lower sixth with dull purple female flowers, each consisting of an ovary only, turned downwards and destitute of perianth. The pollen-grains are elliptic, granular, mixed with needle-shaped raphides. For the connoisseur this is a grand plant, and we thank Mr. BULL for affording us the opportunity of figuring it.

THE QUEEN'S VISIT TO NETLEY.-On Her MAJESTY'S visit to Netley Hospital on Saturday last, Miss EDITH BRADSHAW, youngest daughter of F. BRADSHAW, Esq., J. P., of Abshot Hall, presented Her MAJESTY with a beautiful bouquet, consisting of good blooms of Maréchal Niel, Carnations, Eucharis, Tuberoses, Gardenias, Stephanotis, Orchids, &. This

is the third bouquet Messrs. DROVER, of Fareham, have had the honour of making which has been presented to Her MAJESTY.

THE SOUDAN.-The following extract from a letter from an officer on service at Ottao will be read with interest :-"The whole country is perfectly different to what I expected to find it. I thought to find a flat, sandy plain, with scarcely any vegetation. I was very surprised to find any amount of almost impenetrable bush and bunches of Cactus [Acacia ?] growing over them here and there. I know you take

AMERICAN EXHIBITION, LONDON, 1886.The managers of the American Exhibition have succeeded in securing a location in London for their enterprise-Earl's Court; the selected site is but a short distance from South Kensington, and is situated in the best part of London. The property to be occu. pied by the Exhibition covers about 20 acres, and has railway advantages in advance of any exhibition ever held in London. The station for the District Railway will be in the Exhibition grounds, and another one will be at West Brompton, a few steps from the entrance to the main building. Every railway in

pod; Figs are coming away nicely, and showing fruit at every joint; Gooseberries are plentiful, Currants ditto, Cherries abundant, Plums are beautifully set, and promise well; while in Strawberries Black Prince is a sheet of bloom, and Apples-the most important crop of the lot-are truly lovely in their pink and white blossom. And what is more beautiful than a well-kept Apple orchard ?-in spring the trees clothed with blossom, and in the autumn laden with rosycheeked fruit of various shades. The situation of the garden here is bleak, 400 feet high. And in my judg. ment all this abundant promise of fruit comes of well

(SEE P. 668.)

interest in botany, so I send you a small yellow flower that grows all over the place. The centre, as you will see if you open it, is a dark orange, and the leaf is soft, being covered with a sort of velvet [Abutilon]. There is a singular absence of Palms, even at the wells here, and all up the different routes they are not to be seen. The only few I have seen are just ouside Suâkim, in a place called Osman Digma's garden. The country here is so like Scotland, except for the Heather, only the mountains are much more blue, and much grander. Experiments show that the country here is full of copper. I sincerely hope the country will be opened up, and that the Arabs may prosper."

Great Britain will have facilities for immediate and direct connection with the Exhibition building-as the two great Exhibitions-the Colonial and the American -will thus be in almost direct contiguity, millions of visitors will be saved the trouble and expense of cab. fare from one part of London to another.

FRUIT PROSPECTS.-A correspondent writes as follows:-" Never did I take up my pen to address you with greater pleasure than on the present occa⚫ sion. Speaking for the county of Sussex, I think I may say that we are likely to be blessed with the most abundant crop of fruit I ever remember. Pears are set most abundantly; Peaches as thick as Peas in a

ripened wood from the drought of last year, and also from the lateness and dryness of the spring, so that the frost did not do the damage it usually does. 'Don't halloa till you are out of the wood,' says the sage ; true, but we are nearing the boundary, and I cannot help shouting my joy."

HORTICULTURAL CLUB.-The usual monthly dinner and conversazione took place on Tuesday last, when there was a good attendance, including Mr.. JOHN LEE (Chairman), Messrs. COUSENS, GIRDLESTONE, WHEATSTONE, STOLLENHOFF, DRUERY, &c. In the evening an interesting discussion took place on Ferns, the subject being opened by Mr. C. T. DRUERY,

who very clearly, with the aid of diagrams, showed the difference of reproduction in the case of flowering and cryptogamic plants both in their normal and abnormal aspects, alluding in the latter to his own recent discovery of apospory, which has already been alluded to in these columns. Mr. COUSENS dwelt on the possibility of hybridising Ferns, notwithstanding the minuteness of their organs of reproduction; and during the discussion which followed many interesting facts were brought forward, such as the occurrence of abnormal forms of varieties of British Ferns, where only one plant has been found. It was announced that the subject for the meeting in June would be alpine plants.

