is to remove the plants to another site, as far as you possibly can from the position they at present occupy. In doing this you must destroy all the grubs that you can find. We would also advise that the infected plot be given a heavy dressing of gas lime.

HOT WATER WASTING THROUGH EXPANSION PIPE Boiler. We notice in the sketch plan that you have sent us that there is only one valve in one of the two principal main flow-pipes running in rectangular directions, and that properly enough this is fixed in the main having a very sharp rise up a hill side and from which one house is heated on the right and three houses on the left. But one throttle valve should also be fixed between the bend rising from the principal main flow and the connecting branch flowpipe in every case; otherwise we fail to see how a satisfactory circulation of hot water can be obtained and regulated throughout your heating system. Your supply cistern is rightly fixed in a house occupying the highest level (12 feet) above the heating apparatus and more than 100 feet distant therefrom, thus showing that your 20 foot high expansion pipe obviously contains water for 12 feet above the boiler level, with the result that when the water attains to the boiling point it rushes up the 8 foot empty space of expansion pipe. Bad circulation in the 80 foot principal main-flow, and the branch flows therefrom, into three separate houses, contribute not a little to this waste of hot water through the expansion pipe. As advised at p. 436, we should recommend you to add a 6 foot length of gas tubing to your expansion pipe, making the connection with a S shaped bend with a view to minimising, if not entirely preventing, the waste of hot water in this direction. A stay should be put to the additional length of tubing to prevent its being displaced by the effect of high winds. We are afraid it would be too risky at this time of year to advise you to endeavour to give a little more rise to your level main flow-pipe, but it might, perhaps, be done in warm weather by careful and judicious leverage through the medium of a crowbar passed through a chain or stout rope taken round the pipe and formed into a loop on top, commencing as a matter of course, at the end of the main farthest from the boiler. It will be wise to defer trying this experiment until the summer, when artificial heat can be dispensed with for a short time at least.

INCRUSTATED BOILER: T. C.

This is caused through the use of water containing much lime, If your boiler is empty, you might, by removing the pad, chip off the incrustation with an old chisel. We presume that your boiler is saddleshaped, and if this is the case, we may say that in our experience of such boilers from which the incrustation has been removed-or indeed whether it has been removed or not-the wrought iron plate gives way within a short period of time afterwards; it becomes burned through. However, as prevention is better than cure, we recommend the following simple remedy to soften water before use if due to temporary hardness-i.e., matter which is deposited on the wa er boiling. Put a little lime, such as is used by builders, in the water in a tank, and allow it to settle, when the lime (calcium oxide) will combine with the carbon, which at present is keeping the calcium or magnesium carbonate in solution as bicarbonate. Both the calcium and magnesium carbonate will be then precipitated. This solution will in time soften and reduce the incrustation on the side of boiler to a harmless powdery state. One or two pounds of dust lime tied up in a stout piece of cloth and placed in the supply cistern would serve to soften about 100 gallons of hard water, renewing the supply of lime at intervals corresponding with every The 100 gallons of water put into the cistern.

Carlton Boiler Fluid," manufactured by Walter Voss & Co., Limited, Carlton Works, Glengall Road, Millwall, London, E., is an excellent preparation for the purpose indicated above. Anti-Calcarea is another preparation for softening hard water, but it is expensive. MARKET CHRYSANTHEMUMS: H. R. We should increase rather than reduce the list of sorts you They are all good ones, and the great advantage of growing a number of sorts is, that it gives a little more variation in the time of flowering, and certain varieties succeed best

name.

in certain localities. Taking the November flowering white varieties, we find that some growers do not succeed with Western King, while others have it in splendid condition. "Star" is more suitable for growing as a potplant, and would hardly pay for cultivation merely for supplying blooms for cutting. We may add here, that although known in the market as "Star," this variety is properly named "Ivory." Niveum might be put into the December list, for it will even last into January. Among red flowers for November, Exmouth Crimson may be added, also Matthew Hodgson, and for December, Violet Lady Beaumont should be given a place. We might add many other useful sorts.

MISTLETO A. C. Horton. You must not only place the seeds in the crevices of the bark, but in addition it will be necessary to protect them from birds, which otherwise would probably discover them all and remove them. Another method is to cut a notch in the bark on the under surface of a branch, and place the seed in this in such a position that the embryo of the seed will be directed towards the trunk of the tree. In your district (Kent) it should not be difficult to establish this parasite on your aged Apple

trees.

rooms.

