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DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES.

the flow of sap in the oak tree as to prevent it from being separated by the peelers till the return of milder weather.

Neither the health of the tree, nor its foliage, nor its blossoms, appear to sustain any material injury by this sudden suspension of its functions; but the crop of acorns invariably fails. The apple and pear tree appear to be affected to the same extent by similar degrees of cold. Their blossoms, like those of the oak. often unfold perfectly well, and present the most healthy and vigorous character; and their pollen sheds freely. Their fruit also appears to set well; but the whole, or nearly the whole, falls off just at the period when its growth ought to commence. Some varieties of the apple and pear are much more capable of bearing unfavourable weather than others, and even the oak trees present, in this respect, some dissimilarity of constitution.

It is near the earth that frost, in the spring, operates more powerfully, and the unfolding buds of oak and ash trees, which are situated near the ground, are not unfrequently destroyed, whilst those of the more elevated branches escape injury; and hence arises, we think, a probability that some advantages may be derived from protecting the stems or larger branches of fruit trees, as far as practicable, from frost in spring.

In support of this conclusion, we can refer to an apple tree, which having had its stem and a part of its larger branches covered with evergreen, had borne a succession of crops of fruit; whilst other trees of the same variety, and growing contiguously in the same soil, but without having had their stems protected, had been wholly unproductive; and to a nectarine tree, which having sprung up from a seed accidentally in a plantation of laurels, had borne, as a standard tree, three successive crops of fruit. The possessor of the nectarine tree, with the intention of promoting its growth and health, cut away the laurel branches which surrounded its stem in the winter, and in the succeeding season not a single fruit was produced.

A China rose, sheltered by the stem of a plant of Irish ivy, grew and flowered with more than common vigour; and we may state, that as the ivy, when it has acquired a considerable age, and produced fruit-bearing branches, exhibits an independent form of growth, which the branches retain when detached, if these were intermixed with plants of the more delicate varieties of the Chinese rose, or other low deciduous and somewhat tender flowering shrubs, so that the stems of the latter would be covered in the winter, whilst their foliage would be fully exposed to the light in summer, it is probable that these might be successfully cultivated in situations where they would perish without such protection; and the evergreen foliage of the ivy plants in winter would be generally thought ornamental. Detached fruit-bearing branches of ivy readily emit roots, and the requisite kind of plants would therefore be easily obtained.

As a further experiment, we could suggest to such as have lately planted an orchard of standard trees to clothe the stems and principal branches of half of them, during the months of March, April, and May, with loose bands of straw, and to observe the effects in comparison with the other half.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES.

HUMULUS LUPULUS.

THE HOP.

Diccia Pendandria. Urtices.

Gen. Char.-Barren flower; percanth single, of five leaves; anthers with two pores at the extremity; fertile flowers; scales of the catkin large, persistent, concave, entire, single. flowered; perianth 0; styles 2; seed 1.

Root perennial. Stems weak and twining, not climbing by "tendrils, but ascending a prop, trees or shrubs in a spiral, always

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with the sun, that is from right to left, or from east to west by the south; this direction it has in common with Tamus or Black Bryony, Lonicera or Honeysuckle, and several others; but more turn the contrary way, or from left to right, as Phaseolus or Kidney Beans, and several other leguminous plants, Convolvulus, &c. &c. These stems are angular, striated, and rugged with very minute prickes. Leaves opposite in pairs, (or sometimes in threes) the upper ones heart-shaped, the lower three-lobed, (or sometimes five-lobed) serrate, dark green above, pale green beneath, on long petioles; which, as well as the leaves themselves, are rugged with minute prickles. Stipules two or four, cordate, bifid, at each joint. Flowers greenish yellow; the males on branched peduncles; the females on a distinct plant, peduncled, in pairs, in form of a cone or strobile, composed of ovate, membranaceous scales, tubular from being rolled in at the base, and two-flowered, each containing one (sometimes two) seed, of a brown bay colour, of a globular form a little flatted, surrounded with a sharp rim, and compressed at the tip. It is covered with three coats; the outer membranaceous and wrinkled, the middle crustaceous and thin, the inner membranaceous. The embryo is spiral and inverted.

Native of most parts of Europe, in hedges; also of Japan : flowering with us in June.

The use of Hops for preserving beer, and the culture of the plant were introduced into England from Flanders. The year assigned is 1524, the 15th of Henry VIII. Fitzherbert in 1534 makes no mention of them; but Tusser in 1562 gives many directions for their culture, which was new in his time; for although they probably began to be used after the expedition of King Henry VIII. against Tournay, yet like most novelties they were at first much opposed, and were doubtless for some time chiefly imported; for so late as the year 1695, five hundred and ten hundred weight were imported from Flanders and Holland.

The first treatise written expressly on the culture of Hops in English was by Reynolde Scot, printed in 1574, and a second time in 1576; it is entitled A perfite platforme of a Hoppe Garden." Lond. qu. black letter: pages 63.

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He complains, that "the Flemmings envie our practise herin, who altogither tende their owne profite, seeking to impownde us in the ignoraunce of our commodities, to cramme us with the wares and fruites of their Countrie, and to doe anye thing that myght put impediment to this purpose, dazeling us with the discommendation of our soyle, obscuring and falsifying the order of this mysterie, sending us into Flaunders as farre as Poppering, for that which we may finde at home in our owne backsides."

Gervase Markham, in his farewell to Husbandry 131, has a chapter on barren grounds, and on making them fruitful to bear Hops. 1. 20. p. 109. ed. 8. 1664.

