The preparatory stage need not be more than two or three weeks-not five or six. You will not succeed with these unless the clumps have been well grown. They will require about two months in a mild heat from first introducing them from outside. GRAPE VINE: 7. N. The Claret Vine; so named from the leaves assuming a claret colour in autnmn. GROS COLMAR GRAPE: E. Bland. Such doubling of the berries is not at all unusual. PRIMULA BLOOMS: C. Whitaker. These were uncommonly fine in colour and size, with forms sufficiently good for all decorative purposes. ALF. WATKINS, Hockerill and North Street, Bishop's KELWAY & SONS, Langport, Somerset-General List of J. CHEAL & SONS, Crawley, Sussex-Vegetable and Flower Seeds. W. FELL & Co., Hexham, Northumberland-Spring Seed Guide. CHARLES TURNER, Slough-Kitchen Garden, Flower and Farm Seeds. W. PAUL & SON, Waltham Cross-Vegetable, Flower, and Agricultural Seeds. JAMES DICKSON & SONS, Edinburgh-Vegetable and Flower Seeds. W. TOOGOOD, Southampton Garden Seeds. Kitchen and Flower W. CUTBUSH & SONS, Highgate and Barnet-Vegetable, Flower, and Farm Seeds. WEBB & SONS, Wordsley, Stourbridge-General Spring BIDDLES & Co. (The Penny Packet Company), Lough- P. DIXON, Hull-Garden and Farm Seeds. JOHN JONES & Co., Oswestry-Wholesale Garden and Agricultural Seeds. T. KENNEDY & Co., Dumfries-Select Vegetable and Flower Seeds. FRANCIS & ARTHUR DICKSON & SONS, Chester-Vegetable and Flower Seeds. C. FIDLER, Reading-Seed Potatos. LITTLE & BALLANTYNE, Carlisle-Descriptive List of Garden Seeds. BARR & SON, Covent Garden, London-Flower Seeds, Vegetable Seeds, and Spring Catalogue. G. E. ELLIOTT, Huddersfield-List of Garden Seeds. Messrs. W. DRUMMOND & SONS, Stirling-Vegetable COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVED.-G. A., Paris.-R. S.-W. S.B. P.-C. Koopman.-R. M. C.-A. V.-W. C., Inverness. -F. G.-R. D.-W. Divers.-H.-J. Horsefield.-R. M. N. —J. R. J.-J. T. R.-G. T. M. (with thanks).-R. P.C. Lucas.-J. S.-C. P.-W. H.-A. O. W.-A. B.-T. B.W. L.-W. W.-J. J. B.-A. F. J.-J. D. H. DIED, on the 5th inst., at Llandudno, CHARLES EDWARD, second son of the Rev. CHARLES WOLLEY DOD, of Edge Hall, Malpas; aged 27. Markets. COVENT GARDEN, January 8. TRADE again quiet. All classes of goods heavy. James Webber, Wholesale Apple Market. .. 2 0-10 0 Cinerarias, per doz.. 9 0-12 0 PLANTS IN POTS.-AVERAGE WHOLESALE PRICES. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. Aralia Sieboldi, doz. 6 0-24 o Ferns, in variety, per Arbor-vitæ (golden), dozen 4 0-18 0 per dozen 6 0-18 0 Ficus elastica, each 1 6-7 0 (common), dozen 6 0-12 o Foliage Plants, variArum Lilies, dozen 9 c-15 ° ous, each Azaleas, per dozen..18 0-42 o Hyacinths, per doz. 8 o-10 0 Begonias, per doz... 6 0-12 O Roman, per pot 1 0 1 3 Bouvardia, dozen 9 0-18 0 Marguerite Daisy, per dozen 8 0-15 0 doz. .. 6 0-12 0 variety, each 2 6-21 0 ..30 0-60 o Pelargoniums, scarviridis, per doz..12 0-24 o let, per dozen 40-60 Epiphyllum, doz...18 0-24 o Poinsettia, per doz. 9 0-15 0 Erica, various, doz. 9 0-18 o Primula sinensis, per Euonymus, various, 40-60 ..9 0-12 0 8 0-10 0 CUT FLOWERs.-Average Wholesale PRICES. s. d. s. d. Abutilon, 12 bunches 2 0-4 o Arum Lilies, 12 blms. 6 o- 9 o Azalea, 12 sprays 10-16 Bouvardias, per bun. 1 o 16 Camellias, per doz 3 0 8 0 Carnations, 12 blms. I o- 30 Chrysanth., 12 bun.12 0-24 0 large, 12 blooms 2 0-40 Cyclamen, 12 blooms o 3- 0,6 Epiphyllum, 12 blms, o 4- 06 Eucharis, per doz. 40-80 Euphorbia jacquiniflora, 12 sprays 1 6-3 0 Gardenias, 12 blms..18 0-30 0 Heliotropes, 12 sp... o 6-1 o Hyacinths, Roman, 12 sprays I 0-1 6 Lapageria, white, 12 blooms 20-30 red, 12 102 O blooms Lily-of-Val., 12 sprays 1 0-2 0 Marguerites, 12 bun. 6 0-9 o s. d. s. d. Mignonette, 12 bun. 6 o- 9 0 Narcissus, Paper. white, 12 sprays.. 26-30 French, 12 bun. 6 0-12 o Pelargoniums, per 12 sprays scarlet, 12 sprays o 9-10 Poinsettia, 12 blooms 3 0 90 Primula, double, bun. 1 o 16 - sinensis, 12 bun. 4 - 6 o Roses (indoor), doz. 2 0 6 0 - French, per doz. 1 0 3 0 Stokesia, 12 blooms 1 0Tropæolum, 12 bun, 1 0-2 0 Tuberoses, per doz.. 2 o- 4 0 Tulips, 12 blooms I 0-16 Violets, 12 bun. I 0-1 6 - French, bunch.. 2 63 Parme, French, per bunch.. 70-86 Wallflower, 12 bun.. 4 - 6 o White Jasmine, per bunch FRUIT.-AVErage Wholesale Prices. s. d. s. d. 1 6-4 0 Nova Scotia and Canadian, barrel 10 0-18 0 Cobs, per 100 lb... fo oGrapes, per lb. Apples, 1⁄2-sieve . s. d. s. d. Lemons, per case ..12 0-18 0 Pine-apples, Eng., lb. 1 o 20 St. Michael, each 5 0-10 0 Pears, French, doz. 1 6-3 6 I 6-4 0 VEGETABLES.-Average RETAIL PRICES. s. d. s. d. 40-60 Artichokes, Globe, per doz. s. d. s. d. Lettuces, Cab., doz. 1 6-French Cos, each o 6Mint, green, bunch.. 1 6Mushrooms, p. baskt. 1 o- 20 Onions, per bushel.. 4 0 Spring, per bun. o 6Parsley, per bunch.. o 4Peas, per lb. Potatos, new, per lb. o 6Radishes, per doz. Rhubarb, bundle Salsify, per bund. I OSeakale, per punnet 2 o- 2 6 Small salading, per punnet 0 4- .. Spinach, per bushel 3 0Tomatos, per lb. 10-16 Turnips, bun. Asparagus, English, per bundle French, bundle15 0-20 0 Beans, French, lb. 1 6- .. Beet, per doz. Cabbages, per doz... 1 6- 2 o Carrots, per bun. o 6Cauliflowers, English, dozen.. Celeriac, per root Celery, per bundle.. 