MUSHROOM PESTS: L. P. G. Your Mushrooms are attacked apparently by two very different pests. The larger ones, which jump when touched, are no doubt from what you say one of the "springtails," or Podurida; the smaller ones are not the young of the others, but belong to the family of mites. They are identical with the bulb mite," Rhizoglyphus echinopus, or belong to avery nearly allied species. A number of these were at work on the gills, and also two colonies in the stems, in which they had formed large holes; they are probably more injurious to the crop than the springtails." As to the best way of destroying these creatures, it is very difficult to know what to recommend without injuring the mushroom bed. Thoroughly spraying it with a solution of paraffin emulsion, or certain other insecticides, would no doubt kill the pests, but it is uncertain what effect such a proceeding would have on the bed. The mites are still more difficult to deal with, as insecticides cannot be made to reach them inside the MushProbably the best thing to do would be to entirely remake the bed, taking away all the old soil, &c., and scalding all brickwork, boards, &c., which the old bed has been in contact with. Thanks for 2s., which has been placed in the R.G.O.F. collecting box. MYOSOTIS ALPESTRIS" VICTORIA": H. R. This variety is an improvement on the type. In habit it is more compact, and the flowers are larger. NAMES OF FLOWERS, FRUITS AND PLANTS.-We are anxious to oblige correspondents as far as we consistently can, but they must bear in mind that it is no part of our duty to subscribers to name either flowers or fruits. Such work entails considerable outlay, both of time and money, and cannot be allowed to encroach upon time required for the conduct of the paper. Correspondents should never send more than six plants or fruits at one time: they should be very careful to pack and label them properly, to give every information as to the county the fruits are grown in, and to send ripe, or nearly ripe, specimens which show the character of the variety. By neglecting these precautions correspondents add greatly to labour, and run the risk of delay and incorrect determinations. Correspondents not answered in this issue are requested to be so good as to consult the following numbers. PLANTS: K. 1. Y. 1, Margil; 2, Blenhein Pippin; 3, Harvey's Reinette; 4, Dean's Codlin; 5, King of the Pippins.-E. B. Whiting Pippin.-PLANTS: W. R. P. 1, Acalypha macrophylla; 2, A. macrostachys (syn. A. masaica of gardens); 3, A. Wilkesiana var. marginata. -C. E. Frank. Bulbophyllum Pechei. Northumbrian. Epidendrum cochleatum, one of the oldest Epiphytal Orchids in gardens.— A. B. Eschynanthus splendidus.-J. D. Dendrobium infundibulum, of no special value.— Henry. 1, Cotoneaster microphylla; 2, Escallonia macrantha; 3, Crataegus pyracantha; 4, Escallonia rubra var. punctata; 5, Euonymus europæus; 6, Berberis stenophylla. PAINTING WOODWORK OF GLASS-HOUSES: East Herts. The wood being in the condition you have described it would be well to apply a good "primer" before painting with the best white

Our

our

lead paint. Any local painter will mix you the 'primer." Or you might try the new "Lubrose" paint, which is obtainable from Mr. C. T. Druery, 11, Shaa Road, Acton, W. PAYMENT DURING HOLIDAY ON CHRISTMAS DAY: H. We think that the men were entitled to payment if they were engaged and paid by the week. You had better consult a solicitor. In any case, the withholding of payment in the circumstances you describe appears to us as harsh. Are you members of the British Gardeners' Association?

POINSETTIA SPORT: G. C. We have seen similar light-coloured forms, and they are usually the result of defective culture.

POTATO TUBERS: B. L. The injury is of a mechanical nature, caused by some substance present in the soil. Such blackening and abrasion of the skin is often caused by the use of town manure containing ashes. RHODODENDRONS

AS HEDGE PLANTS, &c. :

a

H. B. H. M. S. We do not remember to have ever seen the Rhododendron used as an ordinary hedge-plant. There are so many other subjects better adapted for the purpose. If Rhododendrons were clipped yearly, all, or nearly all, the flower-bearing shoots would be cut away. But if your object is simply to make a dividing line and to allow the plants to spread practically as they like, then the Rhododendrons would answer. Respecting specimen plants, these should, if possible, be obtained on their own roots, and encouraged to form a good foundation in the early stages of development. Assuming that you start with shapely plants, it will be an easy matter to train them into handsome bushes provided the soil contains no lime, but is cool, well-drained, and in a position exposed to sunshine. Beyond removing weakly shoots and keeping the centre of the plants free, little or no pruning is required. If you want to raise young plants from bushes already in your possession, you ought to layer number of shoots at about the latter part of August or during September. Some of the layers may be severed from the parent plants in 12 months after layering, and if they attain a height of 10 inches or more without showing signs of producing side-shoots they should-if bush plants are required-be cut back, or the terminal bud taken out with the finger and thumb. The plants require all the sunlight possible, in order that the wood may become properly ripened. Standards are formed by running up strong shoots until the desired height is reached, all side-growths being cut away, so that the stems may become straight and clean. When the requisite height is reached they are allowed to produce side-shoots, and in some cases the point is removed to induce the formation of such shoots. Rhododendrons being surfacerooting shrubs, a mulch of leaf-mould or other suitable material in times of drought, and soakings of water once each week are of inestimable benefit. All seed-vessels should be removed immediately after the flowering period, at which time a good watering will greatly assist the plants to make vigorous growth.

