The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1850-08-13 00:00:00

I Rgrtrultural anb lOorttruttural.

PERIODICALS FOR THE MONTH.
Curtis's Botanical Magazine gives beautiful ilk
tions of Eugenia Brasiliensis, Dendrobium Kingiannm,
Hakes cucuilat., Stylidium saxifragoides, Campylobotrys
discolor. Hypocyrta gracilis. The Eugenia is a handsome
stove shrub, and the Hvpocyrta an elegant stove parasitic
gesneriaceous plant: the Stylidium and Hakes are both
greenhouse plants of great. interest.
Maund's Botanic Garden and .FTruitist,—This is par ex-
cellence " the book" for the out-of-door gardener, con-
tains plates of a fine Ranunculus called " Director"— the
Alpine coltsfoot ; Scilla amcena ; the variegated azalea ;
and the Pitmaston orange nectarine.
Sowerby's British Botany. The genera illustr.ted
this month are Stellaria, Arenaria, Cherleria, Cotyledons,
and Sedum. We have compared them with the old edi-
tion, and find the colouring much improved and more
carefully applied.

Hooker's Journal of Botany, and Kew Garden Mis-
cellany. The two journals, that of Mr. Spruce on the
river Amazon, and that of Dr. Hooker on the great Hima-
laya range, render this magazine exceedingly interesting
to the botanist. The high character of the botanical in-
formation, coming, as it does, from the best authority in
the kingdom, is also extremely valuable; it contains the
history of the tonquin bean, and some information respect-
ing the rice paper plant.
The Gardener's Magazine of Botany, Horticulture,
Floriculture, and Natural 'Science. By Thos. Moore
and Wm. P. Ayres. This most useful and elegant work
in the present part completes the first volume of the oest-
got-up and cheapest work of the kind ever issued : the
coloured illustrations are Amaryllis Aerarnanii pulcher-
rinza, Gramanthes chlorteflora, Ixora Griflithii, Roupala
grata, and three new Pelargoniums: the woodcuts are
very numerous and beautiful.

MISCELLANEA.
Luminous Plants.—Vague Mess of their existence in
India and the neighbouring countries float about now as
in the days of the old Hindoos and Greeks; they are in
' some cases, perhaps, founded on facts, in others on elec-
tric appearances. In the Journal of the Agricultural
Society of Bengal, No. 153, p. 683, we read that in Aff-
ghanistan, " to the north of Nahoo, is a mountain called
Sufed Koh, in which the natives believe gold and silver
to exist, and in which they say in the spring is a hush
which at night from a distance appears on fire, but on
approaching it, the delusion vanishes." Baron Hugel
(p. 143) was told that the Auk river in Kashmeer, when
swollen with rain, brings down from Tibet pieces of
timber which " shine in the dark as long as they con-
tinue moist." Our officers at Peshawur might, perhaps,
find out some particulhrs of the Sufed Koh vegetable
luminary; the account, if r. fiction, is at all events an old
one, and seems identical with that given by Pliny (XXI.
36) of the " Nyctegretum." The rootstock of a plant
from the Ooraghum jungles, at the foot of the Madura
''is. near Trieh— d ' -

supposed to be an Orchid or Marica,
was exhibited in April, 1845, at a meeting of the Royal
Association Society, possessing " the peculiar property
of regaining its phosphorescent appearance when a dried
fragment is subjected to moisture, gleaming in the dark
with all the vividness of the glow-worm or the electric
Scolopendra, after having been moistened with a wet
cloth applied to its surface for an hour or two ; and it
does not seem to lose the property by use, becoming
lustreless when dry, and lighting up again whenever
moistened." The Gardeners' Chronicle (Dr. Lindley)
states " that a small slice of the dried root being wrapped
in a wet cloth, and allowed to remain about an hour,
shines in the dark like a piece of phosphorus, or perhaps
somewhat paler, more like dead fish or rotten wood."
It is stated to have been long familiar to the Brahmins
under the name of Jyotismati, erroneously referred to the
Lexicons to Cardiospermum, perhaps on account of the
white crescent on its black seed. The discovery of the
Coromadel plant was made by a Tuhseeldar, ccmpelled
by rain to take shelter at night under a mass of rock,
where he was astonished to see a blaze of phosphoric
light over all the grass in the vicinity. Sanscrit authori-
ties refer the Jyotismati to the Himalaya ; and on
enquiry at Almorah, I found there was a luminous plant
well known there by that name, and "Jw Ila-mat ;"
implying the possession of light or fire. It turned out
to be Anthistiria anathera, of which perhaps one root in
a hundred is luminous by night during the rainy season.
Other Grasses, Andropogon contortus Iwaruncusa, &c.,
are reported to possess the same property ; and both
Hindoos and Moslems are persuaded of the existence of
a plant called Sunee (the Sanscrit Sunjeevun); extolled
for its power of revealing the wonders of fairy-land ; and
eagerly sought by fukeers and serpents. In 1845, the
people of Simlah were open-mouthed with a rumour that
the mountains near Syree were illuminated nightly by
this magical herb. Bnt it is probably Dictamnus which
has occasioned many of these reports; it abounds ersr
Gungotiee and Jumnotree, and supposing it to exhibit
the seme phenomena as its European congener, the lame
of a bush burning but not consumed would be bruited
afar by the pilgrims among a people ever ready t ) deify
any peculiar manifestation of fire. Professor Henslow
explains the inflammable atmosphere generated on a calm
still evening about Dictamnus fraxinella by the evapora-
tion of a volatile oil ; and states that, "if a candle be
brought near it, this plant is enveloped by a transient
flame without sustaining any injury from the experiment."
The Rughoovuns alludes to fire latent in the Sumee,
supposed to be Peosopis spicigera, the Jhund of northern
India ; but the reference may be to fire obtained by fric-
tion.—Major Madden, in the Journal of the Agricul-
tural and Horticultural Society of India.