1 6- 2 6 Cucumbers, each I 0 2 6 Endive, Eng., dozen 1 oGarlic, per lb. o 6Herbs, per bunch o 2-0 4 Horse Radish, bun. 3 0 4 0 POTATOS.-Magnum Bonums, 40s. to 70s.; Regents, 70s. to 90s. ; Champions, 45s. to 6os. per ton. Markets have a downward tendency. SEEDS. .. O 5-.. LONDON: Jan. 7.-During the last few days there has been rather more business doing in field seeds, and some quantity, more particularly of red Clover seed, has changed hands. As regards Alsike, white, and Trefoil, there is no quotable variation. In grasses there is nothing doing. Spring Tares are dearer. Blue Peas and Haricot Beans, in sympathy with the advance in corn, are firmer. Feeding Linseed still tends upwards. John Shaw & Sons, Seed Merchants, 37, Mark Lane, London, E.C. CORN. At Mark Lane on Monday there was a more animated trade than for some time past, partly speculative, political as well as statistical movements having influence. English Wheat sold quite 2s., and foreign 25. to 35., above the rates of Monday se'nnight, the white Wheats showing the largest rise. Flour sold at a general advance of 25. per sack, and the official top price of town flour was raised 45., making 375. the present quotation. Maize advanced 6d. to Is. for the week, malting Barley is., grinding Barley 6d., and Peas Is. per quarter, Beans remaining firm at late rates.-On Wednesday the rates for Wheat above recorded were not readily obtainable. The market for flour was quiet, and prices nominally unaltered. Barley was firmer, and met a good inquiry forward. Maize was firm on the spot, but weaker forward. Oats showed an occasional advance of 3d. over Monday. Average prices of corn for the week ending Jan. 3-Wheat, 31s. 11d.; Barley, 31s. 4d.; Oats, 19s. 6d. For the corresponding period last year :Wheat, 395.; Barley, 325.; Oats, 19s. 3d. HAY. Tuesday's Whitechapel Market report states that the Clover trade was dull; hay was in good demand, and the top price of straw advanced Is. Supplies moderate. Quotations-Clover, prime, 90s. to 1075.; inferior, 46s. to 735.; prime second cut, 90s. to 100s.; hay, prime, 80s. to 95s.; inferior, 30s. to 63s.; and straw, 225. to 36s. per load.-The Cumberland Market report states that there was a fair supply, with better demand, at the following rates :-Clover, best, 95s. to 108s.; interior, 50s. to 80s.; meadow hay, best, 80s. to 90s.; inferior, 50s. to 70s. ; and straw, 265. to 35s. per load. POTATOS. The Borough and Spitalfields Markets reports state that the demand was slow, and supply plentiful. Quotations:-Kent Regents, 70s. to 80s.; Scotch ditto, 80s. to 100s.; Victorias, 70s. to 90s.; Magnum Bonums, 50s. to 80s.; Champions, 50s. to 60s.; French, 40s. to 50s. per ton. The imports into London last week were 215 bags from Hamburg, and 5 bags from Harlingen, Government Stock.-Consols closed on Monday at 99 to 99 for delivery, and 991 to 99 for the account. Tuesday's figures were 994 to 991 for delivery, and 991 to 99 for the account. The final quotations of Wednesday were 99 to 99 for delivery, and 991 to 991 for the account. Thursday's closing figures were 99 to 99 for delivery, and 991 to 9913 for the account. 1000; 3 to 4 feet, 20s. per 1000. ELMS, 1% to 2 teet, 145. per 1000; 2 to 3 feet, 175. per 1000; English, 3 feet, 255. CHESTNUT, Spanish, 2 to 3 feet, 225. per 1000; 15 to 20 inches, 16s. per Icoɔ. LARCH, 14 to 24 inches, 125. Ed. per 1000; 2 to 2% feet, 16s. per 1000; 3 to 4 feet, 18s. per 1000; 4 to 5 feet, 245. per 1000. SPRUCE FIR, 1 to 11⁄2 foot, 12s. per 1000; 11⁄2 to 2 feet. 135. per 1000; 2 to 2% feet, bushy, 165. per SCOTCH FIR, 1-yr., 2-yr. transplanted, 125. per 1000; 2 to 22 and 3 feet, 18s. per 1oco. SILVER FIR, 4-yr. transplanted, 225. per icoo. HAZEL, 2 to 3 feet, 20s. per 1000. OAKS, 18 to 20 inches, 16s. per 1oco; 2 feet, 20s. per 1000. PRIVET, Evergreen, 2 feet, 15s. per 1000; 1 to 11⁄2 foot, 125. per 1000; OVALIFOLIUM, 2 to 2% feet, 30s. per 1000; Oval, i foot, 20s. per 1000. SYCAMORE, 12 to 2 feet, 14. per 1000. THORNS, 11⁄2 to 2 feet, 12s. 6d. per 1000; 2 to 24 feet, 165. per 1c00; 3 to 3% feet, 18s. per 1000. CATALOGUES on application to GARLIES MITCHELL, Nurseryman, Stranraer, N. B. He can still supply extra strong plants in pots of MARECHAL NIEL, GLOIRE DE DIJON, BELLE LYONAISE, REINE MARIE HENRIETTE, and other ROSES. The Slead Syke Nurseries, Brighouse. NDRÉ LEROY'S Nurseries, at Angers, France, the largest and richest in Europe in Collections of FRUIT and ORNAMENTAL TREES, SHRUBS, CAMELLIAS, ROSES, SEEDLINGS, STOCK FRUIT TREES, &c. CATALOGUES sent on application. Freight from Angers to London is very moderate. Medal of Honour at the Universal Exhibition at Paris in 1878. Orders must be addressed to Messrs. WATSON AND SCULL, 90, Lower Thames Street, London, E.C. IMPORTANT NOTICE.-Any Nobleman, Gentleman, or Landscape Gardener requiring an extra fine specimen ARAUCARIA IMBRICATA, well furnished, and not less than 15 to 16 feet high, that would move well, can be suited with the same on application to GODWIN AND SON, The Rosarium, Ashburne, Derby. Also Two good Specimens of WEEPING HOLLY, for Single Trees. 