RUNNER BEAN FIREFLY": G. C. This was exhibited last autumn at one of the Royal Horticultural Society meetings, by Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading.

SEED CLEANING: C. S. & Co. The pods appear to be those of a Medicago allied to M. falcata. SOLANUM CAPSICASTRUM: H. R. This plant may be readily raised from seed, but it is usual to propagate from cuttings, selecting the freest fruiting plants from which to take the cuttings. STRAWBERRIES: H. R. The plants can be layered straight into their fruiting-pots, and this is a practice recommended by many growers of this fruit, but we prefer the use of small pots at the start, as the soil is likely to become sour in the larger pots before they are filled with roots.

COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVED.-B. Cromwell-T. W. Birkinshaw-J. H.-F. W., New Jersey (Your request for application form has been forwarded to the secretary of the British Gardeners' Association)-F. M.-B. C.-H. P. -E. H. R.-Ireton Gardens-R. F.-Mrs. A. W. H. W. W.-J. O'B.-C. Scrase Dickins-W. WatsonA. P.-W. M.-J. Wright - Mrs. S. E.-RedbreastW. P.-Miss M. P. R.-A. J. C.-C. A. P.-H. B.J. B. L.-H. S. K.-R. A., Cap. d'Antibes-Louis Gentil (many thanks)-W. W. P.-A. Adams-A. C. B.

THE

Hardeners' Chronicle

lo. 1,046.-SATURDAY, January 12, 1907.

82

32

..26, 32

Orchid notes and glean

Cypripedium insigne

Clare Dow

White Cattleyas

Miltonia Endresii

21 Parks and public

21

21

21

28

17

19

19

27

20 Plants, new

or note

worthy

Plumbago rosea

Plant notes

Primula Palinuri

25 Plant novelties in 1906...

Pycnostachys Dawei

Potato Year-Book

18 Rats and pheasants in the garden

24, 29 Sangwin, W., retire

ment of...

26 Societies

Kunze has done the same thing and created synonyms by the thousand. It would be tiresome, and indeed unnecessary, here to discuss these proposed amendments. Suffice it to say that at a Congress of Botanists, held in Vienna in 1905, and attended by hundreds of botanists of all civilised nations, the "Lois " of Alphonse de Candolle were submitted, paragraph by paragraph, to keen scrutiny. Some were retained, others modified, many added. The results, edited by Mr. John Briquet, which we take to be morally binding on all botanists, are published in French, and in German, and in English under the English title of "International Rules of Botanical Nomenclature." They may be had from Messrs. Williams and Norgate, or any firm of foreign booksellers.

It is quite unnecessary for us to discuss these rules in their entirety. Some of them affect horticulturists, and to these alone we desire to call attention.

The code, if we may so call it, is divided into (1) "articles," in which the principles are embodied and which are, of course, the 31 most important; (2) "rules," which are based on the foregoing principles; and (3) recommendations," which allow greater latitude to individual botanists.

Royal Horticultural

Violets, the culture of...

26 Week's work, the

note

Flower garden, the

gislation against

Fruits under glass

plant diseases

odendron Tulipi

Kitchen garden, the...

erum, with rose

Orchid houses, the

inted flowers

28

Parks and gardens

27, 28

Of

HE nomenclature of plants is, as all who have to deal with the subject recognise, in an unsatisfactory condition, and, st it causes experts unnecessary trouble inconvenience, it gives occasion to outs to complain vehemently, or to indulge ore or less mild satire. Linnæus was the in modern, or comparatively modern, to endeavour to set matters straight. im we owe the binominal nomenclature; m we are indebted for the first reasoncode in the Philosophia Botanica. e, the vast advances that have been since his time have rendered some ads and modifications desirable, but the nearly we conform to the principles own by the great Swede, the better for 1. There is a general agreement to - the year 1753 as the starting point of Ical nomenclature. In that year the first 1 of the Speciés Plantarum was pubIt is not necessary here to discuss all asons for selecting that date, sufficient - it is in every way the most cont. After Linnæus, Auguste Pyramus andolle introduced amendments and -ns; Lindley did the same. Alphonse de le, the son of Auguste, drew up the 5 "Lois" and submitted them for cation and adoption to a Congress of sts, held in Paris in 1867. These have ollowed, with comparatively few excepup to the present time. Some of the an botanists, breaking away from ctice of their revered leader, Asa Gray, et up rules of their own. Dr. Otto

We now set forth those articles, rules, and recommendations which are of special interest to horticulturists. Separated from their context, they appear disjointed, but it is not necessary here to allude to those paragraphs which concern descriptive botanists only. We have here and there made our own comments in brackets.