OPERATIONS FOR THE WEEK.
Plant Department.—Particular attention ought to be
paid at all seasons to the ripening of the wood. It has
been too long the habit of almost all connected with
gardening to neglect, in pots at least, this most important
part of the business till towards the end of the season.
This we consider very wrong. flow is it possible, with
declining sunshine, in the short space, it may be, of two
months, with cold and wet increasing, to accomplish that
which our brightest weather and longest days are scarcely
able to perform ? If this part of the cultivator's duty has
been in the least neglected, let it be so no longer : " turn
over a new leaf." Let a portion of moisture be with-
drawn, and a change of air constantly going on—even
though this be at the expense of fuel. Chrysanthemums,
which have filled their blooming pots with roots, will
require the assistance of liquid manure : give no more
than is sufficient to preserve the foliage till the flower
buds are set, after which we scarcely ever give pure
water, having generally at hand barrels of soot, guano,
cow dung, &c., dissolved in water. These we give in
turns, or according to the wants of the plant. Euphor-
bias, Eranthemums, and Poinsettias, for winter blooming,
ought to be growing freely. Keep them near the glass,
and give as much encouragement as is consistent, with
short-jointed, well-matured wood. Gesneria Zebrina and
Achimenes Pieta grow in: the shade, otherwise their
splendid foliage will not be seen to advantage. The
varieties of Lilium Lancifolium will require a little clear
soot or guano water, to enable them to sustain their
foliage and enlarge their blooms. Spunge off any dust
which may have collected upon the leaves, and keep the
green fly thoroughly under. Various varieties of Phlox
are still adorning the flower borders: select cuttings of
the best, and put them in forthwith, at the bottom of a
south wall ; cover with a hand glass, and do not grudge a
little attention in the way of shading. Success will be
more certain. On the evenings of fine da) s, pull the
swaislhl
invigoratealtogether
th
offeth3e,oecougttipnlga-oftrsa.me. The
Auricular night
ar e
r,dewsnow
growing : see that they do not want for water, nor in any
way suffer an extreme; if they do, the chances are that
von will immediately have flower stems and abortive
blooms, to the great injury of their spring flowering.
Kitchen Garden.—The crops of
in Vegetable Marrow are
now perfection. This is one of the most profitable
crops which can be grown. Pity that it
should
be so much
neglected.
Fruit Department.—lf mildew should make its appear..
ante on any of the wall trees, sulphur may be applied,
although newly-slacked lime dashed over the affected
part will have an equally beneficial effect. Keep, how_
ever, a good look out; and should it appear on the point
of a young shoot, as it usually does, pluck it out anti
destroy it. Bad weather for melons lately, and very likely
mildew making its appearance : should it do soime
alone will do the business. There tikuA.l) 141% ur
here. We have more than oncowtAilkWrAo of
a melon pit utterly destroyed with ver
it.

ANSWERS TO CORR .1
4-_ DIA" -) *.r'''
, ... ,
.:
W.S.—Cover your wall with; Wifatal#Vn—:-
tis azurea grandiflora, and theltgas* ,f+)!,111.P3, :.
you cannot have three nicer wfil A 1414- t." 4 4:itA
J. Beesley.—Too much liquitkii _
the proporticn of guano you mNisztui ,
the colours of your carnations to
..,,t; le
Amateur.—If you believe that them nh :),,,,, ein
i • .
on a quince stock, try it ; you will thrs e ape.
rience most likely to be serviceable to you.

