Two Interesting Carnivorous Plants.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVI, Issue 8, 22 February 1911, Page 40

Two Interesting Carnivorous Plants.

There is something particularly fascin iting about a small group of plants known as insectivorous or carnivorous, which seem to perform the work of animal< by catching insects or by con suming piece* of raw meat. Xo one. for instance. could for tin* first time look upon Venus’s Fly-trap as it closes its toothed leaf upon its prey, or upon the wonderful Pitcher Plant as it entraps some unfortunate insect, without being truly surprised at the presence of such extraordinary characters in plant-life. Venus’.- Fly-trap (Dionaea muscipula) is the most remarkable of all insect ivoroiis plant-. It possesses rosette* of leaves which lie close to the ground. I’kli l af is divided into an upper and lower bl ide. and the margins on each half have teeth like projections. (>n the inner surface of these leaves may be seen a number of small reddish dots-, these are dige-t ive glands. Among these gland- an* a few small hairs, usually three on each half of the leaf, these are known a- trigger hairs, so named from the fact that the least touch given to one of them causes an immediate closing of two halves of the blade. The hair* are jointed at the base, in order that they may fold downwards when the leaf is closed. In this position it will be observed that the teeth cros* one another, and the insect causing • he movement is

thus captured unless it is small enough to escape lietween the teeth, as is sometimes the raise. The leaf continues to close in until the two halves squeeze together, after which the work of the digestive glands is brought to play upon the soluble parts of the captive. In due time the leaves open again and are ready for further prey for the maintenance of the captor. In the case of the Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes) there are no motile organs or trigger hairs. Insect* are attracted by the highly coloured and inviting pitches. Alighting upon the pitcher the insect is readilv conducted bv a groove

to the entrance or mouth. It so happens that the species shown in the illustration does not possess the guiding lines; in this peculiarity it is very exceptional. (Ince inside the pitcher the insect finds it a difficult matter to re-

turn, owing to the slippery nature of a part of the interior and to fine hairs, which all point downwards. The unfortunate insect, finding it an easy matter to go deeper, its ultimately drowned in the liquid which the pitcher contains. This liquid teems with bacteria, which quickly decompose the fleshy parts of the insect, and thus once again the plant triumphs over animal-life. Nepenthes are quite as ornamental as they are interesting, but unlike Venus’s Fly-trap, which grow* best in a cool greenhouse, the Pitcher Plant requires a stove temperature. It is common to all insectivorous plants—and there are a few British species—that they should

abound in places where there is little nutriment in the soil; hence their somewhat degraded taste as carnivorous feeders. RAISING FREESIAS FROM SEED. The usual plan adopted of growing these charming spring flowers is to purchase the bulbs and pot them, or plant outside during March and April, but we have found they can be grown quite easily from seed provided it is new. The seed can be sown at the same time as bulbs are usually planted, either in pots or pans or in a frame. When fit to