Art. 10.-Every individual plant belongs to a species, every species to a genus, every genus to a family [in this country family and order have been used synonymously, but this will no longer be the case], every family to an order [thus corresponding to what we have been accustomed to call cohort], every order to a class, every class to a division.

Art. 11.-In many species we distinguish varieties and forms, and in some cultivated species, modifications are still more numerous, in many genera sections, in many families tribes.

Art. 12.

a

If circumstances require us to distinguish a greater number of intermediate groups, it is easy by putting the syllable "sub" before the name of a group to form sub-divisions of that group. In this way sub-family (subfamilia) designates a group between family and a tribe; sub-tribe (subtribus) a group between a family and a genus. The arrangement of subordinate groups may thus be carried, for wild plants only, to twentyone degrees, of which we give the English names in the following order :

Vegetable kingdom.

Division.

Sub-division.

Class.

Sub-class.

Order.

Sub-order.

Family.

Sub-family.

Tribe.

Sub-tribe.

Genus.

Sub-genus.

Section.

Sub-section.

Species.

Sub-species.

Variety.

Sub-variety.
Form.

Individual.

If this list of groups is insufficient it can be augmented by the intercalation of supplementary groups so long as these do not introduce confusion or error. (Ex.-Series and sub-series are groups which can be intercalated between sub-section and species.)

Art. 13.-The definition of each of these names of groups varies up to a certain point according to individual opinion and the state of science, but their relative order, sanctioned by custom, must not be altered. No classification is admissible which contains such alterations. Examples of inadmissible alterations are a form divided into varieties, a species containing genera, a genus containing families or tribes. [Schedule framers should carefully note this article. At present they are frequent transgressors.]

Art. 16.-The designation of a group by one or several names is not for the purpose of describing the characters or the history of the group, but that we may be understood when we wish to speak [or write] of it.

Art. 21 and 22.-Families (familiæ) are designated by the name of one of their genera or ancient generic names with the ending acea— thus Rosacea from Rosa, &c.

There are a few exceptions (Art. 22) sanctioned by long usage-Palmæ (better Palmacea), GuttiGramineæ, Cruciferæ, Leguminosæ, feræ, Umbelliferæ, Labiatæ, Compositæ. [It would have been better to have followed Lindley, and by various means to have made all groups of equal family-rank end in aceæ.]

Art. 23 (condensed).-Names of sub-families end in oidea, names of tribes end in ea, and of sub-tribes in ina.

Recommendation XII.-When it is required to express a sub-generic or sectional name, together with the name of the genus and the name of the species, the name of the section is put between the others in a parenthesis, e.g., Astragalus (Cycloglottis) contortuplicatus.

Recommendation X.-Specific names begin with a small letter, except those which are taken from names of persons (substantives or adjec tives), or those which are taken from generic names (substantives or adjectives). Examples: Ficus indica, Circaea lutetiana, Brassica Napus, Lythrum Hyssopifolia, Aster novi belgii, Malva Tournefortiana, Phyteuma Halleri.

Recommendation XI.-When a specific name is taken from the name of a man, it is formed in the following way:

(a) When the name ends in a vowel the letter is added (thus Glazioui from Glaziou ; Bureaui from Bureau), except when the names end in a, when e is added (thus Balansæ from Balansa). [Confusion would arise in some cases, where it would not be possible to distinguish between a male and a female writer; thus Trianæ might apply equally well to a male or a female.]

(b) When the name ends in a consonant, the letters ii are added (thus Magnusii from Magnus, Ramondii from Ramond), except when the words end in er, when i is added, thus Kerneri. [Why this exception should be made is not clear.]

(c) Syllables which are not modified by these endings retain their original spelling even in the case of the consonants k or w, or groupings of vowels, which are not used in classic Latin. Letters, foreign to the Latin of botanists, should be transcribed, and diacritic signs suppressed. The German ä, ö, ü become æ, œ, ue; the French é, è, and ê become in general e.

(d) When specific names, taken from the name of a person, have an adjectival form, a similar plan is adopted. (Geranium Robertianum, Carex Halleriana, Ranunculus Boreauanus, &c.)

Recommendation XII.-The same applies to the names of women. These are written in the feminine when they have a substantival form. (Example: Cypripedium Hookeræ, Rosa Beatricis, &c.)

Recommendation XIII.-In the formation of specific names composed of two separate roots and taken from Latin or Greek, the vowel placed between the two roots becomes a connecting vowel-in Latin i, in Greek o; thus we write menthifolia, salviifolia, not menthæfolia, salviæfolia. When the second root begins with a vowel and euphony demands it, the connecting vowel is eliminated (e.g., Calliantha, lepidantha). The connecting a is legitimate only when etymology demands [it] (e.g., Caricæformis from Carica may be retained along with Cariciformis from Carex).

