UMASS/AMHERST 312066 0333 3014 6 xn LIBRARY MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE IS 7 5" [SUPPLBMEWT, JAN. 1, 10/ ' CH-A-iiLiss r>A.E,vs^iisr. £t!PPI.BMENT, JAK. 1, 1S76.J ILLUSTRATED WEEKLY JOURNAL GARDENING IN ALL ITS BKANCHES. FOUNDED BY WILLIAM ROBINSON, Authok of "Alpine Flowers," &c. THIS IS AN ART WHICH DOES MEND NATURE : CHANGE IT RATHER : B'JT THE ART ITSELF IS NATURE.— Shakespeare. VOL. VI I I. LONDON: OFFICE: 87, SOUTHAMPTON STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W. C. CHRISTJVtAS, X875. '.% EUPPLBKENT, JAN. 1, 1S7G.] THE GARDEN INDEX. IIN^DEX TO VOLU]VIE VIII. Abies, Alcockiana, 371, 385. 430 ; cana densiQ pendnla, 310 ; Douglasu, 512 Abutilon Boule de Neige, 472 Abutilons in ereenliouses, 510 Acacia armata, 103 ; dealbata at Glas- Bevin, 362 Acsenas, various. 331 Acanthuses in bloom, 147 ; in Devon- shire, 188 Acer circinatnm, 216; dasycarpum, 216- glabrum, 216; grandidentatum, 216; macrophyUum. 216; Negundo vari'egatQin and Clematis, 305 ; ditto, seed-pods on, 87 ; pennsylvanicum, 216; rabrum, 216; saccharinum, 216; spicatnm, 216: tripartitum, 216 y Achillea umbellata, 434 » Acidanihera bicolor, 234 Aconitams, various. 184 Acorn poisoning, 359, 3S2, 512 Acorns Calamu-. 84 ; uses of, 52 Actinidia volubilis. 156 Adiantum concinnnm Flemingii, 77; Farleyense, 355; ditto from spores, 51, 91; gracillimum, 434; ditto for bouquets, 34 ; Luddemannianum, 166 ; princeps, 121 Agapanthus umbellatus near water, 408 Agave Victoria Regince, 317, 409; Con- sideranti, 335. 4^9 Agaves, various, 350 Alameda of Mexico, 27 Alder, variegated, 59 Alexandra Park Fruit Show, 58 ; exhi- bition, 188. 2C9 Allium narciasiflomm, 230 Allotment gardening. 490 Alocasia intermedia, 155; plumbea, 330 Alocasias, hybrid, 436 Aloes, flowering of, at Oxford, 8D; at Weymouth, 100; at Wisbeach, 529; Greenei, 77 Alonsoas, two new, 368 ; inci- ifoha, 340 Aloyeia citriodora, 220 Alpine forest, 534 ; at garden Battersea. 192 ; plants, gathering, 160, 188, 272 ; shrubs, 211 Alpines, planting. 274 Alsophila anstralis Williamsii, 121 ; philippinensis, 121 Alstromerias, culture of, 456 j new, 248 Altbfea Frotnviana, 323 Amarantus Princess of Wales. 227 Amaryllids on chalk, 530 ; striped. 257 Amaryllis ignescens. 32 ; virginalis, 524 American Apples, 493 Ampelopeis Veitchii. 346, 382, 426 Amphicome Emodi. 2i. 146 Amygdalns Boiesierii, 347 Anacharis alsinastrum. 147 Anagallis grandiflora. 360 Ananassa bracteata, 51 Andre's (M.) collecting expedition. 385 Androsaces, the. 233 ; lanuginosa, 346 Anemone fulgens, 39 ; in succession, 487 Annuals, autumn sown. 83, 128, 226 ; in the London Parks, 168 Anomatheca crnenta, 492 Anthemis Kitaibelii, 57 Anthericums. Swiss, 643 Aponr geton distachyon, 436 ; n:)t neces- sarily an aquatic, 550 Apples, American, 493 ; and starlings, 462 ; Astracban, 37; Belle Angevine, 638; bush. 26*^; Cornish Gillyflower, 429, 627 ; Cox's Orange Pippin, 291 ; crab. 320; gathering. 93, 284, 442; Golden Pii'pin, 237; wearing out of ditto, 232; harvesting, 151; Holland- bury Pippin, 516; imported, 513; in barrels, 493, 494: Irish Peach, 134; keeping, 308, 474; Lady, 265, 291; Lord Snifield, 212; list of Kentish, 4fi6 ; market. 255; new French, 3il ; Newtt wn Pippin, 385 ; price of ditto, 429; cf Bodom, 404; ornamental, 507 ; pruning, different classes of, 29T Ribston Pippin, in Kent, 298; spuri ous Ribston, 429 ; Russian. 49i. 418 : select, 261, 425 ; St. Edmund's Pipoin! 317; sure cropping, 353; Tom Put, 523, 533 ; White CalviUe, in Sussex, 3:j9; Worcester Pearmain, 317 ; f . ting of, 494; pruning, 511; Somerset black, 533 Apple culture in Northumberland, 235 Apple-seed washer, 437 Apple trees, budding, 6 ; from cut- tings, 62 Apricots, tran'^planting when ia bloom, 146; new French, 311 Aquarium, salt water, 12; Westminster, 80. 278 Aquilegia, Alpine. 312 Arabis lucida for carpet beds, 245 Aralias in Dublin, 310 ; wintering, 407, 434 Araucaria Bidwillii, cone off 38); braziliensis, cone of. 383 ; Rulei, 404 ; male and female, 327 Arbutus andrachne, 400 Arctotis aureola, 316 Ardisias, 517 Armeria splendens, 296 Artichokes. Globe, culture of, 279 : cutting down stems of, 104, 426 ; second crop of. 137 Arum italicum, 368 Arundo Donax, 361 Asclepias gigaiitea, 4)4 Asparagus, autumn, treatment of. 393 ; culture in Viaey^rds, 464; forced, 516 ; super-phosphate for, 434 ; time for planting, 5 'fi Asphalte pavements, cleansing, 157 'Asphodel, blue, 98 Asplenium ferulaceum, 121 Astelma eximium, 146 Asters, 41; China, 211 ; fine hardy. 32S ; quilled. 256 ; species of, 343 ; winter. blooming-, 493: longifolius formosus, 298 Asteriscus maritimus, 146; retusus, 530 Aston Park Exhibition. 31 Astrologer, botanical, 47 Aucubas, 517: fruit on, 512; large, in Regent's Park. 109 Aucuba seeds, 276 Auricula, culture and varieties of the, 312 ; double yellow, 18 Autumnal tint, 4t0 Ajzaleas, douole-flowered, 180 Azalea amoenafor forcing, 510 Balsams, Camellia-flowered, 157 Bamboos, square-stemmed, 4; at Fota, 458 Bambusa striata, 3^0 Banana-cluster, weight of. 2 Bananas in Southern United States, 429 ; remarks on, 88 Barometers and thermometers, 276 Baskets, hanging, 359 Batatas paniculatus. 191 Battersea Parkin i875, 190 Battle Abbey, gardens at, 546 Beans, Canadian Wonder, 247, 503; late, 43'"'; second crop of, 166; Seville Long Pod, 8J; Victoria Dwarf French, 30« ; new V. old Kidney for seed, 555 Bean-pods, edible Broad, 182 Bean-spronts, 166 Beancarneas, 436 Bedding at Aston Park, carpet, 323; in Victoria Park, 233 ; plants for, 225 ; at Battersea, 124; at Kew and Syden- ham, 259 ; in Hyde Park, 213 ; carpet, 149; propagation of, 151, 152 Bedford Square, 80 Bees and fruit, :i21. 3< 9, 321 Beet, Dell's Crimson, 201; Egyptian, 489; Seakale. 464; lifting, 300 Begonia Coltoni, 33 ; FroebeUi. 121, 513 ; Lemoinei, 323 ; Martiana, 389, 4)3 : metallica, 208 ; octopetala, 443 ; Rod- wellii. 33 ; Sedeni, hardy. 111 ; anom- alous, 273; double-flowered, 529; for rock-work, 188 ; hardy, 474, 508 ; hybrid, 436; tuberous-rooted, 4J5 ; variegated, 194 ; manicata, 551 Belgrove, an hour at. 187 Belladonna Lilies, 346, 3-i8 Bell-flowers, monograph of, 172 Berberis, 517 Berberis asiatica, 331 ; fascicularis, 374 Berberis, uses of, 87, 122 Bomardia rosea, 3S5 Berry-bearing plants, 517 Bignonia capreolata, 409 ; venmsta, 486 Bindweed, pink, 231 Birds and fruit. 54, 370 Blackberry farm. 412 Bletia hyacinthina, 37 Bluebells, forcing. 9S Boreaw (il.), death of, 414 Boiler, Ormson's new, 430 Boiler-water, effects of, on plants, 453, 486. 510, 523 Books. American gardening, great of, 450 Boots, waterproof. 425 Border flowers, 100; striking cuttings of. 105 Boreco'e, 410 Botanical and Zoological Gardens 60 Botanic Gardens, Martinique. 3:^9 Bougainvillea glabra out of doors, 40^ Bouquets, button-hole, 386 ; Grasses for, 21; old-fashioned, 411; winter. 531 Bouvardia jasminiflora, 471 Bouvardias for winter, 51 Brahea filamentosa, 317 Bramble, Rocky Mountain, 158 Bridges, garden, 47 Broccolies, protection of , 34S ; four best 508 Brodigea volubilis, 383 Broom, common, 318 Brugmansia sangninea, 400 Brussels, International Exhibition, 8") Brussels Sprouts, 410; Matchless, 584; autumn sown, 281 Budding Apple trees. 6; Roses, 35; trees and shrubs. 6s. 144 Buds, adveatitious, 87 Bulb-borders, annuals for 328 Bulb culture in boxes, 435 Bulbs. Dutch, 225; forcing ditto, 195; storing, 13 Bupthalmum salicifoliam. 341 Bupthalmums, the best. 331 Burdock, the great, 58 Butterwort, common, in Bedfordshire, Button-hole bouquet, 58 ; for July, 59 Cabbages all t planting, 300 ; le year round. 410 sowing, 44; winter. Ca' ti. hardy, 268 Caladiam^, cuttings of, in water, 342; giganteura out of doors, 305 ; Mr. Blue's new, 104 Calanthe Veitchii, from cuttings. 523 Calceolarias, 454; amplexicaulis, 291; bicolor, 305; disease of, 219, 287, 291, 303; Forbes' Invincible, 294; Pavonii 386, 389 ; Prince of Orange, 163 ; best bedding, 296, 330,368 ; culture of. 321, 346; Gaineft' dwarf, 313; useful, 245 Talla Eethiopica, 435, 477 Callas in water, 614 Cailicarpa purpurea, 517 Calyptnon Aubletii, 380 Calystegias, 84 Camelhap, 454; prices of. 429 Campanula garganica, 328 ; pcrsicifolia coronata ccerulea, 150; pyramidalis. 58; Scheuchzeri, 330 ; turbinata, 127; Van Houttei, 477 ; Vidalii, 146 ; Wal- lensteini, 37; Warneri, 245; Zoysii, 173 Campanulas, monograph of, 172; vaai- ous, 24 Campelia mexicana, 127 Canada, fruit growing in, 62 Canartna campanula, 91 Canary creeper, uBe3 of, 291 Cannabis gigantea, 215 Cannason lawns, 121; new, 339; win- tering, 434 Caoutchouc, new source of, 404 Capsicums, 517; yellow-fruited, 494, 50« Cardoon, the, 378 Carex baccans, 517 Carnation, Countess of Manvers. 338; Mr. Fowler, 423 ; Prince of Wales, 31; Scarlet Defiance, 17 ; Sir Garnet Wolseley, 423 ; propating, 8 ; win- dow treatment of, 31; for winter, 50, 184, 435 Carnivorous plants. 150 Carpet bedding. 111, 364, 503 ; at Aston Park, 328 ; at Battersea, 191 ; at Syden- ham, 259; plants used for, 149, 180; value of, 293 Carrots, autumn sown, 313 ; yonng winter, 93 Carroc insects, 34 Carrot crop, 554 Carter's (Messrs.) seed farm, 42 Cascaes, gardens at, 170 Cashmere, vale of, 234 Cassia corymbosa, 429 Catalpa, the, 2'.9 Catalpas, large, 296 Cattleyaminas, 423; hybrid, 436; tmc epiphytes, 453 Cauliflower, Snowball, 333, 43, 20; Veitch's, 464 Cauliflowers, autumn, 319; hand-glass« 301 Cauliflower seed, when to saw, 104 Ceanothuses, list of, 29 Cedars, old, 74 ; of Lebanon, 433 Celery, boiled, 413 ; culture of, 151 ; earthing up, 262 ; fly, 354 ; winter treatment of, 412 ; turnip-rooted, 453 Centaurea Cyanus at Sheen. 58 Cereus Landbeckii var Phillipii, 127 Cereuses, various, 35 J CbEerophyllumbalbosam, 246 Chateau de Mouchy, 414 Chair rustic, 164 Chalk soils, planting on, 415 Chelsea Botanic Gardens, 447 Chelsea Hospital Garden, 293 Cherry Bigarreau Monstruense de Mezel, 58 Cherry cookery, 55 ; Morello, best stock for, 23 Cherries, Kentish, 465; select, 268; Surinam. 362 ; pruning. 544 I Chervil, tuberous-rooted, 216 ! Chestuute gigantic, golden. 512 ; old, 75 Chestnut, Horse, unseasonable bloom- ing of, 293 Chilwell Nnrseriea, 2S1 Chimonanthus fragrans, 520 ; gnadi- florus, 653 Christmas decorations, 531 Christmas Roses, 476 ; large-flowered. 535 Chrysanthemums, 41,231,406,511; beet Pompon. 436, 500, 53 I ; Covent Gm-- den. 385; late cuttings of, 382; Meg Merrilees. 556; pot culture of, 299; select, 421 Chrysobactron Hookeri, -40 Church decoration, 302. 329, 3€2, 550 ditto at Christmas, 495 Churchyard gardens, 513 Cibotium Menziesii, 121 Cicer arietinum, 422 Cinerarias, 453 "City Roses," 52 Clarkia. Purple King, 33 ; Salmon Queen, 33 THE GARDEN INDEX. [supplement, JAN. 1, ] C!ema'.is and A cerNegundo varieffatum, 305 ; Faij-T Queen, 33 ; Flammula robusta, -tti , iudivisa, 385 ; Jack- mam, 80. 212 Clematises in wet seasons, 172 ; pruning, 167 ; transplanting, 15 ) ; winter treat- ment of, 150 Clerodendron Balfourii, fruiting of, 100 Cleveland House, carpet bedding at, 322 Climate and rainfall, 234 Climbers, 3S6. 338 ; greenhouse, winter- flowering, 391, 431 ; hardy, 13, 233 Clumber, old trees at, 87 Cloches, value of, 401 Clubbing, 379 ; remedy for, 403 Cob-nuts, culture of, 153 Coccosypselum discolor, 518 Cocoa-nut milk, 360 Coffee, Californiau, 474 Colchicums, autumn, 245, 292 Coleus splendens for bedding, 391 Colewort, Rosette, 433 Coleworts, London, 554 Collecting Alpine plants, 273 Collections 0. selections, 101 Cologne exhibition, 209, 213 Colorado Potato beetle, 71 Colours, plant, 92 Colt's-foot, variegated, 168 Columellia oblonga, 404 Columbines, Alpine, 343 Comfreys for the wild garden, 19 Cones, exhibition of, 212, 318 Conifers at Bearwood, 374; garden, 85 ; grouping, 515 ; manuring, 150 ; seed- lings, the best, 4 ; variability of ditto, 310 Conservatory at Hampton, 88 ; chapel, 280 ; housetop, 356 ; plants for a, 484 ; Regent's Park, addition to, 190 Convolvulus mauritanicus, 248; pink, 334, 294 Convolvuluses and Sweet Peas, mixed, 166 Cookery, vege'able, 161 Coptis trifoliata, 291 Cordyline Banksii at G-lasnevin, 363 ; in Kerry, 385 ; indivisa, flowering of, in Ireland, 2 Corn, best sweet, 403 Cornus capitata, 341 ; florida, 400 Coronilla glauca, 553 *' Correspondence Botanique," 429 Corylus Colurna, 380 Cotoneaster frigida, 278, 316 ; Sim- monsi, 426 Ootoneasters, 513, 553 Cottage gardens, 83, 493; Gladstone on, 202 Cottager's fruits, 2:3; Kale, 104; show at Latimer's, 234 Cotyledons outdoor, S3 Crab Apples, 320 Crambe cordilolia, S3, 93 Crassulas, outdoor, 83 Crassula coccinea, 91 ; lactea, 530 ; rubicunda, 531 Crataegus, Pyracantha, 518 Crickets, moles destroying, 14 Crinum Moorei, 341 ; soabrum, 330 Crocuses, autumn, 345, 292 ; byzantinus, 382, 614; Pleischerii, 230; minimus, 127 Cropping, mixed, 15 ; rotation in, 520 Cryptogamic Society of Scotland, 100, 256 Cryptomeria, dwarf, 360 Crystal Palace, bedding out at, 259 ; shows at, 16, 231 Cucumbers, late, 104 ; pickled, 231 ; preserving cut, 190 ; winter, 339,318, 503 Cucumber Conriueror, 401 ; Duke of Edinburgh, 354; Melons, 235; Sia- mese Twins, 107 ; Tender and True, 18 Cultivation, deep, 498 Cupressus Lawsoniana fragrans, 423 Curculigo recnrvata. 434 Currant, Lee's Prolific Black, 141 Currants, on walls, 135 ; pruning, 530 Cuttings, herbaceous, 430 ; in Sawdust 294; Rose, 419 Cyclamens, 454; and cordons, 261; modern culture of, 509; hederfcfolium, 383, 4i)i; Cypella Herberti, 330 Cypresses, old, 73 Cypripedium Argus, 127; spoctabile, 450; ditto, forced, 472; hardiness of ditto, 8 ; Parish! at Knowsloy, 98 Cypripediums at Kew, 551 ; hybrid, 438 Cytisus Alschingerii at Glasn'evin, 362 ; Everestianus, 260; Laburnum aureum. 121 D. Daffodils on Grass, 37 Dahlia Barmaid, 231 ; Charles Leicester, 208; Henry Glasscock, 188; Mrs. Quennel, 189; J. 0. Quennol, 208; John Bennett, 183, 231; John Downie, 208 ; Lord of the Isles. 208 ; Maggie Fairburn. 208; Mrs. Standish, 231; new species of, 476; Pompon, 317, 318 ; Samuel Plimsoll, 231 ; Sarah Gamp, 231 i Triumph, 208 Dahlias, select, 183, 208 ; single, 363 ; Ufting and storing, 389, 413 Daisies, Alpine, 278 Damson crop, 296 Damsons, Prune, 353 Daphne iudica odorata, 91 ; indica rubra, 435 Darlingtonia at DuNin, 404; at Glas- nevin, 104, 362 Darwin on climbing plants, 533 ; on insectivorous plants, 63 Deeringia celosioides variegata, 374 Delphiniums, how to prolong, 84; moving seed- pods from, 58 ; select, 218 ; various, 331 Dendrobium aqueum, 323 ; thyrsifiorum, 426 Dendrochilum filiforme, 3 Desmodium pendulum. 233 Deutzia crenata fl. pi., 69, 638 Dew, deposition of, 310 Dianthus Highclere. 13 ; sylvcstris, 376 Dichorizandra thyrsiflora, 341 Dicksonia antaretica at Fota, 341 ; chi-y- sotricha, 426 Dictionary, French Pomological, 341 Dietes Huttoni, 127 Digitalis, hybrid, 34 Dinner-table decorations, 611 Dioniea muscipula at Tooting, 313 Dioscorea batatas, 132 Dipladenias. 8 Disa grandiflora. a fine. 2; at Chats- worth, 100 ; at Cork, 355 Disandra prostratra. 409 Diuris elongata at Kew, 146 Dowd's (Mr.) appointment, 341 Dracaenas hybrid, 406 ; elegantissima, 131 ; raising in the United States, 133 ; Rex, 131 ; Taylori, 131 ; triumphans, 77 Dracocephalums, various, 513 Draining gardens, 65, 373, 485 Drainage of dwelling houses, 143 Drimys, species of, 370 Drosera intermedia, 330 ; rotundifolia, 230, 334 Drumlanrig, 190 Ducks and Vallisneria, 411 Duckweed, fruiting, 168 Dundee Horticultural Society, 190 Dunevan, gardens at, 394 Dyckia argentea, 395 Dynamite, uses of. 70 Echeverias, best silvery, 666 ; outdoor, 82; paohyohytoides, 423; rotundi- folia, 310, 433 . Echiuopsis scopa, 391 Edibles, neglected, 161 Edinburgh International Fruit Show, 190, 251 Edgings, Festuca viridis as, 318 ; for garden walks, 608; kitchen garden, 506 ; Lycopodium, 300 ; a pretty, 144 ; Grass, 434 ; Mahonia repens as, 663 Eleagnus rotundifolia, 87 Elder, scarlet-fruited, 87 Elms, old. 74 ; purse galls on leaves, 53 Enoephalartus Altensteinii, 409 Endive, blanching, 16 ; winter, 393, 394 Endogens and exogens, 311 Epacrises, select, 103 Epiphyllums as indoor wall plants, 338, best stocks for, 323, 365, 375, 392, 4 9 Epping Forest, 341 Eranthemum hypocrateriforme, 137 Eremurus robustus, 43 Erica yagans on Serpentine, 513 ■ Eriobotrya, hardy, in Devon, 494; in Dorset, 473, 530 Eriocaulon septangulare, 841 Eritrichium nanum, 319 Erpetion i-eniforme, 301 Brvum lens, 333 ■ Eryngiums at Kew, 341; Pine-apple leaved section of, 100; celestinum, 396 ; Leavenworthii, 378 ; pandani- folii , 311 Eucalyptus in California. 371 ; in India, 637 ; cornuta, 318 ; globulus, 146 Eugenia apiculata, 433 ; Ugni, 385 Eulophia guineensis, 406 Euonymus latitolius, fruit of, 331; mi- crophyllus, 473 Euphorbia jacquiniajfiora, 633 Euryangium sumbul, 81 Eurybia ramulosa. 491 Evergreens in Covent Garden, 406; propagation of, 337; transplanting, 215,310 E.xhibition, International, in 1377, 190 Exhibitors, amateur, 121 Exogens and Endogens, 311 Fairy rings, 330 Fern, Killarney, 105 Pern mattresses, 431 Ferns, evergreen. 387 deciduous, 367 hardy. 361; Maiden-hair, 80, 102, 389 new Chinese, 27; packing exotic, 610 room, 478, 514 Ferulas, merits of, 341 Ferula tingitaua. 111, 150 Festuoa viridis for edgings, 318 Ficus Cooperi, 350 ; repens, 374, 408 Pieldia australis, 404 FigsatChilwell,233;Bourjassotte'Grise, 606; tailing to ripen. 607, 633,638; in- door and outdoor, 264; in Dumfries- shire, 166, 185 ; in Fifeshire, 258 ; in Kent, 234; in Scotland, 300; Negro Largo, 334 ; new way with, 507 ; on open walls, stopping, 64 ; treatment of, 136; restricting roots of, 417; wintering, 541 Filberts, culture of, 153 Firs at Longleat, tall Silver, 271 Fir tree Fungus, 318 Fittonia argyroneura for bare surfaces, 299 Flies and window plants, 256 Flooring for glasshouses, 451, 443, 381,486 Flora, Arctic, 474 Floral decorations, Guildhall, 102 ; Miss Hassard on, 555 Floral trellis, 181 " Flore des Serres," Van Hontte's, 389 Flowers, Alpine, gathering, ISO ; and leaves, 31 ; bouquet, 478 ; border, 100 ; striking cuttings of ditto, 106 ; forced. 503 ; hill brow. 111 ; hardy, 24, 203, 241, 331, 481, 510, 184, 362; winter, 412, 497, 411, 483. 499; London, 15; in hospitals, 109 ; old border, 316 ; select- ing hardy, 167; spring, 136; succes- sional ditto, 163 ; sweet-scented, 433 ; table, 21 ; winter, 412, 481 Flower bed, a pretty, 83 Flower beds, digging, 477, 600 ; laying out, 403 ; mulchmg for, 476 ; winter and spring, 372 Flower gardening, present aspect of, 109 Flower mission, Paddington, 165, 492 Flower shows, Gladstone on, 186 ; judges at, 63 Flower tazzas, flat, 4U Flower traps, 46 Flower vase, mantlepiece, 96 Fly plagues, 291 Fly, white, in greenhouses, 443 FoUage, autumn, 311, 431, 433; in Corn- wall, 447 Forest alpine, 534 ; new, 98; and floods, 69 ; and rain, 429 ; Bast London, 232 ; formation of, 383 ; subterranean Lon- don, 168 ; keeping drives in, 106 Forest trees, felling, 546 ; planting, 481 Forest work, contract prices of, 276 Forget-me-nots, Alpine, 319 Fota, vegetation at, 458 Fourcroya variegata, 208 Frame, improved garden, 208 France, weather in, 146 Fruit, cheap, 320; colour, no test of maturity in, 235, 333, 318, 337, 3B9 ; eating, 512 ; gathering, 137 ; hardy, 373 ; in Covent Garden, 450, 313, 146 ; judging, 442 ; orchard house at Chil- well, 282; want of flavour in, 237; pre-historic, 233; prices of, 190; select hardy, 236, 242 ; sweet or acid, 23; wild edible, 426; attacked by bees and wasps, 331 ; cottagers', 233 ; for different districts, the best, 112 ; Kentish bush, 469 ; new, 291, 332 ; nomenclature of, 353 ; of Nebraska, wild, 390; storing, 332, utilising wild, 463 ; effect of li^ht on colour of, 330 ; weight |of Californian, 278 ; inferior market, 537 Fruit borders, renewing, 438 Fruit buds and leaf buds, 63 ; grafting with, 479 . . 5 s Fruit catalogue, M. Louis', 637 Fruit crops, English, 140 ; Irish, 139 ; Scotch, 138; Welsh, 139; reports of. 112 Fruit culture in Kent, 189, 450, 485, 469 ; in Switzerland, 163; trenching, 91 Fruit-eaters, hints to, 106 Fruit growing at Thoresby, 352; for market, 255 Fruit-houses, water supply to, 231 Fruit prizes, Yeitch's, 78 Fruit-rooms, 386, 349 ; at Arundel, 430 Fruit Show, Edinburgh, 253 Fruit stores, newspaper protection, 514 Fruit-tree hedges, 479 Fruit trees, planting, 261, 282, 5C6 ; French mode of training, 189 ; as ornaments in gardens, 223, 237 ; cor- dons, 189; ditto and Cyclamens, 201; for various aspects, 63, 454; Mr, Dancer's, 308 ; old, worth saving, 461 ; on Red lands. 427 ; preparation for. 412, 414 ; renovation of, 614 ; road side, 94, 425; root-pruning, 183,333, 368, 335 ; summer pruning, 6 ; trans planting, 3i3 ; vertical training, 439 : water evaporated by, 6 ; watering, 186 ; dressing for, 544 ; for north walls, 538 ; mulching, 545 Fuchsia Dominiana, 434 Fuchsias, 454; a plea for, 522; in Grass, 127 ; pillar and roof, 409 ; winter, 383 Fuchsia seeds, saving, 610, 623 Fungus poisoning, 103 ; show, 318 Gale, Sweet, 620 Garbanzos, 422 Gardens at Hampton Court, 180 ; drain age of, 372; enjoyable, 163; forma tion of, 372 ; improvement of, 372 town, in autumn, 319 ; influence of, 183 ; French fruit, in Kent, 139 ; Lon don churchyard, 146, 643 ; Portuguese 169 ; railway, 146 ; wild, formation of, 99, 133, 361 ; scented flowers for ditto^ 433 Garden, makeshift, 108; prison, 261 Italian, 153 ; herb, 376 ; in Madeira^ a, 154 ; in the midlands, 154 ; spring plants for, 301 ; the Medici, 443 ; Mr. Hewittson's, 146 ; designs, use of ropes in, 467 Garden hybrids, 318 Garden parties, 143, 165 Garden rubbish, 391 Garden vegetation in July, 127 ; in August, 217; in September, 431; in October, 433 ; in Movember, 538 Gardeners, French market, 256 Gardening, allotment. 490; spring, 512; wall, 387, 621 ; Italian, 600 Gardenias, planting out, 19 Garlics, 76 Gastronema sanguineum, 145 Gaura Lindheimeri, 331, 368 Gazauias, 363 Gentians, culture of, 147 ; select, 432 ; gelida, 514, 630; Pneumonanthe, 293 Geraniums, double Ivy leaved, 81, 123 ; anemonef oUum, 43 ; armenam, 97 ; platypetalum, 7, 31, 43 Gesnera maculata, 383 Gilbert, Mr., presentation to, 58 Gladioli, 44 ; hybrid, 385, 467 ; new race of, 324; seedUng, 293; select, 208; culture, 457 Gladiolus Agrius, 188; Brennus, 188; cruentus, 474 ; Mrs. MacKenzie, 183 ; Pactole, 188 ; Titus, 188 Gladwin, 517 Glass, toughened, 2 Glasshouses, construction of, 90 ; floor- ing for, 383, 443, 451 ; scorching in, 196 Globe flowers, 418 Gloriosas hybrid, 346 Gnaphalium Leontopodium, 333 Godetlas, 234 Goniophlebium subauriculatum, 561 Gooseberries, grafted standard, 61 ; on walls, 186; pruning, 520; early Or- leans, 33 ; caterpillar, 45, 94 Gordius aquations, 166 Gourd potiron jaune, 261 Grafting, affinity in, 62; anomalous, 266 ; curiosities of, 460 ; Tomatoes on Potatoes, 439 ; with fruit buds, 479 ^ Gram, 433 *" Grapes, Alicante, heavy bunches of, 411; atClovenford's, 256, 297; Black Lisbon, 385 ; bottling, 445, 455 ; CaU, fornian, 450; Chasselas de Fontaine bleau, 264 ; colouring, 388, 607 ; ditto, large bunches of, 390 ; cracking, 136, 146; damping off, 353; Duke of BuC' cleugh, 144 ; ditto and Golden Cham- pion, 186; Early Ascot Frontignan. 122 ; early, on late stocks, 507 ; for exhibition, 125 ; Golden Hamburgh, 224 ; grafting branches of. 363 ; Gol- den Queen, 186, 233; hardy. 442. heavy bunches of, 234, 424; judgingj 224 ; late, 443 ; Madresfleld Court; 370 ; Muscat, temperature for, 309 packing, 69; shanking of, 185, 200 the 26 lbs. bunch of, 389 ; Barbarossa, the best late, 473 ; badly-colouredi 638 ; White Lady Downe8,'638 Grape cure, 607 Grape stand, exhibition, 125 Grasses for bouquets, 21 ; ornamental 123, 639 ; new, 128 I Greenhouse floorings, 383, 443, 451 Greenland, flora of, 327 Griflinia, new, 556 Guano V. nitrate of soda, 137 Gum tree y. Vine pest, 34 SFPPlIUEyT, JiS. 1, 1S76.] THE GARDEN INDEX. Gunnera scabra, 97 Gjmnothrix lalifolia, 318," 360, 404 ; in Cork. 323 ; in the flower grarden, 286 Gynerium argenteum, 317 ; roseum Kendatleri, 165. H. Habroaamnus Hugelii, 362 ; elegans, HEemanthua coccineas, 510 Hairbells, monograph of, 172 Hampstead, New Park at, 78 Hampton Court Gardens, ISO Heaths, autumn-flowering, 238 ; hardv 217, 293 ; winter-blooming, 473 Heating, lime-kiln, 275, 317 ; small- con- necting pipes for, 318, 388, 406 Hector in the Garden (Poem), 157 Hedges, clipping, 12 ; evergreen, 29- fruit trees, 478, impervious, 87 ; Yew' 512; Berberis asiaticafor, 381 ' Hedychium Gardnerianum, 355, 383 : hardy, 294 Helianthus cncumerifolius, 242 ; lenti- cularis. 340 ; multiflorus fl. pi 124 • orgyalis, 298 Heliolrope, a well-grown, 91: standard 500 ; the best, 349 ' Hellebores, 476, 497 Helleborus niger maiimas, 482, 635 Hellebore powder, price of, 126; v Gooseberry caterpillar, 158 Hemp, Giant, 215 Heraclium gigantcum, 42 Herbs, descriptive list of, 376 ; dryin", 60 Herb garden, 376 Hickey, the late Rev. W,, 478 Hippeastrum vittatam, 257 Hoeing, advantages of, 507 ^Hollies, 618 ; Christmas, 531 ^Hollyhock-, Le Grand, 121 ; select, 122 188; wintering. 512 Hollyhock roots, dividing, 477 Honeysuckles, variegated Chinese, 328 ■ m Nottinghamshire, 293 ' Horseradish, culture, 606; imported 516 ; new way of growing 555 Horticultural Club, 124 Horticultural exhibitions, effects of 338 Horticultural Society, 141 ; a new 447 Houses, cheap, 336 ' Hoya carnosa, wall-roeted, 634 H.yacinths. border, 457; culture of, 452- Dntch, 193 ; in glasses, 472 ; in pots 2oO ; Roman, 105, 453, 523 Hyacinthus camiicans, 248 Hyde Park, bedding plants in, 213- dell" in, 37; flower beds in, 80- gardening in. 38 Hydrangeas at South Kensington, 124 • blue, 305. 328, 346, 364, 408, 475 643 • forcing. 3:J0 ; races of, 145 Hydrangea panicniata grandiflora, 3'5 Labels, new plant, 472 Laburnums, worthless, 73 Laburnum poisoning, 311, 319 Lacciuer-work, 93 Lacquer, Japanese, 122 Landscapes, home, 450 Lapageria at Milner Field, 291 • finely- flowered, 382 ; in Cornwall, 663 ■ striking of, in water, 138 Larix Ksempferi, 325 Larkspurs, select, 218 Lasiandra macrantha. 391 Law (Williams ». Leslie), 423, 443 Lawns, draining, 430 Lawn mowers and trees, 276 Lavmturf, Parisian, 119 Lawson Seed Company 195 Layering, 413 Leaf faU in various latitudes, 347 Leaf mould, 463 Leaf pictures, autumn. 653 Leaves and flowers, 21 ; fallen, value of, 428, 457, 475 ; in shrubberies, 412 ■ storing, 430 Leeks, planting. 12 Leigh Hunt's prison garden, 281 Lentil, common, 333 Leptosiphon roseus, 343, 387 Leptospermum bullatum. 111; lani- gerum, hardy, 87 Leroy, death of M. Andri!, 100 ; the late M., 668 Lewisia redidiva, 244 Lettuces in pots, 534; late sown, 161 • new, 43 ; all the ye,ar round, 332 ; St' Alban's All Heart, 98 ; winter, 393 Lettuce banks, 430 Leucocarpa alata, 518 Leucophyta Brownei, 389 ; out of doors, Liatris maorostachya, 234 ; spicata 189 ; squarrosa, 189 ' Lilac, bulbils, new, 448 ; white, forced H.ypericums, ; I. Iberis jucnnda, 208 Ice-houses, cheap, 421 Ice, storing, 513 .Iliicium, species of, 270; religiosum in Kent, 245 Impatiens repens, 514 ludiarnbber plants, 3-:6 Insect, curious power of an, 171 Insects, Waier Lily, 26 Insecticide", 23, 5iJS Ipomffia Bona Nox, 510 Iris foetidissima, 517; gigante.a, 303- Monnieri, 79 ' Irises, new race of, 33 ; rare, in Oxford- shire, 60 Irrigation in Picardy, 263 Italian gardening, 5'jO Ivy in dwelling-houses, 472, 513, 531 • m the garden, 433 ; on Arundel Castle' 474; trees killed by 310 Ixora coccinea, fine specimen of, 258 Jalap plant, 3 11 .luniperus virginiana elegans. K. Kales, variegatei, 407 Kalmias for small gardens, 37 Kadsura japonica, 271 Kentia Moorei, 77 Kew Gardens, 2)7; bedding in, 260 flower gardening at. 38 King of Portugal v. Carruthers, 443 Kitchen gardan edging, 506 Kitchen gardens, damage done by trees Kitchen gardening, high-class, 63, j Klemias, outdoor, 82 Knotweed, Giant, 283 Lilies, barren white, 163; Belladonna, 346, 368, 383 Lilies, black Martagon, 84 ; Califor- nian, 320; culture of, 277, 339- diseased, 339 ; Dr. Kellogg on 39 ■ Groom's hybrids, 426 ; Guernsey,' 291 • Japan, 1 ; more notes on, 4S3 • new' 248 ; on chalk. 630 ; raising, 476 • various, 277 ; Victoria, at Kew, 146 ' Lilmm auratum, 168; finely-flowered 220; in Gloucestershire, 276- in Hyde Park, 278 ; at Weybridge,'394 ■ Bloomerianum, 39 ; colchicum 8 • eximium, 80; giganteum, 8, 20 504' japonicum Colchesteri, 292; Leicht- hni, 100 ; longiflorum, 58, 189 ; late blooms of, 320; longiflorum eximium 146 ; lucidum, 39 ; maritimum 39 • monadelphum, 38 ; neilgherrense, 404- polyphylUim, 20; superbum at home' 55 ; tigrinum splendens. 146, 168 •' Wallichianum, 320, 457; Washino-tou- lanum, 39 Lily, a crimson water, 338 Lily growing, 361, 412 ; extraordinary 99 Lily of the Vall•^y, 481: aind Tulips mixed, 537 ; forcing of, 196 Lime-kiln heating, 275, 293, 369 Lime, soils benefited by, 166 Linarias, various, 24 Lindens, old, 75 Linnaea borealis, white, 614 Linum corymbiferum, 263; mouofy- num, 293 " Liriodendron Tulipifera, 271 Lithospermum Gastoni, 268 ; prostratum at Heckfield, 418 Lobelias, bedding, 312; new, 219- seed- ling, 389; wintering, 234 ' Lobelia, Blue Beauty, 13; cardinalis Crystal Palace, 111 ; double-flowered' 144 ; Duchess of Edinburgh, 328 ' Locusts an article of food, 3 1 Lodges, entrance, 307 Lomaria dolobryensis, 77 Loquat, the, 472 ; hardy in Devon 494 ■ ditto in Dorset, 520 Luculia gratissima, 431; propagation Lumiar, gardens at, 169 Luton-Hoo Park, 248 Luxembourg Gardens, 286 ; fountain in Lycaate macrophylla, 404 Lychnises, various, 331 Lychnis Senno striata, 220 Lycopods, uses of, 323 Lycopodinm edgings, 300 Mahonia repens an edging plant, 653 Maize, Oobbetfs improved, 190 Mallow tribe, 530 Malvamoschata alba. 111 Mammillarias. various, 360 Manchester, Botanical Society of, 190 • new public gardens for, 2 ' Mandevilla suaveolens, 213 ; in Devon- Manettia micans, 483 Mangoes from seed, 61 Mauihot oarthaginensis 328 '^J^n"'"' ^°'"'- ^^- "cuiid farmyard. 489; oyster shells as, 431; road dust j.-"^', V, ''°?'^ scrapings .as, 514, 634 Maples, North American, 216 Marchantia in rock garden 477 Marigolds, 44 ' Market-gardens, trenching in 608 'Martin Doyle," death of, 404 Martinezia nobilis, 77 Martinique Botanic Garden. 329 Masdevallia Daviesii, 166 Mas (M.A.;, death of, 473 ^ll^achusetta Horticultural Society, Mazus Pumilio, 614 Melons, Bloxham Hall, 316 • A p Barron, 353 ; culture of, 93 ; fertil lisationof,234; late, 101, 370 ; Read's Scarlet-fleshed, 63; Spanish, 616 ■ .^2° s Hero of Bath, 291 ; treatment of, 28 ; Victory of Bath, 186, 200 Melon-grounds, Spanish, 359; Cucum- bers, 235 Merodon clavipes, 363 Mertensia alpina, 330 Mesembryanthemum conspicuum, 340 • cordifohum variegatum, 34, 646- lupinum, 355 ° . . "■'•' , Mesembryanthemums, outdoor 82 Michaelmas Daisies, 343 ' ^404^"'' Champaca, 271; lanuginosa, Lady, 4 ; Winf arthing, 69 Odontoglossum Roezlii, 450 CEaotheras, various, 41 OUve trees, old, 76 ; giant, 156 Omphalodes Luciliaj, 319 ; verna, 319 Oncidium excavatnm, 429 Onions, h,arvesting, 151 ; heavy crop of, 403; synonyms of, 491; trans- planted, 318 ; culture of, 306 ; enemies Onion maggots, remedy for, 132 Onosma taurica. 81 Oranges, early, from Valencia, 58- Neapolitan, 168 Orangeries, 637 Orange tree sports, 474 Orchards, culture of, 186 ; management of old Kentish, 469; registerin" 63- pruning, 462 " * Orchard-house fruits, 221; want of flavour in, 237 Orchids at Clovenfords, 267; at Darn- cleugh, 191; at Oakle.y, 33; at Singa- pore, 362 ; autumn-blooming, 320 • cool, 70, 436 ; near Loudon, 5 J ; palace' for, 453; prices of, 330; winter- flowering, 516, 524 Orchis Comperiana, 311 ; the Lizard, 35 Oreodaphne californica, 327 Orlaya grandiflora, 500 Orphanage, gardeners', 131 Osborn (Mr. W.T), death of, 404 Owen's (Professor) garden at Sheen, 2 Oxahs Bowiei, 311 ; Deppei, 43 • Smithii, 146 rr . , Oxalises, autumn-flowering, 387 Oxford Botanic Garden, 450, 470, 499 513, 514 ' Oxydendron arboreum, 400 M^ignonette, pyramidal, 146; winter, 433, 453, 631 Mildew, cure for, 23, 333 Mistletoe, on the Rose, 100 ; propa"a- tion of, 353 • ' r , a Mole crickets, 481; and Potatoes. 34- traps, 52 ' Monstera deliciosa, fruit of, 343 Morina longiflora, 180 " Moss" (poetry), 420 Moss, dried, 31 Moss destroyers, 644 Mosses, Spanish, 426 ; hardy, 267 Mowing machines, damage done by. Mud-edgings, 58 Mulching for fruit trees, 545 Musa, weight of fruit of 2 Muscari, bright yellow, 147 Mushrooms, cave-grown, 516 ; cowduno- for, 206; forty years ago, 205; iS dwellmg-houses, 206 ; in hot-houses, 206 ; in open air beds, 206 ; in stables 206 ; re-production of, 439 ; salts of nitre for, 205 ; culture of, 202, 280 • in cellars, 2 J5; failures of, 514 ; in saw- dust, 654 " Mushroom-house, 549 Mushroom spawn, making, 205 ''My garden in summer " (poem) , 70 Myosotis alpestris. 319; dissitiflora 319; sylvatica, 319 Myrsiphyllum asparagoides, 363, 448 457 ; double-flowered, 500 ' M. — eira, vegetation of, 143 Magnolias and their allies, 269 ; species of, 270 Magnolia, golden-leaved, 69; grandi- flora, 122; flowering of small, 231; Halloana, 69, 491; Lenn^, 330 N. Narcissus, paper-white, 383 Narcissus fly, 3(33 Nebraska, wild fruits of, 390 Nectaones, hardiness of, 18 ; late, 309 • Prince of wales, 370; Rivers's Pine- apple, 190; select indoor, 370 ; Stan- wick, 53S Nelumbium luteum, 368, 475 ; speciosum 19J; at Paris, 537 Nemost.ylis geminiflora, 213 ' Nepenthes at Singapore, 362 ; hybrid, 436; large pitchers of , 68 ; well-grown' 77 ; distUlatoria at Drumlanrig 98 Nertera deoressa, 51, 58, 163, 220 518 Nierembergiarivularia, 100, 477: hardv 203 • ■ J, ■Nitrate of soda v. guano, 187 Nosegays, old-fashioned, 411 Nut trees, culture of, 168 ; in Kent 80 ■ summer pruning, 91 ' ' Nut weevils, 323 Nymphsea odorata, 80 Oaks, ancient, 74; cork, 4, [killed by Ivy, 472 ; Truttle, 317 ' Oak, large Shropshi-e, 494 : Denver's large yellow, 4; Fulham, 234; Laugh- Pachyphytnm braoteosum, 82, 50O Packing Alpines, 271 Pampas Grass, dyed, 634; large, 38- rose-coloured, 320; transplanting) Pauicum variegatum, 300 Pansies and Primroses, mixed, 408 ; Chiswick trial of, 26 ; outdoor, 101 101 ; propagation of, 3 Paradise stock, 189 Paradisia LiUastrum, 313 Parks, London, 168; rustic buildings in. Parsley, dr.ying, 381; winter, 393 Parterre, Album, 533 Pavia maorostachya, 121 Peaches, 366; Amsden, 322; colouring 144; Desse Tardive, 418; Early Beatrice, 185 ; Early Louise, 185 ; for the Midland Counties, 126 ; gather- ing, 357; half Nectarine, 333; hardi- ness of, 18; history and culture of, 334; importation of American, 168 Int' 333 ;,iaaoor, 108 ; culture of ditto, 396; Walburton, 278; late, 309 332 418, 462 ; new French, 311 ; new seed- ling, 436 ; preserved, 4 J6 ; ditto in ice, 278; importations of in ice, 291- protection of from insects,' 313- purple-leaved, 443; red Nectarine' 417; Rivers', 148; Salwey, 333; select, 370 ; some early, 628 ; split stones in, 68 ; standard, 321, 417 • suo- cessional ; 353 ; the '• miller " in, 370 • thinning of, 23 ; Thorber, 6 ; under glass, training, 291 Peach cases, 61 Peach crop, American, 58, 473 Peach-houses, forms of, 9}; borders 23, 353, 370, 417 • • " ""i". Peach orchards, Maryland, 418 Peach trees, diseases of, 309, 357 • mulching of, 357; root-pruning, 357 ' Peach-wood, dead, 93 Pears and Apples, gathering, 281- autumn, 369; avenue of, 331 ; Beurr^ Bqsc, 376 ; Beurie Durandeau, 232 • BeurriS Pere, 256; blackened and cracked, 436; Bonne D'EaiSe, 341- Brockworth Park, 311 ; winter, 369* 518; best October, 296, 410; Ohaimei Island, 4-16 ; choice Scotch, 462, 528 • Clapp's Favourite, 366; cordon, 20- diseased, 237 ; DoyenniS du Gornioe! ■2i9. 406; Dr. Jules' Guyot, 463- Duchesse d'Angouleme, 309; Easter Beurre, 516 ; influence of shelter on ditto, 61, 135 ; ditto in Worcestershire, 166; Flemish Beauty, 463; French, 369; grafted on Apples, 63; on Cotoneasters, 6 ; Huyshe's Princess of Wales, 523; in Huntingdonshire, 479; judging, 416; kitchen, 369; Knight's Mjuarch, 396, 3u9, 323, 418 436; large, 479; ditto iu south Wales! 462; Triomphe de Jodoigne, 442- Lebrun, 370, 4i6; list of Kentish, 466; MariSchal de la Cour, 298 ; Mar^ohal Dillon, 370; Marie Loviise, 370; ditto THE GARDEN INDEX. [supplement, JAN. 1, 18 from pyramids, 224 ; Marie Louise d'UcclcB, 418 ; November, 526 ; on different aspects, 126; on the Quince pyramidal, 452; ripening when ga thered, 479; Seckle, 417 ; select, 262, 239; Souvenir du Congr6s,338; sum. mer, 369 ; treatment of ditto, 59 Uvedale's St. Germain, 516 ; c. Peaches, 443; Williams's Duchess, 320, 536. corea, rotting of, 494 ; misnamed, 538 ; pruning, 544 Pear garden at La Lotte, 199 Pear leaf Fungus, 5, 296 Pear orchard, 461 Pear trees, ringing, 418 Pear tree slug. 5, 23, 159, 402 Peas, Bouquet, 242 ; Carter's Extra Early Premier, 144 ; Chick. 433 ; Egyptian, 422; Fillbasket, 43 ; George Wilson, 65 ; Giant Emerald Marrow, 65 ; late. 27, 144, 402 ; November- sown, 138; Laston's, 15; Unique, second crop from, 189 ; Ne Plus Ultra, 65 ; new varieties of, 107, 137 ; poisoned, 354 ; succeseional, 97 ; Sup- planter, 43 ; autumn sowing of Sweet, 97; varieties of, 33 ; White Everlasting, 514; winter, 444; culture of, 487 Peat as a mulching, 476 Pedicularis sceptrum carolinum, 514 Pelargoniums, 453 ; at Chiswick, 2C8, 389 ; at Chilwell. 282 ; autumn treat- ment of , 240; best early, 1C3 ; double Tom Thumb, 128 ; fancy, 258 ; George Sand, 148 ; Happy Thought, 428; in cellars, wintering, 477 ; Jewel, double, 201; Mr. Upton, 328; new double, 386 ; raising new, 148 ; Sisley on raising, 452 ; storing, 530 ; winter flowering, 49, 515, 536; Won- derful, 77 Pelargonium seed, vitality of, 343 Pelargonium Society, 97 Peltariaalliacea, 84 Peonies, fruit of, 5H ; tree, 383, 426 Peperomia resedgeflora, 58 Pernefetyas. 518 Persicaria in London Parke, 168 Petrsea volubilis, 7) Phaleenopsis and flies. 323 ; Lowii, 534 Philadelphia centennial buildings, 142, 316 Philadelphus. Souvenir de Billiard, 156; species of, 3 ; thyrsiflorus, 123 Philegeria Veitchii. 436 Phloxes, 44; best, 150; Countess of Sefton. 150; late- flowering, 244; various, 41 ; select, 168 ; Drummondii splendens grandifl.ora,26, 355 Phormium tenax Colensoi, 18; varic- gatum at Exeter, 58 Phygelius capensis, 337 Phylloxera, cure for, 358, 429 ; in Cali- fornia, 429 ; in Spain, 516 Physianthus aibens, 268. 296, 302,516 Physostegiaimbricata. 513 Phytolacca decandra, 389 Picea Alcockiana 371. 385, 430 ; nobilis, cones on, in Yorkshire, 78 Pine-apples, 5' 8 ; black-heartedness in, 51, 62 ; St Michael, black-hearted, 93 ; new race of, 3i2 ; varieties of, 507; variegated. 510; winter, 537 Pine-growmgat Progmore, 494 Pine trees, old, 73 Pinguicula, offsets of. 435 Pinks, Alpine, 256; Clove, 168; Harry Hooper. 17 ; Lord Lyons, 17: Shirley Hibberd. 17 Pinus Laricio. 447 Pipes, small connecting, 318, 386. 406 Pitcaimea staminea, 426 Pits, sunk earth, 250 Pittosporums in Ireland, 520; Tobira, 234 Planes. Loudon. 80 ; old. 75 Plant (Dr ), death of, 404 Plantations, autumn lints of, 262 ; trenching new, 423 Plant-cases, heating, 473, 531 Plant colours. 9i Plant-houses, construction of, 69 Plant names, English. 275 Plant sates, Lady Ashburton's, 8J; Mr. Basset's, 124; Mr. Bewley's, 80 Plant stages, proper height of, 472 Plant theftH, 333 Planting out v. pot culture, 19 Planting s-i ison. the, 21-3 Planting. 333 ; on chalk, 445; street, 4; shallow V. deep, 652 Plants and boiler water.486.523: and elec- tricity. 66 ; arranging, for effect, IDS ; ntGlasnevin, 111 ; autumn blooming, 368 ; basket. 12 ; bedding, 225 ; ditto at BattTsea, 121 ; ditto, propagation of, 151. 162 ; berry-bearing, 617; car- nivorous. 63. 150,320; carpet bedding 181 ; climbing, Darwin on, 532; col- lecting Alijine, 272, coloured leaved, 150; cultivating wood, 18; curious inslinct of, 275; different modes of propagation of, 418 _ evils of drying off, 429 ; evergreen wall, 386, 383; hardy and tropical, 477; at Bitton, 513; herbaceous, 24, 41 ; hybrid, Veitch's. 436 ; in bloom in June, 40; ditto in July, 128; indoor winter, 484 ; in Royal Botanic Gar- dens, Edinburgh, remarkable, 142 ; in shrubberies, sweet scented, 374; Japanese garden, 96; London, 58; November flowering, 528 ; pot, cure for sickly, 513; ribbon border, 305; rock, 41 ; shading after frost. 477 ; shelter necessary to sub- tropical, 124; situa- tions for half-hardy, 124 ; spring. 407 ; spring-flowering, summer treatment of, 346 ; ditto, autumn treatment of, 301 ; sub-tropical, 259, 266, 407 ; suit- able for dwelling-houses, 9, 12 ; sur- facing, 258 ; table, 411 ; tall border, 268 ; wall, 387 ; water, and rate, 150 ; wild garden, 88; window, v. flies, 256 ; winter treatment of border, 444 ; deciduous shed-forcing, 551 ; Moss protected. 543 ; rare Chinese, 553 Platycerium Wallichii, 77 ; Willinckii, 121 Pleione prjecox, 404 Pleiones, 268 Plumbago rosea, 4S6 Plums, brandy, 198; Coe's Late Bed, 443 ; Denyer's Victoria, 318 ; Diamond, 159 ; double-flowered Chinese, 404 ; espalier, 237; French, 197; Kentish, 466; late, 309. 360; market, 255; Mitchelson's. 237; new French, 341 ; Perdrigon Violet Hatif. 189 ; Rivers's Early Orleans, 6 ; Early Prolific, 94; seediing. 352 ; select, 262 ; Trans- parent Gage. 237 ; pruning, 544 Poinsettia, new double, 512 ; culture of, 451, 514 Poisonous plants, 494 Poke. Virginian. 3S9 Polemonium cceruleum variegatum,144, 201, 220 Polygonatum multiflorum, 261 Polygonum capitatum, 146; cuspida- tum. 261, 283 Polystichum angulare grandidens pumilum, 77 Pomme d'Api, 265. 291 Pomological Congress, Belgian, 273 Poplar wood, incombustible, 512 Portuguese Gardens, 169 Potato-beetle, Colorado, 71 Potato blossoms, removing, 43 Potato competition. Hooper's, 100 Potato crop, condition of, 12i, 137. 144 Potato culture and disease, 190, 227 Potato digger, Aspinwall's, 281 Potato disease and resting spores. 20; in Notts., 217 ; new, 6 ; spread of the, 93 Potato prospects in Devon, 59; in Suffolk. 55 Potato sets, sizes of. 133 Potato shows. 212, 295 Potatoes. Alpha, 379, 404; productive- ness of. 438 ; American Breadfruit, 187, 207; diseased American, 20; American produce from 1 lb. of, 402, 425, 533; and slugs, 20; and wire worms, 402, 422 ; Biscuit, 6 ; Bounti- ful. I'Sl ; Compton's Surprise, 404; culture of, at Woodstock, 245 ; curl in, 15, 65; diseased, early lifting of, 157; diseased, treatment of, 135; early in January, 464; Early Rose, 232. 280, 379 ; as* a late variety, 27 ;0 exhibiting seedlings, 354,494; Extra Early Vermont, 43, 247; field, 333; French Vitelotte, 516 ; from seed, 15 ; frozen. 281 ; garden, 333 ; Intei-- national. 318; in Yorkshire, 20; lift- ing and storing, 225; Mr. Fenn's, 245; new disease in, 15; preventing rottenness in, 107; quality of, 333; remarkable crop of, 373 ; scarcity of good. 45 J; seedling, 332; select. 93; seedling v. disease, 247 ; Snowflake, 43, 157, 166, 182, 190, 247 ; experiments with ditto, 137 ; productiveness of ditto, 313; storing. 330; sweet, 436, 516; Tomatoes grafted on, 489 ; deep planting. 556; seed, for early crops, 55t; for main crops, 551; new French, 555 Potentillas, double- flowered, 201; nor- vegica, 3i'5 Pots, surfacing. 253 Pratia litoralis. 317 Primrosei^ and Pansies, mixed, 408; dividing. 457 ; select, 234 Priraulacea3, essay on, 537 Primulas. Chinese, 435. 537 ; from cut- tings, 623; cortupoides amcena, 392, 4^8; daonensis, 1^0; japonica, 393; ditto, self-sown, 57; mixed border, 2^0 ; Parrvi.420 ; sinensis, old Chinese, 4r9. 4.53, 436 Protection, winter, S30, 447 Protectors, newspapers as, 538 Pruning, objects of, 538 Psychotria cyanococca, 518 Ptarmica vulgaris fl. pi., 144, 183 Pteris cretica for rooms. 166 Pterostyrax hispidam, 213 Pumpkins. King of the, 261 Puschkinia sicula, 330 Pyracantha japonica. 4C6 Pyrethrum Golden Gem, 61; serotinum, 360 Pyrola minor, 34 Pyrostegia ignea, 103 Pyrus hybrida, 271 Quassia amara. 2 Quassia tree. 55 Quercus suber, 4 Radishes, French, 516 ; Japan, 107 Railway gardens. 146 Rain, an inch of, 332; substitute for, 122 Rainfall and climate, 234, 429 Ranunculus platanifolius, 78 Ranunculuses, garden, 83 Raspberries, late, 317; November, 448 ; Surprise d'Automne, 341 ; training, 521 Rats and water plants, 153 Reana lusurians, 12S Red lands, fruit trees on, 427 Red spider through overcropping, 370 Refrigerator, cheap, 422 Regel's (Dr.) appointment, 385 Renantbera coccinea, 97 Retinosporas, 271 ; golden, 423 Rhapis flabelliformi-, 355 Rheum Emodi, 131 Rhinopetalum Carelinii. 383 Rhodochiton volubile. 335 Rhododendons, hybrid, 436 Rhododendron Nobleanum. for forcing, 318; Prince Leopold, 121; Princess Royal. 91 Rhodoleia Championi, 258 Rhubarb, forcing, 502 Rhus typhina, 553 Rhvnchospermum jasminoides, 91, 296, 4S5 Ricinus Gibsoni, 453 Rigidella immaculata, 333 Rivina humilis, 518 Roads, best material for, 473 Road-dust as manure, 281, 514, 531 Robinia dissecta. 399 Rock-garden. Fettes Mount, 41 ; at Battersea, 191 Rock-work and root-work, 531, 543 Root-pruning forest trees, 183, 368, 385 Root-work V. rock-work, 531, 513 Rose cuttings in August. 101 Rose-garden, Paul's, 533; wild, 24 Rose hedges, 3S6 Rose jelly, 610 Rose-leaf couches in ancient Rome, 5oo Rose perfumes, 99 Rose plants by post, 346 Rose trees, protecting, 514 Roses, a feast of. 25 ; Aimce Vibert, 97 ; and Rose budding, 35 ; attar '.f , 478; autumnal, 183. 26S ; Beauty of Glazenwood. 266, 380; Belle Lyon- naise, 385 ; best winter, 450 ; climbing hybrid perpetual, 109 ; Cloth of Gold, 514, 556 ; Comtesse d'Oxford,331 ; Duke of Connaueht, IG ; fly on. 242 ; forcing, 445, 522 ; for Covent Garden, 122 ; Horten^o Mignard, 477: in Crystal Palace Gardens, 2 ; in 1875, 79 ; in the snow. 514; John Bright, 16; labelling, 55; Lady Isabel Cecil. 16; Magna Charta. 17 ; MariSchal Niel, stDck for, 150 ; mildewed, cure for, 95 ; monthly, 630; Mrs. Laxton, 16; new and old, 57, 83 ; new English and Continental, 200 ; new plantations of, 285 ; Noisette, 82 ; on Hollies, 42; on the Briar, 502 ; on their own roots, 94; Orange Fun- gus on, IS ; Oxonian. 16 ; planting, 394; prunmg. 472; Tea, 431; Rev. J. B. M. Camm, 208; root grafting. 286 ; scented and scentless, 293, 31.5, 323, 389; select. 16. 33; standard, 256, 477; Star of Waltham, 17; St. George, 17 ; striking outdoor, 81 ; treatment of budded, 36 ; winter pot, 3iil ; York and Lancaster. 34; culture of, in America, 516 ; Duchesse de Vallambrosa. 5Vi Royal Botanic Society, 17, 5G Royal Horticultural Society. 33. 77, 93, 121, 166, 2IJ8, 212, 317, 341, 423, 492 Rubuses, 361 Rubus deliciosus. 153; rosa;folius, 299, 392 Rucker (Mr,), death of, 383 Ruscus aculeatus, 517 Rustic buildings in parks. 371 Ruta albiflora, 385 Salad, the "World" on, 354; winter, 354 Salt, uses of, 183 Salvia dulcis. 3U ; splendens a bedding plant. 404, 433 Sands, shifting, how to fix, 519 Sarmienta repens, 18 Sarraceniasiu London gardens, 500 Sarracenia injects, 320 Saussureas, the, 504 Savoys, 410 Sawdust, cuttings in. 291 Saxifraga Fortunei, 368, 380 Scarlet Runners, 378 Schizandra, species of, 271 Schizanthuses, pyramidal, 194 Schizostylis coccinea, 516; indoors. 451 Schonbrunn, Imperial gardens of, 236 Sciadopitys verticillata. 310 Scillas, cultivation of, 393 Scorching in glasshouses, 196 Scutellarias, stove. 551 Sea-coast vegetation, 511. 553 Seakale, forcing, 430, 5C5; from seed, 379 Seats, stone, 80 Sedum NuUi, 119; populifolinm, 201; sempervivum. 276 ; Sieboldii, 293 ; spectabile v. Fabariura, 4''8 Sedums and Yuccas, 339 Sednms, outdoor, 81 Seed germination, influence of certain compounds on, 3 Segrais, trees and shrubs at, 43 Selaginellaa, hardy, 43; edgings of, 300 Sempervivums, outdoor, 81 Sempervivum tabuljcforme, propaga- gation of, 128 ; triste, 81. Ill Seiecio macroglossus, 323; pulcher, 3i]5,406 Sericobonias, 524 Sewers, too large, 473 Shading materials. 124 Shells, land, and fresh water, 156 Shrubs, Alpine, 211 ; berry-bearin'*, 410,406; budding. 63. 144; layering, 45; new mode of ditto. 243; orna- mental, 45; planting, 48); propa- gating, 88 ; sea-side, 553 ; suitable for chalk soils, 446 Shrubberies, sweet-scented plants for, 374 Silene, various, 97 Sisyrinchiuras hardy, 250 Skimmias, 518 Slugs, black, 280, 354, 410 ; carnivorous, 156 ; destruction of. 159, 3'?6 ; in Alpine borders, 187 ; remedy for. winter treatment 333 Snowberries, 518 Soil, stacking, 37 of, 330 Solanum hybridura compactnm, 551 Solanums, 518 ; standard, 342 Soot as manure, 91 Sophora japonica, flowering of, 190 Sparaxis pulcherrima, 133, 294 Spathodea Ice vis, 311 Speedwells, rock, 2)6 Spigelia marilandica, 93 Spinach, best. 122 ; failure of, 534, 555; New Zealand. 351, 401; winter. 241 Spiraeas, herbaceous, C6 ; new hybrid, 134 SpirEca Lindlejana, 525; venusta, 232 Spring flovrers, 136 Spring, preparation for, 407 Spruce, weeping Hemlock, 323 Squash, Butman, 464 Stachys speciosa. 363 Standish (Mr.), death of, 93 ; memorial 165 Starlings in Germany, 37 Staticet. various. 41 Statice Bondwelli, 141; profu^a, 91; spicata. 144 Stauntonia latifolia, 516, 518 Sternbergia lutea. 346 Steudnera colocasiiefolia, 330 Stevias, culture of, 304 St. Gratien, 483 Stock, influence of, on scion, 507 Stock Mauve Beauty, 18 Stock-seed, saving,' 37, 83, 128 Strawberries. Alpine. 23; amateur, 370 - A' cot Pine-apple, 159; nutumn, treat- ment of, 241; British Queen, 2; Dr. Roden's mode of treating, 1:^4; early, 266; Enchantress. Ir9 ; forcing, 22, 370,416; for different purposes 165* Hovey's Seedling, 91; La Gross© Sucn^e. 6; MacMahon, 224; market, at Tmiperly. 169 ; Quntre Salmons. 19> ; ram resisting. 5S, 93. US, 144; Haut- boy, 6; culture of ditto, 108; select. SUPPLEMENT, JAK 1, 1876J THE GARDEN INDEX. 1 59 ; ebifting to cool temperatures, 6 ; Underhill's Sir Harry, 55, 94, 125, 159, 16i, 261; Waltham Seedling, 33 Strawberry culture, 53; under diffi- culties, 6 Strawberry runners, 45 ; for forcing, 293 Street planting, 4, 40O Street trees, coloured-leaTed, 553 Streptocarpua biflorus, 323 ; Greenii, 131 Strathiopteris japonica, 150 Sub-tropical plants, 266 Succuleuta at Alexandra Park, 212; bedding, 81 ; Mr. Peacock's, 350 Such's Catalogue, 256 Sumbul, 8i Sunflowers and malaria, 358 Surinam Cherries, 363 Sweeping and rolling machine, Clay- ton's, 286 Sweet Peas and Convolvulus mixed, 166 ; select, 166 Syme'ti English Botany, new volume I of. 100 Syringas, select, 3 T. Table decorations, 16, 18, 210 : at Tun- bridge, 34 ; at Regent's Park, 56 ; at South Kensington, 78; Christmas 531 ; Vines for, 126 Table plants, -ill Tanks, water, 509 Tarragon, culture of, 506 Taxodium sempervirens, new grove of, 360 >■ Taylor, Mr., death of, 166 • Temperature, November, 523 Terebinth tree, oid, 76 Thermometers, 276 ; deranged, 537 Tigridia pavonia Wheeleri, 163 ; Van Houttei, 248 Timber, creoaoting of, 87 ; phospho- rescent, 310 ; prices of, 69 Tomato disease, 234, 306, 379 ; not in America, 556 Tomato leaves and aphides, 464 Tomatoes, 463 ; as a farm crop, 107 ; canned, 534; early, 321; fricassed, 231 ; from cuttings, 379 ; grafted on Potato, 4S9; Greengage, 80, 323, 534, 555; Hepper's Goliath, 506; increased demand for, 58; ripening, 285; atufTed, 231 ; two-year-old, 379 ; v. Wasps, 137, 237, 266, 278, 309, 333, 354; well preserved, 489 Tradescantia zebrina as undergrowth, 368 Trafalgar Square, fountains in, 1^6 Training wires. Voice's, 65 Transplanting evergreens, 215; fruit trees, 223 ; summer, 80 ; midsummer, 156 Tree cloth, 360 Tree damage by mowing machines. 307 Tree drapery, 233, 329 Tree growth, 186, 374 Tree house, a, 40O Tree leaves, colours of, 262 Tree planting on farms, 86 Tree roots, damage done by, 280 Tree surgery, 269 Tree trunks, danger of earthing up, 325, 399 Trees, age of, 512 ; ancient tropical, 74 ; and inundation, 519 ; and lawn- mowers, 360 ; and lightning, 38 ; and shrubs, Segrais, 49 ; at Clumber, old, 87 ; at Rufford Abbey, large, 316 ; autumn tints of, 40O, 319 ; budding, 68 ; water evaporated by, 6 ; how to plant, 519; killed by Ivy, 310; near mansions, effect of, 454 ; Northumber- land House, 146 ; old, 73 ; on red lands, 427 ; planting, 333, 480, 481 ; pruning, 204, 620 ; suitable for chalk soils, 446 ; transplanting, 146, 243, 392 ; in full leaf, 80, 512; sea-side, 652; weeping, 553 Trelhs, flower, 184 Trenching in market gardens, 508 Tresco Abbey Gardens, 324 Tricyrtis hirta for button-holes, 324 Triteleia laxa, 57 Tritomas in the snow, 614 Tritoma Uvaria, 220, 268 Tritonia aurea out of doors, 600 TrolUuses, various, 449 Tropseolum canariense, uses of, 294 ; compactum coccineum, 165 ; Lohbia- num, 291 ; polyphyllum, 268 ; tri- colorum, 91 Tropaeolums, 303 ; cUmbing, 189 Truffles, 347 ; English, 32 J TuUp, Due Van Thol, 537 Tulipa erythronioides, 324; Greigi, 230 Tulips and Ferns intermixed, 450 ; new Chinese, 324 Turnip fly, 43 Turnip&, garden, 472 ; sowing, 27 Tweedia coerulea, 457 Tydeas from cuttings, 184 Typhonium Brownei, 404 Urceolina aurea, 494 V, Vallisneriaand Ducks, 411 Vanda ccerulea, 4u6; limbata, 51; sua- vis, cool treatment for, 31 Van Houtte's Flore dea Serres, 380 Vanilla fruit, 343 Vanilla lutescens, 380 Vegetables, forced, 413, 503 ; list of, 33 j washed, 634; weights of Calif omian, 278 ; winter, 520 Vegetable cookery, improvement of, 164 Vegetable Marrows, 167 Vegetable Marrow preserve, 231 Vegetable protection, 430, 620 Vegetarianism, 164 Vegetation at Fota, 458 ; in June, 40 ; in July, 127; in August, 217; in Septem- ber, 431 ; in October. 432 ; in Novem- ber, 528 ; sea-side, 552 Verbena, Lady Anne Spiers, 208 ; lemon- scented, 220; sweet-scented, 320; the King, 166 ; venosa in wet seasons, 128 Veronicas, various, 41, 266 Veronica rupestris, 367 Viburnum dahuricum, 86 Victoria Park, bedding in, 238 Vine-borders, heating, 430 ; hotbeds on, 471 Vine culture, extension system of, 321 Vine disease, new, 190 ; Italian, 123 Vine-growing at Merriott, 308 Vine Phylloxera, 358 Vineries, exclusion of wasps from, 135 ; forms of, 90 ; span-roofed v. lean-to, 338, 370, 386 Vines at Chilwell, 281; at Clovenfords, 297; at Woodstock, 167; barking, 461,525; Chasselas de Fontainebleau, 264; cool house, 5u7 ; cropping, 198; for table decoration, 126; Hampton Court, 158; huge Californian, 474; large, 507; not fruiting, 126; trans- planting, 527 ; strangled, 237 Vineyard, large indoor, 90 Vineyard, Lord Bute's, 126, 232, 370, 386, 416 Viola palmsensis, 346 Violas at Drumlanrig, 84 Violets, mountain, 293 ; Neapolitan, 323, 392; outdoor, lul, 104; Rouen, 66; winter-blooming, 3 Virgilia as a lawn tree, 63 ; at Sion, 87 Vittadinia triloba, 305 W. Walks, asphalte, 15 ; clearing Moss from, 388 ; cure for weeds on, 472 ; draiuing, 430 ; edgings for, 603 ; making, 480 Wallace, death of Mr. Peter, 66 Walls, cropping north, 159; heated w. glass cases, 61 ; waste, utilization of, 283. 309 Wall gardening, 387 ; indoors, 624 Wall plants, evergreen, 386, 388 Wall trees tor various aspects, 63 Walnuts, improved, 360 ; preserving, in sand, 528, 556 ; storing, 231 ; large- fruited, 331 ; old, 75 Wasps, destruction of, 186 ; a new destroyer of, 227 ; and fruit, 224, 331 ; and Tomatoes, 137, 337, 266, 278, 309, 333, 354 ; and rain, 78 Waste products, 341 Water Convolvulus, 119 Water-cresses sold in Paris, 80; un- wholesomenese of , 612 Water Lilies, crim*on, 388 Water-purifiers, weeds as, 144 Water-raising, 4S7 Water tanks, 609 Waterweed, American, 147 Water supply, 66 Weather, American, 378 ; effects of, on vegetation, 20 Weeding lesson, a, 150 Weeds, charring, 13 ; on walks, cure for, 472; remedy for, 281 Weigelas, large, 310 Wellingtonias, 76, 400; Grizzly Giant, dimensions of, 318 Wellington Nursery, 7 Wild garden in vrinter, 510 ; plants, 83 Williams v. Leslie, 429 Window plants and flies, 256 Wireworm, Potatoes injured by, 15, 55, 403 Woodland gardens, 63 Woodlice in frames, 508 , remedy for, 28 Woodman, Mr. Gladstone as a. 376 Woods, labour contracts in, 276; Swed- ish, 310 Woodsia polystichoides Veitchii, 146 Woodwardia radicans cristata, 132 Workmen, 549 Worms, thread, 122 Wreaths, construction of, 650 Xanthoceras sorbifolia, 534 Yams. 436; Chinese, 182, 437; ditto as climbers, 457 ; Decaisneana, 438 Teast as manure, 379 Yew, 86 ; remarkable Dorset, 172 ; old, 73 ; original Golden, 374; seedling, the best, 472 Yew hedges, 472 Yew, the Crowhurst, 87 Yucca acuminata, 133 ; aloifolia, 131 ; large ditto, 294; angustifolia, 152; baccata, 132 ; canalicula, 131 ; gigan- tea, 134; Ellacombei, 134; ensifolia, 134 ; filamentosa, 134 ; flaccida, 124, 131; flexilis, 134; glauca, 132; glau- cescens, 132; gloriosa, 133 ; flowering of ditto, 183; ditto at Aloa, 128; orchioides, 132 ; parviflora, 132 ; pruinosa, 133 ; puberula, 131 ; recur- vifelia, 133 ; rupicola, 131 ; stricta, 132; Treculeana, 131; Whipplei, 131 Yucca seeds, germination of, 300 Yuccas and Sedums, 339 ; classification of, 129; in Regent's Park, 58; new and rare, 147; notes on, 212, 304; winter protection of, 305, 338, 343 Zamia Skinneri, 380 Zephyranthes, culture of, 38 THE GARDEN INDEX. [SUPPLEUSHT, ILLXJSTIl^T10:NrS Acanthus epinosus Aconite, wiuter Agave. Victoria ReginEe ... Agrostia pulchella Alameda of Mexico Alocasia intermedia Aloe, American Alpine collecting implements Amaryllis ignescens Amphicorne Emodi Amygdalus Boissierii Ananassatoracteata Anemone fulgens Aponogeton distachyon Apple gatherer Apple seed washer Apple, the Lady „ White Calville Aralia canescens Artichoke, the Laon Arundo Donax ... Aspleniam nidus avis Aster alpinus „ Amelloides ,, amplexicaalis „ grandiflorus „ Novae Anglire roseus ... „ formosisBimus „ Tradescanti .,, Bambusa aui'ea Basket, hanging Battle Abbey Gardens Beds ribbon Botanic Grarden, Martinique... Box of spring bulbs Briza maxima ... Bulbocodiam vernnm Button-hole bouquet for July Cactus, crested Campanula alliarisefolia cgespitosa ... carpatica ... eeltidi folia coUina ... fragilie ... garganica... glomerata gran di flora grand is hederacea... Lansdorffiana latifolia linifolia macrantha Medium ... mural is nobilis pentagonia persicifolia pnlla punctata ... pyramidal is Raineri rapunculus rhomboidea roiundifolia Page Campanula sarmatica 177 ,, sold an elliE flora 175 „ Speculum 177 ,, thrysoidea 176 ,, Trachelium 177 ,, turbinata 175 ,, urticsefolia 177 „ Waldsteiniana 173 ,, Zoysii 173 Cannabis sativa 203 Cannas and Ailantus 195 Cardoon, blanched 373 Carpet beds 149, 151, 153 ,, at Hampton Court ... 1S3 Castor-oil plant 239 Catalpa syringecfolia 269 Celery, Turnip-rooted 463 Centaurea babylonica 263 Chair, rustic 164 Chasselas de Fontainebleau 264 Chateau de Mouchy 415 Chervil, tuberous-rooted 247 Christmas Roses 497 Clematis, winter 501 Coixlachryma 642 Colchicum variegatum ..; ... 245 Conservatory at Hampton 89 Cratcegus lobata serotina 621 Cucumber, Siamese Twins 107 Cyclamen persicum 501 Daisy, double 601 Dipsacus laciniatns 215 Drosera rotund if olia Dracsena indivisa Dunevan, view in gardens at Dyckia argentea Frm^. hedges, 479 Fruit trees, cottage Fruit tree training Garden bridge Gentiana acaulis Geranium platypetalum Gladwin Gourd, Paris market ... Grapes preserved in water Grape-stand exhibition Gynerium argentcum... Heartsease, winter Hedges, fruit Hellebore Hellebore distributor ... Heliotrope, winter Hippeastrum vittatam Hordeum juhatum Ice-houses , Implements, plant coUector'e Iris foetidisaima ,, gigantea Kales, variegated EchinocactuflPottsii 361 Endogenous and exogenous stems... 311 Entrance Lodge at Bound's Park ... 307 Elymus arenarine 639 Erianthns Ravennie 542 Ervum lens 333 Exogenous and endogenous stems 311 Fern, Adiantum pedatum „ Lastrea Filix-mas ,, Osmunda regalis ,, Polypodium vulgare ,, Polypodium vulgare cambri- cum ,, Polypodium vulgare hibemi- ,, Polystichum angulare ,, Scolopendrium vulgare ,, Scolopendrium vulgare cris- pum ,. Scolorendrium erectum ,. Struthiopteris germanica Ferula tingitana Pestuca coerulea Ficus Cooperi Flower-bed at Hampton Court Flower-vase Fota, view in gardens at Fountain in Luxembourg Garden... 3 1 479 I Paris Acclimatisation Society's gar- den Park scenery ; Pelaigoaium, double Ivy-leaved ... Pennisetum longistylum , Pits, earth ; Plants, insectivorous Polymnia grandis Potato beetle, Colorado ... 71, Primrose, double ,, early , Pterostyrax hispidum Pyrostegia agnea Rhapis flabellifonnis . Robinia dissecta Rose cuttings ... Rubas rossefc-lius 539 Lagurus ovatus 63 j Lamarckia aurea 213 Lapageria rosea 395 Larix Kcempferi 375 Layering 418, 419 Lentil, common Leptosyphon roseus ... Lonicera fragrantissima Luculia gratissima 40i Luxembourg Gardens, Oleanders and Oranges in ... 291 ,, view in 287 Medici gardens Melianthus major Melon Cucumber at Kew Merodon clavipes Mole cricket Mole trap Monstera deliciosa Mulching, diagram illustrative of... Mushroom-house at Battle Abbey ... Narcissus fly Nelumbinm luteum ... Nut-tree at Preston Hall Nut weevil Schonbrunn, gardens at Senecio macroglossus... Skimmia japonica Stauntonia latifolia ... St. Gratien Tazzas, flat flower Theophrasta imperialis Trees, mulching Tussilago fragrans Typha latifolia Viburnum dahnricum.. Vine, strangled Grape.. Viola odorata Wall gardening Walnut, large-fruited Water raisei' Wigandia caracasana Wild Grasses and border flowers Wire trellis. Voice's Xanthoceras soibifolia, fruit of Yams Yucca aloifolia in Italy ,, angustifolia ,, ensifolia... „ flexilis „ gloriosa „ recur V if olia.. . „ stricta „ Trecnleana ,, seed germinating COLOURED PLATES. Dipladenia Brearleyana 540 Lilium gigantenm 540 Xanthoceras sorbifolia StIPPLBilEKT, M876.] THE GARDEN. CHARLES DARWTIN. Mb. Darwin is one of the profoundest thinkers of the present day, and to be so, in this intellectual age, is to be a king among men. Although he has achieved his greatest triumphs in fields with which we have little connection, yet the interest he has taken in plants and plant life clearly identifies him with horticulture. Mr. Darwin's first work, and still to our mind his best work, is his " Journal of His Voyao-e as Naturalist of the 'Beagle.'" This may not inaptly be called the "Waverley" novel of naturalists. We may not have read it quite so often as the " Antiquary " or " Rob Roy ; " but, as with them, whenever we do re-read it we do so with renewed pleasure. There is a freshness and clearness about it, combined with a power of description that never palls — and there is the same delightful under-current of thought upon every subject that gives such a charm to his other works ; he not only sees what is before him and tells one what he sees in vivid language, but turns it over in his mind, and takes one along with him, confidentially as it were, as he does so. To our mind it is one of the most delightful books in the English language. His subsequent, and what we suppose we must call his greater, works have probably, from their very nature, less of clearness, freshness, and simplicity than the "Journal." From the " Journal " we could cite many passages having interest for the horticulturist. Take the following description of tropical scenery in South America ; — " When quietly walking along the shady pathways, and ^ admiring each successive view, one wishes to find language to express one's ideas. Epithet after epithet is found too weak to convey to those who have not visited . the inter-tropical regions the sensation of delight which the mind experiences. I have said the plants in a hothouse fail to communicate a just idea of the vegetation, yet I must recur to it. The land is one great wild, untidy, luxuriant hothouse, which Nature made for her menagerie, but man has taken possession of it, and has studded it with gay houses and formal gardens. How great would be the desire in every admirer of Nature to behold, if such were possible, the products of another planet ; yet, to every one in Europe, it may be truly said, that at the distance of a few degrees from his native soil the glories of another world are open to him. In my last walk, I stopped again and again to gaze on these beauties, and endeavoured to fix for ever in my mind an impression, which, at the time, I knew, sooner or later must fail. The form of the Orange tree, the Cocoa-nut, the Palm, the Mango, the tree Pern, the Banana will remain clear and separate ; but the thousand beauties which vmite these into one perfect scene must fade away ; yet they will leave, like a tale heard in childhood, a picture full of indistinct but most beautiful figures." Turn again to his observations on the character of the southern part of America in relation to the production of fruit. " The climate of the southern part of South America presents many phenomena of the highest interest. It has long been observed that there exists some essential diiference between it and that of the countries in the northern hemisphere. I have already remarked on the surprising contrast between the rank vegetation of the broken west coast, consequent on the humid climate, as compared with the dry and sterile plains of Patagonia. The clouded and boisterous state of the atmosphere is necessarily accompanied by a decrease in extreme temperature ; hence we find that fruits which ripen well, and are very abundant — such as the Grape and Fig — in latitude 41°, on the east coast, succeed very poorly in a lower latitude on the ojiposite side of the Continent. The result is more strongly marked if we take Europe as the standard of comparison. In Chiloe, latitude 42^, corresponding to the northern parts of Spain, Peaches require the greatest care, and seldom produce fruit, but Strawberries and Apples succeed to admiration. At Valdivia, latitude 40^, or that of Madrid, standard Peaches bear abundantly, Grapes and Figs ripen, but are far from common, Olives seldom even partially ripen, and Oranges not at all, yet in Europe this is the parallel most productive of these fruits. Even at Conception, latitude 36°, Oranges are not abundant, though the other named fruits succeed perfectly. At the Falklands, in the same latitude as the south of England, Wheat very seldom comes to maturity ; but we ought to feel little surprise at this when we hear that in Chiloe, latitude 42^, the inhabitants are frequently compelled to cut their Corn before it is ready and bring it into their houses to dry." Such notices as the following, too, of plants or vegetable productions met with in his travels are frequent. At Chiloe he " one day noticed some very fine plants of the Panke (Gunnera scabra), which somewhat resembles the Rhubarb on a gigantic scale, growing on the sandstone clifis. The inhabitants eat the stalks, which are sub-acid, and tan leather with the roots, and prepare a black die from- them. The leaf is nearly circular, but deeply indented on its margin ; I measured one which had a diameter of nearly 8 feet, and, therefore, a circumference of no less than 24 feet ! The stalk is rather more than a yard high, and each plant sends out four or five of these enormous leaves, presenting altogether a very noble appearance." It will thus be seen that from the very first, and even in a work so unlikely to elicit them, as the journal of a sea voyage, plants and horticulture occupied a fair share of his attention. His next great work in which plant life occupies much attention was the origin of species, and here we are sure we need not remind the reader that many of his arguments and illustrations are drawn THE GrARDBN. [sbpplembnt. from the phenomena •observed by himself in horticulture or recorded by horticulturists. We are not going to re-open any of the questions discussed in that work, but we may be allowed to cite Mr. Darwin himself in illustration of some of the positions taken by him in it. Starting from the admitted trans- mission of qualities from parents to their children, he argued for their gradual alteration by jjrocess of natural selection into general progression, improvement, or better adaptation for their condition of life. Now, we have in him an example of both — we have a striking instance of the transmission of qualities by men to their descendants, and we have also an example of the fact that while the identity of the qualities cannot be disputed, neither can the fact of an alteration in them for the better be denied. No one can have read the works of Dr. Erasmus Daewin — "Zoonomia," "The Botanic Garden, or the Loves of the Plants," without recognising in them much of the same qualities of intellect that are character-istic of his descendant. His succeeding works still more directly interest the horticulturist. These consist of hie papers on the " Dimorphism of the Primrose, of Linum, and of Lythrum Salicaria," and also those on the " Character and Hybrid-like Nature of the Offspring from the Illegitimate Unions of Dimorphic and Trimorphic Plants," his larger work on the " Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication," his work on the " Various Contrivances by which British and Foreign Orchids are Fertilised by Insects, and on the good effects of Crossing," his paper on the "Movements and Habits of Climbing Plants," and lastly, his work on " Insectivorous Plants," which latter we have only lately reviewed in this journal, and need not therefore again recur to. All these bear directly in some form or other on the cultivatiom and propagation of plants imder cultivation. Those relating to the dimorphism or trimorphiem of certain plants and the crossing of them, have thrown a flood of light on the j^^enomena of hybridisation — all tending to show that there is no more reason to think that species have been specially endowed with various degrees of sterility to prevent them crossing and blending in Nature, than to think that trees have been specially endowed with various and somewhat analogous degrees of difficulty in being grafted together in order to prevent them becoming inarched in our forests. The jii'oof of this commenced ^ with Mr. Darwin asking Nature the meaning and purpose of the difference between pin-eyed and thrum-eyed Primroses. From one step to another, sometimes with the concurrent assistance of other observers, such as Mr. Scott, then in the Eoyal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, but chiefly by his own independent observations, Mr. Darwin extended his experiments on their comparative fertility over a large number of species of Primula, Linum, and Lythrum, and established, beyond a doubt, that whether the Primrose was pin-eyed or thrum-eyed, that is, whether' or not the style or the stamens were to be seen at the mouth of the tube of the corolla — in other words, wherever the one was longer than the other, they were unable adequately to fertilise the ovary ; whereas, if neither was visible at the mouth of the corolla, which was found to be equivalent to their both being at the same level half way down, then they fertilised com- pletely. The first natural inference, of course, would be that the unfertility of the pin-eyed or thrum- eyed flower was due to the style and stamens being stationed at a distance from each other, but Mr. Darwin at once removed this element of error by going through the process of trying to fertilise them artificially. The pollen, too, was found to be of different dimensions in the two cases, and the style also different. When the experiment was made with difierent flowers, the stamens of the thrum- eyed flower were found to fertilise the piin-eyed style, both being at the same level at the mouth of the tube of the corolla, while the stamens of the pin-eyed flower fertilised the style of the thrum-eyed flower, they being each respectively situated low down in the tube of their corolla. This was only an experiment with other flowers of the same species, but it was also shown that in experimenting with distinct species the pollen of ohe of the two forms of the same species, and not of the other, will fertihse a distinct species. It has long been known that A will fertilise B, and B will not fertilise A ; but the extension of such an exception to the two forms of the same individual flower was a new and important step. Further, although the attempt to fertilise the pin-eyed and thrum-eyed flowers with the pollen of their own stamens, may, in a general way, be called ineflTectual (that is, that they pro- duced a good deal less seed than the other unions), they were not absolutely and completely sterile, but Mr. Darwin found a remarkable resemblance in many points between the seed so obtained and their offspring, and those of hybrid unions between different species. We must refer the reader to Mr. Darwin's papers for these points of resemblance, besides much other interesting information, contenting ourselves with saying that the opinion expressed by Mr. Darwin 'on the subject in 1864, seems to us still well founded. "Although good is gained," said he, "by the inevitable crossing of the dimorphic flowers, yet numerous other analogous facts lead me to conclude that some other quite unknown law of Nature is here dimly indicated to us." We cannot follow this subject further, nor have we left ourselves space to exjiatiate as we should like to do on his interesting paper on " Climbing Plants," and on the contrivances whereby Mr. Darwin shows that certain Orchids and other jDlants are alone fertilised by insect agency. Both are full of details worked out with the greatest care, and both are replete with instances of remarkable adaptation of structure to purpose — what the natural theologian calls evidences of design. So marked are these that one of Mr. Darwin's followers and admirers, writing recently in the pages of one of our contemporaries, enthusiastically exclaims, "Thanks to the laborious experiments of Darwin — thanks to the example he has set, the purpose of this, as of many other points of structure passed over before as merely curious, has been made apparent. No more persuasive apostle of natural theology, no more powerful advocate of the argument furnished by design and adaptation, ever lived than Charles Darwin." July 3, 1875.] r V 1 ^^— Si THE O-^I^IDEIsr. VOL. VIII. THE JAPAN LILIES. By C. M. EOVEY. Since I sent, you my last article on Lilies I have thought from the increasing interest taken in these flowers, that you might like to have the following details respecting the produc- iriT , ^'^"' varieties. It is stated in The Gakden (p. 296, Vol. VII.) that " twelve years ago few gardens contained any Lilies at all beyond, perhaps, a few of the Japanese kinds in pots, all tiie other hardy kinds having been discarded." If this be so we Americans can claim to have been in advance of our English friends m Lily culture; for, in 1845, we had at least ten kinds under culture, and, in 1855, had six beds, 80 feet long and o feet wide, containing as follows :— Three beds of Japan Lilies— speciosum, s. album, s. punctatum, s. roseum, and hundreds of seedlings ; one bed of candidum, tigrinum, aurantiaoum, and iongifiorum ; one bed of Bro wni, eximium, Takesema, excelsum broom s hybrids, venustum, and monodelphum ; and one bed ot canadense and superbum. About that time we read an article in a monthly English journal, which was copied in our Magazine of_ Horticulture" (1852, Vol. XVIIL), stating tnat, except m a few favoured localities, Japan Lilies would never be popular border flowers in England, inasmuch as they show flower towards the middle or end of September, a season m which the blooms were no sooner expanded than they were disfagured by the effects of the damp atmosphere at that period. With us Japanese Lilies begin to open their first flowers on the 20th of August, almost to a day, when our weather is warm and dry, and they continue in great beauty iintil destroyed or defaced by frost, about the 2nd or 3rd of Uctober We have noticed the bad effects of damp weather on the blooms, and, to prolong them in perfection, have put an awning of cotton cloth over the beds to protect them from heavy dews and the hot sun, which immediately affect tlie delicate texture and brilliant spotting of the petals. The object of my remarks is, however, to give an account of my experience in the production of seedlings, so as to afford some guide to those w;ho may desire to extend and increase the variety of these beautiful plants. With the introduction of our Cab ornian kinds there is more and varied material now to work with than formerly. L. auratum does not appear to be very successfully treated, and it is believed that notwith- standing the tens of thousands of its bulbs that are annually imported overland and sold in our markets in very fine order, not one m ten can be found alive the second year, there is no doubt it is much less hardy than speciosum, requires a lighter and warmer soil, and a drier situation ZLT\ ^°u ^f '^i y f "b«>!t to the rough and ready cutting under which the latter will thrive, speciosum bein|, in fact, just as tough as tigrmum. L. auratum is difficult to raise Z°J^v * "'"","^ vegetates the first season, but the seedlmgs appear weak, and gradually disappear; at least, such has been my experience in regard to it. Three years ago, I had four very large plump seed pods on one plant, some of the flowers of which were fertilised with speciosum ; and, though only a small portion of the seed was fertile, what did vegetate gradually faded away under the same treatment as speciosum. On the other hand, as I stated previously, speciosum, fertilised with auratum, seemed to furnish seedlings, which received renewed vigour from fertilisation. My first experiments of any extent were commenced in 1846, when I had some two dozen fine plants in pots, grown for that purpose, many of them being 7 feet high. I then fertilised speciosum with superbum, candidum, s. album, and chalce- donicum ; punctatum with speciosum, aurantiaoum, superbum, and chalcedonicum ; album with speciosum, and some others. Three years is the usual time for the seedlings to bloom ; and, as they rarely make their appearance until the second year, it was in 1850 that they produced flowers. By this time (three years) many of the labels, without corresponding with the above crosses, had rotted off, and were unfortunately lost. However, suffice it to say, that to us, who watched them with a florist's eye, every one appeared to differ. In some, the petals were much refiexed; in others, they were narrow; some were rosy, others very deeply covered; some of the spots or papilte were small, others large; some of the spots crimson, others almost black. The worst among them were better than the old speciosum ; but I found my list too long, and the distinctions too fine, except to those who could — like the true Tulip fancier— readily distinguish minute differences ; and, after cultivating them for three or four years, I selected the best nine, and named them as follows : — Melpomene, Terpsichore, Erato, Urania, Polyhymnia, Clio, Thalia, Calliope, and Euterpe — names under which they were subsequently distributed throughout the United States. I soon ascertained that there was a vast difference in the character of the bulbs ; some of the latter were increased with great difficulty, and when in later years I had hundreds of bulbs of Melpomene, I only had a dozen or so of Euterpe. They would not make offsets, either above or around the old root ; but, from want of time, I did not find the opportunity of ascertaining and recording which crosses were affected in this way. I continued my experiments in suc- ceeding years, in the way of cross-breeding, but kept no record of them. I only know that some crossed with Iongifiorum and others, completely ruined the shape of many of the flowers. Among all my seedlings there is not a pure white, although album was fertilised with speciosum, and, as is generally supposed, the female parent has a prevailing influence on the progeny. There was not even a pink spotted one like punc- tatum, as one would have supposed there would have been. Some years subsequently, I raised several whites, and one long, large, flower, quite distinct, but it accidentally got thrown THE GAKDEN. [July 3, 1875. out of the pot wlien in a dormant state. I also raised a very distinct variety, ivith flowers about half-way in size between those of chalcedonicum'and'speciosum, with stems more densely clothed with leaves, and the petals blush-white, with pale lilac-rose spots. This I named " Eva." It increases slowly, and is still rare in collections, but it is a beautiful variety. To show how enthusiastic I was about this Lily, I may men- tion that in 1871 I had over a pint of seed, and after disposing of a good deal of it I still have nearly half the quantity. It vegetates when three or four years old. Long ago the late Ml'. Groom gave us some account of his seedlings, between bulbiferum (elegans, Baker) and atrosanguineum, and when at his nurseries, in 1844, 1 bought the set, eighteen in number, some of the names of which were Voltaire, Talisman, Eubcns, Vulcan, &o. ; at first I grew them in pots, fearing they might not be hardy ; but in this way I lost some of them, and as I gave so much attention to the Japan sorts, they were neglected, and I turned them out into a bed where they flourished well. They grew about a foot high, and produced an umbel, consist- ing of from three to six flowers, the colours being deep dull blood-red, specked and mottled with purplish-crimson. They were, however, too much alike, only lasted in flower a short time, and did not increase rapidly. Are they still in cultivation in England P As regards improvement, I do not expect much from the yellow and red kinds crossed with each other. If, however, a handsome lemon, or buff or buff-spotted, could be produced, it would be an acquisition. The red and yellow are strong ; but it is Duly the clear and delicate white grounds that are desirable. All may be crossed with speciosum and auratum, by which the size may be increased. A New Public Garden for Mancliester. — We hear ttat a scheme for forming a wiuter garden on a grand scale, and a good public garden generally, is now being developed at Man. Chester. The movement is directed by gentlemen who aim at creating an establishment at once instructive and elevating in its influences. It has the support of the Bishop of Manchester, the mayor, the town clerk, and the most influential gentlemen connected with the city. Its history is briefly this : Mr. Ellis Lever originally bought Mr. S. Mendel's establishment at Man- chester, and then ofl^ered it to the town council for the same sum he had paid for it, offering, at tho same time, £20,000 towards making a public garden of this famous place, which should be in all respects worthy of the city of Manchester. The town council declined the offer, and since then Mr. Ellis Lever has himself taken the matter in hand, and, in connection with a gentleman of much experience in like matters, is now engaged in carrying out tho scheme we allude to, and of which we hope in due time to give further particulars. We never knew of a better opportunity of making a noble city garden, inasmuch as Manley Hall now contains many features only to be found in gardens of the higher class, and even rarely in them. As Manchester is famous for carrying out public aims of this kind in the most successful manner, we hope for a garden worthy of it, and which may in its way prove as great a credit to it as the Assize Courts, the new Town Hall, and the cele- brated Art Treasures collection. Influence of certain Compounds on the Germination of Seeds. — Nearly eighty years ago it was asserted (says the "Academy") by Smith and Barton that camphor had power to hasten germination ; a similar property was snbseqaently attributed by Goeppert to chlorine, bromine, and iodine. These statements have been put to the test of experiment by Heckel ("Comptes Rendus," 3 May, 1875), and found to be correct. The seeds of Eaphanus eativus, exposed to the action of pure water, began to germinate after an average interval of eight days ; similar seeds, kept moist with iodine water, germinated in five days ; with bromine water in three, with chlorine water in two days. The monobromide of camphor was found to exhibit even greater energy than either of its constituents taken separately, or than a simple mixture of bromine and camphor, germination occurring after a mean interval of thirty.six hours. No explanation of this singular property is suggested. The alkaline borates and silicates were found to retard germination, even in relatively small proportions; stronger solutions checking the process for an indefinite period. Arsenious acid and the soluble arseniates prevented germination altogether by destroying the embryo. NOTES OF THE WEEK. Among all the Strawberries that come to Covent Garden Myatt's British Queen still retains the first position, both as to flavour, price, and the quantity sold. This fact is, of course, well known to most London Strawberry growers ; but, in many country gardens, this fine variety is so often discarded for newer and less meritorious ones that the above facts may be worth bearing in mind. TuE rather uncommon Quassia amara has flowered for the first time in the Botanic Gardens, Regent's Park. The flowers are handsome and very showy, though produced on a poor plant. If well grown and flowered it would prove one of the most splendid of hothouse shrubs. The Sacred Beau (Nolnmbium speciosum) is also in bloom in these gardens, and in an unusually fine condition. At the Regent's Park fruit show, on Wednesday last, Mr. Sage, gardener to Earl Brownlow, at Ashridge, exhibited a cluster of the dwarf Banana, the weight of which was 80 lbs. In size, ripe, ness, and freshness, this is the most perfect cluster of Bananas we have yet seen. A PLANT of the green. tailed Dendrochilum filiforme, in the Royal Exotic Nursery at Chelsea, is now furnished with at least sixty slender spikes of flowers. It is one of tho most interesting of Orchids ; its rows of tiny pale green flowers, arranged on slender wire-like stems, remind one of golden filagree work of the most exquisite description. DisA GRANDiFLORA, a plant at one time considered to be almost uncultivable, is now producing at Chatsworth from seven to nine flowers on a spike. Mr. Leach, of Clapham, who was the first to show us how to flower this handsome Cape Orchid, never achieved such success as this, half the amount of blooms here named being the number usually found on his spikes of it. Mr. Rendle has brought to our office specimens of the new tempered (toughened) glass, which he is about to employ in the construction of glass houses. It is perfectly clear, and bears the test of being thrown many feet without breakage. He proposes to use it for the roof of the Royal Aquarium and Winter Garden at West, minster. Among hardy flowers now in bloom in the grounds of the Crystal Palace at Sydenham are some large masses of Blue Lark, spurs, and a fine strain of Dianthns laciniatus Heddewigii is now very effective, the colours varying between white and the deepest velvety crimson. Individual blooms of this Pink measure, in some cases, over 2 inches in diameter, and are the produce of seed sown last autumn. The beds of dwarf Roses in the neighbourhood of the Rose Temple, at the Crystal Palace, are now most attractive, many of the newer kinds of Roses being in full blossom there. Some of these beds are margined with dwarf plants of the common China, or old Monthly Rose, and others are edged with little bushes of the old crimson China, the effect in both cases being excellent. Climbing Roses on the terrace walls are also now blooming freely. The competition for the Carter Challenge Cup takes place next Wednesday at the Royal Horticultural Society's Gardens at South Kensington, and, as some doubts have been expressed relative to gardeners in the more northern parts of the kingdom being able to produce Carter's Champion Runner Bean at this early season, Messrs. Carter, in order to make the competition as great and as general as possible, have consented to make its production on the part of the exhibitor optional, as well as that of the Pern-leaved Parsley. The revised schedule therefore is, Scarlet Runner Beans (optional), any good variety of Parsley. Eighteen pods of Beans in all cases must be exhibited. There is now, in Professor Owen's garden at Sheen, a large bed of dwarf-stemmed Roses in splendid bloom ; towards the middle of the mass strong stems of Lilium auratum are springing up, and at the centre is a noble tuft of Yucca gloriosa, while, towards the margins. Mignonette and Pansies furnish the ground. The combina. tiou is effective and artistic in a high degree ; it replaces tender bedding plants, which, to the Professor, were always a source of trouble and rarely satisfactory in effect ; it is inexpensive, entailing no cost beyond that of the original planting ; and is a source of pleasure to all who see it. It is one of many like arrangements which is an advance on bedding out on the one hand and the mixed border on the other. The stately Cordyline indivisa is now blooming vigorously in various gardens in Ireland, where it grows freely without protec tion. The index and title page for the volume ending Midsummer, 1875, together with a portrait of Mr. Ninian Niven, will be published with next week's number of The Garden. July 3, 1875.] THE GARDEN. THE FOUNTAIN OF THE LUXEMBOURG. Pee u APS the most charming effect in the very interesting Luxembourg Garden is that near the fountain Debrosse — indeed, for a fountain, it has the best effect we have noticed in any garden, but this results from the disposition of vegetation near at liand. Before the fountain is a long water - basin, and on each side of this there is a line of fine Plane trees, which meet overhead and form a leafy arch. Between the trees, Irish Ivy is planted, and trained into rich green wreaths, touching the trees at about 8 feet from the gi-ound. Above the Ivy, there is trained another long wreath of Virginian Creeper, with a very slight fall between each pair of trees. The stately stems of the Planes, their fresh foliage and that of the well-formed wreaths which furnish the lower parts of their stems, are beautiful. The TREES AND SHRUBS. THE MOCK ORANGES. The Syringas, or Mock Oranges, rank among the most effective and beautiful of all perfectly hardy and deciduous- leaved flowering shrubs. All of them have white or cream-coloured highly-fragrant flowers, and they are all very similar in foliage ; hence, a selection of three or four species or varieties is sufficient for all purposes, except where the object is to form a collection. Probably the total number oE species does not exceed ten ; indeed, we believe that Maxi- mowicz refers all the Old World forms to one species, and the North American forms are very difficult to distinguish. The principal thing to observe in selecting varieties for general planting in mixed shrubberies is their season of flower- Fountain in the Luxembourg Garden. abundance and grace of the vegetation set off, so to speak, the sculptor's work to the best advantage, and the result is pro- bably as satisfactory as is possible, where geometrical or archi- tectural features ai-e introduced in a garden. Violets for Winter Blooming. — We have at present a row oE Czar Violet, in patches about 100 feet long, at the bottom of a south wall. These flower freely and long in spring and early summer. The runners are chopped off with a spade several times during the season to keep the shoots vigorous, which get a good size in a single season, and about November and onwards we take up a number of patches at a time, pot them in 8-inch pots, and put them into the Vineries or Peach. houses, or anywhere convenient, where there is a gentle heat. Thus treated flowers quickly make their appearance, large and sweetly scented ; and, though the plants do not continue to bloom for a very long time, we have plenty of them to fall back upon, and, therefore, introduce another batch. — J. S. W. ing. For instance, at the present date (June 2.5), the earlier- flowering ones are over, and the latter ones just coming into bloom. The earliest is Philadelphus coronarius, which, as a rule, begins to flower about the middle of May. This species has been cultivated in Britain now nearly three centuries, and was, till within the last few years, the only one commonly seen. It is now abundant in the south of Europe, whence we obtained it in a wild state ; but some writers, among others Professor Koch, the author of the " Dendrologie," think that it came originally from the East. Be that as it may, for gardening purposes it is one of the species that we should recommend, because it is the first in bloom. This was the Syringa alba of Bauhin and other herbalists ; hence the popular name of Syringa, or Seringat of the French, which might well give way to the more appropriate one of Mock Orange, because the generic name of Syringa has been reserved THE GARDEN. [July 3, 1875. for the Lilacs, the common one of which was the S. cosrulea of Bauhin and his contemporaries. The fiowers, though much larger than those of the Orange, have a general resemblance to them, and they are also very odoriferous, without possessing the delicate perfume of the Orange blossom ; indeed, their odour is too powerful for them to be employed extensively in bouquets, though agreeable to most people in the open air. There is a double-flowered variety which, in our opinion, is not superior, if oven equal, to the common single kind. A variety with variegated foliage may suit some tastes, but it is not one of the small number of really indispensable members of its class. To alternate with P. coronarius, a pretty and very distinct species or variety, P. Satsnmi, sometimes called P. chinensis, may be selected. It is of comparatively recent introduction, not having been known in this country previous to 1851. We do not purpose giving technical descriptions here, but we may observe that this is readily known by ics very slender branches and dwarfer habit, as compared with other species, and its long narrow leaves. It flowers almost as early and quite as pro- fusely as P. coronarius, and it is likewise sweet-scented. Another fine Old World form is the Himalayan P. tomeutosus. The plate in Koyle's " Illustrations of Indian Botany " gives a very inadequate idea of its beauty. It comes into bloom earlv in June, and bushes of it were literally covered with clusters of large flowers about a fortnight ago in the neigh- bourhood of London. This differs from the ordinary form of P. coronarius in having a coating of short soft hairs on the under-sides of the leaves, and is readily distinguished in a living state in gardens, though Dr. Brandis does not accord it even the status of a variety. Turning to the New World we have a number of very beautiful species and varieties, most of which have considerably larger flowers, and do not begin to bloom till the end of June or beginning of July. The first introduced from this region was P. inodorus, a species with scentless flowers and long-pointed smooth leaves, which appears to have been in cultivation in 1738. The follow- ing year is given as the date of introduction of P. Lewisii, which has smaller flowers than the other North Ameri- can species mentioned below. P. hirsutus, a dwarf form, with vei'y hairy leaves, appeared in 1820, and was re-introduced by Messrs. Veitoh a few years ago, and figured in the " Botanical Magazine." But it is to P. grandiflorus, first introduced in 1811, we would call attention. It bears the names, or rather, in some cases at least, slight varieties bear the names speciosus, latifolius, floribundus, &o. This is a tall-growing shrub, from 8 to 12 feet high, with irregularly-toothed leaves and fragrant flowers, nearly double the size of those of P. coronarius, and, as already mentioned, it does not begin flowering until the latter is nearly or quite over. P. Gordonianus is another North American species, equally deserving of cultivation ; it has ovate- lanceolate and more regularly toothed leaves than P. grandi- florus. These shrubs succeed in almost any soil and situation, but they appear to bloom most abundantly on a poor light soil. They are also exceedingly ornamental, particularly the early- flowering ones for a wall, sunny aspect, trellis, or arbour. Where only a small number is required, P. coronarius, P. Satsumi and P. grandiflorus may be selected. All the vai'ieties bearing the names included under P. grandiflorus are good. The jNlock Oranges are not very rapid coarse-growing shrubs, and may easily be kept within reasonable compass by the judicious use of the pruning knife. But care should be exer- cised in the use of it, whether for the purpose of giving them a comely shape or reducing their size. The main branches of a bush maybe cut away to the base or shortened; and it should be remembered, when pruning wall or trellis plants, that it is the short lateral branchlets which bear the flowers. W. B. H. A SQUARE-STEMMED BAMBOO. This new and remarkable variety, to which special attention wag called at a meeting of the French Acclimatigation Society by M. Ed. Renard, is destined to play an important part in other ways than those of ornamentation, if wo judge from the description which is given of it in the " Revue Horticole." M. Renard states that he met with it in his hunting excursions upon the splendid plains sur. rounding the large town of Osaoa, in Japan. During his numerous joameya from Canton to Shanghai, and thenoe to Han-Eeon, and even to Pekin, he had been unable to obtain a single specimen, although he was informed by the Chinese merchants that it existed in the distant provinces of Houan and Sn-Tchuen. The variety is a verit- able "square" Bamboo, and not, as was at one time stated, the result of the skilful pressure and manipulation of Oriental fingers. As a proof of this, If. Renard placed at the disposal of the society a bundle of the canes which he had brought with him from Japan. The plant grows in close clumps to the height of from 30 to 35 feet ; the bark diiiers from that of other species and is of a deep green colour, which becomes brighter in hue as it dries, but never becomes pure white. The joints are somewhat close to one another, and are furnished with small protuberances, as in the case of the Bamboo with pearly knots, so much valued in commerce. Its stetr.g, without exception, are square or a square with the corners rounded off. It is very straight, tapering, and admirably adapted for the manufacture of fishing-rods ; whilst its dense foUage, large and thick, affords a perfect shade from the sun. During winter the Japanese clear their plantations by cutting down the strongest stems ; but this Bamboo is unusually difficult to keep within limits, and the only way to effect it is by means of deep trenches, which have the effect of keep, ing the roots within bounds. In Japan, the Square Bamboo has but few uses, and is cultivated only for ornamentation, or as a protection against the wind. M. Renard, during his stay in Japan, made an attempt to bring home the stem and roots of the variety, which he packed in a cask sawn in halves. These he covered with vegetable soil and Moss, and sent them to Nagasaki, where they were shipped to Bordeaux. Subsequently, on arriving at Brest, M. Renard, who travelled through America, found that the French War was at its height, and he was unfortunate enough to be amongst the beseiged in Paris. When he was able to do so, he went to Bordeaux, but found that his Bamboos had in the meantime been thrown into the Garonne, and all his trouble was rendered of no avail. Besides the vai'iety in question, he had consigned other specimens to France, which met the same fate — notably, one of the enormous Bamboos, the shoots of which, when 1 foot high, are as thick as a man's thigh. Improvements in Street Planting. — Mr. EUwanger makes some excellent suggestions in the " Rochester Express," on the importance of well. planted streets in cities, which he thinks as essential to the beauty of a town as the architecture. We regard tree planting as much more important than fine building, at the same time that it is less understood. Mr. EUwanger mentions Columbia as affording one of the best examples of judicious planting, either in Europe or America. The streets are about a hundred feet wide, with triple rows of Oaks, of fine growth. Where streets are narrow, trees of pyi'amidal, or upright growth, should be chosen, of which some of the cut. leaved weeping Birches are good examples. Wider streets may have Maples and Horse Chestnuts ; while the widest of all may be planted with spreading Elms. He further suggests that some particular tree be planted exclusively in one street, and another sort in another street ; which would give a characteristic expression to each street; and he justly objects to the common practice of trimming and mutilating trees year after year. If left nearly untouched, their fall form will become developed, and for this reason the trees should not be crowded, but have abundance of room. NOTES AND QUESTIONS ON TREES AND SHRUBS. Danver's Yellow Oak, — This is one of the handsomest of lawn trees ; its elegant drooping habit, beautiful golden tinge of foliage, and its unquestion- able hardiness render it worthy of being planted everywhere for ornamental purposes. It is not so much known in this country as it ought to be; but as soon as planters get acquainted with it, it is sure to become a favourite. — A. Seedling Conifers Best.— In reference to a statement in your article (see p. 508) on Uupressus Lawsoniana, I would ask if it is certain that seedlings make finer trees than cuttings. — Cotswold. [Cupressus Lawsoniana grows so readily from cuttings that it is very possible there may not be a great deal of difference between a seedling plant of it and one grown from a cutting, but all analogy points to the superiority of seedlings over cuttings. Look what a struggle it is to get a plant which has been raised from a lateral cutting of P. nobilis or amabUis to form a leader ! — A. M.1 The Cork Tree (Quercns Suber).— Considering how ornamental this tree is, it is surprising that it is not of tener planted than it is as a single specimen on lawns, where its rugged bark is seen to better advantage than elsewhere. We have one here 9 feet in circumference at the base, an object of admiration to all who see it. Doubtless the eea-brecaes, which we get in a mitigated form, are bene- ficial to its growth, as, like all the varieties of Evergreen Oak, it appears to flourish best by the sea. Like them, too, in cases of removal, great care must be paid to the roots. — J. Geoom, Jlenham. The Laueli-Lady Oak (Quercns pedmiculata).— This grand old tree grows on the nill-side of the Laugh-Lady Dingle in Erampton Brian Park. At some far distant period its top has been broken off, and its bole driven asunder, very possibly by the violent tempest in September, 1615, at the time of Crom- well's death, which is known to have been very destructive, in this park. It now presents a hollow stem divided into three sections, and each one has so far recovered itself as to send up numerous branches of a considerable size, and be everywhere luxuriant. At a height of 6 feet it is 30 feet in circumference.— J. A. July 3, 1875.] THE GARDEN. THE FRUIT GARDEN. THE PEAR TREE SLUG. Teak after year this plague continues to spread, notwithstanding the many efforts that have been made to check its increase. In May, the mother fly emerges from the earth in which she had voluntarily buried herself. Her winged life, is at the utmost, of three weeks' duration. Her head, antennae, body, and legs, are black ; her winG;s, otherwise colourless, wear a blackish band or veil across their middle, and she is about the size of a grain of Wheat. By shaking the leafy twigs of a tree over a sheet of white paper or a white cloth, you will be sure to see some of these black, grain. like, and seemingly lifeless creatures fall on the cloth. I need scarcely say that this insect is a member of the great family of sawflies ; nor need I describe the saw with which all of them seem to abrade the cuticle of the leaf, leaf- stalk, or twig on which they deposit their eggs. Suffice it to say that the abrasion made by the insect whose history I am relating is of curved or orescentic form, and ihe egg is laid in this abraded por. tion ; the denuded parenchyma of the leaf thus comes into imme- diate contact with the under-side of the egg, which is of an ob- long shape, and is covered with a leathery shell, capable of considerable expansion as the enclosed larva increases in size. Thus the egg is seen very obviously to grow, and this growth continues during thirteen days, at first slowly, towards the end of that period more rapidly. On the fourteenth day, according to Prof. Peck, the young grub emerges from the egg. I have no doubt this statement is correct as regards the United States, but I cannot say that I have verified it in England. On first ^.-emerging they are white or colourless, but in a very short time they become covered with a black, brown, or olive-coloured jelly, alike in scent and appearance. I cannot say that I thoroughly understand the mode in which this jelly or mucilage is produced ; it accumulates on the surface of the skin until the creature becomes a dark mass without apparent life or even organisation. The grub glides with extreme slowness over the surface of the leaf, and appa- rently by means of claspers, a pair of which are attached to the under.side of every segment except the first, fourth, and thirteenth. These claspers seem to possess little of that tenacity which is so striking a character in the claspers of the caterpillars, of moths, and bntterflies. Legs there appear to be none ; but, like the onisoiform larvEB of certain lepidoptera, the creature moves by the alternate dilatation and contraction of the ventral surface. The head is entirely withdrawn into the second segment, and concealed from view. The body is somewhat small at the anterior extremity, gradually but slightly attenuated at the posterior extremity. It seems destitute of any rambling disposition, its food, which is the upper cuticle and parenchyma of the leaf, being always within reach. It consumes these in a very methodical manner, leaving the lower cuticle entire ; this very soon dies, withers, and turns brown, making the whole tree look as though covered with dead leaves. The hinder segments are generally raised slightly from the surface of the leaf, a very common character in this tribe of insect. This slug sometimes destroys the foliage of the Pear so entirely, that the tree appears to be dead ; but there is still vitality within, and new leaves and new blossoms — those intended for another year — are put forth out of time and out of season. Thus the entire nature of the tree is changed, its functions disarranged, and its fertility, for two years at least, is destroyed. Notwithstanding its jelly-like covering, the slug changes its skins five times before arriving at its full size. At the last change it loses its jelly-like surface, and appears in a neat yellow skin without any viscidity. This great change occurs nearly a month after its first escape from the egg-shell ; the head and segmental divisions are now quite as perceptible as in any other species of sawfly. Henceforward it cats no morp, but crawls down the trunk of the tree and buries itself in the earth ; at the depth of 3 or 4 inches each forms a neat little oval cell in which to undergo its final changes to a chrysalis and perfect fly. This cell is formed of earth, but is lined and intermixed with liquid gum-glue, which is obviously nothing more than silk in a liquid state — a preparation with which nearly every moth, butterfly, hymenopter, or coleoptor is pi'ovided more or less abundantly, and one which is always applied to the fabrication of a cocoon, cell, or covering of some kind in which to undergo its transformation. When this gum has once hardened and assumed its final state of silk or leather it is insoluble in water, and forms a perfect protection from wet. In this cocoon the grub remains for about a fortnight and then emerges as a fly to found another, an autumnal germination of slugs ; these go through the same cycle of transformation as their progeni- tors ; and, at the approach of winter, retire into the earth to pass that leafless season underground. I believe every leaf-eating insect has its parasite, its appointed enemy, whose office in creation is to keep the leaf.eater in check, and thus maintain the balance of Nature. Were it not thus, so vast would be the destruction cf vegetation that man must himself perish in the fruitless struggle to maintain life. These faithful allies of man are of the same class as the flies produced from the slug. A word remains to be said about supposed remedies, and here I must confess that I am at fault. Sand, ashes, lime, and powdered hellebore have been tried with great energy, but the last only has been found trustworthy. The results of these experiments were recorded in the September number of the "Canadian Entomologist" for 1870. As soon as the slugs were observed at work in spring they were treated to a plentiful supply of dry sand thrown up into the higher branches with a shovel and over the lower ones through a sieve. The sand stuck thickly to the slimy skins of the grubs, completely covering them. Sup. posing the enemy conquered no notice was taken of him for some days, when he was foand to have recovered from the assault and to be as vigorous as ever. It was then determined to test the sand experiment on a smaller scale. Several small branches of Pear trees were selected and marked, on each of which were six slugs, and these were well powdered over and completely covered with sand. On examining them, it was found that they had shed their sand. covered skin, and had crawled out as slimy as before. The sand was applied a second and a third time, with similar results. Seeing then that sand was useless, the slugs were treated to a strong dose of hellebore and water, which soon finished them. Ashes were next tried in the same manner as the sand had been, and were found equally ineffectual. Another experiment was tried with a solution of hellebore, and is thus reported: — "On the 13th of August, at 8 a.m., a branch of a Cherry tree was plucked on which there were sixty-four slugs. This branch had only nine leaves, so it may be supposed they were thickly inhabited. A dose of hellebore and water about the usual strength, an ounce to the pailful, was showered on them, when they soon manifested symptoms of uneasiness, twisting and jerking about in a curious manner ; many died during the day, and only six poor sickly-looking specimens remained alive the following morning, and these soon after died. During the past season these slugs have been unusually abundant on our Pear trees, in many cases destroying the foliage so thoroughly that they looked as if they had been scorched by a fire, every leaf in some instances dropping from the trees, so that for a time they were as bare as in mid-winter. Nearly a thousand trees in the young Pear orchard of the writer suffered severely. Daring the latter part of June and the early days of July we had no opportunity of inspecting these trees, and when we visited them on the 7th July they were so much injured that we thought they could not be much worse ; and, as the slugs were then full-grown and fast disappearing, and as the application of a remedy to so many trees was a matter of so much labour, nothing was attempted to remedy the evil then." Then follows a list of the Pear trees injured, and from this it appears that some varieties suffered more severely than others. In the course of a fortnight after these observations were made, new leaves began to push out vigorously on the defoliated trees, and within a month or six weeks all was green again. " In the meantime," says Mr. Bethune, "the mischief-makers were preparing for a second descent, and we in our turn wei-e preparing to receive them. On the 20th of July, when going through the orchard in the afternoon, the new brood of flies were found in the greatest abundance, resting on the young leaves and on those portions of green which still remained on the leaves partially eaten by the last brood. They were congre- gated, however, most thickly on those trees where green leaves were most abundant. On disturbing them they would fall to the ground with the antennae bent under the body, and the head bent downwards. We caught about sixty specimens, and might have taken hundreds. They were so thickly spread, that in many instances there were two or three on a single leaf. By the last week in August the second brood of slugs were hatched. Now those trees which had previously escaped were all more or less infested. An elevated platform was rigged up in a one-horse cart, in which was placed a barrel of water in which a pound of powdered hellebore had been mixed, and from this elevated stand this mixture was showered lightly on the trees from the rose of a watering-pot. It was astonishing how quickly the trees were cleared by this method ; scarcely a slug could be found on a tree that morning after the application had been made, and 101b. of hellebore, with five or six days' work of a man and horse, served to go over the whole ground." Powdered hellebore has been successfully tried in England on a small scale. — " Pield." [Mr. Kiley tells us that the slug worm of our gardens is the same which troubles the American fruit growers.] Orange- coloured Blight on Pear Leaves. — I enclose half a dozen Pear leaves for your insijection, which, as you will observe are speckled all overwithan orange-colouredFnngus-looking " blight." I should be much obliged to you if you could give me THE GAEDEN. [July 3, 1875, some account of this pest, and meution a remedy for it. I fear that I shall be obliged to grub the trees out and burn them, as I should be sorry to see it spread further. At present the trees infested are somewhat isolated, being in a detached garden. I first observed the spots two years ago. The number then visible was so small that I had all the affected leaves cut off and burnt, but this season every leaf is covered with them. — George Beeby. [This is Roostelia cancellata. Tbe best treatment is that which has been already adopted, viz., picking off the leaves and burning them. — A. M.] Shifting Strawberries to Cool Temperatures.— British Queen and Sir Charles Napier are now, with us, hanging from sus- pended shelves like ropes of Onions — a most beautiful sight. I approve of transferring Strawberries in pots when well set from a cool to a higher temperature ; but, if the fruit is large and fine, it is rather a difficult matter to transfer them from a warm to a cool tem. perature, without bruising the ripe fruit, although I have done it on certain occasions by putting them into frames under a north wall. I am doubtful, however, whether such shifts improve their flavour or not. Small sorts, grown in high temperatures, in February and March, and fed with rich manure-water, would, under ordinary cir. cumstances, require a resting place somewhere between the hothouse and the dessert.table, in order to bring the fruit into a palatable state ; but, during such weather as we have had of late, I consider transferring the fruit to north houses, in order to give flavour, is not required, as, during the day-time, most of our houses are quite a third part open for ventilation, and, with a free current of air passing through them, the flavour cannot be bad. In the case of Strawberry plants turned out of doors, after the fruits are pulled, their leaves will be found to be as clean and fresh as those flowering in the open air, without a trace of red spider to be seen. This is the result of free ventilation with plenty of water at their roots, and not over much syringing.. — J. Millek, Clumber. The Thurber Peach. — This is highly spoken of in America, where it was raised. It is a freestone seedling of the Chinese Cling, that prince of Clingstones ; and, instead of having the straggling habit of growth of its parent, the original tree is of a most perfect pyramidal shape. The fruit is large, even very large, round or slightly oblong; skin, creamy-white, beautifully mottled or marbled with carmine or faint pink cheek ; flesh, white, extremely juicy, dissolving, sweet, and highly perfumed ; quality, exquisite. So it is described by Mr. Berckmans, and we hope our own growers wiU soon test its merits. It is named after Dr. George Thurber. NOTES AND QUESTIONS ON THE FRUIT GARDEN. Strawberry La Grosse Sucree.— This is a new and at present little known variety. It is good as regards both quality and size, an abundant cropper, ripens ten days earlier tlian Keen's Seedling, and promises to be a valuable kind for early market purposes, or for forcing. — W. Cox, Madresfield. Rivera's Early Orleans Plum.— if Mr. Rivers had raised nothing else except this Plum, it is enough and to spare to hand down his name to pos- terity as a benefactor to horticulturists ; for, when all others happen to be fruitless, this delicious variety is sure to produce a crop. No garden, however small, should, therefore, be without a tree or two of it. — R. Gilbert, Bnrghhy, Royal Hautbois Strawberry.