REV. J. C. CLUTTERBUCK.-The death is announced of the Rev. J. C. CLUTTERBUCK, M.A., well known as the "father of hydro-geology." Mr. CLUTTERBUCK, who was in his 84th year, was for fifty-five years vicar of Long Wittenham, Berks, and for many years rural dean of Abingdon. The deceased gentleman was an acknowledged authority on all matters relating to our water supply. The evidence which he gave before the Parliamentary Committee in 1865, regarding the abstraction of water from the Thames valley and the regulation of the supply in periods of drought, was the subject of complimentary allusion in the report last year of the Select Committee of the House of Commons. Mr. CLUTTERBUCK was elected a Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford, a position which he held until his marriage with LOUISA, daughter of the Hon. and Rev. W. R. CAPEL, son of the fourth Earl of Essex. Mr. CLUT TERBUCK was one of the earliest contributors to this journal.

LINNEAN SOCIETY.-The day appointed by the charter for the anniversary meeting, May 24, falling this year upon Sunday, and therefore, by the byelaws, postponed to the day following, which is a Bank Holiday, the Council have considered that it would meet the convenience of the Society by holding the anniversary meeting pro forma on the 25th inst., and then adjourning it to Thursday, June 11, at 8 P.M., when a meeting will be held for the election of a Council and officers for the ensuing year.

BOUGAINVILLEA SPECTABILIS.-There is an extraordinary plant of this often despised species flourishing in a lean-to greenhouse at Heathfield, Torquay, the residence of E. CROYDON, Esq. It was planted out in this house some twenty years ago, and its growths have been so cleverly manipulated and trained up under the glass that they now cover most perfectly a space of about 40 feet by 6 feet. The myriads of its brick-red and scarlet shaded bracts are just at their height of perfection, and form a sight not easily forgotten, speaking well, as it does, for the patience and skill of the gardener, Mr. CASELEY. There is no artificial heat given save during the severe weather in winter.

NEW INDIAN AZALEAS.-It is possible that the great interest and attraction attaching to the dis play of Orchids in the conservatory at South Kensington on Tuesday, the 12th inst., drew away atten tion from the fine display of Indian Azaleas brought from Ghent by M. LOUIS VAN HOUTte. The plants were trained in that way which appears to commend itself to the Belgian cultivators, but they were well grown and grandly bloomed; indeed, it seemed as if the colours were much brighter and more striking than in the case of plants bloomed in this country, such as Baron N. de Rothschild, Madame Van Houtte, and Marquis of Lorne. The group consisted of a few varieties not previously seen in this country, and to two of these First-class Certificates of Merit were awarded, viz., Prince Baudouin, vivid crimson, very bright and telling, with dark maroon-purple markings on the upper segments -a very fine variety that will make a rare exhibition variety; and Princess Victoria, delicate pink, with white margins, and having rich rosy-carmine blotches -a very fine double variety. Other fine varieties were John Lyall, double, pale red, finely formed petals, and large flowers-extra fine and free; Miss C. Jarrett, creamy-white, with bright green spots on the upper segments-the flowers much fringed on the edges; Theodore Reimers, double, bright glossy purple, large and fine; Madame Auguste Lemoine, pink, with rosy red flake, the upper segments spotted with purplish-rose, and some. what fringed-good form; Czar Alexander III.,

semi-double, bright red, the upper segments spotted with dark-very free; Louis Lubber rich crimsor, stout, and good form; Oswald de Kerchove, the flowers charmingly fringed; Joseph Lefebvre, white, flaked with carmine and pink, fine and free; Baron N. de Rothschild, bright purple, shaded with violet -very fine; Madame Louis van Houtte, bright rosy-salmon, edged with pure white; and Marquis of Lorne, orange-red, very bright and showy. The foregoing made a very good group of decorative varieties, that are certain to take a high place among growers.

ROYAL NATIONAL TULIP SHOW.-The annual exhibition of this Society is announced to take place at the Botanical Gardens, Manchester, on Saturday the 30th inst. This date has been fixed upon as that best suited to the body of growers, but it will be too early for some to exhibit, among them Mr. S. BARLOW, whose flowers come on very slowly indeed, owing to the cold and somewhat sunless weather.