Art. 30.-Forms and half-breeds among culti vated plants should receive fancy names in common language as different as possible from the Latin names of the species or varieties. When they can be traced back to a species or sub-species or a botanical variety this is indicated by a succession of names. (Example: Pelargonium zonale, Mrs. Pollock.)

Art. 31.-Hybrids between species of the same genus, or presumably so, are designated by a formula, and whenever it seems useful or necessary by a name. The formula consists of the names or specific epithets of the two parents in alphabetical order and connected by the sign x. When the hybrid is of known experimental origin the formula may be made more precise by the addition of the signs.

Art. 32.-Intergeneric hybrids (between species of different genera) or presumably such, are also designated by a formula, and when it seems useful or necessary by a name. The hybrid is associated with the one of the two genera which precedes the other in alphabetical order. The name is preceded by the sign X. = Ammo(Example: x Ammophila balsica

after

phila arenaria x Calamagrostis epigeios.) [In such a case the combination of the two generic names preceded by the sign of hybridity would seem preferable-thus x Calamophila the pattern of x Philageria or x Urceocharis.] Art. 35.Communication of new names at a public meeting or the placing of names in collections or gardens open to the public do not constitute publication. [This renders invalid names given at an exhibition.]

Art. 36.-On and after January 1, 1908, the publication of names of new groups will be valid only when they are accompanied by a Latin diagnosis.

Art. 42. When a manuscript name has been published and referred to its author, the name of the person who published it should be appended to the citation. The same rule should be followed for names of garden origin when they are cited as "Hort." (Example: Capparis lasiantha, R.Br., ex, or, apud D.C.; Streptanthus heterophyllus, Nuttall in Torrey and Gray; Gespera Donckelaarii Hort., ex, or, apud, Hook, Bot. Mag., tab. 5,070.

Recommendation XXXII.-Botanists should use in modern languages Latin scientific names, or those immediately derived from them, preferably to rames of another kind or origin. They should avoid the use of the latter unless these are very clear and in common use.

Recommendation XXXIII.-Every friend of science should oppose the introduction into a modern language of names of plants which are not already there, unless they are derived from Latin botanical names by means of some slight alteration.

The rules now adopted will continue in force till the next Botanical Congress to be held in Brussels some years hence, when further modifications may be made if deemed necessary, and when the questions relating to the naming of cripptogamous and of fossil plants will be taken into consideration.

NEW OR NOTEWORTHY

PLANTS.

PYCNOSTACHYS DAWEI.
N. E. BROWN (N. SP.).

THIS is a handsome new Labiate which has lately flowered in the T range at Kew Gardens. It was discovered in Uganda by Mr. A. Whyte, in 1898, and was afterwards collected by Mr. M. T. Dawe, who sent seeds of it to Kew, in 1905, from which the plants now in flower were raised. It is a stout herb, 4 to 6 feet high, with a loosely-branched pyramidal habit. The stems are square, puberulous, with opposite narrowly lanceolate leaves, 5 to 12 inches long, to 11 inches broad, tapering into a long, acute point at the apex, and narrowed into the petiole at the base, serrate on the margins. Each branch terminates in a spike, 14 to 5 inches long, and 14 inches in diameter, of cobalt-blue flowers. The spikes are very densely many-flowered, and their unopened flowers are

appear to be allied to P. affinis, Gürke, which I have not seen. The genus Pycnostachys may be distinguished from Coleus and Plectranthus by its needle-like calyx-teeth and denser spikes. N. E. Brown.

FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE.

GERBERA JAMESONI.

IN the issue of the Gardeners' Chronicle for December 22 there is an article upon Gerbera Jamesoni. This handsome plant interests me very much, and I have cultivated it for three years. Last year I obtained good results, and so exhibited an important lot at the Chrysanthemum exhibition held in November in Paris. Your correspondent, Mr. Burtt-Davy, of Pretoria, says that during the last three dry years it has been rather unusual to find Gerbera produce seed on either wild or cultivated plants, but that this year his plants are bearing more fertile

GARDCHRONY

more or less concealed by the incurving, narrowly lanceolate, acuminate bracts, which, as well as the long needle-like calyx-teeth, are ciliate with long, spreading hairs. The corolla is about -inch long, and the tube is very slender and straight at the basal half, then bent at a rightangle, dilated and compressed, with the margins of the mouth inrolled; the upper lip is equally 4-lobed, and of a darker blue than the rest of the corolla, with the two middle lobes very concave ; the lower lip is compressed, boat-shaped, with the obtuse apex abruptly inflexed. The species would