— I have sent you a plant or two of this Strawberry, a seedling from the Hautbois, raised some years ago hj my father. It is remarkable, not only for size and fertility, but also for flavom*. — T. Francis RivEHs, Sawhridge worth. [Its size and fertility are all that can be desired ; but its flavour, which is peculiar, is not first rate. Most kinds of Strawberries are, however, deficient in flavour this season.] Growing Strawberries under Difficulties,— Mr. Taylor, gardener to Mr. Cavendish Bentinck, M.P., Branksea Island, has this season been very successful in growing Strawbenies. Having little else but peat on the island, he made up a composition consisting of two parts peat, one rotten dung, and one of burnt clay, or what he describes as clay dust, the refuse from a pottery. Both for forcing and growing them naturally, this mixture seems to suit them well. — R. Gilbert, Burghhy. Grafting Pears on Cotoneaster.— We ("Illustration Horticole") have recently again seen a notice of the experiments of Dr. Bretonneau, the cele- brated physician of Tours and a lover of gardening, on the grafting of distinct genera. He has successfully tried grafting Pears on Cotoneaster affinis and on Amelanchier. The results were very curious and interesting, and were crowned with success ; but similar experiments on the evergreen species, C. buxifolia and 0. microphylla failed. Water Evaporated by Fruit Trees.— Advice is given by a German Pro- fessor to keep in orchards a certain space around the trees free of Grass and weeds, as these draw too much water away from the trees ; indeed, it has been proved that trees, which were sickly and bore little fruit, have been restored to vigorous growth by returning to them the necessary water in this way. To prove how much water fruit trees need, it may be stated here that an acre planted with them will evaporate in about twelve days 5,000,000 pounds of water. Budding Apple Trees: G. S. W.— This should be done towards the end of .Inly, and in ihe same manner as in the case of Rose trees, only the buds of the Ajiple are generally put on the main stem of the stock. Apples budded tUuH aie raised in vast quantities in all Continental hardy fruit nui-series. Summer Pruning Fruit Trees : H. A.— The superabundant shoots on wall fruit trees and others should be removed by the end of June, and all the shoots that have gone beyond the spur stage shortened. It is a mistake to shorten too much. We should always leave half a dozen large healthy leaves at the base of the current years' shoot. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. THE NEW POTATO DISEASE. Several of your correspondents appear to think that this peculiar diseaso is chiefly confined to the Rose family of the American Pota- toes, whilst some state that it is affecting the American varieties generally — in fact, Mr. Dean states positively that " it is important to remember that this so-called new disease is chiefly confined to the Rose family," whilst " J. T." shows six other kinds, thus making the disease general. Now, in forwarding you the two samples of haulm last week, I did so without giving the name of the Potatoes from which they were taken, and I fear that gardeners generally will be sorry to learn that others than the American kinds are affected with the disease, as one of the samples (No. 1) was taken from Sutton's Hundredfold Fluke ; and, although I have since dug up some half, dozen roots, I did not find a single Potato more than three-quarters of an inch in diameter, and the disease seems to be spreading more and more in this kind every day. The other sample (No. 2) I took from the Early Rose. One point I have noticed in connection with the planting of the sets, viz., that the rotting affects both the whole ones and those cut, hence there can be no difference on that score. Bath Road, Exeter. John H. Howard. I have two plots of Early Rose Potatoes growing here side by side. No. 1 was planted with seed grown here, whilst No. 2 was planted on the same day with seed grown in the Fens for one season only, having been grown here the previous year. About half the Potatoes in No. 1 plot are now affected %vith the new disease ; many of the tops appear as if scorched, but there is an entire absence of any bad smell, such as is perceptible when the disease that has hitherto prevailed attacks the Potato. The plot No. 2, planted with Feu-grown seed, with the exception of two or three roots, is in vigorous growth, affording astonishing contrast to the adjoining crop, and suggesting pretty conclusively the advantage of frequently changing the seed. What- ever may be the cause of this visitation, I think the premature ripening of the crops by the drought of last year seriously impaired the vital energies of the plants, and rendered them more susceptible of the attacks of ailments, that plants in vigorous health would have escaped. I should look upon a change of seed, with more care in its selection and winter management, as one of the best means to guard against the reappearance of disease. E. Hobday. On the 22nd of March last I planted some Potatoes procured from Messrs. Sutton, which they call their new Hundred-fold Fluke. Of these the haulm from the first appeared shrivelled or curled up, and it has continued ever since in the same condition, not getting much worse or much better. Potatoes, planted in the same bed, and on either side of them, came up strong and healthy looking. Some of the same sets were planted by a friend in a field about half a mile from those in the garden, and these are much worse than mine ; in fact, they have very little haulm left, Jand seem as if eaten up by an insect. Should the Rev. M. J. Berkeley, or any other authority, think I can give them further information calcu- lated to assist them in their investigations regarding this disease, I will be happy to do so, or forward some of the haulm and tubers for inspection, should they express a desire to see them. Asliive Cottage, Kenmare, County Kerry. M. W. The Biscuit Potato. — Report speaks highly of this variety, which was obtained by M. Louis-Pierre Tetart, a cultivator at Groslay, in France, from seed of the Marjolin, a well-known French Potato. For some years it was grown by M. Tetart for his own use, and it was only in 1806 or 1867 that it was placed in the market. At present it is very generally cultivated in the Seine.et-Oise, and last year met with a favourable reception in Paris, especially in hotels and restaurants, from its excellent qualities and its size, which are not common amongst early varieties. These qualities, which were thoroughly recognised by M. Tetart, induced him to name it the Biscuit. It is extremely farinaceous, of a peculiarly fine flavour, and is only ten days behind the Marjolin, to which, during the earlier stages of growth, it bears much resemblance ; later on, how- ever, the plant becomes larger, and the leaves more angular and of a lighter green. The tubers, which are very large, are of consider, able length, somewhat flattened in shape, and are gently rounded off at the extremities ; the flesh is yellow. It is said to be a heavy cropper ; but care must be taken to earth up the plants, or the tubers are liable, from their size and numbers, to approach too near the surface, when they throw out shoots that injure their qualities. July 3, 1876.] THE GARDEN. THE FLOWER GARDEN. GERANIUM PLATYPETALUM. Many Geraniums, at present confined almost exclusively to Botanic Gardens, might be advantageously grown as orna- mental plants in ordinary garden establishments, and amongst these, one of the most effective is that of which the accom- panying is an illustration. It is a beautiful Caucasian varietj^ named G. platypetalum by Fischer and Meyer. It grows wild iu the Talish Mountains, and is closely related to G. sylvaticum, from which, however, it only requires a super- ficial examination to distinguish it. It is of a stronger growth than that kind, and its flowers, which in colour resemble those of G. pratense, attain, as will be seen by the engraving, which repre- sents them in their natural size, much larger dimen- sions. This charming Geranium is more espe- cially valuable, both in large and small gardens, inasmuch as it is easily increased, both by divi- sion of the stem and by means of seed. In -'addition to this it is ex- tremely hardy, and thrives in almost every kind of soil. It is, as will be seen, covered with soft, spread- ing hairs. The stem is erect and angular; the stipules broad ; the leaves heart-shaped, denticulated, and having from five to seven oboval-obtuse lobes ; the peduncles, which carry from two to three flowers, are covered with glandu- lous hairs, as also is the calyx, which has awn-like sepals. The petals, which attain double the length of the sepals, are two or three- lobed ; the stamens and carpels slightly hairy, and the seeds glossy. The flowers, which are pendent previous to opening, re- main erect during the time they are in bloom, a period lasting from May until July. _ Among all kinds of Geraniums, G. platypeta- lum is one of the best for growing in clumps, in which it produces, when in full bloom, a striking effect, its flowers being large and produced in great abundance. It is a remarkably fine variety, which should always be cultivated where it is possible. Gcraniam platypetalum HAEDY PLANTS AT THE WELLINGTON NURSERY. At present, notwithstanding the late heavy showers, the appear- ance of this nursery is particularly brilliant, the fine collections of Lilies, Gladioluses, Irises, Alliums, Violas, and other well- known genera being now in flower. Among the early summer- blooming Irids there are some very effective groups of the Spanish (or bulbous) and English sections, the great flowers of the latter being especially rich in colour. Great patches of Iris Ka3mpferi have made a most vigorous growth, and their numerous buds give promise of a charming display of colour in another week or two. The fact of these plants growing so well planted outside, in the open and unprotected beds at St. John's Wood, is a very interesting one, as they have hitherto been considered rather delicate in constitution, and somewhat diffi- cult to manage. I feel sure Mr. Elwes will be glad _ to hear so good an account of these beautiful varieties, which are probably seedling or natural sports from the rich purple Japanese Iris tevigata. One great purple-flowered form, having the base of each velvety segment marked with gold (E. G. Henderson), was exhibited last year at South Kensington, and was unanimously awarded a first-class certifi- cate. This fine variety has flat Clematis-like flowers, composed of six large oblong segments ; but there are other varieties equally fine, which we hope shortly to see in bloom. Several long rows of Delphiniums arc very effective, and among these the following varieties are excellent in every way : — D. Coronet, a dense- habited plant, little over 2 feet in height, the spikes of dark blue semi-double flowers being very closely arranged. D. Bella Donna is well known as one of the finest of all the light or porcelain- blue varieties, and D. Henderscni is a robust variety, bearing a very stout elongated pyra- midal spike of deep blue flowers, and is admirably adapted either for a border or for the supply of cut flowers for large vases. There are scarcely any other hardy herbaceous plants that can equal these iu depth and richness of colouring, each plant being, in many cases, a dense mass of the purest and richest blue, and the cut spikes, when grouped with Orange Lilies, white- flowered Anthericum, Clove Pinks, and rich yellow-purple- stainedlrids, recall at once, to one's mind, the pictures of Van. Os the older. Van Huysum, and the other Dutch flower painters, in whose richly- tinted paintings the Del- phinium is constantly to be met with. Some beds of rosy and white Pyre- thrums, or summer Chry- santhemums, as they are not inaptly called, are at their best, and contrast well with the deep and perfect blues of the Peren- nial Larkspurs. A largo bed of ^thionema grandiflorum is a dense mass of soft rose and white flowers, each speci- men being fully 2 feet in diameter, and laden with slender flower-spikes. This useful plant is of a semi-shrubby character, with glaucous, linear, Linum-like foliage, the tip of each little branchlet bearing an oblong head of flowers, 2 to o inches in length ; the buds and flowers are of a bright rosy hue when they first expand, and gradually fade to nearly white or faint lilac as they become old. Saxifraga nepalensis (S. pyramidalis and S. Cotyledon), a flue plant, belonging to the Megaceous group of Don, is blooming freely, the panicles of white rosy-dotted flowers varying from afoot to fully 3 feet in height ; as a plant for rock-work this is much to be recom- mended. Another beautiful old rock-work plant, Tropffiolum polyphyllum, is, at the present time, a dense mat-like mass of glaucous leaves, the ends of the thick succulent growths being THE" GAKDEN. [July 3, 1875. thickly studded with bright orange-yellow flowers. A patch of Allium ciliatum is studded with dense globular heads of white flowers, as is also the older and better known golden-flowered A. Moly. One of the most curious species in this genus is, however, Allium glaucum, a dwarf-growing plant, having flattened, bluish-tinted leaves, curiously twisted like a cork- screw. This plant is so neat and distinct that it should find a place amongst hardy flowering bulbs, although it is far from showy from a decorative point of view. Some tufts of a rather rare Spirrea, named S. Humboldtii, are now blooming freely. The plant is of robust habit, and bears some resemblance to S. Aruncus, but the leaves are more finely cut, and the flowers of a more decided yellow colour. As a decorative plant, it well deserves a place in the herbaceous border, or as an isolated specimen on the lawn. S. Aruncus is one of the noblest of all plants for a position near the fringes of the shrubbery or by the spongy margins of ornamental water. Great clumps and masses of the noblest of all well-known Lilies and some of the rarer American species and varieties are looking well, and promise a fine display of bloom. Even at the present time some beds of the different forms of L. Thunbergianum are glowing with brilliant orange, orange-yellow, and crimson- streaked flowers. Some varieties bear a great solitary saucer- like flower an inch or so above the soil, while others carry great clusters on stout stems fully a yard in height. Some forms of the lilac-purple L. Washingtonianum purpureum are now in flower, and the tall-growing L. Humboldtii has, in many of the clumps and beds, made splendid growth, some of the buds being now on the point of bursting. This promises to be a free-growing, free-blooming, and very attractive plant in every way. The small-flowered, slender-growing Lilium canadonse (var. parvum) is also blooming freely, its bright, bell-shaped, golden-yellow flowers being little over an inch in diameter, and the base of the cup being dotted with reddish-browil inside. It is a pretty little Lily well worth attention. B. NOTES AND QUESTIONS ON THE FLOWER GAECEN. lilium giganteum.— This is now In flower in the open ground in Mr. Latimer Ulark a garden at Hitherwood, Sydenham Hill, where it appears to be perfectlj- hardy. Anyone desirous of seeing this particular species in bloom can do so on presentin;^ a card — E. Hardiness of Cypripedium spectabile.— A large potful o£ this Orchid stood out-of-doors during the last winter without injury; the roots were divided in spring and kept growing without protection. Most of the plants raised from such divisions are in bloom. What makes the hardiness of this fine Cypripedium more certain is the fact that the pot containing it was smashed.— R. P. B. [It is a hardy bog plant in many of the northern parts of America.] Pansv Propagation.— I would recommend cuttings to bo put in immedi- ately. They strike freely under a bell-glass in a cool shaded situation, and, if planted out as soon as rooted they wdl make fino plants bj the autumn. Those known as the Cliveden varieties of yellow, blue, and white, are, accordint' to my experience, the best for early flowering ; in fact, during mild winters they will go on blooming continuously. Seedlings cannot be depended on where self colours are desired, but they form excellent mixed beds. — J. Gkooh Ucnham Halt. ' ' In order to secure a good stock of any kind of Pansy, it is better to trust to plants raised from cuttings than from seed, as seedlings, although true to colour, have such diversity of shades, markings, and habits of growth, that they cannot be trusted to produce a constant and even mass of colour. Cuttings made of the .young growth that comes up from the base of the plants in summer are best, inasmuch as they are Arm, and generally strike freely. Old blooming wood is usually hollow, and consequently strikes badly. Cuttings may be put in a cool shady place, in sharp sandy soil, anytime during the next three months. For spring beds, none are belter than Blue King, Bedfont, Yellow, and Snowflake ; and of early blooming Violas, none are better than Bluebell, Yellow Boy, and White Swan.— A. D. Speedy Mode of Propagating tree Carnations.— In Messrs. Low's nur- scry, at Clapton, where thousands of these plants are annually struck from pipings, it Is an established rule never to prep.ire the cuttings or pipings, as they are termed, with a knife. Tho plan adopted, according to Mr. Casey, is to take hold of the top of the " grass " and draw it gently until it breaks which it will do at one of the joints ; cuttings thus treated are found to root much better than those made with a knife, which, unless very sharp and skil- fully used, bruises the tissues and predisposes the cuttings to damp off. This mode of preparing cuttings is worth a trial, not only in the case of Carnations, but also in that of other plants which have distinctly articulated or jointed habit of growth.— B. Lilinm colchicnm.— Too much cannot be said in praise of this charmingly graceful and sweet-scented Lily. It is perfectly hardy, a free grower, and E refuse bloomer, coming into bloom in the north of England early in June ast year my only bulb of It produced three blooms, and this summer it has developed eight, on a strong stem i feet in height ; the petals— six in number, and of great substance- curve backwards. The flowers arc of a rich lemoii or straw-yellow, three alternate petals being perfectly clear, and the remaining three marked with minute brown or dark spots. It seems to thrive well in ordinary garden soil. Will any of your readers who have flowered this Lily kindly state what is the greatest number of blossoms which they have grown or seen on one stem of it?— G. F., Northtmherlaml. DIPLADENIAS. By T. BAINES. TuERE are few plants requiring artificial heat more deserving of general cultivation by all who possess a warm stove than Dipladenias. They are of moderate growth, remarkably free and continuous in their blooming, and, when well managed, flower profusely from the end of April up to December, if required. Although it is not desirable to allow them to keep on so long, having in view the preparation of the plants for the ensuing year, yet, if the flowers are wanted so late in the autumn, all that is necessary is to defer cutting the plants back, and to keep up a suflicient heat to induce the formation and expansion of the blooms. For bouquets, either half or fully expanded, tho lovely rose-coloured D. crassinoda, or the beautiful blush-tinted D. Williamsii, with its deep rosy throat, have few equals ; for vases or March stands these, and also the darker varieties, are amongst the best flowers that can be used, furnishing, as they do for a long period, a daily supply of blooms of the most refined and distinct character. But, in gathei'ing them to be thus used for decorative pur- poses, care should be taken to cut only the individual blooms with their foot-stalk, as, if the whole bunch is removed it is extravagant-., for each will, if allowed to remain on the plant, keep on flowering for two months. The best, most distinct, and desirable kinds have been raised from D. crassinoda crossed with D. splendens. D. Brearleyaua, figured to-day in our coloured plate, and sent out by Mr, W. Bull, is the finest garden hybrid stove plant that has ever been raised. These are all much darker in colour than either of the parents. In the cultivation of Dipladenias one point should not be lost sight of, which is the necessity of a strong heat to grow them well. D. crassinoda comes from the hot low-lying districts of Rio de Janeiro ; D. splendens, from the foot of the Organ Mountains ; consequently neither the species nor the varieties raised from them can be expected to succeed without plenty of heat. They should be kept through the winter as near 70° during the night as possible. A good deal has been said and written about resting plants during the winter to prevent their becoming exhausted or worn out. Plants that are indigenous to hot countries, with few exceptions, get only short rests, and most of them are never completely dormant. I have kept Dipladenias for ten or twelve years, and they were as strong and vigorous at that age as they ever had been. They never, during tho whole of thaD period, had any rest, except what they obtained in making slower growth in the winter season. They used to begin opening their flowers by the middle of April, their shoots measuring 20 feet in length. By the middle of May they were generally in full bloom. In speaking thus of non-resting stove plants, I am aware it will be looked upon as unpardonable heresy by the old school of gardeners, but I am merely stating facts that have been proved by actual experience. In this matter, there is a very considerable difference between stove and greenhouse plants. Autumn-struck cuttings that have been kept on growing through the winter, or such as have been rooted this spring, and wliich may be supposed to be now in 5 or 6-inoh pots, should be at once moved into others 3 inches larger, using, in all stages of their growth, nothing but good fibrous peat and sand. This is more suitable for them than any mixture of peat, loam, leaf mould, or other combination. The peat cannot be too fibrous, and after the plants are moved from 6 inch pots it should be used in a lumpy state, the pieces not being broken smaller than bantam's eggs. Good peat of this description should have mixed with it one-sixth part of sand. Drain the pots well, pot moderately firm, and do not give water until the soil has become drier than would be advisable for most stove plants. Take half a dozen sticks, 3 feet in length, and insert them in the soil just inside the pot, round these wind the shoots, leaving the points well up, or they will throw out too many side breaks ; and keep them through the remainder of the summer in a warm stove, for they will bear as much heat as any plants living. Syringe them overhead every afternoon, getting the water well to the under-side of the foliage, as they are subject to red spider, as well as to scale and mealy bug. By the middle of October move them into 12 or 13-inch flowering pots. In potting this time, do not disturb July 3, 1876.] fail GARDEN. the roots any more than is necessary to remove the drain- at'e soil, which should be similar to that used for the previous shift. Untwist the plants fi'om the sticks to which they have been attached, and at once put them on the trellises ou which they ai'e to be grown ; these should be made of strong galvanised wire, 2 feet 3 inches broad, by 2 feet 6 inches in height above the pot. These trellises may appear small, but they look very bad when not well covered with foliage, and the bunches of flowers, which should never be tied in stiffly, will project on all sides to a distance of 6 or 8 inches from the 'trellis, making the plants large enough for any purpose. The ends of the wire should be 9 inches longer, so as to have sufficient hold of the soil, and should be inserted just inside the rim of the pot, and fastened securely by three stout sticks, 1 and Ij inches in diameter; those should come half-way up the inside of the trellis, and be secured to it, so as to keep the whole firm in its place. With- out these sticks the trellises are liable to swing about and injure the plants when moved. Train the shoots evenly round the trellis, taking care to furnish the bottom first ; growth from this time until the days lengthen will be much slower. Through November, December, and January, keep the night temperature about 70°, with a rise of 6° in the day. A good bed of tan is of great advantage to the plants, which should stand above it, but Dipladenias should never be plunged. They are very impatient of any excess of mtiisture at the roots, and, when plunged, it is not nearly so easy to tell when they require water ; it also makes them much more tender by the way in which it acts upon them, &c. ; when plunged in most houses they are too far from the light. Eun the shoots up thin strings fastened from the trellis to the roof, keeping them in this position until they have begun to open their flowers. At the beginning of February the tem- perature should be raised 3^ or 4° ; and, by the end of March, it should average 78^ in the night, letting it run up to 85" or 90° in the day with sun-heat ; admit a little air but allow no cold currents to come in contact with the plants. Close early, syringing at the same time. As the sun gets powerful the flowers will be benefited by a little shade in the middle of the day, but the plants do not require it. When the bunches begin to open, train the shoots neatly round the trellis so as to have it covered uniformly with foliage and flowers. Assist them with manure-water all through the season from this time, and they will keep throwing out fresh shoots that will show bloom when from 12 to 18 inches in length. Do not allow these to get twisted. They will, if all goes on well, continue to bloom freely through the summer. At the end of September they should be taken ofi the trellises, and the shoots cut back to within 6 feet of the collar. If there are any scale or mealy bug upon them immerse the shoots for an hour in " Abyssinian mixture " — 5 ounces to the gallon — and then tie them loosely to a few sticks insei'ted in the soil. The temperature now should be about 70^ in the night ; in three weeks they will have broken sufficiently for moving ; then turn them out of the pots and reduce the ball quite one half, removing as much of the old soil as is possible without injuring the roots. Place them in 15-inch pots, which size is large enough for any Dipladenia, as, owing to the annual renewal of so much of the soil, they do not require more room than this. In potting always keep the collar of the plants well up, only just, or barely, covering the tuberous portion of the roots, by which means they are not nearly so liable to suffer in this their most tender part. At once place them on the trellis again, and treat them in every way as recommended for the preceding year. The following varieties are the best, and deserve a place in every stove : D. Brearleyana. — The finest of all. Has immense flowers, with from three to four open on each bunch at a time. The colour is not easy to describe. It is, when properly brought out, extremely rich, differing from any other flower I ever saw — an intense deep reddish-crimson, with a lustre upon it like the Damask Eoae. It has fine dark green leaves, is a remark- ably robust grower, and equally free flowerer. ib. insignis. ^ — A fine variety, with deep rosy-purple flowers of great substance. The leaves are large, and set off the plant to advantage. D. amabilis. — An excellent free-flowering sort, the blooms distinct in colour from both the above, being deep rose, with ample foliage. One of the best plants in cultivation. D. crassinoda. — -A more slender-habited plant than the preceding, with thinner wood and smaller glossy leaves. Its beautiful rose-coloured flowers, which the plant produces freely, are well set off by the yellow throat. I have had a plant of this variety with 150 bunches of flowers upon it at once. D. Williamsii. — This is an improvement upon D. splen- dens, the ground colour, like that variety, being pale blush, with the addition of a deep pink throat, that much enhances its beauty. It blooms freely, and is one of the mosn chaste flowers that we have. D. Boliviensis bears delicate-coloured flowers, much smaller than any of the preceding, and is very distinct from them. There are several other varieties, none of which, however, are equal to those named. All make beautiful climbers for draping the roof of a stove, the splendid colour of their flowers being seen to the greatest advantage thus hanging; but, even when grown in this way, they should not be planted out, as they succeed best in pots where the soil can, in a great measure, be removed every year. In growing Dipladenias it is necessary to keep the soil drier than is required for most stove plants, and also to keep them clean from scale, thrips, bugs, and red spider. Any of these pests will live upon them ; and, if allowed to increase to any considerable extent, disfigure the foliage. THE GARDEN IN THE HOUSE. PLANTS IN DWELLING-HOUSES.* ByB. S. RAND, Juif. A TLiNT lives and breathes, and a want of provision for this breathing is, wc hold, one gi-eat cause of ill success iu indoor culture. A plant breathes through myriads of pores existing more or less numerously in the foliage, according to the species. If these pores become in any degree clogged by the fine dust of the room, just so much is the health of the plant affected by the stoppage of one of the vital functions. The dry air of living rooms, often contaminated by furnace gas or uncon- sumed illuminating gas, is another source of ill health. Plants must breathe a moist pure atmosphere, and an atmosphere charged with coal gases is sure to produce disease. The food of a plant is derived partly (sometimes wholly) from the air, in the form of moisture, and partly from the earth in the form of soluble salts ; this food it elaborates by its own peculiar organism and appropriates to its growth, and, just in the proportion that this food is furnished in suitable form and quantity for such adaptation, will be the healthj' growth of the plant. Plants, too, have their seasons for feeding, and the supply of nutriment must not only be sufficient in quality and quantity, but furnished at the proper time. Light, generally direct sunlight, is important to the health of plants ; comparatively few thrive in shade, and with most the more light the stronger and more vigorous the growth. Plants grow to the light, and, withdrawn from it, they strive to reach it, and become what the gardeners call " drawn," that is, produce long, weak growth, with leaves at long intervals, instead of the short, stocky growth, which is in most plants a sign of health. We thus have the essentials of health in the requisites of air, cleanliness, and light. These properly pro- vided, with judicious watering and suitable soil, success is certain. Let us, however, consider these essentials somewhat in detail. Air. — We have said a vitiated atmosphere is unsuitable for the healthy growth of plants, and such is the air of most parlours and living rooms. Its life is dried out of it by its passing over the red hot iron of our furnaces and stoves. We can all remember instances where plants do well in rooms heated by open wood fires, the most healthy mode of heating a room, both for plants and human beings. Steam heat is better than that of furnaces or stoves, as the air is less contaminated, and can be kept moister. But it is not alone the dryness of the air that is injurious. From all furnaces or stoves more or less gases escape and contaminate the air, and where gas is used * Read before the Massachusetts Horticultui-al Society. 10 THE GAEDEN. [July 3, 1875. for illummation a large percentage escapes unconsumed into the air of the room. Now, how can we remedy this? If possible, by growing our plants in rooms which are not lighted by gas or heated by furnaces or stoves. Where this is impos- sible, by securing, by ventilation, a complete change of the air of the room at least twice a day. Plants seldom require a very high temperature, and most of our living rooms are too hot for them;_a night temperature of 40", rising to 65° or 70° by day, is quite sufficient for the healthy growth of most plants, and this rise of temperature should be mostlv from sun heat. Sudden changes of temperature and cold draughts should be avoided; to some plants a chill is almost as injurious as frost. During the present winter we have grown Palms (Latania), Agaves, Cypripedium insigne, Tillandsias, four species of Ferns, Chinese Primroses, and Pelargoniums, in a large hall, where every cold night the mercury was as low as 4-2'', and more healthy plants one could not wish. A good plan is to separate a bow window from the room by a glass partition, making, in fact, a small conservatory, and thus pure air, moisture, and light, can be secured. Evaporation of water on stoves or furnaces is of great benefit, and should be universally adopted ; in fact, the moister we keep the air of the room, consistently with the health and comfort of the inmates, the better it will be for the plants ; but let us remember that in a low temperature the moisture may be less than where the room is kept very warm. Cleanliness is of the first importance. A dirty plant will not thrive. The fine dust always floating in the air of living rooms settles upon the plants. This is easily removed by sponging with lukewarm water, or by removing the plant to a sink and copioasly showering it from the fine rose of a water- pot. The stem also of hard-wooded plants should be occa- sionally sponged. The frequency of showering or washing must be regulated by the necessities of the case or the nature of the plant. Some plants are impatient of water upon the foliage. In many cases dust may be removed by gentle brushing with a soft feather duster. Under this head we may properly speak of the insects infesting house plants. These are few, and very little attention will keep plants clean. Green fly, or aphis, which is the most common peat, is best destroyed by smoking. Place the infested plant under a barrel, put a few live coals in a dish, moisten some common plug tobacco that it may not blaze, throw it upon the coals, and let the plant remain in the fumes from five to ten minutes ; then give the plant a good syringing or sprinkling, and the work is done. Thrips seldom attacks house plants ; should they be found, smoking will remove them. Eed spider is kept down by moisture — frequent washing and sprinkling will destroy it. Mealy bug is one of the worst pests of the greenhouse, but is rare on house plants. "Washing will remove it, but the best plan is to touch the places where it is seen with a camel's-hair pencil dipped in diluted alcohol. Scale of several kinds is often found on the stems and leaves of home-grown plants ; _ washing with strong soap-suds and persistent application will remove it. A paragraph has been going the round of the papers recommending kerosene oil for scale on Ivy ; that it will destroy scale there is no doubt, but it will also kill the foliage. It might, however be used cautiously if diluted with water, with which it will mix if a little soap is added. A healthy plant is much less likely to be infested with insects, and if plants are kept in stout, vigorous growth, there will be little trouble from any insect pest. A warm dry atmosphere is much more conducive to their development than a low moist temperature. Generally, however, house plants have no insects which a very little care, when they first appear, will not remove. liight is very important to plants, and for most plants direct sunlight is necessary. A southerly window is the best expo- sure, but a deep bow window fronting the south, where the morning sun can come in on the east, and the light of the setting sun on the west, is the best for the growth of plants. If the choice is between an easterly or a westerly ■window, the easterly should be chosen, as the morning sun is better than that of the afternoon. The plants should be as close to the light as possible, as thereby there is less danger of their becoming drawn ; they should be frequently turned, that all sides may have equal exposui-c ; this is espe- cially necessary with quick - growing, soft -wooded plants. Some of the revolving flower-stauds are in this respect very useful, as they enable the plants to be turned to the light without the labour of lifting the pots. Light has also great influence upon the colours of the flowers, which, if grown away from the sun, are usually pale and weak. Water.— We have said that plants derive most of their food from the soluble salts of the soil which are taken up by the rcots in a liquid form and assimilated to the uses of the plant. Sufficient and careful watering is most essential to successful culture, and it is from neglect in this particular that so many ' failures arise. The quantity of water needed varies with the nature of the plant ; a very little suffices for some, others require a large supply. There are, however, very few plants that will flourish with water standing around the roots. Therefore, in potting, provision should be made, by ample drainage, for the escape of all superfluous water, and where saucers are used all water which drains off should be emptied. Watering may be more or less frequent according to the nature of the plant, but should always be thorough ; not little driblets, given now and then, moistening the surface-soil, and leaving the centre of the ball dust dry, but a good soaking, thoroughly wetting all the soil until the water runs ofi:; then do not water again until the plant is dry. The temperatiire of the water should never be below that of the air of the room ; it may be higher, and the water may even be lukewarm ; but the many paragraphs found in newspapers advising the use of hot water are no less pernicious than absurd. The best mode of enrich- ing the soil is by water ; guano, the salts of ammonia, and other manures may be applied in a soluble form ; caution is necessary, however, lest the manure be too strong, thereby injuring the plant ; and usually, if the soil is good, no manure will be required. It a plant exhausts the soil, the best remedy is re-pottiug. Soil. — The soil in which the plant is grown is an important element of culture. For most house plants a rich light soil is suitable, such as may be easily made by a slight mixture of fine fresh sand with good garden loam. In this, if good drainage is secured, most plants will do well. Where, how- ever, it can be obtained, a mixture of two parts of well-rotted turf and one part sharp sand is preferable. If there is a neighbouring greenhouse it is easy to obtain such soil, but any sweet earth which is not sodden, or is, by becoming so, allowed to get sour, will grow common plants well. It is a good plan to stir the surface of the soil in the pots whenever it becomes hard ; this is especially beneficial to Eoses. The addition of a few bits of charcoal to the soil often increases the brilliancy of the flowers, and to some plants powdered bone imparts a more vigorous growth. To conclude : while plants may live and often bloom with little care, and often in spite of neglect, they will repay well directed care by vigour of growth and profusion of bloom. While their wants are but few, attention to these is essential to their health ; and, in the house culture of plants, if they arc worth growing at all, they are well worth the care which is necessary for successful culture. Plants for House Culture. One great reason of failure in the culture of window plants is the choice of unsuitable species or varieties. There are many plants, indeed a large proportion, with which room culture is an impossibility. We are not able to supply the essential wants of the plant, and it sickens and dies. Yet there are many, very many plants, which may be most successfully grown, and some of these we propose to mention. We must, however, bear in mind that very few plants will succeed, if they are removed at once from the warm, moist atmosphere of the greenhouse to the parlour or living room ; the change is too great, and the plant receives a shock from which it seldom recovers. Plants from a greenhouse should be gradually hardened off, and then will not suffer. Of the tens of thousands of pot pknts sold from the street stands in spring, probably not one in ten survives. These plants are forced into bloom in small pots, have no constitution, and very few of them ever give another flower. Plants taken from the garden in autumn to winter in the house should be carefully potted early in September, hardened off in the shade out of doors, and removed to the house when the nights become frosty ; on warm July 3, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 11 sunny days they should have plenty of fresh air. Treated thus we may have autumn and early winter bloom, whereas, if we delay the autumn transplanting until the plants are checked by frost, they seldom give bloom till February. Our mention of species and varieties suited for house culture must neces- sarily be brief, and will be confined to winter plants There are many flowers which do very well in rooms in summer, and which are valuable for those having no garden. Many of the plants we mention are very constant bloomers, and the foliaged species are ornamental both in winter and in summer. Roses. — These charming and popular flowers are not well adapted for house culture. The dry air affects most varieties unfavourably, and they rarely give satisfaction. Those with very double flowers seldom expand theirbuds. There are, how- ever, a few old varieties which were formerly more common than at present, and which do well, and ai'e worth growing. The best is Sanguinea, a very bright, semi-double variety, flowering in clusters, and always in bloom. Agrippina is a good pot Eose. The Pink monthly, if grown to a large plant, is seldom out of bloom. Jennie is a very fragrant Tea, and though not a first- class Rose is well worth growing. Safrano .and Pauline Labonte, two of our best Teas, do well if the air of the room is kept moist and not too hot. Roses in the house need frequent stirring of the surface soil. If the earth in the pots is sour and sodden they soon become sickly. Abutilons. — All the species thrive in the house, except nerhaps the red flowered (A. insigne), and even this we have seen doing well. The best is the common A. striatum, which is always in bloom, is a very clean plant, and of sym- metrical growth. Many species are tall growers, and are too large for common cultivation ; where space and sufficient light can be given, they form fine bushes which give a pro- fusion of bloom. A. Pattersoni is, as a rule, a very free blooming large-flowered variety of compact growth. A. Verschaffeltii has bright sulphur- coloured flowers in great profusion. A. Thompsoni and A. vesillarium variegatum are valuable for their bright foliage ; the former, however, requires more heat than most kinds. A. vexillarium has charmingly- contrasted flowers of red and yellow. A. Boule de Neige is a new dwarf, free-flowering white variety, which promises to be very valuable. All Abutilons require a rich, light soil, with good drainage, and plenty of water and light. They thrive in the dry atmosphere of living rooms better than most plants, and with very little care give fine foliage and abundance of bloom. Cuph.eas. — For constant bloom there is no better variety than the so-called " Cigar plant " (C. platycentra). It has bright, cheerful little flowers, grows freely, and never seems to become sickly. Cyclamens. — The varieties of Cyclamen persicum are all well suited for house culture. A neater, more attractive plant, it would be difficult to find. The tuber should be started into growth in October, watered moderately until in active growth, then more freely. Tne more light and suu the better. Seedling varieties are easily obtained, and are very cheap ; in colour they vary from pure white to deep rosy-red. Cactuses. — These are mostly summer bloomers, and all do well with but little care. There is, however, one winter blooming species, Epiphyllum truncatum, which is a capital window plant. Give it a light, not very rich soil, with good drainage, be careful not to over-water, and it will not fail to give satis- faction. In the species the flowers are pink, but in the many varieties, all of which do equally well, we have many shades of red and violet, and some remarkably beautiful flowers. The best are Russellianum, violaceum, tricolor, salmoneum album, and omentum ; but all are good and worth growing. Oxalises. — Of thischarming familyall the species commonly found in greenhouses may be well grown in the house. They should be started into growth in the room and not taken from a greenhouse. The foliage of most is neat and Clover-like, and that of some beautifully cut. The flowers are pink, white, and yellow. 0. versicolor is a very pretty basket plant, beautiful in foliage, bud, and flower. The common yellow species (O.cernua) is very fragrant and free-blooming. 0. laxula and the variety alba have large pink or white flowers. 0. floribunda, both pink and white, is never out of bloom, vrinter or summer. Soil, rich and light, plenty of water when growing, gradually lessen- ing the supply as the plants dry off, and perfect rest in summer until the time comes for re-potting and growth. Triteleia.— This little hardy bulb (T. uniflora) gives plenty of flower in a sunny window. Treat the bulbs as prescribed for Oxalis. The flower varies from pearly-white to blue, and continues long in beauty. The odour of Garlic which pervades the plant is not perceived unless the blossoms are gathered. Bulbs cost only a few pence each. It is one of the best and most easily grown window plants. Chinese Primrose— This is a plant of easy culture, very free-blooming, never infested with iusects, and always beautiful. Young plants raised from spring-sown seed will make largo blooming plants by autumn. The soil should be rich and light, and the plants should have as much sun as possible. The same plant will bloom from November to May — indeed a fault of the plant, if fault it has, is that it often blooms itself to death. The double varieties are not as desirable as the single for house culture, and the Fern-leaved kinds, although elegant in foliage, possess no remarkable blooming qualities. This Primrose is one of the best of window plants. Pinks. — Many of the monthly Pinks do well in the house. The plants should be lifted from the ground in September, and grown in a light airy room. They will not bloom freely until after the turn of the year, but when they once begin will continue for a long time. The three best in colour are La Purete, red; Astoria, yellow ; and President de Graw, white. Myrsiphyllum asparagoides.— This pretty climber may be very easily grown as a common window plant, and will flower and fruit freely. Pot the I'oots in autumn in rich, well-drained soil, and give the plants plenty of light, with very little heat. The chief cause of failure with this pLint is the heat of the room. Train the delicate shoots to a flat trellis, or lot them run across the window on strings. Dust the foliage if it becomes dirty, and give air on every day when the temperature is above freezing. Cypripediums. — One of the Lady's-slippers (C. insigne), is a good parlour plant. The soil should be coarse peat and fine sand. Keep the plant moist, but never wet. It will stand any heat, but suffers from cold. The curious flowers are produced in December, and last in full beauty two months. Pelargoniums. — The zonal varieties are best for window culture. A rich, well-drained soil and plenty of sun and light are the requisites for success. If kept in the dark the plants soon become drawn, and if not frequently turned they grow one- sided. The aim should be to get short, stocky growth. Tho varieties with variegated foliage are all pretty, and generally do well in the parlour, but they are very inferior in flower. The species with scented foliage, familiarly known as the Rose, Lemon, Apple, Clove, Nutmeg, and Peppermint Geraniums, are all worth growing ; in flower they are ineffective ; but many of the varieties of the Rose Geranium have beautiful finely- cut foliage. The large-flowered Pelargoniums arc generally unsuitable for window culture, though we have sometimes seen them well grown and bloomed. Richardia. — This African Lily (R. sethiopica) is one of the best window plants. Give a rich soil and plenty of water — indeed, the plants may stand in water without injury. In spring, plant out the tubers, re-potting again early in Septem- ber. The dwarf variety is desirable. The species with spotted foliage must be wholly dried off in summer ; its only beauty is the foliage, the flower not being especially handsome. Azaleas. — The varieties of Aziilea indica and phoenicea bloom freely as window plants. The reason why Azaleas so seldom bloom well in houses is that care is not taken to ripen the young growth which succeeds the flowers, and in which the buds are formed for the next year's bloom. Unless the air of the room is kept moist. Azaleas are apt to drop their foliage. The species, white and purple, are better for house culture than any of the varieties, and of the varieties those with large foliage succeed better than the fine leaved kinds. Camellias. — If the room is kept cool and without furnace heat Camellias may be bloomed in the house as well as in the greenhouse. The chief difficulty is the dropping of tho flower-buds, caused by dry hot air. Do not attempt to force 12 THE GARDEN. [July 3, 1875. them, give plenty o£ fresli air on mild days, and there will be a fine spring bloom. Oranges.— Orange trees, where there is room for them, may be successfully grown ; they require the same general culture as Camellias, but will stand more heat. Cleanliness of the leaves and branches is of first importance. They bloom in spring, and seldom fail to set and ripen fruit. The Chinese dwarf Oranges are easily grown, and flower and fruit freely. Pittosporum. — This old-fashioned plant (P. Tobira), is now very seldom grown. It is, however, to be recommended ; the foliage is hard and coriaceous, well adapted to stand a hot and dry atmosphere ; the flowers are pretty, freely produced, and deliciously fragrant. It needs but little care, is seldom sickly, and thrives in any exposure. Jasmines. — Thelndian Jasmine (J.revolutum)isa charming, free-flowering species, with rich dark green foliage, and frag- rant yellow flowers. It thrives in the parlour, and well repays the trouble of growing. Soil a light peaty loam, good drainage, and plenty of water. We have seen one plant of this species entirely filling a large bay window, and bearing hundreds of flowers. Tropseolums. — The varieties of TropEeolum minus will often make a window very gay with a profusion of bright flowers in spring. The plants, during autumn and early winter, should have all possible light, and be kept rather dry. They will not grow much until after January; then, as the days become longer, they will make long shoots with flowers in the axil of every leaf. A pretty mode of growth is to train the shoots backwards and forwards across the window ; the flowers thus show well from the outside. A great cause of failure in blooming hard-wooded plants well in the house is neglecting them during the summer. Parlour plants are too often, as soon as the weather gets warm, seb out on a piazza, or under trees, or in a back yard, exposed to parching suns and drying winds, irregularly watered, and, in fact, generally neglected untilautumn comes again. The wonder is how so many survive and why they bloom at all. Let us bear in mind that it is in the summer that these plants prepare for the winter bloom, and that they need care and attention then quite as much as in winter. Thus have we given a list of some of the plants suited for window culture. We have pur- posely omitted mention of the difi^ereiit species of Dutch bulbs, such as Hyacinths, Narcissus, &c. ; of foliaged plants, such as Dracasnas and Begonias, some of which do well ; of Ferns, of Ivy, and of the large tribe of succulents, many of which are very ornamental; also summer-blooming plants, Hoyas, Fuchsias, Vallotas, and a host of others. The list is quite long enough for selection. We cannot each of us grow all, but each can choose his plants from those mentioned ; and, with care bestowed intelligently, there is little fear of failure. NOTES AND QUESTIONS ON THE GARDEN IN THE HOUSE. A Good Basket Plant.— I bare a large basket hanging in my porch, open to the south, which is always pretty, although it is several years since it was filled. The principal object is a large Golden Honeysuckle (Lonicera anrea reticulata), which hangs down in a most graceful manner. Associated with it are a few plants of Pteris serrulata, Oak. leaf and scarlet Geraniums, and a quantity of the wild blue Veronica or Speedwell ; these form a combination superior, both in effect and endurance, to the choicest stove climbers.— J. Gboom. Dianthns Highclere.— Besides being "a useful plant for mixed borders," as your correspondent " N. H. P." states (see p. 483, Vol. VII.). we find a few plants of this Pink (well established in pots, in the same way as Carnations, and placed in a cold frame, from which severe frost can be excluded) invaluable for cutting and making good button-holes. — A. H. Thoebsby. Lobelia Blue Beauty.— This is an excellent kind both for window boxes and for beds. It belongs to the Pumila section, is a robust grower, and has flowers of large size, and nch in colour. It is largely used at Chiswick and at South Kensington, as its compact habit and rich dark blue flowers render it moat effective in whatever way it is grown. In the working out of carpet designs in beds, or for edgings. Lobelias belonging to this section are niost valuable, as they never grow out of shape, and are much more trustworthy than kinds belonging to the old speciosa strain. I can recommend Blue Beauty to all who want a good free-flowering and effective variety.— Alex. Dean. Ferns for the House.— Mr. E. S. Rand finds Nephrolepis exaltata, Adiantum cuneatura, Pteris tremula, and P. cretica albo-lineata, thrive perfectly in the ordinary dry air of a dwelling-house. Pteris serrulata, which grows so freely in the hothouse, will not thrive in a room. Salt Water Aquariums.— Several writers in the "Belgique Horticole" have given the results of their experience in managing marine aciuariums. Mr. Bauwens says that he has possessed a marine atiuarium nearly ten years, and the sea-water has never been renewed. All that he does is to add fresh water as the salt water evaporates, the same degree of saltness being invariably maintained. THE AMATEUR'S GARDEN. By THOMAS BAINES. Kitchen Garden. — Where Spinach is required all through tho season, seed must be sown regularly every fortnight, as it will not stand much beyond that period without running to seed ; any vacant spot that can be cleared from other plants may be used for this pur. pose. As the crop of Cabbage is cut, strip the leaves from the stumps, as they only harbour slugs and caterpillars ; give the ground a good soaking with manure-water to assist the stools to throw out fresh side shoots, which will furnish through the remainder of the season a useful supply of tender sprouts. lieeks. — If these have been treated as advised earlier in the season, by being sown at the proper time, and thinned out in the seed-bed, so as to give them enough room to grow, they will now bo in good order for planting. The ground they are to occupy should be well dug to the depth of 15 inches, and broken fine, so as not to leave any large hard lumps. Plant in rows, 15 inches apart, with 8 or 9 inches between the plants ; and, in planting, use a stout dibber, that will make holes 8 inches deep and 2 inches (or a little more) in diameter. In these place the plants, dropping in soil to the depth of 1 or 2 inches, but no more, leaving the rest of the hole open, and giving a good watering, so as to settle the soil. By only partially filling tho hole, the requisite air gets down to the roots, and tho opening above affords space for the stems of the plants to thicken, and also blanches them in a way that imparts the peculiar delicate flavour which a well-grown Leek possesses. If the ground is good and well enriched, they will, under this treatment, grow almost as thick as a man's wrist, and are far superior to the small, tough, strong-flavoured specimens of this vegetable which are often to be met with. Killing and Charring Weeds, &c. — Hand-weeding is very slow work, and where all the culinary vegetables are grown in rows, as they ought to be, there is comparatively little of it required ; but the late showery weather has much retarded the use of the hoe, and, in many cases, ihe removal of weeds by hand will have to be resorted to ; it may be well to remind those who are novices in gardening that it will not sufiice to merely pull up weeds that have got to a con. siderable size, and leave them on the surface of the ground, as with many of the annual species, especially Groundsel and Chickweed, it would merely hasten their increase, for the seeds in a very short time become sufficiently developed to grow, if the plants are pulled up when they are apparently only just opening their flowers. There is no safe way with them but removal to the refuse heap, where, if mixed with Grass mowings, green Potato-tops, and other vegetable haulm, they quickly get so hot by fermentation as to destroy the vitality of the seeds. Treated in this way, and soaked with soapy water and house-slops they become valuable fertilisers, and as such will be found by amateurs more effective than animal manure used alone. The right principle upon which to act is to return to the soil, in a decomposed harmless condition, all that it has produced of a useless description, without recourse to burning, which, under the impression that there is no other way of killing some weeds that are unusually tenacious of life, is sometimes resorted to. With good management this is unnecessary, and, aa it is wasteful, should never take place. It may be necessary to point out that there is a great difference between charring and burning; in the former the bulk ia comparatively slightly reduced ; in the latter little is left. In a garden nothing should be burnt except it be too woody to rot, such as prunings and strong hedge-clippings. When hedges have received their summer dressing the clippings may be partially dried and afterwards used for charring weeds, such as Couch (3rass. They should be mixed with clay or other earthy matter, sufficient to prevent the whole from blazing, a smouldering heat, suflicient to destroy vege. table life, being all that is required. The material so treated will not be very much reduced in bulk, and ia very useful for digging into the kitchen garden, especially where the soil ia of a heavy nature. Hedges. — In summer.clipping it is necessary to discriminate between those that will bear it without injury and those that will not. Old hedges are not liable to be injured by clipping, but the vigour of young hedgea is somewhat impaired by summer-pruning, on account of the large amount of leaves removed in the process. Amateurs will do well to note throughout the season the varieties of different plants, especially those of culinary vegetables, that succeed best with them ; for, although .a variety may be excellent in quality, local influences frequently render it unsuitable for particular soils. For instance, that excellent Strawberry British Qneen will not thrive in some gardens, whilst in others, perhaps onlj' a few hundred yards off, it will succeed admirably. The same fact ia often noticed with Potatoes ; these are not only influenced, as regards yield, by the nature of the soil in different places, but the quality is so much affected that particular varieties, when grown in some situations, July 3, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 13 would scarcely be reoogaisable when cooked. Long Carrots will not do at all in certain places where the Short Horn kinds do well. Climbers covering walls, such as Roses, Clematis, Honeysuckle, and other plants of a similar character, will, as they make growth, require nailing, tying to wires, or securing in some way ; but do not allow tho shoots to grow too long before this is done or they are certain to get broken or chafed by the wind, and it is the more neces- sary to attend well to this in the case of any that have not yet covered their allotted space. It frequently happens that plants intended to cover walls, however desirable it is that the object should be accomplished with as little delay as possible, do not receive suffi- cient water in dry summer weather ; even when enough rain falls to moisten the soil sufficiently where it ia open, it does not always reach the roots of plants so situated, especially where the walls are high. In such oases good soakings of water should be given when it is dry. The blooming of Roses that cover largo spaces on walls is often of very short duration, on account of the deficiency of moisture at the roots, and not only is the flowering affected, but the foliage is scanty, and becomes a prey to aphides and red spider ; the use of the garden-engine or syringe is here indispensable, as the leaves, from their position, receive little benefit from being washed with tho rains. As the first flowers of the Hybrid Perpetual section are over they should at once be removed, or they will seriously interfere with the later blooming. Keep the foliage clean and healthy by repeated use of the syringe ; this will greatly assist thorn in pro. ducing flowers through the season. Flower Garden.— The beds should be gone over every ten days or so to regulate the plants and remove all dead leaves and weeds ; the cold chilly nights we have had since bedding-out time has pre- Vfented many plants making much progress. Tender subjects, such as Coleus, in some situations have suffered so much as to be past reeovei-y ; if the advice given some time back, of keeping reserve plants in hand to fill up blanks, has been followed, the utility of these will now be apparent, as tender plants that have been slightly pro. teoted from the cold will, in a very short time, be more effective than those that were first planted and that have been stunted. Flo-wer Garden" and Pleasure Grounds. Rhododendrons and other American plants will now be out of bloom, and their seed-pods may be removed with advantage, inas- much as allowing them to remain has the effect of impairing the production of bloom next year. Where Lilies or Gladioli are grown among American plants they may now require to be neatly staked, when their showy blossoms will soon enliven the mass of dark- foliaged plants with which they are associated. In advising the removal of decaying blooms and seed-pods from the Rhododendron, it is unnecessary to say that the same applies equally to the Rose and to various other flowering shrubs ; for, as a rule, blooms generally (unless seed is required) should be removed as soon as they begin to decay. When the weather is very dry it is always advisable about this time, or when American plants are making their growth and about to form flower-buds, to give the soil in which they are growing a good supply of water; but the fre- quent and heavy falls of rain experienced last mouth may, in many instances, have rendered this operation unnecessary. These rainfalls have also been beneficial to all newly turned.out bedding plants ; but, wherever failures may have occurred, they should at once be made good. All beds planted in the embroidered or carpet style will also require to be frequently attended to, in order to check the undue development of certain species, so that others, more delicate, and of slower growth, may be able to keep pace with them ; for it must be remembered that, in carrying out this style, species very distinct and dissimilar from each other must be nsed, as, for example, the richly.coloured Alternantheras, Coleuses, &o., from South America, and the hardy Ajugas, Antennarias, Sedums, &c., indigenous to Britain and the south of Europe ; all of which, from their habit of growth, colour of foliage, &o., are well adapted to the purpose, and only require attention in training, regulating, and pinching in. Attend carefully to regulating the growth of the various climbing plants used in the parterres, such as Roses, Honey, suckles, Clematises, Tropoeolums, &c. Many bulbs and tubers of various kinds, such as double and single Anemones, Ranunculuses, and others, will now be ripe, and should be taken up and stored ; while, on the margin of shrubbery borders and similar situations. Narcissi and other bulbous plants, such as Soillas, Tulips, and Crocuses, should be over.hanled every two or three years, and, as their foliage will now be decayed, and their bulbs ripe, they may be taken up and stored until the autumn, when they should be again planted in fresh soil. With regard, however, to all such scaly bulbs as those of the Lily family, the sooner they are planted the better ; and whenever they are taken up for the purpose of division or separation, beds or stations for them should be at once prepared, and they should be re-planted as soon as possible. All should be carefully labelled at the time of planting, so that their exact position may be known while they are at rest, and injury to them be avoided. Cuttings of Rosea and other hardy shrubs, which may have been forced into flower, will now strike very freely if placed under hand-glasses, in any shady situation ; as will also cuttings of many hardy herbaceous plants, but, in selecting such cuttings, avoid gross or strong shoots, as weak side, shoots will be found to strike root more freely, and will make better plants. Cuttings may also now be put under hand-glasses of Pansies, Pinks, Sweet Williams, and double Wallflowers, ; and seed of the Brampton and Queen Stocks may still ba sown, with the view to having them in bloom next May. — P. Gkieve, Oulford, Bury St. Udmunds. Orehids. Of these many will now be considerably advanced in growth and will require to be regularly and plentifully supplied with water. Calanthe vestita, C. Veitohii, and their varieties, should be watered with weak liquid manure twice a week. Plants of Odonto. glossum grande should not be syringed over their leaves until they have partly formed their bulbs ; for, if water should lodge in the growth before the bulbous part is formed, and allowed to remain there for any length of time, it will cause them to damp and rot. Odontoglossura Bluntii, Masdevallias, Oncidium macranthum, and their varieties, should have their leaves syringed in tho morniuo- on bright days ; they will then have time to get dry before the evening and be benefited by the dewy atmosphere of the house, a condition which is most essential to their well.doing. The East ludia.house will now require to ba plentifully charged with moisture ; this is important, as regards the health and vigour of the inmates, the greater part of which are air plants. Many Dendrobiums will now be making growth freely, and should have a temperature varying from 75° to 90° with sun.heat. Syringe the plants, benches, and floors, twice a day, and, on bright days, shade with a thin canvas. Most of the Cattleyas, especially the Trianse section, will now require a greater quantity of water than they have hitherto had. Oncidium ampliatum and 0. Lanceanum grow freely in a temperature of 63° by night and 80° by day, with sun.heat. 0. obryzatura, 0. flexuosum, 0. sphacelatum, 0. ornithorhynohum, 0. leucochilum, O. altissimum, O. crispum, O. sessile, 0. divaricatum, and 0. bicallosum, all grow and flower freely placed at the dry end of the Cattleya-house. Miltonia Moreliana, M. spectabilis, and M. Candida, while growing, require a great quantity of water, and Sphagnum Moss should be allowed to grow on the surface of the pots. Pilumna fragrans is deserving of a place in every collection of Orchids ; if grown at the warm end of the Cattleya-house, it will produce its beautiful white flowers in abnn. dance during the dull months of winter. — E. Culley, Ferniehurst Shipley. Indoor Fruit Department. Vines. — The progress made by newly-planted Vines the first season has so much influence on their subsequent condition that their requirements should be a matter for careful consideration. The principal young shoots should be tied as each wire is reached ; the side growths should not be pinched unless they are obstructing the light. One-year-old canes, especially of Black Alicante, Barbarossa, and Syrian, are often months in starting into growth freelv • the shoots grow until they are 6 or 8 inches long and then stop' ' The lowermost shoot is frequently more vigorous than the top one ; and when such is the case, the strongest one may be taken up as the principal leader. Except in the case of Muscats no fire heat is now needed in Vineries, either during the night or at any other time as a temperature of 65° can be maintained by husbanding the heat of the sun in the afternoon. Muscats will ripen, in a certain fashion, in a night temperature a few degrees below 70S ; but where perfection is desired, nothing under that need be tried. ' Pines. — The first batch of suckers may now be taken off and potted. Queens, from which the earliest fruit was cut, should have them in a fine mature condition. Plants bearing fruit may have large suckers also, but the size should not be taken as a "uido to their fitness for being taken off, for no sucker should be cut from the parent plant unless the base of it is hard and nut.brown in colour let its size be ever so great. Those taken off and potted with blanched tender bases seldom succeed, and should be allowed to remain on the plant for a month, or even longer if necessary. In taking off the suckers, be careful not to bruise their leaves or injure their stem. Some of them may be twisted off with the hand ; others with a firmer hold require to be cut closely into the old stem with a knife. But this mode of operation needs a little care when the plants ' are in fruit, as the foliage is easily damaged. Pull all the small bottom leaves off with the hand ; but do not go above the point where the brown colour terminates, and do not touch any of the small roots which will be seen protruding round the bottom of the stem. Where accomodation is available, each sucker should be placed in a 6.inch pot, 14 THE GARDEN. [July 3, 1875. into which 2 inches of broken crooks should be put as drainage. The compost used should be the best fibrous loam, to each barrow load of which should be added an 8-inch pot full of fine bone-dust. When the soil is somewhat retentive, some horse-droppings may be intermixed with it. The soil should be firmly pressed about the sucker with the hand, and the pots plunged in any pit or frame where a bottom-heat of from 85° to 90° can be obtained for five or six weeks. The suckers should not be watered until their roots have reached the side of the pots. Syringe overhead every hot afternoon, and shade closely until enough roots are formed to prevent the leaves from shrivelling j or a check may be given from which it will take them a considerable time to recover. By putting the largest suckers in now the growth may be so far advanced that there will be every chance of their fruiting next autumn, instead of the following spring. — J. Muir. Hardy Fruit. Strawberries, Raspberries, Red, White, and Black Currants and Cherries, are all ripening together this season, and what between gathering and protecting such fruits from birds, the labour required just now is enormous, but as this work cannot be deferred without running great risk of injury to either fruit or trees every effort should be made to accomplish it in time, whatever the cost may be. Fruit, for preserving, should be gathered when perfectly dry, and if there has been no rain whatever on the ripe fruit it is likely to keep all the better. Cover up with mats or close-meshed netting any currants intended for exhibition or dessert, but, before doing so, see that the trees are free from aphis, or the fruit will soon spoil. Give a final thinning to all stone fruits, which will now have completed the stoning process. Plums, especially, are a heavy crop, and if any are expected next season they should be severely thinned out, two light crops are, or ought to be, preferable to one heavy one, and is not nearly so injurious to the trees. Thanks to the heavy rains with which we have been favoured, the prospects of the Apple crop is much improved, as the blight has all but disappeared, and some kinds will, contrary to expectation, require artificial thinning. Of course, on old orchard trees thinning is quite out of the question, and they must be left to take their chance, but bushes, pyramids, espaliers, and cordons, should be as well cared for in this respect as Apricots, Peaches, or Pears. The shoots of Morello Cherries, Peaches, and Nectarines, intended for next year's fruiting, should now be laid, tied, or nailed in, avoiding the too common error of retaining too many ; all should have space sufficient to allow of sunshine reaching every bud. Figs and Grape Vines in the open air are looking well this season ; and, if we get hot weather during August and September, the crops will be good. Pinch out the points of the new shoots of Vines one joint beyond the fruit, and of Figs so soon as the new shoots have made three or four joints. Water copiously, as both kinds are very impatient of drought. Follow up former directions as to the destruction and prevention of aphis, spider, and mildew, as no satisfactory growth can be made by the trees so long as these pests infest them.— W. WiLDS.\nTH, Heclifield. " In a Turnipy Manner." — The greater number of plants feed and grow at the same time ; but there are some of them which like to feed first and grow afterwards. For the first year, or, at all events, the first period of their life, they gather material for their future life out of the ground and out of the air, and lay it up in a storehouse as bees make combs. Of these stores — for the most part rounded masses tapering downwards into the ground — some are as good for human beings as honeycombs are ; only not so sweet. We steal them from the plants, as we do from the bees, and these conical upside-down hives or treasuries of Atreus, under the names of Carrots, Turnips, and Radishes, have had important influence on human fortunes. If we do not steal the store, next year the plant lives upon it, raises its stem, flowers and seeds out of tliat abundance, and having fulfilled its destiny, and provided for its successor, passes away, root and branch together. There is a pretty example of patience for us in this ; and it would be well for young people to set themselves to grow in a carroty or turnipy manner, and lay up secret store, not caring to exhibit it until the time comes for fruitful display. But they must not in after-life, imitate the spend-thrift vegetable, and blossom only in the strength of what they learned long ago ; else they soon come to contemptible end. Wise people live like Laurels and Cedars, and go on mining in the earth, while they adorn and embalm the air. — " Proserpina." MODES OF DESTEOYING MOLE CEIOKETS. M. Oswald db Keechove de Dentekghem, writing in the " Bulletin d' Arboriculture Beige," gives the following descrip. tion of several methods of destroying the mole cricket, which those who are troubled with them would do well to take notice of. Most Continental cultivators know to their cost the mole cricket that attacks the roots of plants, and are familiar with its singularly repulsive appearance, its deep brown colour, its enormous denticulated claws, and its immense cuirass: — "This insect is," said Olivier lo Serres many years ago, " the most dangerous enemy that is to be found in gardens." It is not that the mole cricket devours the plants, for these insects are not herbivorous, but in their pursuit after other insects they excavate subterranean passages, and in doing so cut through all the roots they meet with. The mole cricket has for its implacable foes the golden beetle, moles, hedgehogs, crows, and jackdaws. There are many methods of catching this pest ; one is to pour oil and water into their tunnels. This brings the mole cricket to the surface, but it only leaves its abode to die. The plan is an easy one when the insects have established their ' drives ' in paths, but it is exceedingly difiioult to capture them when they have commenced their inroads on parterres full of young plants. M. Henri Reccing some years ago gave the following advice respecting their destruction, as likely to be most successful. Having procured some fresh horsedung, a heap of middling size should be formed with it at the extremity of each little alley left between the plants attacked. This mass of manure, well trampled on, is left without being disturbed for five or six days. At the end of this time the trap may be opened. The gardener, armed with a fork, opens the mound of manure at a stroke, scat, tering and killing the mole crickets as they attempt to escape. The heap must then be re-made, and, if dry, it must be Bird Scarers. — We have not had any advice for the p:entleman ^Tho wrote (see p. -190), Baying that the birds had built in the pocket of one of his scare- crows ; but a letter in the *' Northampton Mercury " says : — '* There is now to be seen in a fruit tree overhanging a walk in a garden near Vigo, on the Bedford Road, a robin's nest in the sleeve of an old coat, that has been used for a scarecrow 1 There are four eggs in the nest."— W. T. L. The Mole Cricket. watered, and new dung added to it. If the " runs " of the mole cricket are in the direction of the heap, care must be taken not to disturb them, for the first arrivals point out the way to many others. This remedy is inexpensive enough. M. Gonet, sub-inspector of French forests, accidentally discovered another which is remarkably simple and ingenious. A bed which was used by him for raising new forest trees was attacked by the mole cricket ; and the young plants could hardly be kept alive, owing to the constant movement of the soil. In order to protect them from the heat of the sun, M. Gonet shaded them %vell with straw mats, which were removed every evening. One morning, through forgetfulness, these coverings were not put on ; and, after the evening watering had taken place, one of them remained upon the damp ground, until the following noon. When taken up, the ground beneath was still damp, and about ten mole crickets were brought to light. This plan of destruction was often adopted afterwards ; it is an easy and cheap one, requiring only copious waterings and a few useless straw mats, choice being made of hot dry days to set the trap. At sunset, the ground is watered, and those portions of it nearest the borders to be protected are then covered. Attracted by the coolness of the ground, all the mole crickets in the neighbourhood will gather near the spot the following day when the sun is hottest, and nothing is easier than to seize and destroy them. This method will always be successful after May, and may safely be recommended. The pursuit of this insect should, where it exists, go on throughout the whole year. Above all, every effort should be made to destroy the eggs in the month of July. Those spots, which are slightly elevated in the form of a dome will be found to contain the nest, which is a little oval chamber below the level of the "runs." The eggs should be thrown into boiling water. In Belgium, the sandy character of the soil renders the inroads of the insects most destructive, and entails the necessity of the most persevering search for them, for they multiply at a prodigious rate. The eggs may be counted by the thousand in the nests, and if they are neglected for one year the consequences are felt to a disastrous extent long afterwards. They should be hunted down without mercy ; and it is well to remember a German saying — " If you are travelling in a carriage and you meet a mole-cricket, pull up, even if you are going down hill, and do not resume your journey until you have crushed it." July 3, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 15 LONDON FLOWERS. The last ten years have seen a vast improvement in the taste dig. played in many points of our domestic and social life, but perhaps in none is the advance more remarkable than in the attention now paid to the floral adornments of our rooms, balconies, and public places of resort. Formerly the most daring and ambitious spirit hardly aspired beyond a green box full of Stocks and Mignonette placed outside each window; now this dead level of uniformity is broken through, and our eyes are refreshed, and the dreary monotony of our far from picturesque streets relieved by the feathery white- ness of the SpirEoa, the rich blue of the luxuriant and graceful Lobelia, the drooping bells of Fuchsias, the delicate hues of Pelar- goniums, Cinerarias, Heaths, and many other greenhouse plants ; the gay yellow of Calceolarias, the richer tints being tempered by the grey-green leaves of the Nasturtium ; and last, though by no means least, by the graceful fronds of our common English Ferns. Ten years ago the idea of planting Ferns in a box as a decoration for a London window had hardly occurred to even the most enthu- siastic plant lover ; now, no house where plants are at all cherished is without some of them, and, as fresh green is, of all things, the greatest desideratum to the eye weary of dusty streets and sun- baked brick walls, their introduction has been a great boon to our citizens, especially those whose opportunities of enjoying the beauties of FerLS in their native haunts are few and far between. Ferns have also the great merit of being easy to obtain and cultivate. Those able to purchase more costly plants may affect to despise them, but it is surely pleasanter when seated at breakfast to gaze through a screen of Ferns than through those wire abominations known as dining-room blinds. ^ is a common remark that flowers outside a house are ostentations, as, from their arrangement, sloping downwards to the outer edge, they cannot be enjoyed by the inmates ; those who thus object, however, forget that they enjoy the full beauty of their opposite neighbour's horticultural efforts, and are bound to make him some return. Besides, is it nothing to add to the pleasures — all too scanty — of the dusty and toil-worn way.farers of our streets ? And that the delicate flowers displayed in windows and balconies afford plea, sure may be easily road in the admiring and loving glances directed towards them. Such a civilising influence is by no means to be despised ; it carries on in the hot dusty streets the good work begun in our now well.cared-for parks, and perchance reaches many a son or daughter of toil, in whose hard-working lives parks and gardens are words, and nothing more. The increased use of flowers at balls, receptions, and other entertainments during the last few years has been most remarkable. Formerly a row of pots, generally of Hydrangea, placed under the staircase and backed by evergreens, was considered the iie plus tiUra of beauty and good taste. Now colours are blended with thought and care, graceful Palms and feathery Ferns break up monotonous lines, and drooping Fuchsias, blooming Roses, many-hued Coleuses, and exotics beyond nuniber, lend their aid to the general effect. On our dinner. tables, too, floral decoration reigns triumphant; and why not ? The very first suggestion of such a thing is met by an outcry as to expense; and certainly, it nothing but Stephanotis, prize Roses, and Maiden-hair Fern will content us, the clamour is not without cause. But Ivy and common Ferns, Primroses, Moss Roses, red and white, and other ordinary flowers, are by no means costly ; and these, arranged with taste by skilful hands, produce effects far superior to those attained by a less artistic dis- position of the most expensive blossoms. So long, however, as ladies will not take the trouble to arrange their flowers themselves, so long will the floral adornments of their tables and drawing-rooms be unsatisfactory. Flowers give the finishing touch of relinement to everything with which they are associated, but their arrangement requires taste and judgment. Strong.scented flowers should neither be used in a drawing-room nor a dining-room. — " World." Wireworm the Cause of Diseased Potato Haulm. — Mr. P. McKinlay, the well-known Potato grower, of Beckenham, who cultivates almost every kind of American Potato, has certainly among them some diseased haulm, but so very little as to be almost unworthy of notice, and that, he says, is caused by wireworm. Except- ing one prominent failure, in the case of an English variety, brought about by having cut up the sets too soon, there is no disease in his grounds that can be attributed to anything but wireworm, and he grows over 100 sorts, covering about 2 acres of ground. It is notorious that wireworms are unusually plentiful this year, owing chiefly to the hot dry summer last year, which was favourable to insect life; they drill through or gnaw the young shoots of the Potatoes in an early stage of growth, the result of which is brown, curled foliage and stunted haulm. In some cases, Mr. McKinlay had lifted the damaged plants, found and killed the enemy, and then re-planted them, with every prospect of renewed growth. But why are the American kinds chiefly attacked .' Mr. McKinlay suggests that the worms find the stems of these softer and more easily eaten than those of English kinds. Moreover, it is the practice to cut up the American varieties much more freely than those of English growth, and this, constantly followed up, must eventually weaken the progeny. Farther, cut sets, when planted in cold ground, are much more liable to decay than whole tubers, and, lastly, it is probable that to bear the effects of a cold spring than our own varieties. In any American kinds, on account of their succulent character, are less able case, the same thing has happened now and then in Potatoes daring the last thirty years, and would now have provoked but little dis- cussion had not the American kinds been during the present season those most severely injured. — Alex. Dean. The New Disease in American Potatoes. — I have noticed complaints in your columns as to a new disease having attacked the American varieties of Potatoes, but more especially the Snowflake. I am competing for Messrs. Hooper's prizes, and planted, on April 10th, 1 pound of Snowflake Potatoes (three), from which I got thirty-two sets, and am glad to say all have come up. I never saw Potatoes look better than they do at present, and if they only keep free from disease, I hope to have a good crop. They are planted in rows 2 feet apart and 1 foot asunder in the row. I generally trench in the manure in the autumn and let the ground get the full benefit of the frost, and I never touch it again till I dibble in the sets about the end of March. I have fifteen different kinds of Potatoes in my garden, and all the American kinds, including Early A'^ermont, one plant of which has curled up its leaves and assumed a yellowish colour, with some eight or nine Potatoes on the roots about the size of Peas. Late and Early Rose, Bresee's Climax and Prolific, and American Reds are looking remarkably healthy and are mostly in flower. I had a dish fiom the Early Vermouts the other day (one taber weighed 4j ounces) and they were very good. — Mtles E. Mather. Raising Potatoes from Seed. — Last year I crossed some of the new America'n varieties of Potatoes with some of our best old sorts, and have at present a number of seedlings in small pots for the purpose of planting ont. I found in the American varieties rather a short supply of pollen, and so made them the seed-bearing parents. Brownell's Beauty I crossed with Wood's Scarlet Prolific, a variety with red leathery skin but an excellent late keeper, which is very little affected with the disease in the worst seasons ; the late American Rose I crossed with Fenn's Bountiful, a remarkably well. flavoured red kidney ; the Early Vermont I crossed with Lee's Hammersmith Kidney, one of our best bearing early varieties, and of good flavour. My object in making these crosses was to see if the dwarf-growing habits and free.bearing qualities of these American varieties could not be obtained by raising seedlings from them. On some soils these new American Potatoes have a peculiar earthy flavour, and by crossing them with our best. flavoured kinds I hope to find that some of these seedlings may prove worthy of being grown as standard kinds ; and, from their early dwarf habit, be able to resist the disease in wet seasons. — Wu.liam Tillery, Welbecl;. Mixed Cropping.— This may he more advantageously employed in the case of early crops Iban late ones. Rows of early Peas, a good distance apart, afford great protection from cutting winds to tender crops grown between them. But for late crops, such as Broccoli, that are intendori to stand the winter, the more open and exposed they are the better, for if at all drawn into weakly growth, they will rot with a slight amount of frost.— J. GnooM. Asphalte Walks (H. I. ).— There is no objection to asphalte gardens walks if they are properly formed. The asphalte walks laid down by Mr. Meston in the public gardens of London and recently in Leicester Square are durable, in every way satisfactory, and not expensive. In positions in gardens much frequented, such as the immediate neighbourhood of the hothouses, forcing ground, and sheds, such walks are desirable. Mr. Laxton's Peas.— In addition to the piizes offered for these in the Hoyal Horticultural Society's schedule, fourteen others will be awarded on July 7th for the following varieties, twelve plants of each to be exhibited in the green state, with pods fit to gather, and root and haulm complete, so as to show the true character of each Tariety. viz. :— Unique. William the First, Fillbasket, Omega. Laxtnn's Ko. 1, Dr. Hogg, and Supplanter. The first prize for each variety will be £1, the second, 10s. "Curl" in the Kew American Potatoes.— "J. T." complains (see p. 491) that the leaves of Snowtlake become "curled." Last spring I purchased one pound of Snowflake and Eureka; 1 cut them into single eyes and laid them out in an open shed for a day or two before planting them, and I have now eighty fine plants of Snowflake and Eureka, both of which are much more vigorous than any of their associates and show no "curl." With me. Eureka is much stronger than Snowflake. — C. Goode, Eaffcote, Simple Mode of Blanching Endive.— According to a writer in the "Monitcur Horticole Beige," Kndive is blanched successfully by bemg planted in very well-prepared soil at 6 inches apart instead of in the usual more open way. When established, each bed is enclosed with planks 8 inches wide, sot on edge, to prevent the outer plants spreading. When vigorous growth commences, the plants are pressed close together and blanch without further attention, as the leaves are not injured, as they sometimes are in tying, and they keep much better in the blanched condition. 16 THE GAEDEN. [July 3, 1875, SOCIETIES AND EXHIBITIONS. OEYSTAL PALACE EOSE SHOW. June 27tii. This waa not only the best Eoso show of tho year, but, according to many, it was the best display of the queen of flowers that has been seen for the last ten years. rirst-class Certificates.— These were awarded to tho following new Koses : Rose Mrs. Laxton (Laxton). — This variety promises to prove a welcome addition to high-coloured, free-growing Hybrid Perpetual Boses. Its colour is vivid scarlet, with a flush of crimson-purple on tho lower petals, while its form reminds one of that of tho well-known Mario Bau- mann. Lady Isabel Cecil (Loxton).— This is a creamy-yellow Tea, of good forni, vigorous, and free-flowering. The petals are stout and wax- like, and it possesses a delicate and grateful fragrance. Duke of Connaught (Paul & Son).— A rich velvety-crimson Hybrid Perpetual, of good form and substance, and well adapted for exhibition purposes. John Bright (Paul & Son).— Another distinct and effective Hybrid Perpetual, vivid crimson-scarlet in colour, and in form and substance all that can be desired. Oxonian (Turner).— This is, in every way, a first-class Hybrid Per- petual Rose, so far as one can judge from cut flowers, which seem to be remarkably full, the petals being closely imbricated, and of a rosy-crimson colour, the revolute margins tinged with lilac. Its distinct character and good form ought to make it popular as a show variety. Of other now Roses, Mr. Laxton exhibited fine stands ; Mr. Turner showed Mrs. Baker, a fine, full purplish-crimson-centred flower of more than average merit, and John Stuart Mill, a splendid flower of a rich velvety crimson-scarlet. Of new Roses of 1872 and 1873, Mr. George Paul had an attractive group,_ consisting of twenty-four varieties, among which we noted the following, viz., Bmile Dupuy, a fine full flower of a delicate rosy-lilac colour; John Bright, a brilliant velvety crimson-scarlet; Empress of India, a fine full velvety-crimson flower ; Madame Lacharme, white tinted with pale flesh ; Peach blossom, pale silvery-rose suS'used with lilac ; Duke of Connaught, a rich velvety-crimson ; Madame Nachury, bright rose ; Mrs. Veitch, fiery rose; Madlle. Mario Cointet, rosy-salmon; Thomas Mills, bright rosy-crimson, with very stout and smooth petals; Duchess of Edinburgh, a fine full rosy-lilac flower ; Reynolds Hole, a good dark rose, the colour a deep purpUsh-crimson ; Captain Christv, a full pale rosy flower, with a deep rosy-salmon centre ; Cheshunt Hybrid, one of tho deepest coloured and brightest of all Tea Roses, the colour purple-lilac, flushed with crimson in the centre; Marie Finger, a large petaled variety of a delicate satiny-rose colour; Princess Beatrice, a fine globular flower, of a deep rosy-lilac colour, having a salmon-tinted centre ; Emily Laxton, a bright deep rosy or rosy-salmon variety of good form, the foliage being very robust and healthy; Madame Marius Cote, a brilliant rosy-vermilion, and others. In the second prize group we noted Mons. Claude Levet, a deep crimson flower of good form, especially in the bud state; Bessie Johnson, a delicate full flower, of nearly the same colour as Peach Blossom ; and La F.T.vourite, a large-petaled variety, with bright rosy smooth petals flushed with vermilion in the centre. Mr. Bennett had a group of twelve in excellent condition, which obtained the first award in the class in which they were shown. In the nurserymen's class of seventy-two varieties Messrs. George Paul & Sons staged one of the best collections seen this year. They had, among light-coloured varieties, Niphetos, a fine croamy-whito kind ; Edward Morron, a full deep rosy variety ; Mons. Nomau, delicate peach ; Loslia, a large globular rosy-lilac flower ; Madame Bcrard (Tea), salmon-yellow ; Madame George Schwartz, a full satiny rose ; Madame Rivers, a fine globular lilac flower ; Mrs. B. Ker, a full white kind flushed with Rose ; La France, Captain Christy, Gloire de Dijon, Devoniensis, Princess Beatrice, a full globular rosy flower; Elic Morel and Marquise de Castellanc, bright rose; and Alba rosea, a fine rosy-flushed Tea. Among the dark kinds may be named Exposition de Brie, rosy-crimson; John Bright, velvety-scarlet; La Fontaine, a bright Ulac-purple ; Richard Wallace, a full rosy-crimson ; Oliver Delhomme, scarlet; Madame Crapelet, vivid rosy-scarlet; Cheshunt Hybi-id, purplish-crimson ; Lord Macaulay, velvety crimson, edged with livid scarlet ; Marie Baumann, a really fine rosy-crimson flower ; Charles Lefobvre, crimson-scarlet; Duke of Edinburgh, scarlet; Dr. Andry, lilac-purple ; Alfred Colomb, a fine rosy-scarlet variety, brighter than Mario Baumann ; Madame Caillat is a good rosy-Hlae incurved flower of excellent substance; and Louis Van Houtte, rich velvety crimson, similar to Xavier Olibo, hut not quite so brilliant in colour. In the nurserymen's class of forty-eight varieties, three trusses each, Mr. B. Cant, Colchester, had some splendid blooms, among which those of Niphetos were superb ; and Leopold Hausburg, a full deep rosy, crimson variety, was well represented ; as were also captain Christy, Charies Lefebvre (crimson), Ducbesse de Caylns (vivid scarlet), Marechal Kiel, and General Jacqueminot. In the same collection were good trusses of Duke of Edinburgh, La France, Ferdinand de Lesseps (scarlet), Madame Victor Verdier, and Annie Laxton (a delicate bright rosy flower) ; and there were likewise handsome flowers of Etienne Levet (brilliant rose), Souvenir d'Elise, Devoniensis, Dr. Andry, John Hopper, Alfred Colomb, and Comtesse Chabrillant— a fine fuU rosy-lilao variety, now rarely seen, although it is really a first-rate and distinct Rose well worth culture. ^ Of single stands, tho following, among others, were especially good, viz., Cheshunt Hybrid, a fine full flower, of the brightest rosy-purple, the centre being of the richest blood colour or crimson ; Madame Lacharme, the best of all the lighter-coloured Hybrid Perpetuals, but not white, as is^ stated by some— on the contrary, it is a delicate blush ; Comtesse d'Oxford, a large, dark purplish-crimson variety, having foliage tho most vigorous of any w ith which we are acquainted, and in substance nearly as leathery as a Laurel leaf ; Fran(;ois Michelon, a bright full-cupped variety, of a pleasing ivarm rose colour, the centre flushed with vermilion. Mr. Bennett, of Stapleford, staged a fine boxful of Mdlle. Marie Cointet, one of tho best of the new Roses of 1873, and one which deserves more than a passing notice, not so much on account of its form and substance, both of which are most satisfactory, but inasmuch as its colour is unique. Some of the younger flowers indeed have stout cupped petals, just like those of Camellia Comtesse Lavinia Maggi, while the colour is of the warmest and brightest rosy-salmon imaginable, with just a flush of lilac on the older flowers ; John Hopper, now a well-known variety, was well repre- sented in its class, as was also Horace Vernet, a bright velvety-scarlet, the older petals blotched with blackish-crimson. Beauty of Waltham was staged in good condition, the blooms being round and full, and highly coloured. This is one of our finest rosy-purple varieties. In Madame Charles Wood, a bright rosy-scarlet, the younger flowers resemble crimson velvet in texture. This was shown by Mr. J. Keynes, who had also Francois Michelon, a full rosy-lilac kind. A fine stand of Baroness Rothschild came from Mr. Baker, of Heavitroc, Devon, tho flowers of which were fresh and exquisitely coloured. This is one of the most delicate of all the rosy varieties, and, when well grown, is second only to La France. Tho bright rosy Marquise de Castello.no was represented by a stand or two of good blooms. Mr. Charles Turner con- tributed Maria Baumann, a well-known favourite, and Marguerite de St. Amand, a full flower, rather deeper in colour than Baroness Rothschild. Superb examples of Mdlle. Marie Cointet, staged by Mr. Bennet, of Staple- ford, certainly deserve special remark, for, in size, substance, and colour they were unsurpassed. A stand of Firebrand, from Mr. W. Paul, was very brilliant, as was also his stand of the delicate-tinted Peach Blossom. Mr. Paul also had an eS'ective exhibition of seedlings, partly unnamed. Among Tea Roses we never saw such lovely blooms of Niphetos as were staged on this occasion — great wax-like flowers of an unusually soft primrose-tinted-white. Mr. Cant had a superb stand of Souvenir d'Elise, a delicate creamy variety suffused in the centre with salmon, and perfect both in form and bud ; to these an extra prize was awarded. Of Marechal Niel, Celine Forestier, and Triomphe de Rennes (Noisettes), there were excellent stands. La Bouie d'Or is a really fine flower, as is also the delicate creamy-tinted Madame Caroline Kuster. A stand of Madame Bei-ard w-as much admired, a kind which, in form, reminds one of Gloire de Dijon, but its salmon and golden tiutings are richer in this than they are in that now well-known variety. Messrs. Paul & Sons had a splendid stand of yellow Tea and Noisette Roses, among which the trusses of Celine Forestier were remarkably fresh and beautiful. Amateur growers were well represented, and some of their stands, in point of quality, fully equalled, and, in several instances, even excelled, those staged by nurserymen, the varieties being in both cases the same. Dinner Table Decorations. Great as have been the improvements in dinner table decorations and other floral ornaments during the past ten years, there yet remains much of the old complicated form of arrangements, which, for many reasons, ought to be swept away. Intricate designs take a long time to arrange, and then rarely afford half the pleasure aflbrded by a simple, quickly-formed, and tasteful group of fresh foliage and flowers, which anyone may put in order in a few minutes. There is no reason why fivo or six hours should be devoted to ornamenting a dinner table, when nearly the same number of minutes would sufiice, and our horticultural societies, when awarding prizes for this class of floral decoration, would do well to limit the time occupied iu completing them to an hour, or even less. If the ultimate effect of bouquets and dinner table vases was necessarily proportionate to tho length of time occupied in their arrangement, it would be different, but the reverse of this is generally the case. As a rule, those who arrange their stands with the greatest rapidity are those who show most taste. Simple and tasteful vases of wild Grasses and common border (or even wild) flowers arc within the reach of every one who cares to have them, and any Society that offers prizes for bouquets and vases, in which hardy flowers, Ferns, and Grasses alone may be used, will do much real good, by demonstrating that " Orchids " and " elegance " are not necessarily synonymous terms, as some seem to imagine, and that vases and groups of hardy flowers, the produce of the humblest cottage garden, may be quickly and tastefully put together. Already our best professional decorators are fully alive to tho beauty of some of our native Grasses and wild flowers for this kind of ornamenta- tion, and the pearly AVater Lily of our own ponds and streams is now often seen reposing at the baso of a March stand among Forget-nie-nots, wild Grasses, and feathery Lastreas, while the regal Phatonopsis from Java, and the golden-lipped Oncids from Brazil droop gracefully towards them from the vase .above. In fact, in point of purity and freshness, no tropical flower can surpass our native Water Lily, and we have remarked some charming arrangements, of which this flower and rich purple-lipped Irids formed the most prominent and effective features. At the Crystal Palace exhibition, on Saturday last, were some striking table decora- July 3, 1875.] THE GAEDBN. 17 tions, but all were, without exception, more or less exaggerated in style, and even in some eases painfully overdone. Mr. W. L. Buster, of St. Mary's Cray, had a well-decoratei table, along the centre of which, in a line, were five tall, slender, trumpet-shaped vases ; the central one of which was filled with wild Grasses, lit up by a spray or two of a rosj'- flowered Lychnis ; around its base was a conical mound of Moss and Fern, cnhvenedwith white Water Lilies, and the wreath-like racemes of Passiilora princeps. The two end vases contained wild Grasses and sprays of a pale purpHsh-bluo Campanula, their Fern-garnished bases being enriched with deep purple Iris flowers, associated with a bloom or two of the white Water Lily ; the other two vases contained Grasses and scarlet Pelargoniums, their stems being wreathed with scandent Corydalis— altogether, a not inelegant arrangement, and one which in no way interrupted the view across the table, but there was neverthe- less a meagre and monotonous look about the five slender vases that was not in every way quite satisfactory. A less pretentious and better stylo of grouping was that exhibited by Mr. Scale, of London Eo.nd, Seven- oaks. Here we had three March stands, and two trumpet-shaped vases. In the central stand, the vase-shaped top was filled with Feather Grass, enlivened with a spray of the golden-lipped Oncidium flexuosum ; the tier below was fringed with Adiantura and Begonia fuchsioides, the deep green glossy fohage and heart-shaped coral-like buds of which contrasted with the white flowers of Stephanotis ; and the effect was still f nrther heightened by a sprinkling of the spray-like inflorescence of some fairy - like Saxifrage and small trusses of a scarlet, black - blotched Pelargonium- The mossy base was fringed with fronds of Adiantum macrophyllum, Adiantum Farleyense, Polypodium subauriculatam, and other rare Ferns, on which nestled white Water Lilies, and the brilliant scarlet spathes of the Flamingo plant. If this combination had any fault, it was the use of too many spathes of the last-named plant, which made the contrast of scarlet and white a little too violent. Mr. .1. Hudson contributed a pretty group of three trumpct- ^shaped vases, the stem of the centre one of which was di-aped with sprays ' of blue Passion-flower, and the vase itself filled with elegant Grasses, Spiraea japonica, blue Corn-flower, and rosy-flowered Rhodanthe, the rim being elegantly fringed with the graceful flower-spikes of Dendro- chUum glumaceum (one of the daintiest of all green-flowered Orchids) and sprays of Aaron's Beard (Saxifraga sarmentosa). The base of this arrangement was fringed with Adiantum scutum and Lastrea fronds, intermixed with sprays of white Spiraja, purple Bell-flowers, and the soft, silvery tufts of the Hare's-tail Grass. The bases of the two end vases consisted of fresh green Fern fronds, associated with which white Lilies and the scarlet-spathed Anthurium looked very attractive, the contrast between scarlet and white being, in this case, reUeved by sprays of snowy Spiraea and graceful spikes of a tall blue-flowered Campanula. The button- holes on Mr. Hudson's table were by far the prettiest in the whole exhibition ; one consisting of a single half-expanded bud of a yellow Tea Rose, backed by its own leaves and jewelled with a sprig or two of blue Forget-me-nots, struck us as being, in its way, perfect ; and another, consisting of a deep crimson Rose bud, a spray of Spirasa japonica, and Rose leaves, was very effective. Others were made up with flowers of Hoya bella. Moss Roses, and Forget-me-nots, backed by purple leaflets of the cut-leaved Japanese Acers. The first prize exhibition in the amateur's class was very effective, three graceful pinnate-leaved Palms being substituted for stands of cut flowers ; at the base of these, on a conical bed of Maiden-hair and other Ferns, were laid white and purple Campanulas, scarlet Cactus blooms, and here and there a white Eucharis flower, while the little mounds around the bases of the two end Palms had trusses of orange-scarlet Ixoras in place of Cactus blooms. Among_ other exhibitions one of the prettiest and simplest was that staged in the ladies' class by Mrs. Scale, London Koad, Sevenoaks. This consisted of three March stands arranged along the centre of the table, and six or eight little glass baskets, the latter being filled with living Sphagnum and water, and tastefully decorated with small Ivy leaves and blue Forget-me-nots. The degree of finish thus imparted to these little baskets was remarkable, and they were most deservedly admired by all who saw them. It does not appear to bo generally known that sprays of the common marsh Forget-me-not will root freely in fresh Sphagnum and water, and will continue to flower for a fortnight at least if plucked just before the first flowers open. Around the bases of the diS'erent stands were Grasses, Forget-me-nots, Spirtea japonica, and spikes of pale blue Larkspurs, while graceful sprays of Maurandia were employed to fringe the edges. Three little cornucopise on the central vase were filled with blush, yellow, and deep crimson Roses, one flower of each, while the mossy mounds at the bases of the three stands were tastefully fringed with choice DavaUias, Maiden-hair, and other Ferns, among which Grasses, Rose buds, and other flowers were sprinkled with excellent effect. The first prize button-hole consisted of a salmon-coloured Tea Rose, a sprig or two of scarlet Bouvardia, two white Tuberoses, the whole being backed with Maiden-hair Fern. Bouquets were by no means good, with the exception of one to which a first prize was awarded. This was a wedding bouquet, deUcately and tastefully made up by Mr. Wood, of High Street, Sydenham. It consisted of white Tea Ros'es, Stephanotis, flowers of Odontoglossum Alexandras, and of the purple-dotted 0. Pescatorei, and two or three of the curions Snapdragon-like blossoms of the Alpine Utricularia, intermixed with Maiden-hair Fern. Poetry of Nature. — In the middle of winter, vegetation sometimes assumes a more poetical aspect than it ever presents in spring. During a severe white frost the twigs o£ all the trees sometimes appear enthely covered with rime. ROYAL BOTANIC SOCIETY'S EXHIBTIOIT. June SOth. This exhibition consisted chiefly of out Roses and fruit, the latter especially being excellent in quaUty. Mr. Sage sent a splendid cluster of Bananas from Aahridge, and the display of Grapes, Cherries, and Straw- berries, was all that could be desired. The large exhibition tent was wholly filled with Palms, Ferns, Dracasnas, and flowering plants, furnished by the Pine-apple Nursery Company, and arranged with much taste and good eff'ect. Certificates. — Those were aw.xrded as follows : Rose Star of Waltham (W. Paul).— A full, globular-shaped, rosy-lilac. Hybrid Perpetual kind, suffused with crimson, the petals wax-like in substance and smooth. Rose Magaa Charta (W. Paul). — Another effective Hybrid Perpetual variety, globular in shape, and of a deep satin-roso colour sufi'nsed with crimson in the centre. Rose St. George (W. Paul). — A third Hybrid Perpetual Rose, deep pui-pUsh-crimson in colour, the central petals being of a velvet-like texture. Tree Carnation Scarlet Defiance (Turner).— A free-growing variety, with rather slender Grass. It is a profuse bloomer, the flowers being vivid scarlet in colour. Pink Lord Lyons (Turner). — Flower, medium-sized ; the colour a rich purple-Hlac. This is a distinct and very effective variety, which ought to be a favourite wherever cut flowers are required. Pink Harry Hooper (Turner). — A white-flowered variety, laced with deep lilac-purplo. Pink Shii'ley Hibberd (Turner). — A large and remarkably full flower, white in colour, laced with bright purplish-ldae. Roses. — Among new kinds may be 'named Madlle. Marie Cointet, a fuU wax-like, delicate, rosy-salmon flower ; Queen of Waltham, a bright rosy-lilac flower, crimson in the bud state and in the centre; Peach Blossom, a delicate rosy flower, globular in form before it is fully expanded, and flushed in the centre with rosy;crimson._ Among other Roses were some fine blooms of the creamy-white climbing Devoniensis and the primrose-tinted Niphetos. Two boxfuls of Madame Laoharme, the new white or blush Hybrid Perpetual, were also staged in admirable condition, the flowers being full and of wax-like substance; a stand of the bright crimson, Marie Baumann, was staged in good con- dition, and close beside it a boxful of H. P. Comtesse d'Oxford, a fine large rosy-carmine flower with a crimson centre. Some good examples of Tea-scented varieties and Noisettes, including Marechal Niel, Madame Levet,Boulo deNeige, Gloire de Dijon, Celine Forestier, and others, were also exhibited. In the classes devoted to Hybrid Perpetual kinds were remarked excellent blooms of Marechal Niel, of that rich golden amber- tint which betokens good soil and plenty of Ught and air ; Louis Van Houtte, crimson ; Abel Grand, a full incurved rose of a delicate peach colour ; Princess Beatrice, a full globular rosy flower ; Madame Marie Schwartz, a smooth petalod globular rosy-Ulac variety; John Stuart Mill, a closely imbricated rosy-crimson flower, tinged with purple ; Comtesse de Chabrillant, a globular fuU lilac-tinted flower; Cap- tain Christy, a fine pale rosy-hlao flower, with deep rosy centre; Madame ViUermoz, creamy yellow, with delicate rosy centre ; Souvenir d'uu Ami, a deUoate deep rose-centred Tea, the petals having a shell-liko lustre; Etienue Levet, a full purphsh-crimson flower; and General Jacqueminot, vivid crimson-scarlet. These were all in excellent condition, as were also the ever-welcome, deliciously perfumed. La France ; the full rosy-lilao Baroness Rothschild ; and Madlle. Eugenie Verdier, a, deU- cate-tiuted pale rose variety, with a deep rosy-salmon centre, which is very distinct. Miscellaneous Subjects. — Two or three very effective stands of cut flowers were staged, among which were the following — viz., Lathyrus grandiflorus. Lychnis coocinca, orange LiUes, white and blue Bell-flowers, Pinks, Sweet Williams, Lychnis flos Jovis, Spirasa japonica,and Larkspurs of nearly every shade of blue. A potful of the yellow-eyed Idao-rayed Aster elegans was also particularly beautiful. Among trusses of stove and greenhouse plants were Allamanda Hendersoni, Cattleya MossiDe, the scarlet-spathed Flamingo plant, white Rhynchospernum, scarlet Ixoras, rosy and white Heaths, blue Statice, rosy Azaleas, and scarlet Begonias. Four very effective circular shallow baskets of Tea and other Roses, neatly arranged in Sphagnum Moss, were much admired ; and also some baskets of Lobelia pumila magnifica, which is certainly one of the finest in cultivation, being of dwarf cushion-like habit, densely set with large deep blue flowers. A fine new white purple-laced Pink named Boiard was shown by Mr. Turner j it was also exhibited at the Crystal Palace exhibition last week, and there awarded a first-class certificate. Fruit. — Grapes were, on the whole, well represented, and in the diss for baskets of 12 lbs. each there were no fewer than eight entries. Mr. Bones's Black Hamburghs were small in berry, but, as regards colour and bloom, they were perfection. Mr. Douglas had also a splendid basket of highly-coloured and superbly-finiMied Hamburghs. Mr. Bridgemau contributed large Hamburghs, but, unfortunately, they were rather deficient both in colour and bloom. A very good basket of Madresfield Court was exhibited by Mr. Grimmett, the bunches being well furnished and the berries large and well coloured. In the class for baskets (12 lbs.) of Muscats, Mr. Douglas again contributed well-finished bunches tinted with that rich golden-amber, a colour so much desired in Muscats. A 18 THE GARDEN. [JuBT 3, 1875. basket of excellent fruit of the same variety came from Mr. Fiest, and, compared with these, the other two baskets staged afForded a marked contrast, the fruit being perfectly green. In the class for three bunches of Muscats Mr. Fiest had small but well-finished amber-coloured clusters in first-rate condition. Mr. Bannerman and Mr. Bond also had large bunches, but not well-coloured. In the class for three bunches of Black Hamburghs Mr. J ohnson contributed well-coloured clusters, both bunches and berries being large and well-coloured ; fruit of the same variety came from Mr. J. Akhurst, Mr. Sage, and Mr. J. Douglas. Mr. Grimmctt had three good clusters of the large oblong-berried Madresfield Court, and Mr. J. Douglas sent Royal Ascot nearly perfect in colour and bloom. This Grape is a very free fruiting black variety, and some of the berries show the sutural markings so characteristic of Esperione. Messrs. Lane & Sons were the only exhibitors of Vines in pots, of which they had splendid example.?, Foster's Seedling and Buckland Sweetwater being furnished with from twelve to twenty clusters each. Strawberries. — This useful summer fi-uit was shown in admirable condition. Four boxes of very fine fruit came from Mr. J. Douglas, the varieties being a fine, rich, crimson-fruited seedling ; Due de Magenta ; Admiral Dundas, a well-known, ii-regular, very large variety, bright ci-imson-soarlet in colour ; and Amateur, a large conical-fruited kind, of the darkest crimson colour. Mr. Clark showed four fine dishes, including examples of Myatt's British Queen, a conical-shaped, high-coloured fruit, of excellent flavour ; Dr. Hogg, similar in colour, but more inclined to the irregular cockscomb shape ; President, a rather coarse, crimson- fruited variety of cockscomb shape ; and Sir Joseph Paxton. Mr. Charles Turner had very fine dishes of James Veitcb, a showy, light-coloured fruit ; Sir C. Napier, President, rather small; and Leon de St. Lamier, a large cockscomb-shaped fruit, similar in colour to the British Queen. Mr. Smith had four good dishes of Sir J. Paxton, Dr. Hogg, and British Queen, and a variety named Lucas, closely resembling Sir J. Paxton in shape and colour. Cherries. — Good dishes of May Duke came from Mr. Musk, the fruit being of average size and bright red in colour, mottled with deep crimson. Mr. Chard had Red Bigarreau and Bigarreau Napoleon ; and richly-coloured fruit of the last-named variety, and Elton came from Mr. Douglas ; and Mr. Chard bad two of the finest dishes of Black Tar- tarian we ever saw, some of the fruits measuring individually fully an inch in diameter. Pines. — Two well-ripened Queens came from Mr. Bond, and Mr. Sandford had also a good pair, bat scarcely so well finished.. In the class for single Queens Mr. Sandford bad a good well-finished fruit of 31bs. or 41bs. weight ; and Mr. Bond had also an excellent specimen, rather larger and better in colour. Mr. Ward showed a large Provi- dence, weighing OJlbs. Mr. J. Douglas had a small Charlotte Rothschild Peaches and Neotax-ines.