CALCEOLARIAS AT BEDFORD HILL HOUSṛ, SURREY.-Mr. RAPLEY, the gardener here, has a very fine lot of these showy flowers in luxuriant health just now. There is a pretty large collection, and from the flowers that were sufficiently far advanced we could see that the strain was an exceptionally fine one; the leaves are large and firm, and the heads of bloom are gigantic. The dreaded "rot" disease, or whatever local name it has, is not to be seen, or any signs of it either; the plants are kept very cool, and are as creditable a lot as one could wish to see. In the same cool-house Lapageria rosea and L. alba were making extra strong growths.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS.-The lease of premises at 33, Highgate Road, N.W., having recently expired, Mr. WARHURST has removed his office to 31A, Beaufort Street, Chelsea, S. W., which is very near to the well-known nurseries of Mr. WM. BULL and Messrs. VEITCH in King's Road. Every class of glasshouses and heating for horticultural purposes have been erected for many years by Mr. WARHURST and his predecessors Messrs. HEREMAN & MORTON (and whose old building works are continued at 81A, Highgate Road), but the frequent enquiries necessitated a separate establishment for the ironwork portion. This has been carried on for some time past in conjunction with Mr. HOLLIDAY at the Pheasantry Wire Works, Beaufort Street, to whose works and show rooms the new office is now connected. STEVEN BROS. & Co., Hot-water Engineers and General Ironfounders, 35 and 36, Upper Thames Street, E.C., have secured the lease of new and extensive premises at 4, Upper Thames Street, E.C., opposite the The Times Office, Queen Victoria Street.

FANCY PANSIES FROM BOR EATTON PARK.— A box of blooms of beautiful fancy Pansies sent by Mr. HENRY ECKFORD, from Boreatton Park, Baschurch, is sufficiently noticeable as illustrating what Mr. ECKFORD is doing in the way of producing flowers with distinct scarlet and crimson hues. He has been fertilising and selecting with a view of intensifying the hues of colour found in Thomas Grainger and other flowers of that class, and he has succeeded to a remarkable extent, for many of them are singularly bright and effective. And they are also remarkable for their size, stoutness, smoothness, and the size, density, and clearness of the blotches. Perhaps there is something in the soil and climate that helps both the lustre of the colours and size of the flowers. Whether it is the intention of Mr. ECKFORD to name any of these varieties is not made known. Fancy Pansies are now not only numerous, but very fine, and any additions to the named varieties should be made with caution and care. Mr. ECKFORD is too good a florist not to recognise this necessity; at the same time the development in the fancy Pansy, high as it is at the present time, is confined by no arbitrary limits, and there is no knowing what remains to be revealed in the way of novelty.

ORCHIDS AT BRIGHTON.-It has been suggested that at the meeting of the Bath and West of England Society, to be held at Brighton on June 8, additional means be taken to secure a representative collection of Orchids. The Steward of the department will, we are informed, be happy to offer special

inducements and every possible facility to exhibitors. It is necessary that applications for space and for further information should be made without delay to the Hon. and Rev. J. T. BOSCAWEN, Oxford and Cambridge Club, Pall Mall, London, S.W.

A "GRAND OLD GARDENER."-On Sunday last, the 17th inst., the Rev. H. T. ELLACOMBE, the 'respected Rector of Clyst St. George, returned public thanks that it had pleased the ALMIGHTY to spare him to enter his 96th year in health and senses. We understand that he generally reads the Lessons for the day "distinctly, and with an audible voice, standing" at the eagle lectern, and "turning himself as he may best be heard of all such as are present."

BOOKS RECEIVED.-The Dairy of the Farm. By J. LONG and J. C. MORTON (BRADBURY, AGNEW & Co.).-Report of Sussex Association for the Improvement of Agriculture. Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. · La Maraichère. By M. GILLEKENS.-Birmingham Botanical Society, its History, &c.

Culture

GARDENING APPOINTMENTS.-Mr. JAMES LOCKHART has been appointed Head Gardener to Sir GILBERT GREENALL, Bart., Walton Hall, Warrington.

HOME CORRESPONDENCE.