Pycnostachys Dawei, N. E. Brown. Herba 4-6 ped. alta, laxe ramosa. Rami tetragoni puberuli. Folia 12-30 cm. longa, 1.2-4 cm. lata, petiolata, anguste lanceolata utrinque longe angustata, acutissima, serrata, utrinque tenuiter puberula. Spicæ terminales, dense multiflora, 3-12-5 cm. longæ, 3.5 cm. diam. Bractea 9-11 mm. longæ, anguste spatulato-lanceolatæ, acuminatæ, incurvæ, longe ciliatæ. Calycis tubus parvus, glaber, inter dentes in lobulas minutas ciliolatas productus; dentes 6 (fructu usque ad 10) mm. longæ, aciculares, basi longe ciliatæ. Corolla coerulea, tubus basi gracilis, superne abrupte compresso-inflatus et deflexus, labium superius equaliter 4-lobum; labium inferius compresso-naviculare, apice abrupte inflexum.

seed, perhaps on account of the greater rainfall, or perhaps because the plants are older. I believe that both explanations are wrong. Here in my garden I gather as many seeds as I wish, and this year I shall be able to sell the seeds by the million. I have remarked that in moist and rainy weather the production of seeds is very much smaller than in dry and warm weather. But I have gathered, and gather every day, numerous seeds on very young plants. It is usual here, in the Riviera, to gather seeds upon plants seven or eight months old. I have now in my greenhouses thirteen plants from seeds sown on June 23, 1906, every one of which has a flower-bud, and one plant that has now one flower-bud, one open flower, 6 centimetres (2} inches) in diameter, and one stem 15 centimetres (6 inches) in length. I hope to obtain seeds of this plant in two months' time. I may write you the result if it would be interesting. R. Adnet, La Roseraie, Cap d'Antibes, December 23, 1906.

PLANT NOTES.

PRIMULA PALINURI.

HERE is a peculiar interest attaching to nts which are to all appearance destined to edy extinction. One such plant is that mened in the following note. It is a native of promontory of Palinuri, in Southern Italy, is not found elsewhere. The dry, rocky racter of the spot on which it grows is well wn in the accompanying reproduction from hotograph (fig. 12), kindly furnished by Mr. enger, of Naples. It is curious to see how lar are (or appear to be) the conditions er which P. Palinuri grows in Italy, and P. nsis near Ichang, in Central China, as nard and figured in our columns by Dr. Henry Mr. E. H. Wilson.

unscrupulous botanists and traders lay selves open occasionally to the charge of minating rarities, there is something to be on the other side, for certain plants which v in a single locality, and which are apching extinction, are preserved by the culor. So it is with Primula Palinuri, which

season.

during July. The East Indies is the home of two species the white flowered P. zeylanica and P. rosea, a species which is now in season and deserves extended culture. It was introduced so far back as 1777, but whatever welcome it met with then it is now a comparatively rare plant. If stove heat can be given it, there are no insurmountable difficulties attending its culture. Care in watering is the chief essential, especially at this The bright rosy flowers are borne in long terminal spikes, and with care its flowering period can be prolonged for fully 10 weeks. While in flower the plants should be given a light, dry position, and the syringe must not be allowed near them. After flowering the plants should be kept "on the dry side" (but not absolutely dry) for four or five weeks. After this rest they should be lightly pruned and started into growth, using the syringe freely and the watering-pot but sparingly. When growth commences, the plants should be shaken out and re-potted in a compost of sound loam and leaf soil, with plenty of grit to keep it porous, pressing it firmly, and using well-crocked pots of moderate size-as a rule, 5-inch to 7-inch pots will

[Photo by Mr. Sprenger.

e found in botanic gardens, and is inin the Kew Hand-list. The figure of the nd flower here given are copied from the 1ag., t. 3414. The leaves are covered I white meal, and the flowers are of a colour.

PLUMBAGO ROSEA. oint of numbers the genus Plumbago is not rthy, but its distribution is remarkable. The capensis, from the Cape of Good Hope, is own and variously grown in most gardens reenhouse shrub or as a pillar plant for r bedding. P. Larpentæ hails from China. a hardy perennial; it has the slender habit genus, and bears heads of violet flowers. supplies an annual species having white . P. europæa originated in that vast disiguely termed "South Europe." It is a herbaceous perennial, bearing in September of bluish flowers on 3 foot high branches. gives us a dwarf shrubby species, P. pulrequiring tropical treatment. The West has its representative in P. scandens, a species, known as Devil's Herb, or It bears loose spikes of white flowers

g

ort.

be ample. While growth is in progress Plumbago rosea requires a plentiful supply of water. During June, July, and August the plants may with advantage be transferred to a cool house, and during this period and onwards great discretion must be exercised in watering. Early in September bring the plants into the hot-house, and give occasional doses of weak manure water until the first flowers expand. The variety coccinea has somewhat larger and brighter flowers, and should receive the same culture as the type. Propagation may be effected by division in the spring, or half-ripe cuttings will root freely in moderate bottom heat. A. C. B.

APPLE AND PEAR CULTURE IN CO. CORK.