7. CHEAL & SONS, CREWE HALL, CHESHIRE. QUITTING the great junction at the railway town of Crewe, ten minutes' walk brought me to the park and entrance gates of an old and noble family demesne. From the midst of a mushroom town which has been almost as sudden in its growth as some of the cities of the United States, you pass by a curious and immediate transition into a park of old timber where the feudal system still holds sway, however much it may be modernised, and however benignant in its operation. Crewe is a town of very great interest, not merely on account of the workshops of the London and North-Western Railway Company with their cyclopean smithies and vast mechanical establishments, such as Sir Francis Head described them some years since, but for the admirable institutions established by the company for the instruction and welfare of their workpeople. But I am to notice here, not the town, but the family of Crewe, and the residence of the nobleman who bears the name. The Crewes date as a family of note from the early part of the twelfth century, and on tracing their genealogy we find that the main line failed at the close of the thirteenth century when a female succession took place, the lady marrying and losing her name of Crewe in 1294. It seems at first sight remarkable that in these days estates so frequently devolved upon females, but we cannot feel surprise that the mortality of sons should have exceeded that of daughters when we remember the frequent dangers that assailed the former as knights and soldiers during the Crusades and other wars such as those with France in the days of Agincourt and Cressy, the civil wars in the time of Simon de Montfort, the fatal wars of the Roses, which swept away half the landed proprietors of England, besides frequent family feuds and domestic strifes, in which the sons alone were involved.. In 1578 another misfortune occurred to this estate on the occasion of its sale to Sir Christopher Hatton. Luckily, it again came on the market, and as all men feel a natural affinity for their native earth, a Crewe came forward and purchased it. This new owner was no other than Sir Randal Crewe, Lord Chief Justice of England, and the brightest ornament of his family. Change, however, is the law of life, and very often vicissitude accompanies change. It was thought a great calamity, no doubt, when heirs male again failed in 1684; but the best and only remedy was soon applied, and as tinkers patch the pots that need repair, so great families solder up their ancestral lines. There is hardly a great family that has not been braced in this way-as, for example, when Sir Hugh Smithson married the greatest heiress of her time, and became a Percy by Act of Parliament. All that concerns us in regard to the gentleman who married the heiress of the house of Crewe, 150 years ago, is that he assumed, by authority, the name of his wife. His grandson was created Lord Crewe in 1806. Returning to Randal, the Lord Chief Justice, it was he who built the Hall after a design by Inigo Jones. It was worthy of the architect babuwa stew e being a handsome specimen of a house of the seventeenth century. Most unfortunately Crewe Hall incurred a common fate of houses of its class by the fire of 1866, when the beautiful structure of Inigo Jones was almost entirely destroyed, with the exception of the outer walls and the ornamental stacks of chimneys. A new house soon rose on its site, however, handsomer than the old one, and similar in its general style, being of red brick toned down in colour and relieved by stonework, so that its appearance is already as pleasing as those of any of the old Jacobean mansions, which are so much admired. The body of the building is of brick, but the door-cases, mullions of the windows, coinings, strings and cornices are of stone, and each front is broken by the projection of large bay windows affording relief to its otherwise straight lines, as well as agreeable light and shade. All these excellent effects are increased by the open work of handsome battlements, by stately clustered chimneys, and by the graces of a well-proportioned building. How superior is this architecture to that of our usual public buildings in London and elsewhere. The new house was completed in 1870, and consecrated by the Archbishop of York, the Bishop and Canons of Chester, and the clergy of the diocese. Mr. Whittaker has charge of the gardens, which are comparatively small but well kept, with the help of five gardeners. The park is somewhat flat, but the house is raised slightly above it, and there are pleasing views of grass and old timber, seen through the intervals of great clumps of Portugal Laurels and Rhododendrons. These are all within the enclosure of a low wall, which fences the park from the house, and is in the same style of red brick, relieved by openings and by solid stone coping and strings. The family lions and griffins guard the gateway. The north and east side of this handsome quadrangular hall are laid down respectively in lawn and flower garden, and across these and the large piece of ornamental water beyond them