The Orchid Conference.-The Gardeners' Chronicle has devoted so much space to the Orchid Conference in all its connections and surroundings that I should hesitate to ask you to supply an omis. sion, did it concern me alone. In your report of the proceedings of the Conference you have not mentioned the marked reference I made to the great energy and enterprise which have been displayed now for many years by Mr. F. Sander, of St. Albans, and his collectors. They have added to these qualities conspicuous skill and success in collecting and importing Orchids, the results of intelligent care and observation, and of long and varied experience. Mr. Sander has largely added to the genera and species of Orchids in cultivation, and among his introductions have been many novelties of great merit. While I am writing, permit me to add that I did not say "almost all epiphytes grow upon trees." What I said was that while a large majority of Orchids were epiphytal and grew upon trees, not a few had the habit of herbaceous plants, such as Disas, &c. I avail myself of this opportunity of thanking the Gardeners' Chronicle for the liberality and heartiness with which it has done its utmost to support the Conference, and to promote the scientific and practical objects with which it was constituted. Trevor Lawrence.

Large Abies grandis.-As the result of an accident we were, the other day, compelled to cut down what I believe was the finest specimen of Abies grandis in this country. It was 72 feet in height, 2 feet 2 inches in diameter at the butt end, and it contained upwards of 70 cubic feet of timber, all the result of about thirty-three years' growth. The wood, about which later on I shall have more to say, appears of excellent quality, and has a most agreeable perfume. That it is a rapid grower will be known when I state that several of the annual rings near the butt end measured an inch in thickness. Strange to say, this fine tree never bore cones, although both last season and this male blossoms were produced in abundance. This is quite the reverse of Abies Nord. manniana, which usually produces cones for several years previous to bearing pollen, and even then the pollen is so scanty that we have frequently had to resort to artificial fertilisation. In Ireland, where there are some of the finest specimens of Abies Nordmanniana I have seen, artificial fertilisation was for many years resorted to, owing to the scarcity of pollen. A. D. Webster, Penrhyn Castle, North Wales.

Vegetables at the Bath Show on the 13th.— Although the prizes offered for the above were not very encouraging, there was a very fair display for the time of year, I should say a much better competition than was expected by the committee. The competitors, with the exception of a few, were all local. Unfortunately the wording of the schedule in respect

to the collection of vegetables is anything but satisfactory and not likely to encourage any one but local exhibitors, as herein the same mistake is committed as in many other schedules, viz., not specifying the number of vegetables to be exhibited in each dish, but leaving it entirely to the discretion of each exhibitor to stage what he likes in regard to the number in each dish. As well as stating the number of varieties to be shown in a collection, it should also be clearly stated how many of each variety are to be shown. This mistake give judges unnecessary work, and dissatisfaction often prevails amongst the exhibitors which otherwise would not be felt. Some exhibitors here staged three or four times the usual and proper number of many varieties. This may probably make a larger display, but it certainly makes a rougher one, whereas if a limit were placed on the number to be contained in each dish, exhibitors would have more time to arrange them, and the whole would look as an exhibition should do, as if taste. fully arranged and not crowded, instead of which the vegetable stage presented much the same appearance as a crowded grengrocer's shop window. Visitor. [A greengrocer's shop window often presents a much finer display than we witness at vegetable shows. ED.]

Phormium tenax variegata.-A fine plant of the above is blooming in the conservatory at Castle Hill House, Huntingdon, the residence of the Ven. Archdeacon Vesey. The specimen is in a No. 2 pot (15 inches in diameter). The flower-spike is already 12 feet high, and seems likely to reach another 2 feet. The spread of the beautifully striped leaves is 13 feet, and altogether the plant forms a striking object in an angle at the garden entrance to the conservatory. F. W. Cooper.

Insects Visiting Daffodils.-With reference to your inquiries as to the insects that visit the flowers of Narcissus, I may say that I have observed a small fly (Empusa livida) remain for a considerable time in Narcissus Sir Watkin, and on the 10th of the present month I saw the humble bee visit the flowers of N. minor muticus and N. bulbocodium. In these cases the bees remained but a very short time in the flowers, from which I inferred that they contain a very small quantity, if any, of nectar. Would Sprengel's idea of Orchids being "sham honey flowers" apply to the Daffodils as well? They certainly contain a great quantity of pollen. A. D. W., May 15.

Late Grapes.-Calling on Mr. Ward, of Bishop Stortford, the once celebrated Pine grower, a few days since, I was a little surprised, and very pleased to see some first-class samples of old Grapes, and also some new ones ripe. The variety that had kept so well was Lady Downe's, and they looked as plump and fresh as if it were the middle of December, instead of five months later. Mr. Ward had kept them suspended in his patent troughs on the back wall of one of his vineries, till about six weeks back when the sun got too powerful for them. As his new Grape-room was not quite finished, he placed them in a nice cool thatched summer-house, where they were hanging when I saw them. W. H. Divers, Ketton Hall.