— Excellent dishes of Peaches came from Mr. E. Lake, who had Grosse Mignonne and Royal George in good condition. Mr. Johnson had also Violet Hative and Teton de Venus of good quality, and Mr. Bones staged excellent fruit of Bellegarde and Noblesse. Nectarines generally were highly coloured and excellent in quality. Mr. E. Lake had very fine fruit of Elruge, and good specimens of the rosy-mottled doliciously-perfumed Violet Hative. Mr. Johnson had highly-coloured examples of Elruge and the purple-eoloured Violette Grosse. Mr. Bannerman had well-ripened and richly-coloured dishes of Violet Hative and Downton ; and Mr. Grant had the same varieties equal in size, but inferior in point of colour. Pigs.— Good dishes of Brown Turkey, and a very small variety covered with bluish bloom, named Early Violet, came from Mr. Sage ; and Mr. Pottle had large specimens of white Marseilles and Brown Turkey. Melons. — Of these the best came from Mr. Coleman, who had Reed's Scarlet-flesh and Eastnor Castle, green-flesh, a medium-sized Pear- shaped fruit of excellent flavour ; about a dozen Melons were exhibited, and the judges declared the last-named variety to be the finest flavoured specimen shown. FLORAL DECORATIONS AT EXETER. TnE Devon and Exeter Horticultural Society's show took place on the 18th ult., at Exeter, and attracted large numbers of visitors. In the classes for Roses, the principal prizes amongst nurserymen were carried off by Messrs. Paul & Son, of Cheshunt, Mr. Charles Turner, Mr. R. T. Veitch, and Messrs. Lucombe, Pince, & Co. In the amateur competition^ Mr. R. G. Baker and Miss Lloyd of Graslawn took first prizes, Mr. Baker taking four first prizes out of six classes, the other two being awarded to Miss Lloyd. The remaining exhibitors in these classes were Messrs. T. H. Gould, J. W. Chard, T. Jowitt, R. Shate, and R. Robson. In the open competition, Messrs. Paul & Son and Mr. Charles Turner carried ofi' most of the principal prizes. The floral decorations were excellent. In the class for table decorations (ladies only), the exhibitors were restricted to a group of three pieces. The first prize in this class, a gold bracelet, presented by Mrs. H. Wilcocks, was awarded to Miss Emma Wish, Broadclist, for three March stands, with trumpets rising out of the top tazzas, which were very gracefully fitted up— the arrangement of the flowers in the trumpets being particularly good ; but the general effect of this group was considerably marred by the size and heavy appearance of the Fern fronds employed for resting on the tablecloth round the edges of the lower tazzas. These straggled over the cloth, and left room for little else besides ; but the arrangement of the flowers in the tazzas and trumpets was excellent. The second prize in this class— an inkstand, presented by Mr. J. Geary — was awarded to Miss Chard, of SaUsbury, who employed, in place of vases, three well grown and very efl'ective plants of Cocos Weddelliana, with flowers arranged round the base of each. There was a sharp competition between Miss Wish and Miss Chard for the first prize, and, had the latter exhibitor been more careful in concealing the pots from view, and had the arrrangement of her flowers been a little lighter, there is no doubt she would have been awarded the first prize, but it was in lightness of touch that Miss Wish excelled. The third prize, a pair of candlesticks, also presented by Mr. J. Geare, was awarded to Mrs. W. J. A''eitch, of Torquay, who showed much taste in the arrange- ment of the flowers employed. In the decoration of one table a quantity of Pyrethrum or Feverfew was employed — a plant quite unfit for cut purposes, on account of its odour — but as troughs were made use of, filled with flowers, in addition to the three centre vases, a prize could not have been awarded for it, no matter how well the flowers might have been arranged, as they could not be defined as " three pieces for the decoration of the dinner table " mentioned in the schedule, which all intending exhibitors should read over carefully. In the class for a single vase of flowers, the first prize, an electro-plate and glass flower-stand, presented by Mr. A. E. Gates, went to Miss Ada M. Drew, Silverton, for a pretty drawing-room vase, in which wild Grasses and blue Lobelia were most effectively employed in the trumpets ; the second prize, a flower-stand, presented by Mr. Ellis, went to Miss Chard ; and the third, a volume of poems, presented by Miss Fitze, to Miss Alice G. Drew. In the class for a vase of wild flowers, the first prize, a flower-stand, given by Mr. J. E. Lake, was awarded to Miss Ada M. Drew, for, without exception, the best arranged vase in the entire exhibition. It was a very small vase of the March type, in which, amongst other flowers, Forget-me-nots, Dog Roses, and the tinted seed pods of the Sycamore were employed with excellent eff'ect ; the second prize, presented by Mrs. Henry Palk, w^as won by Miss S. Haywood, Exeter ; and the third by Miss Chadwick, Ide, for tasteful arrangement. The best collection of wild flowers, as regards the number of varieties, &c., was exhibited by Miss Gray, of Exeter, and, bad a few Grasses been employed to give lightness, there is no doubt her name would have stood high on the prizetaker's list. The class for band bouquets was the richest in the exhibition. The first and second prizes were awarded respectively tc Mr. W. J. Veitch, Torquay, and Miss Veitch, of Exeter. A. Hassaed. Tender and True Cucumber.— This is a noble Cucumber, large in size, deliciously flavoured, handsome, and prolific; but from such a raiser as Mr. Douglas these are qualities which we might expect. — R. Gilbebt, Surghley. Horticultural Club.— We arc informed that a dinner will take place at the Club llouse, 3, Adelphi Terrace, on Wednesday, July 7, at six o'clock, at which the committee will be glad to see any members who may like to join them. We hear that there is a considerable increase of new members. Hardiness of Peaches and Nectarines.— Some Peaches and Nectarines, which stood out of doors during the last winter, well into spring, are at present swelling off good crops. Some cultivators do not believe that these fruits are thoroughly hardy. This is the second case, in my own experience, of their having been severely frozen without injury. — R. P. B. Double Yellow Auricula. — I have obtained this fine, but scarce, hardy plant from Ireland. The blooms sent along with it were so double as to excito surprise. I have also a fine double purple kind. Both of these Auriculas vrill be eagerly sought for when better known. — A. D. Sarmienta repens.— This is now prettily in flower on the rock-work at Kew. It has very small leaves and flowers, not unlike those of Mitraria coccinea. It is the sole representative of a Chilian genus of Gesnerworta, and is well worth attention as a rock plant. — Jacksow Gillbanxs, Wkitfjield Houses Mcahgate, Carlisle. Mauve Beauty Stock. — This beautiful summer pyramidal Stock, which is certainly one of the best in cultivation, is now finely in flower in Mr. Dean's seed grounds at Hounslow. It is a kind which comes true from seed, and produces at least 70 per cent, of double flowers, a proportion amply sufficient to satisfy the most fastidious. — Q. Orange Fungus on Koses (T. S.).— It is too late^for any remedy, but wo should brush each shoot with a solution of soft-soap, and dust with powdered sulphur, leaving it on for two or three days ; then syringe it off, and renew the application as long as any remains on. This will probably destroy the Fungus, and the plants may have vigour enough to recover afterwards. Cultivating Wood Plants. — Wood plants are kept so warm in autumn and winter by the fallen leaves that they are ready to grow on the first really hot day. After that the.y enjoy the direct rays of the sun for a few weeks, and thus make considerable growth before the leaves of the trees are large enough to shade them. One should imitate these provisions of Nature by placing wood plants in the shade of trees, rather than in the shade of buildings, which will keep off the sun in the spring when it is needed to start the plants and bring out the flowers quickly. — "Cultivator." Flowerin? of the Phormium tenax Colensoi in Ireland.— You noticed, some little time since, the blooming in Lord Northampton's conservatory, at Castle Ashby, of the Phormium tenas variegatum ; allow me to inform you that Phormium tenax Colensoi, purchased two years ago, is blooming here in the open air, in a sheltered glen, close to the sea. As I have not heard of this variety having bloomed before, I shall be glad to hear from any of your cor- rcspoiidents interested in these plants, whether my plant is the first to have bloomed, or not. — W. E. Gumsleton, Belgrove, Qiiecnytoicn, Cork. Hardy Water-side Ferns.— The larger American hardy Ferns flourish best by the sides of brooks. They grow naturally in Mr. Hovev's grounds, and, though thoroughly taken out twenty-five years ago, they spring up again whenever the ground is left uncultivated for three or four years, showing that millions of spores retain their vitality and grow whenever circumstances are favourable for their development. A gardener of his acquaintance threw fruiting fronds into the water tank, and the Ferns grew up in the pots watered from it, so thai in fact they were weeds. Those fine hardy Ferns, Struthiop- teris, Onoclea, Osmunda, &o., deserve to be more frequently seen, not only m the Fernery, properly bo called, but near the water-side in shady places. THE GAEDBN. 19 SATURDAY, JT7LY 10, 1875. " This is an art Wluoh does mend nature : change it rather : bnt The Akt itseli is Natuke." — Shakespeare. PLANTING OUT v. POT-CULTUKB. The two great advantages to be obtained from planting out are a diminution of labour and greater luxuriance of growth; and, in the case of certain plants, grown upon an extensive scale, where a structure can be specially devoted to them, there can be no doubt that planting out is the right thing to do. In houses, on the contrary, where a miscellaneous and varied collection of plants is grown, judgment and discrimination must be exercised in respect to the permanent position of individual specimens. I once knew a gentleman who, having built a conservatory and bought a collection of plants with which to stock it, was determined to realise grand results and economise labour by planting them all out. As the collection happened to include such plants as Geraniums, Cape Heaths, Heliotropes, and Orange trees, the result may be more easily imagined than described. A thorough knowledge of the con- stitution and requirements of the plants to be used is necessary before planting a conservatory or winter garden. I was much pleased with the winter Garden of the Jardin d'Acclimatation at Paris the first time I visited it — a few cool-house Palms and Ferns, two or three Acacias, a few Camellias and Dracajuas, a fine turf consisting of Selaginella, and, if I remember rightly — for it was in 1867 — a waterfall, associated with such things as Tradescantia and Papyrus tastefully planted, made up a scene which was charming from its very simplicity. There was no undue crowding; on the contrary, every plant had abundance of room, and all seemed to enjoy the most robust health. In Germany, I once saw a good specimen of planting-out and pot-culture combined. There apertures are cut in the Selagi- nella turf, in which flowering plants in pots are inserted, and they are renewed as often as required. The more striking features consisted of Palms, tree-±'erns, Araucarias, &o., planted out, the more tender and evanescent plants being kept in pots, and, in this way, the place always had a fresh look, unobtainable in any other way. It is only, however, in houses of considerable dimensions in which this continuatiou can be carried on. A Lataniii, Dicksonia, or Araucaria planted out is nothing, if not of good size, and, where the space is insufficient to permit full de- Telopment,pots must, to a great extent, be relied upon. " It goes to my heart," said a French gentleman to me once in Normandy, " but I must cut the head oH that Gum tree." He had planted a Eucalyptus globulus in his conservatory, for which it had grown too large, and stern necessity compelled him to decapi- tate it ; a result which will inevitably happen if the individual character of each plant put out is not accurately considered. To a man of experience this is, of course, easy enough to determine, but to amateurs it is often a stumbling block. Many plants required for winter decoration in small pots may be grown much more luxuriantly by being planted out during the summer months, either in the open air or in a cold frame. The Indiarubber plant (Ficus elastioa), struck in November, potted into 60-sized pots, and planted out in April, yields most satisfactory results. When on the Continent I grew some hundreds in that way; they were planted out upon a spent manure-bed, and shaded until they were able to withstand the fierce rays of a July sun without protection. Water was given them by the bucketful, and they grew like Willows ; they were taken up in the autumn, placed in 32-sized pots, and were sold from 3s. to 6s. apiece. Dracasnas, treated in this way, soon grow into large plants. Last summer Iplanted out, on the 1st of July, in a frame, some seedling Cyclamens, which, when taken up in October, had four or five dozen blooms on them, and their foliage was handsomer than that of plants grown in pots, but it must be admitted that they would not stand forcing; while plants with less luxuriant foliage, that had been grown in pots all the summer, I got into full bloom by Christmas. Various kinds of Begonias, especially Dregii, if put out in cold frames, make handsome plants. Abutilons, also, do well shaken out, headed back, and re-potted again in September. I once had a quantity of Eupatorium ligustrifolium, huge old plants, which were annually treated in this way ; some of the roots were pared off in planting out ; when potted they were set in a cool- house, where they flowered profusely, and came in usefully for cutting ; had they been kept in pots all the summer they would have starved. I remember once, too, taking up a collec- tion of Tropffiolnms in the autumn, and placing them in a temperate house. They were tied up to the rafters and furnished a good mauy flowers during the early winter months. Still, although an advocate for planting out in the way men- tioned, it is a system that cannot be carried beyond certain limits ; if flowers are required in mid-winter and early spring, the plants which are to produce them must be subjected at times to a strong artificial heat ; and, in order that they may thrive under such conditions, the pots must be full of healthy active roots ; in other words, they must be what all practical men understand by the term established. In order to force Strawberries, for instance, successfully, they should have tha soil in which they ara growing matted with roots ; and the same rule holds good with nearly all plants that are to be subjected to a stroug heat. Cyclamens, Azaleas, Camellias, Pelargoniums, and most kinds of bulbs, will not force well unless the soil which sustains them be thoroughly filled with fibres ; planting out, therefore, requires judgment as regards the use to which a plant is to be put ; for its blooming season, and similar matters, must be considered. Plants for the decoration of rooms cannot be too well rooted, for, if not well established, they soon become sickly, the leaves turn yellow, and the whole plant languishes and ultimately dies. Eapidity of growth is generally obtained at the expense of solidity. When grown rapidly during summer, and taken up and potted in autumn, they must be shaded for a time, and do not, therefore, acquire that hardiness of constitution which the autumn sun alone can bestow, and which enables them to withstand the perils of winter much better than plants more tenderly nurtured. John Coknhill. Byfleet. Planting-out Gardenias for Cut Flowers. — Growing Gar. denias in pots ia a tedious plan. In order to grow them well the roots must have a run, and a run, too, among good feeding material. But it is not the mere gain in the way of growth to which growers in general have to look, it is the crop of flowers. Well, then, if any. one wishes to have them by the bushel make a young plantation, as is often done with Camellias, and let the plants have their own way for a while, and there will be abundance of flowers at more than one season. The most successful practice which I have seen in this way is that of Mr. Denning, at Lord Londcsborough's, Surbiton. There a narrow pit with a bed on each side is devoted to Gardenias, and there the flowers are magnificent and in abundance ; the foliage is of the most tempting kind, and insects seem to have no power to gain anything like a foothold. Since I saw what was done there I have tried the plan myself, and with the very best success. The way I did was to take a portion of a warm temperate house in which there jwas some staging ; I had a compost of loam, peat, and leaf mould mixed together, to which was added some sand. This was placed on the stone bench, levelled, and then planted, and half the attention needed for pot Gardenias served the purpose in this case. Several dozens planted in this way yield quantities of bloom to sue- ceed Camellias and to take their place up to November. The sorts which I have used are G. Fortunei aud radicans ; the former is a vigorous grower and needs pruning ; the latter may be allowed to go on as it likes. Syringing aud occasional brushing are all that is necessary to keep the plants clean. X have advised numbers to try this method of cultivation j and, so far as I have been able to learn, all have done so with satisfaction and uniform success. — James Anderson, Meadoxohank Nurseries, TJddinriston, N.B. Comfreys for the Wild Garden. — The Symphytuma or Com. freys are most valuable for the shrubbery and wild garden. They grow freely — in fact, rampantly, under trees or elsewhere, and are good and showy plants. S. asperrimum is the tallest, growing to 6 feet, and has red flowers changing to blue. S. caucasicum (2 feet), white flowers, and S. tauricum ( 3 feet) , also with white flowers, are all fitted for naturalisation. S. bohemicum, with brilliant red flowers, only growing to 2 feet, is worthy of a place in the border, as is the variegated form of S. officinale (a handsome plant), and, perhaps, S. tuberosum, with yellow flowers, though I am not certain that the latter may not prove too rampant. — Oxon. 20 THE GARDEN. [July 10, 1875. NOTES OP THE WEEK. Mr". Noel Humphreys haa just finiBhed a series of fifty eketchea of the rarer Alpine flowera from life. They include repre. BentatioDB of nearly every large family of true Alpine flowers, and are, for truth to Nature and pictorial effect, the most admirable sketches of plant-life we have ever seen. They are to be reproduced in colour for a second volume of " Alpine Flowers for English Gardens." Mb. R. Gilbert, of Burghley, a frequent contributor of notea to The Garden, won the Carter £50 Cup prize, on Wednesday last, at South Kensington, with a remarkably fine collection of vegetables. Mr. Gilbert originated the recent successful vegetable shows, and has frequently proved that his skill in this most important branch of gardening is unsurpassed. A MEETING of horticulturists is to be held on Wednesday, the 21st of July next, at six o'clock p.m., at the Criterion Hotel, Picca. dilly, to consider the best means of carrying out the pledge to hold an International Horticultural Exhibition during the year 1877. Me. Geo. Maw has succeeded in Sowering, in his Lily-house at Benthalt Hall, the extremely rare Lilium polyphyllum, from North-west India. The flowers are of a pale cream colour freckled internally with linear dark purple markings. The entire valuable collection of plants brought together by the late Mr. Thomas Bewloy, of Rockville, Dublin, will be disposed of by auction on Wednesday, the 14th inst., and following days. The collection is one of the most remarkable in the United Kingdom. Mr. F. Rivers sends us a fine specimen of Pear Citron des Carraes, trained as an upright cordon, and laden with fruit. The upright or columnar form of trees with simple stems is, for certain positions and circumstances, a desirable one. — ; — We are now having figured for The Garden the most distinct and important varieties of Lettuce in the very remarkable collection shown at Kensington, on Wednesday last, by Messrs. Carter & Co., of Holborn. We propose to describe all the really important varieties of Lettuce cultivated in Europe, and to illustrate the article with faithfully drawn wood-cuts of each variety. We have received a copy of Mr. Darwin's new work, " Insec- tivorous plants," which contains within its 450 pages an enormous number of facta bearing upon this interesting question. The book is of such importance that wo must defer noticing it at length till a future occasion, and shall now content ourselves with remarking that it affords one more opportunity of admiring the lucid style of the author, his skill in arranging the various facts set before his readers, and his remarkable powers of argument. At the general meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, held at South Kensington, Mr. Berkeley announced, in reference to the Potato disease, that Mr. Worthington Smith had discovered the true resting spores of the Fungus (Perocospora infestans), which produces it. Dr. Masters, in alluding to the subject, drew attention to the fact that the Royal Horticultural Society, through its scientific members, Mr. Berkeley and Mr. W. Smith, had really done valuable work in unravelling the mystery connected with the Potato disease, and stated that Mr. Smith's discovery was of the utmost importance. The so-called new Potato disease, it was added, appears to be merely a form of the ordinary disease, and one confined to American varieties, that have been produced from home-grown sets. LinUM GIGANTEUM is now in perfection in London gardens. We have received the following from Mr. D. Uphill, Moreton, Dor- chester, recording the fine proportions it attains in Dorsetshire :— "In your number for March 6th, p. 191, Professor Owen has given an interesting account of his Lilium giganteum, grown in the open air. I have now in flower a specimen much larger. The flower stem is 9 feet 1 inch in height, and is 6 inches in circumference at 2 feet from the ground ; it bears eleven flowers, nine of which are fully developed at the time I am writing, and the others juat unfolding. Each flower is about 8 inches in length. The effect of this plant is extremely fine, and, situate, as it is, in a bed of Rhododendrons, the flat heads of these rather add than otherwise to its stately and majestic appearance. After flowering, the bulb dies ; but perpetuates itself by throwing np one or more offsets. The one in flower here is an offset from one which flowered in a green, house in 1872, and, in the autumn of that year, was planted out of doors in the situation it now occupies. In 1873, it increased considerably in size, and made two more offsets ; in 1874, three more were made, and the others much increased in size, 80 that, when growth commenced this season, there were six bulbs of different ag 's, the oldest of which (three years) U now in flower as above deso ibed. There will be, I hope, two bulbs sufli- ciently strong to flower next yiar, and, of course, others fo'lowing for succeeding years. Do th : bulbs ever flower in less than three years ? " THE KITCHEN GARDEN. SLUGS AND POTATOES. When looking over our Potato crop here, a few days ago, my attention was arrested by the shrivelled appearance of the haulm of many of the plants, which, only a day or two previously, was in the most robust health. As these shrivelled plants occurred only in those rows which, for the sake of experiment, I had purposely left unearthed, I was the more curious to ascertain the cause, and, on close examina- tion, this was easily detected ; for, at the base of each stem, in a small hole, made by the haulm having been swayed to and fro by the wind, were found about a dozen minute slugs, which had cleverly eaten their way clean round each stem, leaving the hard or central part only intact. On further examination, I observed that nearly every plant was either partially or wholly eaten round in those rows which had not been earthed while in the adjoining and intermediate rows, which had been earthed, they had not been attacked. The varieties most injured were the Red-skinned Flour- ball and Victoria, and I doubt not, if they had been left only a day or two longer, that every plant would have been destroyed ; but a good top dressing of soot and lime prevented any further mischief. I have never before seen slugs attack the Potato in this way to such an extent, nor can I understand why they preferred the lower part of the stem to the younger, or upper part, or even the foliage. In many of the neighbouring cottage gardens I have since discovered the same evil, which had been previously been attributed to other causes, such as wire-worm, blight, and disease. Tho.mas Challis. Wilton Home, Salisbury. The Weather and its eflfects on Vegetation. — Thunder, storms occurred here on the 2nd, 9th, and 11th of .Tune. At noon, on the latter day, there was a terrific hail. storm, which completely covered the ground an inch in depth. Some of the hailstones were of imnxrase size, measuring five-eighth of an inch in diameter. The tender foliage of trees, shrubs, and vegetables, was much injured; and vegetation generally suffered a severe check. The highest temperature in the shade (81°) occurred on the 3rd, and the lowest (36") on the 22nd and 27th. The early part of the month was exceedingly fine ; and the middle part very stormy and boisterous, the temperature changeable, and, at times, unusually low. These climatic conditions being very conducive to the growth of Potato disease, it has, I am sorry to say, made its appearance unusually early, and has, within the last few days, spread very rapidly among the early varieties. — Thomas Challis, The. Gardens, Wilton House, Salishury. Disease among American Potatoes. — I have some American Late Rose Potatoes which have been completely destroyed by pre- cisely the same disease as that which has occurred at Chiswick and other places ; but, strange to say, about one. third of the plants of the same kind scattered throughout the plot have shown no sign of disease, but, on the contrary, have grown most luxuriantly and have produced a good crop of tubers. I find that many others in this neighbourhood, who were supplied with seed from the same source as myself, have suffered in a similar manner. During the late and present wot aud cool weather the ordinary Potato disease (Peronos- pora infestans) has made its appearance here. — John D. Mitchell, Falmouth. Potatoes in Yorkshire. — All kinds of Potatoes are looking well in the North Riding of Yorkshire. New kidneys, which are well supplied, are selling in the market at from Is. to 23. per stone. I have not yet heard of any disease ; a few gaps in the rows may be found here and there where sets have not germinated ; and, when examined, these sets ha<'e been found to be quite full of wire worms. Some of the tops are also found to be slightly curled ; but, since rain fell on the 22nd of June, the appearance of the curled tops has much improved. I have neither seen nor heard of the so-called new disease amongst Potatoes here ; but I find the most gaps amongst Brownell's Beauty, one of the new American varieties. My Snow- flakes are looking very well ; of 1 lb. of seed cut up into thirtj-- four sets, thirty. one are growing well. I examined those sets that failed, and found them to be eaten up with wirenorm. I took up some of Headley's Nonpareil on the 26Dh of June ; this is gene- rally thought to be a late winter Potato, but I find it to be an early variety. — Henry Tayi.ob, Fencote, near Bedale, Yorl. I do not find the latter survive on the level ground ; like the beautiful Convolvulus maari. tanicus its place is on the rock-work. L. Haageana is a splendid scarlet. The flesh-coloured varieties, I find, deteriorate very much after once blooming. What a good thing is Modiola geranioides, now in full bloom, with fine rosy-magenta flowers, 1 inch across, like miniature Mallows ! It is a tuberous-rooted plant, and quite hardy in the open border. Michauxia campannloides is, I think, only a biennial, or a very doubtful perennial, at all events. It is, however, very easily raised from seed. OXON. A Wild Rose Garden. — My notion of a Eos though perchance not original, is certainly not a stereotyped one. The ordinary Rose garden is, as a rule, exceedingly formal — beds or borders, standards, half-standards, and dwarfs, with here and there a few climbing Roses, all kept severely pruned, and everything about them trim and in perfect order. To grow Roses otherwise would ba a violation of all rules laid down in Hose books, as to the ways in which Roses should bo grown. In a cottage garden, just opposite my residence is a tall Hawthorn, and close to it was planted some years ago a Noisette multiflora Rose. Tbis and the tree have giown together, and now the Rose has mounted up some 12 feet, intermixing with its branches in such a way that all through the latter part of June and during July nothing is visible but a mass of white flowers. This is an illustration of the sort of July 10, 187S.] THE GARDEN. 25 Rose growth which I wonld have ; but this cannot, of course, be tolerated in an ordinary garden. In some wood, associated with Fern and useless undergro\vth, would I have a garden in which Roses might be grown in this way. First of all I would grub out all timber and underwood, then trench the soil deeply, enclose it with a wire fence, and plant it with a large variety of strong. growing Roses, all on their own bottoms, in long beds, three rows only in each bed, with wide walks between them. Except to keep within bounds any over luxuriant shoot, I would banish the pruning-knife, and permit the plants to grow as wild as Nature would allow them. Perhaps I should not get flowers fit for exhibition, but I should at least have a natural Rose garden. — A. D. AMPHICOME EMODI. The genua Amphicome, established by Royle, belongs to the family of Bignoniaceous plants, large numbers of which are grown in gardens, as, for example, Eccremocarpus scaber, Teooma radicans, and several Amplucome Emodi. species of the genus Bignonia, which are so useful for covering walls and arbours. The genus Amphicome comprises but two species, both of which have beautiful foliage and flowers. They are characterised by a campanulated calyx, which, to the number of five, is sharply denticulated and by a long corolla in the form of a funnel, of which the limb forming two lips is divided into five lobes of nearly equal size. Of the five stamens there are only four which are furnished with anthers, of which two are longer than the others. A. Emodi ia a more remark- able species than arguta, which was first introduced in 1837, and is indigenous to the Himalayas. A. Emodi was introduced much later ; but the size of its flowers, which are of a beautiful rose colour, has enabled it to assume and hold a more prominent position in our gardens than its congener. It is tolerably hardy, and will doubtless live in the open air in most of the southern counties. It is, how- ever, all the better for a little protection in winter. B. A FEAST OF EOSES. The instability of earthly affairs marks the crazes as visibly as tho serious interests and occupations of mankind. It does not console us much to reflect on this truth, when the craze is at its height, and bores us frightfully, because it does not happen to be our own craze, or because our minds are too well disciplined to have one ; for it ia equally true that it is only a case of replacement. Fashion turns her wheel, and brings up one toy after another, and everybody snatches at the topmost trifle. One day Prince's will be as obsolete as Rauelagh, and Polo as the nobler games of which it is a feeble imitation. A whisper is abroad that people are tiring of collecting china ; that " priceless" things are beginning to be priced, and at a surprisingly low figure ; that halls and staircases are denuded in many instancea of the adornments which, where the fashion ia carried out on a small scale, turned them into groves of plates and dishes, and, where it is carried out on the large, into the " Ceramic Art " department of one of those exhibitions which have also ceased to trouble. A happy time may be coming in which Satsuma jars, and even " Bristol " will have been gently deposed from an eminence which has been rather too oppressive, and our friends' houses shall cease to remind us painfully of the difficulties and dangers of a china shop, without the consolatory application of the practical Italian proverb, " Who breaks pays ! " Somebody buys the things which, if we aro to judge by the lists of " art " sales, everybody is selling, but they will at least be dispersed, and a few decades may be expected to pass before they will come up again, to divide general conversation into enthusiastic silliness on the pai't of the genuine " fanciers," and organised hypocrisy on the part of the vast majority who neither know nor care anything about "bits," or "fabrics," or " marks," but are mortally afraid of being fouud out in their ignorance. The Rose craze has been growing with great velocity, and ia com. mendable. The growers may possibly be tiresome people, but they keep away, from the necessity of the case, and we, who only love and enjoy the beautiful products of their skill and care, are the gainers without any drawback. We associate poetical ideas with them, simple, pastoral notions, disturbed by nothing more prosaic than cotton. wool, tobacco-smoke, and objurgation of the insect tribes which are likewise partial to Roses ; but no poetry can be got out of "Christie's" on a muggy day in June, be the "craze" under the hammer ever so historical. The Crystal Palace itself is the natural home of the Rose, the only place in which one is not sorry to see them cut and set primly in boxes. The space, the glass, the greenery, and the constant song of birds are all in keeping ; and in the early hours, before the crowd comes, they might have been holding a court, to which a few respectful human beings were admitted to do them distant but heart-felt reverence. The best way in which to enjoy the Rose show at the Crystal Palace is to look attentively at the catalogue, get well into one'a mind which are the prize flowers, and who are the successful growers, to pick up as much information as possible about the latest novelties, to make a mental act of grateful admiration of the skill, industry, care, and taste of the individuals who devote themselves to one of the most charming of pursuits, and then promptly to dismiss the whole matter from one's mind, and devote one's self to thoroughly sensuous enjoyment of the Rosea. Of course it is only right to learn their names. When one sees — as the oldest liabitii6s saw — the finest display the Crystal Palace has ever made, it ia the correct thing to inform one's-aelf that auch and such an one among the dainty darlings is new— a hardly yet sunned gem in the crown of the beautiful earth ; but, after a while, it is an interrup- tion to look at their names. There are nearly seventy more competitors than there were last year. The gorgeous deep pink of La France, which seema to spread into the air around the flowers ; the golden-yellow and rich bulk of the Mareohal Niel ; the intense carnation of the Alfred Colomb ; the dusky darkness of the Charles Lef ebvre, with its close-set leaves, like the downy wings of a butterfly or humming-bird — one'a learned and painstaking guide is constantly saying, " that ia new," or " they have got that colour since last year." The best Roses, according to scientific rules and the growers' estimation, are not always those which an unlearned visitor, a mero lover of Roses, looks at with most delight ; there are mysteries of form and fullness which he knows nothing of, but some of the grandest flowers strike everyone with wonder. Such a Rose is Marie Van Houtte, which is of a reversed bell-ahape (like a bell as the ringer jerka it upwards for a good peal of joy), of the Tea order, ita leaves of a pale yellow tint, edged with pink ; a supremely lovely flower, with the faintest suggestion of a Tulip in it, and a breath of quite peculiar sweetness. The French Roses bear away the palm of beauty, and the learned in them tell ua they are more beautiful here than in their own country. The Gloire de Dijon, an "old " Rose — it has glorified many a land beside its own — ia, to our taste, still 26 THE GARDEN. [July 10, 1875. unsurpassed ; but tlie lustrous dark pink of the Marie Cointet runs its tender yellow close, and the Eugene Appert is very near the throne. Never has the Marquise de Castellane — most aptly named of Roses, for it does not disgrace the name It bears — flaunted such beauties in the sun of June as at Sydenham. Visitors clustered round the boxes where these Roses stood amid the Moss, and an eager hum of admiration was always audible near them. Their splendour, and that of La France and Marie Baumann, were freely granted ; but it there was one Rose rather than another which excited a strong and openly . expressed desire to steal it (the publio sentiments were very impartial in this direction, however, and disdained dis- guise), it was the well-named Madame Lacharme. One specimen of this kind, of perfect form, of the most delicious colour — a spotless white, deepening towards the heart of it into a faint but distinct pink tint — was set in a box which contained several Roses of various colours. It ougbt to have stood alone, and to have received a separate homage. Great must have been the proprietorial pride of the exhibitor who showed those beautiful Oxonians in the English seedling class ; but it is to bo hoped the grower of the lovely Mademoiselle Eugenie Verdier was not within earshot when a critical individual replied to the enthusiastic comments on that triumph of science and skill (by kind permission of Nature) made by a lady beside him : " Well, yes, very pretty ; but I like the meaty Roses best, myself." Table decorations, wedding, opera, and button-hole bouquets were displayed in profusion. The exhibition was most creditable, all the combinations were tasteful and elegant, and if the reaction which has set in should banish ceramic monstrosities from dinner-tables and substitute such floral triumphs as these, there will be additional reason for wishing a long life to the Rose craze. — " Spectator." THE BEDDING PANSIES AT CHISWICK. In the spring months few hai-dy flowers are more eiiective as bedding plants than the race of Pansies known as Bedding Pansies. Their colours are generally rich and decided, while the blooming season of the true bedding sorts is continuous for a considerable period. About ninety varieties have been grown this year at Chiswick,' whole beds being devoted to many of them. The following, according to the " Florist," have been selected as the cream of the collection : Dark Purples. Mulberry (Dean). — A. dwarf compact-growing variety, of spreading and free-flowering habit ; the flowers are dark reddish- plum-purple, with very small yellow eye, and they are well displayed. A first-class certificate, awarded by the Floral Committee last year, was confirmed on the occasion of a recent (Jane 9) critical examina- tion of the collection. Lotliair (Dean). — A novel and attractive variety, having a dwarf compact habit of growth ; the flowers are large, deep purple, with small yellow eye, and a broadish bronzy spot just below it on the lower petal ; a distinct and rich-looking flower. Awarded a first-class certificate. Cliveden Purple. — This variety was not in the collection, but it is noticed here as being considered by growers the finest of its colour — a rich plum-pnrple. Tyrian Prince (Dean). — A handsome variety, awarded a first- class certificate last year, but this year voted a second-class only ; it is of fine compact, but stout-growing, habit ; flowers, large, dark velvety mulberry-purple, with small yellow eye. Blue or Mauve-Purples. Blue Bell (Dean). — A very showy variety, of compact, spread, ing, free-blooming habit ; flowers, numerous, medium-sized, mauve- purple, with a small yellow eye, pencilled over with dark lines. The individual flowers are inferior, but the ei?ect of the mass of blossoms is good, and it is, moreover, a continuous bloomer. Awarded a first, class certificate last year, which was now confirmed. Blue Perfection (Westland). — Of compact, free - blooming habit ; flowers, medium-sized, of a reddish-mauve ; a fine, effective, self-coloured variety, with a general similarity to the foregoing, but more decidedly self-coloured. A first-class certificate was awarded. Alpha (Dicksons & Co.). — A very compact-growing, vigorous- habited, free-flowering variety ; flowers, large, blue-purple, with a reddish flush, the eye yellow, with a bilobed dark spot in front ; good. The Tory (Dicksons & Co.) — A variety of free and vigorous grcvth, and an abundant and continuous bloomer; flowers, large, deep blue-purple, with white eye, and a bilobed mulberry spot in front of it ; good. The first-class certificate already awarded was confirmed. Dr. Stuart (Stuart). — Of dwarf, compact habit ; flowers, manve. purple, with small yellow eye, surrounded by a narrow dark ring ; a neat and pretty flower. Awarded a second.class certificate. Yellows. Sovereign (Dicksons & Co.). — Of close-growing habit, dwarf, free, and prolific of blossoms ; flowers, moderate in size, bright golden- yellow, with a slightly pencilled eye ; very effective. Awarded a first-class certificate. Bedfont Yellow (Dean). — A free-growing, compact.habited> sort ; flowers, large, bright yellow, with a slightly pencilled eye S good. Awarded a first-class certificate. Dicksons' Golden Gem (Dicksons & Co.). — A variety of dwarf, spreading habit, and a free bloomer ; flowers, large, deep yellow, with deeper eye, over which occur dark pencillings ; good. Awarded a first-class certificate. Whites. White Swan (Dean). — A fine variety, of close-growing, tufted habit J flowers, moderate size, pure white, with slight pencilled eye j of good substance, and very chaste-looking. Awarded a first-class certificate. Dicksons' Q,ueen (Dicksons & Co.). — A variety of free, compact habit, an abundant bloomer, but rather later than others ; flowers, lai'ge, white, with yellow eye, and pencilled lines. The first-class certificate awarded last year was confirmed. liily- white Tom Thumb (Dean). — A clumsy name for a very useful variety, of free, compact, spreading habit ; flowers, white, with yellow eye and dark pencillings ; a very fair white, but the flowers ' occasionally come blotched with blue in hot weather. The first-class certificate awarded last year was confirmed. Dicksons' Snowflake (Dicksons & Co.) — A moderately I vigorous Eort, of free-flowering habit ; flowers, white, with a yellow eye, marked by a few faint lines. This was awarded a second-class certificate. Various Colours. Icilacina (Dean). — A charming variety, of dwarf compact 1 spreading habit, free growing, and very distinct ; the flowers are of moderate size ; the upper petals are of a reddish-lilac, and the lower ones bluish-lilac, with a yellow eye ; an exceedingly pretty and taking flower. Awarded a first-class certificate. Q,ueen of Lilacs (Dicksons & Co.) — A variety of free bold habit, forming close vigorous tufts ; the flowers ai e reddish-lilac, paler at the edge, very freely produced ; a soft neutral colour, novel and effective for grouping. Awarded a first-class certificate. Novelty (Cocker & Son). — A showy variety, of free-growing habit, but getting rather tall ; the flowers are reddish or pucy- purple, with yellow eye, showy ; a pleasing variety amongst the self- coloured flowers. Awarded a first-class certificate. Magpie. — An old but still useful variety, of vigorous habit, and of a hardy constitution ; it is striking in appearance, from the strongly-contrasted colouring of its flowers, and an abundant bloomer, but rather tall-growing ; the flowers are blackish-mulberry, with a large wedge-shaped spot of white at the tip of each petal ; the spotting sometimes runs out, when it becomes self-coloured. Awarded a lirst-class certificate. To secure a good bloom of these showy flowers young plants should always be used, these being planted out in autumn or very early spring, according as the situation and soil may be favourable or otherwise. Where they are apt to die off in winter early spring planting should be adopted, the plants being wintered in a frame, and the sashes removed on all possible occasions. A top. dressing of light rich soil, administered after the first flush of bloom is over, is very beneficial. NOTES AND QUESTIONS ON THE FLOWER GARDEN. Water Lily Insects.— Will you kindly examine the leaves ofWater Lilies scut, and inform me wbat has injured theraP— G. Hutchiksow, Draycoft Loige, Fiilham. [They have been attacked by the larvie of a small gnat fly belonging to the genus Chironomus, which seems unusually abundant this year, as we have received similar enauiries from other auarters. — A. M.!l Phlox Drummondi splendens ffrandiflora.— This is a vigorous growing continental variety, the flowers of which are extra large, of great substance, and perfect in form, the colour being rich rosy-crimson with a distinct white eye. For pot culture it will prove most useful. One of the most effective of all bedding kinds is the variety of Phlos^Drummondi called Cardinal, the flowers of which are large, round, and deep crimson, a colour not yet found in any hcdding Felargonium. — A. D. The Lizard Orchis (0. hircina).— This singular and rare British plant is now flowering in the York nurseries. It is planted on a detached portion of the rock-work, which has been constructed specially for the gi'owth of the species of hardy Orchises which thrive in a compost consisting of very stiff loam and broken pieces of limestone. The flowers of O. hircina are green and white, with piu'plc spots at the base of the lip. The peculiar feature in this flower is the long strap-shaped and twisted hp, which is frequently 2 inches long. Another pretty little Orchis, Nigritella suaveolens, was flowering not far from the above, with small dense spikes of rose-coloured flowers, which are most deliciously fragrant,— R. P. July 10, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 27 THE ALAMEDA OF MEXICO. The large cities of Central and Southern America-even those that became at the commencement of this century the capitals of independent republics and empires-did not avail ttemse ves as fullv as they might have done of the vegetable wealth that lay at their doors.' In Spanish America, only two or three capitals are provided with public gardens that are worthy of them, and, at the same time, worthy of the wealth of vegetation that Nature has lavished upon the surrounding country, i he city of Mexico has three public promenades-the Paseo de Bucaroli, La Viga, and the Alameda. Of these, the last- named may be considered the most ancient. It is not exactly a o-arden, but an enclosed park, containing several gardens, some of which would not discraco European cities. Lsta- THE AMATEUR'S GARDEN. By THOMAS BAINES. Late Peas.— As a means of retarding, in some measure, the last sowings of late Peas so as to have tbem far on m the autumn, the points of the shoots may be nipped out at the spot where they show the first flowers; this will induce them to throw out growths at the ioints lower down, and it also makes them more bushy, as they wil , thus treated, push two or three shoots in the place o one, and will delay their cropping from a fortnight to three weeks. As to the quantity produced by Peas so treated it does not appear to have any influence, either one way or the other. The greatest enemy late Peas have is mildew; for, if this once makes its appearance, their cropping powers are soon over. If, as advised at the time of sowin.., the most open airy situations were selected for these late crops and the rows were placed far apart, the chief measures for View in the Alameda of Mexico. Wished in 1592, this enclosure was planted with choice trees At the present day, this beautiful park is entirely surrounded bya wall. The avenucsare well kept, andthegardens separated from each other by wooden lattice-work. At the four angles of the park are entrance gates, as well as in the middle of the parallelogram by which it is enclosed. Ihe Taxodiums are a remarkable feature; still, however, the gardens are by no means what they may be made m such a glorious climate whenever the cessation of wars ana revolutions permit of the growth of horticulture in this natural garden-land. Wow riiinese rsrns.— In the last issue of the " Journal of Botany " Mr. J. G. Baker deacriblf lome inportant new Ferns gathered in Central China. They Sde Pteris inequalis, Nephrodium Sheared, K. regulare, N. puberulum, Polypodium assimile, P. Shearen, and P, Lewieu. avoiding this troublesome parasite have been taken ; but, if they are ever allowed to want water, mildew is certain to follow. If, there- fore, the weather is dry, give a copious watering once a week, so as thoroughly to soak their roots, and mulch the ground with half rotten manure for a couple of feet on either side of the rows. Turnips.— A good breadth of Turnips should now be sown, as, after this time, the beetle is not usually so destructive as earlier in the season. Ground that has been cleared of early Potatoes, Peas, or other crops, will now be available for these. It wiU not be necessary to dig it previous to putting in the seed, unless it is of a very strong adhesive nature, nothing being gained by doing so ; in fact, when the land is light, it does absolute harm, by inducing the growth ot leaves rather than that ot the bulb. Previous to sowing, hoe the ground a couple of inches deep, rake off and remove any weeds that may exist, and sow the seeds in rows a foot apart, puttmg m enough to allow for loss from the depredations ot birds or the fly. Before sowing dress the seed with red lead ; if this is properly done, accord. 28 THil GAEDteN. [July 10, 187S. ing to the directions already given, it will secure them from molestation from all birds except the greenfinch, which seems to defy any dressin.Ef that can be given to seeds of the collective family of Brassicas. It is a well-known fact that seed-bearing severely taxes the energies of any plant, although all are not alike afiected by it, but it is simply a waste of strength to allow anything to seed when the seed is useless or not required. Tor this reason Asparagus in private gardens should have the seeds stripped oS as soon as they are large enough to take hold of. At first this may appear a tedious process, but a little practice will enable anyone to clear a good breadth in a few hours ; do not allow them to get large or full, grown before they are taken off ; for, in that case, the injury they do is almost complete. Go over the beds frequently to remove all weeds, which, it allowed to grow so much, impoverish the soil, and this crop, more than most others, cannot bear this. Planting Cottager's Kale. — A good space should now be planted with the useful Cottager's Kale, as this is a most excellent vegetable, and so hardy that it will stand even our severest winters. It is much better to have a good breadth of it than to grow several varieties of similar Winter Greens, that are not equal to it in any way. Give the plants 20 inches space iu the rows, and allow as much between each row. Vegetable Marrows and Endive. — Thin cut Vegetable Marrows sufficiently, not allowing them to get too much crowded, and, if the situation is at all exposed, secure the shoots so that they will not get blown about by the wind. See that they are well supplied with water. Wanting this, the plants will not bear to the end of the season. Make a sowing of the Batavian Endive, and also of the Green-curled ; these will come in as an [autumn supply, as the plants from this sowing will not be so liable to run to seed as those sown earlier. Do not put the seed in too thickly, as nearly all of them vegetate, and are not so liable, as many, to suffer from the ravages of birds or insects. Pits and Frames. — Cucumbers that have been bearing from the commencement of the season, and are now falling off a little, should have some of their shoots thinned out, and a little fresh soil added to the surface of the bed. In this the shoots will strike root from the joints, where required, by pegging them down. If the plants are clear from insects thus treated, they will again push out growth and fruit freely. Melons. — The late-planted crops will now be growing fast, and must receive every attention in thinning out superfluous shoots, stopping those retained as soon as they reach the sides of the frame ; this will cause them to throw out bearing wood. Keep np the neces- Bary warmth iu the beds by slight linings ; these will not require now to be so heavy as earlier in the season when the weather was cooler ; but with late Melons in frames the beds must not be allowed to get cold, or the plants make little progress and the summer is too far advanced before the crop comes to maturity. As the pre- ceding crops gradually ripen, withhold water so as to impart the requisite flavour to the fruit, but do not let the soil become so dry as is sometimes done, and thus stop the full development of the fruit. Endeavour by the use of the syringe on such as are swelling off the crop, to keep the foliage free from insects, for where the leaves are scanty and injured by red spider or other pests the fruit, as a natural consequence, will bo small and deficient in flavour. Woodlice are a great nuisance where they exist in large numbers in Melon pits or frames and before the fruit begins to ripen measures should be taken for their destruction. They are not at all particular as to their food, slices of raw or boiled Potatoes, or pieces of Apple placed in the bottom of a few small pots and covered with hay or Moss will attract them in numbers, while by looking over them every morning and destroying they can be kept down so as to little inconvenience. It is only where such precautions are neglected during the advancing stages of the crop that woodlice exist in such number as to do serious mischief. Houses — Stove. — More air will now be required by plants in the stoves than earlier in the season, when the growth was young and tender, and liable to injury if much external air came in contact with the partially developed foliage ; but, in its admission, always be guided more by the state of the weather than the time of the year. In our changeable climate, we often, even in the height of summer, experience cold days, when, if a considerable volume of air is ad- mitted, it reduces the temperature, and checks growth ; even when the weather is hot, and air can be given in abundance, it should be taken off sufficiently early in the afternoon, whilst the sun has yet power on the glass ; by this means the temperature of the house will rise very considerably, and the growth of the plants be kept up until the wood is well matured. The numerous insects to which stove plants are subject, such as mealy-bug, scale, and thrips, at this season increase apace. Amateurs who are so unfortunate as to have mealy-bug to contend with, have an unceasing task before them so long as a trace of the pest exists upon their plants. Later in the autumn, when growth is completed in most things, is the best time to make a determined onslaught on the insect. Its destruction will bo rendered much easier if it is kept well down during the summer ; for, if once it is allowed to get to such a head as is sometimes seen, where it not only half smothers the plants, but gets into crevices in the wood and brick-work, it is difiicnlt to deal with. There are so many prescriptions for the destruction of this and similar insects, all in their turn by some pronounced infallible, that it is a wonder any are left alive. Many of the insecticides are recommended to be laid on with a camel's-hair brush or a sponge ; this might answer if only an odd plant or two was affected, or if there was an unlimited amount of time at disposal for this kind of work ; but this is seldom the case, and some readier means must therefore be resorted to, the best of which will be found to wash the plants with Fowler's insecticide, for scale ; at this time in the season hard-wooded plants will bear it at a strength of 5 oz. to the gallon, syringing it on, at a temperature of 90', so as to reach every part. For bug, which is harder to kill than brown scale, Abyssinian mixture is the best, using it at from 5 to 6 oz. to the gallon, according to the nature of the leaves of the subjects upon which it is used. Where this insect is kept under during the summer months, an attempt in the autumn to completely destroy it is much more likely to be successful. Such kinds of Gloxinias as are considered desirable to increase, should now be propagated. The leaves being fully matured, are now in a much better condition to form roots than earlier in the season when they were soft ; in varieties, of which there are a sufficient number of leaves, the stalks of those used should be shortened to about an inch below the leaf ; three or four of these should be placed round the sides of a 6-inch pot, sufficiently di-ained and filled with a mixture of two parts of loam to one of sand, the cuttings being put in so deep as to cover the stalk and about half, an -inch of the base of the leaf. Where leaves for propagation of any particular sort are scarce, several roots may be had from a single leaf, by laying them down on the surface of the soil in a seed, pan filled with the compost, as above ; the mid-rib of the leaf must be cut throughinfiveor six places, and laid with the under-side downwards, a small stone, j ust large enough to keep the severed part of the mid.' rib at the point where cut, touching the soil, being put over each place where it is thus cut. In this way bulbs will be formed, but these will not, individually, be near so large as when the stalks are inserted, and each leaf employed to make a single root. Flower Garden and Pleasure Grounds. Dahlias, Hollyhocks, and all other tall growing herbaceous plants, should be carefully staked and tied up before they become broken and disfigured by high winds. Pinks, Picotees, Cloves, and Carnations should also have similar attention, while trailing plants of all kinds, such as Verbenas and Petunias, should be pegged down. The numerous varieties of Ivy.leaved Pelargoniums are found to make excellent bedding plants, and to succeed admirably on light soils during dry seasons, when Verbenas and Calceolarias frequently prove failures. Remove all dead and decaying blooms from Roses ; also gross shoots and suckers from the stocks, should any such be produced, and in order to secure an abundant autumnal bloom, cut a portion of the strong young shoots tolerably close back, and give the heads a thorough washing with the garden engine or a powerful syringe, in order to clear them from all impurities. When this has been done, give the plants a good top-dressing of half rotten dung, and a soak, ing with rather strong manure. water about once a week during the present and succeeding months, should the weather be at all dry ; treated in this manner, the plants will probably flower as abundantly during the early part of September as they did in June. It is, how. ever, necessary to guard against the attacks of insects of various kinds, and also mildew, which so frequently impair the beauty of the second display of bloom. The best and, perhaps, the only remedy for mildew is sulphur, which, in some of its forms, should be used the moment the Fungus makes its appearance ; let the foliage be well dusted with it, or syringe the plants with Swing's infallible composition, a wineglassful of which renders a gallon of water sufficiently strong for the purpose. This should be done during a calm evening, and one or two applications will seldom fail to arrest the further progress of this pest. Now is the best time to bud Roses on the Briar stock, an operation which should, if possible, be completed during this month, or early in the next, the end of which, however, will be sufficiently early for budding upon the Manetti. Now is also the proper time to increase Carnations and Pinks. The latter will strike freely under hand-glasses in a compost formed of sifted leaf-soil and sand. But Carnations, Picotees, and Cloves are generally propagated by means of layers. In layer, ing, remove a portion of the surface-soil surrounding the stems of the plants about to be operated upon, and surround the same by a July 10, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 29 portion of prepared soil, which may consist of aboiit two-thirds of good friable loam and one-third sifted leaf mould, with the addition of a little sharp sand. Remove all weakly- shoots from the stools, and, after selecting those intended to be layered, strip the leaves from a portion of the stems next the ground ; then, with a thin-bladed, sharp knife split up a portion of the stem from which the leaves have been cleared, inserting the knife a little below one of the joints, and turn the top of the layers upwards, so as to throw the heel or tongue towards the soil, in which it should be securely fixed by means of a peg. When the layers of each stool have been thus secured, place as much fresh soil round the stool and about the layers as will keep them firmly in their places ; and give all a good watering through a fine-rosed watering-pot to settle the soil — this must be frequently repeated should the weather become dry. In order to prevent birds from scraping away the soil from tlie layers (which thoy are very likely to do, in their search for worms, ants' eggs, &c.), cover the surface with small flints or stones, which will hIso have the effect of preventing undue evaporation. Where ornamental screens or hedges, consisting of various materials, such as Sweet Briar, so valuable on account of its delicious perfume ; common or evergreen Privet, a plant of quick growth, and exceedingly useful for this purpose ; tree Box, common Yew, &c., are used for separating certain portions of the dressed ground from others, they should now be trimmed or clipped. The common Tew (Taxus baccata) is amongst the best of plants for forming ornamental evergreen hedges ; it is, however, of somewhat slow growth, but at the same time it has the advantage of remaining long in a healthy condition, and of bearing clipping and cutting better perhaps than any other plant. There are also many Coniferous trees of rapid growth, which will bear clipping well, and which can %oon be formed into very ornameutal screens, such as the Cupressus Lawsoniana, Thujopsis borealis, Thuja Lobbii, various Retinosporas, &c. ; and wherever hedges or divisional lines of these plants exist the present is the most suitable time to cut or trim them. Single specimens of such plants as have been mentioned are also frequently used with good effect in geometrically-designed flower gardens, and these may also now receive whatever trimming they may require. The Irish Yew (Taxus fastigiata) is well suited for forming lines or avenues in connection with formally designed gardens ; it naturally assumes a pyramidal habit of growth, which, with slight assistance, it maintains ; and, if on specimens of it, 10 or 12 feet in height, the golden-striped variety of the common Yew are grafted, a striking effect is produced. Acer Negundo variegatnm contrasts well with the sombre-foliaged Coniferous trees and dark.foliaged shrubs of different kinds. Wherever plants with large leaves are used as specimens in the flower garden, or in forming screens, &o., such as the Sweet Bay, Laurustinus, Portugal Laurel, Hollies, &c., any cutting or trimming found necessary in their case should not be performed with the garden shears but with the knife, in order to avoid mutilating their foliage. — P. Gkieve, Cidford, Bury St. Edmunds. Indoor Fruit Department. Vines. — Look over lately inarched Vines and see that the ties are not interfering with the expansion of the wood; do not remove the matting entirely, although the union may seem complete, as the slightest pressure will cause a separation. It is a safe plan to put a single round of matting above and below the joining, and let it remain all the season. Where Lady Downes are stoning, and show the slightest indication to scald, keep the interior of the Vinery in which they are as cool at all times as a greenhouse until the stoning process is over, and not 3 per cent, of the berries will be injured. This scalding, as it is termed, consists in the most promi- nent berries becoming soft and brown on one side, as if they had been burnt with a hot iron ; sometimes a single berry here and there throughout the bunch is affected, and, in more severe cases, the whole side of the bunch is destroyed. Many a bunch which promised well to begin with has through this been reduced to almost nothing in a short time. A burning sunshine is the chief cause of the disease ; for, in dull sunless weather, nothing of the kind takes place. When sufiicient air cannot be admitted a temporary shading is often placed over the glass outside to keep down the temperature inside. Mid- summer Grapes are colouring fast now, and an inch or two more opening may be left on the ventilators all night with advantage ; on mild, wet, dull days, the front ventilators should not be kept entirely shut. Be careful to keep the Vines, from which all the fruit has been cut, perfectly clean from every form of insect. The best eyes from which to raise next year's Vines are those selected from the earliest-ripened wood, and this fact in itself should be sufficient inducement to ensure attention. Pines. — Give little or no air to newly-potted suckers until roots are formed ; shade to keep the midday temperature from 80° to 85", or 90' at the highest ; see that the bottom-heat does not rise above 90'.. Stocks of Smooth's, Rothschild's, Prince Albert's, and others from which one or two suckers have been taken should have their lower leaves removed without disturbing the root, the top leaves being cut to 4 inches long, and the whole taken out of the pot and laid in close together with the leaves above and the root under the plunging material. Thus treated a bottom-heat of 90' will induce many suckers, which would otherwise remain dormant, to push up ; some of the finest suckers are reared in this manner. The roots should be kept moderately moist, and, when watering, pour the water in the centre of the leaves so as to soften the bads. — J. Mum. TREES AND SHRUBS. EEVISION OP THE GENUS CEANOTHUS* SojiE of the species of this exclusively American genus are well marked and readily distinguished, but the larger number are defined with difficulty, and the value of the specific distinctions must still be considered in some cases as uncertain. It would ba easy to increase the number of nominal species, and, on the other hand, with apparent reason, to considerably reduce them. But while endeavouring to give a nearly uniform value to the several characters, taking at the same time into consideration our imperfect knowledge of some of the forms, it has seemed best to retain, as probably distinct, some which seemingly lun together, and at the same time to avoid as far as possible proposing new species. The following arrangement is as satisfactory as it could be made with present material and informa. tion. Section 1. — Euceanothus. Leaves all alternate, three-nerved or pinnately veined, glandular, toothed or entire ; fruit not crested. * Leaves three-nerved from the base. +- Erect shrubs, the branches not rigidly divaricate nor spiny; inflo. reseenoe thyi-soid ; leaves usually large, serrate except in (5). a. Low (1 to 3 feet high) ; flowers white, or sometimes light blue in (5). 1. C. americanus, Linn. — More or less villous-pubescent ; leaves thin, obvate or oblong. ovate, IV to 2.^ inches long, on short petioles 2 to 6 lines long ; peduncles elongated. — From the Atlantic to Winnipeg Valley, Iowa, and Texas. 2. C. ovatus, Desf. — Nearly glabrous or somewhat pubescent ; leaves narrowly oval or elliptic-lanceolate, 1 to 2 inches Ion" ; peduncles usually short ; otherwise like the last, into which it seema to pass. — Range the same. 3. C. sanguineus, Pursh. (C. Oreganus, Nutt.) — Becoming glabrous or nearly so; leaves thin, ovate, 1 to 4 inches long, on slender petioles, 6 to 15 lines long; peduncles very short; older branches reddish. — From North-western Montana to Washino-tou Terrisory. The specimens of Nuttall referred here in " Torrey and Gray's Flora " belong to the preceding species. 4. C. velutinus, Dougl. — Stout, usually glabrous ; leaves cori. aceous, broadly ovate or elliptical, 1^ to 3 inches long, resinous and shining above, sometimes velvety beneath, glandular - serrulate ; petioles stout, 6 lines long ; peduncles usually short. — Abundant from Colorado to the Columbia and Northern Caliornia. 5. C. integerrimus, Hook, and Arn.— Glabrous, or soon be. coming so, rarely pubescent ; branches, terete, usually warty ; leaves, thin, bright green, ovate to ovate-oblong, 1 to 3 inches long, entire, or very rarely slightly glandular-serrulate, on slender petioles 2 to 6 lines long; thyrse often large and open, terminating the slender branches, or axillary and rather shortly pedunoled, mostly white, flowered. — Frequent in the mountains from Central California to the Columbia River. This will include C. californicus and nevadensis of Kellogg. Var. ? parviflorus.— Of very slender habit, wholly glabrous ; leaves much smaller, about half an inch long, short-petioled ; flowers light blue, in rather short simple racemes.— In the Sierra Nevada from the Yosemite Valley northward. Possibly distinct, but inter, mediate forms occur. It is 51 Bridges. 1,628 Brewer, 3,880 and 4,870 Bolauder, 68 and 68 a Torrey, and was also collected by Bigelow and by Dr. Gray. b. Tall shrubs or small trees, ;6 to 15 feet high ; flowers, bright blue ; leaves, oblong to oblong-ovate, rather thick. 6. C. thyrsiflorus, Eseh.— Sub-glabrous ; branches, strongly, angled; leaves, usually smooth and shining above, canescent beneath glandular-serrulate, 1 to IJ inches long; flowers, in dense sub-com' pound racemes, terminating the usually elongated aud somewhat leafy peduncles.— In the Coast Range, California, from Monterey to Humboldt County, and popularly known as the " California Lilac." Var. ? macrothyrus, Torrey in Bot. Wilkes' Explor. Exped., 263. — This is described as having terete branches ; leaves. 1 to • Read by Mr. Sereno Watson, March 9th, 137S, before the American Academy of Arts and Siences. ' 30 THE GAEDEN. [July 10, 1875. 2i inches long, grayisli tomentose underneath, and somewhat silky, villous on the prominent veins, entire, on petioles 3 to 5 lines long ; flowers, in elongated, uninterrupted, somewhat leafy panicles. It was found on the banks of the Umpqua, Oregon, and is probably distinct. 7. C. azureus, Desf.— Pubescent ; leaves, densely rnsty.tomen- tose beneath, smoothish above, 1 to 2^ inches long ; thyrse, more open. — Mountains of Mexico from Tepio to Guatemala. -i-+- Low, the branches not rigidly divaricate nor spiny ; flowers, in short simple racemes or pedunculate clusters ; leaves, small.. a. Eastern species : flowers, white. 8. C. microphyllus, Michx.— Erect, nearly glabrous; branches, numerous, slender, leafy, yellowish ; leaves, thick, very small, 1 to 2 lines long, fascicled, oblong-elliptic to obovate, entire or sparingly toothed, on very short petioles ; flowers, in small terminal clusters.— Pine forests of Georgia and Florida. 9. C. serpyllifolius, Nutt. — Decumbent, glabrate; branches, slender, brownish ; leaves, less rigid and not fascicled, 3 to 6 lines long, oblong, serrulate, somewhat hairy beneath ; flowers, in small clusters or slender axillary peduncles. — Southern Georgia. b. Western species ; flowers, blue. 10. C. dentatus, Nutt. — Erect, hirsutely pubescent, rarely nearly glabrous; leaves, i to 1 inch long, usually small and fascicled, obovate to oblong-elliptic or lanceolate, acute at both ends or obtuse at the apex, glandular.serrate, the margin becoming strongly imdu. late or revolute ; flowers, in small rouudish clusters, on naked ter- minal peduncles about an inch long ; fruit, resinously coated and somewhat triangular, the valves being obscurely costate. — On dry hills in the Coast Eange, from Monterey to Mendocino; Douglas, Bigelow, and Brewer (n. 613, 981, and 2,374). The larger.leaved form (2,392 Bolander) is C. Lobbianns, Hook., and will also be the C. diversifolius of Kellogg, if any opinion can be formed from his description. The smaller leaves are apparently feather-veined, and often more or less resinous. 11. C. decumbens. — Slender, trailing, hirsutely pubescent with spreading hairs ; leaves, rather thin, flat, J to 1^ inches long, elliptic, oblong, somewhat cuneate at base, obtuse or acutish, glandular ser. rate, the greenish glands usually stipitate; flowers, in short, dense, shortly pedunculate racemes, about half an inch long or less. — Fre- queut in the mountains of Central California, from the Mariposa Grove northward ; collected by Fremont (n. 357), Bigelow (S. sore- diatus of "Whipple's Report"), Stillman, Brewer (n. 1,624), Bolander (n. 6,331), and Torrey (n. 69). -i — 1--1- Erect shrubs, the branches usually rigid, divaricate, or spi- nose; flowers, in simple racemes or clusters ; leaves, rather small. a. Rarely or never spinose ; leaves glandularly serrulate ; flowers, mostly blue ; racemose. 12. C. hirsutus, Nutt. (C. oliganthus, Nutt.)— Silky.pubescent with soft 3ub-appressed or spreading hairs, or sometimes hirsute, the branches rather rigid and said to be sometimes spinose ; leaves, ovate to oblong.ovate, usually sub-cordate or rounded at base and acute at apex, ^ to IJ inches long, not smooth adove ; flowers, blue, in simple axillary and terminal racemes, 1 to 3 inches long, or rarely thyrsoid ; fruit unknown. — Dry hills about Santa Barbara and in the Santa Susanna Mountains ; Nuttall, Wallace, Brewer (n. 214, 289, 297 298). Var. ? glaber (0. sorediatns var. glaber, Watson in King's Rep. 5,51.) Glabrous throughout or nearly so ; leaves, sometimes entire : flowers, white. — East Humboldt Mountains, Nevada ; Watson (n. 212). 13. C. sorediatus. Hook.— Nearly glabrous, the inflorescence pubescent ; leaves, smooth above, more or less tomentose beneath or rarely nearly glabrous, silky on the veins, oblong-ovate, i to li inches long, sub-cordate or rounded, or often acutish at base, acute or obtuse at the apex ; flowers, blue, in shortly peduncled simple racemes, i to 2 inches long ; fruit unknown. — From San Diego to the Sacramento ; Douglas, Bigelow (S. incanus of Whipple's Report), Bridges (n. 52), Brewer (n. 286, 1,105), and Bolander (n. 4,558)— the latter a form with small leaves densely white-tomentose beneath. I). Branches, mostly spinose, greyish ; leaves, subcoriaceous, usually entire ; flowers, mostly white, racemose. 14. C. "divaricatus, Nutt. — Nearly glabrous; leaves, oblong- ovate to ovate, i to li inches long, rounded at base, acute or obtuse above, not tomentose beneath ; flowers, light blue or white, in sub- simple often elongated racemes 1 to 4 inches long. — California, from San Diego northward; Douglas, Nuttall, Coulter (n. 122), Wallace, Bigelow'(var. eglandulosus and C. integerrimus in part, of Whipple's Report), Parry, Cleveland. Also from the " Snake Country," collected by Tolmie. 15. C. incanus. Hook. — Leaves, hoary beneath, with a very minute tomentum, broadly ovate to elliptic, f to 2 inches long, cuneate to cordate at base, acutish or obtuse at apex ; flowers, in short racemes ; fruit, over 2 lines in diameter, resinously warty. — Santa Cruz to Lake County, California; "a large straggling shrub on the banks of creeks." Collected by Douglas, Brewer (n. 2,663), Bolander (m), Kellogg and Harford (n. 126), and Dr. Gray. 16. C. cordulatus, Kellogg, Proc. Calif. Acad. 2. 124, f. 39.— Hirsutely pubescent, with short erect or spreading hairs ; leaves, oval.elliptic, 1 to li inches long, cuneate to sub-cordate at base, usually rounded and sometimes serrate at the apex, the serraturea scarcely glandular ; flowers, in short simple racemes, 1 inch long or less; fruit, smaller, not resinously dotted. — In the Sierra Nevada, from the Yosemite Valley northward ; " low, flat-topped and much spreading, known as ' Snow bush.' " Collected by Brewer (n. 1,630, 1,926), Bolander (n. 4,892), Bridges (n. 46), Gray and Lemmon. 17. C. Fendleri, Gray. — Silky, pubescent ; leaves, narrowly oblong to elliptic, 4 to 12 lines long, usually small, somewhat nar. rowed and cuneate at base, obtuse or acute above ; flowers, in short terminal racemes. — In the Rooky Mountains from Colorado to New Mexico. c. Spinose ; leaves, serrate ; flowers in small sessile clusters. Mexican. 18. C. buxifolius, Willd. — Nearly glabrous ; branches, slender; leaves, rather thin, elliptic, i inch long or less, hairy on the veins beneath, sharply serrate ; flowers, in axillary clusters, the colour uncertain. — Mountains of Central and North-western Mexico. 19. C. depressus, Benth, — Stout and very rigid, tomentose; leaves, thick, densely tomentose beneath, elliptical, j to J inch long, mostly rounded at each end, glandular-serrulate ; flowers in mostly terminal clusters, colour uncertain. — Central Mexico. * * Leaves, pinnately veined. (Forms of C. dentatus might be referred to this group.) 20. C. spinosus, Nutt. —Becoming a small tree, 20 to 30 feet high, branchlets, rigid and somewhat spiny, glabrous or nearly so ; leaves, sub-coriaceous, entire, oblong, 9 to 15 lines long, obtuse or retuse, sub-cuneate at base, on slender petioles, 2 to 4 lines long ; flowers, deep blue, in a thyrse or in simple racemes, very fragrant ; fruit, 2a- to 3 lines in diameter, resinously coated. — From Santa Barbara to Los Angeles, commonly known as " Redwood ; " Nuttall, Parry, Brewer (n. 56, 74, 255, 287). 21. C. papillosus, Torr. & Gray. — More or less subhispidly villous or tomentose, 4 to 6 feet high ; leaves, glandularly serrulate, the upper surface glandular-papillose, narrowly oblong, obtuse at each end, 1 to 2 inches long, on slender petioles ; flowers, blue, in close clusters or short racemes, terminating slender naked peduncles ; fruit, IJ lines broad, not resinous. — Coast Range, from Monterey to San Francisco ; Douglas, Bolander («), Dr. Gray. 22. C. floribundus. Hook., Bot. Mag. t. 4,806. — Pilose.scabrouse leaves, small, 3 to 4 lines long, oblong, acute, glandularly denticulat ; and undulate, shortly petioled ; flowers, blue, in dense globose clns. ters sessile at- the ends of the short branchlets. — Known only from the figure and description in the " Botanical Magazine ; " raised from Californian seeds, and closely related to C. dentatus. 23. C. Veitchianus, Hook., Bot. Mag., t. 5,127.— Glabrous nearly throughout ; leaves, thick, obvate-cuneate, rounded at the apex ; glandular-serrate, smooth and shining above, minutely tomen. tose beneath between the veinlets, 6 to 9 lines long, on short stout petioles ; flowers, bright blue, in dense crowded clusters at the ends of the leafy branches. — Likewise known only from figures and descriptions of specimens cultivated in foreign gardens. Section 2. — Cerastes. Leaves, mostly opposite, 1-ribbed, with numerous straight parallel veins, very thick and coriaceous, spinosely toothed or entire; flowers in sessile or shortly pedunculate axillary clusters ; fruit, larger, with three hornlike or warty prominences below the summit. Rigidly branched or rarely spiny shrubs, with small leaves ; stipules mostly swollen and warty. 24. C. crassifolius, Torr. — Erect, 4 to 12 feet high, the young branchlets white with a villous tomentum ; leaves, ovate-oblong, i to 1 inch long, obtuse or retuse, more or less tomentose beneath, rarely entire and revolutely margined, the petioles very thick ; flowers, light blue or white, in dense very shortly peduncled clusters. — From Mendocino County to San Diego ; Bigelow, Parry, Wallace, Brewer (n. 295), Bolander (n. 4,713), and Kellogg. 25. C. cuneatus, Nutt. — Erect, 3 to 12 feet high, less tomentose or nearly smooth ; leaves, cuneate-obovate or oblong, rounded or retuse above, on rather slender petioles, entire or very rarely few- toothed ; flowers, white or occasionally light blue, in rather loose clusters. — From the Columbia River to Santa Barbara. 26. C. Gregrgii, Gray. — Closely resembling the last, but more tomentose, and the leaves not cuneate at base ; 5 feet high. — From Northern Arizona to New Mexico and Northern Mexico ; Gregg, Wright, Bigelow (C. cuneatus of Ives's Report), and Bishop. July 10, 1875.] THE GAKDEN. 31 27. C. rigidus, Natt. — Erect, 5 feet high, the branohleta tomen. to3e ; leaves, 2 to 5 lines long, caneate-oblong or usually very broadly obovate, often emarginate, few-toothed above, very shortly petioled ; flowers, bright blue, in sessile clusters. — -Abouc Monterey and Oak. land (?), California; Nuttall, Douglas, Coulter (n. 125), and Hartiveg (n. 1,680). 28. C. prostratus, Benth. — Prostrate, nearly glabrous; leaves, 3 to 12 lines long, obovate or usually oblong-ouneate, spinose usually only at the apex, on short slender petioles ; (lowers, bright blue, tbe clusters on stout peduncles. — Frequent in the mountains from Hum. boldfc County and the Upper Sacramento to Mariposa County ; found on both slopes of the Sierra Nevada. THE INDOOR GARDEN. VANDA SUAVIS UNDER COOL TREATxMENT. I irwE seat yoa a photograph oE this plant, chiefly for the purpose of illustrating that Vaadas, as well as other Orchids, may be grown freely and kept in good health though subjected to a very low temperature in winter, compared with what is thought to be the orthodox one oE something between 5-'S°and 65°. The variety of suavis under notice appears to me to be quite difEerent in two respects from any I have seen. It lasts in bloom for a month after all the Vandas which I have are out o£ flower, and I have another variety oE suavis, two ■^rieties of tricolor, and one oE insignis, all of which came into Sower when it did, and have been out of bloom for four- teen days, while the fellow spike to the one which I sent to the meeting at South Kensington is still fresh. Its other distinctive chai-acteristio is the strength of its flower-stems ; this is more remarkable than the number of flowers on tho spike, though they are more numerous than ordinary, and the size of the blooms is large and their colours very fine and well marked. I got the plant in tho form of a small slip some five years ago, from a gardener near Manchester, who, I think, said he obtained it from Mr. Williams, and stated that it was an imported plant. So much for the individual plant ; now for what is more important, the fact that Bast Indian Orchids will thrive and bloom well when kept in a very low winter temperature. My Orchid-house is only 30 feet long and 10 feet wide, a lean-to against a wall with an east aspect ; there is a path down the back, and the plants are grown on a sparred stage, under which two flow and two return pipes pass on their way to and from a Pine stove. In the latter are six rows of pipes for surface heat, and in it I keep my stock of sucker Pines. In consequence of the extent of pipe in this house, and the low temperature at which I keep such plants as Pine suckers not long potted, the pipes are never made very hot, and this keeps the Orchid-house at a very low tempera- ture when the weather is severe. During the winter of 1873-t it was as low as 45° at night for weeks together, and during the dreadful weather we had last December it seldom was above 40° at daylight, and, through January, 45° was the average night temperature. The plants are kept compara- tively dry, are never shaded in winter, and all the shade they have in summer is a little Prussian blue and whitening mixed with milk and laid thinly on the glass with a brush in March or April. The effect of this treatment on the Vandas is that they retain their short, firm, stocky leaves, to the bottom, not one out of a dozen having lost a leaf they ever had ; and, instead of hanging down like whips, as their leaves are too commonly seen to do, some of the plants of V. tricolor carry their leaves at right angles with their stems, and support themselves without stakes. The other Orchids are in equally good health, though, in most instances, small specimens, and consist, amongst others, of different sorts of Aiirides, Calanthes, Coelogyne, Lady's-slippers, Dendrobiums, Miltouias, Lycastes, Oncidiums, Pleiones, Saccolabiums, Stanhopeas, and Vandas ; among which there are suavis, coerulea, tricolor, Roxburghii, gigantea, insignis, and others. From my own experience I am quite certain that a high winter temperature is not necessary for even what have been termed " high temperature Orchids," but that, on the contrary, it is injurious, especially when combined with great moisture and thick shading at others seasons of the year with but little ventilation. Orchids are the gems of the vegetable world, and if the impediment to their more general culture — the supposed necessity of strong fire heat — can be removed, a benefit will be conEerred on thousands, for they have an interest that can be thoroughly appreciated by all who can admire what is not only beautiful, but singularly instructive. A gentleman, who has had to endure many tx-ials in life, onoe said to me, " What should I have done but for my Orchids ? When heavily pressed with care and grief I always betook myselE to the Orchid-house and there found something to take my mind off my trials and do me good," and this is a case by no means singular. Tweed Vineyard. W. Thomsos. [The photograph showed a plant unusually vigorous in growth, and bearing two very large spikes oE flowers.] CARNATIONS IN WINTER. Caruatiox cuttings are put in from the middle oE November to the middle of February, choice being made oE those that are situated along the stems of the flowering shoots. They should be short-jointed, say 3 inches long, and should be inserted in sand in the propagating bench to the number of about 160 to the square foot. As soon as they are rooted they are pricked off into shallow boxes of convenient size and form, and from 3 to 4 inches deep, the plants being placed 2 inches apart each way. They are then deposited in a cool house, as near the glass as possible ; and as they advance in growth they should be pinched to induce a bushy habit. By the end of April a piece of ground should be prepared by ploughing manure in deeply, and harrowing and rolling it to make the surface even. All large stones and lumps are then raked off, and it is marked with a marker drawing six lines at once. The plants are thoroughly watered previous to their removal from the boxes, and are planted a foot apart, a man standing on each side of the bed ; trampling upon it is thus avoided. An alley 2 feet wide is left between the beds, for cleaning and weeding, and at the end of June the tops are cut off with scissors. Every ten days they should be gone over, and the tops of the shoots that are thought to be about to flower cut off ; the plants are thus induced to break from the sides and crown. Some growers fall into the error of shearing them as they would sheep, and this causes the plant to become stunted, after which they do not attain half their proper size in the autumn, and on the size of the plants depends the number of the buds in the winter. About the beginning of October fresh loam or clay, with a fourth part of old manure, to the depth of 5 inches, is placed upon the benches in the greenhouse ; the plants are carefully taken up and placed at from 7 to 10 inches apart, according to their size, watered thoroughly with a hose, and shaded from the mid-day sun for eight or ten days. Abundance of air should be given day and night until frost sets in, but upon no account should the plants be allowed to become dry in the bed from the time they are first lifted until they are subjected to fire heat. Should a dry autumn follow, it is possible that no balls will be attached to the plants. This is not of much importance, as the Carnation soon recovers if properly cared for. In fact I have lifted them wholesale without a particle of ball attached, and found no difference in the number of buds produced by the middle of November. The plants commence to be remunerative at Christmas, the flowers then being worth from 6s. to 8s. the hundred. Each plant, up to Fob. 20, should produce from seventy-five to a hundred flowers, and this gives a good profit upon the value of labour, &c., expended. At this time all the benches are cleared of the soil, which will do for potting off ; they are then covered over with 1 inch of sand, and are ready for bedding out plants for spring sales. Should flues be used in Carnation culture, it is necessary to syringe the plants freely to prevent red spider, as a drier heat is caused than in the case of hot-water pipes. The temperature of the house at night should be kept at 60°. Cuttings for stock should be taken off regularly, one from each plant being sufiicient. The plants should be tied loosely and never planted in old garden soil, or utter failure will be the consequence. The same compost used previously out of doors should not be again used when the plants are under glass ; and, when in the open air, wet situa- tions must be avoided. By attending to these rules Carnation culture for the supply of cut flowers can be made as lucrative 32 THE GAEDBN. [July 10, 1875. as any branch of this pai'ticular business. It should be added, that the plants should be kept as near the glass as can be couTeniently managed. John Howait. ORCHIDS AT OAKLEA, PALLOWFIELD. At few places are Orchids better grown than they are here nnder the care of Mr. Swan. In the East India-honse, I noticed remarkable specimens of Dendrobium Bensonia!, many plants of which were furnished with twelve flowering bulbs, and each bearing from ten to fifteen flowers ; D. thyrsiflorum had seven spikes, while on two plants of D. crys. tallinutn I counted one hundred and thirty blooms. As- sociated with these were D. Parishii, with fourteen bulbs com pletely covered with flowers of a brighter and better colour than ordinary; and D. Jamesiannm, the blooms on which had been open nearly ten weeks. The little D. se- nile, on a block suspended against a wall, literally reeking with mois- ture, was growing luxuriantly, hav- ing made several young growths from four to six inches in length, a fact of some im. portance to such Orchid growers as have hitherto been unsuccessful with this interestinsr little species ; of the distinct and beautiful D. Mc. Carthife, there was a well-grown plant with over twenty flowers on it ; and some very fine Vandaa and Aiirides, among which may be mentioned Vanda suavis, beautifully flowered ; Aorides crispum, over 3 feet high , with two flower-spikes, one of which was finely b ranch e d ; A. virens var. Day. anum,bearingfour splendid spikes of bloom ; the fine old A. odoratnm, with seven good spikes in a single break ; a splendid plant of the Foxbrush Aerides (A. Fieldingii), bearing a branching spike upwards of 2 feet long; and a plant of Saccolabium curvifolium, furnished with over thirty leaves, and bearing four spikes of lovely orange-scarlet flowers — one of the finest single plants I have ever seen. A good specimen of the showy Thnnia BenaoniDo was decorated with good heads of flowers ; the dwarf Sobralia macrantha, known as " Wooley's variety," than which few Indian Orchids are more beautiful, was showing many heads of bloom on growths not more than 18 inches high. In this house were also many fine plants of Phatenopsis amabilis, grandiflora, Schilleriana, and Luddemaniana, on the last of which were thirty-four expanded flowers. Among Cypripediums, I noticed Amaryllis ignesceni fine examples of Stonei, Lowii, villosum, niveum, concolor, barbatum, grandiflorum, and many others remarkably well grown, and, for the most part, blooming profusely. In the house principally devoted to Cattleyas were the lovely C. Mendellii, flowering profusely ; also C. lobata, well-flowered ; a fine variety of C. Mossiaj, known as auran. tiaca, and many others, breaking freely. The Odontoglossum-house contained several fine specimens of O. Alexandres, in bloom ; 0. Pescatorei, bearing thirty splendid flowers ; and 0. Phalsenopsis, one plant of which exhibited upwards of twenty fine blooms. Among Oncidiumg, the most prominent were 0. macranthum, one plant of which had a spike upwards of 7 feet long ; a well-grown plant of 0. ampliatum majus bore three fine panicles of flowers, which produced a grand effect ; and there were, moreover, several well-bloomed plants of the pretty and almost ever. flowering O. cncullatnm; a pretty variety of Oncidium lenco. chilum, called pul. chellura, was also unusually attrac- tive, bearing, as it did, a splendid spike of fully, expanded blooms. Here, too, was one of the finest forms of the rare Epi. dendrum prisma, tocarpura I ever saw, the ground II colour of the sepals and petals being very clear, and the spottings particularly dark and distinct. This plant deserves a place in every col- lection, not so much from its dis. tinct character as from the extreme length of time during which its blooms last in per. fection, in some cases extending over a period of seven or eight weeks. It grows about 12 inches high, producing short bulbs and evergreen foliage. The spikes are produced from the top of the pseudo- bulbs, and bear each about four, teen flowers ; it blooms in June and July. These are bat a few of the more promi. nent among the many Orchids at Pallowfield, a collection in which Mr. Leach, the proprietor, takes much interest. W. Skelton. Tootinrj Nurseries. AMARYLLIS IGNESCENS. Few stove or warm greenhouse bulbs are more attractive when in flower than Amaryllises, and, among them, the plant of which the accompanying is an illustration, is well worth a place. Whether it is in reality a species or a natural hybrid we are unable to state ; but whether one or the other, it is a free-blooming and highly decorative plant. It differs from most other kinds of Amaryllis in having a very slender tube. The orange . red perianth segments are white or July 10, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 33 greeniah-white at the base, and being closely imbricated, form a regular and conspicnous white eye. This Amaryllis has been bloomed beautifully by Mr. Wm. Bull, and its showy flowers have the merit of lasting long in perfection. The great secret in growing this, as well as other deciduous Amaryllids in perfection, is to carefully attend to them after they have flowered, so as to induce them ti. make a vigorous start when again placed under growing circumstances. SOCIETIES AND EXHIBITIONS. EOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. July 7tu. CUT ROSE SHOW. Roses were well represented on this occasion ; but the main feature of the exhibition i\as the collection of vegetables staged in competition for Messrs. Carter's £50 Challenge Cup. This prize was awarded to Mr. Gilbert, gardener to the Marquis of E.iteter, at Burghley. Firbt Class Certificates. — These were awarded to the following ' Tuberous-rooted Begonia Coltoni (J. & G. Lee).— This is a free-growing variety of erect habit, having deep greon waxy foliage and axiUarv three-flowerd trusses of brilliant scarlet blossoms. As a decorative plant it is well worthy of attention. Tuberous-rooted Begonia Eodwellii (J. & C. Lee). — Similar in habit and mode of flowering to the foregoing ; flowers bright orange- scarlet. Clematis Fairy Queen (Cripps).— A strong- growing plant, having fresh green wax-like foliage. The flowers, which are six sepalled, are 8 or even 9 inches in diameter, and the segments broad and paper- white in colour, have a suffused rosy stain down their centres. Clarkia elegans fl. pi. Salmon Queen (Hardy).— An effective double rosy-salmon-coloured variety of a well-known annual, which, if it can be reproduced true from seed will bo invaluable as a decorative border plant. Clarkia elegans fl. pi. Purple King (Hardy).— Similar to the last, but rich purple in colour. Straiwberry Waltham Seedling (W. Paul).— A large-fruited variety, which has been proved in the gardens at Chiswick, and found to be prolific and very hardy. The fruit is slightly cockscomb-shaped, bright scarlet, and of good flavour. Gooseberry Early Orleans (R. H. S., Chiswick).— This is one of the earliest of dessert Gooseberries, and also one of the best in flavour. Fruit, medium size, white in colour, and slightly hairy. Roses. — Of these there was a fair display, several of the principal growers being well represented. Amongst the best blooms staged were tlie following ; — Baroness Rothschild, rosy. blush ; General Jacque- minot, glowing crimson-scarlet ; Senateur Yaisse, another well-known deep crimson-rose ; Duke of Edinburgh, velvety crimson ; Etienne Levet, a fine deep rosy flower ; Prince Camille de Rohan, dark velvety crimson ; Captain Christy, a variety the outer petals of which are white and the centre bright rosy-salmon ; Madlle. Eugenie Verdier, like the last, but deeper in colour ; La France, rosy-lilac ; Louis Van Houtte, a rich dark velvety scai-let. Associated with these were the new blush-white Madame Lacharme and John Hopper, in excellent condition ; Paul Neron, a full fine flower; La Fontaine, a delicate rosy-lilac; Marie Baumann, one of the finest of all the deep 6ery-coloured kinds. Among Tea Ro^es were good flowers of Catherine Mermet, a cream-coloured variety suffused with rose ; Belle Lyonaise, creamy-white, with a deep sulphur centre ; Madame Van Houtte, clear sulphur, the outer petals suffused with rose, and one of the best of its class; Chamois, a small flower, with a rich buff centre ; Souvenir de Paul Neron, a full Gloire de Dijon-shaped bloom of creamy-whiteness, with a salmon centre ; Souvenir d'un Ami, a well-known di^lioate pink Rose ; Marechal Niel, the best among yellows ; and Cheshunt Hybrid, a large full deep rosy-lilac flower, with a crimson centre. A large bask' t of mixed Roses, arranged tastefully with their own leaves on a fresh bed of Moss, was much admired. Miscellaneous Subjects.— Messrs. Veitch & Sons sent a large and effective pan of the pretty little coral-berried Duckweed (Nertera depressa) profusely covered with orange-scarlet fruit, the size of small Peas. Mr. W. BuU staged a miscellaneous group of plants, including half a dozen varieties of newer rai-e Lilies, a pan of the bright green Hydrocotyle nitidula, which is very pretty in the form of baskets or edgings in the stove or conservatory. In the same group were also strong plants of Drosera binata and Phal^nopsis erubescens, a highly-coloured .and beautiful form of P. amabilis. Mr. Dean had Mauve Beauty Stock, in fine condition, and cut blooms of a good strain of large-flowered Cam- panulas. Mr. Croucher furnished the crimson variety of Masdevallia Harryana bearing fifteen flower spikes ; and a beautiful three-blossomed spike of Cattleya gigas came from Mr. J. Douglas, of Loxford Hall. This, the finest variety we have yet seen, measured 8 inches from tip to tip of the petals, the latter being nearly 2S inches across their widest part. The great white-throated lip was nearly 2S inches across, and of a rich trans- parent crimson-purple colour. A cutspike of the orange-yellow, brown- spotted Lilium Bloomerianum occellatam came from Mrs. Bateman ; it resembles L. Humboldti. Messrs. Carter and Co. sent a collec- tion of Coleus, including several well-grown plants of the handsome variety named Duchess of Edinburgh. Vegetables.— Of these nine collections, all of them above average merit, were staged in competition for Messrs. Carter's Challenge Cup. Mr. Gilbert's collection, to which it was awarded, was neatly set up in shallow trays, and consisted of Peas, Carter's Early Premium Gem, Laxton's Fillbasket, G. F. Wilson, Commander-in-Chief, James's Pro- lific, and Carter's Blue Peter; American Strap-leaved Turnip, Carter's Fern. leaved Parsley, Hardy's Pedigree Bruad Bean, French Beans, Intermediate Carrot, Mona's Pride Potato, crimson Flageolet French Beans, Baily's Selected Cauliflower. White Tripoli Onion, Arti- chokes. Telegraph Cucumbers, Little Heath Melon, Carter's Mammoth Long-pod Bean, Hedsor Bean, Mushrooms, Asparagus, and Myatt's Covent Garden White Cos Lettuce, all of excellent quality. Mr. Pragnell furnished a group, in which were Peas G. F. Wilson, Carter's Early Premium Gem, James's Prolific Marrow, Carter's Commander-in-Chief, Carter's Blue Peter, French Bean White Advancer, Hardy's Pedigree Windsor Bean, Shallots, Pine-apple Beet, Early Snowball Turnips, Prickly Spinach, Early London Cauli9ower,Potatoes Model and Lady Paget, Munro's Little Heath Melon, Wheeler's Imperial Cabbage, Asparagus, Rollisson's Telegraph Cucumber, new Giant White TripoU Onions, Globe Artichoke, Miller's Selected Carrot, Curled Parsley, Green-striped Marrow, and Carter's Mammoth Long-pod Bean, all well grown. Mr. Arkell also staged a collection, in which we noted excellent Mush- rooms and Giant Asparagus. A very complete and well-grown collection of Cos and Cabbage Lettuces was exhibited by Messrs. Carter & Co. Among these. All the Year Round, a compact fresh green variety ; Crystal, a green Cabbage kind ; White Egg, Paris White Cos, and a frilled, brown-tipped variety, of luxuriant growth, named American Gathering, were conspicuous. Peas.— Of these, collections were staged in competition for the prizes offered by Messrs. Sutton & Sons and Messrs. Carter & Co. Among thera were the following varieties— viz.. Giant Emerald Marrow, a variety with pods from 3 to 4 inches in length, and well filled; Best of All, with rather short well-filled pods ; Duke of Edinburgh, pale green pods, well filled, from 4 to 5 inches in length ; Duchess of Edinburgh, with blue or glaucous-coloured pods, from 3 to 4 inches long, plump and well filled ; Sutton's Bijou and Dr. Maclean, both excellent; Commander-in-Chief, a long-podded variety, of a glaucous colour, each pod containing from seven to eii'ht Peas ; Supreme and G. F. Wilson, both well-known and excellent varieties ; Dr. Hogg, a small-podded but well-filled variety, very proUtio and good for early work. The following varieties were staged in com- petition for Messrs. Carter's silver cup, for which there were six corn- petitors, each staging six dishes each- viz., Superlative, a kind with pods 6 inches in length ; Dr. Hogg ; Carter's Hundredfold, or Cooks' Favourite, Carter's G. F. Wilson, Commander-in-Chief, and James's Prolific. Laxton's Fillbasket, Duchess of Edinburgh, Bijou, Omega, and WiUiam the First were staged in excellent condition. Messrs. Hurst & Sons, of Leadenhall Street^ also offered prizes for six varieties of plucked Peas, and also for twelve plants of different varieties. In the class for six dishes of gathered Peas, we noted Supplanter (1874) of fine quality. Superlative (1872), Fillbasket (1873), Laxton's No. 1 (1873), Dr. Hogg (1874), and William the First (1872). In the class for twelve plants (haulm) of different varieties, Supplanter and Dr. Hogg were well repre- sented, the haulm of the former being from 3 to 4 feet high, while that of Dr. Hogg is from 5 to 6 feet in height, and very prolific ; Laxton's No. 1 is a fine Pea, about 5 feet in height, and very prolific, the pods being plump and well filled; Omega, a proUfic variety, about 4 feet high, bears well-filled pods ; Fillbasket, a dwarf variety, from 2 to 3 feet high, was well furnished with well-filled pods; .as was also the dwarf and prolific Unique, which varies from 2 to 4 feet in height. ^ Several exhibitions in this class were disqualified, owing to their containing too many plants. Miscellaneous. — Mr. Dean sent good specimens of a new early Cauliflower, named Early Snowball, and a collection consisting of twelve varieties of Currants came from the Society's garden at Chiswick. Red varieties among these consisted of Red Cherry, a large kind synonymous with La Versaillaise ; Largo Sweet Red (Large Red), large, but very acid ; Knight's Large Red, prolific and very sweet ; Red Dutch, large, prolific, and moderately sweet. The best whites consisted of Wilmot's Large White, very large and sweet; White Dutch, large and late, very prolific. Fine dishes of early Gooseberries also came from the Society's gardens, the varieties being Green-gage, smooth green and -very sweet ; Sulphur, hairy, yellow, and very sweet ; Early Orleans, hairy white ; Mr. Mills, large oblong, nearly smooth red ; Raspberry, a very small, smooth, dark red variety, with a sweet and decided Raspberry flavour. A dish of the bright orange Raspberry-like fruit of the White-washed Bramble (Rubus hiflorus) came from the Society's gardens. Two prolific yarieties of large Red Currants came from Mr. Mills. Mr. Miles, of "Wycombe Abbey, sent rip'3 speoimms of Peach Early Beatrice, from the open wall. Mr. Groom, Henham Hall, Suffolk, contributed a new seedhng Melon of moderate flavour. Mr. G. Newman, the Ekns, Harling- ton, sent a large new seedling Raspberry, rather acid in flavour. Abranch bearing fruit of the Monarch Gooseberry came from Mr. Mills— owing to this Gooseberry having a thick skin it bears packing well, and birds do not destroy it. Mr. Berkeley mentioned that he had received a Cucumber named White Turkey, from Messrs. Vilmorin, and stated that it was formerly used for preserving as a substitute for ginger. Some small white Onions, from Chiswick, were referred to as being good for pickling, although useless otherwise, being bad keepers. 34 THE GARDEN. [July 10, 1875. FLOEAL DEOOEATIONS AT TUNBEIDGE WELLS. The floi-al decorations at the exhibition of the Tunbridge Wells Horti- cultural Society, held on the 2nd inst., exhibited a marked improvement upon those of last season, both as regards number of entries and taste in arrangement. In the class for a group of three pieces for table decoration (flowers or fruit), strange to say not one group staged contained fruit. The first prize in this class was awarded to Mrs. Seale, London Road, Sevenoaks, for a charmingly-arranged group of three March vases, decorated with white Water Lilies, scarlet Geraniums, the scarlet spathesof the Flamingo plant, Orchids, scarlet Begonias, pale blue Larkspurs, mixed varieties of Ferns and wild Grasses, while from the trumpets trailed^ long sprays of Lygodium scandens. The arrange- ment of the flowers in these stands was much more effective than that which Mrs. Seale exhibited at the Crystal Palace on the 26th of last month; indeed, I quite agree with one of our oldest judges, who, when he saw Mrs. Scale's group of March vases at Tunbridgc, said it was the prettiest arrangement he had ever seen. The second prize in this class was awarded to Mrs. G. Smith, Hurstley, for a group of three vases, consisting of trumpets rising out of flat tazzas, the centre piece being the tallest, but had it been about C inches taller still it would have been a great improvement. The principal dressing of these stands consisted of blooms of Tapsonia Van Volxemii, sprays of Spiraea and Copper Beech, !ind light grey tinted foliage furnished by Centaurea and other grey-leaved plants. The third prize in this class was awarded to Mr. John Beech, for an effective group consisting of a March stand for the centre piece, and at each side trumpets rising out of tazzas, all three being dressed ■with much taste. In the class for a single piece for table decoration the first prize was awarded to Mr. James Bolton for an elegantly-arranged vase, in which Orchids, blue Corn-flowers, Stephanotis, and other flowers and Ferns were charmingly intermixed. The second prize fell to Mrs. Seale for a March vase, very similar to the others exhibited by that lady ; and the third prize was awarded to Mr. Fennel for a pretty design ; and an extra fourth was awarded to Mr. G. Hubbard. The hand bouquets were good, nearly all exhibited, with few exceptions, being lightly put together, and free from that packed appearance too often to be observed in those exhibited for competition at flower shows ; the prizes were awarded (in the order in which the names stand) to Mr. John Staples, Mrs. Staples, Mr. G. Hubbard, and Mrs. Fennel. For button-hole bouquets, which were plentiful, the first prize was awarded to Miss Jane Hollamby, and the second to Mr. R. A. Boesseer. Again, as last season, in the class for arranged groups of wild flowers, there was a keen competition. The first prize was awarded to Miss Cox, the flowers in whose stands consisted of Poppies, Dog Daises, Forget-me-nots, yellow Bird's-foot Trefoil, and Grasses ; the second to Mr. Charles Noble, for a large-sized March vase, in which, in addition to wild flowers, Grasses were extensively employed. In the class for a single piece for table decoration (for gardeners only), the prizes went to Mr. lliehard Downing and Mr. James Bolton, both of whoso arrangements were much admired. A. Hassabd. EXHIBITION AT ASTON PAEK, BIEMINGHAM. JULT 1st. At this exhibition there was an exceptionally flne display of stove an'i greenhouse plants, including palms. Orchids, Pitcher plants and succu- lents. The Ferns, too, were the admiration of everybody ; and of Fuchsias, Pelargoniums, and similar plants, great quantities were shown ; cut flowers, especially Eoses, also formed a prominent feature of the exhibi- tion, and there were some interesting examples of table decoration. Fruits and vegetables also were abundant and good. The names of the prize-takers in the difi"erent classes will be found in our advertising columns (see p. viii.). Mr. Quilter, at a dinner which was given in con- nection with this great exhibition, said that he had set his heart on obtaining at least £2,000 for the Midland Institute ; but, whether they got £2,000 or £200, he trusted they would not be daunted, but persevere, and endeavour to attain success in the future — a success, be it remarked, which Mr. Quilter well deserves. The Gum Tree and the Vine Pest.— A writer in the " Temps " mentions a singular eff'cct — namely, that parasites (Phylloxera, &c.), disappear from Vines growing near the Eucalyptus. The experi- raent, made during several years, and in several Vineyards, had been uniform in its results. It is interesting, in connection with these facts, to observe that the leaves of this plant contain an ethereal oil, of which even half-dried leaves contain G per cent., and that this oil, according to Gimbert, is a very powerful antiseptic. Eating the Enemy.^The pest now devastating so much of Western America forms, it appears from the " American Agriculturist," good food. A few bushels of hoppers were procured, and placed in charge of one of the best caterers in St. Louis to be sei-ved. A number of scientific gentlemen were invited by Professor Riley, and a dinner was set forth at which the lively locust formed the sole animal food. Martyrs to science, some may think ; but, so far from this being the case, it was a feast that the veriest epicure might envy. Those men of science began with Caloptenus soup — so fine that, against all rules of etiquette, they asked for "more;" then came hopper fritters, vastly better than any oyster fritters, and so on with roast, boiled, fried, and stewed of the same, each better than the last, until the climax of the feast was reached in locusts served with honey. These locusts feed on the fat of the land, and why should we not in turn eat them ? It is against our prejudices ; but, when we coolly consider the matter, the locust is really no more repulsive than a shrimp, or even an oyster, and that they are really acceptable to the palate these gentlemen enthusiastically declare. In portions of Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, and elsewhere, people were actually suffering with hunger, with all the while untold quantities of food around them, not only food which will sustain Ufe, but of a palatable kind; and, whatever jocular remarks may be made about this hopper dinner, we think that the gentlemen who partook of it did an eminently good work, and one which in future years may prevent much suffering. Mr. Wilson's Moss Herbarium. — This has, according to tho report of Mr. Carruthers, been acquired by the British Museum. Mr. Wilson (late of Warrington) had devoted his life to the study of Mosses. His herbarium contains the type specimens of the various works of which he was the author, and it abounds in original drawings prepared with singular accuracy, and with manuscript notes of great critical value. It consists of a collection of British Mosses and Juugermanniacea3, aa well as a collection of foreign specimens of these two orders. The British herbarium is accompanied with an extensive correspondence with musco- logists, and includes numerous authentic specimens from Dawson Turner, Taylor, Sir W. Hooker, and others. Mr. Wilson's herbarium of foreign Mosses contains type specimens from the herbaria of Montague, Bruch, Schimper, Angstrom, Mougeot, Zetterstedt, Hooker, Arnott, the Paris Museum, &c. The Smaller Wintergreen in Sussex.— Mr. F. C. S. Roper, writing in the '* Journal of Botany," says — " On a recent visit to a wood between Ashburnham and Battle Abbey, in a road only occasionally used, and covered with turf and Moss, I found on the 1st June, almost con- cealed by the foliage of other small plants, a few specimens of Pyrola minor, which is an interesting addition to our Sussex flora. Pyrola media is the only species of the genus hitherto reported from the county, and this was found by Mr. Borrer at one station in St. Leonard's Forest, near Horsham, in West Sussex, where Mr. Hemsley states that it is still to bo found. NOTES AND QUESTIONS-VARIOUS. Tree Carnation, Princess of Wales.