there are delightful views, with masses of distant trees which would anywhere be handsome, and by the water-side are still more so. Near the lawn, towards the kitchen garden, and easy of access for any member of the family who loves flowers, there is a large conservatory, well built and well planted and kept. Yew and Holly hedges bespeak the length of time that must have elapsed since the gardens were formed. In the park I noticed a great many old Hornbeams, weeping, as they always do when old, and far more ornamental than younger trees on that account. Part of the park is of heavy soil, and planted with Oak; the house is on dry, hard ground, with many Beeches and Limes upon it. I felt great interest in visiting this place, having heard that Lord Crewe's estate is in perfect order, the houses of his tenantry being in as good repair as his own, and knowing, too, that he is one of several landowners in Cheshire who encourage the farm labourers in cow-keeping, adding thereby to their comfort, and inducing thrift and good conduct, just as good large gardens do in other localities where the dairy is not so well understood. H. E. was BOILERS.-A trial of heating apparatus held during the past year, at Paris, under the auspices of the National Horticultural Society. The tests were the rapidity with which a temperature of 85° C. could be obtained, the maintenance thereafter of an equable temperature as tested in all the competing apparatus at the same time every quarter of an hour, the quantity of fuel consumed per hour, and for an even temperature of 85° C. In addition, the facility of cleaning, of effecting repairs, the probable durability, and their practical application to horticultural purposes were tested. The first prize was withheld, but several minor ones were awarded. THE LATEST NOVELTIES. (Concluded from p. 45.) GREENHOUSE PLANTS. THERE is nothing very striking in this group. One of the most interesting is Canna liliiflora, originally introduced by Warscewicz some thirty years ago, but almost lost sight of until brought fresh into notice by M. André. It is a fine thing, but wants peculiar treatment, which our summers do not secure to it, and therefore its growth needs carrying forward in a warm greenhouse. It grows from 6 to 10 feet high or more, and is therefore just suited for planting out in a well-ordered intermediate conservatory. after being reared and brought forward in a pot. The stems are short, the leaves large, musæform, the flowers racemose, the individual blossoms 4 to 5 inches in length, tubular, the outer segments reflexed, tinged with green, the inner straight and recurved only at the top, white, with a slight tinge of yellowish-green, and the whole flower exhaling the odour of Honeysuckles. Bouvardia scabra is a very pretty and attractive plant, I to 1 foot high, with hairy stems, ovate acuminate leaves, and dense corymbose cymes of bright pink flowers, having the throat of the tube whitish. It is a Mexican plant, and should work in well with those already in cultivation. Echeveria metallica decora is a handsomely variegated form, in which the leaves are variously striped with rosy-pink and creamy-white; it will require some attention to keep it from sporting back to the original glaucous green. In Pentapterygium serpens we have a very handsome Vacciniaceous shrub, of Indian origin and epiphytical habit. It has a remarkable deformed tuberous rootstock, from which grow out the pendulous branches, which are clothed with ovate-lanceolate, or oblongovate coriaceous evergreen leaves, and numerous axillary tubular flowers more than an inch long, pentangular, bright red, obscurely crossbarred with darker red. At Kew it is cultivated in a basket, from which its branches hang down, flowering about May. Under this head, perhaps, but of course requiring something of special treatment for their successful cultivation, may be noted some dozen or so of hybrid Sarracenias, which are, even in their juvenile state, not only interesting and distinct, but really beautiful from the coloured venation. They are severally called S. Atkinsoniana, excellens, exculta, exornata, formosa, illustrata, Maddisoniana, Mitchelliana, rubra acuminata, Swaniana, Tolliana, and Wilsoniana. Two or three of them have perhaps been mentioned previously, but the whole of them will prove attractive to the plant lover, and when they come to develope their flowers may turn out even more worthy of admiration than in the present leafy stage. HARDY AND HALF-HARDY PLANTS. We shall divide these into the Shrubby, the Perennial, the Bulbous, and the Annual groups, and shall have one or two useful plants to mention under each. One of the finest in the shrubby division is the Yucca Whipplei violacea. This handsome novelty was raised in the Jardin d'Acclimatation at Hyères. It has the flowers drooping, 2 inches long and I inch across, and differs from the type in their being of a greenish-white, with the upper half deep violet-purple, the colours blending in the middle part of the flower, the anthers being also purple. It is a hardy plant, of much beauty. Viburnum Tinus aureo-variegatum is a pretty variety