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It appears from our old herbalists Gerard and Parkinson, that Ale and Beer were different liquors; the first being maltliquor without, and the second with Hops." The Ale," says the latter of these authors (1640)" which our forefathers were accustomed only to drink, being a kind of thicker drink than beere is now almost quite left off to be made, the use of Hoppes to be put therein, altering the quality thereof, to be much more healthfull, or rather physicall, to preserve the body from the repletion of grosse humours, which the Ale engendred."

Walter Blith, in his English Improver Improved, 1649; third edition, 1653, p. 240, has a chapter upon improvement by plantations of Hops, &c. He observes that "Hops were then grown to be a nationall commodity: but that it was not many years since the famous City of London petitioned the Parliament of England against two anusancies-and these were, Newcastle coals, in regard of their stench, &c. and Hops in regard they would spoyl the tast of drink, and endanger the people and had the Parliament been no wiser than they, we had been in a measure pined, and in a greater measure starved,

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which is just answerable to the principles of those men who cry down all devices or ingenious discoveries, as projects, and thereby stifle and choak improvements."

He has eight pages in quarto upon the land best for Hops, and the best sets for planting; the manner of planting and cultivating them; and the profit accruing from them.

The quality of hops is estimated by the abundance or scarcity of an unctuous clammy powder which adheres to them, and by their bright yellow colour.

The expenses of forming a hop plantation are very great; but once in bearing, it will continue so for ten or fifteen years before it requires to be renewed. The hop culture in England, like that of the culture of the vine in France, is only calculated for cultivators of considerable capital, who can retain the produce from years of abundance to years of scarcity. It is calculated on an average, that the hop crop fails almost entirely every fifth year, when the price will rise from two to thirty pounds per cwt. To those who can cultivate and preserve the hop with a view to such a rise, few crops will be equally profitable.

The hop is peculiarly liable to diseases; when young it is devoured by fleas of different kinds; at a more advanced stage it is attacked by the green fly, red spider, and otter moth, the larvæ of which prey even upon its roots. The honey dew often materially injures the hop crop; and the mould, the fireblast, and other blights injure it at different times towards the latter periods of the growth of the plants.

The use of hop in brewing is to prevent the beer from becoming sour, and this is the grand purpose for which it is cultivated. But the young shoots both of the wild and improved hops are eaten early in the spring as asparagus, and were formerly brought to market for that purpose. The stalk and leaves will dye wool yellow. From the stalks a strong cloth is made in Sweden; the mode of preparing which is described by Linnæus in his Flora Suecica. A decoction of the roots is said to be as good a sudorific as Sarsaparilla; and the smell of the flowers is soporific. During the illness of George the Third, in 1787, a pillow filled with hops was used instead of opiates.

CISTUS JUCANUS. HOARY, OR ROSE CISTUS.

Polyandria Monogynia.

Cistineæ.

Gen. Char.-Calyx of five sepals, two outer ones unequal or absent; capsule covered by the calyx, ten five-celled, from bearing a disse piment in the middle of each valve. Spec. Char.-Leaves spatulate, tomentose, connate at base; peduncles one-three-flowered; petals emarginate. Few plants are more admired than the Cistus tribe; they have indeed one imperfection, their petals soon fall off: this however is the less to be regretted, as they in general have a great profusion of flower-buds, whence their loss is daily supplied. They are, for the most part, inhabitants of warm climates, and affect dry, sheltered, though not shaded, situations.

The present species is a native of Spain, and the south of France, and being liable to be killed by the severity of our winters, is generally kept with green-house plants.

It may be propagated either by seeds or cuttings; the former make the best plants.

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to four feet in height, producing its showy flowers from July to August.

It thrives best in a mixture of loam and peat, and young cuttings will root, if planted in a pot of saud, with a bell or hand-glass placed over them; but it is usually increased by seeds.

GENTIANA FIMBRIATA.

FRINGED-FLOWERED GENTIAN.

Pentandria Digynia.
Gentianeæ.

Gen. Char.-Capsule of one-cell; corolla tubular at the base, destitute of nectariferous pores.

Spec. Char.-Corolla four-cleft, with fringed margins.

This new species of Gentian possesses many attractions. Its flowers are of a fine shiny purply blue colour, and remain a long time in perfection, but only expand with the assistance of the solar ray. Our figure represents a group of seedling plants, just as we found them growing in a small pot in the nursery of Messrs. Whitley and Co., who inform us they raised them from seed, and they flowered the second year, but think they will only prove biennial.

ALYSSUM UTRICULATUM.

BLADDER-PODDED ALYSSUM.

Tetradynamia Siliculosa.

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An upright suffrutescent plant from two to three feet high, very much branched, with a short hardish haired fur, and pale brown rind. Leaves loosely scattered, generally with two smaller ones in their axils, thickish, hard and fleshy, spatulate with an elliptical or an obovate blade, roughly furred with the pubescence inclined forwards, ciliate. Racemes terminal, many-flowered, loosely and scatteredly disposed, oblong, cylindrical, upright, spreading, simple. Pedicles one-flowered, very short, bracteless. Flowers yellow, ascendant, before they decay generally turning to brownish purple below the blade of the petals, odorous, two-thirds of an inch long. Calyx one-third of an inch long, roughly furred, tubular, leaflets covering slightly by their membranous edges, oblong, obtuse. Petals obcordately spatulate; unguis filiform, nearly three times longer than the lamina, convulute above the calyx; lamina of one colour, veiny, small, obcordate. Stamens all fertile, coming above the calyx: anthers recurved at the top. Germen oval, smooth, compressed, ancipital, subsessile : style laminar, oblong, in a cross direction with the germen, nearly of the same dimensions, flatly ancipital, palely green, headed by a small round somewhat bilobed frosted deep green stigma.

This shrub, although generally kept as a greenhouse plant, is hardy enough to live through the winter in a dry warm south border. Young cuttings will strike root if planted in sand, under a handglass.

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