Fertilisation of Orchids.-A rather curious fact that I have noted on several occasions is that the viscid discs of several Continental Orchids, notably Orchis pauciflora, O. provincialis, and O. sambucina, are, when grown in this country at least, not sufficiently adhesive to remove the pollinia when they become attached to an insect. Several times I have noticed the pollinia only half drawn out, and on experiment. ing found that this was owing to the viscid discs being not sufficiently adhesive to bear the strain of their removal from the anther cells. Is this due to the climate of Britain being too cold to fully develope the various parts of these Orchids? For were they natives I fear their extinction, owing to non-fertilisation, would be simply a matter of time. A. D. W.

Purple Wallflowers.—A spike of a single wall. flower of an extremely rich crimson-purple hue, has just been sent to me by a person who regards it as quite a novelty in colour. But it is not such a novelty as the sender supposes. The fact is that if seed of single Wallflowers be obtained from Germany, several flowers will be found among them having tints of purple more or less striking just as they can be found among the double German Wallflowers. We have

known these selected, the seeds saved and sown, but a very large majority of the progeny will revert to the single dark form. It is yet possible, by means of patient selection, to overcome this tendency to revert, and it would be well if some one would attempt it, taking care to grow nothing else in the way of Wall. flowers near it. The attempt is worth making. As far as I have experience of the single German Wallflowers, they are of a tall leggy habit, quite unlike that dwarf bushy free branching habit one sees in the dark and yellow strains grown for the London markets. Seed of purple Wallflowers can be seen in some wholesale lists, so there should be no difficulty in obtaining a supply to begin with. R. D.

Nomenclature.-What Mr. Baker in his letter on Narcissus names, p. 567, points out as a future note for guidance in nomenclature, if applied to Narcissi cannot stop there, but must apply equally to all cultivated plants. If garden varieties of Narcissi, whether known hybrids or natural seedlings, are to be named and numbered in the manner adopted by florists and not by botanists"-with the proviso that "those forms are excepted which have already received Latin names "-then it follows that the same rule must be applied to Lilies, Orchids, &c. At any future Conference some such resolution will no doubt be passed affirming the above principle. If such were done, the principle involved would be decisively adopted, and come into force for the future without exception. Alexander Wallace, M.D.

Narcissus Disease.-An account of this disease is found in a small publication, Onderzoeck der Zeik ten van Hyacinthen an andere Bol en Knolgewassen, door T. H. Wakker. ("Researches into the diseases of Hyacinths and other Bulbs," by T. H. Wakker.) I think your disease is the "Wit snot "in Holland so-called, and in German "Wussen rotz." J. C. W. P.

The Weather in Midlothian.-We have had a week of cold blustering weather, with showers of sleet and snow, but crops have stood it well on the whole, and in the Lothians I see no injury done to the fruit crops by the nips of 3° or 4° of frost on several nights this week. Trees are full of blossom, very healthy, and free from insects, and are looking most promising for a fine crop. M.

Damage from Hailstorm.-We were visited by an extremely heavy hailstorm accompanied with vivid lightning and loud peals of thunder on the evening of the 3d inst.; it lasted about half an hour, many of the stones being the size of Hazel-nuts, which fell with great force and wrought severe damage to various subjects. Perhaps the hardy fruit crop received the greatest amount of injury; it is pitiable to look at the Pears and Plums (which before the disaster were aglow with blossoms, unmarred by frosts, and gave promise of unusual abundant crops), and witness the havoc played amongst them. In many instances the embryo fruits are cleanly cut off, while in others, except some protected by spurs or branches, they are irretrievably injured by the battering they received. The trees have also received a serious check in growth by being denuded of much of their foliage and having the remainder more or less torn and bruised. Fortunately the Apricot wall was protected with copings, and a few of the Pears were likewise covered. Bush fruits suffered considerably, particularly Black Currants, the blossoms of which were stripped off. Roses have received injury in having their foliage and young shoots bruised and torn. Peas, Onions, Parsnips, Lettuce, and seed beds of Broccoli, &c., are much battered, as is also the Rhubarb. The hail did not disappear, in some places, until afternoon on Monday. Thomas Coomber, Hendre Gardens, Mon.