— Of this I saw a fine example the other (lay. in Mr. Perkins's Nursery, at Leamington. It is a canary-coloured Belt, laced with rose, and is a seedling from Perkins's Prince of Orange. It is a very fine variety. — W. Howabd. Adiantnm gracillimum for Bouquets-— I noticed this beautiful form of Maiden-hair Fern used for tho first time for decorative purposes the other day at Chislehurst, where Mr. J. Hudson, of Champion Hill, introduced it effec- tively in a well-made hand bouquet. — "W. T. P. Phlox setacea var. atropnrptirea.— This, in my opinion, is the most beautiful of all the Alpine Phloxes, and it has bloomed with me this season most profusely. It is perfectly hardy, a free grower, and continues a long time in bloom. When better known it will doubtless be in great request — J, Whittakee. Geranium platypetalnm.— It is stated (see p. V) that this is easily increased by means of seed. None of the plants of it, with which I am acquainted, produce seed; a circumstance much to be regretted, as this valuable hardy plant may, one day or other, get lost. Has anyone, besides the writer of the paragraph in question, induced this plant to bear seeds? — Jean Sislet, Lnons. Mesembryanthemam cordifolium variegatum. — Will some of your readers favour me with their experience in raising this plant from seed? With me, it vegetates pretty freely, but the seedlings are so destitute of chloro- phyl that, as might be expected, they all die off at an early period. Is that a common result ? As seed is generally ofTered, one can hardly suppose it. — W. T., Ipsmich. Hybrid Foxgloye.— I have enclosed a leaf and flower of a hybrid Foxglove, a distinct cross between Digitalis grandiflora and D. purpurea, tho former being the seed-bearing parent. The robust growth and erect foliage of the produce struck me, from the first, as indicating that D. purpurea had exercised consider- able influence on it. The result is a remarkably handsome plant, which is seeding freely. — W. Elliott, llithericood, Si/denham Hill. The true York and Lancaster Rose.- My attention has just been called to the article on "Roses," published in The Gaeden, p. 20>>, Vol. VI. The writer speaks of R. gallica variegata as York and Lancaster ; that is a mistake, as that is Rosa Mundi. I enclose the true York and Lancaster, which is R. damascena. I have grown it many years.— H. T. Ellacombe, Clyst S , George. [The blooms sent were those of a sweet-scented, semi-double, white Rose, flaked and mottled with purplish-crimson.] Mole Crickets and Potatoes.— The enclosed gnaw the stems oft the Potatoes here. Some call them American Potato beetles. What are they ?— E. Petees, Eing'i lioad Houne, Ouernsei/. [They are mole crickets, of which a full account will be found in our last week's number (seep. 1-i).] Onion Enemies.— I enclose you a caterpillar which I have found eating the tops off my onions. It begins at the top and eats the leaves half-way down.— Geo. TiCKr.s,Bi:liierfjii,Heiir Newark: [The name of tho insect sent is Hadena oleracea. It is a miscellaneous feeder, being found on the Nettle, Elm, Cabbage, and also, it would appear, on the Onion. This is, however, the first time that we have heard of it on the latter. — A. M.] Carrot Insects.— Our Carrots are suffering from tho attacks of an insect, which promises to destroy all in the garden. S jme years ago we saved them by applying spirits of tar to the ground before sowing ; now it does not seem to do any pood. As I believe many suffer in a similar way, probably some one may bo able to advise a treatment more eflicacioua than we have boon using. — W. H. M. [The insect that is doing the mischief in this case is tho larva of a small fly called Psila rosa:. The means of prevention that have been adopted by our correspondent are those most recommended, and generally found toler- ai)ly successful. A strong dressing of quicklime, before sowing, has been found useful, and trenching is perhaps still better. — A. M.J THE GARDEN. 35 SATXTRDAX, JULY 17, 1875. " This is an art Which does mend nature : change it rather ; bnt The a rt itselj is Nature." — Shakespeare. THE KOSE GARDEN IN SUMMER. The enthusiastic rosarian at this season strolls among his Roses, looking out for an opening blossom of some new Rose budded last year, and which he had perhaps token note of when visiting the Rose shows. He casts an eye to the quarter where his Briars are planted, and finds them in a vigorous state, waiting to receive buds of such varieties as he may prefer ; but, before he commences to bud, he resolves upon seeing tlie various Rose exhibitions and selecting the best of the new varieties, in order to make his collection as good as possible. Often, by following this plan, the amateur rosarian is misled, not by the beauty of the Rose so much as by its habit of growth, which may be very weakly, and only fit to be grown as a pot Rose. No Roses are more beautiful than Madame Vidot, Madame Rivers, Marquise de Mortemarte, Louise Magnan, Virginal, Madlle. Bonnaire, and Madame Noman, all of which are excellent when well grown ; but they are all more or less tender, and possess weak constitutions. Many more varieties could be mentioned that are by no means robust, none of which can stand cutting, pruning, and other rough treatment. In ortler to ^.stand the cutting and pruning necessary to produce good ' blooms, a Rose ref(uires to be vigorous, and of a strong and liai-dy constitution. Light-coloured varieties possessing this necessary qualification are scarce; Madame Rothschild, Captain Christie, and Madame Lacharrae arc the only light-coloured Roses with which I am acquainted that possess really robust and good coustitutions. These are very beautiful, and the best in cultivation. Madame Lacharme is nearly white, very little roseate ; Captain Christie is a shade darker of a soft flesh colour; and Madame Rothschild is a delicate waxy pink colour. July is generally allowed to be the best month for budding ; but this is only on account of buds being easily procured at that time, as the operation of budding may be performed at any time from the middle of May to the end of August. I budded between the 8th of May and the 8th of June this year upwards of two hundred Briars, and very few have failed ; they are now looking red and plump. It is a mistaken notion to think that buds inserted so early in the season will start into growth. The insipient bnds obtained from the greenhouse in May are quite soft ; and the Briar shoot being also soft — in fact, nothing but a mass of sap — every bud inserted is almost sure " to take." The buds must be in a dormant state to com- mence with, and they will remain in that state until the follow- ing spring ; but, in order to keep them dormant, the wild growth of the Briar must be suffered to grow. If cut back, there is danger of the buds starting. If you wish to produce Roses the same summer, use pushing buds — i.e., those which have grown about a quarter of an inch; these, when inserted into a vigorous Briar, generally grow away at once, parti- culai'ly some varieties, such as La Prance and Duke of Edinburgh. Much has been said and written on the choice of buds, but the truth is, in this country the choice is limited, and much more depends on the free parting of the bark than on the nature of the bud, which may be cut from a growing shoot or a flowering shoot, or one that has just flowered, but has not begun to push. The French use pushing buds with great success in the month of May ; they never take the wood out, but merely cut a very small shield with the bud in the centre. I never take the wood out myself, unless it happens that I may have to insert a bud of some particular variety late in August, when the wood is very ripe ; in Duch cases I take the wood out. Briars, planted in the open ground, are not proper stocks for pushing buds, and they should never be used if the scale of tho bud has opened so as to show the first incipient loaves. Choose a plump shoot, on which the leaves are large and ])erfoct, and on which the side-buds have not yet begun to grow. Some like to see the buds well developed, and. in order to accomplish this, about a week's time is required. Supposing that you can get buds from your own trees, and you wish to propagate a few particular varieties, but cannot find buds suffciently developed, it is only necessary to nip ofi the tops of the shoots wanted; the sap is then directed to the side-buds, and in about seven or eight days your buds will be found plump, and in beautiful order; the top buds will be ready first, and you may have to wait a few days for the remainder. Such is my plan of obtain- ing buds, and I find it a good one. If buds are obtained from, some friend, or a nurseryman, you must insert the best of them. As it is now a common practice for one rosarian to send to another a few buds in exchange for some favourite variety, the post affords a ready medium for such exchanges, as you get them brought to your door fresh and sound. The sender should cut the buds a little before post-time ; as soon as he has cut the number of shoots of the variety intended to be sent, he should cut off the leaf-stalks, leaving about half- an-inch ; then write on a small piece of paper with a pencil (ink runs) the name of the Rose, roll up the piece of paper, and tie it firmly to the shoot, and place the latter in water. He may have a dozen varieties to send. When all the cuttings are prepared and properly labelled, take them out of the water and tie the whole together with bast, then roll them up in two or three folds of old blotting paper ; wet this, and then roll all up in a fold of brown paper. A label, containing the address of the person for whom tho cuttings are intended to be despatched should be fastened to the parcel ; then comes the weighing and stamping, the stamps being put on the label. No parcel must exceed 12 ounces, the postage of which will be 4d. As soon as the receiver opens the parcel, the cuttings should be thrown into water for about half-an-hour, and in the meantime, half-fill a 6-inch pot with crocks, and fill up to the rim with pure sand. Common river sand is as good as silver sand ; ^ prick the cuttings round the side of the pot, about an inch deep ; but, previous to doing this, cut a small slice off the end of each shoot, so as to enable it to draw up moisture and nourish- ment from the sand, which must be kept iu a moist state, giving a little water every other day. It is a better plan, and also the practice which I adopt, to take off the paper labels froin each shoot, and substitute a wooden tally, placing the shoot behind the tally ; the names of the varieties stuck round the pot can then be seen at a glance. Buds kept in this manner improve, and can bo safely used after having been kept in sand for ten days — I cannot tell how much longer, never having had occasion to keep them in sand for a greater length of time. Suppose a person should have occasion to go from home for a few days in the budding season, ho need not be under any apprehension about his buds perishing, if kept in the manner just described. Care must be taken to place the flower-pot in a cool room, where the sun cannot shine upon the cuttings. Some place their Rose cuttings in water, like bouquets ; but that is a practice which cannot be recommended, inasmuch as the buds absorb too much water, and iu twenty-four hours turn black and rotten. So much has been written about the manner of inserting the buds — some using a cross cut in the form of the letter T, others a slanting cut at the top of the incision — that practice alone can determine which plan is best. For my part, I never make the cross cut, having in windy weather found that it weakens the shoot, and often there is a breakage at that part. If the amateur cannot insert his bud without the aid of the cross cut, let it bo made diagonally. It is not a good plan to release the tie from the buds too soon. Wait imtil you see the tie biting into the shoot before you release it. When a bud is untied too soon the bark opens, and the bud gets detached. I always leave four" shoots upon a Briar, and bud two. In this case, if a bud should fail in " taking," I can insert another into the shoot nearest to the one that has taken. One reason why amateurs fail in getting their buds to take, is the mistake made iu prunmg in the wild growth of the budded shoots, under an impression that it throws vigour into the buds. On no account must the ends of the Briar shoots be cut after the bud is inserted— the ends of these shoots draw sap up by the bud, and cause it to unite ; but cut them off, and the sap is directed to other shoots, and the bud dies for want of nourishment. In using the knife, therefore, for the purpose of getting in amongst the stocks conveniently, let it bo borne in mind that the more the shoots are cut back, the more is the flovr of sap interfered with, 36 THE GARDEN. [July 17, 1875. unless they remain for a time untouched, and are allowed to throw out side shoots, by which time the sap will be in full flow again, and the buds will take as quickly as iJE they had been put in in the first instance, without pruning back the shoots. Let it be impressed strongly on the mind of the amateur that suc- cessful budding is only practicable where there is a constant and vigorous flow of sap going on in the shoot to be operated upon. I have seen many young rosarians flrst insert the buds, and then cut off all the shoots beyond them, in order, as they said, to make the stocks look neat. Of course, the buds did not take ; neither was it possible for them to effect a union, when the flow of sap was stopped. Gun-barrel Budding. This kind of budding is now much practised by rosarians. In all Rose gardens where the amateur buds his own Roses, there will be found many strong suckers rising from the roots of dead Briars. On account of the severe frosts last winter, many fine, strong suckers may be found at the present time. Take a strong sucker, about 3 feet high, dress all the spines and side shoots off for about 2 feet from the ground, the young wood will be found in about the same state of green- ness and ripeness as the side shoot of the Briars which you are budding on the top part of the stock. Instead of waiting till next season, bud at once, just above one of the leaf rings, gun-barrel fashion — put the point of the knife in just above a bud, draw it upwards gently for about an inch in length. Here you have the incision which must receive the bud, at the top of which make your cross cut. Use good, strong, plump buds, which can always be obtained in abundance during August, which is the best time for gun-barrel budding. About two eyes above or below you may insert another bud. There is such an immense flow of sap in these shoots from the root that, when tying up the bud, the sap flows out and runs down the stem. The Briar and the bud are thus both of one age, and may be said to begin the world together. The junc- tion is rapid and complete. All below the inserted buds must be cut away, but all growth above must be suffered to remain until about the middle of November. The reader will naturally ask — •" How do you get this sucker up when the head is formed ? How do you separate it from the parent stock ? " I let it grow for two seasons, after which a good head is formed, and the sucker has become as thick as the thumb. In Novem- ber, grub up the whole of the old root, and separate the stem from it ; it is generally full of fibres, and may be removed to its proper quarters with safety. On this plan, instead of suckers being a nuisance, they may be turned to good account, and your Roses multiplied into dwarfs and standards at pleasure. I generally bud these suckers last, and they have often been of the greatest service to me, when a friend has sent me some buds of very choice new sorts late in the season ; all my Briars having been worked, I should have had no stocks to bud them into, had I not preserved these suckers. Gentle- men occupying land can bud into the suckers arising from old roots growing in the hedgerows ; but, before inserting the buds, the sucker must be carefully examined at its base, in order to see whether it can be taken up when the head is formed, and removed to the Rose garden. Treatment of Budded Eoses. As regards the after treatment of budded Briars, under favourable circumstances, a bud generally gets firmly united in about five or six weeks, and if the growth beyond the bud is not cut in, the bud generally remains in a dormant condition. Some few buds it is impossible to keep in a dormant state — they will start into growth whether you wish it or not — in this case, when the bud has grown a few inches, it is better to reduce any wild growth from the Briar at once and try to make as much wood as you can from the pushing bud. Some buds grow and only make a few inches of weakly unripe wood ; these are in great danger of being killed in winter. The best way is to nip out the top in the autumn, as soon as it has grown about 6 inches. This will cause the sap to concentrato about the rings of the bark, and in the ensuing spring it will throw out side-shoots for the formation of a head. It is always best to keep the buds in a dormant state, and this can only be managed by suffering as much wild growth as possible to remain on the Briar until the sap goes down about the end of October or November. About the 20th of November, not earlier, all the wild growth of the Briar may be cut away, leaving only about 6 inches of wood beyond the bud ; all side branches may be cut in close. This winter-pruning of budded Briars is necessary, otherwise any weight of snow lodging on the wild growth would break down the shoot and destroy the bud. Budded Briars are very liable to accident from wind, and often break at the place where the cross-cut was made when the bud was inserted. In consequence of having had so many accidents from this cause I have long since discontinued making the cross-cut. I now only make the long incision, and insert the bud with a piece of fiat ivory filed down to a bluntish point, like a very flat lead pencil. Such an instru- ment can be easily made from the broken handle of an old razor. Since I adopted this plan I have never had an accident from the Briar shoot breaking near the bud. About the end of March all the budded Briars must undergo the operation of pruning ; the portion of wood left in November, when all the wild spray was cut away, must now be entirely removed, except one bud just above the inserted bud ; this one wild bud must be left on the shoot which was worked, and this is called the sap bud — its office being to draw the sap upward, and help the pushing of the inserted bud. When the sap begins to flow freely, it is directed to the one wild bud, which hastens the completion of the union where the incision was made, and the inserted bud, which has remained so long in a dormant state, breaks strongly, and soon commences to grow in earnest. If no sap-bud was left, the inserted bud might not start so readily, and the stock, in order to get rid of its sap, would commence throwing out side-shoots and suckers from the root. When the bud does not start into growth after receiving the pruning and treatment above stated, it is a sure sign that some growth is going on under ground — probably a strong sucker or two are starting from the Briar root. If anything of this sort is suspected, get the garden fork and loosen the soil a little, when you will probably find the enemy, which must be promptly removed ; all side-shoots proceeding from the stock must also be removed. When the Rose has grown 3 or -i inches, a stick about 2 feet long must be tied to the Briar in two places, and it must stand well up above the grow- ing bud ; to this support the Rose must be tied, as the growth proceeds, with worsted, which is better than bast, as it does not rot in winter, and allow the snow to weigh down and break the yet tender growth of the Rose. Occasionally we find a bud very obstinate, not starting into growth in the spring ; some- times it will start at midsummer, and I have seen a few cases every year where the bud actually refuses to commence grow- ing until the following year ; but these cases are exceptional. It is, therefore, unwise to cut away the sap-bud until after midsummer; but the points of the shoots may be nipped out occasionally, by way of coaxing the inserted bud into growth. AVatch the stocks closely until midsummer, and rub away any wild growth that the Briar may make as fast as it appears, in order that the full flow of sap may be directed to the growing Rose. When the bud has grown 6 inches nip out the top, aud side-branches will be thrown, out, and a head soon formed which will bloom in autumn. Henry Tayloe. Bose Cottage, Fencoie, near Bedale. Zephyranthes Culture. — Z. Candida ia a pretty bulbons autumn-flowering plant, with white flowers, resembling large white Crocuses, 6 inches high. I have not succeeded in procuring the true Zephyranthes Atamasco, but I am looking forward to flowering Z. carinata veda, which produces rose-coloured flowers, 3 or 4 inches across, according to its description. The bulbs would probably require to be kept dry in winter. I intend, however, preparing a bed specially for half-hardy and many so-called hardy bulbs. I am con. vinced that I could grow most of them in a border, with plenty of leaf mould and sand, very well drained, with some kind of protection to keep the wet from the bed. I do not fear the frost with bulbs deeply planted. Here I may mention that I have, in the wild garden, seven large clumps of Dahlias pushing strongly up, which have been for two years in the same position, with no protection, excepting 3 or 4 inches of dead leaves. The sab-soil being gravel, they have not suffered from stagnant water about the tubers.— Oxo.v. July 17, 1875.] THE GAEDEN. 37 NOTES OP THE WEEK One of the most charming garden scenes we know of is that now visible under the trees at the lower end of the Serpentine, which has lately been transformed into a beautiful dell, graced by numerous tropical plants very well grouped. In this respect, indeed, there is great improvement noticeable this year. Some masses of ordinary- looking bedding plants somewhat mar the scene, and so do the bits of rock placed at regular intervals by the water — blemishes that existed before Mr. Gibson had the management of the park. Where Palm trees, Ferns, and similar plants, are grouped so charmingly and naturally, it would be best to introduce a little colour on the same principle. This example of what is called sub-tropical garden- ing will do more for it than a thousand times the number of plants here seen would, if dotted about in the ordinary monotonous manner. The recent heavy rains have much injured both fruit and flowers, the latter so much that the supplies from out of doors for Covent Garden have been much deteriorated, and many have had a difliculty in disposing of their bush fruits, except at unremunerative prices. Large quantities of damaged fruits are now being sold at low rates for preserving. Potato crops, too, are suffering in some localities from the excessive wet, which, as is well known, induces The ripening fruit on red Astrachan Apple trees, in the Saw- bridgeworth Nurseries, is now conspicuously brilliant, and abundant. The very high colour in this case is owing to its being grafted on the Nonsuch Paradise. It is, of course, one of the best early Apples. f Two beautiful Alpine Harebells are now in flower at Messrs. backhouse's, at York. They are very small species — from 1 to 2 inches high when in full bloom, both having erect flowers; those of C. Zoysii, being singular in form, tubular, and closed at the mouth. Mk. Petbb Baeb recotrimends amateurs making collections of Daffodils, to grow them in the Grass, where this can be done con. veniently. They die down early in summer, and are charming when seen in the Grass nooks in the pleasure ground, lawn, or wild In speaking of the acclimatisation of useful birds, Senor Fernandez mentions the introduction of starlings into Germany by Lenz. This bird will consume about 120 worms and snails daily. In Gotha there are now said to be 180,000 of these cultivators' friends, where, before the efforts of Lenz, they were entirely unknown. — — The exhibition of the Pelargonium Society will take place in the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society, South Kensington, on Wednesday next, July 21st. Notice of entries should be sent in to Mr. Barron, at South Kensington, in the usual way. The annual meeting of the Pelargonium Society will take place at Chiswick, by permission of the Council, on the afternoon of the 22nd inst,, the day following the show. Mk. Eiley is now in the south of France, in the country devastated by the Phylloxera. He has been giving the growers valuable advice as to the kinds of American Vines not liable to be attacked by this pest, and which, in consequence, are likely to be of great value as stocks to the French growers. To mark their appreoia. tion of his services to Vine culture in France, the Agricultural Society of Herault gave a grand banquet in his honour, at Palava, on the 12th inst. To show their confidence in the Royal Horticultural Society, many of the exhibitors hope to make gratuitously the exhibition that is to be held at South Kensington on the 21st one of the finest the society has ever held. Those who have already signified their inten. tion to do so are Messrs. Veitch & Sons, Mr. B. S. Williams, Messrs. J. & C. Lee, Mr. Bull, Mr. Charles Turner, Mr. Standish, Messrs! Osborn & Son, Mr. Wills, Mr. Cutbush, Mr. Laing, Messrs. Paul & Son, Mr. Parker, Mr. W. Paul, Mr. Ley, Mr. Morse, Mr. Wimaett, and Ml-. Barr. It is also probable that many other well-known horticul. turists will lend their aid. Mk. Max Leichtlin, writing to us from Baden Baden concern- ing Bletia hyacinthina, states that this pretty terrestrial Orchid must be hardy in England, although it is, for the most part, kept in a cool house. Last autumn he bought one plant of it and put it into a walled frame, in order to give it a little protection. The frost pene- trated the frame at various times, and so much so that the soil was frozen from 1 to 2 inches in depth ; but the root.stock of the Bletia, being below this, remained uninjured, and pushed up young shoots in April, which bloomed well about the latter part of June. The flowers are of a bright magenta colour, and last for about a fortnight. The plant seems to be well worth growing. SAVING STOCK SEED. The probability of securing a good proportion of double flowers from stocks depends partly upon the character of the " strain " grown and partly upon the mode of saving seed. There are some strains sold that no mode of treatment or manipulation can induce to furnish double flowers, as I have often experienced to my sorrow. Some years ago I endeavoured to secure a stock of the white Brompton, and grew seed of it that was highly recommended ; how- ever, when the plants flowered all were single. Acting upon the advice of an old cottager, who had grown good scarlet Brompton Stocks for many years, I selected plants which produced flowers having five or six petals (the normal number of petals is four), and these were marked and the seed specially saved and sown. I also pinched out the points of the spikes, so as to allow of but a few pods being produced on each, and of course these were finer in conse- quence ; still 1 got no double flowers. And, after a third trial, mado in the same way, I abandoned the stock. Again, after a few years, I obtained from one of our large nurserymen seeds of scarlet, white, and purple Brompton Stocks, and of these not a double flower was produced in the case of either of the two latter, and but sparingly in that of the former. Still worse, was the experience of a neighbouring market gardener, who purchased 1 lb. of seed of the Scarlet Queen Stock from a seed house ; and, out of the thousands of plants from this that bloomed last spring there was not one that had double flowers. These cases show how careless some are in ascer- taining the quality of the seed stocks which they purchase. It may be accepted as an undoubted fact that if Stock seed be offered abundantly and cheaply it is next to useless as far as good double flowers aro concerned. Since my previous experience with the White Brompton I have secured a strain of that variety which pro- duces at least 50 per cent, double flowers. Whether needful or not, I make it a rule with my present strain to pinch out all the points of all the spikes of bloom, and to remove the weakest side branches. The German Stocks so commonly grown in gardens during the summer are chiefly grown in pots, and it is said that the growers have the power, by manipulation, to alter the proportion of double flowers produced. Any good strain of German Stocks gives from 70 to 80 per cent, double flowers. I have now grown that beautiful pyramidal summer Stock called Mauve Beauty for about six years, and find that, grown in the open air under ordinary culture, and with the points of the branches stopped, it invariably produces at least 70 per cent, of double flowers. Another variety, of German origin, named Violacea, grown five years also, constantly produces the same propor- tion. My experience of Mauve Beauty is this — that the strongest plants in the seed-bed are generally double-flowered ; and I infer from this that it is best to select the strongest of the single ones for seed-bearers, and to weed out all that are of weak growth. I am also by this led to believe that the finest seeds produce the most robust plants, and, in consequence, the greatest proportion of double flowers. This, if correct, is a great argument in favour of the plan of pinching out the points of the spikes of flower — in fact, thinning the pods, so that the strength of the plant may be thrown into the pro- duction of fine pods. In my locality there are grown in the cottage and market gardens some fine strains of the scarlet and purple Queen Stock, dwarf, robust, and hardy, producing a large proportion of double flowers ; but these receive no manipulation. There is also a fine scarlet Brompton Stock that seems to be carelessly grown, but which, nevertheless, produces many grand double flowers. No doubt, if some amateur could give time and attention to some of these strains of Stocks, he might be able to improve them by manipulation or selection ; in any case, it would be exceedingly interesting to ascertain whether high culture, selection, and thinning the green pods, did or did not produce any greater number of double flowers than now results from ordinary, orrather, careless cultivation. A. D. KALMIAS FOE SMALL GARDENS. Few flowering shrubs can compare with these for beauty, and yet one seldom sees them except in large establishments. Grounds of small size might be made much more interesting and enjoyable by intro- ducing a few choice flowering shrubs, such as the above, instead of a repetition of Laurel, Box, and plants of that description. The Kalmia is a native of North America, and is there found growing on rocks slightly covered with vegetable soil. It is also found overhanging the margins of streams, and on the sides of hills in sterile looking soils containing a large quantity of grit. Notwithstanding this, the plant, like other American shrubs — the Rhododendron for example, — is fond of moisture, a good supply of which is necessary to its suc- cessful cultivation. The Kalmia forms a small compact, dense, grow- ing little shrub, admirably suited for the embellishment of the front of shrubbery borders, or for forming beds or clumps on lawns or pleasure grounds. The foliage being of a lively deep green shining 38 THE GAKDEN. [July 17, 1875. hue sets off the lovely pink flowers to great advantage. There are several varieties now in cultivation, but the old latifolia is still one o£ the best. Any soil in which the Rhododendron thrives will be thoroughly adapted for the growth of Kalmias. It is not necessary for either that the soil should be peat, although this is best suited to the cultivation of both, and where it is only a question of a single clump, or a few plants, it is better to make sure of success, and begin with that material to grow them in. Where this is not readily ob. tainable, the parings from the sides of roads or paths, having plenty of grit in them, are a good substitute. With this, mix about a tliird of thoroughly rotten leaves, and, in planting, tread the soil firmly about the roots. It must be borne in mind that these plants, like Rhodo- dendrons, have a strong aversion to chalk, and any soil containing this in any form is sure to prove fatal to them. The Kalmia is a plant wliich is somewhat fond of shade ; therefore, in planting,'make choice of a position where this can be afforded naturally for a few hours during the day. When growing, give a good soaking of water, as the succeeding year's bloom depends on the kind of growth that is made by the plant previous to the flower.buds being formed on the terminal ends of the young shoots. These swell gradually on during the autumn and spring, and at the beginning of June they burst forth, forming a compact bunch of rich pale pink crimped-looking flowers, as singular in ihat respect as they are beautiful. The Kalmia is a first-rate subject for forcing, and may be bought for that purpose well set with bloom buds at a moderately cheap rate. J. Sheppard. TEEES STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.* For many years past, it has been customary to notice, at the Botanical Society's meetings, trees injured by lightning. A thunder, storm of rather a local character took place on the 9th of October, 1874, on the road leading from Loanhead to Lasswade. The electric fluid struck a large healthy Ash tree, which is now quite dead. It was one of a row of trees overhanging a line of telegraph posts and wires on the south-east side of the road. Five consecutive telegraph posts, standing 150 feet apart, were thrown down, and more or less split up. I recently inspected all the trees in the line where the posts were injured, and found that, without exception, they were either Elm or Ash. One Ash, I have said, has been totally killed. It stood near the centre of the line where the telegraph posts were destroyed. The wires, however, do not seem to have been in contact with it, or, indeed, any of the trees. Another Ash is also disfigured on one side, and on portions of its top, the bark being stripped off about 2 inches in breadth, beginning about 6 feet below the level of the wires, a line being distinctly traceable to the bottom of the tree. Several of the Elms have had narrow portions of bark, from 2 to 3 feet in length, and about 1 inch broad, displaced from their stems ; and this has always occurred on the side nest the wires. One Elm, where the wire was within 12 inches of the stem, has a strip of bark, 2 feet long and about 1 inch broad, taken off immediately below the level of the wire. This denuded space is straight for several feet, and, although connected, it is observed to turn round, and to have entered the ground on the east side of the tree. Notwithstanding that the wires appeared to be at a greater distance from the Ash than the Elm trees, the Ash trees suffered most. Probably the Ash tree killed was first struck, and the fluid afterwards communicated with the telegraph wires. Flower Gardening in Hyde Park. — In Ilyde Park, the parallelogram form of bed is popular, and the overladen aspect of the strip of Grass next to Park Lane is too evident — in some xjarts more than others. A sheet of fresh green turf now and then is what would relieve the eye here, and not a continuous belt of heavy-pro. portioned beds, furnished with Geraniums chiefly. Flower-beds, however, look better here than those in the Green Park, but they are too many, and have too little variety amongst them. From this fashion- able proQienade it is pleasant to escape to the long herbaceous flower- walk in Kensington Gardens. The seclusion hero, and the more natural aspect of both trees and flowers, are a relief to the eye. It was gay with Delphiniums and Canterbury Bells, and many other hardy jilants that looked well relieved by the trees behind. — J. S. Flower-gardening at Kew. — A country correspondeat of the " Field" says, "Among other things, one looks for something good in the flowor-gardening way hero, and this is effective generally, barring the large circle at the end of the long walk, which, at a distance, looks a mere dusky object, and is quite ineffective. It is filled with pattern-work, composed of Geraniums, Ceutaureas, Alter, nantheras, Echeverias, Sedums, &c., the succulent class predomi. Dating. This bed, which seems to have been placed in its present • Headby Mr, M'Nal), before the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, 8th July,1876, position as a terminating object to the long walk, along both sides of which there is bedding enough of the ordinary kind, is anything but the conspicuous object it ought to be, furnished as it is now, and as it has been for years past. Such a bed, we conceive, should fill the eye, and afford a contrast to the rest of the bedding ; but, instead of this, it is indistinct and unnoticeable, its presence hardly attract, ing attention but for the burnt brick edging with which it is sur- rounded. Whoever suggested this incongruous bordering to such a bed, in such a place, deserves a monument of the same material. It is a conspicuous outrage on good taste, that all may coutemplato with advantage who visit Kew. I maintain that nothing would be more becoming to the bed than a Grass margin of proportionate breadth ; at all events, brick is a barbarism. I could not help thinking what a grand mass of Pampas Grass could be grown here with good culture ; and the Grass need not occupy all th^ bed : it is a position for nobler plants than those of the ordinary ' bedding ' class which meet the eye all around. I would suggest, for another year, a central mass of Pampas Grass, occupying two-thirds of the bed, and, interspersed among the clumps of these during summer, a few tall sub-tropical plants of the Palm and Draciona type, and round the enter margin good plants of Draca3na grandis and others, Cannas, and effective subjects of the same kind — one noble group, gorgeous in habit and colour, but divested of all formality in arrangement." Specimens of Large Pampas Grass. — The finest example of this I have seen was in Staffordshire. It was growing on a well- drained lawn; but holes 8 feet deep, and filled with loam and cow manure, had been prepared for each plant. One plant, three years planted, was of immense circumference, the leaves unusually broad, long, and erect, and bore about two dozen flower-spikes, which stood nearly 13 feet high. This was simply due to high culture in a climate not unfavourable to it, and no doubt the same could be accomplished in the neighbourhood of London. The plant requires a deep rich soil and abundance of moisture in summer, but a thorouo'hly dry bottom in winter. Under such conditions I have seen it stand without any protection in winter in Scotland, and flower annually. — J. S. Lilium monadelph.um and other Lilies. — I notice in a recent number (see p. 8) that a correspondent enquires what is the greatest number of flowers produced by one stem of this Lily. I believe Mr. Maw had twenty-five last year, but the finest spike I ever saw was in my own garden a month ago. It had fourteen flowers, of such size that the whole could not be drawn on a large folio sheet without crowdin". Mr. Hovey's account of the hybridisation of Lilies in America is very interesting, but I think that the climate must have something to do with his remarkable success, as no one of late years in Europe seems to have done anything particular in this line. Can any of your correspondents inform me where I can find the catalogue of hybrid Lilies raised by Mr. Groom about thirty years ago, which are referred to in Mr. Hovey's letter ? I believe they were mentioned in Glenny's " Garden Almanac ; " and, as I am trying to trace the parentage of the different varieties of Orange Lilies now in cultiva- tion under many different names, I shall be glad of some information about this, as I believe Mr. Groom was the raiser of many hybrids between elegans and bulbiferum. Having recently examined, iu company with Mr. Baker, the type specimen of L. elegans in Thun- berg's own herbarium, I feel sure that the plant is undoubtedly oue of the forms of what is generally called Thnnbergianum ; and, as the laws of nomenclature compel the change already made by Mr. Baker, I hope that the name of elegans will be adopted instead of Thuu. bergianum in all gardens and catalogues. — J. Elwes, Miserdcii House, C ireiicester. The New Race of Irises. — In your account (see p. 7) of the hardy plants in Messrs. Henderson's nursery, the Japanese Irises, known by the name of I. Kiempferi, are mentioned as being very fine. I feel sure that this set of Irises will, when more plentiful, be as much esteemed in the garden as those usually known as I. ger- manica. Iris KKjmpferi (E. G. Henderson), is a very fine plant, as every one must admit ; but it is, I was going to say, a mere weed — though that is rather too strong an expression— in comparison with a variety I saw at Mr. Leichtlin's last week. So beautiful was this flower, that I think it would vie with the finest Orchid in cultivation, both in size and colour. Bach petal exceeded 3 inches in length and breadth ; the whole flower^ which was nearly flat, being at least 7 inches in diameter; the colour, a bright rose, variegated with white. I believe that others as fine, or nearly so, are in the same collection ; and as they ripen seed freely, we may hope in time to see a race of Irises of extraordinary size and beauty. M. Van Houtte, of Ghent, is the fortunate possessor of a wonderful form of Japanese Iris, which, if the drawing is correct, has the flower completely pendnlons, on a recurved peduncle. — J. Elwes, Miserden House, Cirencester. Jtjly 17, 1875.] THE GAEDBN. 39 THE FLOWER GARDEN. THE SCAELET WINDFLOWEE. (aseiiose fulgens.) This is a plant almost unknown in gardens, that which is met with under the name in collections being no other than one of the bright red varieties of the Star Anemone (A. stellata Lam. A. hortensis), which, in some respects, resembles A. fulgens, to which, however, it is inferior, as regards the size and hardi- ness of the plant, the vigour of the flower-stems, and the breadth and colour of the flowers. Anemone fulgens, repre- sented in our engraving, which is one-third the natural size of the plant, is, properly speaking, the single type of A. pavonina, of which the double variety only is now usually cultivated. This is often confounded with the different varieties of A. stellata, and it is this confusion of names which has induced us to point out in a special manner the merits' of A. fulgens, whose beauty and hardiness place it in the first rank of out- door ornamental flowers. Whilst the Star Anemones (A stel- lata, A. hortensis) with single flowers, are of delicate constitu- '^'^^^f^KS" "-v^^^f^v^ The Scarlet Windflower. tion — requiring to be cultivated in peat or leaf soil, and shel- tered from the cold of winter — A. fulgens, on the contrary, succeeds in any rich garden soil which has been well manured, and also in the soil of meadow land ; besides this, it is sufficiently hardy to be left without shelter in tVie open air during winter, and it even gains in size and beauty when left iindisturbed where it grows for several j'ears, as is often the cise with other perennial plants. Tufts of it thus grow larger every year, and produce flowers that become annually more ample and abundant, especially if care be taken to mulch thoroughly during the winter. These flowers, which begin to show themselves in February, and succeed each other until April, are borne on flower-stems some 8 to 12 inches in height. The corolla, which is well stored with petals disposed in a wide-spreading cup some 2 or 3 inches in diameter, is scarlet-vermilion-red in colour, and of a brilliancy that it would be difiioult to rival, for it is abso- lutely dazzling when illuminated by the rays of the sun. The blossoms open well when cut and placed in water, and are peculiarly adapted for forming bouquets and for winter and early spring decoration. The rhizomes of Anemone fulgens may be planted either in autumn or in spring, and even when the plant is in full growth ; but if it be decided to obtain plants of it in full flower in spring it is better to plant them early in autumn and not later than September. In this case a good mulching given before the winter will go far in ensuring an early and abundant flowering. — MM. ViLMORiN & Co., in "Eevue Horticole." [The merits of this brilliant plant have now been thoroughly tested in England and frequently pointed out in The Garden. It is, however, as yet, too little grown. It adds quite a new feature to the garden of hardy flowers when it is well established.] DE. KELLOGG ON LILIES. As I had the pleasure of showing you my paintings and col- lections of native Lilies while in California, before The Garden was first published, I now send you an account of the early history of some of them. Happily our lot has fallen upon an age appreciative of one, at least, of the divine commands — which all will allow is a good beginning — to " consider the Lilies." It seems incumbeut upon all those who are associated in any degree with Lily literature to state facts known to them in aid of those seeking a just record of these lovely plants. liilium ■Washingtonianum (Kellogg). — A painting, still in my possession, of a single flower, branch, and leaf of this Lily, made from a dried specimen, was presented before the Cal. Acad., Nov. 11th, ISSi, calling public attention to it, besides some fresh bulbs distributed— though not then described — the materials being deemed unsatisfactory. We diligently strove to cultivate this bulb for four or five years ; in 1859 it bloomed, was described, and accompanied by another more characteristic painting, and specimens freshly in flower, August Ist, 1859, Proo. Cal. Acad. Sciences, Vol. II., p. 13; it was also lithographed, coloured, and distributed widely, both with proceedings, and also in a colonial monthly magazine, named " The Hesperian," published in San Fran- cisco, for October, 1859. In allusion to the coast form, both before the Academy and in the monthly magazine in question, it was stated, " We have probably another species of white Lily, which has not yet attained sufiicient strength to bloom." I called Mr. Miller's attention to many peculiar features of this species as we were inclined to view it, requir- ing further investigation ; whereupon he collected and sent it abroad. I have, at this moment, a specimen, 6 feet high, with sixty blossoms on it. L. Bloomerianum (Kellogg).— About fifteen years ago I began the culture of this Lily, made a large drawing of it, which you saw, presented it with specimens to the Cal. Acad., discussed, and deemed it a good species ; but no written description offered, as none appears upon the record at that time. The painting was sent to the Smithsonian Institu- tion, at Washington ; thence to New York, to Dr. Torrey, and to Professor Gray, of Cambridge, U.S. Finally, February 20th, 1871, Vol. IV., p. 160, it was described. Subsequently Mr. Max Leichtliu sent me his painting of L. Humboldti, which certainly was not my L. Bloomerianum, but L. pardalinum. I can only account for the mistake (it mistake it was), by his describing one and accidentally figuring the other. The late Mr. Bloomer and myself, with others, always considered this as a distinct species, and he ever spoke of it as such, and continued its culture to the day of his death. L. lucidum (Kellogg).— A bright orange Oregon Lily; the plant accompanied by a large painting, which you also saw, was presented before the Cal. Acad, of Sciences as new twelve years ago, and this name given to it then, on account of its peculiar bright, lucid, and sunny radiance. A careful description was written out, but held in abeyance in order to review it with reference to the character of the bulb (at that time having seen but one) ; this was also sent to Wash- ington,New York, and Cambridge,to be submitted to those high in authority upon botanical questions. Specimens of the plant and bulb passed into the hands of Mr. Bloomer, but since the Academy's purchase of these relics, coming again to view, I published it and gave reasons for considering it distinct from L. canadense. Ii. maritimum (Kellogg). — This is a very dwarf maritime Lily, recently described, although for five or six years past 40 THE GARDEN. [July 17, 1875. considered doubtfully distinct by Mr. Bloomer and myself; his opinion I find recorded on the label. A year ago I visited its native habitat, devoted particular attention to its special characteristics, and collected many bulbs for cultivation and distribution to Mr. Bloomer and other friends for study, culture, and comparison. It is now in bloom at Mr. Brooke's, and I think it well worthy of a distinctive name. It has not the creeping CEBspitose or zig-zag mats of bulbs as the L. par- vum (Kellogg) or L. pardalinum (Kellogg), and may be worth a distinct notice hereafter. A. Kellogg. GARDEN VEGETATION IN JUNE. The month of June, upon the whole, has been somewhat dry and cool. The lowest thermometer markings were on the mornings of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 13th, 14th, and 21st, when 40^, 39°, 37^, 40°, 37^, and 39°, were registered. While the highest morning tempei'atures were on the 12th, '24th, 25th, 28th, 29th, and 30th, when 53^, 49°, 54°, 48°, 49°, and 48°, were re- spectively indicated. Easterly and north-easterly winds pre- vailed during the early part of the month. There were a few occasional showers, but no rain of any con- sequence fell till the 30th. "Vegetation may now be said to be at its best, with a few exceptions, such as the Locust tree, Liquidamber, Tulip tree, deciduous Cypress, and Catalpa tree. The foliage is this year everywhere well developed ; most of the late summer flowering trees were generally at their best about the 5th of June, such as the scarlet-flowering Horse Chestnuts, as well as the double flowering Thorns, while the Crata3gLis tanacetifolia, or Tansy- leaved Thorn, was in full flower on the 25th of June. This is a most desirable tree, owing to its late flowering propensity, but one rarely seen in cultivation. The common White Elder has been particularly fine this season. The first open flowers on it were observed on the -5th of June, and all wera in per- fection on the 28th. The comnion Elder, beautiful as it is both in flower and fruit, is now becoming a perfect nuisance all over the country. It is extending itself very generally over wooded lands and gardens, killing, or rather smothering many good evergreen shrubs such as Rhododendrons, Portugal Laurels, &c., as well as numerous deciduous shrubs of all classes. The Dwarfer deciduous shrubby plants have been flowering very freely during June, such as the Colutea, Syringa or Mock Orange, Snowberry, Barberry, Weigela, Deutzia, Wild Roses, Yellow and White Broom. The common Rho- dodendron ponticum has also shown an abundance of flower. The Portugal Laurel is iiow (July 1) thickly covered with flower buds. In my address to the Botanical Society, November, 1873, I noticed that the Ivalmia iatifolia does not flower as it used to do thirty years ago. The plants of it cultivated in tlie garden are of all sizes ; they stand in all situations, and vary from 3 to 30 feet in circumference, and are in the most perfect health. One of the largest plants produced this year a single cluster of flowers on the top of it, while no others had a vestige of bloom, except on some plants which were received from London with flower buds formed on them, forced during the winter and spring of 1873-74, and planted out after the young growths were matured ; several of these plants arc this year fiowering profusely. For some years back it was only on the forced plants that flowers were obtained in the open air, and even in these cases, no flowers were got after the first year. The flowering of the Yucca gloriosa is by no means an unfrequent occurrence, but it is somewhat remai'kable this year to see so many coming into flowei\ On the rock-garden alone fourteen specimens are now blooming — of these ten are the Yucca gloriosa, one Y. Ellacombii, one Y. glaucescens, one Y. filamentosa, and one Y. angustifolia. Six specimens of the Y. gloriosa are also flowering in other parts of the garden. I attribute the free-flowering of the Yuccas this year to the extreme mildness of the winters of 1872-73, and 1873-74, succeeded, as they were by average summers and autumns. The Yuccas in the rock-garden are all growing in raised rough octagonal stone boxes, filled with good earth and covered with soil outside, so as to keep the stones together, the sloping banks being arranged into rock-work compartments for the growth of Alpine plants. The roots of the Yuccas are con- fined all round, the fibres only issuing through the joints into the surrounding soil. Owing to the dry weather, the herbaceous and Alpine plants, particularly the inhabitants of the rock-garden, have come very rapidly forward, but generally the flowering, with certain exceptions, was of short duration. On the 1st of July, 273 species and varieties, exclusive of duplicates, were counted in bloom. Amongst the plants yielding the greatest display at that date, were Veronica rupestris and V. pinguifolia. Cam- panula turbinata and its numerous varieties, Acantholimon glumaceum, Scabiosa alpina, Saponaria ocymoides major, Onosma echioides, many Crustaceous Saxifrages, Dianthus alpinus, D. glacialis, D. corsicus, Androsace lanuginosa. Genista sagittalis and G. tinctoria, Thymus Serpyllum album, Sedum ibericum,Papaver alpinumand itsvarieties, Silene alpes- tris, Lithospermum prostratum, Are.naria grandiflora, Del- phinum Belladonna, Potentilla Dr. Andre, Helianthemums (double and single), also the double Lotus corniculatus. One of the most striking plants on the rockery was a double Dian- thus, known as the Fettes Mount Pink ; this is a very free- flowering pale rose-coloured variety. Subjoined is a list of the better class of plants as they came into bloom daring the last mouth, chiefly in the rock-garden. Plants in Bloom in June, 1875. 1. Arenaria ^rranrliflora DianLhiis Hcnryanus Fragaria lucida Liuum campanu- latuin Primula sikkimensis Silene alpestris Thalictrum tube- rosum Veronica verbenacea 2. Anemone alba Crespedium Richii Erodium absinthi- folium Linaria alpina atro- purparea Pernefctia angustifolia speciosa Primula farinosa Veronica Pellouia Vicia argentea 3. Actinella scaposa Aster alpinus albus Campanula fragilis hirsuta Dodecatheon Foxii Scutellaria alpina 4. Arenaria CEespicosa Hydrocotyle sibtlior- pioides Menziesia polifolia vera Pentstemon acumi- natum 5. Aster alpinus Dianthus casius Epilobium latifolium Hippocrepis belvetica Onosma echioides 6. Astragalus vaginalis Cerastium grandi- fiorum Hippocrepis comosa Oxytropis lapponicus Potentilla alpestris Sedum stenophyllum 6. Silene maritima flore pleno 7. Bupleurum ranuncu- loides Campanula turbinata Saponaria ciespitosa Veronica pinguifolia 8. Crucianella stylosa rubra Gypsophila repens Helianthemum pilo- selloidea Oxytropis deflexa Scutellaria altaica Sedum deficiens 9. ChrysobactronHook- erii Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinhicrgh, 9. CinicLf aga americana Robertia taraxi- coides Silene ciliata 10. Aquilegia chrysantha Epilobium Novae Zealandife Menziesia polifolia versicolor Potentilla sikkimensis Stellaria scapigera Thalictrum formo- sum 11. Arum palestinum. Dianthus dentosus Kalmia angustifolia Androsace lanuginosa 12. Artemisia sericea Campanula picta Carex frigida Centaurea uniflora Lindelofia specta- bilis Scabiosa alpina Stellaria pungens 13. Prunella pyrenaica Sagina procumbens pleno Sedum aizoon Silene petrrea Veronica taurica 14. Arenaria Ledebour- ianum Epilobium obcor- datum Globu 1 aria nud i caul i s Lotus corniculatus flore plena Pyrola media 15. Acantholimon glum- aceum Bupleurum Sikki- meuse Erica ciliaris Hemophragma hete- rophylla Trientalia europiea 16. Sedum Kamtchati- cum Veronica Girdwood- iana 17. Paronychia serpylli- folia Potentilla lanuginosa Sedum asiaticum 18. Helianthemum tubo- raria (Euothera marginata Potentilla Dr. Andr^ Scabiosa grarainifolia 19. Gaultheria Shallon acutifolia 19. Gentiana Wallichii Stenactis speciosa Campanula cenisia SantolLna tncana 20. ^thionema cordifolia Coronilla Iberica glauca Nigritella angusti- folia Paronychiatomentosa Potentilla Louis Van Houtte 21. Campanula linarifolia Campanula turbinata elegans Scutellaria hastata Sempervivum Lag- gerii 22. Erica Mackaiana Lewisia rediviva Sedum alsinifoUum Saxifraga rivularis Wulfenia Amhei'Stii 23. Asperula cynancbica Linum viscosum Saxifraga aizoidea Thymus corsicus Thymus Serpyllum hirsutum Zygadenus elegans 24. Calochortus luteus Modiola geranioides Thymus Serpyllum album 25. Campanula Van Houttei Orchis f oliosa Oxytropis campestris 26. Dianthus deltoides Potentilla dahurica Potentilla sericea Sedum californicum 27. Prunella pyrenaica Thymus alpinus 28. Dianthus versicolor Potentilla dahurica Sedum ibericum 29. Iris ficifolia Teucrium Botrys Thalictrum anemon- oides fl. pleno Vaccinia ni macro- carpum 30. Draba glacialis Gentiana gelida Liparis Loeselii Potentilla alchemil- loides Pterocephalus Par- nassii Sagina sotigora Jas. M'Nab. Chrysobactron Hookeri, — This is a very fine plant. It grows here in a moist peat bed, under a north wall, associated with Linnsea borealis, which thrives equally well, and forms a carpet for C. Hookeri and Cypripedium spectabile. C. Ilookeri will do fairly well in any garden soil; but what a difforeuce between its starved appearance there and its lusariance iu a moist vegetable or peaty soil. — Oxon. July 17, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 41 NOTES ON HA.EDY FLOWEES IN OXFORDSHIRE. There are several good Qjiiotberas. QE. fruotiosa major is a handsome and showy plant, with yellow flowers. CE. macro- carpa is a good prostrate plant, and looks well droophig over banks or rook-work ; the flowers are of a clear light yellow, and very large. Perhaps ffi. marginata, with large and hand- some white flowers, and very fragrant, and which grows about 9 inches high, is the best of all. Ourisia coccinoa is a very uncommon plant, now past flowering. It grows freely with me in a moist north border, with plenty of vegetable mould. It is quite dwarf (about 6 inches high), with pendent flowers of a bright scarlet, and is a desirable plant. Onosma taurica is another good plant, though it is rather apt not to tui'u up a second season. Though one of the Borage -tribe it has no coarseness, and is a very distinct plant, grows about 8 inches in height, with beautiful yellow waxy flowers in clusters, and is a handsome plant for the mixed border or rock-work. Opuntia Raflnesquiana is a dwarf Cactus, perfectly hardy in any garden border. It has been growing in Oxfordshire for thx'ee years without protection. Othonua cheirifolia, a glaucous, evergreen perennial, from North Africa, is worth growing. Here it flowers freely in rather light loam ; the blooms are of a rich yellow. It dislikes a cold stiff soil. Of the Papavers, P. orientale, and P. bracteatum are very fine, and, perhaps, the showiest of all hardy perennials. A patch or two here and there on the turf have a fine effect, and they are by no means particular as to soil, but I do not find they J^ike any shade, as the flowers die ofi: before unfolding. Many %f the dwarf Poppies are very pretty, but I do not know any ■which are perennials. Pascalia glauca, a tall and vigorous Composite, with yellow flowers, having a dark centre, spreads too quickly for border culture, but may be transferred with advantage to the wild garden, and with it Thermopsis fabacea and Physalis Alkekengi, both of which run about in the garden proper to the detriment of choicer and dwarfer subjects. Sevei'al of the dwarf Phloxes are valuable ornaments to the border, notably P. ovata, P. Listoniana, P. verna, P. subulata, and others. Phygelius capensis, a tall, shrubby perennial, about 3 feet high, thrives with me perfectly, in an ordinary border facing nearly due east, though it is supposed to be rather tender. The flowers are handsome — though there is a good deal of leaf in proportion — and pendent, the tube scarlet, with deep yellow throat. The Phyteumas are pretty for the front line of the border, genei'ally with blue, spherical flowers. P. Halleri, I think, is the best. They will thrive anywhere. Polymonium grandiflorum does not seem to me to be better than the old P. coeruleum. P. reptans is distinct, and ^generally very floriferous. Polygala ChamEebuxus is a very neat little shrub, with cream-coloured flowers, and Box-like, evergreen leaves. It requires moist vegetable soil, in which it grows about 9 inches high. It may be associated with the pretty little Cornus canadensis. Some of the hybrid Poteutillas are very good (one called Vase d'Or, with very large double- yellow flowers, being very effective), and are of much more importance than the species. Of the Rudbeckias, though all are showy, vigorous plants, R. califoruica is the finest, growing to 5 feet or more in height, with yellow flowers nearly 6 inches across, with a dark brown centre rising like a cone, nearly or quite 2 inches high. It should be seen in every garden, and in the front of shrubberies. Of the Salvias (S. patens not being really hardy), I can select two for the garden — viz., S. pratensis rosea, which, as the name implies, is a pretty rose-coloured form ; and R. pra- tensis lupinoides, a handsome blue and white variety of the English Sage. Saponaria ocyraoides we employ as a carpet Ijcneath other flowers ; and flowering, as it does, a long time in succession, is very effective. A rough sandy mound about 12 feet square, in the wild garden, is covered with it, and every one who sees it is delighted. S. cajspitosa is now in flower ; it is of a bright rose colour, about C inches in height, and is a handsome plant. The old flesh-coloured double form of S. officinalis will grow anywhere, and is very useful for a wild garden, which is the best place for it. There are so many good and useful Saxifrages, that they would require a great many pages to themselves. I will merely mention that all kinds seem to do in a sandy border as well as on rock-work, and I would mention particularly S. oppositifolia, S. op. alba, and S. op. pyrenaica as thriving on the level ground. The soil is well drained, and ordinary pebbles from the walks are mixed with it to the depth of about 18 inches. None of the perennial kinds of Scabiosa are worth growing, excepting, perhaps, a vigorous yellow one, attaining a height of 6 feet; this looks well in my wild garden with other vigorous plants. I cannot give it a name ; would it be S. lutea ? Of the Statice tribe S. latifolia, over 2 feet high, with pani- cles of blue flowers on weak stems, but which mutually support one another, is the finest, and is a distinct and valu- able species. _ S. tatarica and S. incana rubra, each about 1 foot high, with small crimson flowers, are also worthy of a place. Do not forget Schizostylis coccinea, an autumn- flowering bulbous plant, rather like a Gladiolus, and with crimson flowers. It spreads i-apidly in any light loam, and is a very valuable ornament to the border. Of the Thalic- trums T. concinnum and T. aquilegifoliam are graceful plants, growing about 3 feet in height ; T. anemonoides is a very pretty little plant, with the leaves of T. minus and white flowers (in umbels), resembling white Anemones ; I grow it in a rather shady peaty border. T. minus and T. adiantitolium must be planted in the hardy Fernery as good substitutes for the ]Maiden-hair Fern. The Tradescantias in various colours, blue, violet, rosy, and white, are most valuable for placing in any cold, wet, clayey soil, when they will thrive apace. They will stand transplanting, too, when in flower, with or without a ball of earth, without complaining. Trillium grandiflorum grows vigorously in moist peat. I have not tried the other species. Wo all know the pretty little spring-flowering bulb, Triteleia uniflora; but I fancy few people as yet have T. Murrayana or T. laxa, which are now in bloom. The flowers are produced in umbels ; those of T. laxa are on shorter stems, and of a deeper purple, than those of T. Murrayana, but whether this is only accidental I am not competent to say. At all events, they are both most effective, and the blooms freely produced. Give the Tritomas a light rich soil. If in heavy ground, they are liable to rot away in winter. Of the Trollius tribe, all are more or less good ; but T. napellifolius, with deep orange globular flowers, is the most showy, and should be in all gardens. The best amongst the Yeronicas I should call the following :—V. satureja^folia, about 1 foot high, with flne bright blue flowers in good spikes ; the variegated form of V. gentianoides, which is a pretty and attractive plant ; V. taurica, a low-spreading evergreen kind ; and perhaps V. saxatilis. Verbena venosa is a good bedding plant, and increases rapidly without attention. The flowers are of a fine bluish-purple, and the plant is quite hardy on ordinary free soil. I find I have made no mention of Anemone japonica, or vitifolia, or the fine white variety, Honorine Jobert. They are grand plants for wild and rough places in autumn. Good and showy as they are, I almost regret having introduced them to the mixed border, as they requhe constant thinning, or they would spread so rapidly as to exterminate many of the more delicate plants. Oxon. ROCK GARDEN AT FETTES MOUNT, LASSWADE. There is no accounting for the difference in the tastes displayed in selecting sites for dwelling-houses. Some prefer a piece of level ground which can be readily laid out in straight lines, while others, on the contrary, prefer hilly, uneven ground, which enables them to display their ingenuity in arranging it, taking advantage of every inequality which the surface presents. A style of gardening suitable to ground of the last-mentioned character has been can-ied out at Fettes Mount, Lasswade, the property of Mr. G. H. Potts. The ground in question is 3 acres in extent, and is situated on the lower north-eastern slope of a piece of risino- ground commanding a very extensive view, but only in an easterly direction. One-half of this ground is devoted to the dwelling and out-houses, conservatories, and rockeries ; also to the flower and kitchen garden, as well as orchard ; the remaining half is used as a park aud bowling green. The approach enters from the steep public road leading from Loanbead to Lass- wade on the south-east side, and is carried up a slight serpen- tine ascent. The south side of this approach is successfully arranged as a rock-work retaining wall, the stones composing 42 THE GARDEN. [July 17, 1875, it being placed transversely — the larger ones at the bottom, and the shorter ones uppermost, and having a slight incline backwards to keep up the natural bank of earth behind. The stones are all embedded with soil, and are thus made suitable for the roots of plants. The surface-ground is turfed and dotted over with shrubs and trees. This retaining rock-work wall is densely covered with a miscellaneous collection of dwarf and creeping rooted Alpine plants, such as Sedums, the S. acre, S. anglioum, and S. turgidum being prominent, besides Sempervivums, Aubrietias, Campanulas, various species of Thymus, Vinoa minor, and Veronicas, V. alpestris being the most conspicuous. This is a most charming rock-plant, and Mr. Potts may be said to be its original cultivator in Scotland. Saxifrages are also abundant, chiefly the S . mus- coides and hypnoidos section, with various tufts of the S. Aizoon minor. The colours of all are well blended, and harmonise perfectly, producing a pleasing effect at all seasons. The dense mass of damp soil behind this rock-work wall proves very beneficial to their growth and condition, which, notwithstanding their exposure to the sun, is excellent. For some years past the general rock-work at Fettes Mount has been gradually extending, and now covers a consider- able portion of ground. The upright part of most of the rockeries is arranged, as described, for the chief approach, while the sloping upper surface is divided into compartments or pockets of various breadths, so as to have the plants more or less on a level with the eye. Although the different sections of plants cultivated are numerous, the great feature of this rock-work is the collections of Sempervivums and Saxifrages. Of the former, sixty-five species and varieties are cultivated; and all in the most perfect health, besides a good collection of named Sedums. Of Saxi- frages, the collection consists of 150 species and vai'ieties, including the Mossy, None so Pretty, and the Crustaceous group, all of which are thriving. At this time (24th of June) the Crustaceous section makes the most display — although all, or most of them, have light-coloured flowers varying from pure white to a light ochre tint, more or less dotted with pink spots. The occasional intermingling of the S. mutata with a spike of orange-yellow flowers varies the charm. All the Saxifrages are grown in loam placed in com- partments formed of rough sand-stone, which crumbles freely down, and, in this state, mixed with the loam, seems to be admirably adapted for their roots. From the Saxifraga rivularis, from the summit of Loch-na-gar, to the gigantic S. nepalensis, from Upper India, with all the grades between, all appear equally to enjoy this peculiar sand-stone grit, as well as all the Sempervivums, Sedums, &o. The Fettes Mount collection contains good examples of many Alpine plants ; and, although sections of these rockeries are devoted to different tribes, such as Veronicas, Gentians, Aubrietias, Dianthuses, &c., the Saxifraga section certainly commands the most attention. One great advantage which the Fettes Mount rock- garden enjoys in some of its departments is its water supply, which is chiefly obtained from the rising ground behind. In the centre of the gardens has been formed a small pond, the overflow of which is brought down in a series of rivulets and basins of various sizes, which are taken advantage of for aquatic, and other plants requiring a moist soil. In one of these basins, thickly surrounded with plants, the water is kept clear with frogs and perch, and has been so for several years ; while the ever-changing chain of rivulets and basins being void of animal life, the water has not the same pure appear- ance. Water Lilies, Reeds, and Rushes are grown in all. Many plants, which naturally grow in moist situations, are thriving admirably ; and many that are often found in dry situations are wonderfully benefited by the root moisture they receive. Fettes Mount affords several useful lessons to lovers of plants. A long raised bank or mound of somewhat serpentine appearance, composed of layers of stones and earth, .5 feet broad at the base, and about 6 feet in height, was erected for separating one portion of the grounds from the other. This rock mound is covered with various Alpine plants and shrubs, a large portion of it on one side being devoted to the culture of the V^iola odorata (single and double), which here yields flowers of a larger size and more profusely than they do in the ordinary borders. Other contrivances for plant-growing seem peculiar to this place, and, one I must not neglect to mention. At the bottom of the garden, next to the outside wall, a deep gully has been formed, chiefly for the cultivation of Ferns. The interior is arranged with rough pieces of sandstone, cemented one upon another in somewhat fantastic forms, but chiefly on the face of the wall. On the top of this wall, a board, 18 inches broad, slightly projecting upwards, is fixed with iron straps ; when rain falls, it runs down between the board and the wall, where it is received here and there into small irregularly-shaped rock-work basins, the outer sides of all being made rough for the cultivation of Ferns, and at different levels along the wall. The water is constantly tricklmg from one basin to another, aided by the use of a few worsted threads, and the overflow of all is led into a pond at the bottom of the gully, with the water from the chain of basins and rivulets before alluded to ; the gully is thus keept moist and cool, and the overflow is then conducted out of the grounds. Such an arrangement as that described as covering the avenue wall at Fettes Mount would look well if carried out at many of our High- land railway stations. In such places, attempts are often made to render the foreground as picturesque as possible. Where the walls behind are formed in cuttings, backed up with soil (which is not uncommonly the case), they would look well if covered with certain forms of Alpine vegetation. Most plants necessary for such a purpose are easily increased. The leaves of the Sedums alone, when detached, root readily, and in a short time can be made to cover a large extent of surface. Of the foliaceous group of Sedums, small pieces stuck into the ground will readily grow. Off-sets from Sempervivums can be suc- cessfully divided, so as to make any number of plants. Of course, walls intended for such purposes must be made with stone and soil, having a slight incline backwards. Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinhurr/h. James M'Nab. A Giant Asphodel (Eremurus robustus). — This has been blooming beautifully in Mr. Leichtlin's garden, at Baden-Baden, and, thongh long past flowering when I saw it, still held up its stately flower-stem above everything in the garden. Imagine a gigantic Asphodel, with a flower-spike 7 to 10 feet high, the upper part of which is covered with large pink flowers from 2 to 3 feet of its length. Well was it named robustus, for it is so hardy that it can force its shoot through the frozen ground, and will endure heat, cold, and wind with equal indifference. It was introduced from Turkestan by Col. Korolkow, of the Russian army. — J. EtWES, Miserden House, Cirencester. NOTES AND QUESTIONS ON THE PLOWEE GARDEN. Geranium platypetalam Bearing: Seeds.— Your correspondent Mr. Jean Sisley, Lyons (p. 31), asks it: anyone has induced Geranium platypetalam to bear seed. Here it bears seeds freely, which I shall be happy to send him if he wants them. — H. N. Ellacom:be, Bitfon Vicaraje, near Bristol, The Giant Parsnip (Heracleum giganteum).— In a mixed border of shruba and flowers at Lyme Hall, Cheshire, are some fine specimens of this Parsnip, which, on account of their size, are striking objects, etanding out, as they do, in bold relief amongst the shrubs. Such plants should, however, be used sparingly, or the efiect which they would otherwise produce is lost.— R. M. A Beautiful Combination. — A striking feature in the gardens here, and one which is greatly admired by visitors, is a Gloire de Dijon Rose planted at the foot of a large Holly tree. The Rose, which has taken possession of the tree, has nearly reached its top, a height of 25 feet, and has formed a beautiful object for some weeks past ; nntil the rains spoiled the open blooms, the flowers and buds could be counted by hundreds.— W. Culveewbll, Thorpe Perrow^ Bedale. Geranium anemonefolium and G. platy pet alum.— T have obtained seeds from G. anemonefolium which I have just, sown, and which I am inclined to think is the same as that figured in The Gakden (see p. 7) under the name of G-. platypetalum, of which I have also an unflowered plant. For both plants I am indeOted to your correspondent Mr. Jean Sisley. It is possible the labels may have got misplaced, but I enclose a leaf of each. Will you kindly say if I have named them correctly. — P. Geibve. [The labels seem to have been changed.] A Prairie of Flowers.— Under no other title can we so well describe the brilliant display of bloom which is now presented by Messrs. Carter's seed farms in Essex. On both sides of the road from Manningtree to Dodham may be seen broad fields of such beautiful flowers as Nasturtiums, Larkspurs, Nemophilas, Godetias, and Saponarias, with hundreds of other equally charming varieties, not growing in small patches, but in acres. This striking display of bloom is well worth inspecting. — C. H. S. A Good Hardy Selaginella.— M. Andr^ writing of S. Brannii in the *' Illus- tration Horticole," says it thrives vigorously in his garden in Touraine in sandy peat, raising its large elegantly cut fronds on a north rockery. It is a mountain plant from North India, and being so unlike the dwarf hardy species (S. den- ticulata) deserves cultivation in the open air ; it was formerly grown a good deal in hothouses under the name of S. Wildenowii. July 17, 1875.] I^HB GAKDEiSr. 4^ THE KITCHEN GARDEN. OXALIS DEPPEI. Tnis 13 a Mexican species which has long been known in English gardens. The tubers, which in shape somewhat resemble Shorthorn Carrots, are not rhizome, like those of 0. crenata, another edible species, but are well developed, fleshy, and transparent, and when cooked have an agreeable flavour. They are raised in April or May from clove-shaped offsets, which are produced in large quantities at the collar of tho roots. These should be planted in good mellow soil, at distances of 18 or 20 inches apart, and should be earthed up like Pota- toes, in order to assist the development of tho tubers. In cold districts the latter ripen but slowly, and should not be lifted until late in the autumn. If frost is apprehended the beds should be covered with a mulching of dry leaves. After tho tubers have been lifted and dried by exposure to the air they should be placed in a dry store, free from frost, where they will keep sound all the winter. Mr. Tillyard, when gardener to the Duke of Buckingham, at Stowo, showed at one of the Royal Horticultural Society's meetings specimens of this Oxalis ; and, concerning its productiveness, it was mentioned that 18 square yards produced 980 roots weighing 217 lbs. This result was obtained from Edible roots of Oralis Deppei. a piece of ground which had at one time been a walk, tho gravel and Baud, with the addition of some leaf mould, being trenched up to- gether. The sots in this case were planted ou tho 2ud of May. Extra Early Vermont Potato. — I planted a piece of ground with this kind on the 10th of February last without any protection ; and, on the 3rd of April, as the tops were giving indications of ripening off, I lifted a portion of the tubers for table use. Many of them weighed 5 ounces each, and, when dressed, they proved to be excellent in quality. They were white and mealy iu texture, and cooked uniformly throughout. It is worthy of remark that in the same garden the old Ashleaf Potato was not ready until three weeks after the above, although planted on the same day, and side by Bide with it. I do not know what Alpha — which is professedly the earliest of these Americans — may prove to be in that respect, as I had none of it planted so soon ; but I have never yet seen a Potato so early in coming into use as the Extra Early Vermont, or of so fine a quality when first dug. It has much the appearance of the older Early Rose ; but, iu point of time, is long in advance of it. My soil is a good mellow loam. — C. J. B., Littlehampton, Sussex. New Lettuces. — Commodore Nutt is a Cabbage Lettuce of the All the Year Round type, but it proved to be still dwarfer than that variety. It is nearly all heart, does not run to seed so soon as some of the larger kinds, and is a great acquisition, owing to its taking up so little room in beds or rows. Sutton's Gem is another Cabbage Lettuce of a large size, and one which forms good hearts, which are crisp and well-flavoured. Sutton's Superb is a white Cos, and hai proved with me to be the largest and finest variety of that strain that I have overgrown. When fully grown it is crisp i and requires no tying to form its heart, and I have no doubt it will turn out, when better known, to be a favourite market variety. — William Tilleky, Welhecl;. Snowflake Potato. — As Mr. Howard suggests (see p. 532, Vol. VII.), it would be very satisfactory to have a tabulated state- ment drawn up by growers of this Potato in different counties, each giving his mode of treatment, with observations upon the appearance of the crop during the growing season ; the weight of Potatoes grown from a pound should be given, and the number of plants grown by each individual, as the number of sets taken from 1 lb. of Potatoes by different growers varies considerably. Comparisons made in this way are of tho greatest importance to Potato growers, for it is well known that different sorts of Potatoes, like different sorts of Strawberries, yield extraordinary results in some districts ; while, in others, they are comparatively valueless. The statements to be made to Messrs. Hooper, and the rules submitted by them to competitors for the prizes offered by them for the Snowflake and Eureka Potatoes at the Royal Horticultural Society's snow next November, are very good, namely ; — Date of planting, mode of cul. ture, characteristics of the soil, nature of sub-soil, whether drained or not, kind and quality of fertilisers used, how and when applied, nature of the crop which occupied the ground immediately before. — J. T., Alnwick. I bought a pound of the Snowflake Potato in March last, and placed them in a stove on boards, keeping them turned and syringed until every eye started — in all twenty-four ; I then cut them into twenty-four sets, and again laid them in the same border with the eye downwards, and in the course of a week, each had rooted well. I then planted them in my garden, in two rows, 3 feet apart in the row, and 4 feet from row to row — rather an unusual distance to plant Potatoes. My object was to give them the best chance I possibly could, and to layer them when ready. I have not done so, however; and, as they are touching each other on all sides, I have no chance of doing so to advantage. They are by far the healthiest-looking Potatoes which I have; and from the number of shoots from each set, anyone would imagine twenty-four Potatoes had been planted instead of one. At digging. time, I should like to compare results with those of others ; but, in the meantime, I may safely say that I never saw any Potato look so promising. I have here, in new ground, a large number of Potatoes of various sorts, and among them, Early Rose and Sutton's Red-skin Flour-ball, both badly affected with what I believe to be what is called the new disease. The haulm has turned curly and black, and the roots are quite rotten, although all were small Potatoes, and had become well established. — J. M., Old Sneed Park, Bristol. Remedy for the Turnip Fly. — Mr. E. Umbers, of Wappen. bury, Leamington, communicates to the " Mark Lane Express," the following remedy or preventive, declaring that it has been regularly used by himself and friends for the last thirty years, and that he has never known an instance of failure during that period, when the seed was properly prepared. Receipt : — To 1 gallon of chamber-lye add 2 ounces of tincture of assafootida. Soak the seed in this mixture twenty-four hours, and dry it in the shade. It is very necessary to attend strictly to the drying — the object being for the seed to absorb tho liquor, which takes a considerable time if done properly in tho shade ; the sun's rays or drying winds prove fatal to the receipt. Care must also be taken to have the chamber, lye free from slops. The gallon mentioned in this receipt will prepare 16 pounds of seed. NOTES AND QUESTIONS ON THE KITCHEN GARDEN Fillbasket Peas.— After three years experience I find no Peas to eqnal Fill- basket. The size of the pods (fiUetl tightly as drums), the great Weight of tho crop, and, lastly, the excellent flavour, all render this Pea the best that could be grown for market purposes.— R. Gilbeht, Bttrgkleyj. Early Snowball Cauliflower.— This is one of the best of Cauliflowers. Its characteristics are earliness, dwarfness, and cloaeness of head, which is solid and white. March-raised plants of it begin to head by the middle of June. I have cut beautiful heads from plants in twelve weeks from seed sown early in July. When cooked it is soft and tender. — A. D, Picking off Potato Blossoms.— This should only be done in the case of such kinds as bear fruit so abundantly as to weigh the haulm to the ground, and exhaust the plant. As a rule, however, not one-third of the kinds grown are free-seeders. In order to test the effects of picking off the blossoms upon the future crop, a kind should be selected that is a large seed-producer.— A. D, Supplanter Pea.— This is one of the best new Peas I have tried for some years. It is dwarf in habit, vigorous in growth, and a heavy cropper, many of the pods containing nine Peas. I have just had a small dish cooked ; they are of a beautiful dark green colour when boiled, and good in flavour. This Pea, from its dwarf, sturdy habit, will be found especially valuable for small gardens.— B. Hobday, Samsej/ Abbcij. u THE GARDEN. [July 17. 18?6. THE AMATEUR'S GARDEN. By THOMAS BAINES. Sowing' Cabbage. — Those who havo not haJ an opportunity of observinf; tho marked inflaeuce which the difiiereuco ol' a few days in sowing tho seeds of some vegetables exercises over the future crop are apt to smile at the fixed dates which the last generation of gar. doners used to have for sowing in spring and antumn. A little reflec- tion will convince anyone that the dilierence of a single day or two in committing the seed to the ground cannot be of vital importance ; yet, it is well not to treat old customs too lightly. The object which those who have preceded us had in view in fixing arbitrary dates was simply to prevent either too early or too late sowing, and thus ensure punctuality. For instance, in sowing Cabbage seed during the present month for the early spring supply, a difference of ten days has an important influence upon the time when the crop will be ready, and also affects the varieties grown. In the northern parts of the kingdom, where hardy sorts, such as the Enfield Market, stand the winter best, the seeds of these should be sown as soon as the 20th of the pi?esent month is passed ; delay beyond this will cause the crop to be fit for use later in the spring. If sown sooner, many of the plants will run to seed, instead of hearting at the proper time. Where early varieties, such as the York, are grown, they must not be sown until eight or ten days later, or the plants will bolt. In the southern parts of the kingdom, Cabbages should be sown a week later than the above dates, the later kinds being put in first, and the earliest last. Where these directions are followed, the dis- appointment of seeding instead of hearting will not be experienced. Select an open situation, where the plants, from the time they are up, will get plenty of light and air, for the drawn and weakly plants sown near trees or high walls are not calculated to stand a severe winter. Celery and Scarlet Runners.— Where the seeds of Celery were sown early and the plants prepared as directed, with a view to obtaining an early supply, they will now be growing fast. The showery weather we have had has been favourable to the growth of this moisture-loving vegetable, and, where the ground was well enriched, there will not have been any necessity for watering ; but, where there has been a deficiency of manure, weekly applications of manure-water will be required. Should Celery become at all affected with greenfly, to which it is very subject if grown near anything else that is troubled with the insect, its presence will be indicated by the leaves curling up and an unhealthy stunted appearance of the plants. So soon as any aphides are found give a good washing with soapy water from the wash, house, applying it with the syringe. To be effectual, like all other applications of a similar nature, it must reach every part of tho plants above ground, for, even upon such portions of the leaves as harbour no living insects, it is more than likely that there are eggs which will quickly come to life. Should tho fiy not be killed by one dressing, give a second within a few days. Scarlet Runners grown without sticks should have their shoots repeatedly nipped out as they push up ; this will induce them to break afresh and continue flowering. Gladioluses and Marigolds.— A slight mulching of an inch or so of rotten manure over the surface of Gladiolus beds will benefit them, and will help to keep the soil moist and the roots cool, which has a considerable influence in preventing the disease. Tie the plants up before they get so large as to be acted upon by the wind, using for this purpose a neat stick, such as a stout dry Willow or Hazel, the thickness of one's finger; and be careful, when inserting it, not to thrust it down so near the roots as to injure them. There are few more handsome and continuous border flowers than the French Marigold, blooming, as it does, from the present time until it is cut down by frost. Those who happen to have a good strain of striped or edged kinds, should now, as the plants come into flower, remove all that are single or semi. double. This not only greatly improves the appearance of what are left, but is also necessary in saving seed which is deteriorated by tho presence of poor flowers. No seed should be saved, except from the best double blooms. If the strain is too dark, or does not possess a sufficient number of the rich yellow-striped forms, or is deficient in size, a few plants of the African Yellow should be grown near, or amongst, them. These will cross with and improve the French varieties, both in colour and size ; but this must not be repeated every year, or they will become too yellow. ^ Asters. — Do not allow these to grow too thickly, or the flowers will be small, and the plants soon become exhausted. If they show signs of weakness, through tho ground not being rich enough, assist them with manure-water. There is no plant less able than Asters to bear the effect of aphides, whose pi-esence is easily detected by the leaves curling up. A good washing with tobacco-water is the best remedy, and this should bo applied as soon as tho insects arc detected, or tho plants will b§ irreparably spoilt. The tall-growiug kinds, if at all in an exposed situation, will require a small stick and tie to each plant. Phloxes. — These beantiful summer-flowering occupants of the herbaceous border, if grown in a situation where the roots of decidu- ous trees or evergreens can interfere with them, require the assist- ance of plenty of water at and about the time of their opening their flowers. They are strong-rooted plants, and need a good deal of sustenance ; if allowed to become dry they are sure to suffer from the attacks of black thrips, which get into and spoil the flowers as soon as they opeu. Any plant, either flowering or fruit-bearing, grown in the open air, that is attacked with thrips, black or yellow, can only be relieved from them by continuous use of the syringe or garden-engine, for they will not remain where there is much moisture. Plants that are allowed to flag through want of water at the root appear most liable to their attacks. Chrysanthemums, &c. — Grownup to walls or in beds, these, as largo masses of roots are developed, will, even if the weather be showery, require water, unless in exceptionally damp situations, otherwise the lower leaves will suffer. Apply liquid manure alternately with fresh water, and continue the use of the syringe overhead on the evenings of bright days. Givo the necessary supports by sticks and ties to such as are in the open ground — those trained against walls may be secured by a string run horizontally along every third course of bricks and fastened to nails driven in at intervals. Spread the shoots out fan-fashion — in this way they will flower without injury from frost, the wall affording them sufficient protection ; and, even should the weather at the time of blooming be very severe, in such positions they are easily pro- tected. An essential where Chrysanthemums are grown np to a wall, where they are, in a great measure, dependant for moisture upon what they receive by hand, is to water them regularly without stint. Plants that were potted at tho time directed will now be fast filling the soil with their roots, and should have manure-water twice a-week, but do not, as yet, apply it so strong as when the flowers aro set. On no account allow the plants to flag for waut of water, or the leaves will suffer at the base of the shoots. The useful winter- flowering Salvia splendens should now receive attention. If they are not, as yet, in their flowering pots, move them into these at once ; a 10 or 12-inch pot will be large enough. Tie the shoots well out, stopping the leaders so as to direct the strength to the weaker branches. Tho Gesnera-flowered Sage (Salvia gcsnerioBora) is an equally good winter-blooming plant, coming in, if required, later than the last-named sort ; it is a stronger grower, and should, in proportion to the size of the plants, have larger pots. These Salvias, like Chrysanthemums, require the constant use of the syringe every afternoon to keep the leaves healthy. They must have their shoots well secured, without which they are sure to be broken by the wind. Campanula pyramidalis grown for greenhouse or window decoration will now be shortly in flower, and should have a good supply of manure-water, or the leaves, if the pots are very full of roots, will turn yellow, which destroys much of their beauty. Houses — Vineries, — Vines that are swelling off their fruit, an d that have all or a portion of their roots in inside borders, require copious waterings ; very frequently, when so situated, they do not receive nearly so much as they need. If the drainage^is suSicient, bo that all which runs through the border can get away, it is not easy to give them too much until the time approaches when the fruit will begin to colour. That most troublesome complaint, shanking, is pro- duced in numerous ways, but oftener through an insufficiency of water at the root than from any other cause. Amateurs must not be led away by the mere appearance of the surface soil being wet, but should make sure that the whole body down to the drainage contains sufficient moisture. Any quick-growing plant, like the Vine, that in so short a time forms much wood and makes such an amount of leaf, not only requires a great quantity of water in the development of its every part, the fruit included, but also to supply the drain from evaporation constantly going on. As the second swelling nears com. pletion, and a little before colouring commences, water should be withheld. Late Vines will require attention in keeping the lateral growths stopped ; where they are very strong, these may be removed from the point where they were first stopped ; but Vines that are at all weakly should be allowed more leaf surface, by letting the laterals run a couple of joints beyond this point. Keep up plenty of moisture in the atmosphere by damping the floors and walls in the afternoons, and syringing, as advised with the early crojjs. Be particularly attentive in closing houses in which there are late Grapes sufficiently early in the afternoon to shut in a good heat. This is not only neces- sary to swell off and mature the crop, but also to ripen tho wood for another year. The stronger the Vines are, tho more it is necessary to attend to this. Quo of tho greatest difficulties that amateur Grape growers exporieuco is in getting the wood of late Vines sufficiently July 17, 1875.] THE GAKDEN. 45 ripened, and, if means are not taken to accomplish this by snn-heat> it will necessitate the use of fire later on, which is both more expen- Bive and less effectual. Flower Garden and Pleasure Grounds. At this season of the year, and during such showery weather as we have recently experienced, trees and shrubs grow so rapidly that the more common and robust kinds are likely to encroach upon their weaker, although sometimes more valuoble, neighbours ; and this very often causes serious injury before it is observed. Strong shoots are also sometimes produced by the stocks upon which choice varieties have been budded or grafted, and these should be removed at once. It allowed to remain any length of time, they will over, power, and seriously interfere with the development of the more delicate varieties which have been worked upon them. It also happens sometimes that trees and shrubs produce abnormal growths, or sports of various kinds, such as variegated shoots, flowers of a distinct or different colour, &o. ; and these, if they are considered sufficiently valuable, may be perpetuated by being budded upon other representatives of the family. Whereas, if not secured in this way, as soon as possible, it is not unlikely that they may revert to the normal condition, and be lost to horticulture. In cases where altera- tions are contemplated in grounds and gardens, the present is the most suitable time for making notes and observations having reference to these changes, as all trees, &c., have now attained to a mature condition, as regards the hue or colour of their foliage, their habit of growth, &c. ; and such notes, made now, will probably be found to be very useful at a later period of the season, when such alterations are being carried out. In selecting trees and shrubs, it is •>necessary to take into consideration their habit of growth and the form they are likely to assume when they are fully developed, and whether they will be of an upright or drooping habit, or of a round- headed or pyramidal form, &c. ; and, with a view to secure the desired effect in grouping, or arrangement, the hue and form of leaf should also have attention given them. There is also another very important point which should not be lost sight of, viz., that of selecting plants that are likely to thrive in the soil and situation where it is intended they should be planted. In the case of newly.introdnced species this can only be ascertained by experiment, and this will generally be upon a somewhat limited scale. But it would, doubtless, be unwise to form extensive plantations of Rhodo- dendrons and other American plants upon a soil resting upon a chalk formation, or to plant freely such Coniferous trees as the Abies cana. densis, Menziesii, and Douglasii, upon a light dry soil. Attend to the usual routine operations of mowing, sweeping, rolling, weeding, &c., the frequent falls of rain having been exceedingly favourable to the growth of weeds of all kinds. Attend also to staking and tying up tall.growing plants, as well as to training and regulating dwarf or trailing species. Proceed with the budding of Roses, the layering of Carnations, Cloves, and Picotees, &c. ; put in, also, pipings of Pinks, cuttings of Pansies, &c., under hand-glasses ; and, as the flower garden is rapidly reaching the zenith of its beauty, avoid any. thing like untidiness or confusion, which, if permitted, will seriously mar the pleasing effect which is now expected. — P. Gkieve, Cidford, Bwry St. E(kiiunds. Hardy Fruit. A more critical period for fruit-gathering than the present season has been it would be difficult to conceive, and it is to be feared that the heavy and oft-repeated showers have rendered much fruit useless for preserving ; at any rate, none should be gathered for this purpose, unless perfectly dry, or the fruit will not keep. Protect with mats or netting any Currants or Gooseberries intended for the autumn supply. From trees of the former, trained to a north wall, sheltered from rain and protected with mats, we have occasionally gathered good fruit on Christmas Day, and always have had an abundant supply during October and November. Caterpillars having at length put in an appearance on Gooseberry and Currant bushes, the whole of our trees have been hand-picked, as this is considered the best remedy, but a dusting of white hellebore powder, if not washed off too soon, is equally effective. It will now be safe to stop finally, or cut back, the shoots of Apples, Pears, Plums, and Apricots. Some, times, when done too early, a second wood growth is made, instead of the formation of fruit-buds. Where such second growth has been made, spur them in at once, to within two or three joints of the base of the shoot. Continue to wash the trees, in order to keep them free from insects of every description. Frequently, after the fruit is gathered, the trees are left to themselves ; but, when the fact is generally understood, that next year's supply of fruit must depend upon the trees being kept free from insects during the present year, and the useless spray and shoots constantly cut or stopped, so as to expose the fruit spurs to the action of the sun aud air, no labour will be spared to accomplish this. Other kinds of fruit — Peaches, for instance — that fruit best on the young wood should have a sufficient number trained, nailed, or tied in, for next year's fruiting; above all, the branches must not be overcrowded. Should dry weather set in, it will be advisable to water freely such choice fruits as Peaches, Nectarines, and valued kinds of Pears, but previously mulch with rotten dung, and the enriching property of the manure will then be washed down to the roots of the trees and its action be perceptible in an incredibly short space of time. The layering of Strawberry runners should be no longer delayed, more especially if they are intended for forcing ; the early maturation of the plants or crowns is the main-spring of successful Strawberry forcing. Also, layer runners for planting out for next year's fruiting ; or, if there are any old forced plants at command, these make the most profitable plantation for next year's supply. Trench deeply and manure freely, and let the rows be a yard apart and at least 2 feet from plant to plant. The kinds that have done best this season on our light sandy soil are the following, named in the order of merit : — James Veitoh, La Grosse Sucree, Vicomtesso Hericart de Thury, President, Aromatic, Lucas, and John Powell. Dr. Hogg and British Queen — though, as a rule, better in flavour than any of the above (excepting James Veitch) — do not succeed with us, and we are seriously thinking of giving up their culture ; whilst, in a neighbouring garden, where the soil is more retentive, they are so good that the determination has been made to grow them still more largely.— W. Wildsmith, Hechfield. Trees and Shrubs. The present season has been exceedingly favourable for all recently transplanted trees and shrubs, and little labour will now be required to get them thoroughly established. Plenty of protection over the roots should be given them in the way of mulching ; for, should dry weather now set in, of which there is every prospect, evaporation will go on at a rapid rate, and the roots of freshly-planted specimens soon suffer, unless precautions are taken against it. Many beautiful variegated plants which are quite hardy and may be grown in most places with good effect are, unfortunately, rarely to be met with as yet. Most of these are almost as free-growing and vigorous as the other forms, and this is especially the case if they are worked on strong, healthy stocks. The foliage of these is now fresh and in full beauty, and the present is an excellent time for making selections, so as to have them ready at planting.time. For those who have not an opportunity of seeing them growing, I append a list of some of the best kinds. The Euonymuses, although not strictly hardy, will stand the cold of ordinary winters, and are amongst the most beauti- ful of variegated shrubs, many of the newer varieties almost equal- ling for richness of leaf colouring (especially if grown under glass for winter decoration, for which purpose they are most useful) the Crotons, for which they are substituted. Any of the follow- in <>• are sure to please : — E. aureus marginatus, E. a. variegatus, B. ovatus aureus variegatus, B. elogans variegatus. Next, as regards usefulness, are the different forms of Hedera, and those who have collections of these cannot fail to be struck with their beauty. To have the variegated Ivies in perfection, it is necessary that they should have shade during the greater part of the day. They are very beautiful on red walls having a north or north-east aspect, as there they show off their rich colours to great advantage, and are not liable to become infested with red spider, as is the case if grown on aspects too much exposed to the rays of the sun. The best of these are Helix chrysophylla, H. foliis argentea rubra, H. maculata aurea and elegantissima. For compact specimens on lawns, the Gold and Silver Yews are unapproachable, and, in the early spring or summer months, might easily, in the distance, be taken for plants in bloom, so rich is the colour of their young leaves. For similar positions, Retinospora aurea and Thuja aurea are most valuable. For covering sloping banks, the different Vincas are the most suitable ; and to these may be added the pretty variegated Bramble. Eurya latifolia varie. gata is a very handsome plant, and is said to be quite hardy. Next to the Hollies, and much resembling them, are the Os. manthus argenteus and variegatus aureus, both of medium, growth, and very handsome, but not sufficiently hardy to be de- pended upon. Aralia Sieboldi variegata is a strikingly beauti. ful plant, with leaves as large as those of a Fig tree, which they somwhat resemble. To grow it in perfection, it requires a sheltered situation. Among deciduous plants, the Acer occupies, as regards ornamental value, a very prominent position ; whilst A. fraxinitolium albo-variegatum is one of the handsomest variegated plants in existence, the delicacy of whose markings is much increased by growing it under glass, where it forms one of the most useful of decorative plants in early spring and summer. Ligustrnm aureo variegatum has beautifully marked leaves, and shows to great advantage backed up by dark evergreens. Comus masonla varie. gata is a very ornamental, compact growing plant, that should be 46 THE GARDEN. [July 17, 1875. m every collection. Uliima variegata and U. aurea Rosselsi are very beautiful during the early summer mouths, before the leaves become discoloured ; these should be planted in moist situations, as the Elm does not succeed in dry soils. For rambling over blocks or trellises, the variegated Vine and Lonicera aurea reticulata are per. fectly adapted, and the latter, if allowed free scope and plenty of sunshine, flowers freely, and proves to be one of the sweetest scented of Honeysuckles. All the above, and many other variegated trees and shrubs may now be increased either by budding, cuttings, or layers, and the present is the proper time for putting into practice any one of these methods of propagation. If by budding, choice should be made of healthy free-growing stocks for the different kmds, and, before taking ofi' the buds, it should first be ascertained that the bark runs freely, so that they may be easily inserted, and kept well supplied with sap till union takes place. The wood from which the buds are taken should be tolerably firm and mature ; if taken from soft sappy wood they are sure to fail. After inserting the buds, tie carefully in with soft cotton, or material of a similar character, but not bind too tightly. In layering, shoots such as may be readily brought to the ground should be selected, and an incision madewith a sharp knife at one of the joints to be buried, com- mencing just below, and continuing the same through the joint in an upward direction, so as to split the shoot near the middle, and form a sort of tongue. The operator is thus enabled to bend up the shoot, and the sap being interrupted in its progress, will exude at the wound, and form granulating matter, or callus, from which the roots will be emitted. To keep the slit partly open, the shoot, after being layered and pegged to the ground, should be brought to an upright position, and the cut part buried to the depth of 3 or 4 inches. Twisting the branch, and ringing, by taking off a portion of the bark before layering is sometimes resorted to, but the practice I have described will, I think, be found the best.— J. Sheppard, WoL verstone. FLOWEE TRAPS. As far as we can gather, the years which have followed Mr. Darwin's announcement and verification of the great principle of "natural selection " as an eflicient cause of changes of type in the various species of plants and animals, have tended, in the minds of the greatest living naturalists, to prove that, though a very powerful cause, it is not by any means the only one which has been at work in effecting those changes, and that it will not be possible ultimately to explain many of the curiosities of organic life by the service which those organic modifications have even at any time rendered to the species to which they belonged. An illustration of the tendency to diverge from Mr. Darwin, not, of course, in relation to the great influence which the principle he has discovered has had in altering organic types, but as to the extent of the principle, is afforded by a very interesting lecture, recently delivered by Mr. Lawson Tait, at Birmingham, on " Insectivorous Plants," that is, on those curious flower-traps to which so much attention has lately been drawn — flowers in which insects are not only caught and killed, but in some cases at least digested. Mr. Lawson Tait, however, holds that there are species of plants which catch insects without digesting them, and that even when they digest the insects caught, this digestion is not followed by any such direct advantage to the plant as we derive from nutrition, i.e., from the assimilation of our food. " It must not be supposed, he writes, " that every fly-trap is a fly-digester, still less must it be taken for granted, as it has been too readily in the case of the Sarracenia, that fly digestion must necessarily mean absorption of the products. In fact, direct absorption of the products by the leaves is so hypothetical, that I am inclined to disbelieve it altogether. I know Mr. Darwin is inclined to accept it, but I do not know on what grounds." And he added at the end of the lecture, " What becomes of the products of digestion is a problem still unsolved, and on this point Mr. Darwin and I differ. Mr. Darwin is of opinion that the leaves absorb the products of digestion. I thought so at first, but I have failed to find any evidence of absorption by the surface of the leaves. On the other hand, my experiments tend to show that the products of digestion run down the leaf.stalk to the roots, and are there absorbed as manure is." Of course, if that be so, the roots may assimilate a portion of the fluid in which the insect has been digested, though much of it may be wasted in the soil, but even if the manuring of the roots by these digested insects is useful to the growth of the plant, it can hardly be of the same importance to it as it would be if the whole products of digestion were, as Mr. Darwin supposed, absorbed by the leaves. And in the cases men- tioned by Mr. Lawson Tait, in which the flower-traps catch the insects without digesting them at all, it is still less likely that the trap is essential to the health and growth of the plant, and, therefore, that it has been gradually elaborated by the process of natural selection through the benefit it has thus conferred. Indeed, 'the cases are not few in which it is admitted to be, in the present state of our knowledge, impossible to ascribe particular organic modifica- tions to the principle of natural selection. In his first treatise on the subject, Mr. Darwin himself, if we remember rightly, admitted very candidly that there were many cases in which natural selection could hardly be supposed to account for the elaboration of a particular organic structure, for the very simple reason that, as in the quadruped's tail, which is of service in flapping away insects, it would not be useful at all till it had already attained a certain completeness and magnitude, BO that the initial stages of growth could not be ascribed to the advantages it bestowed. And the same may be said in relation to these flower-traps, even if they do contribute to the food of the plant. Till the trap was perfect enough to catch an insect, it could be of no use in catching insects, and a perfect trap could not be elaborated all at once. Indeed, if Mr. Lawson Tait is right, it would seem that the insect-catching plants are not always insectivorous plants, and that even the insectivorous plants often appropriate only a certain proportion, if any, of the products of the insects thus digested. We do not know, indeed, why there should be any disposition at all to believe that in the natural world the only ultimate cause of faculty is the utility of that faculty. That usefulness is one cause, and a most important cause, of the growth of useful characteristics, Mr. Darwin has admirably shown. Bnt is there the least d priori pre. sumption that this may be the only cause ? If we were to discover for certain that there are flower-traps which get no sort of advantage out of their insect-prey, would it be at all more surprising than the fact that there are so many human traps in the shape of longings and desires — for instance, according to most physiologists, the appetite for fermented liquors — which bring no advantage, but almost pure mischief, to the creatures whose natures contain these traps, and who take such pains to bait them skilfully. There are flower-traps which are fatal enough to men, as well as the flower, traps which are so fatal to insects, and traps of which it would not be difficult to show that the victims are never either digested or absorbed by the living trap which catches them. Avarice — the love of money for its own sake, and not for the sake of the advantages which it brings — is certainly such a trap, though not of the most flowery kind, and one which closes on its prey without bringing any. thing but harm to the subject of the passion. Almost all the occupations which most absorb men and devour their hearts, the love of gambling, the delight in mere intellectual dexterity — such as is shown, for instance, in the passion for billiards or chess — nay, the love of mnsic itself, is more or less of this nature. — " Spectator." [It is well to notice some slight opposition to the mass of not quite scientific matter that has been written about " carnivorous " plants, to use a word that has been, as we think, made an injudicious use of. We have been as much interested as most people by fly-catching plants, both in a wild and cultivated state, and we should gladly welcome any sound explanation of any of the curiosities they present, but we do not think that as yet there is any proof that plants "eat insects" in the way recently so often described. More, over, if it were demonstrated that some plants do "digest" insects as asserted we cannot see how it can elucidate any problems of " natural selection." That plants eat abundantly, and thoroughly digest, animal matter when within reach of their roots, is of course known to everybody. To discover that the surface of the plant, besides the root, has the power of absorbing similar matter, would not can'y us a step further, as regards any important problem of philosophy.] A Botanical Astrologer. — At an inquest held recently at Marshfield, on the body of a man named George Edward Woodham, one of the witnesses examined — William Bigwood — stated that he was a " licensed botanist," and in that capacity had been called in to see the deceased, whom he was constrained to tell that it would be like "rising him from the dead" to make him well; but, as he par- ticularly requested him to do so, "he would try." His efforts com. menced on May 11th, and were terminated on June 5th by the death of the patient — a catastrophe which the "botanist" attributed to the fact " that the deceased was not born when the sun was in opposition sign to his stomach, but when it was in aftiicting sign to that organ." As he worked " on the botanist scale through astrology," he was enabled to deduce from these facts that " the liver of deceased would not act properly." Fortunately for the " botanist," the evi. deuce of a properly qualified medical practitioner showed that he also had attended deceased some time before his decease, and that the disease he was then suffering from was a tubercle on the right lung. Under these circumstances the verdictof the jury was " death from natural causes ; " but they expressed a wish that the coroner would severely censure the " botanist," William Bigwood, and tell liim that ho had had a very narrow escape of being committed to Gloucester on a charge of manslaughter. July 17, 1875.] THE GAEDBN. 