OUR Apple trees are principally pyramid. The trained, and comprise over 50 varieties. fruits last season were larger, better-coloured, and superior in every way to those of previous

seasons.

The varieties Beauty of Bath and Lady Sudeley are the first to be harvested, being ready about the last week in August, and these are succeeded by Worcester Pearmain, Gravenstein, and Devonshire Quarrenden in September and early October. Cox's Pomona, which was ready for the dessert table at the latter end of October, was very finely coloured. These are closely followed by Maltster and Blenheim Pippin; this latter generally furnishes a long supply of dessert Apples. Among kitchen varieties Lord Grosvenor and Ecklinville Seedling are both admirable for use in August and September, after which period the varieties Warner's King (of which the heaviest fruits this year weighed 18 ounces), Tower of Glamis, and nicely. coloured specimens of The Queen afford both culinary and dessert fruits. Then Golden Noble, which has finished well this season (the heaviest fruits turned the scale at 12 ounces), and Stirling Castle suffice for culinary purposes until the end of November. Lady Henniker is an Apple which does remarkably well here, some of the fruits weighing as much as 12 ounces, and it is in season for culinary and dessert purposes in December and January. Lane's Prince Albert is an excellent Apple in season in November, along with another good Apple, Waltham Abbey Seedling. Tyler's Kernel promises to be a most useful variety. Roundway's Magnum Bonum, Charles Ross, and Peasgood's Nonsuch are all varieties which succeed well here.

Our culinary varieties for February are Bram. ley's Seedling and Newton Wonder. These are splendid croppers and the fruits are of first quality. Some fruits of Bramley's Seedling weighed 12 ounces. Northern Greening and Dutch Mignonne, with Sturmer Pippin and Allen's Everlasting, furnish a supply well into May.

The above is a summary of the principal, tried varieties. Numerous others, which have been planted here during the last two or three years, have not been sufficiently tested for me to pronounce an opinion upon.

DESSERT PEARS.

The following varieties are generally success. ful in this district :-Jargonelle, Beurré Giffard, and Williams' Bon Chretien (trees of which we have planted on S.W. and E. aspects) almost invariably furnish good crops, both on wall and on pyramid-trained trees. Marie Louise and Duchesse d'Angoulême furnish a good supply of fruits from mid-October well into November, in which month Beurré Diel is also in excellent condition. Another good medium-sized, wellflavoured, juicy Pear is Comte de Lamy. Doyenné du Comice, Doyenné Boussoch, and Pitmaston Duchess furnish well-coloured fruits of excellent flavour. The heaviest fruits of Doyenné du Comice this year weighed just over 12 ounces. These, with the inclusion of a few other kinds, such as Josephine de Malines, Passe Crassane, and Winter Nelis, carry the supply well on into the new year. Easter Beurré, I regret to say, is not equally success. ful here.

For stewing purposes we find nothing to surpass Catillac and Vicar of Winkfield. A wall in these gardens about 200 yards in length is entirely utilised for the culture of culinary varie ties of Pears. C. Price, Mitchelstown Castle Gardens.

THE CEROPEGIAS IN CULTI

VATION.

Mr. N. E. BROWN's article, which appeared recently (p. 383, vol xxxix.), upon the remarkable Ceropegia hybrida that originated in the Botanic Gardens at Leiden, having drawn attention to this genus, may I add a few words regarding the species at present in cultivation?

It goes far to prove the neglect in which these singular plants have fallen that C. similis has been grown in England for twenty years as C. Thwaitesii without the error having been detected. The true C. Thwaitesii is a far more decorative plant, judging from the figure in the Botanical Magazine (t. 4,758), published in the January number for 1854, and drawn from a plant flowered at Kew, raised from seed sent from Ceylon in 1851 by Mr. Thwaites himself. This plant is now apparently lost to cultivation, and should this note meet the eye of any cultivator in Ceylon possessing it or the two other Cey

(Gold Coast), C. Gardneri (Ceylon), C. gemmifera (Togoland), C. hybrida X (see p. 383 ante), C. lucida (Himalayan regions), C. Lugardiæ (Mozambique district), C. Monteiroa (Delagoa Bay), C. radicans (S. Africa), C. rupicula (Arabia), C. Sandersoni (Natal), C. similis (Ceylon) (?), C. Stapeliieformis (S. Africa), C. Woodii (Natal).

With three exceptions, these are all in my collection. My friend, Mr. Medley-Wood, grows two or three new species in the Botanic Gardens at Durban, but they are apparently difficult or slow of propagation, for he has not yet been able to send them to us. Their introduction is much desired.

In addition to the above, the following species were recently cultivated at Kew, but appear to be now lost :

C. Bowkeri (S. Africa), C. Decaisneana (India), C. multiflora, and its variety latifolia (S. Africa), C. perforata (New Guinea, this species was introduced by Messrs. Sander in 1899), C.