Single Dahlias.-Some writers are falling into the error of recommending a rich soil for single Dahlias. Surely this is a great mistake. The poorest soil appears to suit them, and in what might be termed hungry soils they flower more freely and with much more refinement of character in this respect, unlike the large double varieties, which require rich feeding at the roots, and in the case of now a few varieties, considerable disbudding. Happily single and the pretty pompon Dahlias require no disbudding. The act of cutting for decorative and other purposes is the best disbudding system which can be applied.

Another reason for planting in a poor soil is that, taking the newer varieties, the flowers are quite large enough without the need for planting in good soil to make them come finer. In order to enable pur chasers to make suitable selections of varieties of single Dahlias, Mr. T. S. Ware, in his new catalogue, just issued, has put them into groups, viz., those with flowers much reflexed, those with flowers partially reflexed, those with quite flat flowers, and those with stellate flowers. This will no doubt be found a convenient classification, and will be appreciated by lovers of the useful and popular single Dahlia. R. D.

soon go

Melon Canker.-I very much doubt whether the deep planting of Melon plants has any tendency to produce canker, provided no injury be caused to the stems during the operation. As far as my experience goes I can at any rate answer very decidedly that it does not, having grown Melons precisely as recorded in a previous note for nine years past without the slightest trace of canker. I never allow the soil to become "too wet; many plants besides Melons the wrong way when the rooting medium is in that state. At the same time I water freely, and with those growing in pots during the operation of watering it frequently covers the base of the stems; but good drainage is always provided, and the surface of the soil soon dries. Is it a fact that "H. W. W." has never seen Melon plants canker when planted on raised mounds with the "base of the stems 3 inches higher than the bed of soil," and the latter "sloping sharply towards the surface of the beds on which they are formed "? I should imagine with the soil pressed very firm, as it should be, some difficulty would be experienced in keeping the central portion of the bed sufficiently moist. In conclusion, I beg most emphatically to differ from "H. W. W.'s " opinion as to the only cause of canker, and believe it is more frequently occasioned by some sudden check, such as watering with cold water, or a sudden fall in the temperature either of the house or bottom-heat. Too much water will undoubtedly cause the sudden collapse of Melon plants, and this is the more likely to take place when growing in large beds of soil. C. H.

The Old Double White Rocket Attacked by Larvæ. The grand old border favourite, Hesperis matronalis alba plena, now too seldom seen, is at this time of the year subject to the attacks of a grub, which will as effectually ruin the coming flower-buds as will the well-known Rose grub, which, except in colour, it much resembles. It weaves a cocoon around the leaves that encircle the central embryo flower-heads, draws them together, and in a short time both leaves and flower-buds have disappeared, except the mid-ribs of the leaves. This morning I examined some of them thus attacked, and in some flower-heads found as many as eight of those destructive greenish maggots, about threeeighths of an inch long. My plants are pure white, not flesh-tinted, and very double, unlike what is commonly sold as the true double Rocket. W. 7. Murphy, Clomnel.

Booksellers as Seedsmen.-When at the Praed Street station of the Metropolitan Railway a few days ago, I noticed that the Right Hon. W. H. Smith, M.P., has also gone into the seed trade, and any person travelling on the railway may purchase at his bookstall flower seeds in gorgeously coloured floral packets at Id. each. With dukes as market gar deners, and Privy Councillors as cheap seedsmen, where is the limit to be fixed? Very soon all ranks and degrees will be sellers, and one is led to wonder where the buyers will be found. Is it possible for seedsmen to start in the competitive race as dukes and Privy Councillors? R. Dean, Ealing, W.

New Chrysanthemum.-I beg to submit flowers of a new hybrid annual Chrysanthemum, the result of a cross between C. coronarium and C. carinatum, which has originated with Mr. Robert Owen of the Castle Hill Nurseries, Maidenhead, and which is likely to prove a valuable addition to this already favoured group. As regards the colour of the flowers, it is identical with that of the typical coronarium, the petals are somewhat broader probably, whilst the foliage is that of C. carinatum. On some of the plants now flower. ing in these nurseries the leaf character of both parents is developed, thus establishing beyond a doubt

the origin of the plant in question. It may also interest some of your readers to learn that the plants from which the enclosed flowers were taken have been perpetuated by means of cuttings, and have been producing flowers for the last three weeks, with a profusion of bloom to follow. This fact gives additional value to a plant which already possesses many charms for those who prefer pleasing combination of colour. For the cool conservatory just now it is simply charming. Later on Mr. Owen intends to exhibit it at one of the meetings of the Royal Horticultural Society. E. Jenkins. [The Fuchsia our correspondent sent for our inspection was a large single flowered kind, without any coarseness, the corolla a rich purple, with scarlet lines on the upper portions, sepals bright red, and much reflexed. The Chrysanthemum is a pretty yellow and white, with an orange coloured disk, and is likely to make a showy greenhouse plant. ED.]