47 GARDEN BRIDGES. A BRIDGE in connection with ornamental water seldom fails to give interest to the landscape, and should be placed to front the best point of view, or nearly so. In forming a piece of water, a narrow neck may be contrived eii,her between an island and the outline of the lake, or the whole piece must be so contracted that the bridge shall not be too long or extensive. But as a park bridge may tend also to give an idea contrary to the repose and privacy which a lake gene- rally suggests, its position should be carefully chosen. At all events, it should be placed so as to give as much of the lake as possible on the side between it and the principal point of view from the residence ; because a bridge suggests the idea of a public road, and a public road would naturally fix, as it were, the boundary of the park or domain, and lead to the conclusion that the water beyond it may not belong to the domain. Per- bability of its use by public conveyances ; therefore, the appear- ance of strength would be appropriate. In this case, as in all others, a bridge will have its importance and usefulness increased when viewed from any principal point, by a connect- ing walk or road being more or less seen not far from it; at least so near as to seem to lead to it, and leave no doubt on the mind as to its utility. The kind of bridge most suitable for a walk interrupted by a rivulet or brook, in a wood or other rural or uncultivated scenery, is one simply formed of rude woodwork. When a walk can be carried across a rivulet in front of a cascade or fall, about 10 or 20 yards distant from it, a bridge will add interest to the scenery, and afford convenience to the spectator in viewing the fall. A bridge crossing a rill in a flower garden or other dressed parts of the pleasure grounds may be of iron ; but one constructed of Larch rods and poles stripped of haps the best position would be at some narrow part of the lake, as remote as convenient, so as to show the principal body of water between the bridge and the place from whence it is viewed, and that, whilst crossing the bridge, the boundary of the water should be completely lost to the eye in various parts, as well by its position as by judicious planting. Thus the extent of a moderate sheet of water might be concealed, even from the stroller crossing the bridge. I have frequently seen a bridge placed across the neck of a lake, so near to its extremity as to suggest to the spectator whether it could have been formed for any utility at all, thus destroying the interest which might have been created had its utility been more apparent. Of whatever a bridge may be composed, whether of wood, iron or stone, or whatever extent it may be, it should be generally horizontal or level across. The effect is inharmonious when it falls each way from the centre. A bridge of masonry is best adapted for a river, on account of the pro- their bark, and stained — not painted — though less character- istic, would be generally pleasing. This kind of bridge would also be proper for a lake, with a number of arches according to extent, unless the drive should cross an extensive lake ; then a more substantial bridge of masonry, with stone battle- ments, would be more appropriate. Where stone is scarce, stone piers may be finished with strong rustic wood battle- ments, or battlements of a more finished charactermay be substituted for stone. A drive interrupted by a brook in the park or elsewhere should have a bridge of masonry, as it har- monises with any kind of landscape, whether rural or picturesque, or of gentle or abrupt undulations. In abrupt rocky scenery a simple stone bridge would be better than any other kind. However, in lieu of stone, a solid bridge of strong Larch of the above kind may be formed. I should recommend that the wood bridges be made of peeled poles and rods, stained Oak colour, or something similar. Iron 48 THE GAEDBN. [July 17, 1875, bridges should be painted (perhaps bronzed) green or iron colour ; never light green. The ends of all bridges must be finished off Tvith trees or bushes. Those upon a large scale should have noble round-headed trees for their decorations, such as the Wych and English Elm, Weeping Willow, Lime, Oak, and Alder ; but the best of all is the Wych Elm. All should be more or less associated with loose-growing bushes. For smaller bridges in kept grounds the Hemlock Spruce, deciduous Cypress, Tamarisk, Kobinia microphilla. Sea Buck- thorn, Rosemary-leaved Willow, English Juniper, &c. For small bridges in wild scenery : — Alders, Willows, Thorns, Hollies, Honeysuckles, rambling Eoses, Brooms, and Whins, are suitable. M. TREES AND SHRUBS. A EEMARKABLE COLLECTION OF TREES AND SHRUBS. The "Journal of the Central Horticultural Society" of France contains the report of a commission appointed by that association to examine the magnificent collection of trees and shrubs at Segrais, the pro- p3rty of its secretary, M. Lavallee. The report is drawn up by M. B. Verlot, who writes as follows : — " France, which some are apt to place after England and Belgium as regards arboriculture, has fur. nished a number of instances where that science has found votaries who rank as high as those of any country ; and when it is a ques- tion of gathering together, for the purpose of study, the greatest possible number of species and varieties, without taking into con. sideration their beauty or usefulness, in order to compare the living specimens one with the other, and determine their generic or specific characters the names which France can boast of have few rivals. Amongst the foremost of these must be placed that of the illustrious Duhamel, who, at the end of the last century, brought together in the parks of Vigny, Demainvilliers, anaMon(;eau (Loiret) collections of American trees, which, at the present time, have unfortunately nearly all disappeared. In our own days, names may be mentioned that are familiar to all who are lovers of plants. M. G. Thuret, correspondent of the " Academy of Sciences," whose une.xpected death took place not long since, amassed at his property at Antibes a very extensive collection of trees and shrubs from tha Southern Hemisphere. M. Ivoy, in Gironde, and M. G. de Lauzane, at Porzantres, have devoted themselves to collecting resinous trees ; M. Herpin de Fremont, at Bri.T, Conifers and Bamboos ; and M. Dau- din, at Pouilly, near Meru (Oise), ornamental trees and shrubs. From a latilitarian point of view, the collections of theVicomte de Courval, at Pinon ; of Vilmorin, at Barres, which has become a state arbori- cultural school ; of Delamarre, at Harcourt, which has been bequeathed to the Central Horticultural Society of Prance; and of the Marquis de Vibraye, at Cheverny ; have given to their owners a well-deserved reputation. To these names must be added that of M. Lavallee, who, at his Chateau of Segrais, has made the collection of trees and shrubs, upon which the Commission just alluded to have had to report. The domain of Segrais, acquired in 1856 by the father of the present M. Lavallee, the founder and director of the Central School of Arts and Manufactures, is situated in the department of Seine-et-Oise, close to the Breuillet station on the Venddme line, and comprises not less than 75 acres. Admirably situated upon a slope, and at the base of a hill formed of the Fontainbleau sandstone, and crowned by an old clump of Scotch Fir (Pinus sylvestris), it forms what may be termed a landscape garden, which, from the diversity of its soil, the abundance of water, and the vigour of the native vegetation, is admirably adapted for the reception of the trees and shrubs of temperate climates. A dwelling-house placed in the centre, faces on one side the valley, and, at the back, is separated from the hill by a lawn and sheet of water. On the margin of Ihe latter are two old deciduous Cypresses, furnished plentifully with what are called Cypress knees, and some superb Tulip trees. The property has, moreover, long contained many interesting trees, not only belonging to the Coniferous tribe, but also others, such as Carya squamosa, a species of Hickory ; a singular form of Walnut, with elongated fruit (Juglans Segraisiensis), and various kinds of Ash, such as Fraximus pubescens ; and others. A kitchen and flower garden, with hot- houses and Orangeries, situated between the chTiteau and the village of St. Sulpiceare remarkable for the excellent way in which they are kept. The formation of the arboretum was commenced in 1857, but it was not until 1858 that any great progress was made with it. In the autumn of that year a nursery was devoted to shrubs and ti'ees, which were planted out permanently in the spring of 1859. The number of species and varielica at that time was about 3,0U0, but many disappeared after the winter of 1859-60, when the cold was unusually severe. After 1860 the trees were planted no longer in clumps but in nursery lines, in order to test their hardiness, with the exception of Willows, Gleditschias, and Elms, and a few others. The Sycamores and Maples, which were planted in an unfavourable position were re-planted in 1864, as were also many other ornamental trees. The single genus Crataegus, which, at that time, was repre- sented by twenty. one specimens, now numbers eighty-three. Trans- plantation was also performed the following year in the case of the collections of Poplars and Chestnuts ; and, in 1872, it was also found necessary to regulate those of the Ashes and Birches which were evidently suffering from too much humidity in the soil. The collection of Conifers, to which a larger area is devoted, had also to be re-arranged, as had also the collections of shrubs and other things, the space allotted to which, in the first instance, was much too small. Single specimens were also given sufficient room in which to develop their natural characters, uninterfered with by their neighbours. In short, the crowding together that at first existed would have led to interminable confusion, if in 1868 the genera Sambucus, Rhus, Prunus, and Cerasus, had not been, for the most part transfeiTcd, from what may be called the nursery, to the park. But this was only a half measure, and, as the shrub department was always on the increase, it was soon determined to make a new nursery for them, six times as large as the original one, and which should cover 5 acres. This was rapidly formed, and was planted in March, 1871. It forma at the extremity of the park, nearest St. Sulpice, a large triangle, of which the base is 155 yards. This superficies is divided into twelve large squares, separated from each other by alleys, from 6 to 9 feet wide. The entire nursery is divided into 660 borders, 5 feet wide, planted with a single row, the length of which is a little more than 5,500 yards, and which are separated by paths a yard wide. The whole nursery is encircled by a wide border, reserved on the north and east for Magnolias, Heaths, Vacciniums, Hydrangeas, Skimmias, and other species requiring a light dry soil. These special collec. tions occupy a length of 'about 225 yards. In the south and west, this border is devoted to the garden varieties of Hibiscus syriacus, Syringa, Weigela, &c., and to collections of Birches and Mulberries. The two last-named are the only kinds of large trees that are collected in the new nursery, which, it will be remembered, contains for the most part shrubs. Other kind of trees have been placed in different parts of the park, in avenues, and in other ways in which they can be readily inspected. Among them are Oaks, both of America and the Old World, consisting of not less than 110 species or varieties ; Sycamores and Maples, seventy species and varieties, Japanese kinds excepted. Hawthorns, eighty-three distinct kinds ; Beam trees, twenty-six ; Apple trees, twenty-three ; Pears, nineteen ; and eighteen Service trees. The number of Ulma- ceous trees (Planera and Ulmus) amounts to about fifty-nine. Ashes and Poplars line the banks on both sides of a river to a distance of about 220 yards. Among the Poplars are thirty-five distinct varieties, whilst the Ashes number some eighty-eight kinds. Lime trees, of which there are some twenty.three varieties, are planted in alternate rows along an avenue 130 yards in length. Plums and Cerasus are planted in three or four rows under the same conditions down an avenue 120 yards in length, and number altogether 133 ; Pinns, Abies, Picea, and Thuja, are planted round a field, the circumference of which is about 160 yards. Of the genus Pinus there are eighty, seven varieties, six of which belong to the Cembra class, eleven to that of Strobus, three to Strobiformis, nineteen to Toeda, four to Pinea, and forty-four to Pinaster. The varieties of Abies number thirty-two, those of Picea fifty-seven. Thujas nine, in all ninety-eight distinct kinds. Other hardy Conifers are thus represented : — Yewa, twenty-seven ; Cedars, eight ; Junipers, sixty-one ; and Cypresses, twenty-three ; of Papilionaceous trees, such as the Robinia and Laburnum, there are many excellent representations as well as of Plane trees and Hornbeam. Amongst shrubs, Berberises number fewer than fifty-seven varieties ; Mahonias, twenty-two ; Hollies, 109; Spirajas, 102; Rosea, 136, of which about twenty unnamed come from the Caucasus and Japan ; Chamajcerasus, forty-eight ; Honeysuckles, fifty-eight ; Guelder Roses, fifty-one ; flowering Currants, fifty-seven ; Rhamnus, thirty-two ; and, lastly, Philadelphus, fifty-iive. Shrubs in the nursery amount in all to 2,472 species and varieties, and trees to 2,107. The numbers of both cultivated at Segrais when a return was made in 1874 were 4,579. This number does not include certain garden varieties, such as Roses and others, that have altered greatly in form from the original type. The same may bo said of cultivated fruit trees, which are numerous and varied, but which are not comprised in the returns just given. The collec- tion of American Vines is not the least interesting feature of the place. It comprises sixty-nino kinds, thirty -four of which belong to Vitis labruBca, one of doubtful origin ; two to V. vinifera ; three to V. ajstivalis ; five to V. cordifolia ; one a hybrid between July 17, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 49 v. labrusoa and vinifera ; twelve Roger's seedling; one Allen's Hybrid, a cnrious form of the common Chasselas ; and, lastly, eleven varieties, little or not all known. In short, the examination of the Arboricultural collections at Segrais showed that some genera were as fully represented there as in some of the best Botanic Gardens in the country, and that even numbers of trees and shrubs obtained direct from their native homes are to be found in it which are rarely met with elsewhere. This, for example, is the case with a large number of Japanese, Mexican, Rocky Mountain, and Caucasian speci. mens. Generaaa those of Berberis.Euonymous, and Crattogus, have been subjects of special attention, a circumstance which has served the double purpose of avoiding many duplicate names and of rectifying incorrect nomenclature. Of Segrais, a correct plan has been pre- pared upon a large scale, and on this every individual species or variety is represented by a number which corresponds with that of a catalogue in which their history is given. Thus on the plan we find 100a, and opposite that number in the catalogue is written, "Acer Negundo cissifolium, Sieb. et Zucc," which is stated to have been planted in 1866, to have come from the establishment founded at Leyden, by Von Siebold, and to have been grafted ; to these entries is also added an account of its botanical characteristics. To each specimen in the arboretum, too, is attached a largo square label showing its specific name, the country whence it came, and the date of its introduction. A catalogue of the trees and shrubs at Segrais will be published before long, and will be followed by " The Segrais Arboretum," a large work in which will be described and figured new and rare species. About thirty of the plates are already engraved and ready. Amongst the most remarkable species at this place the following may be mentioned : ■Clematis Crataegus Rharanus Stewartia biternata leucophlEeos sexatilis grandiflora stans tomentosa Pallasii monadelpha Bambasa cuneata Hovenia Eaonymua Maximo wiczii pinnatifida dulcis Maakii Lmdera DouglasU Nandina alatus hypoglauca (Pyracantha) domestica obovatus Elajgnus crenulata var, m,inor radicaua longipes Rosa major fimbriatus Deermgia rugosa fr. albis Rhus celosioides Iwara fr. flavia semialata Fontanesia diversifolia var. tenui folia vernicifera Fortune! japonica sempervirens juglandifolia Ligastrum polyantha ? Kadsur.i, ternata japonicum Fortune! japonica Morus var. macro- coruscans propinqua Towkna phyllum acicularis Anona Kaki Syringa Nattallia Maximowiczii Broussnetia oblata cerasiformis Actinida Ksempferi Pterostyrax Lindleya Kolomikta Negundo Lispiduin mespiloides Ungnadia cissifolium Lonicera (Cham- ChamEebatia speciosa Acer ax erasus) fobosa Vitis (Cissus) callosum cbrysantha Prunus heterophylla micranthum Ruprechtii Cap all var. elegans pulchellum Symphoricarpos (Padua) comuta tricuspidata septemlobum mexicanus (Microcerasus) Veitchii palmatum Viburnum ilicifolia Thunbergii palmatipartitum Oxycoccos (Cerasus) pumila var. Sieboldi platanoides var. nudum (Cerasus) serru- flexuosa palmatiparti- (UlatatuTD lata (Ampelopsis) tum eroaum japonica cordata iEsculus liimalayense tomentosa serjaniEefolia sinensis Cornus aspera ficifolia Benzoin florida candicana. humuli folia prjecox Corylopsis divaricata Zanthoxylon sericeum spicata acuminata planispinum Betula Tarrotia Chica&a schinifolium tristis persica Arm en! ac a Staphylea costata Hamamelis Nume Bumalda corylifoUa arborea var. prcecosis- Akebia Camellia japonica sima quinata oleifera Jamesia virgata Lardizabala Celastrus americana pendula biternata Orixa Ribes Persica Maximowiczia Clerodendron oregonense Davidiana sinensis trichotomum fasciculatum Maakia Holboellia Gleditschia Menziesii amurensis 1 at! folia sinensis Marlea Anagyris Stauntonia Koelreuteria bryoniEBfoUa (Piptanthus) bexaphylla japonica Aria nepalensia sinensis Rhododendron Segrais iensis Indigofera latifolia bracbycarpum Chamajmespilus Roylei Menispermum rhombajum Hostii Iwafusii lauri folium Rubua Malus Lespedeza Berberidopsis parviflorus Ringo bicolor corallina Smilax Toringo argyracea Azara rotundifolia Pyrus cyrtobotrya ovata Sophora Binensis Desmodium integrifolia angustifolia var. Daringo Dillenii salicifolia Xanthoceras Mikado penduliflorum Plagianthus Eorbifolia Sieboldi Genista divaricatua Prinus cydonisBformia purgana Stachyurua Isevigatua Pashia Rhamnua prfEcox TiUa Mespilus caUfomicua var. gracilis truncata Smithii (Cratae- libanoticus Stewartia gus) lobata castane^efolius Malachodendroii There is nothing in the way of an arboretum in France that can bo compared with that at Segrais. Here will be found the great majority of the trees and shrubs belonging to the cold and temperate regions of Central and Eastern Buropo, of Asia Minor, of the Cau- casus, and of the high regions of the Himalayas, Bhootan, Thibet, and Nepaul. The vegetation of the Amour, of Japan, of China, and of other parts of Eastern Asia, have also been searched with earnestness for such novelties as would live out-of-doors at Segrais ; and, finally, it is scarcely necessary to add that the vegetation of North America, as well as that of the coldest regions of Mexico, is also represented there. In short, M. Lavallee may say with truth, that his arboretum is a living herbarium, in which each variety seems to have been subjected to conditions most favourable to its growth. Of the truth of this no better proof is needed than the vigour and general good health of the different specimens which it contains. THE INDOOR GARDEN. PELARGONIUMS FOR WINTER DECORATION. Those of the Tom Thumb type are the best for forcing ; for, though their trusses ai'e not large, they answer better for bouquets than large ones. Christine, too, is useful, and of a favourite and showy colour. These, with a few white varieties, aud one or two intermediate shades, will be found useful for furnishing blooms in winter. As a rule, those kinds which flower freely out of doors will be found to be best for forcing, and I always select a number of plants for the purpose when we have done bedding. Some of the new ones of Pearson and Denny have fine trusses, but all do not flower freely in winter, though excellent for autumn decoration. However, it is safe to have as good a stock of plants of different kinds as may be found convenient ; but none will flower well in mid-winter if they have not been prepared for it. The plants may bo selected and potted about this season. Six-inch pots are a proper size for them, aud they should be well drained. Use a good loam, with a little leaf mould, or peat and sand, and pot the plants moderately firm, particularly under the roots, and afterwards plunge them out of doors in ashes in a sunny situation. Daring the summer let them be liberally watered now and then with liquid manure, not too sti-ong. Those shoots that are leading too much only need be stopped ; but if the pUnts grow pretty regularly in shape, it will only be necessary to keep the flower buds picked off constantly till about the middle of October. By this time the pots will be filled with roots like a Strawberry pot, the wood well matured, and every shoot disposed to flower. No plants should now be transferred to the house ; a dry, airy greenhouse or vinery is a good place, and they may be allowed to come into flower by the time ilower buds are over, or to succeed the autumn-flowering stock. As winteradvances, however, an ordinary greenhouse temperature of from 45° to 50'-' will be too low for them. The Pelargonium must have heat and light to bring the flowei-s out successfully. A back shelf of an early Vinery will suit them, and while they are kept freely watered at the root, syringing overhead must be avoided when damping the Vines. Forcing during the dead of winter is sluggish at the best, however, and the secret is to have plenty of plants in moderate-sized pots, and force as many as can be accommodated, according to the demand for flowers. For use in February, March, and April I have some- times depended entirely on old plants lifted from the beds in November, or before they got frosted. Big plants of Christine and other compact growing sorts produce an excellent display in spring, and afford plenty of cutting. When taken up in autumn, however, the branches must not be cut back. The plants, if very large, may be reduced in circumference, but no shortening of the shoots which are left should be allowed, or they will not flower so soon nor so well. I lift them, and squeeze them into as small pots as possible — generally 5 or 6 -inch — and put the plants into a smart heat to get rooted. This accomplished, they are stored in the cool, dry houses, where they get hardened a little, and we draw off the stock as required. Christine is particularly useful in this way ; it is a variety that comes in rapidly when it does flower, and I can assure your readers there are few plants which light up a conservatory more effectively in spring, when a number of large plants are placed among the other specimens all over the house: and no kind of decoration is more easily kept up. J. S. 50 THE GARDEN. [July 17, 1875. OECHIDS IN FLOWER NEAR LONDON. Me. Day's collection of these interesting plants, at Tottenham, is now peculiarly attractive. Few would imagine that so much flower beauty and so much fragrance could be collected under a crystal roof, at the foot of a little green lawn, at the back of an ordinary dwelling-house, so near London. Totten- ham is scarcely the place in which one would expect to find the Alpine flowers of the Andes, the cool-growing Odontoglossums and Masdevallias, or the wreath-like inflorescence of snowy Phatenopsids, from the warm islands of the Malayan Archi- pelago, yet, here they are, in all their native freshness and beauty, along with great-lipped Cattleyas, as variable as they are beautiful — so variable indeed, in form, habit, and colour, that they defy the most liberal - minded species - maker to settle the position in which they should be placed — so subtle are the different changes of form and structure, by which alone he can distinguish them. Speaking of Cattleyas reminds us that they are amongst the noblest of all summer-blooming Orchids, and here at Mr. Day's are great masses of C. Mendeli, perhaps twenty or thirty specimens all in bloom, with broad petals of snowy purity, and a finely-formed lip, in which ivory- like whiteness and the richest carmine imaginable are asso- ciated. Some few of these Mendel varieties, however, have the pearly petals suffused with soft flesh colour, and then the carmine-tinted lip deepens into a velvet-like purple stain, and even each individual flower goes through at least a dozen infinitesimal mutations, both in form and colouring. Mr. Day has now numberless varieties of Cattleya Mossice in perfec- tion, and, when well grown, few plants are more attractive than this ; the same may also be said of the well-tried and ever- beautiful Ltelia purpurata, L. elegans, and its still more attractive and highly - coloured forms, Turneri and Wol- stenholmiffi are likewise now very attractive, and their stately habit contrasts well with the short stubby growth of the Mossia3 section. The dwarf-growing Cattleya Schil- leriana is now blooming freely, its great greeu-sepaled, purple- blotched flowers being embellished by the richest of purple markings on a white fan-shaped lip. This is now blooming freely at Tottenham, and we also saw it a day or two ago in Mr. Beckett's collection at Stamford Hill. If, perchance, there is one Orchid more singular in appearance, or more attractive than another, you are sure to find it well represented in Mr. Day's unique collection. Take, for example, Phalasnopsis amabilis and P. grandiflora, of which there are, perhaps, a hundred plants for the most part in bloom, or Odontoglossum Alexandras, and its near ally 0. Pescatorei, to which a whole house is almost exclusively devoted, and in which are multi- tudes of wreaths of snow-white flovrers, the petals of which are set with rubies ; contrast with these the fresh green foliage and white flowers of the Odontoglots here growing freely and flowering profusely, and some idea of the richness of the display may be conceived ; and associated with these are also twenty or thirty plants of the flne orange-coloured Epiden- drum vitellinum majus ; but, if there is one Orchid more deli- cately beautiful than another, it is the little green-flowered Dendrochilum filiforme, which is also blooming freely in several other London gardens, besides that of Mr. Day. Few cool-growing Orchids are now more attractive than the Alpine, or rather Andean Masdevallias ; and in Mr. Beckett's collec- tion we saw the following species in bloom a few days ago, viz., M. trochilus. This is a new species, lately figured in " L'lllustration Horticole " (see plate 160). It was sent to Mr. Linden from New Granada, in 1872, bj' Roezi, who forwarded living plants of it collected in the elevated regions of the Cordillera of the Andes. According to this traveller the gigantic flowers of this peculiar species are shot with a blui.sh metallic lustre, like the plumage of the humming-bird tribe, hence the specific name. This colouring has procured it the appellation of Colibri from the inhabitants of the southern part of the State of Antioquia, a word having the same siguifica- tion. Two varieties of M. Harryana are also flowering freely, one having bright rosy-lilac-tinted blossoms, the other large blood- coloured or crimson flowers. M. Veitchii is also blooming freely; this has large blossoms of a rich orange-yellow colour, the lower half of each sepal being densely set with bright purple hairs, a circumstance which gives a remarkably rich appearance to the whole flower. M. ignea, a small but remarkably orange-scarlet-flowered species, is now very attractive, although scarcely so showy as M. Veitchii and M. Harryana. Lady's-slippers of various kinds are likewise now in perfection, and we have seen some fine specimens of Cypri- pedium barbatum, C. Veitchii, C. Dayi, C. Stonei, including one in Mr. Beckett's collection bearing eighteen flowers, and C. laevigatum, C. niveum, C. Harrissianum, C. Schlimii, and the new hybrid C. selligei'um are also all at present in bloom. At Kew, the following, among other Orchids, are in bloom, viz., Cypripedium Parishi, a Lady's-slippcr, not remarkable for striking beauty, the long-tailed flowers being of a pallid or apple-green tint, shaded with dull purplish-brown. This plant has also bloomed recently in Messrs. Veitch's collection at Chelsea, and, a month or two ago, a fine plant of it flowered in Mr. Eussel's collection at Mayfield, Falkirk, the flower- spike in the latter case bearing seven blooms. One of the most continuous flowering, however, is C. Roezlii, a kind with apple-green flowers, suffused with pale rose. This plant bears its flowers on a long erect spike, only one flower being fully developed at one time, so that the plant is frequently in bloom all the year round. One of the prettiest of all Orchids, now in flower at Kew, is the pale Primrose-lipped Den- drobium Pierardii, several strong plants of which are now flowering profusely. It is one of the easiest of all Orchids to cultivate ; and, as it can now be bought as cheaply as the most ordinary stove plants, it is well worth culture, even if only for cut-flowers. The rich-tinted Cattleya Aclandise is now blooming on a block. Its sepals and petals are of a rich olive green colour, blotched with dark purple, the lip being bright purple edged with white. The old purple-blossomed Bletia Shepherd! has been in flower during the past two months, and is still very attractive, bearing rich purple or purplish-magenta- coloured flowers, on large branching spikes. This plant is much used by Messrs. Standish&Co.,of Bagshot, for cut bloom, its flowers being found valuable for button-holes and other choice bouquets. Cattleya gigas is flowering freely in several collections near London, and we recently saw a fine variety of it opening its crimson-lipped flowers in Messrs. Veitch's collection. This is one of the best of all Cattleyas, bearing rosy -lilac flowers, fully 8 inches in breadth, the lip being of a rich velvety-crimson; it is a robust-growing plant, and succeeds well on a block in a moist atmosphere. The new Zygopetalum Sedeni is bearing a three-flowered spike in the Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea. It is a hybrid, obtained a year or two ago by crossing Z. maxillare and Z. Mackayi. Its rich bluish- purple lip is like that of the first-named parent, but larger, while the sepals and petals are of a very dark purplish-brown colour. Mr. Bull has a pretty variety of the well-known Phalas- nopsis amabilis, named erubescens, now in flower, the middle lobe of the cirrhose lip of which is washed with yellow on its broadest part, and splashed with rose colour. We have also noted the bright little P. amethvstina in bloom in several collections. B. PLANTING OUT CARNATIONS FOR WINTER BLOOMING. Few plants flower with so much certainty as the Carnation, but, for early forcing, the flower buds should be formed, or nearly so, before the end of October. I have lifted plants from the border about that date with a profusion of buds upon them, which continued to open during a greater part of the winter. Of winter, or tree Carnations as they are called, there is now a great variety, but the white, such as Avalanche, the pink Souvenir de la Malmaison, and the scarlet and rose-coloured varieties are most useful. I would advise no one to have more than three or four distinct kinds, and these only such as are known to be profuse bloomers. Whether old plants that have flowered during the last winter and spring or young plants have to be dealt with, no time should now be lost in trans- ferring them from their winter pots to the open border, where they must remain till they have completed their growth. Pro- vide a bed in a sunny, open, but sheltered situation, and put the plants out about 2 feet apart. Reduce the old balls con- siderably, taking away the crocks and spent soil, without shaking the roots out altogether, and plant them well up to the collar. If the bed consists of ordinary garden soil, then fill July 17, 1876.] THE GARDEN. 51 round each ball with light rich soil, consisting of leaf mould, loam, and sand, in equal parts, for a space of 6 inches all round. This will be sufficient for the roots during the summer, and will give a good ball of soil with them at lifting-time. Plants that have not been cut down yet will be pushing about the base of the flowering shoots ; therefore, do not remove the young shoots now, but cut back to them, and when the planting is finished stake each plant and tie them, but not too tightly. Let all the shoots grow; the larger the bash the more flowers, only give them room as the plants grow. If all has gone on well each plant will be profusely furnished with plump buds by the end of October, when preparations mast be made for lifting them. For bushy plants, such as I am contemplating, and such as fine young plants will make if planted oat in time, 9-inch pots, at least, will be required ; and, rather than reduce the balls too much, I would give them a larger size. Get the plants up, at all events, with good balls, by first cutting round them with a spade, and then getting it under them, and lifting them clean out of the ground. Transfer them at once to the pots by lifting the ball carefully with both hands and dropping it gently in, and fill round with light soil, giving the pot a slight shake to settle it; but do not make it too firm, for that would only injure the roots; watering thoroughly will settle all effectually. This is a better plan than growing the plants in pots all summer, for they grow better and want less attention, and experience no check at all by lifting, if it be done with ordinary care. The plants may be ^transferred at once to the conservatory or house in which they are to flower, for, like tbe Camellia, they want esceedingly little forcing. A warm light greenhouse or an intermediate house is the best place for them, and they must have all the light possible, ventilation, and little or no moisture overhead ; a damp low temperature causes the buds to rot without opening. J. S. BOUVARDIAS FOR WINTER FLOWERING. TuE propagation and winter-forcing of Bouvardias for com- mercial purposes, in the United States, is conducted as follows by the best growers. By the middle of July, the plants in the houses are done flowering ; at least the amount of flowers produced after this would not pay for the room they occupy, the space being required for spring-tloworing plants for market purposes, the object being to make each department remunerative in its season. The plants in question are then taken up and propagated by division of the roots. They are shaken out, and all the strong roots are taken off, leaving 6 inches upon the parent plant. These roots, having been cut into lengths of from 1 to 1 j inches, are inserted in sand-beds in the propagating-honses, as thickly as they can be set, and are then covered with sand to a depth of half-an-inch and watered. So soon as they are 1 inch above the surface they are taken up, potted off into 2-inch pots, and as soon as they are esta- blished in them are shifted into 4-inch pots, and kept in the house for two months. They are then taken into the nursery, where a trench is taken out, at the bottom of which the plants are placed. It is then filled in, the rim of the pots being covered with soil to the depth of 2 inches — the usual distance between them being 9 inches in the row, and 1 foot in the line. As they advance in growth they are kept pinched up to the middle of September, and are then all taken up, and those intended for winter-flowering shifted into 5 or 6-inch pots, planted in the house, and kept shaded for some days. The old plants from which the cuttings were taken, after having been shaken out and disrooted as above, are re-potted into 4-inch pots, and as soon as these are filled with roots are shifted into others, two sizes larger, and planted out in the open ground about the 20th of May. As they show flowers, they must be pinched off, and by the middle of September the plants are carefully taken up with balls, planted on the benches, or re-potted, and placed under glass. Planting on the benches is best, as it entails less labour in their after management, and, I think, extends the period during which cut flowers may be obtained. Cuttings from roots cannot be planted out of the pots ; if this were done, they could not be lifted with balls in the autumn, and, as a consequence, would lose all their leaves and two-thirds of the wood made during the summer. In order to lift Bouvardias with good balls in the autumn, they require to have good balls when planted in the spring, otherwise the whole had better be retained in pots, and plunged in nursery rows, as here described. The old plants should also be well cut in previous to potting. A stock of them is kept for summer prop.agation, cuttings of the young wood being put in when from 2 to 3 inches long, potted off into 2-iach pots, and sold to the trade at £1 4s. per hundred plants. One of the best white Bouvardias for summer and autumn use is B. jasminoides, which flowers freely, and has a good truss ; bat it does not pay to grow it in winter for cut flowers. If kept pinched during the summer time, say until the 1st of September, it will flower freely until the first of December. The leading varieties for winter use are B. Davidsoni, B. Hogarthi, B. Leanthi, and The Bride. Flowers of Bouvardia are not as profitable for winter use as cut flowers of other plants ; but it is necessary to have them, so as to be able to supply the trade. J. Howatt. ANANASSA BRACTEATA. This ornamental species of Pine-apple, though introduced into England many years ago, is seldom met with ; but in Portugal and other parts of the Continent it is largely grown for decorative purposes. Like its congeners, it is dwarf in habit, with scarcely any visible stem, and it has long, drooping, handsome deep-green leaves. Ananassa Bractea'a. Like other Pines, it may be increased by means of anckera and crowna, both of which rapidly develops into handsome plants. In fact, from an ornamental point of view, the Ananasaa Bracteata ia quite equal in beauty to Ananassa sativa variegata. Its frnit, which it produces freely, is of little value compared with that of ordinary P"ies. Q. NOTES AND QUESTIONS ON THE INDOOR GARDEN, Vanda limhata.— This new Japanese species was Introdaoea to our sardens last year by Mr. B. S. Williams. It has bright grooa strap-shaped leaves which are recarced, aad the flowers are eqaal in size to those of V. Roxburo-hii but their colour is bright chocolate, edged with gold, and the lip is rosy-hlac' This Vanda is figured in the " Botanical Magazine " for this month.— B. Adiautam Farleyense from Spores.— I have always understood that this Adiautum would not produce "seed," bat a number of seedlings have come up with me in a pot in which a plant ot this Maidea-hair Pern is growing I am much interested in the matter, and will feel greatly obliged by some of your correspondents informing me whether or not this is a rare occurrence — P T. BiENEs, Tlie Croft, Wallon-on-Thames. • •■ . xt. Mangoes from Seed.— I have received five seeds of the Indian Mano-o and I am anxious to know how to treat them.— W. Rriw, Kaickloft^, Cltinmel. ' rSow them at once in sepvrate pots, and plunge them in a temperature of from m' to 85S keeping them moist. They are rather apt to prove failures, as they travel badly. The outer coatin? should be left on as imported, or they will be almost sure to die. When up they will require a shift early, as, from the first thev make large roots. — J. Cboucheb.] *^ How to Fruit the Coral-herried Duckweed (Nertera depressa).— Pew plants are more attractive than this, when in fruit, and it is, fortunately hardy enough to ripen its berries well in a sunny window, or even in sheltered portions of the rook garden, after they are set ; but, above all, it is as a pot plant that it is of most value. In order to induce it to fruit freely, it should be placed in a stove or warm plant-house, on a sunny shelf near the glass, as it does not set Its fruit freely if too much shaded, or when planted out; as soon as the plant is set, however, it may be placed in a cooler temperature, in which the bright orange-scarlet berries will swell and acquire their characteristic coral-like colour, and continue ornamental for a considerable time.- B. 52 THE GARDEN. [July 17, 1875. DESTEOYING MOLES. Persons who think that molea ought to be caught and destroyed have frequently been exasperated because of the conspionons failure of traps warranted to catch these little creatures. Now, however, a gardener has hit upon the simplest contrivance in the world which he presents to the public for their free use. This is merely a large flower.pot — an old tin pail will answer the purpose excellently — sunk beneath the ground, upon a level with the floor of the run. A flat piece of board is laid over the run, and the earth heaped upon it so as to exclude the light completely. In the perfect simplicity of the thing its success chiefly lies. The moles, seeing or feeling nothing with the highly sensitive " feelers " upon their snouts, run very readily into the trap, from which there is no escape. Every fresh arrival adds to the company, for there is no resetting required, and there is no disturbance of the ground to excite suspi. cion. Doubtless the movements of the moles themselves attract other unfortunates to their ruin, for I am assured by one who has Section of an o£E6ctive Mole-trap. tried the trap with eminent success that he caught seven moles the first day, and three the second after setting it. — " New York Tribune." During wet weather I am. much troubled with moles, which come into my ground from the neighbouring market gardens, where, amongst Potatoes, Cabbages, and other crops grown on a large scale, they do comparatively little injury, and are, conse- quently, not much looked after. Whilst the weather is hot and the soil on the surface dry they work deeply, casting up a hill here and there, but not doing any material damage ; but, when rain comes, and the worms rise to the surface, they become a great nuisance, ploughing up the ground in all directions ; under such conditions it it difficult to trap them. My most effective mode of catching them is going quietly to their whereabouts early in the morning with a long steel fork, and watching for indications of their presence— one of which is worms escaping as from an enemy— then, by watching patiently, the soil will soon be seen to move, when in goes the fork, and, in nine cases out of ten, out comes the mole. If I miss it, it is because just then it was burrowing too deeply. — A. D. Purse Galls on the Elm.— Elm trees, especially when young, are often attacked by various kinds of plant-lice. One of these, which makes a very conspicuous gall, which ia now common near London. The insect is more or less of a dark green colour, some, what spheroidal, and covered with a cottony villosity, with brownish shortened feet and very short antenuM, unprovided with tail or tubes. It makes a small opening in the Elin leaves with its beak, where it deposits its eggs. The extravasation of the sap causes the formation of large bullae purses or vesicles joined to the leaf by a stalk. If one opens them before they have been pierced they will be found full of small plant-lice enveloped in a whitish cottony blanket. In summer these galls burst, and the swarm of plant-lice issues forth. Boisduval considers this species to be the Aphis ulmi of Linna3us, but Hartig, and following him Kaltenbach, refer Lin- najus's name to another species, which they call Tetraneura ulmi. It is not of much consequence, but the above species they name Schizoneura lanuginosa. The other species (Tetraneura ulmi) was named Aphis ulmi by De Geer. It is smooth shining, of a greenish- black colour, and without any cottony villosity. It lives under the leaf which it folds or rolls round. Like the others it has neither tail nor cornicules. There is another Elm-gall, also produced by an aphis, which we have not seen in England, but which is common in the north of Italy. It simulates the appearance of a Raspberry both in size, colour, and lobes. — A. Murray. Medicinal ITses of the Sweet Flag ( Acorus calamus) . — Ainslie says that " it is a very favourite medicine of the Indian practitioners, and is reckoned so valuable in the indigestions, stomach, aches, and bowel affections of children, that there is a penalty incurred by any druggist who will not open his door in the middle of the night and sell it if demanded." A bath made of the infusion of the root " is regarded as an effectual remedy for epilepsy in children." Schroder informs us that " it possesses virtues in obstructions of the spleen and liver." The Egyptians regard it as a valuable aromatic and stomachic. The Turks prepare a confection of the root, and employ it " as a preventive against contagion." " European practitioners have considered the root as tonic and aro. matic, and occasionally prescribe it in cases of intermittent fever and dyspepsia." Dr. A. T. Thomson recommends it as an anti. periodic ; and Dr. JE. Ross reports that it is an excellent stimulant and diaphoretic ; he looks upon it " as most serviceable in atonic and choleraic diarrhoea." As an insecticide, particularly with reference to fleas, I have always found it very efficacious ; but for this purpose, the root must be obtained fresh. Last year, the chief cause of mortality among the house patients of the Seoni Main Dispensary was dysentery ; the gaol population also suffered very much from the same disease. The disease is moat prevalent about the middle of the rainy season, that is, during the months of July and August. The disturbance probably of the water-supply, especially when this is derived from tanks and streams, and the dampness of the season are, in some measures, I think, accountable for the appearance of the disease. In many of these cases, a malaria! taint could be detected. Ipecacuanha does not, I regret to say, always succeed in these cases. There were no less than sixty -nine cases of dysentery treated in the Main Dispensary during the months of July and August. I found a decoction of the rhizome of the Acorus calamus very effectual in arresting the flux of blood, especially in the dysentery of children. The decoction is prepared thus : — Of the bruised rhizome, 2 ounces ; Coriander seed, 1 drachm ; black pepper, half a drachm ; water, 1 pint ; boil down to 12 ounces and set aside to cool. The dose for an adult is an ounce three times daily ; for a child, 1 to 3 drachms, sweetened with sugar, two or three times a day. Astringent extracts or quinine might be added if necessary. — " Pharmaceutical Journal." CITY KOSES. From Cashmere's Tale to sultry Chepe, For Fancy is a flying leap ; But as sweet June, in showers that weep Her parting, closes. Grim London shows as gaily drest As Shiraz at its summer best. With Flora holding. East and West, Her Feast of Roses ! Roses, ripe Roses, everywhere Scent the dull City's dusty air; Fern-folded buds for Swells are there, At fancy prices ; And leaf-wrapt " Mosses," cheap yet sweet, The humble luxuries of the street. Which with piled Cherries ripe compete. And penny ices. Sir Sybarite shudders ; his are dreams Of Chushunt clusters, Gunter's creams j But Bendemeer's bright bowers and streams. Or groves of Arden, Are not for all ; and there are those Whose pleasures are a penny Rose, And gorgeous, albeit gratis. Shows Of Covent Garden ! Welcome, sweet child of June, whose gi'ace Bids even mammon yield thee place; Whose beauty brightens every face Which bends above it ! Were Punch not Punch, he'd fain be Paul, Or Cant of Colchester. To call Roseland his own, were surely all A bard could covet ! Lyons " Rose-Congi-esses " are things Which those devised by scheming Kings, Or Bismarck, with his seraph wings, Are put to shame by. How poor are plots to prop a throne. Besides the pride of having grown Some bright new blossom, to be known Some sweet new name by ! Say " Punch's Own "—a friendly hint For Paul and Son ! Both shape and tint Should be perfection, the last print Of Flora's finger, Impressed on perfect petals ! Then Shall the Great Teacher's City den Be home for Haflz, and his pen O'er love-lays linger. — July 17, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 63 THE FRUIT GARDEN. STEAWBERRY CULTURE. In the cultivation of Strawberries the soil is of mucli im- portance. The best Strawberry soil is a good sound loam, and if rather unctuous so much the better. A poor, light soil is quite unfit for Strawberries ; but much may be done by deep digging and liberal supplies of manure. A light soil should be trenched fully 2 feet deep, and plenty of manure should be placed at the bottom of the trench. For a moderately stLQ! soil, two good spits, or about 20 inches, will be found ample. In either case, the soil should be made rich with manure ; and, at the time of planting, ample space should be given for future development. The selection of runners is also an important consideration. Those only should be employed that are stout and healthy, with a good, round, plump bud in the centre ; and they mast be from frait-bearing plants. When runners are taken at random from unfruitful plants, the progeny generally proves unfruitful also. It is of the utmost advantage, in order to obtain the runners'quick, and to get them soon into their fruiting quarters, that they be layered in small pots about -1 or 5 inches in diameter, filled with rich loamy soil, and mixed with a little rotten dung. While they remain in the pots, they must not be allowed to sufiler from want of water. They will make rapid progress in this rich ^, compost ; as soon as they are fairly rooted, they can be cut ' away from the parent plants, and, as soon as convenient after- wards, they should be finally planted out before the pots become matted with roots. Such plants in dry weather suc- ceed much better than pieces of runners without roots, those in pots commencing to grow at once, while the others dry up. Last August I formed a plantation with plants that had been layered in pots, with the exception of one row that came from a neighbour that had not been layered. Those that had been prepared by laying in pots are sis times as largo as those just alluded to, and are bearing six times as much fruit. In planting, I perhaps give more space than many people think proper, but it has always been a first principle with me to give our crops ample room for development, and I rarely ever find any plant ungrateful for such liberality. The plant- ing requires great care, for on this much of the ultimate success depends. I would here advise, if the soil be very light, that it be made firm before planting. When convenient, a portion of clay should be added to it, which will much improve the condition of the plants. If the ground be tolerably stiff this will be unnecessary. In planting, take care to make the ground firm about the roots. There is scarcely any soil so poor but what may be made to grow good Straw- berries, if properly managed. With regard to distance, we allow them, on an average, 27 or 30 inches from row to row, and about 2 feet apart in the rows. I have known some, who have wished to make the most of their land, plant 1 foot apart in the rows, and, after the first crop, destroy everyalternate plant. Others I have known to have planted a row of Cole worts between each row, and to have pulled them up by the roots early in spring, leaving the whole space to the Strawberries. I never allow a bed to remain longer than three years before it is destroyed. Good fruit is obtained the first year after planting; the crop may be a little heavier the second year, but the fruit will be finer the first yeai\ The third year the crop will be good, but the fruit will not be so fine as it was either the first or second; and, after it is gathered, the bearing powers of the plants will be exhausted, and they should either be burnt on the ground, and the ashes carefully spread over the laud, or they should at once be dug in, thus restoring to the soil much of the matter which has been absorbed by the plants in then- growth, and the absence of which has lessened fertility in a corresponding degree. Where Alpine Strawberries are grown they may be treated as annuals, the old plants being destroyed every spring ; they will then yield a good crop of fruit when others have done bearing. Eclipse with us is a great favourite, being a heavy cropper, of average flavour, and an excellent variety for pot culture. Sir J. Paxton is a handsome early variety, the flesh of which is very solid. Its flavour is very good, it forces well, is a very free grower, and quite hardy. Its appearance, which, perhaps, surpasses that of all others, renders it valuable for dessert — it is of a rich bright glossy colour, and should be in every collection. Dr. Hogg is very much like the British Queen, from which it was raised. It is however much finer, a better grower, has a better constitution, and has established itself as a general favourite. I am now gathering fruit from this variety which will average nearly 2 ounces each. It is one of the sweetest Strawberries grown. Cockscomb is a very fine and handsome variety when it succeeds, and is, where it is known, a great favourite. Viscomtesse Hericart de Thury is synonymous with Lion de St. Lasemer. The skin is deep scarlet in colour ; the flesh firm, solid, and highly flavoured. The plant is vigorous and nearly as productive as Eclipse, though the berries are not quite so large. It continues a long time in bearing. The foliage resembles that of the old Keen's Seedling. It is a valuable variety for general cultivation. Amateur is a fine conical-shaped berry, with a rather acid flavour, but a heavy cropper. Those kinds are what I have grown this season, and at the time of wriDing (July 6th) are in full bearing. Early Prolific, Duke of Edinburgh, and James Veitch, were bought in the spring, but I cannot report on their qualities at present. Eor the purpose of keeping the fruit clean I use litter, which, if it does not meet the views of some fastidious people, has the advantage of thoroughly answering this purpose. On dry, gravelly soils, little good can be accomplished in a dry hot season with- out plenty of water. This may be considered the life and soul of the Strawberry. With a hot sun and plenty of moisture, the fruit may be brought to great perfection ; without them, it languishes. It is, therefore, obvious that a good supply of water is a necessary adjunct to every Strawberry garden. As soon as the blossoms begin to expand, the water should be given freely ; and if, before the plants go out of bloom, they can be given a good soaking of manure-water, it will almost double the weight of the crop. I consider the application of manure-water to Strawberries, while they are in bloom, the secret of success. Gardeners of the old school used to allot certain quarters to the growth of certain crops, and, more especially, those of Strawberries ; but I would particularly advise that such a practice should be abandoned, and a fresh situation for every succeeding plantation provided. When the ground has been occupied for several years with the same crop, it becomes exhausted ; and, my own experience has convinced me that Strawberries form no exception to this rule. R. WALL TREES FOR VARIOUS ASPECTS. After what has already been said on the subject of aspect, it will ba admitted that to lay down a hard and fast rule for planting wall trees, if that were possible, would be of no practical value ; a few general observations on the subject are all that can be hazarded. In order to define what fruit trees would be suitable for certain aspects in a given locality, the matter would have to be determined by actual experiment : this is a slow but sure way of gaining the necessary knowledge, and, after all, is worth the time and trouble in every case. If a really good variety of fruit is unsuccessful on a certain aspect, let another bo tried, or even the same aspect in another part of the garden ; slight as the change is it may be attended with success. The general rule is to plant south walls with Peaches, Apricots, Figs, and the most tender of late Pears. Unless iu very warm sheltered localities, Peaches and Figs are precarious crops even on south walls and with extravagant expenditure of labour in protection, training, and other attention ; the former, we venture to remark, will be more successful on comparatively dwarf walls of from 8 to 10 feet than on high walls of 12 to 14 feet. Figs require a high wall. South walls are unquestionably the place for Apricots — indeed, this aspect is altogether the most important generally throughout the country, north or south, and therefore the choicest fruits must monopolise it, or such fruits as are most in request. Among Apricots, there are no varieties better than Moor- park, Shipley, and Mashmaeh — the former perhaps the finest of all Apricots ; the second a very prolific and early variety, excellent also for indoors ; the latter the best for preserving. Of Peaches for the open wall, we know none better than early Louise, Bar. rington. Noblesse, and Desse Tardive. Besides the above, it is often necessary to have a few trees of early Cherries on a south wall for early fruit : three kinds suitable are Bigarreau, Black Tartarian, and May Dnke, and well worthy of a place on a south aspect. Of Plums, Coo's Golden Drop, Kirke'a Plum, and Greeu Gage are 54 THE GAEDBN. [July 17, 1875. worthy of a south wall, the former requiring abundance of the sun's light and heat to bring it to perfection ; than Kirke's we know no better purple Plum, and it richly deserves a south aspect. If room can be spared, there are many varieties of Apples which deserve a south wall, such as Cornish Gilliflower, Nelson Codlin,Ribston Pippin, Melon Apple, Northern Spy, Golden Winter Pearmain, and many more. Among Pears deserving a south wall, or that cannot be grown to perfection without it, it would be very difficult to make a selection ; even such hardy Pears as Flemish Beauty and Urbanisto are sometimes magnificent in size and quality from a south wall when the soil is favourable. As a rule, the better class of late Pears should be selected when room is found on a south aspect, such as Josephine de Malines, Bergamotte d'Esperen, Beurre Ranee, Easter Beurre, and Ne Plus Menris. On north aspect walls the Morello Cherry suoceds to perfection, and hangs for months after it is ripe without shrivelling. A space of north wall should also be devoted to Eed Currants, trained as upright cordons, in order to prolong the season for this useful kitchen fruit. Currants may be gathered from a north wall for tarts nearly up to Christmas. Among Plums we find that Orleans, Late Orleans, and Green Gage, do well on a north wall. The Red Warrington Gooseberry may also be planted against a north wall and trained like Currants, in order to retard its fruit for late use. For walls with an east aspect there is abundance of choice. First of all, the Apricot will do well provided the situation be dry and open, and the atmosphere not sluggish from the proximity of trees. On this aspect the Apricot is not exposed to the wet south, west winds of autumn, which are so prejudicial to the ripening of the wood. The dry easterly winds of spring do not seem to have any very injurious effect on the Apricot — no more than is easily preventible by the use of a few folds of old herring-nets to break the force of the wind. Cherries all succeed on an east aspect, also various Plums, such as Early Orleans, Rivers' Prolific, and Early Favourite, White and Red Magnum Bonum, Blue Imperatrice, and Perdrigon. On east walls Apples will also do perfectly, of which Devonshire Quarrenden, Ribston Pippin, Starmoor Pippin, and Kerry Pippin may be mentioned. For a west aspect. Pears succeed perfectly, and will assume quite a different appearance from the same varieties grown on a south wall ; Pears swell to a large size on west walls generally. Many Plums also succeed well or best on west walls ; as Coe's Golden Drop, Kirke's Washington, Greengage, Reine Claude de Bavay, and Victoria. Among Apples for a west wall are Oslin Pippin and Irish Peach, two fine early summer Apples. These must only be accepted as general remarks on planting trees on walls. So much depends on the climate of a locality, whether low-lying or elevated, inland or near the sea, that a rule applicable to all gardens would be impracticable. The amount of rainfall in a district is another vital element afEecting the success of wall-fruit culture, especially Peaches, Apricots, and late Pears, the range being from 20 inches in some districts to 120 inches in another. It does not, however, follow that, because a district has a heavy rainfall it is unfavourable to fruit.culture generally ; but sometimes the reverse ; the atmo- sphere may be much more humid in the district of least rainfall, say in autumn, when the wood of fruit-trees should be ripening — a most important period —than in the locality of the greatest rainfall, because the temperature of the air may be higher in the former, and conse- quently will excite continued growth too late to ripen ; whereas in the latter, growth will have ceased from decrease of temperature, and the wood be sufficiently consolidated for the formation of blossom. buds. In this we suggest a comparison between the south, west coast and the inland and elevated parts of the west. — " The Gardener." Blackheartedness in St. Michael Pine-apples. — Mr. W. Thomson makes a statement concerning the St. Michael Pine, apples in the last number of the " Florist and Pomologist," that does not accord with our experience of these fine fruits. He says — "That the reason why so many of those otherwise fine Pines, brought from St. Michael's, so soon decay when placed in the fruiterer's shop, and are so often, when cut, found to be black at the heart is, that they are brought over with their stems in ' earthen- ware fountains of water, to keep them plump on the voyage.' I saw a whole row of them in this state in the window of one of the principal fruit-shops in Princes Street, Edinburgh, this spring. Another fruiterer in the same street told me that she would never have another St. Michael Pine in her shop, as she had had several returned that were found to be black inside when cut. When black, there is of course little danger of their doing injury, as no one will eat them in that state ; the danger is before the action of decomposition becomes evident to the eye. It would bo far safer for those who consume these Pines if they were brought over sea in dry cases, without water ; they might not arrive so fresh-looking, nor prove so heavy, but they would be wholesome, which they cannot be as at present imported." From some experience of St. Michael Pines in Covent Garden, we have no doubt that the above opinions are not based on the examination of such St. Michael Pines as are known in the London market. It is extremely rare to find a St. Michael Pine that is black in the centre. As now imported to the London market the Saint Michael Pines are the best example we have seen of the successful importation of perishable fmits from distant countries. Birds V. Fruit. — A fruit garden surrounded with Strawberries and woodland is pretty sure to suffer periodically from the attacks of birds; and, as we have a great amount of labour in protecting choice fruits from them, I have been led to observe under what conditions their attacks become the most persistent, and I am decidedly of opinion that it is only when pressed by hunger, through the scarcity of their natural food " through long-continued drought," that they attack our fruit gardens to any serious extent. In moist showery weather, I have observed them feeding under the fruit bushes, with- out molesting the fruit. Blackbirds or thrushes are our most numerous depredators ; and while they can find a ready supply of worms, grubs, and insects, they confine themselves to the shrub- berries or woods, to the ground amongst crops in kitchen gardens, and, more especially, to fruit-tree borders when mulched. When, how. ever, there are long periods of drought, and food gets scarce, birds get bolder every day until even the nets that we employ for covering small fruits fail to keep them out, as they will, when very hungry, find their way under them. Powder and shot, or good nets, are the only means that I find at all effectual in preserving a full crop of fruit. Raspberries are as much injured by birds as any crop we have; for, in addition to the quantity they eat, they settle on the side branches, and break them off in quantities, thus destroying the succeeding crop. The best remedy is to build a temporary framework over the beds, and cover the whole with nets. When birds are protected, the most economical way is to net up, effectually and well, all fruits before they begin to colour. — J. Groom, Henham Hall, Waiuiford. Influence of Shelter upon the Easter Beurre Pear. — A somewhat remarkable fact, in connection with this variety of Pear, which resulted from an experiment tried byM. KoUer, at Enghien, in France, is reported in the " Moniteur Horticole Beige." M. Koller had some trees of this Pear, which succeeded admirably on walls, but, when tried on espaliers they failed, after having been planted for ten years, to produce any but split and speckled fruits that never came to maturity. Under the impression that the cause of this was a want of vigour in the trees, M. KoUer tried a variety of means to remedy the evil, and, with this view, watered one year with pure water, the next with liquid manure, but all to no purpose. This year he determined to cut back the refractory trees, and to graft upon them more hardy varieties, keeping one, ho%vever, in the form of an espalier, to try the effect of sheltering it. To this end a post was driven in at each extremity, and on these posts he placed a screen forming a kind of hood with sloping sides. This was raised a little more than a foot above the tree, which itself is about 6 feet high. Under this treatment M. Koller obtained thirty Pears, which were the finest in his garden, whilst the fruit gathered from the same tree, which grew outside the screen, were split and cracked as they were before. Stopping Figs on Open Walls. — In looking over the " Calendar," I observe that it is recommended to stop Figs by pinching out the terminal buds as soon as they have made three or four joints or leaves. I must decidedly beg to differ in opinion as to the merits of this operation. If it referred to Figs under glass I should fully coincide with the directions, as the object in stopping in that case is to throw all the energy of the tree into the formation of the fruit that usually appears at the base of every leaf. The second crop under glass, or that which is formed on the current year's wood, is often much more abundant than the first, or that which was formed the preceding year. But with trees on open walls the re- suits are quite different. For as far as my experience goes, even in the south of England, it is only the first crop that ever comes to maturity. If the shoots are allowed fully to develop themselves, they will usually form several fruits at the base that are nearly half grown by the fall of the leaf, with from four to six of the top buds not started sufficiently to show the fruit, and on which depends the next year's crop. However carefully the green Figs may be preserved from frost, I never saw them swell into fine fruits. If the shoots are stopped now, in all probability every fruit will be too far advanced by winter to be of any service. Next year, all who happen to be sceptical as to the results of the two systems, should try half the stock of trees each way and compare the crops, then if they do not give up pinching for open wall trees their experience will be different from mine. I may add that as we are not far from the sea here Figa flourish most luxuriantly, and never suffer from frost even when en. July 17, 1875.] THE GAEDEN. tirely unprotected. By cutting out some of the longest shoots every season, so that they may break and furnish the base of the tree with young wood, wo never fail in getting a crop. — James Groom, Henliam Hall, Wang ford. THE HOUSEHOLD. Cherry Fritters. — -Take half a pound of ripe Mayduke Cherries, stone and halve them ; make a pint of new milk pretty hot, sweeten it and pour it upon your Cherries ; then well beat four eggs, put them with the Cherries, stir all well together, add a little flower to bind it, put it into a frying-pan a spoonful at a time, and, when the fritters are done, serve with sugar sifted over them. Cherry Tart. — Have a very shallow round tin tart mould, not more than an inch and a-half deep ; cover it with a paste not thicker than a penny-piece, then take some fine Cherries, cub off their stems with a pair of scissors, so as not to tear the fruit — the principal beauty of a Cherry tart consisting in the fruit being whole when sent to table. Pack in a single layer of the Cherries, strew a good deal of sugar over them, and bake the tart in a gentle oven. Serve hot or cold. Cherry Jam. — Stone the Cherries, then take equal weights of white sugar and fruit, make a syrup of the sugar ; simmer the Cherries slowly in the syrup for twenty minutes, take them out with a perforated skimmer, and spread them on dishes to cool, boil down the syrup till it is quite thick, put the Cherries back and let them boil up once ; then seal in glass cans. Cherry Pudding. — Sciild a quart of milk and stir into it a pint of Corn meal ; when cool, add half a pint of good flour or a little 1 less of fine flour with which a teaspoonf ul of yeast powder has been thoroughly mixed, four well-beaten eggs, and a pint of ripe, unstoned Cherries which have been washed and rolled in flour while damp. Wring the pudding-bag from cold water, flour the inside well, put into boiling water, and boil steadily two hours. Place an inverted plate on the bottom of the kettle under the pudding, and as the water wastes add boiling water. Serve with a sauce of sugar and cream. Pickled Cherries. — White Ox-hearts are preferred for pickles. The stems should be left on and the stones in ; for 8 pounds of fruit take i pounds of sugar, 2 quarts of the best vinegar, a little cloves, cinnamon, mace, and ginger. root. Boil the vinegar, sugar, and spices together, skimming thoroughly ; strain it over the fruit, and boil very slowly till the Cherries look like cracking open ; take up carefully into jars, and keep in a cool place. Dried Cherries. — Take large Cherries not too ripe, remove the pits, take equal weights of Cherries and sugar. Make a thick syrup of the sugar, put in the Cherries and boil them a minute, and spread them on an earthen platter till next day, strain the syrup, boil it down thick, put the Cherries in and boil five miuutea, spread ou a platter as before ; repeat the boiling two more days, then drain, lay them on wire sieves, and dry in a nearly cold oven. Cherry Pie. — Stone the Cherries, make a paste in the ordinary way, put in the fruit, add sugar and a little water. Stir a table- spoonful of flour smoothly into two of water and spread it evenly on the edge of the paste ; put on the cover and bake till done. All fruit pies cau, by using this mixture of flour and water be kept from running over in the oven. N. Potato Prospects in East Suffolk.— The recent heavy rains in this district have been of great benefit to the Potato crop, but warm weather is now much needed to assist the tubers to swell off and mature. The haulm of most varieties is just now looking very healthy and vigorous, except where injured by the hail storms that; passed over portions of the country on the 18th of June. Although the injury resulting from the above does not appear to have spread over a wide area, the storm was very severe in several parts of this county, and appears to have been felt the most at Hardwicke, near Bury St. Edmunds, where it did considerable damage. The foliage of Potatoes, being rather tender just at that time, were much lacerated, and the stems were pitted and bruised in a manner tliat might have led one to suppose they had been fired at with small shot. I have heard of disease having made its appear- ance in difllerent parts of this district; but, as yet, I have not seen any symptoms of it in our immediate neighbourhood. The so-called new A.merican disease is showing itself on some of the American varieties, but, in every case where the tops of these are failing, I find that either a maggot is at work at the stems just above the set, or that they are suffering from the effects of a previous attack ; but why the American varieties should suffer from the attacks of this nsect more than any other I am quite at a loss to determine. Such early sorts as Myatt's Prolific and Fortyfold are unusually fine this year ; and, should the disease only keep off, the late crop will be equally abundant. The Red Regent is the most robust-looking late variety grown in this district, and is highly prized by the cottagers on account of its great productiveness and good keeping qnalitiea. It appears to like plenty of moisture, so that the present season will suit it, and the poorer classes who have grown it will have an abundant supply of Potatoes that will go far to help to tide them over the next winter. — J. SnEPi'AED, Woolverstone. Potatoes and Wireworms. — On examining the Potato crop here, in Queen's County, Ireland, the other day, I found wireworms in the haulm, and the plants iu many cases diseased. In others I observed numbers of blackish-coloured slugs ; most of the plants I could lift off the ground withoat disturbing the soil, and, ou diggiug up the tubers, I found that several had rotted away. They have a bad smell, but that is only apparent on examiuation. The varieties most affected here are the Ashleaf Kidney and Flounders. Those not attacked by disease are looking well, and yield on an average ten tubers, fit for table, to each plant, but I have counted as many as seventeen or eighteen fair-sized tubers to a plant. The weather here, for the past six weeks, has been cold and rainy, the tempera, ture ranging from 38" to 50.° This morning (13th July) the ther. mometer went down to 35°, and only rose to 42' at noon, the wind blowing from the north-east, and very cold. — J. P. The duassia Tree.— Dr. BaiUon has just presented the Horti- cultural Society of Paris with a specimen of Quassia e.xcelsa, a very rare tree, and at present, perhaps, the only one in Europe. The history of this solitary individual is curious ; it was reared from seed in 1868 by the late Dr. Barillet-Deschamps, who gave it to the garden of the Faculty of Medicine ; and it is highly probable that the seeds came from Martinique under the name of Bittera febrifuga. Heuce it was not easy to determine the real nature of the young plant, its only characteristic being the extreme bitterness of all its parts, the leaves especially. As it was snpposed to require great warmth, it was kept in a hot.house, where it got on very poorly, until a Prussian shell fell into the place (January 20th, 1871). The foUowiUg night being excessively cold (it may be remembered that the winter of that year was one of the severest on record) , all the plants cultivated there perished except this. Its terminal bud having been lopped off by one of the splinters of the projectile, it was picked up and examined, when it was fonud to contain a flower presenting all the characteristics of the family of Rutacea). The plant was now trans- ferred to an Orangery, where it recovered and throve well ; it put forth a quantity of leaves in the following spring, and since then it has been growing and producing female flowers every year, so that, to propagate it, a male specimen has to be found. It is a common tree in Jamaica, where it attains a height of 60 feet, and goes there by the name of " Bitter Ash." It is exported in logs known in trade as " yellow quassia ; " they are made into goblets on the turning- lathe, and these are sold under the well-known name of " bitter cup." The shavings are also much in demand for infusions exceed- ingly beneficial to weak stomachs. They are used in the manufacture of beer; and, as for the wood itself, it is also made into boxes for preserving furs from moths, which shun auoh receptacles on account of their bitterness. Underhill's Sir Harry Strawberry.— At' the Richmond Horticultural sociefcy'B show which took place the other day Messrs. Steel exhibited a large tea-tray covered with fine fruit of this Strawberry, araouuting in all to over 200 berries. They state that this is a stood and moat productive variety, and the fruit shown seemed to amply contirm their statement. — A. D. A Suggestion in Reference to Labelling Koses.— It is always difficult to maintaia the labels ou Rose trees in a state of lesibiUty, and it occurs to me that if the nurserymen who sell them would attach to each tree one of the new imperishable 'labels, the purchaser would gladly pay a penny extra for each Rose so laljelled. It is not worth while for small gardeuers to buy say a himdred labels of Baroness Rothschild or La France, but for the nur.sery gardeners it would bo, and, whilst making a profit upon the labels if supplied, as I have suggested, with the Roses sold, they would confer a benefit upon the public. — An Amateur RosAsrvrf. Sutton's Giant Emerald Marrew Pea.— This is a giant form (though only so far as the colour of the haulm and pods are concerned) of Sutton's Emerald Gem, being much superior to that excellent variety both in produce and flavour. Here it has grown to au height of 7 feet, and la well furnished with pods (con- tauiing from eight to nine Peas) from top to bottom. Iu flavour it is all that could possibly be desired, and retains when cooked that beautiful light green colour peculiar to Emerald Gem and Danecroft Rival. I consider it a valuable acquisition to our list of vegetables. — \V. W., Hccktleld. Lllium superbum at Home.— Probably such of our readers as cherish this fine hardy plant among their choicest garden treasures will envy the *'niow6r" mentioned in the following paragraph from the "Albany Cultivator " : — " The most gorgeous of all our meadow flowers is the Turk's-cap Lily (Lilium superbum). It generally grows in wet places, often in or near a ditch, and attains a great height. I have seen it In a neighbour's garden on dry ground scarcely less luxuriant— 5 feet high, with a great numberof gorgeous retlexed flowers on every plant. The blossoms continue a long time in the garden, but in the meadows usually meet an untimely end at the hands of the mower, who seldom cares enough for botany or beauty to preserve or trans- plant them. 56 THE GARDEN. [July 17, 1875. SOCIETIES AND EXHIBITIONS. BOYAL BOTANIC SOCIETY. Evening Fete. This Society has now been established thirty-six years, but this was only the fourth occasion on which a night fete of this kind had been arranged by the Council. In 1872, when the evening gathering was inaugu- rated, it proved a failure, owing to a severe and sudden storm ; but in the two following years the fete was held with the greatest success, the weather on each occasion being all that could be desired. On Wednesday, however, the drenching rain which fell continuously from noon till midnight either entirely spoilt or greatly impeded all the arrange- ments which the Council had made for the entertainment of their guests. But for the wretched state of the weather 7,000 persons and upwards, judging from the number of tickets issued, would in all probabiUty have attended the fete. At midnight barely 3,000 had passed the gates. The grounds were illuminated with gas, and in the conservatory, tents, marquees, and other parts of the gardens various prettily-arranged devices in lighting were exhibited. The Ameri- can tent was lit with new and picturesque patterns of Chinese lanterns, and the covered walks, bridges, and other special features of the garden, as well as a design upon the larger mound, were lined and marked by chains of lamps. Electric lights were placed on the conservatory, the anemometer tower, and the flagstaff, and their reflection was visible for miles round. Table Decorations, &c. — In spite of the heavy rain, a large number of dinner-table and other floral decorations were staged. The five semi-circular spaces around the fountain in the exhibition tent were entirely filled with crimson, white, and yellow Boses, from Mr. W. Paul, the whole being margined and separated into groups by means of lines of the Mustard plant, which, being of a fresh green colour, formed a by no means inefficient substitute for Selaginella. Several very tastefully- arranged hanging baskets were suspended in the exhibition tent, one of which struck us as bemg very eff'ective. This was filled with Caladiums, yellow Calceolarias, pink double-flowered Pelargoniums, the margin being fringed with Panicum variegatum and Maiden-hair Peru. The chains on which it hung were wreathed with Cissus discolor. This came from Messrs. Dick Eadclyfl:e & Co. ; and Mr. J. Hudson and Mr. E. Wheeler also showed effective baskets, filled with white-sepaUed Fuchsias. Some weU-arranged jardinettes were placed in the conservatory, one from Mr. Ilepper being fiUed artistically with Caladiums and Alocasia macrorhiza,^ a highly-coloured plant of Dracajna terminalis being in the centre ; while the margin was fringed with Isolepis and Panicum varie- gatum. The jardinette itself was nearly entirely concealed, and the base was covered with dark green Moss, on which a plant of Gasteria verrucosa was placed with excellent efl'ect. Groups of plants suitable for recesses in rooms or conservatories came from Mr. Wheeler, Messrs. Dick Eadclyffe, and others. The last-named exhibitor had a fire-place decorated with white Lilies, Sedum Sieboldii, Moss, and white Water Lilies, the base being fringed with Selaginella, and the mantle-piece covered with Roses and other fragrant flowers resting on a base of fresh green Ferns ; this was a novel and excellent arrangement. Dinner-table decorations were well repre- sented, but they were so much alike that we purposely allude only to the most original and distinct. Miss Hecker had a table, in the centre of which was a tall pinnate-leaved or plumose Palm, supported on either side by a well-grown specimen of Grevillea robusta, one of the most graceful and effective of all cut-leaved plants. The bases of these plants were con- cealed by conical banks of fresh green Ferns and foliage mixed with Eoses and Water Lilies. Water Lilies, it may be mentioned, were used in nearly every arrangement shown, as were also wild Grasses and rosy and white Ehodanthes. Miss Edith Blair's table decorations were simple and effective. They consisted of a central trumpet-shaped vase filled with wild Grasses, white Ehodanthe, Dipladenia Boliviensis, the margin of the trumpet being fringed with pendent branchesof a scarlet-flowered Begonia. This was supported by two plants of the bright green feathery-leaved Acacia lophantha. The leaves of the central vase, and of the plants used in this case, were concealed with fresh Ferns, Grasses, Roses, Eucharis, and blue Larkspurs. Mrs. Scale's table struck us as being a very tasteful one. It was furnished with three March stands, in which the slender sprays of a white-flowered Bell-flower was conspicuous among white Water Lilies, Stephanotis, Corn-flower, and blooms of blue Agapanthus. Between the March stands were two smaller vases filled with Orchids, scarlet Begonias, and Ferns, while four shallow glass baskets of living Sphagnum and Ivy leaves were enlivened by little sprays of a small white- flowered Campanula. Mrs. Hudson's table, a very pretty one, consisted of a graceful Cocos Weddelliana in the centre, wreathed with Lygodium, the base being concealed with Ferns, Grasses, Ixoras, and Bell-flowers. The end trumpet-shaped vases were filled with wild Grasses and the slender spikes of Chelone barbata, the scarlet flowers of which shone out under gas-light with excellent effect. The margins of the glasses were draped with scarlet Begonias and two or three of the drooping spray-like flower-spikes of Dendrochilum filiforme, the stems of the vases them- selves being wreathed with the common blue Passion-flower, and their bases decorated with conical mounds of Water Lilies, scarlet spathes of the Flamingo plant, wild Grasses, and blue Corn-flowers. In the open class for lady or gentlemen competitors, Mr. Chard had an effective arrangement, composed of plumose-leaved Cocos in the centre, supported on either side by slender trumpet-shaped vases, tastefully filled with wild Grasses, orange-spotted American Lilies, with Roses and spikes of a blue Veronica at the base. The base of the central Palm was hidden by a bank of Ferns, Grasses, Water Lilies, Pelargoniums, and blue Corn-flowers. Mr. W. Buster's table, which was effectively decorated, contained five trumpet-shaped vases, arranged in a line down its centre. The central base consisted of wild Grasses, enUvened by the scarlet-flowered Chelone barbata and a bank of Ferns, on which the white spathes of Eichardia contrasted with the scarlet clusters of Kalosanthes coccinea, which is one of the most effective of all succulents. The two central vases were filled with Grasses and white Bell-flowers ; the stems were wreathed with the scandent Adlumia cirrhosa, the trumpets being fringed with rosy Begonias. The end vases were filled with wild Grasses and cut sprays of the scarlet and white-flowered Clerodendron BaLfouri, with Plumbago capensis and Balfour's Clerodendron at the base. Some rather pretty floral arches were staged, that from Messrs. Dick Eadclyffe & Co., to whom the first prize was awarded, being very effective. A pretty one consisted of slender sprays of the common Asparagus enlivened with Stephanotis and the mauye-coloured Bougainvillea, and one composed of white Lihes, Pelargoniums, and foliage plants, was also very pretty. Many of the tables were, unfortunately, spoiled by wind and rain. Sideboards or Buffets. — Of these some pretty arrangements were set up. Mrs. Burley had a group consisting of one March stand and two vases exquisitely arranged with Water Lilies, Maiden-hair Fei-n, blue Corn-flower, and rosy Rhodanthe, the upper vases being lightly fiUed with wild Grasses, slender white Canterbury Bells, and blue Corn-flower. The pure white Water Lilies at the base of the central vase were fresh and lovely. At each extremity was a black vase containing a plant of the white- spotted-leaved Richardia, the soil being hidden from view by means of fresh green Selaginella, on which were laid three flowers of Water Lilies, the whole being backed up with three fresh green Ferns in pots. Miss E. Harris had a charming group of Ferns and Palms. Here a plant of the yellow-stemmed Latauia aurea, flanked by two examples of Weddell's slender Cocos, had an excellent effect, and two plants of the slender Pteris tremula and four plants of a crimson-leaved Begonia shone out well under the gas-light. Few cut flowers were employed in this case. Miss Edith Blair's arrangement for the side-board consisted of a March stand of two tiers, and a vase-shaped trumpet, tastefully filled with fresh Ferns, white Stephanotis, wild Grasses, and trusses of the bright scarlet Kalosanthes coccinea. "This stand was flanked by two small plants of the elegant green-leaved Dracrena congesta, on a mound-shaped base of Maiden-hair Fern. Messrs. Williams and Bach showed some dinner table decorations not for competition. Some button-hole bouquets and floral wreaths were furnished by Mr. James Bromwich. Six or eight attractive wedding bouquets were staged, nearly all of which were com- posed of white Bouvardia, Eucharis, Eoses, and Maiden-hair Ferns. Horticultural Exhibition at Brent-wood. — Two very fine plants of Erica obbata were shown here the other day by Mr. Walker, who also staged good examples of Caladium Lowii, Latania borbonica, and Cibotium princeps. Mr. Lane, gardener to General Fytche, exhibited Dasylirion [acrotrichum and Lomatia hetrophylla in excellent condition Well-grown zonal Pelargoniums were shown by Messrs. Burly and Mead- more ; and some Tricolors, furnished by the same exhibitors, were finely coloured. Cut Roses, contributed by Mr. Cant, of Colchester, were all that could be desired. The amateurs twenty-four Roses, for the president's prize (a silver cup), were also good. Fruit and vegetables, both from gardeners and cottagers, were also good. OBITUARY. Wk have to record, with regret, the death of Mr. Peter Wallace, which occurred a few weeks ago in Ceylon, where he had for some time been engaged in Coffee culture. Mr. Wallace commenced his horticul- tural Ufe at Chatsworth, in Sir Joseph Paxton's time, and in 1846 he accepted an appointment at St. Michael, where he was one of the first to introduce the culture of Pine-apples into the Azores. After about six years' stay there he returned to England, and went out as Govern- ment gardener to the Island of Ascension in 1853, returning to this country in 1857. In 1859 he obtained an appointment as superintendent of the Viceroy's gardens in Egypt — a position which he held until 1862, when he went out to Ceylon, and returned to England in 1869, settling in Texas in the same year. In 1873 he again went out as manager of a Coffee plantation in Ceylon. He was an able and intelhgent horticulturist. Plucking a Flower. — A correspondent at Spalding, in Lincoln- shire, sends to the "PaU Mall Gazette" the following extract from a local paper, reporting the proceedings at the petty sessions there, the other day : — " Sarah Chandler, of Spalding, was charged with damag- ing a Geranium plant by plucking a flower therefrom. Sentenced to fourteen days' imprisonment and fom- years in a reformatory." It is not stated in the report that Sarah Chandler had previously borne a bad cha- racter, and our correspondent states that the sentence has excited consider- able indignation. The circumstances (he adds) are as follows :— " A little girl,' aged thirteen years, bad gone to. see her aunt, who resides in an almshouse in the town, and on leaving the house had, as children often will, fallen in love with a Geranium, and had plucked a flower therefrom, thus causing the damage for which she was prosecuted." The magi- strates were the Rev. E. Moore, the Rev. J. T. Dove, and Messrs. A. Ball, T. Harrison, and C. S. Taylor. [Since the foregoing has been in type, this matter has been brought under the notice of the Home Secretary, who has remitted the sentence.] THE GAEDBN. SATTTEDAT, JXTLT 24, 1875. " This is an art Which does mend nature : change it rather ; bnt The Abt itself is Nature." — Shaliespeare. THE EOSES. In my " Thirty Tears War," the war of the Rose against frost and fnugus and fly, I do not remember such a successful campaign as this of 1875. A propitious spring, and a cloudy summer with refreshing rains, have given vigour to the plant, and size and colour to the bloom. Old favourites, which we thought were degenerate, but which were only sufiering from the untoward weather, prevalent in our latter springs, have appeared in all their primeval beauty, and even old trees, weakly, and, as we thought, moribund, have astonished us, like grandfathers dancing at a wedding, with their perform- ance, sharing in the general joy, and seeming to say to us, " See, there's life in the old dog (-Rose) yet !" Wliat grandeur, what splendour, we have now in our crimson Roses ! what a substance of petal, and what a glow of colour withal ! in the darker varieties, with their purple and scarlet tints, such as Charles Lefebvre, Royal Chai-lie, King of Roses, Duke of Edinburgh, aflame with vivid glory — the Rose, which as you survey the Rose-garden, when the sun rises or sets on it, is most likely to aflix your gaze — Exposition de Brie, Fisher Holmes, Lord Macaulay, Louis Van Houtte (Cranston showed a bloom at Nottingham, and I have a facsimile now in my budding-ground, which would melt a garotter into tears), Madame Victor Verdier, Mareohal Vaillant (one of the most faithful Roses in cultivation, both for abundance and excel- lence), Pierre Notting, lovely as large ; Prince Camille de Rohan, rich maroon, seldom having symmetry or size for ex- hibition, but beautiful in the bed or the bouquet ; and Xavier Olibo, with its large, dark, velvety petals, flushed with crimson fires. In Roses, a few shades lighter than these, what noble flowers we have admired and admire, in Alfred Colomb — groat as our own Alfred — and glowing like the fire with which he burnt the cakes ; Annie "Wood, or rather Anne, for she has appeared in this gracious season without the eye, which sometimes disfigures ; Claude Levet, with its clear crimson complexion and regular graceful outline ; Comtesse d'Oxford, having almost a superfluity of mixed colours, rose, red, and purple ; Dupuy Jamain, exquisite in all points; Dr. Andry, a picture of glowing health, as all doctors should be for the encouragement of their patients ; Dootcur du Chalus, who has set up next door to him, and, being young and handsome, is already a favourite ; Duohesse de Caylus, ruddier than a Cherry, and almost as round ; Ferdinand de Lesseps, no longer an entered apprentice, but a master mason ; Fran- cois Louvat, an admirable flower, bfit a little injudicious some- times at our shows, in opening his heart to strangers ; staunch old General Jaqueminot, still in the van, with a staff of his own sons around him ; Horace Vernet, bright as his Roman namesake, when he bad just finished an ode or a goblet ; John Hopper, smiling more brightly than ever on his honest, hand- some old father, Jules Margottin ; and then " a Dream of Pair Women," Mesdames Marie Baumann (she took precedence of all, the last time I assisted iu awarding the first prize to " twelve blooms of the same variety"), Boutin, Clemence Joigneaas (a Rose which I should give, with Gloire de Dijon and Marechal Vaillant, to a beginner, for bloom they would, whatever he did, or wherever he put them), George Schwartz, Marie Rady, the Woods, Charles and Louisa ; and, descending again to the coarser sex, Leopold Hausberg, a rare combina- tion of good looks and modesty, for he ever hangs down his beautiful head, Leopold the First, and Maurice Bernardin ; Olivier Delhomme and President Thiers (you must vacate the chair, and say place aux dames, Mr. President, when the Countess of Oxford approaches) ; and, keeping best for last, as they do at the fireworks, glorious old Senateur Vaisse (a senator, who is liberal with his multiplicity of blooms, and con- servative in retaining all his ancient glories) and Victor Verdier, that hale hero, whose victories and whose verdure never fail. Passing now to flowers of the Rose roseate, of the colour which we specially designate rose, what charming specimens we have seen and see of Annie Laxton (all honour to him who has sown so carefully and is now reaping so richly, as we shall hear by-and-bye— my worthy friend, Mr. Laxton) ; Edouard Morren, a fine weather sailor, collapsing in times of storm, but, in his integrity, a delightful Rose ; Emilie Hausburg, always looking as though she had just left her toilet-table, " dressed within an inch of her life " ; Duchesse de Morny (as shown by Mr. Baker at the Crystal Palace Show), the pink of fashion and the mould of form; Madame Boll, as imposing and stately as Madame Fillion is viignonne, pretty, and real ; Madame Therese Levet, uniting the charms of both; Mar- guerite Dombrain, the presentment of " a simple maiden in her prime ; " and Marquise de Castellane, the presentment of a large and lovely matron at the same period of life ; Monsieur Neman, a giant warrior, on parade, in uniform; and Monsieur Paul Neron, a giant also, but in the smoke-room, and with his dressing-gown thrown back from his ample form. Then, turning to our paler beauties —to Roses " pinky-white," or blush— how perfect, in her cpiet but queen-like beauty, is the Baroness ; how like a winsome lady-in-waiting is the Duchesse d'Orleans ; and how exquisite, ere it expands, and on the eve of rosehood, the younger Miss Blair, sometimes vulgarly termed Blair's Number Two; what fair Maids of Honour, Elie Morel and Eugenie Verdier, aglow and flushed as though the Rose of her heart had just whispered, " Sweet Eugenie, be my bride ; " how faultless La France, not satisfied with the homage of your eyes, but enthralling your nose also ; the dainty, delicate Marguerite de St. Amand ; the refined Marquise de Mortemart ; and the pretty pink Princesses Beatrice and Mary of Cambridge. And now, of Roses new and Roses newest, which have been the best ? Of the former, Etienne Levot (well does the raiser deserve his crown, or stei-ihanos, which the name suggests !), both in foli- age and flower one of our gi-andest Roses ; Francois Michelon, capable of a size and symmetry which I have not yet seen at our show ; Madame Hippolyte Jamin, a very welcome and precious addition to our scanty stock of light-coloured Roses; and Marie Cointet, silvery -pink, exquisite in colour and shape, and verifying, as exhibited by Mr. Bennett, of Salisbury, at the Crystal Palace, the praise bestowed upon it by Mr. George Paul, of Cheshunt, in his Catalogue of Roses, for 1874-5— "the prettiest Rose of last season." Of the latter, the Roses to me newest, I elect Captain Christy, as likely to be, when established in our gardens, a most attrac- tive and fine blooming Rose, like, but distinct from, Eugenie Verdier ; Duchess of Edinburgh, a Rose of excellent habit, qualified to brave all weathers, and to bloom abundantly; Etienne Dupuy, of good form, though perhaps a little dull in colour; Madame Nachary, very large and beautiful, in the style of Louise Peyronney ; Marie Finger, a well-shaped Rose, in the likeness of Eugenie Verdier, but, as I saw it, more cupped iu form ; Thomas Mills, a bright, handsome, carmine Rose, sure to be popular ; and my own namesake, Reynolds Hole, which, in congenial weather is not excelled as a dark Rose. Mr. Turner, of Slough, has some admirable novelties — Beauty of Slough, Miss Hassard, Oxonian, Rev. J. B. Camm, and others. Messrs. Paul, of Cheshunt, have a great acquisi- tion in Sultan of Zanzibar, and in Brightness of Cheshunt, as shown at Nottingham, the most vivid of all the scarlet Roses ; and Mr. Laxton introduces two excellent new Roses, Mrs. Laxton and Emily Laxton, the latter resembling M. Noman in form, but being of a much deeper rose colour. Caunton Manor. S. Reynolds Hole. Self-sown Japanese Primulas (P. japonica).— Of these we have thou- sands, which come up of their own accord. Planted in shrubbery borders, and mixed with common Primroses, Bluebells, and similar plants, they have a fine appearance. We have used the purple variety in this way, and I beUeve it will soon be quite as common and hardy as our native Primroses. — H. M., Cornwall. Triteleia laxa.— Those who are not growing this Triteleia will find it well worthy a place in their herbaceous borders. Unlike T. uniflora, in having only a solitary flower on a stem, T. laxa has a large umbelliferous head, some- what resembling an Alstromeria. In colour, it is a pretty shade of blue, and it will bo found very useful for cutting, as it lasts well in that state.— J. Sheppard, TFooIverttone. Anthemis Kitaibelii.— This composite is now a pretty object in the mixed border. It grows rather tall, and requires to be neatly staked. Its large, pale, lemon-coloured, Daisy-like flowers are very showy. In this class Inula glandulosa has just been finely in flower, and is now well succeeded by Telekia speciosa and Coreopsis lanceolata ; and, when these are gone, Inula Helenium and Coreopsis anriculata and philadelphica are ready to take their places. All have large, showy, golden-rayed flowers.— H. Habpue Ceette, Drayton-Beauchamp li«ciory, Tring, 58 THE GARDEN. [JuLT 2t, 1875. NOTES OF THE WEEK, The copious raiufall which we have had, has, as usual, favoured herbaceous plants, and, in London gardens, these now present the glossy vigorous appearance which they generally show in moist or elevated districts. This points to the good that would arise from mulching, in dry seasons, borders devoted to these plants. We are pleased to report that the absurd mud-edgings, to which we had so often to allude during the past few seasons, have wholly disappeared from the West-end parks. One of the prettiest and rarest of all bouquet and batton.hole flowers now in season is Peperomia reseda^flora. This plant bears tiny spire-like spikes of white flowers at the apex of pink stems, the lower portions of which are clothed with small velvety leaves. The beautiful Lilium longiflornm is this season almost as common in Covent Garden Market as the old white Lily — one of the many signs that the finer kinds of hardy flowers are beginning to find their due place in our gardens. SxBAWBERniEs have rotted very much during the recent rains, and the growers of them for the market have lost heavily. During the past week the variety which has seemed to come freshest through the deluge of mud and water is the Elton Pine. A Dublin Correspondent sends us details of the great sale of the late Mr. Bewley's famous collection of plants at Rockville. Owing to bad weather and other causes, the attendance was poor and buyers few. ^Vant of space prevents us giving the prices, which, moreover, are not remarkable. Messrs. Rivers have sent us, from Sawbridge worth, specimens of the Bigarreau Monstrueuse de Mezel Cherry, a very large and delicately-flavoured Bigarreau. It is known in gardens under the name of Monstrous Heart, but is not nearly so extensively cultivated as it ought to be. Oranoes, at one time very scarce at this season, may now be had of very good quality in our markets. Among the best just now are those from Valencia. The culture of the Orange is increasing so rapidly in many different districts both in America and Europe that we shall, doubtless, soon have an abundant supply of them all the year round. It is, among fruits, the most useful on the whole to man and the most delicious. Of some out specimens of Pitcher plants, shown at South Kensington on Wednesday last by Mr. Thomson, one branch of N. distillatoria bore seven fine pitchers, some of which were fully a foot long and about 3 inches in diameter at the mouth. We need not add that they were remarkable examples of good culture. Mr. Wills is to carry out the floral decorations on the occasion of the Prince of Wales's visit to Sheflield. He proposes to use several miles of wreaths and many tons of ics. The cold rains remind us that some substitute for our lost sun-heat, however feeble, would greatly aid floral decorations in 1875. An international fruit show is to be held at the Alexandra Palace, Muswell Hill, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Septem- ber 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, of the present year. The schedule contains nearly a hundred classes, and the prize money amounts to some £500. All enquiries concerning it are to be addressed to Mr. McKenzie, Alexandra Palace, Muswell Hill, of whom schedules maybe obtained. Entries cannot be made after the 2Gth of August. Our common Corn-flower (Centaurea Cyanns) is now sold in abundance in Covent Garden, where, on flower-market mornings, its Gentian-like brilliancy, when tied in large bunches, is very con. spicuons. By the way, we may relate hero, that when the Emperor of Brazil paid a visit to Professor Owen, at Sheen, he expressed himself charmed with the beauty of some scattered tufts of this plant in his garden. We mention this, not from placing more value on His Majesty's opinion than on that of other people in such matters, but it is interesting when we consider the splendour and variety of the flora of the region over which he reigns. It is interesting to note the growth in public favour of the Tomatoes in the London markets. Only a few years ago they were what salesmen call a "fancy article;" now every year shows an increase in the demand for them, and they are a common product even early in the season. Large supplies now come from Paris and from Lisbon ; these last very large monstrous-looking fruit, packed in sawdust. The Tomato, however, soon suffers from travelling, and much of this foreign fruit is not so agreeable to the palate as freshly, gathered Tomatoes. Although our climate is too cold for their successful culture in the open air over large portions of the country, we, nevertheless, bolievo that if the numerous opportunities our glass houses, pits, and frames offer for cultivating them were taken advantage of, we should have an abundant supply. The number of glass houses, frames, &d., empty and half-empty daring the summer months, offer means of growing, without trouble, what some consider the most delicious and wholesome of vegetable products. One London market gardener, for weeks past, has paid £90 a week to women for gathering Peas. A fine specimen of the variegated variety of New Zealand Flax is now in bloom in the Lucombe Nurseries, Exeter. The spike is erect, and some 9 feet in height. The Delaware Peach growers, at their recent convention estimated the present year's Peach crop, judging from present appearances, at 6,000,000 baskets. The Royal Horticultural Society has awarded Mr. Worth. ington G. Smith its gold Knightian medal for his discovery in connec. tion with the Potato Fungus. — ■ — The smallest plant at the Royal Horticultural Show on Wednesday, and at the same time one of the most effective, was the Coral-berried Duckweed (Nertera depressa) shown by Messrs. RoUisson & Sons, of Tooting. Yuccas are now rising into stately bloom in the avenue gardens in the Regent's Park, where they will, for many weeks to come, form a fine feature. Here they show well the capacity of certain plants to modify ihe effects of objectionable geometrical gardening. ■ The blooming period of Delphiniums and not a few precious races of hardy plants ig prolonged, and their appearance otherwise improved, by the removal of the seed-pods at a very early stage. Frequent cutting of the flowers of many plants when at their best also tends to prolong the season of flowering. The men under our clever correspondent, Mr. Gilbert, of Burghley Gardens, have just presented him with an arm-chair ! This reminds us that ruling with an iron rod is not essential to the highest success in garden management. We trust an ink-bottle may bo within reach of the chair so that The Garden may continue to receive a fair supply of Mr. R. Gilbert's pithy notes. No man knows better than he does how to grow the best vegetables and tell all about them in very little space. " Gilbert on the Kitchen Garden," would form a handy volume for the waistcoat pocket. The splendid collections of plants and fruits shown at Ken. sington on Wednesday last well show the public spirit of our nurserymen, the skill of our gardeners, and the willingness of both to suppoit the Horticultural Society. The Council of the Royal Horticultural Society are likely to conclude terms with Her Majesty's Commissioners of the International Exhibition of 1851, and tho terms are said to be fair to both parties, the Royal Horticultural Society being placed in such a position as will enable it in the future to pursue its course without conditions which formerly impeded its freedom of action. We trust the Society may be now managed in a way worthy of the art of gardening, and of the handsome manner in which it has been supported on this occasion by horticulturists. Campanula pyramidalis. — This is one of the most useful and showy plants for conservatory decoration in Jane that it is possible to have. Seed of it sown now, or as soon as it is ripe, aud»grown on freely, will malco strong blooming ]ilants for next season. For border use it is equally valuable, and is the most effective of all the Campanulas. — J. Sheppaed, IVooloerdone. A Sea-side Button-hole Boncuet.— I have rarely seen a coat.decoration f hat pleased me more than the following arrangement :— Take two expanded flowers of salmon-red or orange Alstromerias, with any buds that may chance tc belong to them ; put a short branch of Scotch Briar (foliage only) in front of them, and a longer branch behind, and work in amongst the group a few small nieces of Tamarisk.— W. T. P. Potato Prospects in Devon.— The disease has spread rapidly the last ten days or fortnight throughout this neighbourhood— earlier and worse than it has been for some years, owing to the wet, cold, weather. In the cottagers' garden allotments, which are exceedingly well managed, some sorts are quite leafless. The early sorts, which usually ripen off before the disease sets in, are now the most afTected, whilst the latest sorts are far from being free from Uiint.— Joaif Gaeland, KUlerton, Devon. The Great Burdock. — Few, I am afraid, would pat this in pleasure grounds, and yet I have seen there many less stately pl.ants. One growing here on the margin of a disused gravel pit is the finest I have ever seen. It stauds nearly 6 feet in height, and at the base is 8 feet in diameter- a perfect pyr.araid in ioliage, and as fine a match for the Giant Parsnip as could be found. The leaves at tho base are 2 feet in length and proportionately broad. Would it not be possible, in some of our large gardens, to set apart a space whereon to grow such specimens of hardy plants ? — A. D., Bedfjnt. Peaches with Split Stones-- Having a house of Peaches that are now ripening, many of tnem are spoilt in the stones, and in some cases rotting before they are thoroughly ripe. Some are split fairly in half, and one I found broken out on one side. Where the kernel is not rotted they appear to have commenced growing. Not having a full crop on the trees, I have given them waterings of manure-water to induce them to make fresh growth, which they are now doing. I observe that those planted in a well drained border, are not so much affected as those in pots, where they have been for some years, and have received an annual top-dressing, but some of the fruits are in the same condition. Will some readers of The Gaedbw tell me if my practice is right, and, it not, say how I mxy do better?— J. W., OikUMi, Leamington. July 24, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 59 THE GARDEN IN THE HOUSE. BUTTON-HOLE BOUQUET FOR JULY. It is much, to be regretted that many pretty combinations and charming little bouquets must remain undepicted while the pencil of the artist and the tools of the engraver are alone available for conveying to the eye of the reader the appearance of the subjects which it is wished to describe. Until colour can be added to outline and shading, we must rest contented with the best attempts that we can produce in verbal descriptions, however much they may fall short of conveying a complete picture to the mind's eye. The accom- panying woodcut gives a faithful representation of a dark Clove Puik, surrounded by two or three leaves of sweet- scented Pelargonium. Above it, on the left, is a single bloom of Tuberose, while on the right are four buds and two flowers of white Bouvardia. Two very small pieces of Maiden-hair Fern complete the bouquet, which, it must be remembered, is to appear on a background of black cloth. In order to keep everything in position until the bouquet is Button-liole Bouquet. placed in the coat, a wired Eose leaf is put at the back, and one of its leaflets peeps out behind the Pink. It would, perhaps, be difiicult to obtain a better effect with as little variety in form and colour with any other kinds of flowers and foliage. It is a " button-hole " that was selected out of a large collection at Mr. Dickson's, in Covent Garden. W. T. P. Variegated Alder. — I have sent you some leaves of the common Alder (Ahius glutinosa) which, as you will notice, are beautifully blotched with gold. This sport, if it keeps true, as I have every reason to think it will, will be a valuable addition to ornamental trees. I shall watch its further development with interest, as a prettier or healthier branch I have never seen on any tree than the one from which I have taken the leaves in question. I may mention that the tree is a seedling raised in our nurseries ; it is at present 4 feet in height, and the bottom part of it has leaves, when fully developed, 4 inches wide and nearly 5 inches long, and of the true deep green colour of those of the true Scotch Alder of onr lakes and river margins. — J. F. McKenzie, Tain. [Along with thi.s came Alder leaves beautifully blotched and mottled with gold.] THE AMATEUR'S GARDEN. By THOMAS BAINES. Strawberries. — The late showery weather has been favourable to the growth of runners, and the earlier plantations of this fruit are made the better, as the stronger the plants get before winter, the more fruit may they be expected to bear next summer. Potatoes are a good preparatory crop to precede Strawberries ; but whatever has previously occupied the ground, it should be quite free from perennial weeds, such as Couch Grass, or anything of a similar deep-rooted character. Varieties must be selected in accordance with the nature of the soil. Strawberries like strong heavy land in preference to that which is light, generally doing well where it almost approaches the consistency of clay, provided it is sufBoiently drained to prevent the accumulation of stagnant water, for, when too wet, the plants die oi? in winter. The following, which are amongst the best for all purposes, will afford a succession, and most of them do well where this fruit can be grown at all. They are placed in the order of their ripening. Keen's Seedling. — This is still one of the best early sorts, and will succeed where many others will not thrive. Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury. — This is an excellent Straw, berry, a good grower, remarkably free bearer, moderately early, and will succeed where many others will not. It is one that all should try. Sir JosephjPaxton. — This is a prolific good.flavoured sort, hardy, and one that may be depended upon. It will also succeed where many will not. President. — This is a very fine, good-looking, and free-bearing sort. It is early, and will succeed where many would fail. Sir Harry. — Avery high coloured, free-bearing kind, that will do on soils that are not adapted for many varieties. The fruit is a little acid, but, if it is allowed to hang on the plant until it is fully ripe, that is until it assumes an almost blaok.red colour, this disappears. Sir C. Napier. — Fruit, large and handsome, firm and brisk in flavour, an immense cropper, well deserving a place in every garden. It is also a good grower. British Queen. — This, where it will succeed, is not superseded by any other kind, but it requires a good Strawberry soil, and there are many situations in which it will not do at all. Dr. Hogg is a good sort, not unlike the last named, but pro. duces larger fruit and is stronger in constitution, succeeding in many places where the (Jneen would fail. Frogniore Late Pine. — This is a large late sort of good quality, and is one of the best to follow the preceding kinds. The ground for Strawberries should be well and deeply dug ; for, although they are surface-rooting plants, it is best to have tl-.e land well stirred to a moderate depth ; 15 inches is not too ■ uch, as, so long as the plants are allowed to stand after plantintj, there is not an opportunity of digging among them to any depth ; in fact, the spade should not be used at all. If the laud is poor, dig in a good dressing of rotten manure ; on good strong soils they are best grown in rows 2^ feet apart with 2 feet spaces between the plants in the rows. In old vegetable gardens that have been long cropped the soil sometimes gets so light and full of humus that Strawberries will not succeed well in it; in such oases I should recommend a dressing of marl, or, if this cannot be had, 2 or 3 inches of clay laid on the surface for a month or so until it becomes pulverised by the weather, when it should be forked in about 6 inches deep ; this will afford something which the roots well enjoy. In soils that are very dry, as well as light, after giving a dressing as just indicated, it is sometimes advisable to grow the plants in beds 4 feet wide, putting 4 rows in a bed ; this will leave the rows 9 inches apart, allowing a foot between the plants in the row. By this means the ground becomes covered with leaves, which protect the roots from the action of the sun in dry weather, during which time they must be well supplied with water. Strawberries thus treated should not be allowed to stand more than two years. By this method they can often be made to succeed where they fail grown in rows in the ordinary manner. In all cases give the plants snflBcient water until they have got fairly rooted, li well established early in the autumn they may be expected to bear a good crop of large fruit the ensuing summer. Pears on "Walls or Trellises. — When the season's growth has been completed, such shoots as are not required for laying in to fill up vacancies, should be removed, cutting them off at the base ; for this nothing is better than a pair of strong hand nippers, such as are used for pruning Gooseberry bushes ; the advantage of this implement over a knife for removing the summer growth consists in its doing the work more expeditiously, and in the branches not getting torn out of the ties or shreds with which they are fastened, as often occurs when a knife is used. What may be described as half- 60 THE GARDEN. [July 24, 1875. breaking the sboot3 off over the blade of the knife, is usually done with the view of keeping the trees from making a second growth, which must always be discouraged, as it would completely defeat the object in view, and place the trees in a worse condition than if the shoots had not been taken off at all until the winter pruning ; the objecc in removing them at the present season is to induce the formation of plump aud good buds for next year's crop, but, if the work is done too soon, instead of the ensuing crop receiv. ing'any benefit it will suffer, as well as the trees, by the would-be fruit spurs pushing into growth. Most fruit trees are later this season than usual in finishing their growth. Where it is the inten. tiou to keep pyramidal Pears within certain limits as to size, they should have their shoots thus removed, as well as Apples, Cherries, and Plums, either when trained or when they are to be kept dwarf. Apples and Pears, that make too strong growth, will have their superabundant vigour in part reduced by their summer pruning, as all removal of leaves, whilst green and active, reduces root power. Tomatoes, Turnips, Endive, and Winter Onions.— The wet cold weather which we have had has been auythiug but suited to the growth of Tomatoes; oh walls, keep them well thinned out, and closely fastened up, so as to enable them to got all the sun aud light possible, which will promote a disposition to flower, otherwise the cold autumn nights will be upon them before they have time to ripen fruit in anything like satisfactory quantities. If they are erowinc over.strongly, do not give water until they flag a little, which will induce them to bear. Sow more Turnips now wherever room can be found, as it is important to get these in at once, or they will not have a chance to attain a useful size before winter. Also put in a little more Endive, both Batavian and Green Curled. Winter Onions should likewise be put in, in well.prepared ground, and in rows a foot apart. Globe and White Tripoli and Giant Eooca are the best. Drying Herbs. — These should be gathered as soon as they begin to open their flowers. In drying them, two methods are employed ; one is to tie them into bunches, as soon as out, and hang them up iu a room or shed ; the other is to first lay them out in the sun to dry ; by both these methods the quality is deteriorated. It fermentation takes place sufficient to discolour the leaves, such as occurs, more or less when herbs are tied up in bunches whilst green and sappy, their best pi-operties are destroyed. In confirmation of this, it is only necessary to point to the extreme care taken by the growers of Lavender, Mint, &c., for distilling; for such purposes they are not allowed to lie together, even for a few hours. If, on the other hand, herbs are exposed to the sun, much of their strength is dissipated ; they become quite brown, and that fresh green appearance which they possess when the drying is well managed is destroyed. Bat when herbs have been improperly treated, loss of strength is not the worst result • there is always imparted to them a disagreeable flavour. In drying herbs, an open shed or room, where plenty of air can be given, is necessary. Stretch out a piece of netting, such as is used for pro- tecting fruit from birds, wire netting, if at hand, will do ; on this lay the herbs (which should be cut, when quite dry) thinly ; thus treated, air acts upon them from all sides, and they dry quickly, which is the primary object, without losing their best properties. When perfectly dry, put them loosely in white paper bags, tie them up, and hang them where they will be free from damp, or they will become mouldy. Herbs treated in this way, will be found to be but little inferior to such as are fresh cut. Sage should now be propagated by slips, takin" off middling-sized branches, and inserting them moderately deep in the ground in rows, where they are to be grown ; if the weather becomes dry, give them plenty of water until they are rooted. The advantage of growing Sage from slips or cuttings is that plants so produced have not such a disposition to flower as those raised from seed. Indoor Fruit Department. Vines. — Late varieties will now require to have their young growths pinched two and three times a week, as it is better to go over them frequently than allow the wood to grow for a number of feet and then remove it. Gros Colman, after being stopped the first time, never afterwards makes many young growths. The leaves of this variety are v(!ry liable to become shrivelled in autumn, before the fruit is quite ripe ; therefore, in older to have the foliage fresh as Ion" as possible, the lateral growths should be left three or four leaves in length. Every opportunity must now be taken to encourage the development of late Grapes, as one mouth of bright summer weather, properly utilised, is of more benefit than two later in the season. Grapes being now frequently transferred from one place to another, packing ought to receive careful attention. Grapes are, however, not so easily injnred by travelling as some other fruits; but the bloom is apt to get rubbed, and without bloom the appearance of the fruit is deteriorated. Single bunches, or a few pounds, should be wrapped up in tissue paper and placed in a box made of half-inch deal, as near tho size of the quantity it is destined to contain as possible. A layer of paper shavings should be laid along the bottom, and, as each bunch is placed in the box, a small quantity of the shavings should be placed between it and the next bunch, enough of the same material being laid over the top of the whole, before putting on the lid, as will prevent any of the bunches from getting displaced. Screws should be used for fastening down the lid, as they can be put in and taken out without shaking the box or splitting the wood. Baskets with close-shntting lids may be, and often are, used ; but they are not so secure as the wooden boxes. When large quantities are being packed, no wrapping or stuffing between the bunches is necessary. If a lining of paper shavings be placed round the box or basket, and the bunches are laid closely against each other, they will travel a long distance, and stand much knocking about, without being iu any way injured. This is the safest, easiest, and cheapest way of packing large quantities of Grapes. Pines. — Large suckers, which were rooted a month or two ago, may now be shifted into their fruiting pots. They will make con. siderable growth before the end of the season, and, at the latest, will be in fruit by this time next year. Treat them as plants with no roots for a week or two after potting. As plants from which the fruit has been cut are thrown away space will be made to admit of thinning out, aud re-arranging the young stock of fruiting Queens. The best plants generally are those which aro grown far enough apart to prevent leaves from intertwining. Continue to pot suckers as they become fit for separation from the parent plants. — J. MuiR. The Plowrer Garden and Pleasure Ground. The present season, with its plentiful rainfall, has been favourable to the development of most kinds of bedding plants, and, although there may, in some instances, be a slight deficiency of bloom, should the weather improve, this will not long be the case. Each flower-bed should now be as perfect as possible. The time is close at hand when it will be necessary to propagate plants for next year. But before doing this it will be advisable to make a careful inspection of present arrangements, and note any faults that may be perceptible iu order that they may not be repeated. It is also necessary to decide soon as to the intended arrangements for next season, so that the necessary quantities of plants required may be ascertained, and preparations made for their propagation. It is always advisable to do this in preference to proceeding in a hap-hazard manner, the result of which is not nnfrequently more plants of some kinds than are really required, aud a corresponding deficiency of others, a circumstance which very often prevents contemplated arrangements from being properly carried out. It is always advisable, however, to prepare a sufficiency of plants for the different beds, and, if we err at all, it is best to do so on the safe side. The late showery weather having been exceedingly favourable to the growth of Grass and weeds it is necessary to keep the mowing machine or the scythe constantly at work. Flower-beds and gravel walks too should be kept free from weeds of all sorts. Beds planted in the carpet style will require unremitting attention to keep them in order, as souie of the free, growing plants used for this purpose, such as the Golden Feather Pyrethrum, encouraged by the wet weather, are growing with unusual luxuriance, and are inclined to encroach unduly upon their more tender neighbours, such as tho Alternantheras and Coleuses, which, on account of the comparatively cold and sunless weather recently experienced, have not made that rapid progress which they generally do. — P. Geiete, Cidford, Bunj St. lidinunds. Rare Irises in Oxfordshire. — I. susiana is out of flower now. It is quite hardy here, though no doubt it does better iu a pit. How is it that we see so little mention of I. iberica .' It is supposed to bo rather a difficult plant to manage, but we find it do well here in ordinai'y saudy loam. The flower is by a long way the best I have seen ; much superior to I. susiana, of which at first glance it reminds one. It blooms about the beginning of May ; theflower is of enormous size, and the plant only about 10 inches in height. I. Kosmpferi and its varieties aro very good, and will be in bloom in a day or two. Messrs. Henderson have a fine collection in their Wellington Road Nurseries. To attempt to mention many of the best Irises in my garden would be too long an undertaking ; but I cannot refrain from a tribute of praise to I. ochroleuca, which is now past its best. Tliere is a large patch of it here in a moist border (aud moisture is essential to its full development) which is 5 feet in height, crowded with cream-coloured flowers, with yellow markings. It is quite distinct, and is an indispensable plant. I. sibirica, and its white varieties, ai-e good, and will grow in any wet and bad soil. I. germanica, and its numerous varieties, we have growing in, I might almost say, thousands, about the wild garden. — OxoN. July 24, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 61 THE FRUIT GARDEN. HEATED WALLS v. GLASS CASES. Flued or heated walls were at one time serviceable garden structures, but cheap glass and other circumstances have tended to bring them into disrepute. Owing, however, to the improvements which have been effected in hothouse building in recent times, and more especially in wall copings, which are now almost a substitute for glass screens, and comparatively inexpensive, heated walls assume a new aspect, and I think it can be shown that such structures, with the aid of copings, are quite as effective protectors as glass cases ; in some respects, perhaps, better for trees, and certainly not half so costly. I may observe that some of the finest crops of Peaches ever produced were grown on flued walls with 11-in. board copings, and these were not chance crops, but were produced as regularly as the year came round by the judicious use of heated walls. It is recorded that a Mr. Harrison, in one of the coldest localities of Yorkshire, where Peaches would hardly ripen on an ordinary wall in the most favourable seasons, produced such enormous crops of Peaches, of excellent quality, and with such regularity that the Koyal Horticultural Society deputed Dr. Nochden to visit Mr. Harrison, and report on his method of culture, which simply consisted of careful training, and protection by means of heated walls, and sometimes branches hung over the trees. This was forty years ago or more, and the Report will be found in the Horticultural Society's transactions of about that t date. Otherinstances, too, could be furnished. I am acquainted with a garden in one of the coldest districts in the north of Scotland, where Apricots would have been a most precarious crop but for the flued wall. With this assistance the crops were regular and most abundant ; the thinnings of the young fruit used to amount to basketfuls. It is not proposed here, however, to restore the old flued walls, but to heat walls in a more perfect and economical way by means of hot-water pipes ; but first let us look at die comparative cost and utility of heated walls versus Peach cases or Peach houses, which they practically are nowadaj-s. As to the protective power of regular Peach cases, glazed as they are now, from top to bottom, with venti- . lators back and front, so that they can be shut up at night, I can assert from experience that 7° of frost are as much as they will ward off under ordinary circumstances. And as the trees in such structures are unavoidably hurried into flower at a period in spring when 12° or 15° of frost are not uncommon, the crop is not unfrequently destroyed ; and this fact has induced many to heat their Peach cases with pipes, thus turning what was originally intended as a cheap IPeach case into an expensive house. It should be stated that during favourable weather in February and March, glass cases are hot structures in the daytime, and force the trees into flower and leaf sooner than is desirable ; and they have consequently to be then pushed on, for stagnation of growth after the flowering stage is fatal to Peaches. This drawback is, however, avoided by heated walls, for the heat need not be applied till the trees start into growth at the natural season, when there is less danger of frost. Another disadvantage of glass oases is that in hot summers the crops ripen sooner than they are wanted, unless the ventilation is on an imusuallyample scale. On the other hand, glass copings, 18 inches wide, are frost proof, I believe, up to 5° or 6" ; it has been put as high as 10" and 12°, by practical cultivators, but that is doubtful, for a coping cannot do more than a regular roof. However, putting the protective power of the coping at 5°, and that of a heated wall at the same figure, we have a structure frost proof up to 10° — nearly twice as much as that afforded by a glass case. In other respects, the merits of a coped and heated wall and glass case are about equal ; but, as regards the flavour and colour of the fruit, those on the open wall have no doubt the advantage, being always exposed to the air. And now ag to the com- parative cost of the system ; judging from the estimates I have seen, and from the plans and specifications of a professional builder now before me, the cost of heating a wall by a coil of 3-inch pipes, and furnishing a glass coping 18 inches wide for the top, would be from 6s. to 7s. 6d. per foot run, more or less, according to circumstances ; but, as a hollow wall is less expen- sive than a solid one of the same thickness, such as would be required for a lean-to Peach case, the actual outlay would be something less in the end. The cost of a complete glass screen of the cheapest serviceable description for a wall 13 feet high would be about 30s. or 35s. per running foot at present prices, not including front brickwork, if any, or supports — a vast difference when we come to speak of a Peach wall 100 feet long or so. The question has been stated fairly on both sides to enable cultivators to judge for themselves ; but, granting the heated wall to be equal to the screen for Peach culture, its smaller cost will be sufficient to give it the prefe- rence whenever the object is simply protection from early or late frosts. Whether for convenience or economy, hot-water pipes are best for heating a wall. The old flue syste'm is cumber- some, inconvenient, and by it it is impossible to warm the wall as equally over its whole surface as pipes enable one to do. A space enclosed by bricks on all sides is easily heated, but to have a lasting reservoir of hot air the space should be as considerable as can be secured consistently with the stability of the wall. Any intelligent bricklayer under- stands how to build a hollow wall, which, to be heated with pipes, would i-eq aire to be about 2 feet thick, the back of the wall being two bricks thick or 10 inches, and the front one brick. This would leave the inner cavity about 9 inches wide. To give stability, as well as to prevent the hot air from the pipes reaching the top too speedily, the wall would require to be secured by stone ties in the usual way — say three rows, excluding the coping stone — 4 feet asunder. These stones or flags should be laid about 2 inches apart, to permit the ascent of warm air from the pipes, which would, of course, be laid along the bottom of the wall, and the stokehole would be at one end. A small boiler would heat a long brick wall, as the heat would accumulate rapidly between such non-conducting materials as bricks ; and besides, the purpose is not to make the bricks hot, but only to communicate a warm glow to their outer surface during the time when the trees are in flower in spring, and in autumn when the wood is ripening. To facili- tate training operations, and also to save the wall, the trees should be trained on a wire trellis ; but, as Peaches ripen better close to the bricks than away from them, the wires should not be more than half an inch from the wall, which should not be whitewashed, but left its natural colour. As regards culture, it differs in no way from the usual method practised under glass. The object should always be to pro- mote a vigorous growth, and to cut back as little as possible — ■ a practice wholly unnecessary and undesirable except in the case of ill-matured wood, an evil only resulting from insufli- cient heat and too thick training. Fined walls after the old fashion have, perhaps, been most frequently employed in the north and in Scotland, where they not only benefited the trees, but used to be excellent protectors of early Lettuce, French Beans, and Potatoes, planted just within the influence of the radiation from the bottom of the wall, and I have seen in such places marvellous productions in the way of early seedlings of all kinds, such as the modern gardener does not think of raising anywhere but in his glass houses. In recom- mending heated walls, therefore, I am not proposing a return to an old or obsolete practice, but to one of proved utility that is capable of greater amplification with our present appliances than ever it has been at any former period. Peaches are still beyond the reach of all but the wealthiest classes in this country, for at the cheapest season they can seldom be bought worth eating under a shilling apiece, and this price hardly pays the grower taking one year with another. Any plan, therefore, which tends to cheapen this production, and at the same time to render crops more secure, if not almost certain, deserves attention. W. GRAFTED STANDARD GOOSEBERRIES. By growing Gooseberries in the form of standards their productive- ness is increased, and the fraits themselves grow larger th!\ii 1 have ever seen them on plants that stood on their own roots. Tlie stock on which the Gooseberry is "worked" in Germany, when it is giown as a standard, is Ribes aureum, a perfectly hardy shrub, often found in gardens on account of its little yellow sweet-scented flowers. To secure a large stock of this in the shortest possible time it is necessary to have or plant old bushes in good rich soil. As soon as the young 62 THE GAEDBN. [July 24, 1875. bottom shoots get from 3 to 3 feet high, they must be covered with loose soil to the height of about 6 inches, so as to induce them to push roots from their lower ends. A tew cuts in the bark, where such young roots should appear, will help their production materially. They should have plenty of water all through the dry season In August or the first part of September some trimming is necessary. Remove all the small and weakly wood in order to strengthen the remainder. Wherever two or three good top branches are found on one shoot leave them, and on such plants graft both Gooseberries and Currants, or different sorts of each kind. To make sure of getting stocks with branched heads, stop the required number of shoots at the proper time, when they are about 4 feet high. In autumn, when the plants have dropped their foliage, dig all around the old plants, and take off such young shoots as are strong and well rooted. They should then be potted in a soil that contains plenty of sand and leaf- mould ; place them in a cold frame and cover them when the weather gets cold. About Christmas or a little after remove them to a green, house that is kept at an average tempeiature of from 45° to 55', and in a short time they will make a start and can be grafted. As tying material use common paper spread over thinly with some grafting wax, and cut into narrow strips about 6 inches long. This is better than cotton or any other tying material. During the grafting, and after it is done, the house should be kept in a moderately warm and moist state, and must be shaded whenever the sun shines out brightly. In from two to three weeks the buds on the graft, as well as those on the stem, will commence to swell and the latter should be taken off as fast as they appear. A light sprinkling with tepid water must be given daily as soon as you see some leaves breaking on the scion. Thus they should be kept til-l all danger of frost is over ; then take your plants carefully out of the pots and plant them ont of doors in a nursery or in their permanent places. There they will require a few ties to suitable sticks to keep them straight and protect them against wind. Even the first year after grafting you may expect a crop of large showy frnit. — " Gardeners' Monthly." BLACK-HBAUTEDNESS IN ST. MICHAEL PINES. I OBSERVE (see p. 54) that exception is taken to what I have stated con. cerning the evils that result to these Pines from having their stems placed in water during their transit to London, on the ground that my "opinions are not based on the examination of such St. Michael Pines as are known in the London market." Now, I distinctly stated that my opinions were founded on, first, a well known law of Nature, viz., that water would be absorbed by the fruit so long as its stem was in ic in the warm hold of a ship, and that, less or more, decomposition would take place where this water mingled with the sugar in the fruit ; and, in the second place, I stated that, from an examination of fruit that had come direct from the " London market," I found my theory amply confirmed ; and I say, on excellent authority, that fruit in such a state is not only unwholesome, but dangerous to health. The writer of theparagraphinquestioumustbeawarethathundredsof these Pines come to hand in London.all but worthless, from the cause just assigned. As an example, take the results of one day's sale in Pudding Lane, where twenty-seven lots, of from one to ten Pines each, sold at an average price of something under 83. each ; many sold at 2s. and 4s. each ; and, with the exception of one Pine, which made 36s., and which had a double anchor brand on it, no lot made more than 10s. 6d. each. This was on the 5th of April, 1875, a date on which I was getting 5s. and 7s. 6d. per pound for home-grown Pines. Will your correspondent say what he thinks caused this difference in market value ? If he is interested, as I have little doubt he is, in the impor. t ition of St. Michael Pines, let him take a hint from what I wrote on this subject ; it may be of advantage to him, it can be of none to me. Tweed Vineyard. W. Thomson. Registering Orchards. — Now orchards and fruit gardens are very frequently made, and some of these contain many varieties. The 1 ibels are placed on the trees, and the owner has no difficulty in knowing exch. But in the course of a year or two, and before the trees b ;ar, these labels will be gone, and if he trusts to his memory, he will fill to remember the names. A few minutes of time spent in making a regular register of the names in some book to which he can always rjadily turn will save him much future trouble. This care is especially necessary where trees have been planted to fill vacancies, differing from those among which they stand. Apple Trees from Cuttings. — Enquiry is made of ns if the practice of inserting an Apple graft into a Potato and planting it, as we sometimes see recommended, will cause the graft to throw out roots and grow — the Potato furnishing moisture to the graft till it supplies itself with roots. We gave this method a trial in our early days, and in the coarse of a few weeks we found a profusion of roots at the lower end of the graft, but they were the roots of the Potato and not of the Apple. No other result was ever reached. The graft, however, may be made to throw out roots if inserted, not into a Potato, but into another Apple root, constituting what is known as root-grafting. Pears Grafted on Apple Trees. — Can I get good Pears by grafting them on Apple trees. — Subsceiber. [Very few kinds of Pears succeed when grafted on the Apple. The Pear branches usually break off, in a few years, at the point of junction. The only sort that we have ever succeeded in fruiting on the Apple, for many years successively, is the Summer Bon Chretien — a coarse, second-rate Pear. If this sort is grafted in the centre of an Apple tree, so that the wind cannot break it off, it will bear fair crops for many years.] Fruit and Leaf-buds. — A clear illustration of the infiuence of rank growth in preventing the formation of fruit buds, is shown by experiments made in Colorado, where the practice of irrigation is so common. Peach trees, which are irrigated the season through, con. tinue growing late, and form but few fruit buds ; when not irrigated, the growth is moderate and well ripened, and fruit buds are produced in abundance. Afi&nity in Grafting. — "A. E." asks "how near must the affinity be between grafts and stocks, in order that they may succeed ? " There does not appear to be a distinct rule, except that they must be nearly related. Usually the operation will succeed between species of the same genus, but this does not always hold true, for the culti- vated Cherry will not take on the common wild Cherry. The Pear succeeds much better on the Quince (although they are of different genera) than on the Apple, belonging to the same. The texture of the wood seems to have more influence than mere affinity in this case. It ia rare, however, for the operation to succeed between trees of different genera, although sometimes successful between those nearly allied of the same natural order. We often see extravagant statements by which the ignorant are imposed on. Some years ago a story went the round of the newspapers that if the Peach were grafted on the Willow, the fruit would have no stones. A similarity in the shape of the leaves led some to believe that grafting would succeed, though the two trees are far separated in affinity. The statement was true that there would be no stones, for there would be neither Peaches, stems, nor leaves. Some years ago we saw a " professional " grafter inserting scions of the Chestnut into trees of the Horse Chestnut. A similarity in the name, and a fancied resem. blance of the nuts had suggested the attempt. The owner called to us, " Mr. T. can we graft the common Chestnut upon the Horse Chest, nut ?" Certainly, we replied. " Will they be pretty sm-e to grow ? " " Not at all — they will never grow — belonging, as they do, to widely separated natural orders." The dead grafts remaining, showed the result. — "The Cultivator." Canada as a Fruit Garden. — We have to acknowledge the receipt of the " Report of the Fruit Growers' Association of the Province of Ontario for 1874," a large pamphlet of more than 150 pages of unusually interesting matter. We observe that over £260 were expended in distributing trees and plants among the members for testing their value and adaptability to the different regions of the country, the reports from which will afford important information in future. The condensed information in this volume from different sources, of which there are twenty-four reports from Nova Scotia, constitute a valuable portion. About sixty pages are occupied with reports on destructive and beneficial insects, chiefly compiled from the best authorities. It appears that there are some portions of Canada admirably adaptei to fruit growing, especially those regions protected by Lake Huron. Owen Sound sends very favourable reports, although in nearly 45° north latitude — being about the same as the Grand Traverse region in Michigan, receiving similar shelter from the north and west, and, like that region, admirably adapted to the growth of long-keeping Apples. From the address o£ the president, Mr. Burnet, we learn that even Peaches do well there on elevated and low hills, while, as has been long known elsewhere, they are failures on low, rich bottom lands. Its speciality, however, is Plums, as well as Apples. There is no curculio, no leaf-roller, no borer. In short, there can be no doubt that much of that portion of Canada which lies between the great lakes is capable of producing the finest of orchard and small fruits, as we oui'selves, indeed, can testify, having visited the region. Eead's Scarlet-fleshed Melon.— This has fully maintained the high character which I recoivfd with it. It is robust in habit and produces follago ot: great Hul)atancQ. It is most prohfic, sets freely, and swells off evenly and well. Several plants of it in our early house here, ripened otf eight fruits of 4 lbs. each ; while those on which there were four and six fruits were nearly 6 lbs. each. It ia a handsome fruit, finely netted, and altogether the best scarlet-fruited Melon with which I am acquainted.— J. Geoom, Henham, JULY 24, 1875.] 'PHB gardbj^. B'i THE L I B R A R Y. INSECTIVOEOUS PLANTS* Da. Hooker's address to the British Association last year made the public aware that Mr. Darwin has been for a length of time engaged in the investigation of certain plants which he conceived to be endowed with insectivorous properties, and that a work from his pen, fully detailing the views and the facts on which they are founded, might soon be looked for. That work is now before us. Its main purport is to prove the proposition announced for him by Dr. Hooker, three-fourths of it being taken up with the facts, experiments, and infer- ences, drawn from one or two of the most strikingly-endowed species ; but there is also a considerable amount of very interesting secondary matter relating to other allied species which he had examined in less detail. To give a fair idea of the book it would reqviire to be viewed from two different 'enlarged about stand points, cue looking to the general question opened up by Mr. Darwin, whether the plants in question are carnivorous or not ; the other accepting that position, and, on it as a basis, examining the different means by which the end is attained, or supposed to be attained, in different species. We have not space for an examination of the work from both points of view ; and, therefore, as the abstract question has, perhaps, at this time most interest for our readers, we shall confine ourselves to a review, necessarily very brief and imperfect, of Fig. 3.— Drosera roLmulifolia. Leaf (enlarged), with the tentacles on one side inflected over a bit of meat placed on the disk. the proof brought forward by Mr. Darwin, and an enquiry into how far it seems to be conclusive. The broad proposition maintained by Mr. Darwin is, that certain plants, which he indicates, chiefly belonging to the Droseracea3 or Sundews, are insectivorous. This entails the minor positions, that they catch insects, that they kill them, that they swallow and digest them— that is, absorb their juices, and assimilate them. All this Mr. Darwin maintains that they do. They catch them, some (as Drosophyllum) by the secretion and exudation of a viscid fluid, to -which any insects that alight on it adhere in the same way that they do to the sticky * "Insectivorous Plants." By Charles Darwin, Murray. 1876. gum surrounding the bud of the Horse Chestnut orthe corolla of many Cape Heaths, for neither of which is any carnivorous power claimed by Mr. Darwin ; others (as the various species of Drosera, especially Drosera rotundifolia) by the use of sensi- tive appendages on the leaf as shown in fig. 1, which is a side view of the leaf of D. rotundifolia. These have been well named tentacles by Mr. Darwin. Each is tipped with a knob, from which oozes a sUmy secretion (from the glittering of which, in the sun, the plant has received the name of Sundew), and each has the power of bending, either independently or con- jointly with the rest, covering and detaining by their secretion any small insect that they may have captured. Fig. 2 shows one-half of them so bent over, and the other erect. In a third species, Venus' Fly-trap (Diona^amuscipula) the tentacles are replaced, or, at least, their office is performed by a series of spines along the margin of the leaf, like a chcoaux-da- frisc, which, when the two sides of the leaf close together, interlace, and act as prison bars, preventing anything between the sides escaping. In a fourth plant (Utricularia vulgaris, a water plant common in ditches in some parts of England), the leaves bear bladders, which have an opening closed by a sensi- tive valve, which opens mysteriously for the admission of insects, but closes firmly against their exit. All the latter contrivances, it will be seen, depend on a power of motion iu certain parts, apparently at the will of the plant, but in reality under the stimulus of some existing caiise, which induces the required action. This irritability or sensitiveness is no new thing in plants ; it is present in many, as, for example, the Sensitive Plant, where it is not thought to be necessarily of beneficial use to its possessor ; and, although its existence has 0 OQ Fig. 3. — Drosera rotundifolia. Diagram of the same cell of a tentacle, showing the various forms successively assumed by the aggregated masses of protoplasm. been disputed or denied in some of those in which Mr. Darwin has proved it, we do not imagine that anyone would, even before seeing his proofs, have hesitated to concede it to most of his car- nivorous species; and he himself does not claim it for all. It is not, therefore, the irritability that is the extraordinary thing ; it is the excitation that sets it in motion, and the subsequent action. Almost any kind of interference with the tentacles of Drosera rotundifolia will set it in motion, such as brushing the tentacles, placing inorganic substances upon them, and, most efficient of all, placing organic matters upon them, especially such as con- tain nitrogen. The rapidity with which this action is induced varies according to the size and nature of the object, the vigour of the leaf, and the temperature of the day ; and the time the tentacles take to bend completely over the object is from one to four or five hours ; it remains thus folded from one to seven days, and the more soluble the matter is that is dealt with, the longer it remains upon it. The next step in the process (next, although almost simul- taneous) is what Mr. Darwin calls the digestion of substances on the leaf. The term digestion, however, has two meanings — one, the chemist's meaning, who, when he speaks of digestion, means little more than solution ; the other, the colloquial meaning, which comprehends solution, absorption, and assimi- lation. Mr. Darwin generally uses it in the technical or chemical sense, although we are not sure that he does not sometimes, perhaps unconsciously, use it in the more compre- hensive one. But, at any rate, it seems to us that in the full meaning of this term lies the gist of his proof. His experi- ments certainly prove solution, and probably absorption ; but, although he cites various probabilities in its favovir, we cannot lay our hand on any proof, or even attempt at proof, of assimilation. The successive steps in the digestion claimed by Mr. Darwin are : first, a more copious secretion from the glands surrounding the object ; next, a change in its quality, from being either exclusively neutral, or only very feebly acid, into an acid which is not hydrochloric acid, but, as near as can be made out, an acetic acid called propionic, and allied to 64 THE GARDEN. [July 24, 1875. butyric and valerianic ; then a fermentative agent, of the nature of pepsin, which Mr. Darwin has been unable to detect, but whose presence he is satisfied of from circumstantial evidence. The reader is aware that somethiug more is needed to digest food in the stomach of animals than the weak hydrochloric acid, which is the principal ingredient in gastric juice ; a sort of ferineutative agent, named pepsin, has to be added to it to enable it to do its work. The phenomena of the leaf of the Drosera suggest that something similar must be contained in its secretion. Mr. Darwin shows that there is a number of points of resemblance between the active secretion of Drosera and gastric juice, some of which appear of real weight, others open to objection. In the nature of things it must obviously be scarcely possible to detect it chemically, the quantities being so minute ; but that is no reason for accepting an unproved conclusion. We regret that we have not space to go into the various ingenious reasonings by which Mr. Darwin shows that the presence of something like pepsin is almost certain. We would only make one remark on the subject, applicable both to pepsin in gastric juice and pepsin anywhere else, viz., that it may be an organic product of the chemical action going on between the hydrochloric acid or other acid, and the matter it is dissolving, and not an agent contributed by the living stomach or its substitute at all. It has, we believe, never been obtained but in the half-digested food, nor has its origin been explained. The air and food may first make it, and then use it. We know that there are plenty of instances of the production of organic matters through chemical action. If this be so with pepsin, then its presence both in the animal stomach and on the leaf in Drosera is no more remarkable than that the same result should follow the same chemical action in different places. Practically, this view does not much alter the position of matters. It simplifies the process a little, but leaves the parallelism between gastric juice and the Drosera secretion un- touched. That animal matter is dissolved by a living acid, alike by both, is the great point, although a combination of more than one process to effect the result, would, of course, have strengthened the implication that that was the specific result aimed at. Subject then to any correction which Mr. Darwin's experi- ments may hereafter receive from subsequent observers, which, from personal verification of a fair portion of them, we can say will not be much, we may assume as proved that insects and other nitrogenous matters caught or placed on the leaves are dissolved. What is done with the solution is the next question. Is it absorbed? Mr. Darwin says that it is. " That the glands possess the power of absorption is shown by their almost instantaneously becoming dark coloured when given a minute quantity of carbonate of ammonia, the change of colour being chiefly or exclusively due to the rapid aggregation of their contents." Of Pinguicula, he says that " the secretion, when containing animal matter in solution, is quickly absorbed, and the glands, which were before limpid and of a greenish colour, become brownish, and contain masses of aggregated granular matter. This matter, from its spontaneous movements, no doubt consists of protoplasm." But there is something in his account of the same phenomenon in Drosera which gives us pause. He there gives two figures of a cell of a tentacle, showing the various forms successively assumed by the aggregated masses of protoplasm, of which fig. 3 is one, and says : — " If a tentacle is examined some hours after the gland has been excited by repeated touches or by inorganic or organic particles placed on it, or by the absorption of certain fluids, it presents a wholly changed appearance. The cells, instead of being filled with homogeneous purple fluid, now contain variously shaped masses of purple matter, suspended in a colourless or almost colourless fluid ; and, shortly after the tentacles have re-expanded, the little masses of protoplasm are all re-dissolved, and the purple fluid within the cells becomes as homogeneous and transparent as it was at first." If these phenomena were always and only subse- quent to solution, there would certainly be strong grounds for supposing that they belonged to absorption ; but the fact that they follow mere mechanical irritation, and are, as shown by Mr. Darwin, independent of secretion, seem to indicate something else, and are, possibly, rather connected with the phenomenon of irritability. But, even although the leaves do absorb, it does not follow that they absorb without dis- tinction; they may be capable of absorbing the water in the solu- tion, and yet not capable of absorbing the nitrogen, or they may be able to absorb both, but the one may be to their benefit and the other to their detriment. It is a remarkable thing that if they are so greedy of nitrogen as Mr. Darwin's theory assumes, and take all these pains to absorb it in the liquid form, they absolutely decline to absorb it in the gaseous form. Though nitrogen gas constitutes by far the greatest part of the mass of the atmosphere, seeds will not germinate in it, neither will plants vegetate. Contradictory experiments are on record, indeed, as to the power of different plants to resist its deleterious effects, but both in those where the plants died and in those where they lived it was found that no use had been made of the nitrogen. Its quantity in all was found to be the same after the experiment as before it, and we are dis- appointed that in all his experiments Mr. Darwin does not appear to have tried any with this gas, either diluted or mixed. It is true that nitrogen is to be found in almost every part of plants, but the experiments above alluded to show that it must have been derived through the usual medium of obtaining nourishment — the roots. Last of all, supposing that the liquid is absorbed, is it assimi- lated ? On this, the most vital of all the points of the argu- ment, we have no proof offered at all, for it cannot be called proof to suggest that such an assimilation is required to sup- plement the deficiency of nourishment, which is to be inferred from the roots being small, and that, therefore, that is how it is disposed of. In the first place, we do not admit that the root apparatus is deficient or disproportionately small. It is small, but so is the plant ; and it is semi-aquatic, so that it can more quickly take up its nourishment ; and, in the next place, if the provision of roots is deficient, the leaves do not seem the organs which we should expect to be used to supply the defi- ciency. All the observations of late years point to a reversal of the old theoi'ies of circulation of the sap from the root to the leaf, and back again from .the leaf to the root. There is, we believe, no such circulation There is simply ascent from the root. There is, no doubt, an anastomosing circulation in the leaves, as there must necessarily be, if the whole of the leaf is to be supplied at all ; but, having reached the leaf, the sap goes no farther ; it moves about in it, the equilibrium being con- stantly disturbed by evaporation and fresh flow from the root, until it is deposited or evanorated ; and, if this be so, to pro- pose to nourish a plant by absorption through the leaves is pretty nearly equivalent to set about nourishing a man through other channels than those by which he is usually fed. Further, we may observe that the idea of its being possible for a plant to take up nourishment in the way supposed, if true, will militate against the views of Dr. Voelcker and other chemical physiologists, who seem to have come to the conclu- sion that plants never take up crude food at all, but only such as has first passed through the process of being converted into a mineral salt and then re-dissolved for its food. Mr. Darwin seems to have a vague idea of some analogy or relation existing between the action of the protoplasm in the cells of the plant and the cells of the lower animals ; that as the hydra encircles and feeds on its victims with its arms, so the Drosera does with its tentacles, and he quotes Mr. Sorby's examination of the colouring matter of the leaf of the latter with the spectroscope, who found it to consist of the com- monest species of erythrophy 11, which is often met with in leaves with low vitality ; but we must not allow ourselves to be led astray by fanciful analogies. There ought not to be much difficulty is ascertaining, by practical experiment, whether the teleological reason suggested by Mr. Darwin is the true one or not. Let two plants of Drosera be grown under the same conditions, the one well supplied flies, and the others protected from them, and see which thrives best. According to Mr. Darwin, the non-insectivorous one should be starved, although from the small amount of nourishment that the other could derive from flies during the six months of their existence, at the rate of a meal of two or three midges once or twice a week, we could not, according to our view, credit its cmbon- Xioint to high nitrogenous living. Of course those who do not July 24, 1875.] THE GAKDEN. 65 accept Mr. Darwin's views must be prepai'ed to be called u]3on to supply some other e.^planation of the very curious pheno- mena under consideration, if they will not adopt his. This ■was the constant reserve brought up -when driven to their entrenchments in the discussion on the origin of species — not, indeed, by Mr. Darwin but by his follovrers. But the answer is the same jiow as then. That is'not our business ; we do not pretend to give an explanation of everything, least of all ateleological one ; all that we do is to say whether, in our judg- ment, those who do have hit upon the true one or not. Prom what we have said, it will be seen that, in this instance, we think that Mr. Darwin has not, but we are none the less grateful to him for the instruction and information contained in his delightful volume. Mr. Alexander Dumas makes his gi'eat hero, the Count of Monte Christo, say that whatever he does he does well. With much better warrant may we say this of Mr. Darwin, and, notwithstanding our different views, of none of his works with more truth than that at present under review. A. M. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. "HIGH-CLASS" KITCHEN GAEDENING.* The author of this book has gained a considerable repu- ^tation as a vegetable grower, and, therefore, should be 'able to teach others how to do that which he does so well himself. A list of vegetables suitable for garden culture is given, as well as the quantities required for cropping given areas of land. In some instances, a thin seeder would, perhaps, consider the quantities named too liberal for high culture — for instance, it is said in reference to dwarf French Beans, that " one quart of seeds will sow a row of 24 yards run." A quart of Canterbury "Wonder French Beans will produce considerably over 1,000 plants if the seeds are good — rather a large number to crowd into a row 24 yards long. I have generally obtained a better result from one- third or even one-fourth the number, planted at regular distances apart. The dates given for sowing the different kinds of vegetable seeds are, I presume, intended more especially for the neighbourhood of London than for the Midland counties, and, therefore, some allowance should be made for " latitude," north and south of that point. North of London, the 10th of August — the date given for sowing Cabbages for early spring use, will, on an average of seasons, be found fully late if very early produce is desired. As regards hoeing, manuring, trenching, &c., the instructions given are, in the main, excellent. There may, however, be a difference of opinion as respects his mode of treating light and heavy land, as no man, however large his experience, can lay down rules to suit all places. I have found less difficulty in securing a firm seed-bed upon the light lands of Norfolk — spring worked — than on heavy clays worked at the same season, for the simple reason that pressure has more influence upon land composed of fine particles than when its granules are coarse and angular. In his advice upon draining Mr. Earley says : — " Place the pipes deeply or otherwise, according to the depth of the good upper soil and the consti- tution of the sub-soil ; and, following such considerations, it will be found that they may be placed from 2 feet to a depth of 5 feet." In my opinion, if high culture is aimed at, 2 feet drains are generally useless. Some years ago I drained a kitchen garden where the good upper soil was in no place more than from 15 to 18 inches deep ; it had been drained on the shallow principle many years before, but the drains had never acted, as was plainly perceptible whenever an old drain was crossed. As my object was to deepen and improve the soil by gradually bringing up portions of the clay in autumn and early winter, and so give it a long period of expo- sure ; and, by collecting the dry hard clumps in early spring and exposing them to the action of fire, open up another source of fertility. I had no hesitation in placing the drains 4 feet deep, and had only to examine the outfall in rainy seasons, and see the volume of water pouring out, to be convinced of the utihty * " High-class Kitclien Gardening." By William Eavley. London : Brad- bury, Agnew, & Co, of havuag the drains at this depth. If a kitchen garden requires draining at all, 4 feet should be the minimum depth, provided always an outfall can be secured. But, apart from all this, Mr. Barley's little volume will be found most useful, especially by the inexperienced ; and not the least valuable portions are those relating to " the points of merit in high-class vegetables," as from Mr. Earley's experience, both as exhibitor and judge, he is eminently qualified for the task of drawing up a " standard of merit." I may add, in conclusion, that I consider " high- class kitchen gardening" to be quite as much a question of capital as skill. In too many instances, the over-growth of the ornamental department has injured the kitchen garden. Many a painstaking gardener is now struggling on under such difficulties, hoping either that fashion may take a different direction, or that he may have a more liberal allowance wherewith to work. The title of the work cannot be considered a happy one. E. Hobday. VOICE'S TEAINING WIRES. Mk. Voice, of Horley, employs wires for supporting Peas, Scarlet Banner Beans, &c., instead of stakes. Two stamps of wood are driven into the ground at each end of the rows ; two wires are then fixed horizontally from one stamp to the other, and tightened by Voice's patent screws. The bottom wire should be 10 inches, and the top wire about 1 feet, from the ground. A coil of wire then passed over the two horizontal wires and spread along, allowing one round of the coil to every 12 inches, forms a very neat trelhs, to which the Beans cling until they reach the top, when they entwine round each other, and again cling along the top of the wires and form a cluster which protects them against early frosts. Under such circumstances, too, the Beans do not dry up and become old and seedy so soon as Wire -trellises a substitute for Pea-stakes. they do on sticks or poles. The cost of the wire and stumps is but trifling, and they last for years. J. F. The Potato Curl. — A plot here of Dalmahoys— a second early variety, an enormous cropper, and one on which I have depended for years — is, apparently, a complete failure this year through the , " curl." The haulm exhibits all the distinctive symptoms of the disease at Chiswick, which I have seen before, often enough, but never half so bad as it is this season. I planted in well-worked ground, in rows SJ- feet apart, separating the plants to cover the ground as usual ; but, as the crop seems going off altogether, I have just filled up between the rows with Cauliflower. The Asbleafs, Rector of Woodstock, Lapstone, Mona's Pride, and other Kidneys, are a fair crop. Yorkshire Regents are, however, curled in some places, and I see the disease in the cottage gardens here. — J. Simpson, Worthy, near Sheffield. Ne Plus Ultra and George Wilson Peas. — I have these two varieties of Peas in fine condition hero Just now, and I am of opinion that they are yet unrivalled by any of the newer kinds for productiveness, size of their well filled pods, and flavour. Ne Plus Ultra has one drawback, viz., its tall growth ; but where stakes can be found of the requisite length for it there is no Pea more worthy of culture. Fillbasket, one of Mr. Laston's newer kinds, is a wonderfully productive variety, and must, when better known, be a first-rate market Pea; it is excellent in flavour and size of pods. Dr. Hogg, Supplanter, and Connoisseur, new Peas by the same raiser, have been grown by me this season for the first time, and I find them to be all worthy of cultivation, even in the most select collec- tions of late Peas. Owing to the present wet summer. Peas are remarkable for better filled and larger pods than usual, and they are everything that can be desired for good flavour. — WmuM TiLLERY, Welbecl;. 66 THE GARDEN. [July 24, 1875. JUDGES' FEES AT FLOWER SHOWS. It is time that some protest was made against the small amounta which, in many instances, are paid to those who act as judges at our floral shows. I will state simply, by way of illustration, a case by n ") means exceptional. No long time ago, I was invited by a large anl wealthy company to act as censor at their Rose show, and I accepted the invitation, under the impression that my expenses, at all events, would be paid. I travelled nearer 300 than 200 miles in aU, and was compelled to be in London the evening before the S low, in order that I might be in time for my judicial duties next day; my outlay was SOs. I received as remuneration — "Reward, requital, recompense, repayment," according to Dr. Johnson — the sum of one guinea. Again, in the case of another Metropolitan company, whose Rose shows are attended by thousands, and are most profitable, the payment to censors is only half-a-guinea more, whatever distance they have come. " Ton forget," it may bs suggested, " the excellent and expensive repast which is provided for the judges." No; I fully appreciate the generous hospitality, and the kind, thoughtful courtesy with which it is administered. I have nothing but thanks and praise to offer to those who rule in practical, but not in financial, matters ; but, so far from regarding the dinner as compensation, it seems to me a mistake ; and I should be happier, and I know that others of my learned brethren, the judges, would be happier, over their cold lamb, lettuce, and tankards, than when tempted irresistibly, in mid-day, to make themselves feverish and full with hot meats and champagne. It may bo answered, we can get what we want at the price we pay ; men like the honour of judging, the opportunities of making observa- tions, and they will incur some sacrifice accordingly. But is it generous, is it right, that when prizes are liberal and receipts are great, this meanness should be exercised, and the screw applied to the j udges only ? Why should they who fill a most responsible and invidious office, be justly dissatisfied when the show is over; to find themselves out of pocket, instead of paid for their work ? If it is said, the remedy is in your own power — there is no constraint, you can decline to act if you please — I cordially accept the suggestion ; and I call upon those who are invited to officiate as judges, because they have obtained by long study and practical experience a thorough knowledge of that branch of horticultuie in which they are asked to make awards, to do the same. I advise them to refuse for the future all summonses to assist at exhibitions where the censors are not adequately paid for their services. At Oundle, little more than a village, in Northamptonshire, the judges fee is £5, at Manchester, £3 3s. ; and I do not think that, in any case, where the show is on a large scale and prosperous, a less sum than two guineas, in addition to travelling expenses, should be offered to a competent judge. S. Reynolds Hole. The Rouen Violet (Viola Rothomagensis) and others. — This is just now in full bloom with me, and is a very pretty and pleasing plant. It belongs to the Tricolor section, and has low- growing creeping stems, from which spring numerous small, long, narrow-petal led purple and white flowers. It much resembles another pretty species which I had some years since, under the name of V. palmasnsis, which is, I believe, a native of Sicily. I have also been pleased this spring with another species belonging to the same section, viis., V. gracilis, for which I am indebted to Mr. Green, of Reigate; The North American yellow-flowered V. pubeseens and its beautiful congener V. pedata, both flowered well with me this spring, the latter seems to make itself quite at home in a mixture of peat. Cocoa fibre, and leaf mould. V. biflora is growing well in the same bed, and so is V. sororia. I am also much pleased with a pretty variety of V. palmata, which has large deep blue flowers, slashed with white. V. canadeusis has been covered with cream-coloured flowers for weeks past, and the pretty little V. (Erpetion) i-eniformis is just opening out its little blue and white blooms. The latter needs a frame in winter. Can anyone send mo V. pedunculata, which I have lost. — II. Haiu'Uh Greive, Drayton Beauchamp Rectory, Trinij. Herbaceous Spiraeas.— Many of the herbaceous Spiroaas are fine ornaments to the garden ; notably, S. Aruncns, growing to the height of 5 feet, with white flowers in long panicled spikes, whence its common name of Goat's-beard. The double form of S. Filipendula is a pretty plant. S. veuusta, with deep rose-coloured flowera, grows to about 3 feet, and is very handsome. S. palmata, with crimson panicles of bloom, seems to require more attention. I cannot grow it satisfactorily. Astilbe rivularis, with yellowish flowers, from Nepal, and the more uncommon A. rubra, from Japan, with rose- coloured flowers, .should be grown with the Spiraeas, to which they are related. Both species grow tall, from 4 to 6 feet, and all require good loamy soil, and, if rather moist, so much the better. — OXON. THE ADVANTAGES OF COMBINING ZOOLOGICAL AND BOTANICAL GARDENS. Nowadays, other gardens than those avowedly botanical or horticultural, often claim attention from their gardening interest. In our own Zoological Gardens, there has, for some years past, been attractive floral displays both in spring and summer. The warm temperature and abundant Hght of the new monkey-house afforded opportunities for indoor gardening which were taken good advantage of. This desirable inno- vation might be carried out with advantage in many other cases. The temperature, moisture, air, &c., given to houses of exotic plantsof various classes would perfectly suit various forms of animal life difficult to preserve in good health in cold northern countries. The interest and beauty of both the animal and vegetable kingdom might be heightened by such a mixed arrangement as we speak of, if tastefully and judiciously carried out. The economy resulting from adapting the same structures and heating power to the wants of both the animal and vegetable treasures would permit of fuller justice being done to each. In cities rich enough to aSord first class sepai'ate establishments, this proposal in its entirety would not so readily commend itself. But, however objectionable it might seem to introduce zoological elements into the botanic garden, there would be no two opinions as to the good of adding all the charms of vegetation to the zoological and every other type of garden. In small cities, only able to afford one establishment, it would be easy so to arrange the two matters that a happy result might be produced. If these ideas be sound so far as buildings are concerned, they are equally so as regards the open air. The old narrow idea that a small portion of ground in a town suffices to worthily represent vegetation in a public garden — the idea that we see illustrated in so many continental cities, and in some dozen of our own — must be got rid of before we ever see ornamental horticulture properly carried out in any city. Every garden and open space may do as much towards this end as any similar space of the so-called Botanic Garden. That it should do so two things mainly are requisite — first, that the garden should be laid out on a sensible plan ; secondly, that it should not be devoted to imitating, feebly or strongly as the case may be, what is done everywhere else. Beautiful it might be made with every flower or tree that those who resorted to it loved ; but, in addition, let it show us one or more families of trees, shrubs, plants, or fruits, as com- pletely illustrated as may be possible. It should, in fact, like a useful type of man, know a little of everything and evevy- ihiag of some thing. We shall never know what public gardens may do for horticulture till some clear-headed man has power to so arrange the gardens and numerous open spaces of a city, as distinct and separate parts of one great garden, all beautiful, but no two of the same pattern. Among modern public gardens, that of the Acclimatisation Society in the Bois de Boulogne shows a fair attempt to make a garden, mainly zoological, satisfactory from a landscape point of view, and beautiful through judicious planting of a great variety of trees, shrubs, and flowers. V. Effect of Eleetricity on Plants.— The effects of electricity on plants have not been closely studied. It is known to produce contractions in Sensitive Plants, and to retard the motion of sap. M. Becquerel has studied its influence on germination and development. It decomposes the salts contained in the seed, the acid elements being carried to the positive pole, and the alkaline portions to the negative. Now, the former are hurtful to vegetation, while the latter favour it. M. Becquerel further examined the influence of electricity on the colour of plants. The dis- charge from a powerful machine produced remarkable changes of colour on the petals, due, he thinks, to the rupture of cells containing colouring matter. Conservation of our "Water Supply. — Mr. Bailey Denton writes : — " During the last month there has fallen on the surface of the country, with but few places excepted, within the short period of one hour, as much rain as would, if conserved, supply the entire population with water for domestic and other purposes for a whole year ; there has fallen within the present year (1875) sufficient rain 'per square yard of surface ' to furnish 50 per cent, more water than would satisfy each unit of the population for drinking purposes. Ought an enquiry into the capability of utiUsing such excesses, and so equalising extremes, to be delayed, when it is well-known that, even at this moment, while in the midst of the deluges of rain that have occurred, there are places where an insufficient provision of water exists ? " JtJLY 24, 1875.] THE (JAUDEN. 6? 68 THE GARDEN. [July 24, 1875. TREES AND SHRUBS. THE WOODLAND GAKDEN. Beautiful as the woodlands are in spring, little has been done, in most places, to take advantage of thenumberless hardyflower- ing trees and shrubs that Nature has placed at our disposal, and that would, if planted, tend to enhance the beanty of many an estate. Acres of Primroses and Wood Violets, so densely flowered as to form continuous beds, are frequently met with ; while, in moist situations, the wild Hyacinth, the Marsh Mari- gold, and Silenes, form beautiful combinations, and are succeeded by other and equally-effective native displays, whilst golden Daffodils are naturalised in great abundance in more open situations and meadow-lands. But when we come to examine the vegetation of a more arborescent character, the result is by no means so satisfactory. Fettered by old-fashioned customs, the usual intermixture of soft-wood, hard-wood, and under-wood, is adhered to, and for no other reason apparently than that flowering and fine-foliaged trees have always been considered the rightful tenants of' highly dressed grounds. I have tried the following hardy plants, and found that they succeed quite as well as the ordinary kinds grown in the wood- lands of this country ; and almost every individual taste may be gratified, for the number of suitable subjects is almost endless. The Laburnum, when seen against sombre Pines, makes a splendid display. It is easily raised from seed, and is rapid in growth. _ The Syringas, including Lilacs, Guelder Eoses, Bird Cherries, Crabs, Almonds, and variously-coloured Thorns, are all equally valuable for lighting up our woodlands ; while, among foliage plants, variegated Maples, Syoaiiores, Oaks, and Copper Beeches, are always effective. Among drooping trees, too, are some useful kinds for woodland embellishment, such as the gracefully-drooping Silver Birch, the Weeping Ash, Elm, and Beech, all of which look well, especially when planted on the edge of sharp inclines or embankments. Plants of more humble growth suitable for mai'gins are almost endless, and are much more effective if planted in masses than in a mixed border. For instance, if irregular recesses are planted with Rhododendrons, Berberries, Heaths, Broom, St. John's Wort, Furze, Periwinkle, and Coto- neasters— all as hardy as the plants usually employed, and equally useful as cover for game— a rich harvest of bloom would be secured. I need scarcely allude to the many suit- able situations for such displays that exist on all sides, as all who travel either by road or rail can testify. Are we to wait for Nature to clothe the ground with Thistles and Docks, or take the more rational course of planting it with really hardy and effective trees, and of scattering over it seeds of hardy Bowers, such as Foxgloves, Myosotis, and Primroses ? If we do our part Nature is sure to do hers. We may already congratulate ourselves on the improve- ment observable in the appearance of the parks and gardens of London and other great towns, but let it not stop there; on the contrary, let it extend to the highways and hedge-rows of the most remote parishes, where such specimens of forestry may be scon that would disgrace even an uncivilised country. The specimens of timber trees left in some districts resemble convicts in felons' attire. Shorn of their native beauty, they are indeed pitiable objects to behold, forming, as it were, " monuments " of what maybe called the " dark ages " of forestry. Even on the score of profit, owners would often do well to plant ornamental trees, as the wood of many of them is equal, if not superior to that of those useless " cum- berers of the soil," of which we now see so many in all direc- tions. They are rarely worth the expense of felling, for the pruning_ which they receive in the" earlier stages of their growth is done in so unskilful a manner that the majority of them become decayed before they arrive at a stage to be con- sidered " timber " trees. J. Groom. Ihnham, Suffolk. THE VIRGILIA AS A LAWN TREE. A NoiiLE specimen of the Virgilia upon my lawn, planted some twelve years ago and now in bloom, reminds me that this beautiful denizen of our forests is still quite rare, even in grounds where ornamental trees are a speciality. It is true that our nurserymen have kept this tree for sale, and an occasional specimen may be found planted in private grounds, where they are, as a rule, crowded in among other trees and shrubs which prevent full development and an unfolding of their natural beauties in form, foliage, and flowers. When planted singly with an abundance of room for develoi^ment, the Virgilia is one of the most graceful of our native trees. It forms a broad head, somewhat of a wine-glass shape, with the ends of the young branches slightly drooping in summer, but becoming erect as the wood ripens in autumn. The wood is of a light yellowish colour, hence one of its common names — Yellow Wood. The bark is smooth, resembling in this respect the Beech, not cracking open or becoming corrugated, like the Elm or Chestnut, as the trees attain age. The leaves are composed of from seven to eleven broad, oval leaflets, from 3 to 4 inches long, and of a bright, glossy, green colour. The flowers are small and creamy-white, delicately fragrant and borne in a long, pendent panicle. The habit of this tree is really all that one could desire for a lawn or other ornamental purpose. The foliage is abundant, appearing quite early in spring and holding on until frost, at which time every leaf drops, and I have known specimens to be defoliated in two hours' time, during a clear morning following a frosty night. As soon as the leaves are all ofi, they may be raked up and removed, and there will be no more litter from this source. But with many of the Oak, Chestnut, and similar trees planted on lawns, one must be continually at work for weeks during autumn raking np leaves if anything like neatness is to be secured. The Virgilia is readily grown from seeds, which somewhat resemble those of tho common Locust, but are slightly larger. The seedlings are of rather slow growth for the first few years, but soon become vigorous and shoot up rapidly ; 2 to 3 feet in a season is not an unusual growth. This tree, according to " Moore's Rural," is found most abundant in the forests of Eastern Kentucky and from thence further south. TREES AND SHRUBS THAT MAT BE BUDDED NOW. We are now in the midst of the budding season, and we (" Monitenr Horticole Beige ") embrace the opportunity of giving a list, almost complete, as we hope, of all the trees and shrubs, grown for fruit or ornament, which may be advantageously propagated in this manner. Fruit Trees. — The Apricot may be budded upon the Myrobolan, and other Plums j the Almond upon seedling Almonds, when the trees are intended to be planted in a deep and dry soil ; and upon the Myrobolan Plum and upon seedlings when they are to be planted in shallow or sandy soil ; the Cherry upon the wild kinds, if large trees are required ; and upon Sainte-Lucie (Mahaleb) when they are not required of any great size. Chestnuts of different kinds may be budded, but the results are not invariably to be depended upon ; generally what is termed flute-grafting is to bo preferred to budding and inarching upon the common Chestnut. The Portugal Quince — This is usually multiplied by means of cut- tings, but it may also be budded upon the Angers Quince ; the Large-fruited Medlar may be budded upon the common Medlar; the Peach upon seedling Plums and on the Almond. In Belgium the Plum is usually preferred as a stock for the Peach. The Pear may be budded upon seedling Pears and upon the Quince. The Apple upon seedling Apples and the Doucin and Paradise stock, according as large, medium-sized, or small trees are required. The Plum upon seedhng Plums or upon Myrobolan. Ornamental Trees and Shrubs. — Rhamnus alatemns may be budded upon seedling Buckthorns, Hibiscus syriacus upon the common Altha!a, Amorpha frnticosa upon stocks of the same variety, Colutea arborescens upon the common Bladder-nnt tree, Bi'ousso- netia papyrifera upon the common Broussonetia, the Pyracantha upon the Hawthorn, Chionanthus virginica upon the common Ash, Pyrus japonica upon the common Quince, Cornus mascula upon seedlings of itself, C. sibirica foliis variegatis upon the white-fruited Cor. nelian Cherry, the Laburnum upon stocks of itself, Cratjegus Oxyacantha upon any kinds of Hawthorn, Acer campestre upon common Maples, but in this case it is best to propagate by inarch- ing ; A. platanoides upon stocks of the Plane tree, A. pseudo-platanus upon the Sycamore, A. Negundo upon the Ash-leaved Maple, Fraxinus excelsior upon the common Ash, Euonymus europreus upon the common Spindle tree. Ilex aquifolium upon the common Holly stocks, Syriuga vulgaris upon the common or white-flowered Lilacs, the Hoi-se Chestnut upon stocks of itself, the white Mulberry upon seedlings of the same tree, Mespilus upon the Hawthorn, Ulmus pedunculata iipon the common Elm, Pavias upon the Horse Chestnut, double-flowering Plums upon seedlings or upon the Myrobolan Plum, Diospyros Lotus upon the Ebony tree, the Willow-leaved and variegated-leaved kinds of Pyrus upon seedling Pears, Pmnns spinosa upon seedling Plums or the Myrobolan, double-flowered and variegated . leaved Apples upon common seedling Apples, the July 24, 1875.] THE GAEDEN. 69 variegated-leaved variety of Ceraaus Mahaleb upon Saint Luoie, tlie weeping Sophora japonioa upon seedlings of the same tree, Sorbas ancuparia and S. americana upon the Hawthorn, Tilia argentea, T. tomentosa, and T. amerioaua upon Tilia platyphylla, and the latter upon stocks of itself. It may be observed here that in the case of Lime trees, budding with a pushing eye is more likely to be successful than when effected with a dormant one. The common Privet does well budded on stocks of itself, as does also the Chinese kind upon the stocks of that Privet, and the variegated-leaved variety of Ligustrum ovalifolium upon the Californiau Privet, this kind may also be increased by means of cuttings ; the different varieties of Guelder Rose do well upon Viburnum lantana, bat they are better increased by layering than by budding. Prices of Timber. — Some of your readers maybe interested in knowing the present value of timber. The following are, as near as I can state, the prices obtainable for the different species of timber on this estate. I may mention that we are from 4 to 5 miles from a railway station, and a considerable distance from any large manufac- turing town. There is a great demand for Beech and Scotch Fir, the former hag been nearly trebled, and the latter doubled in price within seven years. Ash and Oak are also in good demand, at advanced prices. The former is becoming scarce in the country, and as uo other sort of timber can be used as a substitute by coach-builders, implement makers, and wheelwrights. Ash is sure to command even higher prices than at present ; consequently, it oaght to be ^planted extensively. Lime is also a valuable timber tree, and should not be lost sight of by those who are making plantations where the soil and situation is favourable to its growth. Oak, first quality, 50 feet and upwards, 33. to 4s. per foot ; second, 20 to 50 feet, 2s. to 3s. ; third, up to 20 feet, Is to 2g. Ash, first quality, 20 feet and upwards, 23. to Ss. 6d. ; second, under 20 feet. Is. 6d. to 2s. Elm, first quality, 50 feet and upwards. Is. to Is. 6d.; second, under 50 feet, 9d. to Is. Beech, first quality, 20 feet and upwards. Is. to Is. 6d. ; aecond, under 20 feet, 9d. to Is'. Lime, first quality, 20 feet and upwards, 2s. 6d. to 3s. 6d. ; second, under 20 feet. Is. 6d. to 23. 6d. Larch, Is. to Is. 3d. Scotch and Spruce Firs, lOd. to Is. — Geokge Berry, Longleat, Wilts. Forests and Floods. — In order to form an idea of the causes of the inundation in France, it is only necessary to glance at the physical geography of the departments in which it has occurred. They lie on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees, and are intersected by numerous and rapid rivers, of which at least four unite to form the Garonne before it reaches Toulouse. There had been heavy and continuous rain over the whole of the mountain range, and a fall of snow at Luz, where it would directly swell the head-waters of the Garonne. It is said that at least a contributory cause is furnished by the great destruction of timber in the district during the last century. Trees not only absorb water largely from the soil, but they also prevent the surface from being baked and hardened by the sun, and they check the rapidity and abruptness with which rain would otherwise reach the ground. When it falls unimpeded upon dry and barren hillsides, it will run from them almost as freely as from the sloping roofs of houses, and a few hours will carry the water of the mountain storm to swell the volume of the nearest river. NOTES AND QUESTIONS ON TREES AND SHRUBS. Golden-leaved Magnolia.— I have sent you a leaf of my varienated Magnolia acuminata, a masnificent tree, some of the leaves of which are nearly all yellow.— C. M. Hotet, Boston, Mass. [The leaf in question, though faded, was stdl handsome ; it was yellow, slightly streaked and mottled with green.] The Wiufarthing Oak.— Mr. Amyot contributes an account of this ancient Oak to the "Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalist's Society " Its present girth is *) feet about the middle of the trunk ; in 1741 it was 38 feet 7 inches, Magnolia Halleana.— This appears to be of the same class as M. con- spicua, but the flower is composed of about twenty narrow strap-shaped petals ; on the whole rather smaller than those of M. conspicua— white and very sweet. A little more, says the " G.ardeners' Monthly," and we shall have a double Magnolia. Double-flowered Deutzia crenata.— This is one of the best border and shrubbery plants grown when it gets large and in good health. It will last a long time m flower, and seen from a distance the pale rosy tint of its flowers renders them very effective. As it is not so early in bloom as many other spring shrubs, when planted judiciously in large shrubberies it lengthens the flower season. It is good forcut flowers.- A. H., TAoresSy. -— The beauty and usefulness of the flowers of this Deutzia, both at this season and when forced, ought to make it more common than it is 1 propagated a quantity of it and planted them out some years ago in S^i/^f ff'^a """^ borders here, and have had every year a splendid »?w?^ 7^-^'^rT;, Even under the shadoof trees it grows and blooms whiff fl!Lr= V' "" sunshine. Anyone hjiving to supply quantities of j!A^.SiUaro°I P"P°°^^ °' decoration will find this Deutzia of great value.- THE INDOOR GARDEN. PLANT HOUSES. These are of two classes — wood and iron. A diversity of opinion exists about the merits of iron structures. There can be no doubt, however, that wooden houses are the best for plants ; but the greatest elegance of desigu and lightness can be secured by using iron. When the house is large, and con- tains a great bulk of air, the evils resulting from the use of iron rafters and framing are less felt, though such houses always require most fuel; but small houses of iron are decidedly objectionable, if only on account of the excessive radiation and condensation which goes on in them during cold weather, when fire-heat has to be used, always with the worst effects to plant life. We have an iron greenhouse which falls to withiu 2° of the out-door temperature if left without a fire at night ; consequently, it is never safe to have the fire out during winter, and the aridity arising from condensation, which is produced when there are a few degrees of frost, is destructive to such things as Heaths, Cinerarias, Calceolarias, &c. — so much so that in severe weather it has to be emptied of everything for the time. During summer weather, when no fire-heat is necessary, the bouse suits plants well enough. For all propa.gating and nursing houses for plants, or indeed any structure in which design can be carried out in wood, iron should be dispensed with as an evil. Plant houses for general purposes should, when practicable, be made on the span-roofed principle, whether angular, curvi- linear, or dome-shaped. No other kind of structure is so well adapted for plants throughout the season ; the span admits the most light, is the most economical as regards space, and can be efficiently ventilated. But such houses should always run north and south ; placed the contrary way they are worse than a lean-to in winter, for the north side never gets the sun. For forcing purposes, however, the lean-to is by far the best for winter work. All propagating-houses, or houses for pushing on growth at the dull season, are best made of this form facing south. AVe are speaking of cases when the situation can be chosen ; but sometimes people like to utilise a vacant west or east wall by covering it with glass, and, of course, must conform to circumstances. Most kinds of greenhouse or store plants will thrive in such exposures ; but the houses should be light — no more wood used than can be helped — and they should be efficiently heated ; for in winter and spring, when the plants are potted and have to be started into growth, they get little sun, and want artificial aid. For cheapness of construction and economy in fuel, plant houses, whether span or lean-to, are often sunk partially in the ground, the pathways being con- siderably below the ground level. Such houses are undoubtedly much more easily heated, and are well adapted for such plants as Cinerarias, Calceolarias, and many others that do not like fire heat in winter ; but, owing to their dampness. Heaths, Pelargoniums, Bpaorises, Primulas, &c., do not thrive so well in them. Heaths take mildew. Pelargoniums the spot, and Primulas damp at the collar. Sunk houses or pits are econo- mical structures for wintering bedding stuif, half-hardy plants, &c. ; but for plant growing, in a proper sense, it is preferable to have the floor of the house above the ground line, or on a level with it, to ensure a free circulation of air through- out. A very good way of compromising the matter, however, in building plant-growing span-roofed houses of moderate height, is to tie them together in a ridge-and-fuiTOw block, instead of having each house isolated, and consequently presenting a much greater cooling surface to the air. Nurserymen arc adopting this plan now with houses for pot Vines, and general nursery stock, and no better kinds of structure could be devised for private grrdens. When there is not much disparity in the temperature of the different houses, there is no necessity for internal divisions, only piers at certain distances to support the furrows, and each coil of pipes helps to heat the two houses ; but, when it is necessary to have a division, a brick on edge from the floor to the furrow bottom is enough. Of course, all the ventilation is at the lop in such structures, except at the outermost house; but it is ample for such houses. The economy effected in the construction and heating of such a block is obvious ; greater advantages are gained in this way than would be by having the houses partially sunk ?6 'Che GiARDBJ?. [JULY 24, 1876. in the ground, and we get rid of the dampness. A common fault of small plant-houses is blind sides and ventilators. No economy whatever is effected by carrying the bricks up to the eaves of the roof; glass is just as cheap, looks better, and is better. Thick walls should never be carried higher in any house than the plant shelves, in order that the inmates may have all the light possible. The internal fittings of plant- houses are a matter of some consequence — the shelving, for instance. Wooden shelves and stagings are most common, being generally constructed of spars nailed an inch or less apart, and resting on a tressel framework. Such shelves are good enough in winter, as they do not retain damp, but the advantage over stone or slate shelves in this way is hardly appreciable, and the latter are far the best in summer. A plant in a pot is not favourably placed at any time on a dry airy shelf, and in summer weather greenhouses and conservatories are gusty places, and are not kept in a proper state of humidity without much attention. It is, therefore, necessary that the pots should rest at such times on a cool moist bottom. Experience has proved this to be highly advantageous. Nurserymen, who generally discover what is best, cover their wooden shelves or framework made for the purpose with Welsh slates, and put over these about an inch of sand — a first-rate plan. The sand is generally moist, and it is found the plants require considerably less water, which is labour saved. Stone shelves are the nest best to sand, and afford space to spill water in dry days, which keeps down heat and drought by evaporation. Iron grating shelves are the worst of all, and if they are placed above the hot-water pipes, the conditions are about as unfavourable to plants in pots as could be devised. One of our houses is fitted up in this manner — from the designs of a horticultural builder, we suppose. Were we not to resort to the sand plan, or lay thick brown paper under the pots in cold weather, the plants would be ruined. It is a bad plan to have the pipes too near the shelves at any time, as currents of hot air are always injurious to plants in pots. J. S. W. Cool Orchids. — Now ia the time to keep these cool. Anything in the shape of oppressive heat, during the months of July and August particularly, will do more harm than indifferent treatment for the other ten months of the year. Our climate in summer is, if anything, too hot for such Alpine Orchids as Odontoglossum Ales- andrre, Pescatorei, and triumphans, and similar kinds ; consequently abundance of moisture, particularly in the atmosphere, must at this time prevail. To keep down the temperature, shading must be resorted to, and it will add much to the coolness of the house if the shading be raised 2 feet from the glass, in order that a current of air may intervene between the two. Attention to this will prove highly beneficial to the plants, which, thus treated, will distend their )}seudo-bulbs to a great size ; other conditions being favourable. The leaves will become broad and dark in colour, and will stand up instead of falling down by their own weight, as is too often the case. If the atmosphere be properly supplied with moisture there will not be much necessity for giving great doses of water at the roots. I find a layer of Sphagnum an excellent bed, in which to plunge the pots half-way down. It keeps them moist and looks well, as it grows into a cushion of emerald velvet, encouraged to growth by the constant supply of moisture. — James Andekson, Meadow Baiik, Udding stone, Glasgow. A fine Stove Climber (Petraea volubilis).— The Petra)a volubilis is a plant introduced more than a century ago, but of whose existence we venture to think few of our plant growers are aware, and of whose beauty fewer still have any idea. For profusion of bloom, grace, and exquisite delicacy of colour, it is, perhaps, without a rival. It is a twining stove shrub, with leaves not unlike those of some of the Bougainvilleas, but larger. The flowers are borne in marvellous profusion in elongated light airy racemes. The calyx is divided into five narrow, strap-shaped segments, of a very delicate pale bluish-mauve, about twice the length of the segments of the corolla, which is of a purplish.blue, forming a pretty contrast with the pale tint of the spreading segments of the calyx. In the flowers of Petra;a we have a colour unique among stove climbers, and one very desirable, as regards variety, to see on the exhibition stage, where this plant would tell with fine effect, if in the same style as we BeeClerodendronBalfouri,Stephanotis,Rhynchospermum,AllamandaB, and other exhibition favourites. It forms a beautiful object trained to the roof or back wall of the stove, the elegant pendent racemes hanging in profusion. It will grow freely in a compost of good, light, fibrous loam, to which a little sandy peat is added. Cuttings root freely in sand plunged in heat, and covered with a bell-glass. When growing it likes a moist heat and must be watered freely, but when at rest it should be kept rather dry than otherwise. Good drainage is also essential. There are one or two other species almost, if not quite, as pretty as that at present under notice ; all are natives of Vera Cruz. The generic name was given in honour of Robert James, Lord Petre, who died in 1712, and of whom the celebrated Collinson, writing to Linnaeus, speaks as being one of the " greatest losses botany or gardening ever felt in this island." At Glasnevin, Petraea volubilis is trained to the roof of the large greenhouse, which, when in flower, is more admired perhaps than anything else in the same department. — " Irish Farmers' Gazette." MY GAEDEN IN SUMMER. Bounded by the budding Clover, And sentineled with trees. Showered with wealthy sun all over. The home of birds and bees ; It has only clouds to love it, The winds to be its friends. Moon and sun to watch above it, And stars that evening lends ; Ivindly morns to wake its flowers, Still noons to give it gold, Patron twilight, sunset dowers. And dews when days are old. Purple Phlox and Sunflowers truaty Guard all its rich estates, Dahhas, broad and lusty, Like peasants, crowd its gates. Violets bloom in corners shady, And on the borders gay Sits the Stock, a crimson lady. And Pinks have holiday. Larkspurs leaning out in places Where bashful Myrtles creep, Laugh at Mouk-flowers' hooded faces. And Poppies gone to sleep. There are starched and stately Briars, And Thistle-knights and dames ; Bloomless weeds, like jovial friars. Grasses with ancient names. Vagrant Hops that court the Clovers, Prim Lilacs, in a row, Gaudy Beans grown willful rovers. Grand Hollyhocks for show. Quaint, brigh t Pansies, Foxgloves stately. Lilies with petals wide. Jasmine tinted delicately, And Daisies merry-eyed. I am queen and lady in it- Queen over leaf and flower — Crowned with sprays of purple Spinnet, I own no higher power, Teems the world with fears and sorrows. For me, I have no care ! My good realm excludes to-morrows. And all I want is there. Where such gold as sunset treasures. Or truer friends than flowers ? Such dear dreams, such happy leisures, And such enchanted hours ? When my life and I are tired Calling ourselves by name. When the things we have desired No longer seem the same ; When the years have weary faces, And heaven is near and fair, I shall seek its broader spaces. And find a garden there. A Valuable Aid.— In this year's report from the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland special mention is made of various drainage and other works. On the estate of Mr. PhUip Doyne, in county Donegal, owing to the number and size of the boulders scattered over and in the soil, all efforts to operate on it were in vain until dynamite was used, and then the success was marvellous. The inspector, Mr. E. Murphy, says :— " It is perfectly wonderful what execution 2 oz. of dynamite put into a G-inch hole in a large sunk boulder can do. For surface boulders a couple of charges placed on the top of the stone and covered or weighted by another boulder will break both up, the only difficulty (as Mr. Doyne remarked) being ' that you cannot find the pieces.' Mr. Doyne has also used dynamite in the removal of old roots of trees, and it splits them up into firewood." , July 24, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 71 THE COLORADO POTATO-BEETLE. (doryphoka. 10-lineata.) Pkofessor Riley, tbe State entomologist of Missouri, having, when in London the other day, informed us that the climate of this country is not only suitable for this beetle, but that its introduction is quite possible, we expressed a desire that he should write a full and complete account of it for The Garden, a request with which he has kindly complied, as follows : Few insects have done more serious injury, or attracted greater attention, than this, even in America, where insect depredations attain a magnitude scarcely dreamed of in this country. Feeding originally on the wild Solanum rostratum in the Rocky Mountain regions of Colorado and other territories, it fell upon the cultivated the insect may be found in all stages throughout the summer months. In from thirty to forty days from the time the egg is deposited, the insect hatching from it goes through all its transformations and becomes a beetle, the pupa state being assumed under ground. The prolificacy of the species may be imagined when it is remembered that the progeny of a single female may exceed a hundred millions in the course of a single season. The beetle feeds as well as the larva, though not so voraciously. Its attacks are principally con- fined to plants of the family Solanaceas, and it is particularly fond of those belonging to the genus Solanum. Yet I have recorded many instances of its acquiring new habits in its march to the Atlantic, and of its feeding, when hard pushed, on plants of other families. There are various means of it has overrun of Maryland, and Virginia, 50,000 square miles. The natural history of the species was first made known by me in 1863. The beetle hybernates either beneath the ground or beneath any other shelter that it can obtain. Early in spring it issues from its winter quarters, and may be seen flying about, on sunny days, long before there are any Potato tops for it to devour. In flight it presents a very pretty appearance, its gauzy rose-coloured under-wings Lydella doryphora contrasting agreeably with ~ ' the striped yellow and black elytra or wing-covers. The sexes pair, and, as soon as the Potato haulms push out of the ground these beetles break their long winter fast, sometimes even working their way down towards the sprout before it is fairly out of the earth. The eggs, which are orange-yellow, are laid in small clusters on the undersides of the leaves, and the same female continues to thus lay at short intervals for a period of over forty days, until the number laid by a single specimen may aggregate from 500 to over 1,000. There are, in the latitude of St. Louis, three broods each year ; but, from the fact that a single female continues to deposit as above described, and from the ii-regularity of larval development. destroying the insect, and in the earlier invaded territory of the States, though it con- tinues its I'avagos, thereby making the cultivation of Potatoes more laborious, and '~\ increasing their market price, yet it is no longer dreaded as it at first was, for the reason that it is controlled with com- parative ease. The natural enemies of the species are encouraged by the intelligent cultivator, and poultry may be taught to feed upon it. Of over two score predacious and parasitic species of its own class which I have enumerated, those herewith figured may be considered the most important. The Colorado Potato-beetle: a, a, eggs; i, i, 6, larvse of different sizes; e, papa; d, d. Only true parasite is a species beetle; c, left wing-cover magnified to show lines and punctures; f, leg. enlarged, of Taohina-fly (Lydella dorv- Colours of egg, orange ; of larva, Tenetian-red ; of b3etle, black and yellow. phorfe Itileii) somewhat re sembling a house-fly, which fastens its eggs to the Doryphora larva. From these e^gs hatch maggots which feed upon the fatty portions of the said larva, which, after entering the ground, succumbs to its enemy, and, instead of eventually giving forth a beetle, as it naturally should do, gives forth, instead, the Tachiua flies. A number of different lady-birds (Coccinellidas), of which the Convero-ent lady-bird is the most common, devour the eggs of the Dory- phora. Of true bugs the Spined Soldier-bug (Arma spinosa, Ballai) is the most effective, Potato as soon as civilised man began to grow this escu- lent within its reach. With large fields of palatable food, instead of scattered plants of the wild Solanum, to work upon, it multiplied at a marvellous rate, and began to spread from its native home towards the east. Reaching a point 100 miles west of Omaha, Nebraska, in ■1859, its progress has been carefully recorded each year since, until last year it reached the Atlantic coast at a num- ber of different points in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The present year we hear of it being still more numerous on the At- lantic coast, and of its swarming around New York city, and covering the nets of fishermen. It has thus, in sixteen years, spread over 360 geographical miles, in a direct line ; and, if we consider the territory actually invaded, which includes the States of Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wiscon- sin, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Ontario (Canada), New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, parasite of Doryphora Colours, siver-grey and black. though several other rapa- cious species assist it, all of them piercing and sucking out the juices of their prey. Of artificial remedies there are various mechanical con- trivances for knocking the insects off the haulm and catching them — some such even being worked by horse- power. The sun is, also, so hot in some of the Mississipi Valley States that the larvas are roasted to death if shaken from the haulm on to the hot soil at mid-day. The remedy of all others, however, and the one universally employed, is Paris green, which is used either in the form of a powder, or in that of a liquid, being combined in the former case with from twenty-five to thirty parts of some dilutent, as flour middlino's, plaster, &c., and in the latter with one tablespoonful of pure green stirred into an ordinary bucketful, or about 3 gallons, of water. Enormous quantities of the poison have thus been used in America, especially since it has proved a perfect remedy for the Cotton-worm in the Southern States, as well as for the Potato-beetle in question. Cautiously and judiciously used it proves cheap and effective, and a large experience goes to show that no ill effects follow such use of it. Many-banded Robber : with beak enlarged at side (bj. Colours, pale yellow and black. Preys on Doryphora. 72 THE GARDEN. [July 24, 1875. There is a very closely allied species, the Doryphora juncfca of Germar, called the Bogus Colorado Potato beetle, which, very naturally, has often been confounded with, and mistaken for, the genuine depredator. It differs, however, in the eggs being paler ; in the larva being paler, and in having but one row of black dots on each side instead of two ; and in the beetle having the second and third black lines of the elytra (counting from the outside) joined, instead of the third and fourth ; in the punctures of said elytra being more regular and distinct, and in the legs having pale instead of dark tarsi, and a spot on the thighs. Singularly enough, this species, though it feeds and thrives on Solanum carolinense, will not touch the culti- vated Potato, and is, therefore, perfectly harmless to man. The English reader is more particularly interested in this insect, because of its possible introduction into Europe ; and on the subject of its introduction I cannot do better than quote some passages from my seventh report : — " Those who have watched the gradual spread of this Potato-beetle during the past seventeen or eighteen years, from its native Eocky Mountain home to the Atlantic, and who have seen how lakes, instead of hindering its march into Canada, really accelerated that march, can have no doubt that there is danger of its being carried to Europe. Yet I must repeat the opinion expressed a year ago — and which has been very generally coincided in by all who have any familiarity with the insect's economy — that if it ever gets to Europe it will most likely be carried there in the perfect beetle state on some vessel plying between the two continents. While the beetle, especially in the non-growing season, will live for months without food, the larva would perish in a few days without fresh Potato tops, and would, I believe, starve to death in the midst of a barrel of Potatoes, even if it could get there without being crushed ; for, while it so voraciously devours the leaves, it will not touch the tubers. The eggs, which are quite soft and easily crushed, could, of course, only be Carried over on the haulm or on the living plant ; and while there is a bare possibility of the insect's transmission in this way, there is little probability of it, since the plants are not objects of com- meixial exchange, and the haulm, on arccount of its liability to rot, is not, so far as I can learn, used to any extent in packing. Besides, Potatoes are mostly exported during that part of the year when there are neither eggs, larvas, nor Potato haulm in existence in the United States. There is only one other possible way of transmission, and that is in sufficiently large lumps of earth, either as larva, pupa, or beetle. Now, if ' American dealers be required to carefully avoid the use of the haulm, and to ship none but clean Potatoes, as free from earth as possible, the insect's transmission among the tubers will be rendered impossible ; and when such precautions are so easily taken, there can be no advantage iu the absolute prohibition of the traffic in American Potatoes. As well prohibit traffic in a dozen other commodities, in many of which the insect is as likely to be imported as in Potatoes. The course recently adopted by the German government, in accordance with the suggestion made in my last report, is more rational, and will prove a better safeguard : — It is to furnish vessels, plying between the two countries, with cards giving illustrated descrip- tions of the insect in all stages, with the request that passengers and crew destroy any stray specimens that may be found. Let England and Ireland, together with the other European govern- ments, co-operate with Germany in this plan, and have such a card posted in the warehouses of seaport towns, and the meeting rooms of agricultural societies ; and a possible evil will be much more likely avoided." Some English journals are discussing the question as to whether, with the more moist and cool climate of this country, the 10-lined Potato-beetle would thrive here even if imported. " There cannot be much doubt that it will rather enjoy the more temperate clime ; for while it thrives best during comparatively dry seasons, both excessive heat and drought, as well as excessive wet, are prejudicial to it. It is argued by others, that on the continent of Europe our Doryphora would not thrive if introduced ; and, in a recent letter received from M. Oswald de Ker- chove, of Gaud, Belgium, author of an interesting pamphlet on the insect, that gentleman says : — ' I do not think that the Doryphora, awakened by our early warm weather, could resist the effects of the late cold which we are apt to have in these European countries.' The idea that the climate of North America is less extreme than that of Europe is rather novel to us of the cis-Atlantic ; and, from a sufficiently long residence in England, France, and Germany, I am decidedly of opinion that they delude themselves who suppose that Doryphora could not thrive in the greater part of Europe ; and that to abandon all precautionary measures against its introduction on such grounds would be foolish. An insect which has spread from the high table-lands of the Eocky Mountains across the Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic, and that flourishes alike in the States of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Connecticut, and in Maryland, Virginia, and Texas — in fact, wherever the Potato succeeds — will not be likely to be discomfited in the Potato-growing districts of Europe. Some few, again, have ridiculed the idea of the insect's passage to Eui'ope in any state, arguing that it is an impossibility for any coleopterous Bogus Colorado Potato-beetle : a, a, eggs ; 6, h, larva; c, beetle; d, left wing, cover, enlarged, showing marlis and punctures ; e, leg, enlarged. Colours : of egg, pale yellow ; of larva, cream-yellow ; of beetle, black, yellow, and brown. insect to be thus transferred from one country to another. Considering that half the weeds of America, and a large pro- portion of her worst insect pests, including two beetles — viz ; the Asparagus beetle (Crioceris asparagi) and the Elm leaf- beetle (Galeruca calmariensis) — in the very same family as our Doryphora, have been imported from Europe, there would seem poor foundation for such an argument. Moreover, a number of other insects — among them some beetles — of less importance, may be included in the number of importations ; and the Eape butterfly (Pieris rapte), whose progress west- ward has been simultaneous with that of the Doryphora east- ward, and whose importation dates back but a few years, bear witness to the fact that insects more delicate, and with fewer chances of safe transport than Doryphora, may succeed in getting alive from one country to the other, and in gaining a foothold in the new home. The ravages of the insect, bad as they are, very naturally get exaggerated at such a distance from its native home, and the following, from an English gardening periodical, gives altogether a too gloomy picture : — ■ ' When once a field of Potatoes has been attacked, all hopes of Spined Soldier Bug a, beali, en- larged ; b, perfect insect, with the wings expanded on one side. Colour, ochreous. Convergent Ladybird : Larva, pupa, and beetle. Colours — orange, white, and black. a harvest must be given up ; in a few days it is changed into an arid waste — a mere mass of dried stalks.' It should not be forgotten that the American cultivator, by means of intelli- gence and a little Paris green, is pi-etty much master of the Doryphora." It is to be hoped that this exposition of the facts and probabilities of the case will put people on their guard, and cause intelligent action to be taken to prevent the importation of so dangerous a pest as this Potato-beetle. Public Park for Sh.eflB.eld. — A committee of the Sheffield Town Council have recommended that the town should purchase Meersbrook as a public park. Its extent is upwards of 100 acres, and the committee recommend that the town should offer d6500 an acre for it. July 24, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 7S OLD TEEES. Old trees are living epocha in the history of the world. Here have they stood for hundreds of years, some even for thousands, looking down upon the smiling earth ; now battling with tempests, then basking in sunshine ; steadily growing and strengthening and spreading, till at last, venerable in colossal grandeur, and clad with the livery of advancing age, they claim our reverence and inspire emotions of solemn awe. We think, as we look at them, of the lapse of time since the tender radicle first shot downward, and the light plumule aspired heavenward ; of the silent forces which have been at work in building them up. Tear after year have they formed their buds and expanded their leaves ; year after year have they shed the old and developed the new, and slowly but surely have the limbs length- ened and the trunk swollen, and the whole structure, solidly buttressed on every side, grown into symmetrical beauty and form. Every part of the habitable globe can furnish its quota of venerable trees. It has been estimated that even now a third of the earth's surface is covered with forests. In tropical climes, as on the banks of the Amazon, travellers are struck with the number and variety of ancient trees ; in temperate regions immense tracts are covered with Pines and Oaks, Cedars and Walnuts, Hemlocks and Chestnuts, Lindens and Ashes, many of which are from 20 to SO feet in circumference, and from 100 to 300 feet in height ; and farther to the north, to the outer verge of the Arctic Circle, the whole surface is covered with trees less gigantic in circumference, and height many of which are of great age. Pine Trees. The Pine is said to have a geographical range in America from the Saskatchawan to Georgia, and, beyond the Mississippi, from the sources of the Columbia to the Pacific slope. It grows in every part of New England and in every variety of soil, and it was foi'merly, as now, the principal tree of Massachusetts, although the older growths have mostly disappeared. Fifty years ago it was not uncommon to find Pines 6 feet in diameter, and 250 feet in height, and masts have been made, on the Penobscot and in Canada, 90 feet in length, and 3 feet in diameter at the smallest part. We have frequently seen sticks of this size on the shores of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers, or Quebec aud other ports. The "Worcester Palladium" for July 3, 1841., gives an account of a tree cut in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, previous to the Revolution, from which a mast was hewn 110 feet long, aud 3 feet in diameter at the upper end. The dimensions of the stump are not given, but it is said a yoke of large oxen were driven upon it and turned with ease, and that fifty-five yoke of oxen were required to draw the stick to tide-water. Lambert's Pine, on the north-west coast, grows to the height of 230 feet, aud the Douglass Pine, which is still larger, grows to the height of 300 feet. Such trees, in the depths of the forest, are often objects of peculiar interest from the striking variety of vegetable life which they exhibit: Lichens — dotted Lecideas, Lecanoras, and Yerruoarias — closely invest the bark on the lower part of the trunk ; star-like Parmelias spread over them ; green and purple Mosses in the crannies, and tufts of Stricta, Eammalina, and Usnea higher up. Quite often, indeed, the Usnea barbata hangs pendent in large masses from the upper boughs in moist woods, trailing in the wind and giving to the trees in the dim twilight an exceedingly weird and ghost-like appearance. The estimated age of the most ancient of these trees is fourteen hundred yeai's, and trees of the age of eleven hundred years are not uncommon. Many of the trunks are from 27 to 3G feet in circumference, and rise to the height of 120 feet without a limb. The Siberian Pine, which grows quite extensively in Switzerland as well as in Russia, although not a large tree, attains often to a great age ; a trunk 19 inches in diameter presenting, when cut down, 353 annual circles. The timber of this Pine is of an agreeable perfume, aud is much employed for domestic purposes as well as for wainscoting rooms, as it exhales its fragrance for centuries with undiminished strength aud without any decrease of weight in the wood. The seeds are esteemed a great luxury, and are eaten in great quantities at the winter festivals. Like all the ConiferaB it is symmetrical in shape, but the branches, which are not long, incline upward and are somewhat contorted. Cypresses. Nearly allied to the Pine is the Cypress, a tall and graceful plume- shaped tree, which attains in Europe a great age and size, and which was celebrated in all antiquity for the incorruptibility of its wood and its funereal uses. The oldest tree on record is the Cypress of Somma, in Lombardy, figured by Loudon in his "Arboretum." This tree is supposed by some to have been planted the year of the birth of Christ, and on that account it is regarded with great rever- ence ; but an ancient chronicle at Milan is said to prove that it was a tree in the time of Julius Cassar, B.C. 42. It is 121 feet high, and 23 feet in circumference at 1 foot from the ground. Napoleon, when laying down the plan for his great road over the Simplon, diverged from a straight line to avoid injuring this tree. The American Cypress, found in the Southern States, grows naturally in low grounds subject to annual inundations, and sometimes rises to the height of 120 feet, with a circumference at the base of from 25 to 40 feet. The roots, which run horizontally at a short depth below the surface, throw up conical protruberances or knees,'! sometimes 4 or 5 feet high, but usually smaller, smooth without and hollow within, looking not unlike mile-posts, and serving, says Bartram, " very well for bee- hives." These trees, with their streamers of long Moss floating on the wind, are a curious feature in the scenery of the Southern States, and a Cypress swamp is a somewhat formidable object to encounter. Some Cypresses have been known to reach the age of 670 years. This tree, however, attains to its amplest development and age in the tierras templadas of Mexico ; and one of the celebrated group in the garden of Chapultepec, called the Cypress of Montezuma, which was already a remarkable tree in the palmy days of that unfortunate monarch, nearly 400 years ago, is 45 feet in circumference, aud of a height, iu proportion to its size, so great that the whole mass appears light and graceful. But this tree, vast as it is, is greatly surpassed by the famous Ahnchute — the Mexican name for the species — of the village of Atlisco, in the iutendancy of Puebla, which was first described by Lorenzana, and which, according to the worthy arch, bishop, " might contain twelve or thirteen men on horseback in the cavity of the trunk." Humboldt says the girth of the tree is 23 metres, or 76 English feet, aud the diameter of the cavity is 16 feet. Still more gigantic, however, than this — the Nestor of the raoe, indeed, if not of the whole vegetable kingdom — is the Cypress, which stands in the churchyard of the village of Santa Maria del 'Tule in the intendaucy of Oaxaca, on the road to Guatemala by the way of Tetuantepec, which, according to Humboldt, is 36 metres or 118 English feet in circumference. In its immediate vicinity are five or six other trees of the same species, each of which is nearly as large as the Cypress of Montezuma ; but this tree as much surpasses the rest as they surpass the ordinary denizens of the forest. It still shows no signs of decay, although it bears less foliage in proportion to its size than its younger fellows. Recent travellers speak of other trees near the ruins of Palenqne equal iu size to the splendid tree at Santa Maria del Tule, and the estimate of the age of these trees is from 4,000 to 6,000 years ; perhaps dating back to the beginning of the earth's historic period. Imagination is lost in picturing the possibility even of such longevity ; yet, if any reliance can be placed upon estimates sanctioned by the opinion of the most eminent naturalists, we have here trees which have witnessed the gradual rise, the steady progress, and final decline, and even the extinction of a race whose history has sunk into oblivion while the trees them, selves are still alive. Yews. The Yew is perhaps more durable than any other European tree ; thus supporting the opinion first advanced by De Candolle, aud now concurred in by most physiologists, that exogenous trees are by their nature of indefinite growth, and never die except by a violent death. Indeed, a Yew, Of vast circumference and gloom profound, is, as Wordsworth truly says, A living thing, Produced too slowly ever to decay ; Of form and aspect too magnificent To be destroyed. Of the many trees of this species to be found in England one is mentioned which formerly stood iu Braburne Churchyard, in the county of Kent, which was more than 60 feet in circumference, and its age was computed at 2,500 years. A second still stands in the woods of Cliefden called the Hedron Yew, healthy and vigorous, over 80 feet in circumference, and 3,000 years old. The famous Yews of Fountain's Abbey, near Ripon, Yorkshire, were in full vigour when the abbey was founded iu 1132 by Thurston, Archbishop of York ; and of the seven trees of which history speaks one measured 26 feet and 6 inches in circumference at the height of 3 feet from the ground, and the whole seven stood so near each other as to form a cover almost equal to a thatched roof. The age of the largest is fixed at 1,200 years. The fine Yew at Dryburgh Abbey, which is supposed to have been planted when the abbey was founded, in 1136, and which is in full health and vigour, has a trunk only 12 feet in cir. cumference. The Arkernyke Yew, near Staines, which witnessed the conference between the English barons and King John, and in sight of which Magna Charta was signed, measures 27 feet and 8 inches in circumference, and is supposed to be between 1,100 and 1,200 years old. The Darley Yew, in Derbyshire, which is 29 feet 2 inches in circumference, is estimated to be nearly 1,400 years old ; and the Yew in Tisbury Churchyard, Dorset, shire, which is 37 feet in circumference, is estimated to bo 1,600 years old. The Yew in Portingall Churchyard, Perthshire, Scotland, 74 THE GAEDEN. [July 24. 