[Photo by J. Burtt-Davy.

lonese species-C. biflora and C. Walkeriætheir introduction would be greatly appreciated. There are about 160 species of Ceropegias known to science, all confined to the Old World. In Africa they extend from Abyssinia to the Cape, including the islands of Madagascar, Zanzibar, and the Canaries. In Asia, they grow from Arabia to India, Ceylon, Java, New Guinea to the Philippines, and through the Himalayan regions to China, where Mr. E. H. Wilson recently discovered two new species, but these are as yet only in the form of dried specimens at the Kew Herbarium.

In spite of the large number known, and after some years of correspondence on my part, I have only succeeded in tracing the following species as being in cultivation in Europe:

C. africana (S. Africa), C. Barklyi (S. Africa), C. calcarata (Mozambique district), C. Cumingiana (Philippines), C. debilis (Nyassaland), C. dichotoma (Canaries), C. elegans (India), C. fusca (Las Palmas, Canaries), C. fusiformis

If any of these are in English private gardens or elsewhere, I am sure they would be acceptable at Kew.

In conclusion, may I point out an error which has crept into the Index Kewensis with regard to a plant therein specifically named Ceropegia nitida? It was originally described under that name in the Encyclopédie Méthodique (1811), Poiret's supplement to the botanical section, vol. ii., p. 178, from the specimen in the Desfontaines herbarium. A correspondence with our Consul at St. Domingo, and with the Botanic Gardens at Paris and Florence, who possess portions of the herbier Desfontaines, proved fruitless, and it was quite by chance that I alighted upon Decaisne's Etude sur quelques genre et éspèces de la famille des Asclepiadees in the Annales des Sciences Naturelles (Mai-Juin, 1838), in which it is given as a synonym of Marsdenia nitida, there described.

This is interesting, as disposing of the supposition that a Ceropegia had been found in the New World. Walter Ledger, 5, Wilton Road, Wimbledon.

COLONIAL CORRESPONDENCE.

KENNEDYA PROSTRATA.

I AM forwarding to you a photograph of a native plant, a variety of which was recently referred to in a paragraph in the Gardeners' Chronicle as a pillar plant. I do not know what characteristics the named variety may have, but the form of Kennedya prostrata found in West Australia is a finer plant than the same species in the S.E. of Australia, being larger in its various parts, with the flowers of a brighter scarlet. The plant shown in the photograph was growing on the spot eight years ago when the house was built, on ground that had been a "paddock" or park-like enclosure, with Banksias, Acacias, Nuytsia, and other native species scattered over it. As it grew at the foot of a verandah-post it was tied up as the new growth appeared during the winter. By the time the main branches had finished their growth, the top of the pillar had been reache 1, after which secondary branches were produced. The plant is always prostrate in a state of nature, but suffers no injury from being trained up in full exposure to light and air. The upturned tips of the branches appear to indicate the degree of elevation of the growing point in its progress over the ground in its natural prostrate habit, and if that is the correct explanation, it is interesting as showing the retention of the upward curve, although the position of the branches in relation to the ground has been altered. Alex. Morrison, 149, Brown Street, Perth, W.A.

[The photograph would not reproduce well.ED.]

PRETORIA.

HEREWITH I send two photographs of Trans. vaal trees. No. 1 (see fig. 13) is a fine specimen of Acacia caffra in full flower, overshadowing a native kraal at the farm Barraan's-Poort, near Pretoria, taken on September 30, 1906. The flowers are creamy-white, and borne in spikes about 3 inches in length. This is the finest specimen I have seen; it is one of the most abundant species around Pretoria, but usually occurs in bush form, perhaps because all the trees have been cut out for fuel and are only allowed to sucker to a limited size before being again cut out.

No. 2 (see fig. 14) shows two specimens of Dombeya rotundifolia in full bloom on a kopje at The Willows, near Pretoria. It is one of our most common kopje trees, and in early spring (August and September) produces a dense mass of white blossom before any leaves appear, as is indicated in the photograph. Those readers of the Gardeners' Chronicle who may have visited South Africa with the British Association will probably remember having seen it. When in full flower it reminds one not a little of an overgrown Pear tree; the Dutch name for it is Drall-pyr.

We are enjoying the best spring rains known for many years, so that there is now little fear of bad crops. There will be a great scourge of locusts, but we hope that our locust-officers will succeed in destroying the insects to a great extent before they can reach the flying stage. The cool, cloudy weather favours the growth of weeds, and the soil is too wet to allow us to hoe them out. My garden is a mass of Cosmos seedlings from last year's crop; two years ago it was bare veldt! Pretoria is gay with Roses just now, but there will be no Rose show this year owing to the financial depression. The golden blossoms of the Silky Oaks (Grevillea robusta) are also quite conspicuous in Our gardens. Jos. Burtt-Davy, Pretoria, Transvaal, October 14, 1906.