ecessors
of Messrs. Veitch at the Chelsea Nurseries. It differs from C.
torulosa proper, its habit being of low stature, and has slender
pendulous branches; hence, it has been known in gardens by the names
of C. gracilis, C. cernua, and C. pendula. Other varieties of C.
torulosa are those named in gardens and nurseries--viridis, a kind
devoid of the glaucous foliage of the original; majestica, a robust
variety; and nana, a very dwarf and compact-growing sort. There is
also a so-called variegated form, but it is not worthy of mention. The
synonyms of C. torulosa itself are C. cashmeriana, C. nepalensis, and
C. pendula. Having regard to the tenderness of this Bhotan cypress, it
should only be planted in the warmest localities, and in dry sheltered
positions; upland districts, too, provided they are sheltered, are
undoubtedly suitable for it, inasmuch as growth is retarded in spring,
and, therefore, the young shoots escape injury from late spring
frosts.--_W.G., in The Garden._

* * * * *

THE PITCHER PLANT.

The variety of the pitcher plant (_Sarracenia variolaris_) found in
North America is carnivorous, being a feeder on various animal
substances.

Mrs. Mary Treat, an American naturalist, made, a few years ago,
several experiments upon the plants of this species to be found in
Florida; and to the labors of this lady the writer has been indebted,
in some measure, in the preparation of this paper.

The _Sarracenia_ derives its name of "pitcher plant" from the fact of
its possessing the following curious characteristics: The median nerve
is prolonged beyond the leaves in the manner of a tendril, and
terminates in a species of cup or urn. This cup is ordinarily three or
four inches in depth, and one to one and a half inches in width. The
orifice of the cup is covered with a lid, which opens and shuts at
certain periods. At sunrise the cup is found filled with sweet, limpid
water, at which time the lid is down. In the course of the day the lid
opens, when nearly half the water is evaporated; but during the night
this loss is made up, and the next morning the cup is again quite
full, and the lid is shut.

About the middle of March the plants put forth their leaves, which are
from six to twelve inches long, hollow, and shaped something like a
trumpet, while the aperture of the apex is formed almost precisely in
the same manner as those of the plants previously described. A broad
w