We have endeavoured more than once to call attention
to the culture of winter-flowering plants, particularly
chrysanthemums, which we think are worth every care,
furnishing, as they do, a delightful treat to the florist at
a season of the year when nearly all else amongst plants is
dreary and flowerless. But our present object is to re-
commend the formation of a chrysanthemum show in Li-
verpool, if some large room could be found in which it
could be held :an evening flower-show and ball would be
the means of raising a large sum for some charitable pur_
pose, and would furnish much gratification. By judi-
cions grouping, the most beautiful summer scene might
be produced, and would add a charm to the festivities,
os tht
rpyesrioaart
ht oe
manythingbrought
eoolgs eh.t Oe
aurrl
yplan t
hweo uml
odr bn
ntgo, haasv
ief the
an ordinary flower show, and submitted in the usual way
to the judges ; after which, opened during the day far the
inspection of those who merely wished to see the flowers;
then arranged tastefully about the room, in groups, for
the evening exhibition, which, with the aid of music and
dancing, would be a most attractive entertainment, if
managed with skill and respectability. The proceeds, if
devoted to a charitable cause, would be considerable, and
the effect would be to give a powerful stimulus to the
culture of winter-flowering plants. Even as a private
speculation, we are sure that such an attempt would be
successful.
By winter-flowering plants we do not mean chrysan-
themums only, but all the various kinds of bulbs which
are annually cultivated—the Chinese and Himalaya Pri-
mulas;. the Camellia and other hard-wooded plants ;
geraniums cultivated for winter flowering, and all other
plants then in flower in the greenhouse; not, of course,
omitting the lovely Cape Heaths. One great advantage
in this style of plants is, they could all be moved with
little risk, and the exposure in a gas-lighted room for one
or two nights would do no great harm.
A fund has long been wanted for the relief of poor gar--
deners, and even for those who from being too long out of
place lose the means of getting one. A scheme of this
kind might be made the commencement of such a fund;
we give the hint, and leave to others the execution.

With despatch.—For liqht freight only.
For BOMBAY,
The fast-sailing A I Ship CHARLOTTE,
04f NEILL, Commander;
Registers 650 tons; c ,an a desirable con-
veyance.—For terms of fr •
aran; and TOMLINSON.

Has nearly half her cargo engaged, and will have
ir prompt despatch.
.
^l,- For BOMBAY,
4-v."' The tine substantial kell-built and fast-sailing Ship
. iir act
.-...saast HENRY '
L. Hk. -

Commanders
-r cd: is now on the berth for the
2 o Dock. Has good accommodation for
ers —Aly-,lv to
SiIARP, 4. 'Rumford place.

Coppered and copper-ft
above port, in Watt
a few cabin pass,

inrst

-.----_
To be despatched an early teasel, and now loading in the
r, Queen's Dock
Far
The remark

riOMAg,
fast-sailing clipper Schooner
PRV.STO ;
Captain GitUZELIER
register 123 tons<ttlppered, and classed at Lloyd's A I for
twelve years ; is a first rate convevance.—For terms apply to
IMRIE and TONILINSOM.

First Ship. and will have quirk despatch.
'For KIN G STON AICA,
The remarkably fas ins A l Nlaryport-built
ue PANDORA,
- z GROB COBB, Master ;
Registers 197 tons • ppered, and a most desirable conveyance
for fine goods:; as Superior cabin accommodations. —For
terms apply to INI RIB and To MUNSON.

To be despatehedimmediatelg.
For DEME RA
The Brio. P
JAM
For freth

JONOIIOE, Master.
dassatre apply to
to. H. LOXDALE, 7, Rumford-street.

To sail in ei,iht dam.
For TRINIDAD,
The Clipper EXCELSIO Tt ,
ALEXANDER I,‘ ALLACE MONTEATH, Master;
Lyine; in the Coburg I) , as room fora few tons
of fine•goods only.—For freio• , c., apply to
JOSIAS BOOKER.

Will haiv quick dexpatc'h.
lON
For DEMERARA,
P
i The British Barone JOHN ROCKS,
JOHN Ho. , aster;
A 1 ; burthen per re".' r 349 tons, haying excellent
accommodation for passeng .—For freight. Etc., apply to
JO:=IIA.3 BOoK ER.