of the common Laurustinus, in which the leaves are margined with pale yellow. Ilex Aquifolium laurifolia aurea marginata is rather a long name for a very handsome Holly. It is a goldenedged form of that variety in which the spines of the leaf-margins are nearly or quite suppressed, and which bears the name of laurifolia. Hedera Helix aurantiaca, a handsome Ivy, with bright orange-coloured berries, which has attracted some notice in France, and of which a coloured figure was published in the Revue Horticole, seems to be the same as that known in this country as H. H. himalaica. Kalmia latifolia major splendens, though an old plant, is comparatively scarce, and, when exhibited, was much appreciated; its merits are that its flowers are larger and of a deeper colour than in the ordinary form of the species, the colour, when in the bud state, being of a bright cherry-red. In Cupressus Lawsoniana Fleetii we gain a handsome silvery-leaved or glaucous variety, which has the silvery aspect in a much more marked degree than in other so-called silveryleaved Conifers, and hence is all the more to be prized. Acer japonicum aureum has appeared at some of the shows, and is a very handsome Japanese Maple, differing from those ordinarily met with in the golden hue of the foliage, hence it is rather a desirable addition to the numerous varieties already grown, and the more so if it should prove to be a free grower as an outdoor plant. Finally, Berberis congestiflora hakeoides, from Chili, is rather an attractive Berberry, probably evergreen, forming a stout bush 6 or 7 feet high, the terminal branches elongate and decurved, and crowded with leaves and flowers, of which the first are nearly orbicular, with spinulose-dentate margins, and the second are deep orange-yellow, crowded along the branches in the axils of the leaves. PERENNIALS. The perennial division includes Callirrhoë lineariloba, a pretty Malvaceous plant, with numerous trailing stems radiating from the crown; the leaves pedato-partite, the flowers nearly 2 inches across, blue, with a broad even edge of white on each side each petal; from Texas. Eremurus Bungei and E. robustus are two ornamental Central Asian Liliaceous plants of a genus not yet very familiar in gardens. The first grows 1 foot high, with a long crowded spike of bright yellow starry flowers, having orange-red anthers. The second grows 4 to 6 feet high, with a spike 2 to 3 feet long, of pinkish-red flowers with a brownish centre rib to each of the six segments. Campanula turbinata pelviformis is a more modern form of the fine old turbinata, in which the pale blue flowers, instead of being cup-shaped, are almost flat or shaped, like a saucer. Pentstemon labrosus, a very fine Californian species, is allied to the well known P. barbatus, and grows from 2 to 5 feet high, bearing profusely slender panicles of bright crimson-scarlet flowers, which differ from those of P. barbatus in wanting the beard or fringe of hairs at the mouth of the tubular corolla. Primula dolomitis, from the Tyrol, is a beautiful dwarf alpine species of the Auricula group. It has a tuft of oblong sessile hairy leaves, white, and minutely ciliate at the edge, and an umbel of bright lemon-yellow flowers, having a broadly funnelshaped limb of obovate emarginate segments. The Indian P. prolifera, known also as P. imperialis, is another yellow-flowered species, blooming in whorls like P. japonica. It has long obovate-oblong leaves, and from two to six superposed whorls of faintly sweet-scented pale golden-yellow flowers, three-fourths of an inch Allium macranthum, from the Eastern Himalayas, a plant of Leek-like habit, with linearloriform leaves a foot long, and tall scapes bearing a large umbel of dark purple flowers, and well adapted for the hardy flower borders. Calochortus Benthami is a little gem in its way, the flowers bright yellow, and produced abundantly. Fritillaria imperialis inodora purpurea is a brownish-purple variety of the Crown Imperial collected in Bokhara by Dr. A. Regel, and which, it is stated, has not the disagreeable smell of the garden form, which seems to have been obtained from Affghanistan. In this purple variety the crown or tuft of leaves is shorter, and the flowers at first stand erect. ANNUALS. The annuals form a more limited group. We have to record Papaver Hookeri, a showy branching hairy plant, 3 to 4 feet high, with bipinnatifid leaves, and large flowers varying from bright rose to pale crimson with either a white or black spot at the base of the petals. It appears to be larger flowered than P. Rhoeas, which it much resembles. The Phacelia campanularia from California, now for the first time being distributed, fairly comes within our range, and deserves special notice for the brilliancy of its cœrulean blue flowers. It is a dwarf branching hairy plant, with stalked MISS NORTH IN CHILI. THE following is an extract from a letter written by Miss North to Professor Allman, here published by permission of the writer. Miss North left this country last autumn with the view of studying the vegetation of the western side of the Andes, especially in the Chilian region, where