Narcissus Disease. -I have many beds of Daffodils, but the disease of which the Rev. Wolley Dod writes has not yet visited them. I plant my bulbs in any soil, wet or dry, and without manure. W. D. G. O., Biarritz.

Cabbages.-Spring Cabbages are now turning in plentifully, and your correspondent, Mr. Sheppard, wisely suggests comparing notes and taking stock as to which are the best varieties to grow. Vanack is our favourite here, it turns in nice little compact heads nearly a fortnight earlier than any other variety we grow, and scarcely a plant of this fine variety has run to seed. Wheeler's Imperial comes next; market growers in this locality depend entirely upon this variety, not only for spring use, but as an all-round Cabbage, and in our opinion it has few equals. Little Pixie is also very fine with us this season, the same may be said of Heartwell Early, which is rather larger and likewise later than the three former varieties. Dwarf Winningstadt we have grown this season for the first, and last, time; it may be a Winningstadt, but with us it is anything but a dwarf. We make it a rule to sow our Cabbage seed thin in beds during the last week of July, or the first in August, and like to have the plants in their permanent quarters by the middle of September. A. Smith, Cardiff.

The Service Clause of the New Franchise Bill.-The question has been mooted, How will the dwellers in "bothies " be affected by the application of this clause? It distinctly sets forth that servants otherwise duly qualified, occupying premises distinct from that in which their employer resides-such, for instance, as a gardener, or gamekeeper, or steward, or bailiff, &c.-are entitied to have their names placed on the list of voters soon to be prepared. It is in this relation that the matter of the occupiers of "bothies has come to the fore. I submitted the matter to the opinion of an eminent member of Parlia ment, and he replies, "The general impression is that your 'bothy' friends cannot qualify, but it is a point for the decision of a revising barrister." It is a matter on which revising barristers are certain to be divided in opinion, and it is probable some claims of this nature will be admitted while others may be rejected, but it would be of importance to get a favourable decision from a revising barrister. Surely there are among the inhabitants of "bothies " many as well able to exercise a vote intelligently as the ordinary lodger, who can qualify by paying 4s. 6d. per week, or the ordinary occupier of a tenement however small and wretched, provided there is a residential qualifi. cation. My advice to all occupiers of "bothies " interested in this question, who have been in the same situation and occupied the "bothy " since July 1, 1884, and who therefore have a residential qualifi cation, and are over twenty-one years of age, is to claim to vote. This they can do through the medium of the agents of the several political parties, who will provide them with forms for the purpose, which have to be sent in to the overseers of parishes by a given time. My impression is that revising barristers will be inclined to interpret the Franchise Act in a broad and generous spirit, and that the agents of the contending political parties will not interpose vexatious objections. The simple rights of citizenship should be enjoyed by all, and as political information by means of a cheap Press is now widely disseminated, it is not to be wondered at that the inhabitants of bothies take an interest in political questions of the moment. I repeat my advice-Claim ! claim ! and

let the revising barrister say yea or nay. R. Dean, Ealing, W. [We strongly incline to the belief that bothy men will, except under special circumstances, do much better by not mixing themselves up with party politics. ED.].

The "Widow" or

"Mourning" Iris.-Uprising from a sunny bit of rocky soil, made still more dry and warm by the roots of Holly trees, we have a colony of this quaint little Florentine Iris. It is not so beautiful, perhaps, as the great white Iris of Florence, but merely an unassuming little flower of silky texture, and green in colour, except the tips of the outer petals or "falls," which are blotched with black velvety patches, as shown in our sketch (fig. 153). One might be excused for passing it by when in flower without seeing it, but if the blossoms are

brought near to the eye indoors its distinctness and sombre beauty are quite indescribable. The leaves are erect, and four-angled, very like those of I. reticulata, but its tuberous roots are quite different; hence, no doubt, its specific name, Iris tuberosa. F. W. B.