Bthe seedlings can be transferred er planted in the open; or if sown in frame the light can be lifted, seedlings will take care of themProvided they are kept free from bey will produce some flowers durober and November. The specialbeen working on this charming and some new colours have been pvofved. * We had some beautiful pink Colours in our seedlings. Seed can be purchased, we believe, in the Dominion, but the best results are secured by purchasing bulbs of the newer varieties, and from the flowers of these saving one’s own seed. Where this is not practical endeavour to procure seed of the current season’s growth. THE POPULAR BAHAMA. DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDUSTRY IN THE CANARY ISLANDS. There is a tradition that bananas were (first introduced into the Canaries, or fortunate Islands, from the Gulf of Guinea, on the west coast of Africa. It remains, however, to be shown how Iphey got there from the Far East, their true home. They were taken to Santo Domingo from Grand Canary in 1516, jand from there to the other West Indian Islands and Central America. Oviedo, who wrote on the natural history of the West Indies, saw banana plants in the orchard of a monastery at Las Palmas in 1520. The botanist Martiniere, who accompanied Laperouse in his celebrated voyage, sent from the Canaries to the Minister <of Marine of (France two cords that he had made out of bark of the banana tree, copying, no doubt, what local peasants had done long before him. He prophesied that there would be a great future for this plant as a textile. Oddly enough, bananas are known in the Canaries and Central America 'by the Spanish -word Platano, a most unfortunate corruption of the original and appropriate name, namely, Plantano (plantain in English), which has now become obsolete. The botanical name of the banana, Musa sapientum, was given in the old belief that it was the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Of the many specimens which have long been known in the Canaries, the banana that has survived for the special purpose of the trade .with Europe is the Chinese banana (Musa Cavendishii), the least tropical and therefore the most Suitable for cold climates. Its cultivation is now at the height of its prosperity, and good irrigated land near the coast commands the almost fabulous rent of £4O per English acre. So far as I am aware, there is no part of the world where the price of land for agricultural ipr horticultural purposes attains anything like this figure. The other day a small plantation ot 10 acres was let to an English firm exporting bananas, and the total rent stipulated for that period was £450 sterling or £45 per acre. The part of the Canary Islands where most of the bananas are cultivated is the well-known Valley of Orotava, owing to the comparatively abundant and neverfailing supply of water, which, no doubt, filters down from the high and extensive plateau of the Canadas, nearly 7000 feet high, and surrounding the famous peak of Teneriffe, which is over 12,000 feet During the winter months there are abundant rains and snow, and the water gradually percolates to the region of the coast, where it is tapped by long, horizontal tunnels; in one ease the tunnel is over a mile in length, and, although it does not rain for six months (May to October) the several water galleries show very little difference in their supply summer or winter. Tn one of these tunnels the output is three million gallons daily, and this water is carried along a aqueduct for a great distance to irrigate the hd lying below it. In another instance arge supply of water (about one million gallons daily) that formerly ran to •waste into the sea, falling from the cliff where it first made its appearance, has been pumped up nearly 1000 feet by steam, at a cost of over £40,000. It is then conducted by an aqueduct across the Valley of Orotava from W. to E., * distance of six miles. It is owing to these circumstances and to the favourable geographical position pf the Canaries for navigation and cheap freights that such developments have occurred in the 'banana trade. A further Increase of plantations will certainly take place, at any rate in the neighbourhood Of the Valley of Orotava, when more prater js procured, and this will undoubtedly be the case, as several new tunnels

are being bored in search of water with very good prospects of success. There still remain large supplies going to -waste at the coast, where they first appear, as in -the previously named instance, and these arwait the necessary enterprise t( have the water pumped up and made available to irrigate land -which still remains unplanted with bananas, for which crop an abundance of water is an absolute necessity. The irrigation of land in this country makes an enormous increase in its value, for even if it is planted with ordinary crops, such as potatoes or tomatoes, the proprietor can get three such crops instead of a single crop eaek year, to say nothing of the enormous profits made from the cultivation -of bananas which are unequalled by any known crop. SCHOOL GARDENS. We have again to congratulate the Colyton school upon securing first honours in the School Gardens Competition held under the auspices of the Feilding A. and P. Association, says the “Star." Last year Colyton secured first place With an aggregate of 173, and it will be seen that this year it has unproved that position with a total of 184. Halcombe, which scored second place last year, has had to give way this time to four other schools, and Cheltenham <has to be Congratulated upon an improved position, dividing the honours with Foxton for second place. Particularly creditable are the wins of Colyton and Foxton, for in the case of the former the school is under the direction of two ladies (Misses Short-' all and Smith), who have shown astonishing enterprise and have met with a welldeserved reward. In Foxton’s case the garden is quite new, and Mr. Jackson, who is in charge, may well feel delighted at the comments of the judges that the garden is “ a credit to the Foxton district.” It is worthy of note in connection with this subject that the Wanganui Education Board stands in a unique position in the encouragement of the cultivation of gardens in connection with the schools throughout its district, with the result that there are now about 150 schools that are imparting practical garden instructions to their students. The remarks of Messrs. Lethbridge and Mayo upon the Colyton garden may be applied to the whole of the Board's system, when the judges insert this note: “The scholars attending this school should never forget the training they must have received to have done such first-rate work.” Our congratulations, therefore, are heartily extended not only to the schools that have scored so well in this contest in connection with Feilding’s 1911 show, but to the Association for having provided liberal prizes, and to the Board for having made such an interesting and instructive competition possible within our district.