she is now engaged in painting the characteristic features of that portion of the Andean flora, hoping thereby to fill up almost the only gap still remaining in her marvellous gallery at Kew. One of Miss North's special objects in visiting that part of the world was to find an opportunity of painting the Araucaria imbricata in its native haunts. She had not yet, however, reached the proper region of This scentless form, observes Dr. Regel, at present surpasses all the known forms in beauty, and with these advantages should quickly spread with its varieties through our gardens. Sundry new Tulips have also been introduced by way of St. Petersburg, chiefly from Turkestan. The most showy are T. Alberti, with bright red flowers marked at the base of each petal with a bifid obtuse yellow blotch; T. Kesselringii, with smallish yellow flowers; T. Borszczoni, with undulated foliage, and deep crimson flowers with the perianth segments apiculate, and having an oblong black blotch at the base; and T. Ostrowskiana, with bright vermilion flowers marked at the base with six small black angular spots margined with yellow. roundish-ovate sinuately-toothed leaves, and terminal open eymes of campanulate flowers of the deepest brightest blue, rivalling that of the Gentian. T. Moore. THE LIMA BEAN. THIS is a tall runner Bean, not much grown in this country, as it is considered to be too tender, though a correspondent at Abergavenny, to whom we are indebted for the photograph whence this illustration (fig. 14) was taken, is not unnaturally of a different opinion. In cold wet summers it rarely ripens its pods. For our tropical and semi-tropical colonies it is quite a different matter. The plant is a native of Brazil, where also it has been cultivated from time immemorial, seeds having been found in the ancient Peruvian tombs. columns, October 1, 1881.] I did not like to propose that such a precious plant should be taken into my room. Its relations here would not even own it! I have a flower of one leaning against the post of the verandah before me now, which is just as much as I can lift with difficulty. The flower-spike is over a yard long, its stalk 6 feet. It has sixty spikes, arranged screw fashion. round its stalk, each about a foot long, and round these are rosettes of flowers and some score of buds of the tenderest green or lemon colour. The great heads before the flowers come out are wrapped up in covers of white kid, tinted with salmon, getting darker as they fall aside and the lemon buds push themselves out, and the first flowers, which open round the base of the spikes near the stalk, are of the purest turquoise-blue; the new rosette which replaces them is darker, metallic-blue, and then all the others seem to get more and more green and faded the farther they get from the centre stalk, and more separate, with a background of brown bracts or leaves (the original white kid covers). Yesterday I rode and scrambled on foot far into the hills, and saw masses of these huge flowers, On one mass of silvery Pine-like leaves there were twenty-six flower-stalks, most of them brown heads of last year, with the seeds shaken out, and all growing on the steepest slopes, and having as companions giant Cacti, with a Loranthus parasite covering their sides, facing east or south; they are now covered with scarlet berries, which grow white when ripe, and are not bad to eat, tasting like Roses; the juice from the stalk of the white trumpet flower of the Cactus is also good. I am black and blue from the falls I have had on those steep banks, with no foothold but sliding stones and prickly bushes for hands to grasp as help, but it is worth some trouble to see such things. Every bush seems prickly or poisonous here, the 'Nettle,' a plant with red and yellow flowers (Blumenbachia) raises watery, blister-like burns, which last days on one's hands. When I see you, I shall ask you to tell me how and why it does it. I had a theory that it did not sting till the flowers had opened, but touched the buds once too often, and will not theorise in that way again. The common Acacia (much like the Dornboom or Baubul of Africa and India) is terribly thorny, yet seems quite a favourite place for birds to build nests in, and one clever weaver makes his home of the very thorns, lining the inside with the soft gold ball flowers. I tried in vain to get the nest to take home -I brought out only bleeding hands, but it is painted; and I hope to get the bird from Dr. Phillipi at the Museum. Another bird's nest with two eggs I found in a hollow dead Cactus pillar, made entirely of feathers, aud one of the thorny sort wedged between two live Cacti. We went to a grand waterfall yesterday, the young landlord acting as my guide, and close under it I saw Darwin's Berberry. The tree, whose bark is used for soap, was growing in quantities there [Quillaia], with Ecremocarpus hanging from it, and the tiny scarlet Tropaeolum all over the lower bushes; also a lovely pink flowering creeper, whose name I forget. The other flowers are very tiny; several Vetches of different colours, Oxalis, Lilies, scentless Heliotropes, Verbenas, yellow