Fruit Prospects in the North of Scotland.The effects of the fine warm season of 1884 are now apparent everywhere in this northern district by the fine display of strong and healthy fruit-buds on all kinds of hardy fruit trees. Apples, which carried a very light crop, had the advantage of early storing their fluids and building up strong and well matured fruit-buds previous to the period of shedding their leaves, and are in consequence in a more highly developed state than usual. From the cold and backward spring weather, and especially that of the last three weeks, they are later in opening their blossoms, and will now have a better chance of escaping injury by frost. Pears on walls have set their fruit well, so

walls have, however, been thinner in fruit-buds than usual, I suppose owing to the dry ground and heavy crop last season; they are as yet scarcely at a stage to be certain about a crop, as they sometimes apparently set well, and swell on until they attain the size of plumlets and then stop and fall off. Standard Plums and Pears have both flowered profusely, while all kinds of bush fruit are very promising. Spring having been dry and cold seeds of all kinds have been got into the ground in excellent condition, and crops, although late, are promising well. The rainfall for the last five months is about an inch below the average for each month for this district, and a deficiency of water from springs may be expected in the end of summer and the autumn months. The following is an extract of the rainfall registered here for the last five months, viz. :-Dec., 1884, 1.34 inch. 1885: Jan., 1.58 inch; Feb., 1.79 inch; March, 1.54 inch; April, 1.25 inch; May, up to 16th, 0.61 inch. The average fall for this place is about 2 inches. Four degrees of frost is the lowest registered here during the present month, and some Potatos on wall border, 6 to 8 inches high, have escaped owing to the ground being dry at the time. 7. Webster, Gordon Castle Gardens, May 18.

Maurandya Barclayana.-This beautiful climbing perennial was formerly more generally known than it is now. Notwithstanding the neglect it has fallen into it is a plant that merits a place in every garden. It is suitable either for the greenhouse or for cultivating in the open garden as a climbing annual. During the summer it will grow and flower abundantly against a south wall or a trellis, but it requires the protection of a greenhouse in winter. A light rich soil suits it. It is readily increased by cuttings planted under glass or from seed, of which it usually matures an abundance. I prefer raising the plants from seed sown in the autumn. If the plants are carefully attended to in shifting, when necessary, and in watering, and kept on a shelf near to the glass, they will make better plants than those from spring-sown seed, and may be planted out in the open air some time before plants from spring-sown seed. Towards the end of the season it looks very beautiful. M. Saul, York.

How to Keep Hardy Fruit Trees Clean.-As the conditions of cleanliness and its reverse have a great influence upon the health of mankind so also have they analogous influence upon the health and condition of trees and plants. Bearing this fact in mind no time should be lost in examining all trees of the Apricot, Peach, Plum, Cherry, &c., to ascertain -now that they are pushing into leaf-whether they are attacked by blight, of which the black fly isespecially on Cherry trees-the most troublesome as well as difficult to dislodge. However, this and aphides in general, which play such havoc with the young leaves and shoots, may be destroyed by syringing the trees, as soon as the blight is noticed and before the leaves curl, with a solution made of I quart of tobacco-juice (as supplied by Griffiths & Avis, of Coventry), to 4 gal. of clear water, which will, in addition to killing the aphis, render the foliage distasteful to any other insects during the remainder of the year. H. W. Ward.

Narcissus poeticus var. verbanus.-Messrs. Collins & Gabriel offered this variety in their catalogue of last autumn, and by to-day's post I received a flower grown from their bulbs sent to me from Ireland by Mr. Poë. The same post brought me another flower, precisely similar, sent from a garden at Frome, in Somersetshire, where bulbs of it have been for many years: the house of that garden was formerly occupied by a gentleman who brought many plants home from the Alps and Italy. The flowers and leaf correspond exactly with Herbert's description under the above name: the leaf is very narrow and linear, the flower very small, hardly as large as an ordinary flower of N. biflorus, the stalk slender, the limb of the flower tinged with yellow at the base more distinctly than that of any other variety of N. poeticus (see Herbert's Amaryllidacea, p. 318). Herbert gave the plant its name, which is derived from Verbanus, the ancient name of the Lago Mag giore, on the banks of which it was first found. He seems to have felt reasonable doubt whether the name of the lake, Verbanus, was a noun, adjective, or substantive. At first he treated it as a substantive, as the Greek way of writing it shows it to have been,