Forget-me-Not, yellow and lemon Calceolarias, hanging from the rocks, and Maindenhair, which stands upright, not hanging. Marianne North." ORCHIDS FOR AMATEURS. (Continued from p. 26.) SORTS TO OBTAIN. --After careful consideration of the class of Orchids which are most suitable for his house the beginner should get a few plants of the commoner kinds. It by no means follows that these are the least beautiful. A Cattleya costing 5s. to 10s. may, to the inexperienced eye, appear a far better plant than one which sells at as many guineas. The rich collector is anxious to possess something new; it may differ only in some small character from the commoner kind, yet it will often bring a large sum. There are two reasons for a high price being given for any Orchid. The first is its rarity in collections. A rare variety or a new one is always valuable. The second is the length of time some plants need for cultivation before they come to maturity and produce flowers. As an example of the first I may mention such plants as the true autumn-flowering Cattleya labiata, of which I understand there has been but one small importation. The flower is a fine one. The plants in this country are very few. It grows well and flowers freely, hence its high price. White flowered Cattleyas and Lælias are also very rare and much coveted. As an example of the second the beautiful hybrid Cattleya exoniensis, reared by Messrs. Veitch, may be cited. This is a cross between Cattleya Mossie and Lælia purpurata, and if the labour and patience necessary for its growth be remembered, a plant is well worth the thirty or forty guineas which it brings in the market, SEEDLING ORCHIDS. The rearing of an Orchid from seed is the work of a lifetime. Many years are frequently needful to grow a seedling into a flowering plant. The seeds. of the Cattleya are as fine dust, they require months of sedulous attention before they begin to germinate, and then the young plants are too small to handle for years. Each succeeding season produces its small bulb. The first bulbs are very minute, those which follow are larger each year, but there is a long series between a bulb half an inch or an inch in length and one measuring a foot. Then there are the great risks the young plants are subjected to and the large number of failures. Let any one try to rear hybrid Orchids from seed and then he will see that such plants must always be very valuable. Again large plants of Vanda Saccolabium, and Aërides, require years to attain the size of flowering plants and are proportionately expensive. INEXPENSIVE VARIETIES. Fortunately for those who wish to grow Orchids large numbers are fairly inexpensive. As a rule, recently imported plants, if good, bring high prices, as every one is on the look-out for something new. Large numbers are established by growers in the hope of getting a new variety or species. After they have been flowered they are sold, often for less than they cost in the first instance, certainly at a very moderate price, not because they are worthless or without beauty, but simply because they belong to varieties which are well known. Beginners often buy imported plants, which are difficult to establish and which cannot be expected to do any good for two or three years, and if they fail, as they are almost sure to do in inexperienced hands, they give up the attempt. It is better to buy established plants, which may be be purchased cheaply enough, and learn to grow them; if they deteriorate, it is the fault of the grower. It stands to reason that if a plant is once established it must improve if properly treated; each succeeding growth should be better than, or at least as good as, that which preceded it. The bulbs grown in this country are usually much smoother than those made in its native place. Compare the new bulbs with the old ones; if each succeeding one is better than the one before, its success is assured. They may not be as good or as large as the imported bulbs, but that is not always to be expected; the great thing is that the plant should not deteriorate from year to year. In order to judge of the vigour and health of a plant, the following points should be observed : RIPENESS OF THE BULBS. The bulbs must be completely formed before the new growth starts, or at any rate soon after. A bulb scarcely grows after a new bulb begins to form from its base, therefore it must be fully formed in one season. Counting back from the growing point, the second bulb should be as large, or larger than any formed in this country. Many of the bulbs have eyes at the base, but the leading bulb, that next the shoot, in all those species which have perennial bulbs, is the only one which generally grows. If this is damaged or dies another eye will grow, but it is usually several years before the new growth attains sufficient strength to make flowering bulbs. KINDS OF ORCHID BULBS. Some Orchids, as Pleione, have annual bulbs; each makes several shoots, and each shoot developes a flowering bulb, and the old bulb shrivels away at the end of the season. Imported plants, in which the leading bud grows during the voyage, seldom form a bud from it. The only chance for such plants is the back eye," an eye from one of development of a the other bulbs. Such plants are sure to be some years before they flower. The roots of Orchids are produced from the base of the growing shoot, or from old roots; they very seldom grow from back bulbs; so that when they are once destroyed or damaged, one season at least will be lost. They generally grow before the leaves are fully formed, and must be well developed, or the bulb of the new growth will be feeble. The old bulbs supply the young growth with nutriment, and act as leaves, but unless the new growth gets roots of its own, they suffer in the process. THE ROOTS. A plant without healthy roots depends entirely on the old bulbs and leaves for nourishment and moisture. The Rev, G, Henslow showed conclusively, in a valuable paper read before the Linnean Society, that leaves drink in moisture from their surface, and there are no plants in which this process is more active than in Orchids. I have seen the leaf of a shrivelled plant become quite plump and healthy in two or three days when it has been sponged twice a day with warm water. This treatment will often save a valuable orchid. Dipping the leaves and bulbs, and draining off the water by inverting the plant, is equally efficacious in small specimens. Water must not collect in the cups of the leaves, the scales, or about the necks of the bulbs, or the plant will die. POTTING. If the purchaser of a plant is quite satisfied with its appearance, and can trust the vendor, it need not be disturbed; but it often happens that Orchids are sold which are very badly potted. I generally turn mine out as soon as I get them, and repot them, except when I am satisfied with the potting. A plant is properly potted when its drainage is perfect. To test this immerse the pot in water up to the rim, not cold, but 10° above the average temperature of the house. The water should enter freely, the air should rush out at the top, and when the pot is lifted out the water should run from it in a full stream, drawing air into the compost with a hissing noise. Unless this happens there is something wrong. Most beginners and some nurserymen pot their plants too hard, or in non-porous compost: this is a fatal error. Cypripediums and other semiterrestrial Orchids will bear much harder potting than the epiphyte kinds, but even these appear to me to do much better when planted in perfectly porous material; nothing does an Orchid so much harm as stagnant water, as it takes the oxygen from the roots. Plenty of air near the roots is absolutely necessary, and stagnant water acts as a poison, not only to Orchids, but to the greater number of flowering plants. B. T. L. (To be continued.) DRAWING. I NOTICE in the Gardeners' Chronicle for December 20 "A Young Gardener " would like a few directions as to how to set about "plan drawing." Well, although I am conscious that the space at my disposal is limited, and consequently I cannot go into minute details, I will endeavour to give "A Young Gardener" as many directions as I think he will need. Although I have known a few isolated persons who could draw plans fairly well, and put their ideas on paper to a scale, who had not a knowledge of geometry, I should never counsel any one to attempt plan drawing without first making themselves familiar with at least the principal problems in geometry; and if "A Young Gardener" will procure a shilling book on geometry, a sixpenny plain paper exercisebook, and a box of compasses, and set himself diligently to work out the problems in the book, I promise him that he will find a great deal of pleasure in the knowledge of having worked out a knotty problem successfully, and he will be surprised to find what a variety of uses he can put his knowledge to to facilitate him in his work, &c. I confess to the fact that a glimpse of a work on geometry has rather a tendency to impress one with the idea that it is a lot of dry stuff, still I maintain that, like many other things, "it's not so bad as it looks." Well, presuming our young friend has "waded " through the geometry, he will need to add to his appliances a drawing-board, T-square, parallel ruler, &c. I should then advise him to procure an old plan, and first of all to make a correct copy; then I should say reduce or enlarge the scale, and draw the plan over again to the new scale; and I feel confi. dent, after going through these preliminaries, any young fellow will be competent to draw a correct plan of the place he is engaged at. These directions, I am afraid, will induce many to think that it is rather a lengthy process; still I assure them it looks a great deal more formidable than it really is. Of course I do not mean to say that you can acquire either this or any other branch of education in a night or two-nothing can be learnt without patient application-but I always think that one feels quite recompensed by success for all the pains and trouble he has put himself to. If "A Young Gardener ” makes a commencement, I trust he will try to do his best, and I heartily wish all who make the attempt a full measure of success. F |