1875. situated in a wild district among the Grampians, is 56 feot in cir. cnmference, and is estimated to be more than 2,500 years old. Cedars. Next to the Yew stands the Cedar ; and, although no very ancient specimens exist in America, in portions of Asia, especially in the Levant, are trees invested with a sacred interest from the fact that they were living in Old Testament times, hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. The grove on Mount Lebanon, so often alluded to in Holy Writ, was first described in modern times by Belon, who visited it about the year 1550. The Cedars of this grove were then, as now, highly venerated by the Maronite Christians, who iirmly believed them to be coeval with Solomon, if not planted by his hand ; and they made an annual pilgrimage to the spot at the festival of the Transfiguration, the patriarch oelebi'ating high mass under the shade of one of the oldest trees, and anathematising all who shoald presume to injure these sacred relics. The larger trees of the grove were measured and described by Rauwolf, au early German traveller, in 1574 ; by Thevenofc, in 1655; more particularly by Maundrell in 1696; by La Roque, in 1722; by Dr. Pococke, in 1744; by Labillardiere, in 1787 ; and by M. Laure, an officer of the French marine, who visited them with the Prince de Joinville, in 1836. Formerly, from twenty to thirty of the trees were standing; more recently there were seventeen ; still more recently, only twelve ; and now we believe there are but seven. We have in our possession a small section from a limb of one of these trees, which we prize highly. Tropical Trees. Of the soft-wooded trees of tropical climes, some attain to a great age and size. Thus the Palo de vaca or Cow tree of South America, found in the Cordilleras, in Venezuela, and Caraccas, grows to the height of 100 feet, and is often 7 feet in diameter. Humboldt describes it as a handsome tree resembling the broad-leaved Star Apple ; and says that when incisions are made in the trunk a glutinous milk abundantly issues, of a pleasing and balmy smell, rich and thick though not bitter, and mixed with Coffee it could scarcely be dis- tinguished from animal milk. The Banian, or Indian Fig, commonly called the Peepul tree, is constantly planted by the Hindoo temples : Branching so broad and long, that in the ground The bended twigs take root, and daughters grow About the mother tree, a pillared shade, High overarched, and echoing walks between. The roots or props thrown out from the main trunk occupy such a space that one growing on the banks of the Nerbudda covers an almost incredible area. The circumference which now remains is nearly two thousand feet, and the overhanging branches which have not yet thrown down their props overshadow a much larger space. Three hundred and twenty large trunks are counted, and the smaller ones exceed 3,000. Each is continually sending forth new branches and pendent roots, to form other trunks and become the parent of a future progeny. According to Forbes's " Oriental Memoirs," the whole has been known to shelter beneath its shade a company of at least 7,000 men. The Baobab, or Monkey Bread, another tropical tree, found in the Cape Verd Islands and at Senegal, has long afforded celebrated instances of longevity. This tree is remarkable for its small height in comparison with the diameter of its trunk or the length of its branches ; trunks of 70 or 80 feet in circumference being only 10 or 12 feet high. The branches, however, are very numerous, often 50 or 60 feet in length, spreading widely in every direction, and forming a hemisphere or hillock of verdure sometimes 150 feet in diameter. The history of these trees, rendered famous by Adamson's account, reaches back to the first discovery of that part of the African coast, and of the Cape ds Verd Islands, by Cadamosto, in 1455. The largest trunks were 27 feet in diameter, or 85 feet in circumference. More recently, M. Perrottet has met with many Baobabs in Senegambia, varying from 60 to 90 feet in circumference, green and flourishing, and showing no signs of approaching decrepti. tude. By some, these trees are regarded as among the oldest in existence on our globe, and their age is estimated by the younger De Candolle at 5,000 or 6,000 years ! The famous Dragon tree furnishes another instance of great longevity. One of these trees, found near the city of Orotava, Teneriffe, has been visited by many competent observers, — among others by Himiboldt, — and from their statements it appears that the trunk is about 50 feet in girth, and 60 or 70 feet in height. At the discovery of Teneriffe in 1402, nearly five centuries ago, this tree was about as large as it is to-day ; and even then it had been immemorially an object of veneration among the Guanches. Since that period it has been hollowed by decay, and shorn of part of its top ; still it continues to vegetate, and its remaining branches are annually covered, as they have been for thousands of years, with beautiful clusters of white Lily-like blossoms, emblems of the eternal youth of Nature. The Oak. Amongst the hard.wood trees, the Oak unquestionably stands, as it should do, at the head of those growing in the temperate zone, and it is justly regarded as the monarch of the forest. Virgil calls it Jove's own tree, Which holds the woods in awful sovereignty. The ancient Pelasgiana believed that a deity dwelt in their Oak groves, whom they feared and worshipped. The oracle of Dodona was situated in an Oak grove ; and to the inhabitants of Britain and Gaul, under the Druids, the Oak was still more sacred. Oak groves were their temples, and the Mistletoe which hung from its boughs was their favourite wand. For the fullest account of this magnifi. cent tree, which grows in nearly every part of the world, we must refer to the works of Evelyn and Gilpin, Strutt and Loudon, who have devoted pages instead of paragraphs to its consideration. It is not uncommon to find in Massachusetts Oak trees from 12 to 20 feet in circumference, and from 400 to 1,400 years old. The celebrated Charter Oak, of Hartford, Connecticut, which was prostrated in the storm of August, 1854, is said to have been 36 feet in circumference at the ground, and its age was estimated at 800 years. The Wads, worth Oak, of Genesee, New York, lived to a great age, and at the time of its destruction, in 1857, was estimated to be at least a 1,000 years old. Its circumference was about 27 feet, and it was a fair counterpart of Spenser's tree : A huge Oak, dry and dead. Still clad with reliques of its trophies old ; Lifting to heaven its aged, hoary head ; Whose feet on earth had got hut feeble hold. And half-disboweled stands above the ground. With wreathed roots and naked arms. Of the Oaks of Europe some of the most noted are the King's Oak, in Windsor Forest, which is more than 1,000 years old, and quite hollow. Professor Burnet, who once lunched inside this tree, said it was capable of accommodating ten or twelve persons comfortably at a sitting. The Beggar's Oak, in Bagshot Park, is 23 feet in girth at 5 feet from the ground, and the branches extend from the trunk 48 feet in every direction. The Wallace Oak, at Ellerslie, near where Wallace was born, is 21 feet in circumference, and Wallace and 300 of his men are said to have hid from the English army among its branches when the tree was in full leaf. The Parliament Oak, in Clipstone Park, which is supposed to be tho oldest in England, derives its name from the fact that a pailiament was held under its branches by Edward I., in 1290, at which time it was a large tree. The Oak in Yardley Chase, immortalised by Cowper, is also a con. spicuous and venerable relic. The Winfaithing Oak, now a bleached ruin, is said to have been an old tree at the time of the Norman Con. quest, in the eleventh century. The Greendale Oak, in the Duke of Portland's Park, at Welbeck, is described by Evelyn and figured by Hunter, with its trunk pierced by a lofty arch, through which car. riageshave been driven. The Cowthorpe Oak, in Yorkshire, measures 78 feet in circumference, and its age is estimated at 1,800 years. The Great Oak of Salcey Forest, Northamptonshire, a picturesque wreck, is supposed to be of equal antiquity. On the Continent an Oak was felled at Bordza, in Russian Poland, some forty years ago, upon which 710 consecutive layers were distinctly counted, and the space in which the layers could not be counted was estimated to con. tain 300 more, making the whole age of the tree 1,000 years. Near Saintes, in France, an Oak is standing which is said to be upwards of 00 feet in circumference. A room has been cut out of the dead wood of the interior, about 12 feet in diameter, and a round table has been placed in it at which twelve guests can be seated at once. The full age of the tree is estimated at 2,000 years. The Elm. Next to the Oak in size and popularity must be ranked the Elm, which is found all over the United States and in Europe. Few trees, indeed, are more common in the temperate zone than this; and, although it rarely grows in large bodies, like the Pine and Spruce, it is frequently found in the Canadian woods interspersed with Ashea and Maples of venerable size, and growing to the height of from 80 to 100 feet, with a smooth stem to the height of from 40 to 60 feet. Few sights are grander than those old forests, back from the Ottawa, stretching to the northward undisturbed for hundreds of miles, with giant Pines and enormous Hemlocks completely concealing and shading the earth. The Elm in Massachusetts is a favourite tree, and may be found planted by nearly all old mansions. Every town has its memorable trees of this kind ; and they grow in many places from 80 to 100 feet high, and with a circumference of from 12 to 30 feet. The famous Elm on Boston Common is 24 feet in circum. f erence, and on a map of Boston, published in 1720, it is delineated as a large tree. It is Baid to have been planted by Captain Daniel July 24, 1875.] THE GAEDEN. 75 HeDohman, an ancestor of Governor Hancock, in 1670, and is now 200 years old. The Washington Elm, in Cambridge, is another classic tree, and is nearly 16 feet in circumference at the base. The Pitts, field Elm, greatly revered by the inhabitants of that town, was 126 feet high and 13 feet in circumference at the height of 4 feet from the ground. The Aspinwall Elm, in Brookline, now more than 200 years old, is nearly 21 feet in circumference, and its branches are 100 feet long. The Elm in Hinghham, near the Old Colony House, which was transplanted in 1729, is 13 feet in circumference at 4 feet from the ground. The Springfield Elm, according to Dr. Holmes, is over 29 feet in circumference at the base ; a tree is mentioned in Hatfield which is 41 feet in circumference at the base ; and another in Med- field is over 37 feet in circumference. An Elm in Wakefield, in front of the residence of Mr. James Eustis, measures 21 feet at the ground; the Sheffield Elm is nearly 23 feet in circumference; and there are hundreds of trees of equal size and age scattered abroad throughout our villages. The European Elm is somewhat different from that of America; and Strutt, in his " Sylva Britannica," gives engravings of several of the most remarkable. Among these the finest is the Chipstead Elm, which is 20 feet in circumference at the ground, and 16 feet at the height of 4 feet. Its venerable trunk is richly mantled with clustering Ivy, and gives signs of considerable age. The Crawley Elm, on the high-roid from London to Brighton, measures 16 feet in circnmferenne at the ground, and is a well-known object of interest to travellers, with its tall straight stem and the fantastic ruggedness of its wide-spreading roots. For several cen- turies this species of Elm has been planted for ornament on avenues and public parks in France, Spain, and the Low Countries, and in England immemorially. It is less graceful than the American Elm, and more sturdy and spreading in its form ; but it has the advantage ' of retaining its foliage for several weeks longer than the American tree. Fine specimens are found in America, in Boston and its vicinity. The Linden. The Linden is a native of America and Europe, and in both countries attains to a great size and age. The celebrated Sycamore Maple which stands near the entrance of the village of Trons, in the Grisons — the cradle of liberty among the Rhootiau Alps — was once called a Linden, and nnder its spreading branches the Gray League was solemnised in 142i. Its age is estimated at 600 years. The true Linden is a favourite with the Swiss, and is intimately associated with important events in the history of that i^eople. The Linden at Freiburg, planted in 1476 to commemorate the battle of Morat, is still standing, and, though beginning to decay, has already proved a more durable monument than the famous ossuary on that battle. field, Where Burgundy bequeathed his tombless host, A bony heap, through ages to remain. Themselves their monument. Another tree, standing at the village of Villarg-en.Moing, near Morat, was a noted tree four centuries ago, and at 4 feet from the ground it has a circumference of 38 feet. Its full age is computed at 900 years. The still more celebrated Linden of Neustadt, on the Kocher, in Wurtemberg, is equally old, and was a remarkable tree at the opening of the thirteenth century ; for the village of Uelmbundt, which was destroyed in 1226, was subsequently rebuilt in the vicinity of this tree, and thence took the name of Neustadt an der grossen Linden. Prom an old poem, written in 1404, it appears that even then the tree was of such size, and the spread of its branches was so enormous, that their weight was sustained by sixty.seven columns of stone. At 6 feet from the ground the circumference of the tree is 36 English feet, and the age is computed at 900 years. The Chestnut. This is found in Europe and America, and lives to a good old ag9. In this country large specimens are occasionally found, and many are mentioned by Mr. Emerson in his " Trees and Shrubs of Massachu. setts," from 14 to 26 feet in circumference, the largest of which must be from 400 to 600 years old. But, great as these are, they are thrown into the shade, and seem like pigmies, besido the enormous tree on Mount Etna, called the Castagna di cento cavalli, from the tradition of its having once sheltered in its hollow trunk 100 mounted cavaliers under Jeanne of Aragon. Brydone, in his " Tour in Sicily," described this tree in 1770, and says it was then 204 feet in circumference, and had the appearance of five distinct trunks. Kircher, however, who saw the tree a century earlier, speaks of the five as united in one. An engraving of this tree, with its splendid top, is given in Plate Ixxxvii of Low's " American Encyclopedia," published in 1807. Besides this, there are other cislossal Chestnuts on Mount Etna with undoubted single trunks ; and three of these, when measured a quarter of a century ago, bad respectively a circum- ference of 57, 6 1, and 70 feet. Their ago is probably not far from 1,500 years, and the great tree is supposed to be from 2,000 to 2,500 years old. The great Chestnut of'San9erre, France, described by Bosc, has been called by that name for at least 600 years, and as its girth is 33 feet at 6 feet from the gronnd, its full age is probably at least 1,000 years. The same is true of the great Chestnut of Tortworth, in Gloucestershire, which is known to have been standing in 1150, and which is 52 feet in circumference at the ground. This tree fixes the boundary of the ancient manor, and its age is probably about 1,200 years. "Walnuts and Planes. The Black Walnut, in the states bordering on the Ohio, often grows to a great size. Michaux says ho has frequently seen Walnuts from 6 to 7 feet in diameter, and we have measured stumps in Illinois which were from 5 to 8 feet in diameter. Planks have been sawed from snch trees 5 feet wide and 30 or 40 feet long. When the Walnut stands alone it spreads out iuto a spacious head and extends its branches horizontally to a great distance ; but, in the depths of the forest, it is of a more compact growth, is often shorn of its limbs, and has a smooth bole to the height of from 40 to 60 feet. The largest trees are probably from 400 to 600 years old. The Walnut of Europe is equally venerable, and " Galignani's Messenger " mentions one on the road from Martel to Grammont which is at least 350 years old. Its height is 55 feet, and its diameter 14 feet. Its branches, seven in number, extend to a distance of 125 feet, and it bears on an average fifteen bags of nuts per annum. The Button, wood, or Sycamore, the American Plane, is often a venerable object to behold, and specimens may bo found from 6 to 7 feet in diameter, yet sound, notwithstanding the disease which attacked thom^ so generally a third of a century ago, and which threatened for a time to sweep them entirely away. One formerly stood in the town of Wakefield, on laud of John Tyler, which measured 30 feet in circum. ference at the ground. It was hollow within, and the opening was sufficient to permit four men to stand in it easily. Some mischievous boys built a fire in it one Sunday and the tree burned all day, but the flames wore extinguished, and snbsequently the tree was felled ; a portion of the trunk was removed to the common, and a platform erected upon it, from which the Hon. Henry Wilson, now Vice. President of the United States, and then just beginning his political career, delivered a speech in the Harrison campaign of IS 11. At a place called Vaucluse, near Newport, Rhode Island, a Button, wood is described which, in 1839, measured 21 feet in circumference at the ground; and three miles from Hagerstown, Maryland, near Salem Church, a tree is standing which is 39 feet in circumference at the ground, and the cavity within is 11 feet in diameter. A Mr. Gelwicks, with twenty scholars, from eight to seventeen years old, stood in a circle around this cavity. As the growth of the Button, wood after a certain period is quite slow, it is probable that this tree is 500 or 600 years old, and the others we have described were from 200 to 400 years old. The elder Michaux measured a tree on a small island in the Ohio, which was over 40 feet in circum. ference at 5 feet from the ground. General Washington had measured the same tree 20 years before, and found it to be nearly the same size. The younger Michaux found a tree in 1802 on the right bank of the Ohio, 36 miles from Marietta, which measured 47 feet in circumference at 4 feet from the ground. Either of those trees must have been at least 600 years old. The Oriental Plane is a tree of nearly the same kind, only its leaves are more palmated, and it has less disposition to overshadow the ground. It was a great favourite with the ancients, and Pliny, in his Natural History, tolls a story of its having been brought across the Ionian Sea to shade the tomb of Diomedes, in the island of that hero ; that it came thonce into fertile Sicily, and was among the first of the foreign trees presented to Italy. From thence it was carried to Spain and France, where, it is said, the inhabitants were made to pay for the privilege of sitting nnder its shade. The same writer describes some of the principal trees of this kind, and speaks of one in the walks of the Academy at Athens, whose trunk was 48 feet to the branches. He describes also a tree in Syria, near a cool fountain by the road-side, with a cavity of 81 feet in circum. ference, a forest-like head, and arm-like trees overshadowing broad fields. Within this apartment, made by Moss-covered stones to resemble a grotto, Licinius Mucianus thought it a fact worthy of history that he dined and slept with nineteen companions. But the greatest of all the Oriental Planes is that which stands in the valley of Buyukdere, near Constantinople, described by Olivier, Dr. Webb, and others, the trunk of which is 150 feet in girth, with a central hollow of 80 feet in circumference. The age of this tree it is difficult to determine ; but if it is a single trunk, as there is good reason to suppose, it must be the most ancient of its species in existence ; and it will hardly bo deemed an exaggeration to fi.x its age at 2,000 years. 1& THE GARDEN. [July 24, 1875. The Terebinth Tree and the Olive. The Terebinth tree attains an almost fabulous age. Josephua relates that he saw a tree of this species near Hebron, which had existed since the Creation ; and the Old Testament Scriptures often refer to this tree. Thus, Jacob buried the idolatrous images which his family brought from Mesopotamia under a Terebinth tree ; an angel appeared to Gideon under a Terebinth tree ; it was in a valley of Terebinths that Saul encamped with all his army ; Absalom hung on a Terebinth tree ; and Isaiah threatens idolatora that they shall bo as a Terebinth tree whose leaves fall off. One of these trees, under which the prophetess Deborah is said to have dwelt, was in existence in the days of St. Jerome, and was probably then 1,000 years old. And towards the middle of the seventeenth century there stood between Jerusalem and Bethlehem an old tree under which tra- dition relates that the Virgin Mary rested as she went to present her son in the Jewish Temple. This tree, however, which was equally venerated by Christians and Mussulmans, was accidentally destroyed by fire in 161G, after haying stood for nearly 2,000 years. The Olive is found in Europe and Asia, and, as a tree, is of slower growth than even the Oak. From this circumstance, and the durableness of its wood, it furnishes instances of remarkable longevity. Thus the Olive at Pescio, mentioned by De Candolle, which had a trunk 2 1 feet in girth, is supposed to have been at least 700 years old ; and although now in a state of decrepitude, it continues to bear a crop of fruit of considerable abundance. It is not impossible, therefore, that the eight venerable trees still to be found on the Mount of Olives may have been in existence, as tradition asserts, at the timo of our Saviour's passion, and their age may extend beyond 2,000 years. Certain it is that they are venerable trees, and need little aid from imagination to invest them with a peculiar charm. The "Big Trees." We must now refer briefly to some of the largest, though not the oldest, trees on our globe. These are the giant trees of California, which are among the most perfect and wonderful specimens of vegetable life. Fifteen or twenty groves of these trees have been discovered in all, on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevadas, in Southern California ; but the two principal groves are in Calaveras County, and on the borders of Mariposa and Fresno Counties, but a few miles from the direct road to the valley of the Yo Semite. These "big trees," as they are commonly called, are scattered in groups among the Pines and Cedars throughout a space of several miles, and the collection numbers about 600. They attain to a diameter of from 30 to 50 feet, and rarely fall below 200 feet in height. Mr. Bowles, of the " Springfield Republican," who visited this grove in company with Mr. Colfax and others, in his delightful work, " Across the Continent," says : — " Among those we examined are six, each over 30 feet in diameter, and from 90 to 100 feet in circnm. fereuce ; 50 over IG feet in diameter, and 200 over 12 feet. The Grizzly Giant, which is among the largest and most noteworthy, runs up 90 feet with scarcely perceptible diminution of bulk, and then sends out a branch, itself G feet in diameter." " But," he adds, " they are even more impressive for their beauty than their bigness. The bark is an exquisitely light and delicate cinnamon colour, fluted up and down the long, straight, slowly-tapering trunk, like Corinthian columns in architecture ; the top, resting like a cap upon a high, bare mast, is a perfect cone ; and the evergreen leaves were a bright, light shade, by which the tree can be distinguished from afar in the forest. The wood is of a deep, rich red colour, and otherwise marks the similarity of the big trees to the species that grow so abundantly on the Coast Ilange of mountains through the Pacific States, and known generally as the Redwood. Their wood is, how- ever, of a finer grain than their smaller kindred, and both that and the bark, the latter sometimes as much as 20 inches thick, are so light and delicate that the winds and snows of the winter make fi'cquent wrecks of the tops and upper branches. Many of the largest of these trees are, tfiorofore, shorn of their upper works. One or two of the largest in the grove we visited are wholly blown down, and we rode on horseback through the truuk of an old one that had been burnt out. Many more of the noblest specimens are scarred by fires that have been wantonly built about their trunks, or swept through the forest by accident. The trunk of one huge tree is burnt into half a dozen little apartments, making capital provision for a game of hide and seek by children, or for dividing up a picnic of older growths into aentimental couples. " A friend of the writer, who visited California with the Boston Board of Trade in 1870, and one of the most noted booksellers of the city, informs us that he rode erect on horse- back through the trunk of the fallen tree referred to by Mr. Bowles, to the distance of 120 feet ; that he and seven others, standing ehoulder to shoulder, walked down the outside of the tree without the least dilBculty, such was the breadth of the foothold afforded them ; and that ton horsemen, closely arranged in single file, did not roach round the trunk of the largest standing tree, which, by his measure- ment, was 99 feet in circumference. The silence in this grove is almost unbroken. Not a bird chants its song ; not an insect chirps. And to lie at full length on the soft carpet of fallen leaves, and gaze upward to the spiry tree-tops, and breathe the pure and exhilarating air which circles through the forest, is the height of enjoyment and voluptuous repose. We have thus briefly noticed a few of the multitude of ancient trees to be found on our globe. And as we look over the list, we are struck with wonder at the extent and variety of these monuments of vegetable life. No country is destitute of such trees. Scattered everywhere in great profusion, they attest to the boundless magnificence of Nature. And when we survey the whole field, and pause to reflect, we are impressed with the fact that no form of organised life is so venerable as this. Few animals live to the age of 200 years. The duration of man's life, except in the earliest periods of history, has rarely exceeded 100 years. Yet hero are trees, which, if we may trust our somewhat imperfect methods of calculation, must be at least from 4,000 to 5,000 years old ; and it is not impossible that there may be still standing trees which were in existence when Adam aud Eve walked in Paradise. J. S. Baket, in " Atlantic Monthly." THE HOUSEHOLD. GAELIC. DuniNG Elizabeth's reign Garlic and many plants possessing a similar flavour were in great repute in England. That this taste should have died out, to be supplauted in our time by a dislike almost as marked, is an unaccountable fact. It cannot bo from its smell, for the much-admired Truflle leaves an odour even more powerful than that of Garlic ; nor for any bad effect it produces on the system, for Easpail has written a pamphlet in which he points out the great benefit to be derived from a liberal use of Garlic as an article of diet. According to this author, besides the carminative and stimu. lating effects which Garlic exerts on the healthy system, and which are admitted by all, this bulb is an excellent anthelmintic, standing far before jalap or calomel in its power of expelling small intestinal worms. It is also a corrective of the flatulence often induced in dyspeptics by the use of certain vegetables, such as boiled Peas, Beans, and Lentils. From its similitude to the Squill it might natu- rally bo expected to have a soothing effect on the lungs when they are attacked by a severe cold ; and this, in fact, is the case. A well-made grue), seasoned with plenty of Garlic, will often cure a recent cough in a single night. But Raspail claims another and even more important result as directly derivable from the liberal use of Garlic ; and this is total exemption from many contagious diseases. I am not in a position to sustain or to controvert this assertion ; but, judging from the fact that many powerfully smelling bodies, such as chlorine, creosote, carbolic acid, acetic acid, fresh, roasted coffee, &c., do certainly act as disinfectants, it does not seem improbable that Dr. Raspail may be very much in the right. In culti. vating Garlic the head should be divided by gentle pressure into its component cloves, as the separate offsets are called ; and the off-sets planted in rows about 9 inches apart, leaving about 6 inches between the bulbs in each row. The best time for planting is certainly between October and November, if the soil lies dry. It otherwise, or if circumstances occur to prevent autumn planting, the bulbs may be put in, with almost equal success, any time from February to April. The beds should be prepared by being well dressed with well- rotted manure, and afterwards marked out into divisions 3i feet wide by means of little alleys running up the side of each bed, the soil from the alleys to be thrown on the bed, and the surface kept slightly rounded. Just previous to plantingamixture of soot and charred ref useshould bo run along the line in which the bulbs are about to be placed. Plant with the hand, and press each bulb firmly in the soil, but not to auy depth. See, from time to time, that they are not thrown up from their places by worms or other insects. Garlic is ready for storing about the end of June or beginning of July — that is to say, as soon as the leaves begin to decay. When this occurs, take up the crop, spread it out to dry on boards, and store it in paper bags, hung up in a dry airy place. On the Continent no salad in which Garlic does not enter as a component part is considered perfect, but instead of slicing up the Garlic, and mixing it with the salad, it is customary to rub it against a piece of crust, which absorbs the fragrance, and slice up the bread into the salad. Salt beef, into which a few cloves of garlic are introduced previous to boiling, acquires a much finer flavour after cooking than it would otherwise have. In roasting mutton, &c., the flavour is greatly improved by making two or three stabs in the fleshy portion, and placing therein a peeled clove or two of Garlic. — " English Mechanic." [Some of the most admired dishes jvepared in southern France are flavoured with Garlic] July 24., 1875.] THE GARDEN. 11 SOCIETIES AND EXHIBITIONS. EOTAL HOETICULTUEAL SOCIETY. July 21st and 22nd. This was, undoubtedly, the finest display of plants, fruits, and florists' flowers seen this season, and affords a striking illustration of the good feeling that exists between horticulturists generally and the new Council. Unfortunately, the weather was unfavourable, heavy rain falling nearly the whole of the first day. Messrs. Veitch, Bull, Williams, lioUisson, Wills, and others, all furnished fine collections of decorative plants ; and the show of fruit in competition for Messrs. Veitch's prizes was an excel- lent one. Grapes, Pines, and Peaches being well represented. Mr. Cole- man had the most perfectly " finished " Black Hamburghs which wo have seen this season. Tho Pelargonium Society, too, held its first exhibition on this occasion, in one of the tents, and a fine display of zonals was the result. T.ikcn altogether, this, tho last show of the season, must be regarded as a great success. First-class Certificates. — Theso were awarded to the following now and rare plants : Draesena triumphans (BuU). — ^A strong-growing slender-leaved variety, of a very dark bronzy colour, the margins of the leaves being undulated and incurved. Kentia Moorei (Bull). — A white pinnate-leaved Palm, of a rich green colour. The specimen of it shown was about '!■ feet in height, each leaf gracefully arched, a circumstance which gives to the plant a very striking appearance. Zonal Pelargonium Wonderful (Smith). — This is a sport from the now well-known Vesuvius, which it somewhat resembles ; but the flowers are semi-double and of good substance. Martinezia nobilis (Bull). — A striking fan-leaved Palm, with Bpinose petioles, free in growth, and deserviug of attention as a decorative stove Palm. Juniperua virginiana elegans (Lee). — A dwarf-growing variety of Red Cedar, the lower leaves on the young growth of which are of a creamy-yellow colour. Adiantum eoncinnum Flemingii (Fleming). — This is a free- growing pale green variety of a well-known Fern. Its young fronds are tipped with rosy-brown, a colour which gives it additional value as a decorative plant. Platycerium "Walliehii (Williams).— This is a strong-growing Fern similar to P. grande, but even more striking in habit, having much broader fertile fronds. It will make an attractive plant, either in the plant stove or in the Fernery. Polystiehum angulare grandidens pumilum (Ivery & Son). — A dark green depauperated form of a well-known British Fern, the pinnfo of which are singularly abrupt. It is distinct, and well deserving of culture. , Lomaria dolobryensis (Bull). — A robust-growing effective Fern from New South Wales, with pinnated crisped or serrated fronds of a bright green colour. As a stove Fern, it is both h.audsome and distinct. Aloe Greenii (Green). — A distinct-looking Aloe, marked with pale green blotches on a dark glossy ground. One of the most striking among variegated kinds. Stove and Greenhouse Plants. — The large exhibition tent wa' filled with one of the choicest and largest collections of new and rare plants, perhaps, ever brought together in one show. Of these Messrs. Veitch contributed a large and effective group, backed up by numerous specimens of the new Japanese cut-leaved Acers and large tree Ferns, Crotons, Gleichenias and other rare plants, the margin of this extensive collection being fringed with choice Orchids, Gloxinias, Pitcher plants, Dracfenas, and other varieties. Among other plants in this group we remarked AbutUon Darwinii, a now scarlet-flowered dwarf-habited species ; Trichomanes radicans eoncinnum, a fine mass (nearly a yard across) of fresh green semi-pellucid fronds ; Cypripedium Hariissianum, with one fine flower, Adiantum amabile, and the still rarer A. Luddeman- nianum with singularly fasciated fronds. Of A. speciosum and A. prin- ccps there were also good specimens. Among Pitcher ijlants are observed Sarracenia variolaris, and the pretty little S. psittacina, a fine panful of Darlingtonia californica, consisting of six well-grown plants. Of the true pitcher plants, or Nepenthes, there were fine specimens, grown in baskets, N. hybrida maculata, N. sanguiuea (a dwarf-growing plant, with blood-red pitchers), and the still more curious frill-leaved N. lanata, bearing eight or ten fine pitchers, the mouths of which were orna- mented with a margin fully an inch broad ; N. intermedia, N. KafHo- siana, and N. hybrida, were also well represented. Among new Orchids may be mentioned Cypripedium Sedenii, with bright rosy flowers ; Odontoglossum Eoczlii album, with snowy blossoms; Vanda tricolor; Masdevallia Veitohiana, with two fine flowers ; Odontoglossum Schliepe- rianum, with pallid flowers resembling those of 0. Insleayii ; a good plant of Saccolabium Blumei majus, with three good spikes ; MasdevaUia Harryana, with four large flowers ; and the new and distinct Zygo- petalum Sedenii, a hybrid which flowered last year for the first time ; a strong plant of Cattleya gigas, on a block, bearing two bright-coloured flowers ; a plant of the old, but still rare, Epidendrum nemoralo, with a spike of long-petaled rosy-lUao flowers ; and Cattleya superba, in excel- lent health and vigour, bearing two fine rosy-lUao crimson-lipped flowers. In this group we also noted a plant of the rare Japanese Lilium callosum bearing a spike of slenderpetaled bright scarlet flowers ; and Gloxinias, hybrid Begonias, Achimenes, and other flowering plants, were likewise well represented. Mr. W. Bull had one of the finest collections of foliage plants, perhaps, ever seen staged at one time. It consisted of Crotons, Dracajnas, Palms, Ferns, and Cycads, enlivened here and there with rare LUies aud Orchids in bloom. Among tho rarer plants were the deep green fan-leaved Pritohardia grandis, one of the finest and most distinct of aU decorative Palms. Croton majesticum was repi-esonted by several plants, all vividly coloured, C. Wisemanii being also well represented. The fine specimen which Mr. Bull possesses of Phyllotosnium Lindenii was staged as fresh as ever. It has great hastate green leaves, conspicuously marked with ivory-white veins, and is certainly one of the most distinct of all Arads for exhibition pur- poses. The new zebra-striped Dracsena Goldiana was well represented by two or three fine plants, one of them fully a yard in height, and clothed with leaves to the base. A bushy plant of Aucuba japonica lutco-picta, having a large creamy-yellow blotch in the centre of its glossy deep green leaves, attracted considerable attention, and is^ quite as beautiful as some of the new Crotons. Among Orchids, in this group, was a well- grown plant of the old, but none the less attractive, Onoidium Lanoea- num, bearing two large-branched spikes of richly-coloured flowers. In the same group was also a new and very large purple-flowered BoUea. Mr. B. S. Wnhams contributed some efi"ective banks of flowering and foliage plants, containing fine tree-Ferns, Crotons, and Cycads. Con- spicuous among tho Ferns was a specimen of Alsophila australis Williamsii, the peculiarity of which consists in its gracefully weeping habit, while well-grown specimens of Gleichenias, Palms, and other foliage plants were judiciously enlivenedby JapanLiUes,scarIet-spathed Anthuriums,rosy- floweredDipladenias,IIeaths,Stephanotis,and golden-flowered AUamandas. Messrs. EoUisson, of Tooting, furnished a well-grown collection of stove, greenhouse, aud hardy decorative plants, conspicuous among which was Todea intermedia, a noble specimen, fully 4 feet across, the semi-pellucid fronds of which drooped gracefully on all sides ; and two panfuls, each about a foot across, filled with the coral-berried Duckweed (Nertera depressa) were much admired, the pans being covered with dense mat-like masses of fresh green Duckweed-like leaves, and studded densely with brilliant orange-scarlet berries. Some rare pitcher plants, Venus's fly- trap (Dionasa muscipula), Orchids, Palms, aud Ferns, were also exhibited in good condition in this group. Mr. John WiUs set up an eflective group of large tree Ferns, Palms, and other decorative plants, as did also Messrs. Carter & Co., Mr. John Ley, and others. Mr. Charles Turner, of Slough, had an effective bank of pyramidal pot-trained Ivies, associated with Japanese LiUes and Palms, and margined by a double row of Moss- covered boxes, filled with cut Koses. Mr. Aldous, Gloucester Road, South Kensington, and Messrs. Lee, of Hammersmith, had also very effective groups of hardy and other decorative plants. Messrs. Ivery & Sons, Dorking, contributed a well-grown group of hardy and British Ferns. A fine bank of Heaths, in flower, came from Mr. E. Morse, of Epsom ; and Messrs. Cutbush, of Highgate, contributed Arauoarias, Palms, Ferns, and other well-grown decorative plants. A good collection of Pahns and other plants also came from Messrs. Osborn & Son, Fulham ; and Messrs. B. G. Henderson and Mr. W. Paul had attractive groups of Pelargoniums; of these the collection staged by Messrs. Henderson contained a large number of Cape species, which, if not showy, are invaluable for hybridising purposes. Mr. Parker, Tooting, sent a well-arranged collection of British Ferns in pots ; and Mr. R. Dean and Messrs. E. G. Henderson contributed effective groups of Sedums, Echeverias, Mesembryanthomums, Kleinias, and similar plants. Mr. Dean's pans of Sedum acre elegans (yellow), S. lydium (fresh green), S. glaucura (glaucous), and S. corsicum (blue) were very pretty. Messrs. E. G. Henderson had a fine group of the new Lilium Ilumboldtii, placed in the turf, and fringed with a double row of the pure white L. longiflorum. Mr. Stevens, gardener at Trentham. sent an effective group of Orchids, including Odontoglossum Alexandras, O. Pescatorei, Epidendrum vitellinum, and MasdcvaUiti Harryana. Mr. Denning staged a lovely bank of Orchids, in admirable condi- tion, from the Londesborough collection, and Mr. Croucher, gardener to J. T. Peacock, Esq., Hammersmith, exhibited an interesting col- lection of succulents, many of them grafted specimens. Messrs. Jackson & Sons, of Kingston, had an attractive and wcU-flowered group of Capo Heaths, among which we noticed the large white-flowered Erica obbata ; E . Irbyana, a long tubed rosy variety ; E.TurnbuUi, with long whito flowers ; several good varieties of E. tricolor, and a choice little specimen of E. aristata obbata, loaded with bright red flowers, and others. Messrs. J. t% C. Lee alsohad a good collection, as had likewise Mr. Morse, of Epsom. Messrs. Paul & Son staged an extensive and varied group of hardy varie- gated and other foliage plants, and a very attractive collection of out flowers came from Mr. Parker, the whole the produce of hardy plants. These were neatly arranged in pots of wet sand, and among them were Aponogeton distachyon, Digitalis macrantha, a large yellow-flowered Foxglove ; Coreopsis lanceolata, with fine yellow flowers ; several beauti- ful kinds of herbaceous Phloxes, Dielytra eximia, with pendent racemes of rosy flowers ; and the yellow-eyed, lilac-rayed Aster pyren03us. Del- phiniums were also well represented, as were likewise Fuchsias, by somo well-flowered, pyramidal-shaped plants, several of which were 5 feet in height, and fully a yard through at the base. Among the varieties shown we noticed Senator, a kind with rosy-scarlet sepals and purple corolla ; Favourite of Fortune, red, with blue corolla ; Wave of Life, red sepals and purple corolla ; Empress, scarlet sepals and white corolla ; Mrs. Marshall, white sepals and rosy coroUa ; Princess Beatrice, a white- SPpaled variety, with a rosy -salmon -tinted corolla; and Rose of 78 THE GAEDEN. [July 2-i, 1875. Castille, an old favourite, witli wliite sepals ani purple corolla ; Of Carnations, the best collection came from Mr. J. Douglas, of Loxford, who had Eose of Stapleford (Headley), scarlet and white ; Guardsman (Turner), scarlet, white, and black ; Samuel Morcton (Addis), rose and white ; Slarechal Ney (Headley) ; Mrs. Burnaby (Turner), pink and white ; Eosabelle (Schoefield), rose and white ; and other good flowers. The first prize for Picotces was also awarded to Mr. Douglas, who had Ethel (Fellows), white, laced with rose ; Admiration (Turner), white, laced with purple ; .Juliana (Turner), white, laced and flaked with ver- milion; Picco (Jackson), white, with rich purple lacing; Miss Williams (Norman), white, laced with salmon-pink ; and others. In the nursery- man's class, the principal prizes were awarded to Mr. Turner, who also staged several stands of very .'ittractive varieties not for competition. Good collections of Roses (cut blooms) came from Mr. G. Prince, of Oxford ; Messrs. Cranston and Mayo, King's Acre, Hereford ; and Messrs, G. Paul & Sons, of Cheshunfc. A group of Sonerilas, Begonias, and new seedling Dracienas came from Messrs. E G. Henderson & Sons; together with a variegated Oleander, and other interesting plants. Messrs. Barr & Sugden staged a collection of new American, Japanese, and other Lilies. Mr. Bull exhibited a flowering plant of Disa Barellii, a kind resembling D. grandiflora in every way, excepting that the flowers are bright orange, instead of crimson-scarlet. Some very fine pitchers of Nepenthes came from Mr. David Thomson, Drumlanrig. Among these a branch of N. distillatoria bore seven pitchers, each a foot in length, and of proportionate diameter. The extra size of these was attributed to the use of ammoniacal manure. Two new Masdevallias came from the Rev. Mr. Norman, of Edgeware. M. Normanii had large flowers, the back of the swollen sepaline tube being a bright purple, while the insides of the sepals were greenish-white. Another, supposed to be M. elephanticeps, had large flowers, greenish-yellow behind, with honey-coloured lines. The flowers were much smaller than M. elephanticeps, as figured by Reichenbach in his *' Xenia Orchidaceae.'' Both received botanical certificates. Mr. B. S. Williams, Victoria Nur- series, HoUoway, furnished a plant of the new Stag's-horn Fern (Platy- cerium Wallichii), which resembles P. grande ; but the fertile fronds are much broader and more omaraental. Messrs. Ivery & Sons sent several new hardy Ferns ; and Mr. W. Paul furnished a collection of single and double-flowered Zonal Pelargoniums, one of which, a deep crimson double variety, named Talabot, received a second-class certificate. Lobelia coerulea albo-marmorata fl. pi. was shown in good condition by Mr. Bull, It is similar in habit to the well-known L. Erinus speciosa; but the double flowers, which are very freely produced, are of a light or porcelain- blue colour. Table Decorations and Bouquets. — Two very pretty dinner table decorations were set up in the fruit tent by Mr. and Mrs. Hudson, of Champion Hill. One table was tastefully decorated with three slender pinuate-loaved Palms, each having a cone-shaped base of Ferns, Water Lilies, Gloxinia flowers, and Grasses. Four small glass baskets were tastefully filled with cut Roses and Gardenia flowers, mixed with fresh green Fern, the handles being draped with Ficus repens. The specimen- glasses each contained a button-bole bouquet, composed of Roses, Heaths, Kalosanthes coccinea, and Cornflowers, backed up by Maiden-hair Ferns and cut-leaved foliage of the Japanese Maple. Mrs. Hudson's table con- sisted of three trumpet-shaped vases, the bases of which were covered with fresh Fern fronds, on which rested Water Lilies, scarlet Gladiolus, blue Cornflowers, scarlet Anthurium,and Grasses. The stems of the vases were draped with the slender spray -like branches of the blue Passion-flower and the vases themselves were filled with wild Grasses, rosy Rhodanthe, and Orchid flowers, their margins being draped with scarlet Begonias, and the trailing golden-green flower-spikes of Dendrochilum filiforme. Two large specimen-glasses in the centre were filled with fronds of Gleichenia, intermixed with flowers of Miltonia spectabilis and Cattleya Harrisonise, which, in such company, had a fine appearance. The smaller specimen- glasses \»'ere filled with neat little button-hole bouquets, composed of Carnations and Ferns, Roses, Orchid flowers, and Forget-me-nots. Tliree very attractive bouquets came from Mr. Aldous, Gloucester Road. Tliey were tastefully arranged, and were composed of Eucharis, Stephanotis, Bouvardias, Heaths, Orchids, Roses, and Ferns. Fruit Prizes Offered by Messrs. Veitch & Sons.— The best collection of fruit (10 dishes) came from ]\Ir. Coleman, Eastnor Castle, who had very fine Black Hamburgh Grapes, perfect, both in colour and bloom ; Muscats, of excellent quality ; Royal George Peaches, Elrugc Nectarines, Early Prolific and Golden Gage Plums, Brown Turkey Figs, Eastnor Castle Hybrid Melon, and a good Queen Pine. Mr. Miles was second, with Black Hamburgh and Buckland Sweetwater Grapes, Queen Pine, Hybrid Cashmere Melon, Elrugc Nectarines, Royal George l*cachc8, Black Circassian and Bigarrcau Napoleon Cherries, Jetfcrson Plums, and large and fine Brown Turkey Figs. Mr. Sage, Ash- riJge showed a good collection. Six dishes came from Mr. T. Bannerman, who had good Blaclc Hamburgh and Muscat Grapes, Royal George Peaches, Trentham Hybrid Melon, Elruge Nectariues, and a Smooth Cayenne Pine. Mr. Jones, gardener to the Marquis of London- derry, Wynyard Park, Durham, had on excellent exhibition, consisting of Black Hamburgh and Muscat Grapes, a Queen I'ine, I'caches, Nectarines, and a good golden green-fleshed Melon. Pines were furnished by seven or eight exhibitors, who staged three fruit cacli. Mr. Scammel had three splendid examples of Charlotte Roths- child, the heaviest of which weighed fij lbs., another 5i lbs., and the third G lbs. Mr. Miles has three Queens, which weighed respectively 5 lbs. G oz., 5 lbs., and ■libs. 13 oz. Mr. Chamberlain had also three very good and well-ripened Queens. The best lilack Grapes came from Eastnor Castle ; they consisted of bimches, which were firm and com- pact, densely black in colour, and covered with a thick bloom. Mr. T. Coomber also had good examples, as had likewise Mr. Jones, Wynyard Park. Mr. Bannerman had the best Muscats, the bunches of which were large and remarkably well set and coloured. Mr. Loudin's clusters, to which the second award was made, were perfectly ripened but rather thinly set. The best Peaches came from Guunersbury, and consisted of Bellegarde, excellent in quality, large and highly coloured. Mr. Fennel had a fine dish of Noblesse. Over thirty dishes of Peaches were staged ; and Nectarines were repre- sented by about twenty dishes, Mr. Edmonds being first with Violctte Hiitive of excellent quality. Mr. Jack had also highly-coloured and fine fruit In the class of three bunches of Grapes of any kind except Muscat of Alexandria and Black Hamburgh, Mr. Loudin was first with Seaclifl'e Black, Golden Champion, without a trace of " spot," and a fine cluster of Madresfield Court. Mr. Cox had three good clusters of Buckland Sweet- water. A good collection of Gooseberries came from the gardens at Chiswick ; and Mr. Bennett, Rabley, Herts, furnished six very fine Little Heath Melons, the collective weight of which was 39 lbs. Mr. Jones, of the Royal Gardens, Frogmore, contributed a collection of Cherries, Peaches, Nectarines, and Plums, not for competition. A fine brace of Duke of Edinburgh Cucumbers (Munro) came from Mr. Bennett, who obtained a first Drize for them. Miscellaneous Subjects. — Mr. Perkins, Thomham Hall, Suffolk, showed a fine dish of Tomatoes ; and Messrs. Carter & Co. also had a dish of their new yellow Tomato, named Greengage. A new seedling Apricot, named Frogmore Early, came from Mr. Jones ; it is a good flavoured fruit, and ripened on the 12th of July on a south wall. Mr. Bennett sent a new Cucumber, named Rabley Hero, a good cropper, and one that is veiy suitable for market purposes. A new blue-wrinkled Marrow Pea, named Dr. Maclean, a good cropper, came from Mr. Cox, of Madresfield Court. Mr. Bennett sent a fasciated stem of Munro's Duke of Edinburgh Cucumber, fully 3 inches in width, bearing perfect flowers, leaves, and fruit. It is a singular fact that the brace of fruits for which Mr. Bennett was awarded the flrst prize, were cut from this fasciated branch. The Proposed Park at Hampstead. — With reference to this Miss Octavia Hill writes thus to the " Times " : — It would be most desirable if we could secure open spaces at the very doors of the poor; but to provide a park in Clerkenwell and St. Giles and like quarters long ago became a practical impossibility, and the question now is whether London can aftbrd to lose a bit of green hilly ground actually within a stone's throw of a station of the Metropolitan Railway, well within the four miles radius from Charing Cross, and easily reached in a short afternoon's walk by inhabitants of poor and populous neighbourhoods. Not only is this ground easily accessible, but it lies so high that the air must bo fresh and the view always wide and beautiful, even when the flat Kilburn fields have become, as they are fast becoming, one sea of houses, and the buildings have approached on the last side to the foot of them. It is true that the houses which surround these fields are not of the poorest, but neither are those in Park Lane or Connaught Place, yet that does not prevent Hyde Park from being a benefit to the poorest Londoner who is within walking distance of it. Any one who knows the poor, and knows how stifling their small rooms and narrow courts are on an August evening, will feel how desirable it is that the country should not be removed one mile further from them than it now is, which will be done if these fields are built over. AVindsor, Epping, and Wimbledon are available for those who can take a day's holiday and pay railway fares for themselves and their families, but such places do not meet the need of the struggling artisan, who on a hot Saturday evening wants to secure a breath of fresh air without expense and without travelling far. Wise men are feeling more and more that many of the gifts which they have been in the habit of making have been productive of evil rather than of good, because they have destroyed the industry and self-reliance of the poor. Hero is an opportunity for them to dedicate some of the wealth which they must feel to be a trust in a way which will be clearly and continuously helpful. I hope there are many who would care to feel that they had given an acre, or some portion of an acre, of beautiful ground to the poor for ever — ground which must be a perpetual blessing while London lasts. The Sycamore-leaved Buttercup (Ranunculus platanifolius).— Few plants were more bcantifal with me during the month of May than this pretty Buttercup. It is a tall-growing species with largo handsome dark green leaves and a stem from 1 to 2 feet high, bearing numerous large snow-whito flowers. My plants, which lasted in bloom nearly a month, camo from the Dolomite Mountains, the home of another lovely white-dowered species, which is also growing well with me, though it. has not yet bloomed, viz., R. Seguiori.— H. HiHPDB CeewE, Untt/ton-llciinchamli EcHory, Tring, Picea nobilis at Thorpe Perrow.— Wo have a fine tree of Picea nobilis over 3a feot hi'^h bearing a great qu.antity of cones on the upper halt of the tree, the lower part being quite bare. Thov grow in clusters with as many as ten or twelve closely packed. The weight of the cones h.is pulled each whorl mto tho shape of an umbrella, and rather spoiled the symmetry of tho tree. I planted this tree in 1S52 ; it is a grafted plant on a weak stock, but after a good deal of coaxing it struck out roots above the graft, and grow away with an extra- ordinary vigour.— WiLLlAji CnLvliBWELi,, Thorpe Femw. Wasps and Kain.— Have any of tho readers of The GmniUf noticed that a contiuuS^nco of heavy rains, such as we are having now, almost entirely destroys wasjis' neets ?— W. IJ. THE GAEDBN. 79 SATUBDAT, JULY 31, 1875. " Thia is an art Which does mend nature : chanp^e it rather : The i ET ITSELP IS Nature." — Shakespeare. but "WORTHLESS LABURNUMS. The Laburnum is certainly one of the most beautiful of our flowering trees — it can scarcely be called a shrub, as it fre- quently attains a height of from 30 to 40 feet. Its long, drooping racemes of golden blossoms, appearing in the earliest days of opening spring, have long since caused this graceful tree to rank among the chief favourites of our gardens and shrubberies, in which it is always highly ornamental. A tree in the neighbourhood of York, above 30 feet high, the trunk of which is considerably more than a foot in diameter, was entirely covered throughout the month of May with a shower of golden bloom, sufficient to give it a perfect right to its picturesque French title, La Pluie d'Oi% each raceme of flowers being from 15 to 18 inches in length. It should be stated that this tree is not what is commonly called the Scotch variety, the racemes of which are very long, and generally few in num- ber, but of the typical kind, flowering early, with moderately- small foliage, and the upper petals strongly marked with the characteristic jet-black lines. Now it does seem extraordinary, with such a type as this beautiful tree at command, that seedlings of inferior value, which are positively not worth garden room, should be sent out from nurseries. The subject "attracted my attention particularly this spring in London, and, on making a round of inspection, I found fully one-third of the Laburnums I met with in the parks and squares utterly worthless as ornamental trees ; instead of long, pendent racemes forming a golden shower, such as I have described, these worthless varieties exhibited a sparse display of little stumpy bunches, scarcely as ornamental as the flowers of a yellow Ribes. This, I presume, must arise from the sale of chance seedlings, which spring up as abundantly as weeds in most places where a few old Laburnums exist, and in this way the beauty of one of our most lovely flowering trees is allowed to degenerate. Many years ago, as is well known, it was asserted that a purple kind had been produced. Large num- bers of this supposed novelty were disposed of, and purchasers fondly imagined that a striking and beautiful addition had been made to spring-flowering trees. They were, however, doomed to disappointment ; for, when the so-called purple Laburnums blossomed, the flowers, though certainly not yellow, were of a purple so dingy as to be quite unattractive ; the racemes, too, were few and undersized, and the so-called purple Laburnum was soon cast forth from the place of honour that had been assigned to it, and heard of no more. This little episode, as regards Laburnums, is, how- ever, sufiicient to show that they are amenable to improvement ; indeed the poor seedling strains of the plant now sold as true Laburnums are alone sufiicient proof that the tree is subject to variation ; and it is to be hoped that attention will be directed to this subject, and that, although no striking improvements may be made, at all events, only the best of the kinds now in existence will be brought into the market, to the exclusion of worthless seedlings. Sufficient attention is not generally paid in the plantation of ornamental .shrubberies to the distinct utilisation of the early-flowering typical Laburnums and the late-flowering Scotch variety. Regard should always be had, with respect to flowering shrubs and trees, to the times of their blossoming, and groups should be formed of those which come into bloom at the same time. For instance, in seasons favourable to the early flowering of the Laburnum, it is in its greatest beauty at the same time as the Lilac, consequently groups formed of Laburnums and both white and purple Lilacs are productive of effects of the most charming kind, while the late-flowering " Scotch" variety might, with ecjual advantage, be grouped with Guelder Roses (Viburnums) and the pink and crimson Hawthorns which bloom about the same time, as well as with one or two of the distinct new species of late- flowering Lilacs. It may here be observed that, as with the common form manyutterly worthless variations occur from seed, so with the Scotch variety examples occur, in which the flowering power is so small that scarcely half a dozen racemes appear in a large specimen, though the foliage, which is the great feature of this kind, is nearly always fine. In the Tyrolese Alps, where it is seen wild, it generally occurs in combination with young Spruce Firs, with which it associates very charmingly, and a poor seedling variety is seldom or nev9r seen. H- N. H. ROSES IN 1875. I HATE read with pleasure Mr. Hole's delightful paper, "TIm Roses" (see p. 57), but I cannot endorse his opinion of the Rose season of 1875. Here the Roses have not been up to the mark this year. We were favoured with strong winds nearly all spring, and, to the rosarian, a genuine " fair wind," blowing off the German Ocean, is anything but a treat. My Roses, all through May, looked as though they had been shot at with one of the new " choke bore " guns, the foliage was so torn and riddled. Add to this, continued drought till the middle of June, counteracted with difiiculty by almost daily deluging with water. About the 21st of June, however, ram came down heavily, and from that time to the present it has been hard work to cut a decent " pan " of Roses, and to keep down mildew, by shading the blooms and stu-ring the surface almost daily. Such allies as La France (of which grand Rose, from some fifty plants, I have not cut a good bloom this season), Baroness Rothschild, Marie Rady, Abel Grand, Pierre Netting, Marechal Niel, and Due de Rohan (grandest of Roses) have been, in my boxes, conspicuous by their absence ; to say nothing of those very "fair weather sailors" (to use Mr. Hole's terra), Edward Morren, Monsieur Noman, and Laslia. The Roses that have succeeded best with me are Charles Lcfebvre (always good), Marie Baumann, Senateur Vaisse, Camille Bernardin, and Duke of Wellington, amongst dark kinds; and Victor Verdier, Emilie Hausburg, Duchesse de Morny, Margaret Dombrain (which some people call a weak grower, but of which I have plants now with shoots 4 feet long on cut-back Briars), Queen Victoria, H. P. (the best light Rose I have grown this year, and of which I have been able to show blooms in nearly every one of seventeen stands), and Madame Vidot, that exquisite shell-like Rose, which has been better than usual, among the lighter varieties. The kinds which I have named have been the only ones that have been quite up to the mark out of all the sorts I grow. I attended nine shows ; but in only two instances— viz., Nottingham and Wisbeach— did I see grand collections. Of course, there were individual blooms of great merit, and the twelve blooms of Mademoiselle Mane Cointet, staged by Mr. Bennett at the Crystal Palace, were faultless; but one looked in vain for such stands as were shown a year or two ago by the Rev. Messrs. Hole and Pochin,and the seventy -two which Cranston showed for the £20 prize at Wisbeach two years ago. Regarding Mr. Hole's letter to you on the remuneration of judges, this is a matter which much concerns the amateur rosarian. After toil and trouble which few would undergo, unless bitten by the "Rose mania," one cuts a stand of blooms, and takes them with delight to the local flower shows. To his disgust he has been passed over for blooms far inferior to his own ; and for this reason— the persons who judged them have never grown a Rose in its integrity, and do not know how they should be grown. They are very good men for the rest of the show, but pray let them keep out of the Rose tent. It is disheartening to be beaten, not by better Roses— no true rosarian mmds that— but by the want of knowledge in the judge. When such men as the Rev. Messrs. Hole, Dombrain, Pochin, and Peach, are judging, the amateur stages his Roses with a light heart, knowing that they will stand or fall on their merits ; and it is only fair, both to the judge and the exhibitors, that competent men should be appointed and adequately paid. niiatteris. John Lewin Curtis. Iris Monnieri.— As the last flowers of the German Irises were dying off, this Iris opened its bloom with me en the 3rd of this month, and it is a truly beautiful, fragrant, and distinct species— more pleasing, Ithmk, than any Ins I have ever seen. The leaves are dark green, and the flower-stem stands nearly 4 feet high. It flowers in the way of the Spanish and English Irises. The outer divisions are recurved and are of a rich golden-ye low, margmed with white. It is not by any means a common plant. The only catalogue m which I have seen it mentioned is one of Messrs. Henderson, from whom I got my plant two years ago.— G. F. THE GAUDBN. [July 31, 1875. NOTES OP THE WEEK. The effect of the few fine days which we have had on the supplies of cut bloom for the London Market is quite marked, the bloom being rich and bright and the growth strong. To the same cause, no doubt, is owing the enormous size of many of the Mushrooms seen in the market during the week. Messes. E. G. Hendeeson send us from St. John's Wood, a blossom of the sweet-scented Water Lily (Nymphsea odorata.) It is a very small flower compared with those we have observed on the plant in the lakelets of New England and in Canada. Is the true ordinary form of the white North American Water Lily in cultivation ? A HOUSE in Piccadilly is now adorned with the showy flowers of a plant of Clematis Jaokmanni, planted in the area, and trained up the wall, just in the rude way in which the Virginian Creeper is treated. In the suburbs of London, the new Clematises, being vigo- rous and hardy, thrive very well when fairly treated. Mk. Mvatt, of Deptford, has lately sent thousands of cut stems and blooms of the beautiful Lilium eximinm to Covent Garden every market day. It is much in demand for church decoration, and ia bought in huge baskets (" load. baskets " in market parlance), tied in bundles of more than a dozen flowers each. All interested in London gardens would do well to look at Bedford Square just now; we never before saw Grass so green in a London square, and the Planes look as well as they do on the banks of the Ohio river. The square was arranged during the winter by Mr. Meston, and in a very judicious manner. Veet rapid progress is being made with the aquarium and summer and winter garden at Westminster. This will be to a con. siderable estent a garden structure, and will be glazed by Mr. Kendle, whose system it will certainly test thoroughly. That it is simple and economical in a high degree there can be no doubt. PEKHArs the most successful examples of city culture is that of hardy Perns in the areas of London houses. It is quite common to grow them in this way, and the plants frequently look as fresh and vigorous as if in a moist wood in the country. Some of the London areas, indeed, look uncommonly like sections of dry ditches taken possession of by Perns. In the gardens of Apsley Ilouse we notice some stone seats of simple and massive design, which are improvements in every respect on the " rustic," iron, or other seats usually employed in public and private gardens. Stone seats of good design are common in Italy and sometimes seen in Prance, and their introduction to our public gardens is desirable. The value of Watercresses sold in Paris in the course of a year ia estimated by Mr. Vizetelly at £160,000, an average number of bundles estimated at £400 value being furnished each day to the hospitals and households of the French capital. The freah unbruised condition in which Watercress is supplied to the Paris market is deserving of imitation by our own growers. Me. Baeko.x, of Elvaston, moved an Oak tree at Impney in Worcestershire, 52 feet 6 inches in diameter of branches, and 8 feet 1 inch in circumference of stem, when in full leaf, on the 22nd of May of the present year. On Tuesday last he brought to The Garden oflice shoots 4 inches long made by the tree since its removal. Those who think autumn transplanting the beat would do well to bear such instances in mind. Palms and Bay trees are so nsed as to produce a beautiful effect near the upper part of Park Lane. No really great improve- ments can be effected thereabouta, however, till the enormous masses of bedding plants are reduced to proportioua which will make them agreeable to the eye. Towards tho Marble Arch end the beds are only separated by a few feet of turf. There are as many flowers here aa would, if diaposed in a temperate and judicious manner, embellish half a county. A rise specimen of the variegated American Aloe is now flowering in the Oxford Botanic Garden. The height of the stem, which is not yet fully developed, is 20 feet, and tho diameter of the plant from tip to tip is now 11 feet G inches ; it waa formerly 12 feet 6 inches, but the decay which is attendant upon the olfort to throw up tho flower stem has already caused tho leaves to droop. One of tho larger leaves measures 5 feetC inches in length, 8 inches in width, and 2 feet 3 inches in girth at the base, the body of the plant, from which the leaves start, being just G feet in circumference. The common idea that tho American Aloe does not flower until it has attained the patriarchal age of 100 years, is a mistake In hot coun- tries, where there ia a plentiful supply of nourishment, and the plant has unlimited root room, it attains maturity, blooms, aud dies, in aa short a period aa perhaps ten years ; but as the climate in which it is grown htcoines colder, aud tho root space conflned to a pot or tub, its development is proportionately longer. The Oxford specimen is pro. bably between seventy and eighty years old, it having been brought to the gardens at an unknown age aome seventy years ago. The Rev. Reynolds Hole, writing to us from Cauuton Manor, says: — -"The Rose harvest, which began with so much brilliancy and bounty, closes in a dismal and damp decay." Elton Pine ia this week also the best Strawberry of the London markets. Myatt'a Eleanor ia also sold to some extent, but it is very inferior in flavour. St. Swithin's day was carefully selected this year for the last grand fCte at the Royal Botanic Gardens ! The band played " Long to rain over ua !" with enthuaiasm. — ■" Punch." Peaes now come from the Continent in great nnmbera, but of rough quality as yet ; there are many green William Pears, and in a week or so we shall doubtless have these with some flavour. The law case, referring to Euston Square, which we publish elsewhere, points to the necessity of only giving important garden contracts, of the kind in question, to trustworthy men, who are able and willing to fulfil their engagements. Me. C. Green who once had charge of Mr. Borrer's remark- ably intereating garden at Henfield and atterwarda of Mr. Wilson Saunders' fine collections at Reigato, ia now eatabliahed as a nursery- man at the Botanical Nurseries, Reigate, Surrey. Me. Bewley's plants realised, we are informed, £575, a small amount for a collection brought together at so much expense. The tree Perns fetched £78, a mere nothing compared with their original cost. The season seems to be unusually wet in America aa with us. " Moore'a Rural " says — "From all parts of the country come reports of heavy and frequent rains, which bid fair to make the present summer known as an unusually wet one." Caetee's Green. gage Tomato is beginning to come into Covent Garden Market. It does not, however, seem to " take " for cooking purposes, but it has peculiar merits as a salad Tomato, or for eating raw, the flavour being distinct and good. Messes. Sander, of St. Albans, send us a remarkable example of the Seville Long Pod Bean, grown in the open field. This is, without doubt, a real improvement in its way, and that is more than can be said of most " new " vegetables. As the name indicates, this variety comes from Spain. Nuts of all kinds are showing a remarkably fine crop in Kent this year. As the larger fruits will probably now eacape all danger from the weather it may be said that the present year will be long remembered for the abundance of its fruit in England and throughout western Europe generally. O.N the 24th of July, 1875, miles of bedding plants in the London west-end parks looked as if they had endured the cold aud storms of October without having grown during the summer. In considering the merits of half-hardy bedding plants for garden decoration, it is well to bear in mind how they look in exceptionally cold seasons. The trees in the London squares are now in fine condition, particularly the Planes, so noble in stature and fresh in their perfec- tion of leafage. Mr. Bain, late of the College B:)tauic Gardens, Dublin, who is now living in London, tells us that our Loudon Square trees are frequently far finer than any to be found in districts supposed to bo among the most favourable for vegetation. The Royal Ilorticultural Society of Brussels announces that, with the concurrence of the Government, it ia organising a grand inter- national exhibition and horticultural congress, which will take place in the end of April, 1876, at Brussels. An appeal has been addressed to the principal horticultural societies of Europe, requesting them to co-operate. The society has also announced that it will bear tho expenses of transport upon Belgian railways of all products intended for exhibition, and concludes by remarking that as the intended floral fete ia the hundredth, everything will be done to render it exceptionally important. A I'EW of Lady Ashburton'a plants, sold by Stevens the other day, realised remarkable prices. Turner's variety of Lajlia elegans, an important plant that haa produced a spike bearing thirteen flowers of a rich dark colour, and delioiously fragrant, fetched £18 (13. Otl. ; Phalainopsis Schilleriana, which last year bore 378 flowers, and which waa awarded a Lindley medal, brought £33 12s. Od. ; an Anthurinm Scherzerianum, that bore forty. five spathes this season, realised £32 lis. Od. ; a fine jilant of Cypripedium caudatum fetched £16 16s. Od.; Saccolabium guttatum, £14 143. Od. ; and Oncidiuni concolor, £15. Other lots, of which there were in all 2G3, brought from £5 to £10 each. JuLT 31, 1875.] THE GARDEN. THE FLOWER GARDEN. DOCTBLE-FLOWERBD IVY-LEAVED GERANIUM. We have received from Mr. Cannell, of Woolwich, flowers and foliage of this plant, of which the accompanying is an illustration. It is perfectly double, and pink in colour, with deep carmine streaks or veins down the centre of the upper petals. It is named Konig Albert, and is, we believe, the first double-flowered form hitherto obtained in the section to which it belongs. As a decorative plant it will, undoubtedly, become popular owing to its elegant habit of growth and the profusion with which its flowers are produced by established plants. The Ivy-leaved section of the Geranium family, we need scarcely say, make excellent window plants, and of these some pretty specimens may now be seen on some of the bal- conies in Piccadilly. Either for this purpose or for window- boxes they are unrivalled, and should always be grown, for such purposes, as well as for hanging baskets, for vases, and for the decoration of hollow tree stumps, and for forming edges for beds in the flower flarden. All Ivy-leaved kinds are easily propagated by inserting cuttings in a balcony or window-bo;f during the summer months. In the spring they may be struck easily, and cuttings taken ofi so late as August Double Ivy-leaved Pelargonium Konig Albert. may be well rooted in the open border before frost sets in, and make pretty little plants for next year's decorations. B. SUCCULENTS FOR BEDS. Sedums. Succulents, in many cases, seem to be taking the place of Geraniums, Calceolarias, Verbenas, and other showy plants, a change which is partly due to fashion and partly to the charm- ing effects that have been produced by means of succulents of late years in our public parks, and also in some private gardens. Their most popular forms occur amongst Sedums, Sempervivums, Echeverias, Pachyphytums, and Mesembryan- themums ; and to these may be added one or two Cotyledons, Crassulas, and Kleinias. Sedums serve to heighten the effects produced by bedded out plants. There is no commoner rock plant than the old Sedum acre, but its free-flowering habit for a short time in the summer, and ragged appearance afterwards, render it objectionable for beds. There are, however, two variegated sports from this that are most useful — the one for the winter, and the other for the summer garden ; and, singularly enough, it would seem as if the colouring matter of the plant was exhausted in the variegation, as neither of them flower. Sedum acre aureum— the golden-tipped Stone- crop — is a beautiful winter decoi-ative plant , its golden tips peeping out in November, are brilliant through the winter, and only vanish with the heat of May ; still, except as a green carpet plant, it is not used for summer bedding. Sedum acre elegans is a silver-tipped variety, and this kind has its colour best when the weather is warm and dry. It grows freely, is close and dense, and forms a very pleasing groundwork. I observe that the variegation is most displayed on the side-shoots that break out from established plants. One of the most effec- tive of the Sedums is glaucum, which has a i*markably fi-ee, but dwarf and compact habit of growth, covering the ^oil with greatr >- rapidity. The foliage is of a silvery glaucous h-ue, Upon which'i after rain, the water lies in large crystal globules, that sparkle, in the sunshine. This variety flowers but sparingly, the. small pink- white blooms appearing, early in June, just above the foliage. Of course these are easily plucked if desired. Sedum lydium (sometimes called lividum) is the best green carpet- plant, excelling all others for that purpose. It is also very free- growing, and speedily forms a complete mass of foliage, which in moist places is of a deep green hue ; tinted with brown where much exposed to the sun; and when quite dry and scorched, turns to a deep red hue, and looks like a distinct variety. This blooms thinly, the head of white flowers being thrown up, at the end of May, about 2 inches above the surrounding growth. These, however, in beds are easily pinched out. A very pretty, but distinct, close-growing kind, is Sedum corsicum, a variety that looks like a miniature form of Sieboldii. The foliage is small, but thick and fleshy, and of a glaucous hue. This also flowers thinly, the blooms being borne rather in branches than in trusses ; but that does not affect the beauty of the variety, which makes a capital carpet-plant. The sixth and last Sedum is amplexicaule, a variety to which I have before made reference. It is of a woody nature, and has a creeping habit of growth, resembling a very dense-habited Portulaca; and, in good soils, grows most freely. A small piece, given me in Februa,ry, has spread until it now nearly covers a 12-inch pan ; and I believe it will make an excellent bedding plant. Strong leading shoots, thrown out occasionally, may sometimes flower ; but these can be easily pulled out, and, as the remaining growth is very close, and of a silvery hue, it also makes a very useful carpet-plant. I could add to these Sedum carneum foliis variegatis, an erect-growing kind, much resembling the Koniga variegata in appearance, and in the markings of the foliage ; but, although it looks pretty under glass, yet in the open air the variegation is uncertain and lacks colour. Excepting this latter variety, all the Sedums just named are perfectly hardy. Sempervivums. Among these maybe found considerablevariety, both in habit and growth. The commonest of all this family is Tectorum, the well-known Houseleek, but it is rather too coarse in growth to be generally acceptable as a bedding plant. The dwarf Sempervivums are valuable for edgings ; and, when once established, grow rapidly and throw out a numerous progeny ; thus a perfect compact edging is formed and the soil is held as in a vice. For this purpose the two best are S. montanum and californicum. The former has medium-sized dense heads of growth that are dark green in colour and resemble miniature rosettes. These throw out young plants from the sides on tendrils ; and, as the young ones touch the soil, they take root and grow and soon develop into good plants. This Semper- vivum will bloom when it attains a certain size, and in the spring it is easy to observe what plants will flovrer, as these do not produce young ones. Californicum has a more robust growth, and in colour is of a pale green, the spines being tipped with brown. This variety multiplies itself at the base, where it produces quite a large progeny during the summer ; these should be separated from the old plant in the autumn and pricked out on a dry bank, where they will make good plants the following year. One of the prettiest of this family is arachuoideum or the Cob-web Houseleek. In spite of its beauty, however, I do not find that it is much used for bedding purposes. It is propagated but slowly ; and, as its crowns seldom exceed an inch in diameter, it requires a large stock to make any display. It is most effective when used as " dot " plants — that is, clumps of crowns turned out from large pots here and there in a carpet of some dwarf plant. Of course, these would eventually have to be broken up ; but, with cai-e, a succession of good-sized plants can always be had. A very distinct and remarkable variety is S. tabuteforme, the singular flat table-like character of its growth rendering it peculiarly useful as a " dot " plant on a bed of Sedums or other carpet plants. This variety does not multiply freely, and therefore a large stock of it is seldom seen. S. Bollii partakes of the same habit of growth, but is not so effective. It is, 82 THE GAEDEN. [July 31, 1875. however, a most, useful variety. S. canariense is a very robust form. Plants of it are much cupped in the centre, and the leaves are large and thick. The surface of these is slightly woolly. Side shoots bi-eak out freely, and it is easily propa- gated. S. Donkelaarii is a very handsome round form, plants of it resembling a neat flat rosette. It grows tall, but is never prettier than when about 6 inches in height, when its form is very perfect. S. phyllioides is a tall, robust form of the preceding, but the crowns are much cupped in shape. It is a vigorous grower, and effective for large beds. S. urbicum is a neat, distinct kind, as the leaves are thick and massive, of a brownish-green hue of colour and slightly pointed; the edges are also somewhat serrated. It is a vigorous grower, and a very desirable variety. Still more desirable is S. arboreum, a tall-growing kind having somewhat narrow leaves, loosely set, and much tinted with brown. It branches freely, and is a robust grower. Equally robust, and probably the most effec- tive of all the tall-growing Sempervivums, is arboreum varie- gatum, a very showy variegated form of the previously-named kind. This makes a fine plant for the centre of succulent beds, or is very effective when planted in a carpet of A.lternautheras, and should be found in every collection. Echeverias. These are useful bedding succulents, and no plants are more largely used than are the semi-hardy forms of secunda ; other varieties, however, are tender, and need a greenhouse to keep them through the winter, and a gentle heat to propagate them in the spring. Echeveria secunda is well known by its pale green rosette, the tips of the leaves being mai-ked with red. Secunda major is but a glaucous form of the pre- ceding. Secunda glauca differs only in having leaves rather more pointed and still more glaucous. Secunda pumila is a smaller form, with narrow leaves, that are of the colour of secunda major. One of the handsomest of all this section is secunda globosa, the leaves of which are lai'ge and ovate, and of a very silvery hue. This is a scarce variety but will be exceedingly popular when well known. Echeveria glauca metallica is intermediate between the well-known metallica and secunda glauca. It has a dwarf massive habit of growth, the leaves very solid and fleshy, and is a very distinct and useful kind. Echeveria metallica is a noble variety, and stands alone in the massiveness of its leaves and their rich metallic hue of colour. Mesemliryaiitheniurfls. Only a few of these are used as succulent bedding plants- Some of the large flowering kinds have at times been used as such ; but as their beauty has rested chiefly with the flowers, they have not proved acceptable to those who prefer varieties useful for their foliage. No Mcsembryanthemum at present exceeds in popularity and usefulness the well-known cordifolium variegatum. As a carpet-foliage plant it is unique ; and, as it also increases in a littfe heat as freely as the Watercress, it is soon made into a large stock. Another very pretty and robust-growing form is sessiliflorum album ; this is a creeping kind, having thick, short, fleshy, yet spiny, leaves, and small, white, sessile flowers. It grows densely, and makes a good covering plant. Another very pretty kind, distinct and effective, is deltoideum ; this throws out long branches covered with small obtuse fleshy leaves, that are slightly serrated and of a glaucous Ime ; it has a more woody habit than the preceding kinds, and requires to be propagated from young growths. A curious, and somewhat tender, form is densum, which resembles a small form of Cactus, as each fleshy leaf is tipped with a bunch of small hair- like spines. It could not be planted largely, but would look very pretty if used, as advised, for Sempervivum arach- noideum. One other useful kind is lupinum, which bears a close resemblance to a miniature Agave ; the leaves, which are thick and fleshy, resemble in shape the bows of a finely-formed rowing-boat, and have on each side spiny filaments. It would look very effective grown in a mass. Kleinlas, Pachyphytums, Cotyledons, and Crassulas. Of Kleniias the commonest form is K. repens, so useful for the glaucous blue colour of its leaves ; it has an upright growth, and, if propagated early and planted up closely, makes a very effective mass of foliage. A very distinct and pleasing kind is K. tomentosa, which has a growth resembling repens ; but the leaves are more pointed, and clothed with a covering of a white cottony texture ; it greatly resembles a huge form of the Cerastium tomentosum. The Pachyphytums are also a limited family, the two best and most useful being bracteosum and roseum. These are slow but sure growers, and should be grown to a good size before being planted out ; they are most useful as pot-plants, and much admired ; they may be propa- gated freely from the base of the leaves, but grow slowly into plants. Cotyledons, also, are not a numerous family, and I find the best to be pulverulenta ; it has large ovate leaves, thick and fleshy, that are covered with a thick white bloom ; it is of robust growth and multiplies freely. The Crassulas are very varied in habit ; the best bedder is tetragona, as it has a dwarf compact growth, and requires to be planted thickly to make a good mass of foliage. These constitute a varied collection of bedding succulents, and include all the best known bedding kinds. I have purposely excluded the Agaves, a class of plants which are, as a rule, too large for bedding purposes. A. D. GROWING AND TRAINING NOISETTE ROSES. Masechal Niel is allowed by all to be the most perfect and beautiful yellow Rose with which they are acquainted ; but the difficulty is to obtain it on a suitable stock. If worked on the Manetti, it only lives and flourishes about three years, after which a knob forms at its junction with the stock, from which no roots are emitted, and, finally, it parts from the stock and dies. The best stock forMarechal Niel is the Boursault. Two plants of it may be seenat the Darlington Nurseries, growing in a wooden chest — one budded on a new stock raised from the seed of the Boursault, the other upon its own roots. Both plants receive the same treatment, and they are both growing under the same glass structure. After growing twelve months, both of them were measured, when it was found that the one budded on the Boursault had made eight shoots, containing in the aggregate some 800 feet of wood ; the other, on its own roots, had not made a quarter of that amount of growth. The Marechal also succeeds perfectly when budded on Gloire de Dijon, and it likewise makes a good plant when budded on a Briar about a foot high. Its proper home is a glass-roofed house, in which the shoots should be trained up the rafters. It may, however, be grown against a south wall in the south and west of England ; but it is folly to attempt growing it in the open ground in the northern counties. A new yellow Rose, sent out this spring, called Perle des Jardins, raised by Levet, is very beautiful, and is said to possess a more hardy constitution than the Marechal. Its foliage is darker than that of the latter, and the wood is something like that of Gloire de Dijon. The hardiest of the yellow Noisette Roses are Celine Forrestier and Triomphe de Rennes ; Solfaterre is not quite so hardy, but any of these may be safely grown against a south wall in any of the counties south of Birming- ham. The new Noisette, called Bouquet d'Or, raised by Ducher, is perfectly hardy. I have proved it to be so, and it is a pretty Rose, which grows and blooms freely in autumn ; its colour is a deep yellow, with a coppery centre, and the blooms are large and full. Madame Caroline Kuster, an orange - yellow, raised by Pernet, is a free-flowering and promising variety ; both these Roses, budded on 4 feet standards, survived the rigour of last winter, and may be grown in the northern counties against a north or north-west wall. To grow yellow climbing Roses well, it is necessary, in the first place, to plant them in a rich, deep, dry, warm soil. The next step towards snocess is to promote an early and vigorous growth, and to get the wood well ripened, for, without well-matured wood, good flowers cannot be expected. Most Noisette Roses do not bloom well for a year or two after being planted ; a free growth of wood should be encouraged in the first instance, and the knife should be sparingly used ; merely stop long shoots by nipping out their points in order to get laterals to fill up vacant places where wanted, and in the spring, say about March, pull down the shoots as far as you possibly can do without danger of breaking, and tie their tops to short stakes driven into the ground. In this way, short wiry July 31, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 83 blooming shoots will be thrown out at every joint, and when these young shoots are about 6 inches long, the top ends of the parent rods may be unfastened, and the rod nailed to the wall or trellis work, in a horizontal position. After the blooming is over, other long rods will commence growing, and these must be kept in an upright position at first to encourage growth, and the following spring their tops must be pulled down and fastened as first recommended, until they push out short side shoots, when they must be lifted up and fastened, as has just been stated, in a horizontal position to the trellis-work. Continue training the tree after this manner, and you will get plenty of blooms. Some say that Gloire de Dijon will not bloom if pruned; but this is a mistake. Madame Levet and Belle Lyounaise, two offshoots from Gloire de Dijon, possessing the same habit and hardiness, are both large and beautiful Roses ; but neither of them blooms so freely as the parent. When plenty of side shoots are obtained by the bending-down system and horizontal training, there will be no difficulty in procuring two crops of bloom every season from any of our yellow Noisette and Tea-scented Roses. Let the side shoots of the season's wood produce their flowers ; then cut back, and they will bloom again in the autumn ; or treat the spurs as Apple or Pear spurs which continue fruitful, and, instead of cutting out the wood which produced them, shorten in the spurs to one or two buds as soon as the first bloom is over, and so induce them to renew themselves, and flower again the same season. Gloire de Dijon is best procured on its own roots ; and many vp-rieties of the vigorous-growing yellow Noisettes may be grown and budded on it. Marechal Niel " takes " freely on it, and grows and blooms well in the southern counties. Fencofe, near Bedale. Henkv Taylok. SAVING STOCK-SEED TO PRODUCE DOUBLE FLOWERS. This is a simple operation, requiring little skill or experience; but, as mentioned by " A.D." (p. 37), it is necessary to procure a good strain at the outset, otherwise any attempt to save seed that will produce double flowers will be futile. It can easily be ascertained whether you have a strain equal to your requirements or not by the quantity of double-flowering plants your bed produces. Should there be from twelve to sixteen double flowers out of every twenty planted, then you may commence seed-saving with fair hopes of success. Although the Ten-week Stock will bloom well, and make a good display of bloom, sown at any time from Eebruary to the end of May, yet, if seed be required, they must not be sown later than the first week in March, on a gentle heat, and must be pricked out, as soon as the plants can conveniently be handled, into pans containing a mixture of light rich loamy soil, and should be planted in their permanent quarters whilst young, so as to get the plants well established before they begin to form their first buds, which are to produce the seed. Allow your single- flowering or seed-plants to remain where they are planted amongstthe double ones, not becausethe latter have the slightest influence upon the former, but because shifting them at such an advanced stage of growth would prove almost fatal to the production of good seed. Plants with clear bright colours should be selected, all that bring streaked or smeared flowers being discarded. All side shoots should be taken away as soon as they appear, only allowing the leading stem to remain upon the plant. After eight or ten flowers have fully developed themselves or commenced to form their seed-pods, all other flowers, as they open, must be taken away and not allowed to seed at all, but care must be taken not to break or injure the leader, which is required to perform the duty of drawing up the sap for feeding the seed-pods. As soon, how- ever, as the leader has finished fiowering, it may be pinched off close down to the seed-pods, which, by this time, will be well developed and filled with fine plump seed. This shows why seedsmen have to charge a high price for first-class seed, as, by this mode, many plants are required to produce only a small quantity of seed, whereas, if the plants were not pinched it would be less trouble to the grower, and the same plants would bring more than twenty times the weight of seed,and the grower would realise a greater profit whilst selling it at less than a quarter of the price. The plants must be allowed to remain in the ground until late in the season, or until the seed is quite ripe, when they should be pulled up and stored in a cool dry place', allowing the seed to remain in the pods until required for sowing,_as it keeps better there than when shelled and exposed to the air. The season has a great effect upon the saving of Stock seed, both as regards ripening and also producing seed, that will bring double flowers. Should the summer prove hot and dry there will be a much greater percentage of double flowering seed than if it be wet and dull. This is why we cannot compete with, or produce seed equal to that of Germany, their climate being much hotter and dryer than that of England. Loughborough. John Bibdle. AUTUMN- SOWN ANNUALS. More than once I have been allowed space in former numbers of The Gaeden, at this time of the year, to put in a word in favour of sowing annuals in autumn. It is too seldom done, but it is possible that by constantly drawing attention to it^ the practice may be established. Those who have only seen Nemophila, Leptosiphon, Bartonia, and others, as they are generally seen, can have no idea of the beauty of such plants if sown in the end of August or beginning of September, either in the places in which they are intended to occupy, or in beds, to be transplanted and established before November frosts and fogs set in. Most annuals like a cool soil, moderate sun, and, above all, plenty of room between each plant. These are con- ditions which are rarely accorded to them. A healthy autumn- sown plant of Nemophila is frequently from IJ to 2 feet in diameter, which is itself larger than the entire space generally given to half a packet of seed. Sweet Peas, if sown in August or September, will flower with astonishing vigour the following May, and, it the pods are regularly removed, will continue flowering till the end of October. Salmoniceps. Garden Buttercups. — Of the Eatmncnli we can choose several handsome dwarf varieties. R. amplexicaulis, with entire glaucous leaves, and white flowers with yellow centres, ia certainly my favourite. R. aconitifolius fl. pi. (the old "Pair Maids of France") ia another pretty kind with very double white flowers. The others worthy of a place in the front row of the border are R. gramiueus with grass-like leaves and yellow flowers, and growing about 10 inches high. E. uniflorus, abont 6 inchea, and R. bullatua, which also grows about 6 inchea in height, with double yellow flowers, very like those of R. aoris fl. pi. None of these should be omitted' from a collection of hardy perennials. — OxoN". A Pretty riower Bed.— Select or make a small isolated bed in some spot fully e.'ipoaed to the sun, and containing fine sandy peat, or fine sandy soil of any other kind ; let it be well drained. Place a few rustic stones round the margin and through the bed half or more buried in the soil, so that the whole will be elevated a little above the Grass level. Over the bed, besides the stones, &c., plant a few, a select few, of the best dwarf and compact Alpine flowers' and, perhaps, a few of the choicest and smallest spring bnlba— just to vary the bed a little at all points, and give it charma in spring. Then for chief beauty, put in a number of healthy young plants of Calandrinia umbellata. Make the groundwork of the bed of theae, and place a few good specimens on the little elevations and tiny rocks in the little bed. Plant in spring, give a good soaking of water in dry weather, and wait the result. The Calandrinia is a continuously, blooming plant; and, when it begins to flower, if well grown, yon may expect a display of the magenta-coloured flowers for many weeks. — W. J. Old Roses. — la it not possible to produce a "mania" for col- lecting and cultivating the good old Roses, once supposed to be the result of the best efforts of our rosarians P We have been rushincr ahead in floriculture for the past half century or more, lookino- more for "new thinga " than for intrinsic worth, and it is time that aomebody atarted the fashion of gathering the old and good, placing upon them a new valuation. Every summer, when the old "June Roaea" come into bloom, I am reminded of the good things left behind in our race for novelties in other classes. The old Mosses of thirty and fifty yeara ago have not been surpaaaed by any later introduction. The old single French Crimson still furnishes as pretty buds as the newest perpetual Moss, and who wants a Moss Rose except when in bud ? The old Crested Provence has never as yet had a rival, but stands alone the very Queen of ita apeciea. And as I look over the old sorts, like George the Fourth, with deep 84 THE GARDEN. [July 31, 1875. crimson petals, or La Toarfcerelle, Madame Hardy, Persian Yellow, and similar kinds, I begin to find myself wishing for more of the same, although novelties are abundant, and one might think, from the descriptions given, as far superior to those old and still unsur. passed favourites. A sight of the old Cabbage Rose, Village Maid, and White Bath would be, says " Moore's Rural," like gathering old coins from the ruins of Heroulaneum or Pompeii. FLOWERING OP THE EURYANCIUM SUJIBUL AT KEW. This important plant is now flowering in the herbaceous ground of the Royal Gardens, Kew, for the first time in this country. It yields the drug " Radix Sambul," introduced to Rassia as a substitute for Musk about the year 1835, and then recommended as a remedy for cholera. It became known in Germany in 1810, and ten years later in England. It was admitted into the British Pharmacopoeia in 1867, and is now prescribed in the tincture form, as a stimulating tonic. It 13 said to be a nervine stimulant, like valerian, and to possess anti. spasmodic properties. Further than the above its history has not been found traceable by the authors of the " Pharmacographia." " The plant (says the 'Pharmaceutical Journal') was discovered in 1869 by a Russian traveller, Pedschenko, in the mountains of Maghian, near Pianjakent, a small Russian town eastward of Samarkand. The root, as found in commerce, consists of transverse slices, 1 to 2 inches, rarely as much as 5 inches, in diameter, and 1 inch or more in thickness ; the bristly crown and tapering lower portions, often no thicker than a quill, are also met with. The Kew specimen is nearly 8} feet in height. The root. stock is somewhat fasiform in shape, about 3i inches in diameter at the top, where it is thinly covered with the persistent fibres of the old leaves. Those of the present year commenced to wither soon after the flower-stem became visible, and were quite dead when its fall height was attained. They are supradecompouud, much as in some species of Ferula, especially F. campestris, to the leaf-segments of which those of the Sumbnl have a very close resemblance. The panicle is composed of about ten alter, nate spreading branches, the lowestabout 5 feet from the apex. The umbels are on short stalks, with ten to thirteen umbellales. The stem, on being wounded, exudes a milky sap, which at first has the exact flavour of angelica, afterwards leaving a bitter taste. The resin of the root does not fully develop its musky smell until after contact with water. It is hoped that seeds may be perfected, and a stock raised for distribution. The Black Martagon Lily. — -We send you a spike of Lilium dalmaticum Catanii. It differs entirely from the common Martagou. We send, for comparison, a spike of Martagou album, which is the exact counterpart, as regards size, of the common species. Is the Dalmaticum Catanii a true species ? Surely such a vigourous plant never came from such a parent as the old Martagou ? The white, we can understand, as being a variety of it, but further remarks on our part will be unnecessary, as you will clearly see the difference at iirst sight. — The New Plant and Bulb Company. [The Black Mar. tagon is a strikingly distinct plant, and a most precious addition to our own hardy bulbs. It is just as valuable an addition as it would be if as far removed, botanically, from L. Martagon as any Lily could be, 80 that, whether it is a species or not can be of no import- ance, from a horticultural point of view.] Striking Roses in the Open Air. — What is the easiest, simplest, and most effectual plan of taking cuttings of Rosea, so as to increase them for Rose bushes in cottage gardens or elsewhere, wild Rose hedges, for climbers up trees, or for Rose beds and borders, to peg down with Ivy ? I am anxious to increase my hedges of wild Roses for use, as well as for beauty. I have now one about 8 feet high, through which no large animal could penetrate. It is entirely com. posed of wild Roses, intermixed with the wild Clematis or Traveller's Joy, and, from personal experiments which I have made, I can con. fidently assert that one-half of the expense and trouble and time now devoted to the planting and culture of Quick hedges would be spared, if persons were better acquainted with the value of our wild prickly plants combined with our native creepers, and that hedges of the wild Rose and Bramble, with the Bryony and wild Clematis, will make an impenetrable fence, even without the addition of anythino- else ; but, where Beech, or an occasional Hawthorn is introduced, our hedges might bo a succession of garlands of flowers, as delightful to the eye as the most cultivated ornamental garden. It is lament- able to see the constant destruction of growing hedges by the bar- barous practice of allowing the banks (which nourish the roots of live hedges) to be cut away by roadmenders, while the tops of the heJges are cijt by some short-sighted people as flat as the turnpike road itself. Such hedges retain the snow, which freezes upon them, and destroys the young growth annually. — Constant Reader, South Wales. [All Rose cuttings to be struck out of doors are best made the last week in October, and planted firmly in some light sandy soil immediately they are made. The cuttings should be from 4 to 6 inches long ; if possible, the base of each should be of the harder and more ripened wood. In planting, let the cuttings be inserted up to the top edge ; water, and s hade from early spring sunshine. In this way a fair number may be struck without trouble, but only a small per. centage of the cuttings inserted must be expected to grow, therefore they ought to be put in thickly. — George Paul, Cheshunt.^ Different Species of Morning Glory. — Few hardy herbaceous plants are more beautiful in the month of July than the Calystegia. The worst of them is that they are rather wild and rampant in their growth ; and it is necessary every autumn to dig up a large quantity of their creeping twitch-like roots, so as to keep them within bounds. They are regular " morning glories," and are shorn of their beauty by mid-day ; but they are lovely for the decoration of a breakfast table or morning room. One of the prettiest and most rarely grown species is C. oculata, a kind which produces white flowers shaded with purple in the centre. I obtained it last year from Mr. Thompson, of Ipswich ; and it is just coming into full bloom. C. incarnata, which has pale blush flowers, forms a striking object when trained up two or three tall Scarlet Runner stakes; and the same plan may be pursued with advantage with C. dahurica, which has large rosy-pink blooms, streaked with white, much resembling the beautiful British sea-shore weed, C. Soldanella, which deserves a corner to itself in every good herbaceous collection. — H. Haepuu Cbewe, Drayton. Beauchamp Rectory, Tring. The Sweet Flag (Acorus calamus). — This ia used in other ways besides those enumerated iu The Garden of last week (see p. 52). Americans are partial to it as an ingredient in what they call " wine bitters," because, being a powerful stomachic, it is aervicable iu cases of headache and iu pains proceeding from dys. pepsia. The Swedes also take it in a spirit, which they distil from Corn ; and the candied root of the plant is deemed, both in Turkey and in India, when well masticated, a sure preventive against epidemic diseases. The foliage has an agreeable perfume, and hence arose the custom in former days of strewing our cathedrals with it on festival occasions instead of with rashes ; and the French employ the root in various articles of perfumery. Their snuff called La Violet is scented with it. The Sweet Flag is a native of Asia, and is said to have been introduced into Europe from Bithynia. Its generic name is derived from the Greek, and indicates its virtues in all diseases of the eye, but Calamus was the appe!. lation given by the Romans to all things resembling a reed or rush. There are two varieties met with iu commerce, one of which comes from Tartary and Poland, the other from the Levant. The Sweet Flag grows on the banks of rivers in the middle and south-eastern counties, and its singular-looking flowers appear about the month of June. — Helen E. Watney, Sandcliffe, near Petersfield. NOTES AND QCTESTIONS ON THE FLOWER GARDEN. Violas at Drumlaurig".— Thoso visiting Drumlanrig Gardens cannot fail to be struck with the beaaty and ((uaiitity of bedding Violas, oE which there aro acres there. When seen by mo a few days ago they were just in perfection. — W. Laubie. How to ProlonET tlie Flowerings Season of Larkspurs.— Cut down some of the plants when 9 inches or 1 foot high. These will push from the root again and begin to flower whou the first plants are about over. When planted in rows every alternate plant should be cut dowa. — J. S. Garlic-scented Rock Cress (Peltaria alliacea).— This was a striking object on my rock-work for some weeks this spring, its dense masses of white flowers quite hid the leaves, and lasted long in undiminished beauty. I am indebted to Mr. Latimer Clark for a very pretty variety of it with golden foliage. — H. HiBPua Cbhwb, Dray ton- Beauchamp Rectory, Tring^ Golden Gem Pyrethram —I have this season grown a variety of the Pyrethrum named Golden Gem, expecting to find it of more value for beds than the ordinary Golden Feather. It is, however, quite useless, being of a tall straggling habit, and running to flower directly accor being planted out. I believe it to be only a golden form of the old Pyrethrum Parthenium.— \V. M. SnCKLAND. Onosma taurica. — Of all outdoor plants I know of none for delicious fragrance equal to this, and yet how seldom do we see it iu gardens. The almond-scent of its flowers can be perceived several yards off. Its flowers, too, arc very pretty, and distinct from any others in cultivation, being a fine yellow, arranged in clustering cymes. It grows in a compact evergreen tuft, and thrives iu light sandy soil. It is a plant that gives no trouble, and one that is easily propagated by means of cuttings.— G. F. Sempervivam triste.— I should be glad to be furnished with the history of tliirt plant. Can it be had from, seed, or can it be propagated from leaves like others of the same genus ? It does not seem prolific in the way of offsets. Of what country is it a native; ia it hardy or not? Its distinct colour will make it valuable.— W. D. C. [It is a native of the European Alps, and ia perfectly hardy on rock-work. With me it stood out of doors last winter better tliau it did in frames. It cannot be obtained from seed, and it produces but few offsets.— J. Cbouchbe.J Ji-LY 31, 1875.] THS GARDEN. 85 TREES AND SHRUBS. CONIFEES FOE GARDENS. Mk. Paksons, the eminent nurseryman of Flushing, Long Island, has been addressing the Rural Club of New York on this subject, and as he mentions certain forms as yet unknown or very uncommon in our gardens, his remarks will interest lovers of these trees. Assuming that you havea lawn of several acres, the first effort will be to plant its outside lines so thickly as to hide it from the outer world, and give it that quiet which is the charm of a country home. For immediate effect, the trees used for this purpose should be about 10 feet apart, provided the planter has nerve enough to transplant or cut them down when they interfere with each other. For this purpose, among the best will be found the Norway Spruce. The Norway Spruce cannot be dispensed with in any form of planting. While transplanting' easily, under favourable circumstances,, its roots are very impatient of cold winds, and ten minutes' exposure of them to such, even if it be not freezing, are , ' sufficient to kill ^<' ^ f "" it. F o r t h i s ground w ork the Austrian fine and the Scotch Fir come next in order by their compactness, rapid growth, and patience of pruning when interference occurs. The bright green of the former and the bluish tint of the latter form a marked contrast. For single s p e c i- mens, also, the Austrian Pine will be entitled to a prominent place. Next will come the graceful and re- fined Hemlock Spruce, suc- ceeding much better when planted among other trees. However fine in its native habitat, it here loses its beauty as it becomes larger. This can be retained, however, by judicious trimming. No tree, not even the Yew or Arbor-vitas, bears the shears better. The White Pine will come next for this groundwork, although the wide spread of its branches better adapts it for positions where more room can be given. This is the noblest of all the Pines ; rich, feathery, and majestic, it towers above them all, and the music of its leaves gives a charm possessed by no other tree. Those I have named being used for the groundwork, the taste of the planter must be relied upon for selecting, for grouping, or planting singly. First will come the Nordmann Fir, a grand tree from the eastern slopes of the Caucasus. Its habit is close and compact, its colour is a rich dark glossy green, its ultimate stature is among the highest, and it has a royal aspect approached by few other trees. The noble Fir of California would approach it nearly, but for its very slow growth. The blue tint of the latter is very marked, and, when reaching a height of fifty feet, is very imposing. Another very beautiful tree is the mountain form of the Picea grandis, a tree distinct from the flat-leaved coast form. Happening to Viburnum Dahuricuin. (See p. 86.) be the first to send it to England, it was there given my name, Picea Parsonsii. My best specimen of it, killed two years ago, was indeed a thing of beauty. Its leaves curled up in graceful curves around its stem, and lovers of trees would sit upon my piazza and gaze upon it for a quarter of an hour together. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to propagate, rarely to be obtained, and transplants very badly. The Cepbalonian Fir is a noble tree of tall stature. Some years ago I made an ascent of the Black Mountain in Cepha- lonia for the purpose of seeing this tree in its native habitat, and I was not disappointed. Clothing the upper mountain sides, with sufiicient room for its branches, it rose well fur- nished to a height of 80 feet, and well repaid the labour of the ascent. The Grecian Fir somewhat resembles it, and in colour is between it and the Nordmann Fir. The Picea firma of Japan is a flat-leaved and very distinct species, of rapid growth. The Siberian Fir is a charming species, of slow growth, with a colour unequalled in freshness. For our climate, the family of Piceas is by far the best of all the Conifers. The Oriental Fir belongs to the Abies family, and is an exceedingly refined, compact, and , , 5 beautiful tree. It is one of those to which the eye will frequently turn and b o satisfied. The White Spruce of our northern forests is scarcely s u r- passed for the symmetry of its shape. Its growth is also compact, and it has a b 1 u e- steely tint,vahl- a b 1 e for the production o f contrasts. The M enz ies and Engel mann Spruces have also this steely tint to perfec- tion, and are species of rare merit. The colour of the Engelmann i s quite remark- able for its light bluish-grey, and young shoots of it are very beau- tiful. It is yet, however, difficult of attainment. The Bhotan Pine is a very graceful tree from the Himalayas, growing as rapidly and as tall as the White Pine, some- what resembling it in general appearance, but with more drooping, pendulous leaves. Ic is not, however, so well adapted as the White Pine to all localities. The Finns Ayaca- huite is a perfectly hardy species, from the mountains of Mexico, of a still more drooping and graceful habit, and remarkable for the light green of its foliage. The Pinus Mugho is a second-class tree of rather bush-like habit, and rarely growing over 15 feet. Its spreading and marked cha- racter make it essential to a lawn. The Atlas Cedar is very distinct and beautiful, the nearest approach to the Cedar of Lebanon which is permissible in this climate, and thought by some botanists to be only another form of it. The Abies elata, a variety of the Norway Spruce, is a remarkable tree, and always excites admiration. It throws out its branches like the naked hairy arms of a giant, and grows with the greatest luxuriance. Now we come to trees of smaller growth, scarcely beyond the stature of shrubs, and adapted to foregrounds, the points 86 THE GARDEN. [July 31, 1875, connected with curving walks, and town gardens. For this the Conical Spruce is a neat and compact miniature tree, never getting too large for its surroundings, and always giving satisfaction. The Weeping Norway Spruce has its branches always drooping and hugging its parent stem. If its leader is kept trained upright, a tree will be produced with a height five times the diameter of its branches. The Gregorian Spruce is a sport of the Norsvay Spruce, rarely reaching over 2 and spreading 3 or 4 feet. It is very luxuriant and striking. The Hudson Bay Fir is a dwarf plant of the same character, with bluish silvery foliage and a more glossy green than the Gregorian Spruce. The Weeping Silver Fir has a more com- pact and richer foliage than the Weeping Norway Spruce, and with its leader trained in the same way will surpass it in beauty. No lawn or small garden should be without it. The Variegated Hemlock is a white-tipped variety of marked distinct- ness, and worthy of a place where contrasts are wanted. The small-leaved Hemlock is very distinct, growing close and com- pact, like a Yew, and is one of the sorts that always attract observation. But the gem of all gems is the Weeping Hem- lock. If left to itself, it will remain trailing upon the ground ; but if the leader is tied to a firm stake, it can be carried to any reasonable height, and each tier of branches will then droop in graceful curves towards the ground, more like an ever- green fountain than any tree known. If the Nordmann Fir is the king among Conifers, the Weeping Hemlock may worthily be termed queen. The Dwarf White Pine has a feathery and soft aspect, which makes it very attractive ; and the Dwarf Scotch Fir, although more rapid and compact, has its marked distinction of colour. The Yews. The whole Yew family is remarkable for its substantial and enduring qualities. The lives of single specimens number hundreds of years, and they were largely used when the topiary style of gardening was in vogue. On Long Island all of them are hardy, while the Irish or pyramidal is the better when shielded by other shrubs from the keenness of a north- eastern wind. Indeed, all of them would be the better for this slight protection. The common English Yew is too well known to need description. Its dark foliage and capability of bemg clipped into fantastic forms give it a place which can only be attained by other members of its own family. The Erect_ Yew is the most prominent of these. It is more upright in its form, more hardy against cold, smaller and finer in its foliage, and in many ways superior to the common English Yew. The Irish Yew has nothing like it in form. Its diameter is scarcely, I may say, one-fifth of its height, and its colour is rich and dark. The Japan Yew has larger leaves, stronger and more luxuriant growth, and larger diameter of foliage, in proportion to its height, than the Irish Yew, which it somewhat resembles in form. The Golden Yew is the most striking of all. When the new growth is upon it, in June, its surface is like burnished gold, to be seen from all pouits. I know of nothing so valuable for rich colour effects, and cannot easily forget the view which burst upon me when I came from behind the shrubbery upon the Italian garden of Elvaston Castle, where crowns and pagodas and birds and arm-chairs, made of the Golden Yew, interspersed with clipped forms of the English Yew, made a charming scene, which I cannot describe to you in adequate terms. The Elegant Yew is a lighter tipped variety, somewhat resembling the Golden. The (Jephalotaxus is a Yew-like Chinese tree, introduced by Fortune. It has, as most of us know, a very light foliage, bears clipping well, and is so marked in its character that it should be in every collection. The American Arbor-yit;B is well known, and is extensively used for hedges. The Siberian Arbor-vita; is, however, much superior to it, beoau.se it is more hardy, more compact, and does not require tnmmiug. It gi-ows less rapidly, but compensates for its slow- ness by its .superiority when fully grown. While its usefulness for hedges is recognised, it is not so well known that it makes a fine single specimen upon a lawn. The Compact Arbor-vitie is a round-headed dwarf variety, which is much admired. The Hovey Arbor-vitas is a golden-tinted variety, perfectly hardy, and superior in many respects to the Golden Arbor-vita3, which has long been admired for the beauty of its colour and its adaptation to decorative purposes. The Chinese Ai-bor- vitas is very attractive, but too tender for this latitude. Of all this family, however, the gem is the Biota elegantissima. Growing in upright flakes, delicate in its leaves, and sun-tinted in its shading, there is an air of refinement about it which eminently adapts it for the vase or the window and table. The Weeping Arbor-vitas is striking in its habit, and its leaves are thread-like and drooping. Becent Valuable Acquisitiona. Closely allied to this family are the new Ketinosporas, recently introdnced from Japan. They number some twenty varieties, and I am indebted to Mr. Thomas Hogg for some very fine ones, not yet known in Europe. It would be impos- sible to describe in words what can only be known by the eye — the distinctive beauties of them all. Among the best, how- ever, is R. obtusa, with its finely-cut and Fern-like leaves, so hardy that the cold of two years ago had no effect upon it, while the American Arbor-vitas at its side was killed. The filiformis is very beautiful with its dark green foliage and grace- ful, drooping branches. The Golden, however, is destined to be the most popular. It keeps its bright golden tint through- out the year, gives a lawn a very bright appearance, is admirably adapted to small house fronts and cemetery lots, and is equally valuable for potting purposes and window decoration. For edging, it is superior to Box ; and for low hedges, not desired to be impervious, it would be very beauti- ful. This whole family is among the most valuable acquisi- tions from Japan. The Junipers are too well known to need description. The Swedish is remarkable for the fresh green- ness of its colour, and the Irish for its steely-blue and its column-like uprightness. The Weeping Juniper is soft and graceful, and the glauoa has a most refreshing light lavender tint. This last is a variety of the Red Cedar, and will, doubt- less, make a large tree, while it can be clipped into any size and shape. The Prostrate Juniper generally clings to the ground ; but by training up a leader, it makes a very pictu- resque appearance. My specimen thus managed is 8 feet high. VIBURNUxM DAHURIOUM. This is a charming hardy shrub, which, in May and June, is covered with numerous umbels of beautiful white flowers. It is a plant, too, which is easily multiplied by means of cuttings made ot tolerably firm wood, and inserted in peat soil under a cloche or hand-glass, or the young soft shoots may be taken off early in the season, and struck indoors. As soon as they are rooted, they should be re-potted ; and, when they have become established, they may be placed outside in some shady spot, taking care to plunge the pots ; young plants thus raised will be suffloiently hard and woody to be wintered outside without shelter. This Viburnum is not particular as to soil, but those that are light and damp, and rich in organic matter, suit it best. It forms a somewhat spreading bush, from 6 to 8 feet high, and has grey downy branches. The berries are oval-oblong, five- seeded, at first red, but when fully ripe in September black and somewhat sweet scented. It is a native of the Dahurian Mountains, and was introduced as long ago as 1785. For an illustration o£ this plant see preceding page. PLANTING TREES ON FARMS. From the place which I now write to the nearest village is more than an English mile, and the public road runs the entire length of that distance, between and underneath two rows of very fine old trees of Ash, Beech, Elm, and Oak ; their branches form a grand canopy, through which the sun can scarcely penetrate. So grateful is the shade of these old monarchs (said to bo 200 years planted) to the pedestrian, that I often, when enjoying a walk underneath, take off my hat reverently, and say — " Peace to the ashes of those planters of old." In this district the fields have been planted with rows and doable rows of trees, very largo doable ditches having been formed and transplanted between, and fields can be seen completely sur. rounded with huge old trees, which are a pleasing object to the eyo but are injurious to the crops and soil within the influence of their tops and roots. All honour is due to the worthy generation of planters who planted, that future generations might enjoy and benefit by their improvements, and wo must candidly admit they were far in advance of us of the nineteenth century. Yet it was an error to surround their fields with trees. In the first place, the roots impoverish the soil as far as they travel into the July 31, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 87 fields, and prevent the plough from being able to do its work, and again the shade of the tops generally draws the crop sown underneath or near them, and leaves it quite useless, and lines of trees are something similar to ribbon lines in the flower garden — they destroy the beauty of the surrounding landscape. Allow me to give the following simple instructions for planting groups, which, as well as improving the entire appearance of the country, could be carried out on a scale of usefulness even on the smallest farm. First plant the angles only of our fields, say from 5 to 10 perches off the corners, according to size and taste; it will be seen that shelter will be secured from three sides without any trouble on our part ; then we have to secure and fence the base on one side of the angle nest to the field. There are many positions in which four fields are connected at the corners, and it will be seen that in planting, as I recommend, great shelter will thus be afforded, as the four corners of the fields, thus planted, will form a pretty circular clump or grove of four different shades of foliage, if so desired. Although the form of the grove is diamond in shape, all such clumps appear circular when seen from a distance; and, when the trees are twenty years planted, the inner fences could be levelled, in order to allow cattle to enter for shelter from the burning rays of the summer sun. The foregoing simple plan of planting could be easily carried out, and with very great advantage. — " Gardeners' Record." The Crowhurst Yew Tree. — I enclose a photograph of this, the oldest Yew tree in England. It is situated in Crowhurst Church- yard, about two miles from here, and was mentioned by Aubrey in the reign of Charles I. as measuring in that reign 10 yards in circum- ^rence at a height of 5 feet from the ground. Its present girth is about 33 feet. Humboldt, in his " Aspects of Nature," mentions this tree, and it is stated, on the authority of DecandoUe, to be 1,450 years old. The old tree was hollowed out about the year 1820, when a cannon ball was found in the centre, which is preserved in a neigh, bonring farm-house, and, in ISIS, the upright branches were blown off by a great storm. The covering (around it was fired in 1850. The photograph shows the door to the inside of the tree, where there are seats, which will accommodate twelve persons comfortably. To all appearances, it looks likely to survive several more years. The church was built in 1304. — J. C. Eichakdson, Perryfield, Godstone, Surrey. Adventitious Buds. — I noticed recently, among some plants which I had been grafting, a singular instance of how a stock will sometimes push out adventitious buds. The circumstance may not be uncommon, but it never occurred in my experience before, nor yet in that of anyone with whom I am acquainted. The way in which the adventitious buds came in this case is as follows : — When the stocks were headed down, a bud pushed and grew strongly right in the centre of the stock, just where the pith is ; it may have come out of the hard wood immediately surrounding the pith, but appears to be in the very centre. I should be glad if any of your readers would be kind enough to say if this is a common occurrence. — Jaiies Simpson, Fort Nurseries, Broughton Ferry. Eleagnus rotundifolia. — This is so rare that only in one instance can I see it oifered in any of the continental catalogues. We have a plant of it hei'e from 4 to 5 feet in height, which, before the recent rains, was covered with pretty scarlet and amber-coloured berries. It is perfectly hardy, having stood out in a western aspect without any protection since the autumn of 1872. The undersides of the leaves are silvery, which is more distinct on young foliage than on that which is older. The berries, which hang on long stalks like Cherries, are produced on the last year's wood ; it has never produced berries here before, probably from the fact of its not being sufficiently established. It seems to be easily propagated by means of layering, and is a shrub which should certainly be in every garden. — T. Thornton, Heaiherside, Barjshot. An Impervious Hedge. — The Crataogus pyraoantha alba, or Evergreen Thorn, is well adapted for single planting, because it can be trimmed into any shape, and can thus be made very ornamental. Its great value, however, is as an impervious hedge, and for this purpose, both in farm and garden,! consider it sodeoided an acquisition that I am inclined to tell you all I have learned about it during fifteen years of experiment. Its leaf is narrow and oval, about one-quarter the size of that of the Japan Quince. It can readily be distinguished from the old Pyracantha, which has large and round leaves, and is not hardy. It has endured, unharmed, a cold of 14^ degrees below zero, and has been equally patient under the most severe drought we Lave known. The glossy, bright green of its summer foliage changes to a bronzed-green during the winter, but no Pine or Spruce more persistently holds its leaves during cold weather. It is clothed with strong thorns so close and stout that cattle would never attack it a second time. Even a chicken trying to get through it would find food for repentance. It grows rapidly, and a strong plant will make shoots of li to 2 feet each season. If it is neglected several years, and allowed to go untrimmed, it can in two years be brought again into perfect shape. With attention, when young, it can be kept down to a foot for borders ; and for farm purposes it can bo formed into a hedge 5 feet high. Its flowers are small, like those of the Elder, and grow in clusters about the size of a half-crown piece. These June flowers are succeeded in autumn by showy orange berries the size of Peas. It is easily excited by the first warm days of spring, and should be always planted in autumn. When successfully planted, I think that it meets all requirements for a perfectly impervious hedge. — J. B. Parsons. Age of Old Trees at Clumber. — At the present time, vistaa are being cut out in the pleasure grounds at Clumber, to show the old Cedars, as well as to open out the landscape. I have counted the annual rings of some of the largest trees which were going to decay— Beeches, Larches, Silver Firs, and Elms — and I have found that they numbered from 95 to 105 ; thus, it would appear that they were planted about a century ago. The solid contents of these trees were from 120 to 230 feet each. To show the necessity of examining old trees standing near mansions, or other buildings, I may add that one of the trees referred to— a fine old Elm, with 200 feet in it, and apparently in perfect health — was found, notwithstanding a diameter of 5 feet at the ground, to have but a shell of sound wood, some 2 or 3 inches thick, on the outside ; whilst the interior was as rotten as touchwood. Had it not boon for the sheltered position in which it stood, this tree would probably have fallen, without the use of the axe, during some gale of wind more heavy than usual, and might possibly have demolished stately buildings, and perhaps caused loss of life. — J. Miller, Clumher. Creosoting Timber.— I venture to say that if the value of creosote for preserving timber was better understood than it is it would be more appreciated ; I have now before me convincing proof of the good that results from creosoting fencing. About five years a"o we enclosed a small plantation with a four.rail split Oak fence ; as this was our first experiment with creosote, we put in a few lengths of sawn Larch and split Oak uncreosoted as a test. The result now is that the creosoted fencing is quite sound and as clean as on the day it was fixed, whereas the uncreosoted portion is covered with Lichen and Moss, and the posts near the ground are producing a good crop of Fungus, a sure indication that decay is at work. I find that wherever creosote is present no vegetable growth can exist. Whether in the case of heart-wood or sappy Oak creosote is equally valuable for preventing the growth of Lichen, Moss, and Fungus, and it will also enable the wood to resist the absorption of wot. The tank which we use for charging the timber with the creosote is made of the best boiler plate, 17 feet long, 5 feet wide, and 4 feet deep ; this size will hold two lengths of rails at once ; the creosote is kept simmering two nights and one day before the fencing is suificiently pickled. — Gkokce Bekky, Longleat. NOTES AND QUESTIONS ON TREES AND SHRUBS. The Scarlet-fruited Elder.— This is now covered with its handsome fruit, and when seen in that condition is one of the most ornamental of hardy shrubs. Its value cannot be sufficiently known or it would be much oftener met with than it is. — George Jackman, Woking. The Virgilia at Sion.— 'Mr. Woodbridge informs us that the measurements ot the best specimen of this tree in the gardens at Sion are as follows :— Height, 62 feet; width of branches, 43 feet; circumference ot stem, 4 feet from the ground, 6 feet. Will any American correspondent telUis the size it attains in its native woods ? Seed Pods on Acer Negnndo variegatnm.— We have a quantity of seed pods on this tree. Has it seeded before in this country, and, if so, have the seeds ripened, and plants been raised therefrom, and with what results ? I find that all the plants purchased from the nurseries are worked on the Neguudo stock, and, as variegated forms of this Acer are not common, I fear that the seeds do not produce variegated plants.— J. S. Evergreen Berberry Berries.— I vrish to learn, through Tsu GiEDBir, some- thino- about the family of Berberis. I have fine plants and shrubs of several species besides the coinmon red-berried one. The fruit ot these, as you may know, make excellent preserve, jam, or jelly. Can you find out whether the blue-coloured berries are edible when preserved ? Are they wholesome, or are they to bo avoided ? The fruit on all is so abundant this season that I cannot but wish it could be utilised. Those masses, like small Grapes, on the B. ariuifulium surely must be fit for jelly. — C, Sitsficx. Leptospermnm lanigernm Hardy.— This New Holland shrub has proved perfectly hardy at Heatherside, where it has been growing quite unprotected in a western aspect since 1869. It produces an abundance of white Hawthorn- like flowers every July, followed by a copious crop of hard round berries. The leaves are fragrant and glaucous ; it would make a capital plant for a low wall, and it will succeed in any Kght open soil tree from stagnant moisture.— T. Thobntok, Seatherside, Ba^jghot, THE GAEDBN. [JULY 31. 1875. COTTAGE GARDENS. If one strolls from village to village in the remoter districts of the country, nothing is more striking than the contrast afforded by the cottage gardens. In one place Flora seems to have made her home. Every patch of ground is tended ; bright with flowers, or affording a goodly promise of hedge-rows of Peas and Beans. No window is withont its climbers. Ivy clothes the walls, and keeps the rooms within both dry and warm ; and here and there will be seen not only a beautiful flower — all flowers are beautiful — but a new one. IIow much care, and even cost, has gone to the production of the gardens which are the pride of some of these cottagers ? The yellow Austrian Briar is a matter rather of ancient heritage than of pur. chase ; but what shall we say to the deep rich petals of the last new Roses ? It is surprising how soon a fashionable flower will be carried by the birds to the remotest hamlet, so only there be a cottager with a passionate love of the beauties of the garden. Go into the next village. Pick your way, and put your kerchief to your nose as you pace the heap that denotes its boundary ; the heap of brickbats, stones, broken slates, utterly useless potsherds, and worse refuse, backed by a dense growth of Nettles, showing what Nature would do if gently solicited . If foul puddles are absent, if drainage has been introduced by the strong hand, still thepower of listless idleness, and the utter absence of the least glimpse of order or of beauty, mark the entire group of tenements. Poverty is made more repulsive by being exhibited in its most cynical phase. The only vegetable products thought of in that village, beyond the ordinary crops whiph it is a daily and grudging toil in some way to tend, are the Potato and the Tobacco plant. Where does the cause of the difference lie ? We can answer the question with regard to some instances. We strongly suspect that the same answer would apply to the great majority. Where the squire :s no longer to be found, it is the doing of the clergyman, or of the clergyman's wife. A bright, trim, well-tended garden, in the manse or the hall ; a tasteful, graceful, truly feminine love and care of the flowers, as well as of the fruit ; the gift, at odd times, of spare plants, of slips, or of seed ; example, and good example ; tend to beautify a village by a happy contagion. So, on the contrary, the man who looks at his book alone for his lessons, and has no eyes to see the clearer and holier, as well as the more ancient, lessons that are inscribed on evei'y form of organic life — the man who, with another world on his lips, takes no heed of what is most beautiful in this — the man who remembers nothing of the first garden but the serpent and the apple — is not one who understands his mission to his countrymen, or whose parish will return him an odour of flowers which is no other than an odour of the sanctity of Nature. [In the above, from the " Builder," we are unable wholly to agree with the writer as to the " cause of the difference," for, while we see some parts of the country lovely with cottage gardens, in others it is rare to find a pretty or tidy one, while the gardens of the hall or the parsonage will be about the same in each case.] Tlie Giant Sea-kale for the Wild Garden. — Crambe cordi- folia is a very fine perennial, but its place is on the turf in rich soil. It has enormous leaves, and small whitish flowers in panicles. Here it is one of the finest ornaments in a wild garden of about 5 acres, associated with Bheums, Ferulas, Gunneras, Centaurea babylonica, Arundo donax. Acanthus, and others. — OxoN. Flowering Shrubs from Cuttings. — Among the little odd jobs which are likely to be neglected is that of making cuttings of various plants generally propagated in this manner. Of course, it can be done later in the season, but every day's delay lessens the chances of success with many kinds of fruits and flowering plants, even with those considered perfectly hardy. The greater part of our hardy ornamental shrubs may be rapidly propagated by means of ripe wood cuttings taken off in the autumn. Almost any old plant of Weigela, Spireoa, Deutzia, or Philadelphus, will furnish a hundred or more cuttings, and these may become, in a very short time, with little care, as many useful bushes. Cuttings made of this year's growth, and 6 or 8 inches long, will usually take root readily. There are a few kinds, however, which do not grow from ripe wood cuttings, at least not very readily ; but most of these can, according to a correspon- dent of " Moore's Hural,"be rapidly multiplied by cuttings of the roots. The common double-flowering Almonds are plants of this kind, and the best way to manage them is to take up a quantity of the roots in autumn, and cut them into pieces 2 to 3 inches long j then mix them with pure sand, storing them away in a cellar or burying them in some dry place in the open ground until spring. The Pyrus japonica, which is Bomowhat difficult to propagate from cuttings of the branches, grows readily from cuttings of the roots when treated in this manner. In spring the root cuttings may be put in in drills. The double Deutzia crenata grows as freely from cuttings as a Currant, and it is one of the best of ornamental plants. THE CONSERVATORY AT HAMPTON COURT HOUSE. Of conservatories recently erected in the neighbourhood o£ London this is one of the most remarkable, as regards its superior design and finish and the elegant character of the vegetation which adorns it. This is mainly composed of a number of tree Perns, many of which are distinguished by the slenderness of their stems — these, indeed, looking more like tall antelope's legs than the tree Fern stems with which we are familiar. Among the different plants generally employed for conservatory decoration none, except Palms, can compare with tree Perns, and even Palms themselves lack that freshness of aspect and exquisite feathery beauty which are characteristic features of many arborescent Perns when well grown. Many tree Perns, now in cultivation, are Australasian species, belonging to the genera Dicksonia, Cyathea, and Alsophila; but even these are surpassed in lightness and graceful contour by some of the less-known but certainly more delicately beautiful South American kinds, of which some striking examples may be seen here. These slender-stemmed and exquisitely beautiful American species are so distinct from the ordinary kinds as to be well worthy the attention of all interested in new and rare forms of tropical vegetation. Their distinctive features, too, are all the more apparent, inas- much as they are growing side by side with well-developed specimens of other kinds, among which we remarked Dick- sonia squarrosa, Cyathea dealbata, and other equally well known forms. Beneath the rich South American vegetation justreferred to are dwarfer Perns, such as Adiantum,Pteris, and Asplenium, together with an abundant undergrowth of other well-arranged foliage plants, such as Dracsenas, variegated Yuccas, Caladiums, fine specimens of the velvety-purple silver-marbled Cissus discolor, noble Crotons and Allamandas, the girders of the dome above being nearly hidden in wreaths of variegated Cobsea, the yellow-margined leaves of which, enlivened here and there with great purple flowers, had a fine effect. On one side is a tastefully- arranged piece of rock- work, half hid among creepers, and draped with feathery Perns, Selaginellas, Tradescantia variegata. Grasses, and brilliant orange-yellow, dark-eyed Thunbergias, the latter flowering freely, and, when backed up by cool green banks of Selaginella, having a very pretty effect. At the base of this rockery is a small strip of water, replenished by a dripping cascade from the rocks above, and ornamented with aquatics. The larger Ferns, and other permanent vegetation, are planted out ; but flowering plants, such as Achimenes, Begonias, Pelar- goniums, &c., are grown in pots, so as to be replaced, when out of flower, by others as occasion may require. As will be seen by the engraving, however, the pots are judiciously concealed from view by means of a deep curb — an important point, and one that might be carried out in all conservatories in which the object is to show the grace and beauty of tropical vegeta- tion to the best advantage. This fine conservatory was built by Messrs. Weeks & Co., of the King's Road, Chelsea, who also designed the picture gallery, garden tea-room, and various other adjuncts of the house and conservatory. Externally, the latter has a striking appearance ; its dimensions are 70 feet in length, 30 feet in width, and 34 feet in height, measuring from the highest point. About Bananas. — Few people who see Bananas hanging in fruit stores think of them as more than a tropical luxury. In fact, they are a staple article of food in some parts of the world, and, according to Hum- boldt, an acre in Bananas will produce as much food for man as 25 acres of Wheat. It is the ease with which Bananas are grown which is the great obstacle to civilisation in some tropical countries. It is so easy to get a living without work that no effort will ever be made, and the men become lazy and intolerably shiftless. All that is needed is to stick a cut- ting in the ground. It will ripen its fruit in twelve to thirteen months, without further care,_ each plant having 75 to 125 Bananas, and when that dies down after fruiting, new shoots spring up to take its place. In regions where no frost ever reaches. Bananas are found in all stages of growth, ripening their fruit every month and every day in the year. Col. Whitner, near Silver Lake, Florida, has probably the largest Banana plantation in the United States, containing fully 10,000 plants in bearing. Some of these are large trees, which do not die after bearing their fruit, but the majority are of the dwarf species, which are renewed every year. Slips are planted about 8 feet apart and rapidly push up leaves disclosing six or eight small Bananas behind this protection. Some plants will have sixteen or twenty leaves and bunches of fruit, bending over as it ripens, forming a most beautiful sight. July 31, 1876.] THE GARDEN. 89 90 THE GAEDBN. [July 31, 1875, THE INDOOR GARDEN. GLASS HOUSES, AND THEIR ADAPTATION TO THE CULTtTRE OF DIFFEREXT SUBJECTS. NoTWiTHSTAyDiSG all that has been Tvritten on the subject, we are often applied to for information on horticultural matters by people about to begin Grape growing, or some other branch of gardening; and some of the most frequent enquiries are " What kind of house must I build ? " or " What kind of pit should it be ? " &o. It is hardly conceivable what unfortunate mistakes are committed by many people — gentlemen amateurs and others — who set about building hothouses according to their own way of thinking, or act on the advice of their own workmen or a country carpenter. We were asked for advice respecting a Peach-house lately, in which the Peach tree leaves were always scorched in sunny weather, and on examination found that it was about -50 feet long, a clumsily -built structure, without any ventilation but the doors at each end, and two squares holes in the roof that opened like a skylight. This had been judged ample, though there was a hot flue along the front, which did the mischief every time the sun shone out in the forenoon. In another case it was a span roof, with no ventilation but the doors, and there was no choice on warm days but to have a roasting temperature, or a hurricane of cold wind throughout, which wrought disastrous results among the inmates. This was a modem structure, also of local design. A few panes drawn out at the apex of the roof was a necessity till further alterations could be made. Home-made structures of this kind are always the most expen- sive, and generally ill adapted to the end in view. The local tradesmen or home carpenters cannot now compete with the professional horticultural builder, who has every appliance for executing such work expeditiously and well, and we speak with some experience of both. It is, however, only necessary here to point out the kmd of structures most suitable for various purposes and subjects. Fruit Houses. Vineries. — Little need be said about these, except that a lean-to facing south is undoubtedly the best, and the only form of structure which should be adopted for Vines which have to ripen their fruit by midsummer, or earlier. There is a form of lean-to Vinery, however, which cannot be too severely con- demned, and that is the deep brick-fronted structure. Exten- sive ranges have been built in this way by eminent builders, that have turned out most unsuitable for Vines in the early stages of growth. The young plants almost always suffer under the shadow of the brick wall, and it is only by the second year, when they rise up to the glass, that they make head- way and recover. All Vineries should be glazed down near to the ground. For late Vineries the span roof is in every way the best. Lofty houses are considered by most good Grape growers to be better than low ones, as they permit a great development of leaf and branch. This is no doubt true ; but had we to build Vineries in which we wished to produce a great quantity of fruit as soon as possible, we should rather take it off the height and add it to the length— the longer the house the more extra Vines can be planted for fruiting immediately. A span-roofed house, 50 feet long, and 21 feet high, of proportionate width, would accommodate, say, twenty- five extra Vines besides the permanent ones, which would yield, perhaps, the year after planting, between 200 and 300 lbs. of Grapes ; whereas a house 100 feet long, 13 feet high, and of proportionately reduced width, would cost little, if any- thing, more, would accommodate double the number of extra Vines, and yield twice the weight of Grapes. Ultimately the difference would be nothing ; but to those to whom early returns are of importance the extra Vines are of no little conse- quence, for it must be remembered that their number cannot be compensated for by length of cane. The best exposure for Grape houses is undoubtedly the south. Muscats, and other lato ripening varieties, should not be grown in any other aspect. Early varieties, like the Hamburgh, will ripen well either on an ea.st or west aspect, but they will want more artificial heat. North walls have been spoken of, even lately in a contemporary, as being available for Vineries, but we doubt the result, except under very peculiar circumstances ; besides, it is seldom necessary to use a north wall for such a purpose. Peach-houses. — For early Peach-houses, nothing sur- passes the lean-to ; indeed, it is the best structure for Peaches at any season, as, in our climate, the trees can never have enough of sunshine. Some prefer to cover the back wall with trees, and the front trellis as far up as it can be done without shading those at the back. This is simply " robbing Peter to pay Paul." Peach trees grow to a great size, and will cover, if allowed, an immense area of trellis work ; the short back and front trellis does not permit this beyond the most limited extent, and the trees have to be kept within bounds after a very few years, by hacking off the branches and constant root-pruning. But, give a good long roof, wire it to the top within 18 inches of the glass, plant the trees in front, and, under ordinary circumstances, each tree will cover an area of three or four hundred square feet in six or seveu years, and bear proportionately. We have proved this long ago. As regards Melon and Cacumber-houses, and similar structures, nothing is superior to leau-to pits with a sharp angle for early forcing, whilst for late work low span-roofed houses of the same kind are the best. For all kinds of fruit houses, the ventilation should be of the most ample description, to avoid that roasting to which trees are subjected in sunny weather under deficient ventilation, and which always results, sooner or later, in injury. J. S. A LAPvGE INDOOR VINEYARD. The " Sanatorium " at Saltash, near Plymouth, which was erected about Eeven years since, is an extensive greenhoase, built at great erpense and laboar, for the production of Grapes and other fruit. It is situated on the Bouthem side of a hill in a sheltered valley at the western end of the Port Yiew Estate, and its immense area of glass might be seen from various points in the neighbourhood. The Yinerr is 450 feet long by 80 feet broad, and it will help the reader to perceive the extent of it when we state that the glass covering it weighs upwards of 20 tons. It contains more than 500 Vines, the majority being in bearing con. dition, though not yet fully grown. These include fifty varieties of Grapes, the whole of them having been personally selected from the south of France while in fruit. In situation and arrangement, the place is well laid out, and, what is of great importance, it is aban- dantly supplied with water, which is carried over the entire buildinst and distributed in an efficient manner. The Vineyard — which we prefer to call it — is pleasingly arranged in tiers, and divided into several compartments, with walks passing through thee. In every respect the capacity of the place to produce Grapes equal to any grown on the Continent has been proved. The sight of the Vineyard at this moment is remarkable. Above, around, in every part of it, immense bunches of Grapes are ripening in countless profusion. The vista of every pathway in each of the compartments, and of every line of eight, turn in what direction one may, shows overhanging canopies of Grapes, prodigal in their luxuriance. Many of the bunches are large, being more than 6 inches by 15 inches. Even yet, however, the full resources of the place have not been reached, either in amount or earliness of fruit. It is certainly not more than three-fourths covered with the Vines ; and, conse. quently, every year the produce is rapidly increasing. Last year 3,000 lbs. of Grapes were obtained ; nearly double that amount will be gathered this year. The full bearing capa- bility, which it is expected will be reached in about three years' time, has been estimated at 10,000 lbs., and that csti. mate is considered within the mark. It is a very important fact, also in the value and success of the undertaking, that the luxuriance of growth and the abundance of fruit are scarcely less striking than the freedom of the Vines and Grapes from disease. We may add (says the " Devonport Independent") that Peaches are also grown in the Sanatorium. A crop of Potatoes of a highly remunerative earli- ness was likewise obtained this season from the ground between the rows of Vines. In testimony of the safety and security of the structure itself, and in falsification of any forebodings that might have been made of the precariousness of the erection, it should be stated that daring the whole seven years of its existence scarcely any damage has been inflicted either by wind or water. The place has not yet been heated, but a considerable outlay is about to be made in this direction to secure early ripening, by which it is hoped to gather the crops in July instead of, as at present, in September. There are some acres of surrounding land of an analogous character to which the Vinery may be extended, the site commanding a southern view. July 31, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 91 CEASSULA COCCINEA. This ia an old greenhonae favourite, muoh thought of in former days, when gardeners used to grow specimens of it several feet through, each shoot being furnished at its summit with a broad truss of waxj- Bcarlet flowers, showy and sweet scented. The plant also grows out of doors freely in summer, and when in tlowor makes one of the most brilliant and effective of beds. This plant is known uow-a-days as Kalosanthea. To flower it well it requires to be grown in hot, dry quarters. Cuttings, which strike very easily, should be made from the young shoots which have not flowered in August or early in September. Make the cuttings about 3 inches long ; do not stop them, bat divest them of a few of their bottom leaves, and pot each singly and firmly in a 3-inch pot, using a light compost of sand, leaf mould, loam, and pounded bricks or crocks. They will soon root if placed near the glass in a warm pit, or an intermediate house shelf, if they are not damped too much at top or bottom. When rooted remove them to a cool dry greenhouse for the winter, and give scarcely any water till spring ; the object at this time is simply to keep them at rest. About the beginning of March the plants may be potted in 8-inch or 9-inch pots, which ia a suitable size for plants intended to have six or seven shoots. A little heavier com- post should be used for this, the final potting, and with it plenty of broken crocks or bricks, taking care also to drain the pots thoroughly. After potting, the plants should have a growiug tem- perature near the light. A warm greenhouse or pit will do, but do not give too muoh water at any time. At this stage some ot the plants will break up into a number of shoots at the top, and the others will keep to a single shoot only. The former should be thinned out to six or eight shoots, and the latter pinched at the top to"make them break j also the young shoots secured in this way will bear the flowers. By May the plants will be growing fast, and at this time they may, in warm localities, be plunged out of doors in a warm corner. In front of a hothouse is a good place for them, and it is a common practice to plunge them in sand, which gets hot with the sun ; otherwise they need not be plunged at all, but simply set on a hard surface. In cold localities it ia better to grow the plants under glass all summer, with plenty of air and snn. Whichever plan ia adopted, let the plants from this time grow uninterruptedly, and before cold weather aeta in take them into any house where the tem- perature is genial aud dry. Here they will show flower, if the trusses are not already in an advanced state, and the aeason of flowering may be prolonged by keeping the plants in cool houses. If the plants are intended for planting out, they must simply be wintered in It cool house, and not permitted to flower, and planted out the following season, where they will be certain to flower aud make a bright display. J. Canarina Campanula. — This does not seem to be so generally known and cultivated as it deserves. Its pendent, waxy, compressed, bell-shaped flowers, with rounded reflexed segments, have somewhat the appearance of a colossal tazza inverted. Its colouring and markings remind one of Abntilon Dao do Malakotf. It continues to bloom for a considerable time, aud the individual flowera remain freah for a fortnight ; but the plant is deciduous, and the fleshy roots require to be put in heat in early spring, as they are very slow to start, but afterwards grow rapidly. I have found that, if allowed to suffer from want ot water — of wliich it requires a liberal Bupply during growth — the flower bnds perish ; and it does not recover the check during the season. — J. M., Hawkchwcli., near Axminster, Devon. TropsBolum tricoloruiu. — This is ono of the prettiest of tho Tropojolums; but it ia not adapted for decorating large spaces ; for balloons, trellises, or a potful of Birch twigs, however, it makes an excellent covering. The foliage is small aud neat, of a verdant green colour, and the flowers, which are of a rich orange, scarlet, are borne in such profusion as to make the plant appear a complete mass of colour. When well grown aud flowered — an easy matter — few greenhouse plants match it for brilliancy. The tubers, which are not unliko a I'otato in appearance, should be potted in November in light, rich soil, and in well-drained pots. Eight or O-inoh pots are a suitable size for them, aud if they are small, like marbles, perhaps several may occupy a pot. They may be wintered in a quiet corner in a greenhouse, where they only require to bo kept from getting dust-dry. About April, or sooner, if the temperature has beeu kept much above 45', the slender young shoots will appear, and whatever kind of trellis or support they are to have should be fixed in the pot then ; there ia nothing better than branching Birch twigs, about 2 feet high, stuck round the edges of tho pot iu a sym. metrical form ; to these tho young shoots should bo led till they take hold themselves, which they will do quickly. After this the plants want little attention, except directing the leaders occasionally, so aa to cover the branches and prevent the shoota from running into knots and buudlea, which it is hopeleaa to unravel. They grow rapidly, and soon drape their supports from top to bottom with their beautiful foliage and flowera. Water freely while growth coutiuues, and keep the plants in a good light, but shade from bright sunshine will pro. long their beauty. About midsummer the leaves will begin to fade, and water must be given more sparingly, until the plants go to rest, in which condition they remain till potting-time again comes round m November. — J. S. Rhynchospermum jasminoides. — The profuse flowering habit of this plant, its handsome foliage and pretty white flowera, render it still one of tho best of greenhouse climbers, though it can be growu in the bush form with the assistance of a stake or two to support it. It is one of those plants from which one may cut largely, and the flowers have a chaste effect in a bouquet. They are borne in trusses, and are agreeably perfumed — something like the Lilac. It may be propagated by cuttings under a bell-glass in a slight boat, and, when rooted, grows freely, flowering immediately. It is best planted out when employed as a climber, and soon covers a large space, but it does very well in a pot. Peat, loam, and sand, in equal quantities, make a good compost for it, and whether planted out or kept in pots it must have good drainage. — Q. Soot as a Manure.— To strong-growiug greenhouse plants, such as Pelargouiums, Fuchsias, Azaleas, Cytisus, Roses, Chryaan. themums, Solanums, aud Hydrangeaa, aoot is a valuable aud easily- obtained atimulaut. A handful of it, stirred iu a 3-gallon can of water, has a marvellous effect on all the plants just named, and many others besides. It induces vigorous growth, and adds freshness aud substance both to leaf and flow"er. It is best to use it iu small quantities, and often, rather than charge the compost with more carbon than the plants can readily assimilate. In the case of Chry- santhemums aud Hydrangeaa, I have employed a mixture of soot and fresh manure from tho oow-shed with the best possible results, but wherever the last-named ingredient ia employed, it should bo well mixed iu a tub or tank aud allowed to settle, otherwise the Grassy particles remain on tho tops of the pots, aud, while giving them an unsightly appearance, also exclude that free aiiration which all healthy roots require. — B. Statice profusa.— The flowers of this Statico are of a lovely blue colour, and lasting, as they do, loug after being cut, are excel, lent for house decoration. S. profusa Ilattrayaua is said to bo a more than usually free-flowering variety of profusa, but its excel- lence iu this respect ia perhaps only due to culture. It is, however, perhaps best to procure this variety, which is a greenhouse plant very suitable for furnishing purposes. Peat, loam, and sand in equal quantities make the best compost for it, and it requires a drytem. perature at all times of the year ; damp causes mildew, which is its worst enemy. It is diflicult to strike by means of cuttinga, which must not bo subjected to a strong heat, but mnst be given time under a bell-glass. I have seen an unusually pretty effect pro. duced by the free use of this plant amongst a houseful of variously coloured Geraniums of the zonal type. — W. NOTES AND QUESTIONS ON THE INDOOR GARDEN. Danhueiudica odorata.— This swootly fragrant plant succeeds best in an intormoiliiito houso. Pot it iu peat, loam, anit sand iu moilorato-sizoil pots, or plant it out in tbo bod noir tho light, aud allow the plants to Rrow as they wUl. Oat the flowers whou JiiUy expanded, without taking too muoh wood troai tho plants, aud put them iu a glass by thomsolvos when wanted lor room decora- tion.— S. J. A 'Well-ffrown Heliotrope.— I have bore growing in the consorvatory a remarkably line specimen of this plant, which is 13 feet high aud 6 inches round tho stem, aud covered with flowers, its branches at the top spreading 1 j feet on a trellis. I do not kuow its name, but it was planted twenty-eight years ago and is ouo of tUo same sort as that in tho conservatory ot tho Botauio Gardens, Regent's Park.— F. B. Adiantum Farleyense.— Under tavouraWo circumstances, tho spores ot this germinate freely; but, being originally a sport from A. scutum, the seedling plants, though bearing a strong resemblance to A. Farleyenso m a young state, invariably revert to tho original form,— W. Cox, MadreffieM Court. In reply to your correspondent (p. 61) respecting Adiantura lai'ley- euso, it is no uncommon thing to get up a stock of seedlings, but probably uono will bo of tho same character as tho parent. I have a largo quantity from seed under the stago on which A. Farleyenso is growing, but nono so woU fringed as tho true sort. Adiantnm scutum was raised by Mr. a. Voitch from A. Farleyenso, but he had none come true from seed. — J. Uablahd, Killerloii, li.r,lii: Princess KoyalRhododendrou.— This flue variety ot greenhouse Rhodo- dendron has tho unusual habit of flowering nearly all tho year round, wo have seen the same plant in flower in spring, summer, autuuin. and mntor— one truss boing fully expanded when another was in bud, a third just forinmg, and 80 on, Iu colom- the flowers are a rich rose, and altogether a good plant or it is a gay object in a conservatory, in which it deserves a permanent corner. Peat and silver sand form tho best compost for it, and it should not be shitted too frequently.— W. 92 THE GARDEN. [July 3l, 1875. PLANT-COLOUES. A i!AT of light is found, on ordinary analysis, to be capable of producing all the colours of the rainbow. A more careful analysis, however, serves to show that it consists of three colours only. For this reason colours have been divided into two kinds — primary and secondary. The primary colours are red, yellow, and blue. They are, however, seldom or never found neutral, red being usually tinted with blue or yellow, yellow with red or blue, and blue with red or yellow. The secondary colours are formed by the blended rays of the primaries, the blue and yellow rays forming green, the red and yellow forming orange, and the blue and red forming violet. When coarse blue and yellow powders are intimately mixed, they assume the appearance of green ; but, with a powerful magnifier, the blue and yellow granules may be detected, each reflecting separately and independently its own ray. The colours of plants are granules enclosed in cells, which are about l-600th of an inch in diameter. The beauty of the colours is greatly added to by air and water. The beautiful satm appearance of flower petals is produced by a layer of cells containing air, occupying a position immediately below the surface, as in Pelargonium. The crystal appearance of others is produced by the superficial diffusion of cells containing water, as in Azalea splendens. The following table of colour will be readily understood : Primary EED Neutral. ( Ohange-eed . . -) Secondary . . . j Okange ....!■ Shades of Orange. (- Orange-yellow . ) rrimary YELLOW .... Neutral. r Yellow-gkeen . -^ Secondary . . . j Green ....[■ Shades of Green. t Bluish-green. . J Primary BLUE Neutral. C ViOLET-DLUE . . -) Secondary . . . j Violet ....[■ Shades of Violet, t ViOLET-KED. . . -' White, in the abstract, is the negation of colour, but in plants it is a pale tint ; black is the density of violet. Brown is an effect produced by the partial opacity of the cells in which the colours are contained. This table, however, contains only a select few of the almost numberless colours that are to be found, and which are produced by the ever- varied groupings of the colour cells ; and all these are capable of still further multi- plicity, since every colour so formed may be diluted from its deepest hue to the palest tint the eye can recognise. It is scarcely possible to study this beautiful branch of botany without being reminded of the allusion made in scripture to the Lilies of the field. The Lilium chalcedonicum is the plant supposed to be alluded to as having outshone Solomon in all his glory. But it matters not whether the Lilium chalce- donicum or some inferior plant be selected for examination, the same exquisite finish is found in the same perfection in each microscopic cell ; and the microscope has fully shown that the richest silks of the present day, and fabrics of the finest texture, are excelled in beauty by the tissues of the humblest flower. The colours of leaves and barks arise from the same cause as those which are produced in the petals of flowers ; and, with the assistance of the table of colours, every hue may be accounted for, including all the variations of the autumnal foliage, from the almost colourless tissues of the embryo to the russet-brown of the dying leaf. There exists in every plant a yellow colouring matter called xanthophyl (leaf-yellow). It is found in the plant during the whole of its life, as may be seen in silver-margined leaves, the striated leaves of Indian Corn, and variegated leaves ; it is found in the plant after it is dead, as may be seen in straw, &c., and is not destroyed by fumes of sulphur, as the blue and red colours are. The blue colouring matter is called cyanophyl (leaf-blue), and the red colouring matter rhodopbyl (leaf - red). These three colours arc always present in varying proportions, as may be seen by exposing the red stems of Fuchsia to the fumes of sulphur, when the red will bo destroyed, and the blue and yellow will appear blended in green ; or a purple Primrose, when the blue and red will be destroyed, and yellow will appear. There are also tertiary colours, in which the three colours are distinguishable, namely, orange-violet, violet-green, and orange-green ; and it is computed that there are 990 dis- tinguishable shades of colour in the vegetable kingdom. These are contributed as follows : Bed 1 Yellow 1 Blue 1 Shades of orange 82 Shades of green 82 Shades of violet 82 Shades of orange-violet . . . .82 Shades of violet-green . . . .82 Shades of orange-green . . . .82 Shades of brown 495 Total . . . .090 Yellow is the natural colour of the plant, the blue and the red colours are acquired. The blue colouring matter is developed by a deposit of carbon. The red colouring matter is developed by the oxidation of the blue. When the plant is first developed it is of a pale yellow-green, the blue colour of which is produced by the deposit of carbon from the sugar of the sap. As soon, however, as its system is sufficiently developed to absorb carbonic acid from the atmosphere, the plant becomes a bluer green. Shortly before the autumn the leaf ceases to exhale oxygen, without ceasing to absorb it (Macaire). Now, when a leaf ceases to exhale oxygen, it also ceases to absorb carbonic acid, for the oxygen given off is always in proportion to the carbonic acid absorbed (De Candolle). Hence this may be regarded as the commencement of decay ; the blue colouring matter becomes gradually oxidised. The slow oxidation destroys the blue without being sufficiently rapid to redden it, and as the blue decreases in quantity, the yellow colour increases in power, and the leaf becomes yellow (yellow-green), the blue colouring matter left, and the partial decay of the cells, giving that sickly hue so prevalent in the yellow leaf. In some plants at this stage, the leaf falls to the ground, yellow. In others, the oxidation is continued to the red stage. The yellow colouring matter is not destroyed. If the red leaf is exposed to the fumes of sulphur, the red colour will disappear, and the yellow colour will be again seen. If a rich brown leaf be placed between the eye and a candle, and a powerful magnifier be placed between the candle and the leaf, so as to throw the concentrated rays of light on one spot of the leaf, the spot upon which the light falls will become a brilliant violet-red. A yellow-brown leaf, treated in a similar way, will give the yellow-green rays, but less brilliant. This sufficiently proves that brown is an effect produced by the partial opacity of the cells. Adoxa. CHBREIES. Under the tree the farmer said, Smiling and shaking his wise old head, " Cherries are ripe ; but then, you know, There's the Grass to cut and the Corn to hoe ; We can gather the Chen-ies any day, But when the sun shines we must make our hay; To-night, when the chores have all been done. We'll muster the boys for fruit and fun." Up in the tree a robin said. Perking and cocking his saucy head, " Cherries are ripe ! and so, to-day, We'll gather them while you make the hay : For we are the boys with no Corn to hoe, No cows to milk and no Grass to mow." At night the farmer said, " Hero's a trick ! These roguish robins have had their pick." — St. Nicholas. Lacquer Work. — According to native Japanese chroniclers, the art of lacciuering was discovered in the year 724 A. i). "By the end of the thirteenth century it had attained such perfection that a distinguished member of the craft is recorded to have then started a particular school of painting in lacquer. The material used in the work consists of the sap of the Uurushi tree, a plant cultivated partly for its sap and partly for the fruit, from which a vegetable wax is obtained. These trees attain their prime of life in the short space of five or six years, when the sap is drawn from them by an elaborate process requiring great judgment and experience, and in which tho inhabitants of a particular district are celebrated for possessing a special skill. After tho sap has been fully extracted during the four or five autumnal months, the tree is condemned and cut down. But its usefulness does not even then cease, for its wood is so light, and at the same time durable, as to be used very generally for making floats for fishing nets, and for many other purposes. Can any reader say what is the name of the tree in question ? July 31, 1875.] THE GAEDBN. 93 THE FRUIT GARDEN. GATHERING APPLES. An American fruit-grower has invented an ingenious method of gather, ing Applea, by shaking the tree, and thus avoiding the long and tiresome process of hand-picking. His invention consists of a piece of cloth or canvas as large as the top of the tree for which it ia to be used, having in the middle a hole large enough to enclose the trunk ; a slit is then made from the hole to the edge of the cloth, and the sides hemmed, and a row of eyelet-holes made. When the trunk of the tree is enclosed in the hole, the slit is laced up. At each corner of the cloth smaller holes are made, and through three of these stakes are inserted, which are firmly driven into the ground. The fourth corner An App'e Gatherer. is attached to a barrel or basket ; this barrel being lower than the stakes, the Apples drop into it by their own weight. As a fixture, when the fruit approaches maturity, windfalls will also escape injury. DYING OFF OF THE YOUNG WOOD OF PEACHES AND NECTARINES. Every spring, just as their fruit should be setting, my Peaches and Nectarines lose all their last summer's shoots, which die off. I have studied De Breuil in vain as regards this failure. This year I shaded with tiffany, but to no purpose. The leaves bladder np, and then the shoots die. I thought it must be the climate ; but the other day I was in a garden at Bath which has a similar south-east aspect, lying, too, in a dip like my own, and at much the same elevation above the sea. The Plums, Peaches, and Nectarines on the walls looked most thoroughly healthy, with not a bladdered or wrinkled leaf to be seen. I asked the gardener whether he had shaded his trees last spring ? He said, " No." I enquired whether he had washed or syringed them with anything ? He again answered, " No." I said, what do you do to keep them so fresh and hearty? He said, "Nothing." When I planted my trees about eleven years ago, I removed the existing soil, and planted according to the directions of Mr. Rivers, of Sawbridge- worth, from whom I cot them. The cause of their doing badly is not root.diaturbance, for they grow in a border which is not disturbed. The footpath is just outside it. If you can suggest the cause and its cure, you will great oblige. J. L. H. Southcomb. Rose Ash Rectory, SoiUhmolton, Devon. [Without seeing the trees it is diflBcult to say what is the cause of the shoots dying back. Most likely the soil is at fault ; perhaps it is wet or undrained ; but it must be very wet to produce such effects. More likely it is unsuitable, and, perhaps, over-manured, and the wood does not ripen. A south-east aspect is not good for Peaches, because, after a spring frost, the sun shines on the foliage, and the sudden change from frost to hot sunshine is most de3tractive. I am convinced that shading is often used so as to do much more mischief than good. If tender trees were covered in winter injury would be often prevented and the trees would bloom later and perhaps escape spring frosts, and no one can doubt that coverings may be useful on frosty nights ; but, where trees are thus protected, they are often covered for many hours during daylight, and the foliage and blooms are rendered so tender that they are injured by every change of temperature. The trees in question, if treated in this manner, and then exposed to a cold east wind, would be sure to suffer ; whilst, on a south-west aspect, they might escape. Tarf from a good sandy loam without any manure, except a few half-inch bones, is the best soil for Peaches. The collar of the tree should be rather above the soil than buried below the surface. After planting, avoid digging the border, as solid soil produces more fruit-bearing wood, and over-luxu- riant growth is, in a measure, prevented. — J. Pearsom.] BLACKHEARTBDNESS IN ST. MICHAEL PINES. Mr. Thomson (see p. 62) adheres to his statement respecting St Michael Pines cutting up black. I shall feel obliged to Mr. W. Thomson it he will state where, and on what authority, he gets his information as regards their being put in water. I have had soma hundreds, and not a single one has ever been in water from the time they were packed for shipment to London. I have also cat open many, and sold an immense number, and, with one exception, they have all cut perfect in colour and flavour ; in fact, so much so is this the case, that the general public prefer them to Pines of English growth. As regards the prices, Mr. Thomson must be well aware that, when a market is over-stocked, the only way to force a trade is by selling the goods at whatever price they will fetch ; and, as he is a grower and salesman, he must be also aware that people do not eat Pines as they would an Apple or Pear, and that when the market is full and a fresh cargo arrives, as they do every day, consisting of from 600 to 1,000 Pines, they must be sold at once ; they do not, like port wine, improve by keeping. I can assure Mr. Thomson that I have cut St. Michael Pines that have been completely covered with green mould, and yet they have been perfect in colour inside. Amongst a cargo of fruit there are sure to be a few that go specked and unsound, and those are the fruit which he has seen quoted at 23. each. Centre Kow, Covent Garden. Alfred Garcia. Is it really a fact that St. Michael Pines are imported with their stems in water ? It so, their flavour would doubtless get dete- riorated, but, in the case of the finest fruit, the usual practice, I believe, is to place the cut stem in a pot of moist soil or Moss. In this way blackheartedness never occurs in samples of the best fruit imported for the London markets ; indeed, fruiterers have repeatedly told me that they preferred imported fruits lo that of home-growth during winter, because it always proved sound. Mr. Taylor, one of the most experienced fruiterers in Covent Garden, speaks con. fidently as to the soundness and excellent quality of St. Michael Pines, and asserts, that out of thousands of them sold by him he only knows of a solitary instance in which blackheartedness occured. All the finest fruits — and of these only am I now speaking — are packed singly in separate cases to protect them from bruises and other external injuries. These consist, for the most part, of Smooth Cayennes, a variety largely grown here at home, and one which does not get black at the core so readily as the Montserrat or Black Jamaica. There are tons of common, and, in many cases, black-hearted, West Indian Pines now in the London market, selling at prices vai-ying from a shilling to three shillings each, for preserving purposes ; but these cannot be compared with the best Smooth Cayennes from St. Michael, which are sold at so many shillings per pound, just like the same fruit of home growth, to which they are indeed often preferred. F. W. Burbidge. HOW TO PROLONG THE SEASON OF CUTTING MELONS FROM THE SAME PLANTS. When the Melon is grown in houses, and trained to wires like Vines, planting thickly, and treating them as follows, will be found to have several advantages. Fewer fruit are produced on a plant, but the fruit will be better in all respects. We grow them in a span-roofed house 25 feet long by 13 feet wide, with a passage down the centre, and a bed on either side, 3 feet 6 inches wide, about 14 inches deep, with a 3-inch flow and return pipe for bottom-heat, and six 4-inch pipes for top-heat. Although this amount of piping gives plenty of heat, we use tor the earliest planting a quantity of sweet hot-bed material, previously prepared, put in the bottom of the bed, 94 THE GAEDBN. [July 31, 1875. whioli raises the plants nearer to the glass, and also afiords noarish- ment to them. This is put in about ten days before planting, in the form of a small ridge along the front to plant in, and sufficient to cover lightly the remainder of the bed. When the plants are ready, plant them not wider than 14 inches apart. Put a stake to each plant as the work proceeds, to support them to the first wire. When every other plant has got half-way up the house, or half the distance it is intended to train them, let this set be stopped, which will be the means of inducing them to throw out fruit-producing laterals. The fruit on these should be fer. tilised as they appear. Setting is a very easy matter when Melons are grown in light airy houses ; we find that they set at all times of the day, and we continue to syringe them when in bloom, if the sun is bright. Where we stop these plants is about 4 feet from the bottom wire, and we generally take three fruit from each plant. The laterals are all taken oft this set of plants up as far as the others extend, but not stopping them until they get to the second wire from the top, being careful not to injure any of the leaves on the main stem. We find that we can cut fruit sooner this way, can get a more regular crop all over the house, and, we sometimes think, better fruit. We have at present (April 10th) fruit as large as hen's eggs, on those that are stopped half way up the root ; while on those left to go to the top unstopped, none of the fruit is set, and will not be for several days. Melons are always associated with heavy loam. Here we cannot have such without going twelve miles tor it, so that it is very little we can get. The natural soil is light and sandy ; but by adding large quantities of deer and cow manure, we find it grows Melons well. In choosing a male bloom, let it be as large as possible and well expanded, when, if all other things are right, it will have a large amount of pollen, and be better in every way than a small one. In cutting out the laterals, let it be done with a sharp knife, sn as not to injure the main stem in any way, as they are apt to canker sometimes when bruised. — " The Gardener." Summer Pruning Nut Trees. — I have some Kentish Cobnut trees which are of some years standing, and which have been trained Tulip fashion. Having been neglected, they have grown very lanky ; and, in the winter, I cut them down to within 3 feet of the ground. They have since shot out freely in all directions, and I now want to know how totreat them.— jN0.L.D.,!7,cbrid(7e. [Carefully cutout, quite closely, ail shoots thicker than a quill pen, particularly avoiding injury to the lower leaves on the shoots which are left on, and pinch in the latter to about a foot;long. Moreover, remove all suckers and shoots that spring from near the base or centre of the tree. — W. B.] Destroying Gooseberry Caterpillars. — I have adopted the following method of getting rid of this pest for twenty years, and never knew it to fail. To half-a-pound of white hellebore powder add about 12 quarts of water, and mix them well. Take the syringe, with the jet end on, draw it full of the water and powder mixed, and force it out into the bottom of the can, making the water and powder boil up, as it were ; again draw the syringe full, whilst tho liquid is in motion, and with your finger on the end of the jet, thoroughly damp over every part of the tree affected. If the pest has made headway, a second application is sometimes necessary. It is best to apply the mixture on a quiet, still night. About a week after, damp all the trees with clean water, should the weather be dry. Let them remain tor half an hour or so, to loosen the powder on the leaves and fruit and then give them a brisk syringing, which will leavo them quite free from both caterpillars and powder.— James SMixn, Water. dale, St. Helens. — -— -^-— ^— — == NOTES AND QUESTIONS ON THE FRUIT GARDEN. fjirlv Orleans Plum.— Mr. fiilbert stutes (see p. 6) that this Pluni is a Poedlfng^afsed by my father. Does he mean the Early Prolific ? The Early Orleans is not a seedling raised here.— J. Feamcis Rivebs, Sawbndgewarth. . Fruit Trees by Koadsides.-The French and Belgian people protest against the action ot-the^ local authorities, who are plantiDg timber trees upon the roadsides, desiring that fruit trees be planted inetead, as is done with bo much profit in Germany and Switzerland. Hovev's Seedling Strawherrv.-At a great American show of Strawberries held on the 2nd of this month, Hovey's Seedling, a variety some forty years before the public, carried off the first prize, although 116 diFlies were shown, including most of the new kinds introduced since that date.— H. O. M. Tpachins Fruit Culture.— In Italy, schools of instruction for the cultivation of fruit treel, but espeoiallv of Apples, have been established by the Government. It hail been ordered that the soldiers shall attend courses of lectures on these and like subjects for at least two years before their discharge. ■ Underbill's Sir Harry Strawberry .-Mr. Charles Turner, of Slough, whose knowledge of Strawberries is extensive, informs me that the stock m the nossesBion of MesBrs. Steel, of Richmond, to which I recently drew atten- tion is not Sir Harry, hut a remarkably fine " strain" of Sir Joseph Paxton. Mr Turner adds that the old Sir Harry Strawberry has entirely died out. Su- Joseph Paxton he considers a grand variety, which in tho bands of Messrs. Steel attains perfection.— A, Deah, Bedfcmt. THE AMATEUR'S GARDEN. By THOMAS BAINES. Roses. — The method of growing Roses budded on Briars and Manetti stocks is so general that few amateurs ever think of attempting to cultivate them on their own roots ; yet there is no question that, for general decorative purposes, they are much better and more effective that when budded either as standards or dwarfs. We often hear it said that it budded low, so that in planting the point of union with the stock can be placed a little below the surface of the soil, the Rose will throw out roots, and ultimately become thoroughly established on its own bottom ; yet considerable annoyance is thus caused by the stock continually throwing up suckers, which, even if removed as soon as they appear above ground, are a constant source of weakness, inasmuch as they steal the strength which should go to support the head of the plant. On the other hand, if it was from the first on its own roots, every shoot thrown up from the base would be a decided gain. It is possible that for the production of flowers for exhibition the budding system may be best ; but, for one who grows Roses for exhibition a hundred grow them tor the pleasure they derive in cultivating and possessing them. On light soils, not well adapted to Rose growing, many varieties will do well on their own roots, where it is next to impossible to get any to grow at all on the stocks ordinarily used. Roses are anything but difii. cult to strike, provided the operation is carried out at the right season. There is no better time than the present, after the principal blooming is over and the wood has had sufiicient time to get to a half-ripened state, which it is necessary it should, to ensure success by the method under consideration. After flowering the shoots throw out a second growth from the eyes immediately below where the blooms were produced, but these are at present too soft tor the purpose required ; it is from the lower portion of the shoots, where the wood is firmer and further matured, but not too hard, that the cuttings should be made ; unless, in the case of varieties that are very short-jointed, two joints are enough tor each cutting. In preparing them cut clean just below a joint, leaving the eye at the joint above with its leaf attached to form the plant. Use 6.inch pots, sufliciently drained, and filled to within an inch-and-a-half of the rim with sifted loam, to which has been added a little well-rotted leaf-soil, and enough sand to keep the whole from becoming too close, otherwise the roots will get broken when the cuttings are separated for potting singly aftei they are struck. Lay an inch ot clean sand on the surface of the pots, and put six or eight cuttings in each ; then give a good watering, and place them as close as they will stand in a cold frame facing northward in an open situation. Put 2 or 3 inches of ashes under the pots to exclude worms, and keep the lights closed day and night, ii the frame is placed with its back to the sun, as advised, little shade will be required, unless the weather is very bright, the object being to get a genial warmth by the useof sunheat. Sprinkle them overhead every afternoon, so as to keep the soil quite moist. In the course ot three weeks the cuttings will be callused at the base, and ready tor throwing out roots, when they should be plunged in a gentle hot-bed prepared to receive them. They will require a little air during the day, and still keep the soil moist. If all goes on well, they will root quickly, scarcely one in a dozen missing. Tho essential point is to have them well callused in the cold frame before submitting them to heat. They will push into growth as soon as they form roots ; then place them singly in 4-inch pots, and keep them in the frame with a gentle warmth, until they get established, gradually giving more air, so as to harden them off before winter, during which let them, if possible, be in a house or pit, where a night temperature ot about 40° is main- tained. Here they will keep slightly moving until spring, when they may be planted out a foot apart on a bed ot well-prepared rich soil. Attend to them with water through the following summer, and in the autumn they will make good plants for planting out where they are to remain. Amateurs will do well not to attempt propagating any but good, strong-growing varieties, that possess a vigorous constitution. However beautiful the individual flowers ot weak, delicate-growing Roses may be, for general purposes they are worthless, and, as there are such numbers of really good kinds, representing almost all colours, there is no necessity to include what are termed " miffy " growers. Sowing Cabbage, Lettuce, &c. — It is advisable to put in a little more Cabbage seed now ; for, should the first sown fail, this will take its place, although the produce will be later than the difference in the time of sowing would lead one to suppose. A sowing of hardy green Lettuce should at once be made. These will come in after the summer varieties are over. A little of the Tom Thumb variety may also be put in, as this sort is a quick grower, and will be fit for use through the autumn. Old Strawberry beds that are intended to be done away with should at once be dug over, burying the JuLT 31, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 95 top3 as the work progresses, and digging in some manure. Ground of this kind is suitable for a crop of Turnips, which will be cleared off, so as to admit of its being cropped with something else in the spring — land that has been planted with Strawberries being in the beat condition for the growth of any kind of vegetables. Bun the hoe over all vacant ground, such as may exist among bush fruits. It often happens that care is taken early in the season to keep down weeds during the time that they increase most rapidly, and towards autumn, when but few make their appearance, they are not so well looked after. This is an omission that causes much after labour, as a very few weeds left to seed entail a continual repe- tition of the work. Raspberries. — The old canes will now have done bearing, there- fore they may be cut out at once, and their removal will be of much benefit to the young ones for next year's fruiting. At the same time, any superfluous suckers that will yet, from time to time, make their appearance should be cut away. Do not leave more canes than will ultimately be required for bearing. If the young shoots are very large, they sometimes get broken off at the bottom by the wind when in an exposed situation ; where this is the case secure them loosely to the supports, whether wires or stakes, but do not tie them up so closely as to injure the leaves, or not allow sufficient air and light to get amongst them. Peaches and Nectarines. — Continue to remove such shoots as will not be required for next year's bearing. Lay in those that are to remain, but do not over-crowd — the wood and the leaves should have full exposure to the light. Do not cease removing the leaves, wholly or in part, that prevent the fruit receiving the fall benefit of the sun, for, by this means only can it assume the colour that adds so much to its appearance. If the crop has not been "• sufficiently thinned it will now be apparent, and even yet, although late, it is better to remove a portion, as what remains will naturally by this means, attain a larger size, and the trees be left after the crop is ripe in a more satisfactory state for another year. Continue the use of the syringe regularly. Trees, with clean healthy foliage and free from insects, will finish off fruit that is superior in every respect to those the leaves of which are in a bad condition. Flower Garden. — Beds of Pelargoniums should be gone over every week to remove the dead flowers, not allowing any to seed ; for, if these are allowed to remain, they interfere with the growth and successional flowering. The same holds good with Lobelias. Plants that were large and strong when put out, are very liable to become exhausted, and look shabby before the end of the season, if the seeds are not removed, in which case it spoils the effect of the subjects they are associated with. An application of manure-water once a week will assist to prolong their flowering. Daring a season, such as the present, when bedding plants have been so late in making a good display, everything possible should be done to enable them to hold out to the last ; for, with a favourable autumn, they may yet make up for their deficiency in this respect in the beginning of the summer. Dahlias are now growing apace, and must be well supported with sticks and ties — mulching the bed over with a couple of inches of rotten manure. As herbaceous plants die off, remove the tops of the early-flowering plants. Give all autumn-blooming subjects sufficient supports to keep them from being blown about. Pinks, Carnations, and Pelargoniums. — Pinks should now be propagated by pipings made from the youug shoots, with about three joints ; insert them a couple of inches apart under hand-lights, in well prepared sandy soil. Wireworms are most destructive to these plants, and the soil, previous to putting in the pipings, should be passed through the hand, so that if any exist they may be destroyed. Carnations should be increased by layering, as they do not succeed like Pinks from pipings, unless they are put in early in the season, whilst the shoots or grass, as in florist phraseology it is generally called, is young, and not too hard. The earliest flowered Pelargoniums will, by this time, have sufficiently ripened their wood to be fit for cutting down. This may be known by the shoots, for a con- siderable distance upwards from the point where they spring, bein" hard and brown. The necessity for having them in this condition is, that if the wood, where they are cut back to, is in a green state they do not break well, only pushing a few of the strongest eyes. It the plants are as large as desired, shorten the shoots to within two or three eyes of where they were headed down to last year ; keep them in a pit or frame, and do not give more water than a sprinklinc overhead with the syringe until they have commenced growing. Such as have flowered late should be placed in the open air for a short time to mature their growth before being cut back. Koses. Budding may now be accomplished as rapidly as possible, for the stocks will be found to be in good condition for the operation at the presenii time. Care should be taken in the selection of the buds so as to obtain those that are plump and firm ; if they are not promi. nent it will not be advisable to bud them. In such a wet season mildew will be found to show itself in many places after the heavy rains we have experienced, and this, as well as red fungus, must be stopped. As soon as there is a change of weather syringe all Roses that are mildewed with soot and sulphur water. The red fungus shows itself on the back of the leaf, and many varieties are much more subject to it than others. I have generally stopped it with soot and soap suds. If this is not looked to very soon the autumn Roses will be utterly ruined, for the buds get destroyed and never afterwards open. The late storms have cleared away all aphis, but have greatly damaged the summer flowers of Rosea, and by looking well after the perpetual flowering varieties, by keepino- them clean and encouraging the autumn growth, we may have a fine display this autumn to repay na for the loss of our summer flowers. Roses have not been so fine out of doors in many localities where the ground is cold and constantly wet, but on gravelly and well-drained land they will be found to be much finer than usual, as a wet season suits them best. — H. G. The Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground. As soon as the flowering of deciduous shrubs, such as Spirseas, Deutzias, Lilacs, and Guelder Roses, is over, they should be cut in, and this should be done at once, in order to give sufficient time for the ripening of the young shoots, which will be developed as soon as this operation has been performed. If plants of this description are allowed to extend themselves without restriction, they will soon assume a very straggling habit and appearauce, and will also over, hang, and throw an injurious shade upon evergreens and other choice and delicate species which may be growing near them. Where shruberries are composed of various species of evergreen and decid. nous plants — and this is generally the case — the beauty of such plantations depends, in a great measure, upon the variety of leaface presented, and upon the duration of their flowering season. Great care is necessary in arranging or associating evergreen and deciduous species so as to avoid the appearance of blanks during winter, when deciduous plants will, of course, be bare of leaves. Each plant, too, whether evergreen or deciduous, should be a specimen of its species, and should not by any means have its outline broken, or be in any way interfered with by surrounding plants. Where, however, shrubs of one kind are planted in clumps, the case is different ; and very slight interference will, in their case, be necessary. In commencing to propagate bedding plants for next season, the varieties which are known to be the most difficult to increase, or of which the cuttings require the longest time to root, should be taken in hand first. Amongst these are the different kinds of variegated Pelargoniums, and these, on account of the wet weather we have recently experienced, will generally be found in a sufficiently advanced state to furnish an abundance of cuttino-s. More particularly will this be the case if a few plants of each sort were planted out in the reserve garden, for the express purpose of furnishing cuttings, and of obviating the necessity of having recourse to the flower beds for this purpose. When the cuttings of these plants have been properly prepared, they should be placed in 4-inch pots filled with light turfy soil, to which silver sand and finely-sifted leaf-soil should be added. Four cuttings should be placed in each pot close to its sides, in holes made with the fino-er or a small stick. Into each hole a small quantity of silver sand should be poured, and on this the cutting should be placed, the soil being pressed firmly to it. When this has been done, place the pots on cinder ashes in the open air and fully exposed to the sun, and water freely with a fine-rosed watering-pot when required. Another plan, by which cuttings will strike root with equal facility, is to prick them into a border of light soil, using a little sand, on which to set the end of the cuttings, the same as is done when pots are used. If this can be attended to now the cuttings will be well rooted by the middle or end of September, and quite ready to be potted into 4-inch pots, in which they should be kept during the ensuing winter. All the stronger-growing green-leaved kinds may, of course, be increased in a similar manner ; larger pots, however, should be used for the purpose, and less care will, in their case, be necessary. Cuttings of the various other kinds of bedding plants, such as Verbenas, Petunias, Fuchsias, Lobelias, Ageratums, Ireaines, Coleuses, Alternantheras, &c., may all be inserted, as soon aa possible, in 6 or 8-inch pots, well drained, and filled to within 2 or 3 inches of the rim with light soil, the remaining portion of the pots being filled up with a mixture of silver sand and finely-sifted leaf soil, in which the cuttings are to be inserted. It very frequently happens that Verbenas and Iresines are much infested by aphis ; and, when this is found to be the case, the cuttings must be freed from them before they are inserted, as this will be difficult to accomplish after. Wherever there are signs of insects upon the cuttings, let them 96 THE GAEDEN. [July 31, 1875. be dipped in tolerably strong tobacco-water, and allowed to lie in a wet Btate for half an hour or more before they are inserted in the store pots. After the cuttings are in their pota, they should be well watered with a fine-rosed watering-pot, to settle the soil about them ; and the pots should then be placed upon ashes in a frame, which should be kept quite close, and shaded slightly during intense san- shine. The cuttings should be well sprinkled every evening, and in about a fortnight they will have taken root, when they should be placed in the open air, there to remain until there are indications of frost, when they must, of course, be placed in their winter quarters. This exposure to the open air for several weeks has a most beneficial effect upon the health of the cuttings, giving them an amount of ■vigour and hardiness which enables them to stand the cold of the approaching winter. As regards the cuttings of the more tender species of bedding plants, such as the Alternantheras and Coleuses, they must not be allowed to remain too long in the open air, as a very slight degree of frost will prove fatal to them ; and it will also be necessary to winter such plants in a temperature much higher than that required for Pelargoniams or Verbenas. — P. Grieve, Cul- ford, Bury St. Edmunds. Indoor Truit Department. Vines. — Young Vines may still be planted at the present time, and may be expected to make more progress in their permanent quarters than if kept in pots until next spring. If the leading shoot has been stopped, as most of them have by this time, all the side shoots that appear likely to grow should be allowed to do so. The chief advantage in planting so late in the season is, that the roots establish themselves in the fresh soil, and they grow away much more freely when started the following season than when newly planted at that time. Shoots, which were permitted to grow on Vines after the fruit was cut should now be cut back to the point whence they started, so that the air may circulate freely, and ripen the main wood. Where it is seen that late Grapes are likely to be over-crowded, the smallest of the berries should be thinned out of each bunch, taking them out of the centre, where the berries are most liable to damp. The largest shoulders on Alicante bunches may be tied up with a piece of matting, but should not be taken up any further than is sufficient to leave the berries clear of each other. Syrian and White Nice often produce large shoulders, which should be tied up in a similar manner. Where the symmetry of a bunch is spoiled by a shoulder, as many are, take it off altogether. Early pot Vines do not need much water now ; and any that are still under shade of any kind must be removed at once to the most exposed place available. Growing under shade may answer to a certain extent, but Grapes must never be ripened under shade. Late Vines in pots are still growing freely, and should be given an abundance of well-diluted manure-water three times a week. Pines. — Plants intended to yield a supply in November and later, should be showing fruit now, and the bottom-heat applied to these should be kept at 85°. If the plants have been kept somewhat dry previously, give the roots a thorough watering as soon as the fruit is seen. Black Jamaica is one of the best late varieties. Its fruit is finely flavoured in winter, and at all other times. It swells, colours, and ripens perfectly, without sunshine ; but the compara- tively small size of its fruit is not in its favour, and is, perhaps, the reason why it is not more extensively cultivated. Keep the earliest- potted Queens, successional Smooth Cayennes, and other varieties, well supplied with water, and use a little guano on alternate days. The surface of the plunging material of all kinds of Pines should be kept moist on hot days. Succession plants should also be allowed abund- ance of atmospheric moisture whenever the weather is warm and bright, and if sun heat is skilfully economised there will be little use for fire heat, except during dull weather. — J. Muin. Hardy Fruit. Fruit trees of all kinds have this seji,son made free growth, and the great difficulty will now be to get such growth fully ripened, more especially if the weather continues much longer cold, wet, and sunless. As previously directed, let all superfluous wood be removed, that every branch and bud may be exposed to the action of light and air, and this will, in some measure, make up for the loss of sunshine. Apricots being apt to ripen on one side only, unless fully exposed, should have the foliage drawn aside or removed altogether; this latter practice is not, however, to be recommended, and should only be resorted to when the fruit cannot be otherwise exposed. Wasps are appearing in some localities in large numbers, and due vigilance must be exercised to keep them off the fruit, the Apricot being invariably that first attacked. The best and, I believe, the only remedy, is to seek out their nests and destroy them. Squirrels and blackbirds are also partial to Apricots, and are sure to take the best fruit ; shooting — ■ our remedy — ia far too good for such dastardly conduct. The excessive rains which we have had are causing the fruit to crack. Plums and Pears here are also cracked, an evil for which there is virtually no remedy, except a change to hot and dry weather. Occasionally examine the protecting material on Currants and Gooseberries, which sometimes get destroyed by mice. Should fine weather set in temporarily remove such coverings, and allow the fruit to get thoroughly dry, as the immense rainfall (5i inches here this month) must have injured fruit greatly. These remarks, of course, only apply to fruit that is intended to be kept for some time ; all other bush fruits should be gathered as weather permits. — W. WlLDSMlTH, Heckjield. FLOWER VASE FOR A MANTEL-PIECE. Herewith I send you a sectional sketch of a vase which I found in a village shop in Kent, and of which, being near the sea, I bought a couple to use as aquaria for minute marine objects. They answered this purpose exceedingly well ; and, upon suDsequently trying their capabilities as receptacles for flowers, I found them equally useful in that way, so much so that I secured a second pair ; and X can assure you that four of them on a mantel-piece, with amirror behind them, form a very pretty decoration. At the present moment they contain wild flowers only, such as Saintfoin, Chicory, Yarrow, small Poppies, yellow Trefoil, Mallow, yellow and white Galiums, Oats, Canary, and other Grasses, while, for foliage, a small-leaved Umbellifer answers most effectively. The vases are 8 inches high, 3 inches in diameter at the foot, and scarcely 2 inches across the top. They would also prove very useful round the centre decoration of a dinner-table, or placed near the four corners. Flowers, I need scarcely say, are beautiful and interesting under all circumstances ; but in our rooms they may be said to acquire additional value, and any simple and inexpensive vase in which they can be shown oft' to advan- tage, such as that I have just described, cannot fail, I think, to be appreciated. W. T. P. JAPANESE GARDEN PLANTS. There is no country so rich iu desirable plants whicli are suited to our climate as Japan — witness, the vast nutuber o£ shrubs and flowers which are distinguished as japonica — and there is none where artificial gardening is carried universally to such lengths. The beautiful Lilium auratum is grown as a vegetable in Japan, the bulbs being eaten as we eat the Jeru- salem Artichoke ; the varieties of Lilies which flourish in the country are endless. The Chrysanthemum is the national flower ; it grows to a gigantic size, and is pickled in country houses. A conventional representation of it is the crest of the Mikado, and the flower and stalk both appear on their new coinage, where it divides the honour with the Paulownia iraperialis, or Kiri, which, on acoount of the distinctness of its annual rings, was formerly used for measuring periods, being planted at the birth of a prince and cut down at his death, when the number of rings gave the years of his age. Its wood is distinguished by its extreme dryness, a valuable property in a climate that is damp for a great part of the year, and it is therefore used for sword-scabbards and boxes for the preservation of articles liable to rust. The Sakura or double-tloworing Cherry (Prunus pseudo-cerasus) is cultivated everywhere for the beauty of its flowers. The fruit-bearing Cherry is almost unknown, and one cannot give a Japanese a greater treat than a dish of fine Cherries. No one who has examined Japanese porcelain, lacquer, stuffs, or coloured prints, can have failed to observe what an important part the (iouble-flowering Cherry (all flowers and no leaves) and the dying Maple foliage play in their landscapes and decorations. The early spring, when the country is ablaze with the blos- soms of the double-flowering Cherry, is a time for universal July 81, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 97 excursions aud pio-nics. With their portable firo-boxes, tobacco receptacles, spirit-cases, and pic-nic baskets, the whole family goes afield and makes a day of it. The Japanese are as earne'st after botanical novelties as ourselves. It seems strange to them that we think so much of a table vegetable like the Lilium auratum, but an accomplished Japanese in the interior of the country, who was taking an Englishman over his house and showing him priceless old china and lacquer, sword-blades and ivory carvings, finally exhibited as a great rarity an ordinary soda-water bottle (glass is uncommon in Japan) ; and bringing him into his garden, which was a little paradise of fantastically-trained trees, flowers, rockeries, and cascades, expected supreme admiration for a plant of curly Kale and a common Daisy— an ever-blooming Chrysanthemum, as he called it — which were languishing side by side in flower- pots. _^_ J. O'N. Gunnera soabra for the Wild Garden.— How is it that Gun- lera scabra is not more grown ? I am certain that anyone who sees the magnificent specimen at the top of the herbaceous department at Kew will not rest satisfied without a plant or two of it. My plants are only two years old, but they are growing very rapidly (aa are also G. nianicata, with nearly circular leaves) in round beds, composed of leaf mould, and shaded by tall trees, at the entrance to the wild garden. — Oion. Early blooming of Renanthera coccinea. — Those intending to bloom this beautiful Orchid during the early part of the year, must now remove it to a Vinery where the fruit is just beginning to ripen, and for this a Muscat-house is to be preferred, where it will get plenty of air and a dry heat. The crown of the plant should be placed close to the glass amongst the Vine leaves, and if it can be placed tolerably near a rib to afford a little shade from the mid. day sun all the better. No more water than what will prevent it from shrivelliDg should be given, and after October comes in give none at all. The plant should not be syringed overhead at any time ; a Vinery is the best place for it throughout the season ; place a good Hazel or Crab. tree stake in the pot ; tie the plant to it, and, aa the roots grow rapidly, regnlarly tie them to the stake, and cover them with Sphagnum or Cocoa-nut fibre. Under this treatment it has shown bloom with me in November, and, growing in a cool temperature, opened its blossoms at the end of April. Having pre- viously placed some Sphagnum round, just below the flower-spike, for it to root into, I cut it off below tho Sphagnum and put it into a pot ; the old plant sent out afresh leader, and after making 13 inches of growth, showed bloom again in the winter months. Its distinct colour, and the length of ita blooming season render it worthy of every consideration. — James Smith, Waterdale, St. Helens. The Pelargonium Society. — At the annual meeting of this Society, which took place on the 22nd inst., the treasurer, Mr. Denny, was able to report a satisfactory state of the finances, a balance of £20 83. 4d. remaining after paying the prizes awarded at the exhibi. tion on the previous day, and all the working expenses. The sum paid out in prizes was £40. A hope was expressed that the Society, now that it had become better known, might draw around it more abundant support, so that encouragement might be extended to other classes of Pelargoniums, besides the zonals, which was the class specially in view when the Society was originally founded. It wag also thought that the inducements offered by the Society might set hybridisers to work, and so be the means of obtaining new types of this useful decorative family. The chairman, treasurer, honorary secretary, and committee were re-elected, the latter body being strengthened by the addition of the names of Mr. Andrew Henderson, Mr. G. T. EoUisson, Mr. B. S. Williams, and Mr. J. F. West. At a dinner, which took place after the business of the meeting was over, a most interesting discussion took place as to the influence of the pollen in cross-breeding, and on other matters connected with the history and improvement of the Pelargonium. Mr. Pearson suggested that the Society should endeavour to find and to fix satisfactory and intelligible names for the different groups of Pelargoniums, instead of the inapplicable ones — show, fancy, tricolor, zonal, &c. — now in common use. In reference to the origin of the Fancy Pelargonium, Mr. Cooling stated his belief that the first variety of this type, which must have been raised forty years ago, was one called Willoughby. anum, and that it had been bred from the ordinary varieties of that period crossed with such sorts as Moore's Victory, Fair Helen, &o., Willoughbyanum being one of the seedlings thus produced. Mr. Williams urged that the objects of the Society were too restricted, and that other flowers should be included ; but this objection was met by the argument that to extend the scope of operation would require more funds, and would create a divided interest, whereas it was better for the Society to concentrate its present efforts on the flower which had been selected, and that other elements would be found in the show with which thatof this Society would always be associated— that of the Royal Horticultural Society for example, as was the case this year. The Moss Campions (Silene). — These, though coming from the pure air of mountains, will, as a rale, thrive perfectly in the open border. They will require a well-drained soil and a position fully exposed to the sun, with plenty of water in summer. I generally bury a few large flints about them when newly planted. S. alpestris and S. Schafta (the former with glistening white, and the latter with neat rose-coloured flowers) will thrive without any attention. We have also (doing well in open borders) S. aeaulis, a firm mossy plant with crimson flowers, S. Elizabetha3, a rare species from the Tyrol, with large rose and white flowers, S. Pumilio, very like S. aeaulis in general appearance, but with much larger flowers. — OxON. Hose Aimee Vibert. — This Koso is not so well known as it deserves to be, and is certainly one of the most vigorous, hardy, and floriferous Roses we have. Anyone possessing a wall that he is desirous of covering, or a place to raise a pole, should grow this charming Rose. One side of my house (a tolerably large one) is covered with its numerous pure white trusses, with from ten to twenty blooms in each truss. It will grow nearly everywhere. I took np the paving stones in front of my house for about a foot square, and planted it with very little preparation; notwithstanding this it is now one of the most lovely objects possible. The last winter was rather hard on it, and it had to be cut in in the spring, to which, in a measure, its present extraordinary blooming qualities are, perhaps, due. It will throw up shoots from 12 to 20 feet in a season. It will thus reach the tops of pillars in a season, and throw out scores of blooming branches the following spring.— Tuos. Williams, Bath Lodge, Ormskirk. Peas for Succession Sown at the Same Time.— On the 13th of March I sowed three rows of Fortyfold, three rows of Veitch's Perfection, aud two rows of Ne Plus Ultra Peas. On the 1st of July I began to gather from the Fortyfold ; on the 12th from Ne Plus Ultra; and on the 21st from Veitch's Perfection. The two first aro now nearly finished, but Veitch's will last ten days or a fortnight longer. All of them are first. rate sorts, both as regards crop and quality. Fortyfold grows 6 feet, Ne Plus Ultra 7 feet, and Veitch's Perfection 4 feet 6 inches in height, all being higher than usual owing to so much rain. For staking tall Peas, I prefer the tops of fast grown young Oaka, as other stakes aro apt to break down under wind and rain. — J. GAttLAND, Killertnn, Exetir. Mr. Earley's High-class Kitchen, Gardening. —I think Mr. Hobday has been too kind to Mr. Earley's book in the last number of The Garden. It may be " high.class " gardening, but there are a good many errors, both of omission and commission in it. Some of these are not easily excused in a self-styled "high class" book. Mr. Earley says the Potato Onion is the same as the Welsh Onion (see p. 152) ; they are very different things, as most people know. One is also astonished to find that the artificial fertilising of the Cucumber, for which minute instructions are given, is " high class " practice. I have grown Cucumbers, summer and winter, for more than twenty years, and never had occasion to fertilise one yet, except for seed — the fewer seeds in Cucumbers used for salad the better. Different continental names of vegetables are given at^ hmgth, while such matters as the formation and arrangement of the kitchen garden, rotation of crops, &c., are omitted, or hardly noticed. The same may be said of insect plagues. We are cautioned about the wire-worm only, as being the worst enemy of the Carrot, while it is well known that it is the Carrot-fly grub which does the mischief generally. Peaa are recommended for cultivation that are not in commerce. "Felicitoua" and " nou.telicitous " are terms applied to soils; according to Walker, these mean "happy" aud "unhappy," but according to Mr. Earley they mean clay or loam, or light or heavy soil. One would not notice these matters so much were it not for the pretentious title of the book. The author is a good kitchen gardener, and ought to have done better,— A Modern Kitchen Gardener. Shading for a Camellia-house.— I have a Camcllia-hoase awkward m shape anddifflcult to shade. I should, therefore, be much obhged it some of your readers could give me any information respecting a kind of glass that would do away with the necessity of shading.— Solo. Geranium armenum.— This showy and handsome species has agam been most strikingly beautiful with mo during the last few weeks. It is to my mind one of the best plants which Messrs. Backhouse have yet sent out. Its bushy compact growth and long-continued inflorescence, consisting of great magenta- coloured blooms make it one of tho most vjiluablo plants that can be grown.— H. HiEPUE Crewe, Vravton-Beanchimp Rcclory, Tring. Sweet Peas Best Sown in Autumn.— The advantage of sowing Sweet Peas in autumn, so as to get an early bloom the following year is not known wel enough. I have every year vigorous hedge-like lines of Sweet Peas— splendid in their profusion of bloom— and this I owe to sowing late in summer, or early in autumn, instead of in spring. Sweet Peas are quite hardy and stand with me any winter, no matter how long or severe.— W. R, S . 98 THE GAEDEN. [July 31, 1875. OBITUARY. JOHN STANDISH. We announce witli regret the death of this able and well-known nnrsery- man, which took place at his residence at Ascot on Saturday last. Mr. Standish was born in Yorkshire on the 2oth of March, 1814, and at the age of twelve remored with his parents to Calne, in "Wiltshire, where his father held an appointment at Bowood under the Marquis of Lansdowne. It was there that he gained his first instruction in gardening. After his apprenticeship was finished, he went to Bagshot Park, where Mr. Toward was then gardener to the Duchess of Gloucester, and under him acted as foreman till he commenced business for himself as a nurseryman at Bagshot. Mr. Standish was an assiduous hybridiser, and one of his first achievements in that way was Tuchsia Standishii, a fine dark variety, the result of crossing F. fulgens with F. globosa. This is stated to have been in 1839 ; and soon after that he raised Calceolaria Standishii, one of the first of the prettily spotted herbaceous kinds. Many other genera of plants formed the subjects of Mr. Standish's experiments, and notaljly the Rhododendron, of which he raised many beautiful varieties. It was to Mr. Standish, then in partnership with Mr. Noble, that Mr. Fortune entrusted the raising, propagation, and distribution of his Japanese and Chinese plants on his second expedition to the East, and it was through him that some of the most familiar trees and plants of our gardens were first distributed. In 1862 Mr. Standish removed from Bagshot to Ascot, where he formed an entirely new nursery on a more extensive scale. John Standish was one of those men, not multitudinous, whom we seem to know and esteem when first we meet them. Like a Bank of England note, he was payable at sight. Tall and broad, in his prime, there was a manliness in his presence, a pleasant kindliness in big face, and a heartiness and geniality in his manner, which made one wish at once to count him as a friend. And there was always that enthu- siasm and liopef ulness in his words which proved him to be a true florist — ■ one whom no disappointments could ever dismay, and _ no amount of success could quite satisfy. If you criticised one of his seedlings, he acknowledged its faults cheerfully, because he was confident in his power to expel them ; and, if you praised, " Well, yes it was pretty, but it was nothing to that which was to follow." Successful as he was with flower and fruit, his Fuchsias, his Roses, his Rhododendrons, and his Grapes, the past and the present were with him as nothing compared with those visions of beauty, which his brave ambition saw. It gave one new courage and a bright hope to hear John Standish talk of what we gardeners might do, and what we gardeners ought to do,_ with all our modern improvements in combination with the experience of the past. He was liberal, open, both as to hand and heart, a "generous Briton" — not in public-house phraseology,_ though he was given to hospitality, and happily social, within the limits of becoming mirth, but in the true sense of the term. He did not grudge information to those who asked from a love of the beautiful, and not for a love of gain. He made no evasion or reservation to those who were gardeners at heart, as he'was. With his advice, with his plants, in any way he could, he would help beginners. When I happened to mention my intention of erecting a Vinery — " If you will buy your wood and glass," said he, " you shall have my mason and carpenter to work them, and then I'll send you some Vines." I most thankfully accepted the first proposal, and, thanks to him and his two clever artisans, who came at once from Bagshot to Caunton, no near distance, I have had for many years, during ten months out of the twelve, an abundant supply of Grapes. And still there bloomsin my garden, and will bloom so long as that garden is mine, the Rose which he imported from France, and to which, believing it to be of superior excel- lence, and with a fraternal kindness, which he knew would please me, he gave the name of Reynolds Hole. " Old Standish " (as we who liked him best used to call him) did not live to be old in years, but the memory of a true florist and a true friend will long survive him in many a pleasant garden, and in many a faithful heart. Samuel Reynolds Hole. Caunton Manor, from the Council of the Royal Horticultural Society to the following eS'ect — "1. That the society should raise its annual income from sub- scriptions to £10,000, an amount that would provide adequately for the promotion of the science and the encouragement of the practice ot horti- culture, and for the eflicient maintenence of the gardens. 2. Ihat the Commissioners should waive the imminent forfeiture of the lease tor non- payment of rent for a suflicient period to give the society an opportunity of re-establishing itself." The Commissioners accepted this proposal as the basis of an arrangement. The New Forest.— The Report of the Select Committee of the House of Commons appointed to enquire into _ and report on the present condition of aS'airs in the New Forest and into the operation of the Deer Removal Act, 1851, and particularly into the exercise and eflect of the powers of enclosure given by that Act, has been published as alar- liamentary paper, No. 341. The resolutions to which the Committee have come, and which they have agreed to report to the House of Commons, are as follows :-" That the New Forest shall remain open and unenclosed, except to the extent to which it is expedient to maintain the existing right of the Crown to plant trees. That the ancient orna- mental woSds and trees shall be carefully preserved, and the character of the scenery shall be maintained. The powers of enclosure conferred by statute shall be exercised only on that area which has hitherto been taken in at various times, and been either kept or thrown out under the Acts 9 and 10 Wilham III., c. 36, 4S George III., c. /2, and the Deer Removal Act, 1851. That the Crown should retain the power of keepmg 16,000 acres of growing timber and trees planted under the Acts of William III. and 1851 at aU times under enclosure, and the Crown be entitled to enclose and throw out at will any portion of the_ area over which the powers of planting are to be exercised, with =^ Ji^w t° ™ unrestricted use in such manner as may be deemed expedient for the most profitable growth of timber and trees, but that the ro ling power over the open portion of the forest not now planted or enclosed under the Acts William III. or 1851 should cease." A Garden Contractor sent to Gaol.— Vice-Chancellor Hall hn.d before him the other day the case of "Allen v. Martin." The plaintiff is a trustee of the will of Lord Southampton, and in the latter end of last year he entered into a contract with the defendant Martin, under which the latter undertook to raise the south onclosuro of Euston Square, and to lay out that piece of ground as a garden. The only thing Martin did, however, was to raise the level of the enclosure by means of rubbish which he put there, the smell from which made the surrounding dwellings almost uninhabitable. The defendant had been warned by an injunction previously granted against him to do what he had undertaken to do by his contract ; but he did not do it, and now a motion was made to commit him for contempt of court, the contempt being his neglect to obey the injunction. Tho vice-chancellor granted an order to commit the defendant to gaol. The Future of the Eoyal Horticultural Society.— The Prince of Wales presided the other day, at Marlborough House, over a ■meeting of her Ma.jesty's Commissioners for tho Exhibition of 1851. There were present — The Duke of Buccleuch, the Marquis of Lansdowne, Lord Spencer, Lord Carnavon, Lord Granville, Lord Aberdare, Sir Stafford Northcote, Sir Bartle Frere, Sir William Knoylles, Mr. Playfair, Sir William Anderson, Sir Francis Sandford, Mr. Edgar Bowring, Mr. John Evans, Mr. Field Gibson, General Ponsonby, General Probyn, and Major-General Scott, secretary. Sir Henry Thring attended the meeting at the request of the president. The Commissioners considered a proposal SmVelia marilandica.-This is abeautiful and brilliant perennial in amolst neS'^^OTderwfth handsome flowers, red outside, and yellow withm It is Tory Somseen,Tnd It is very impatient of transplanting. It grows about afoot rar^^sfn'uSb'er^r flower/hrth"no\Twn to have been borne by this plant at Lnder, I constderlt to be in all respects an excellent addition to our Lettuces.- D. T. Fish, Bni-v Sf. Edmunds. , ,, . . , „, Eve fine pitchers, and seven had been cutoff that morning makmg m all thnty thfd^ls?rS;^ff.^rcing these They would c^^^^^^^^ !??dSS'HrSrs?"rint?Xr'yVngtLt'VwV"S'cx^pe^^ ■^"t he' Potato Disease -This is spreading with fearful rapiaity-patcheB of Snscious of our inability to cope with it.-A. Db.k JF.Jfo.f. Strawberries that Resist Wet -T^- "klg^f: goT"?ieTof 's^^tisS 5ifec:ftdmi^arD=;Sd^s"Blt^on'^lt?e^V|k?)°,'anSl tie old Eh.a. These, I think, are superior to all the new kinds.-lUMULEE. ...„„,,_„.. bi„. Blue Asphcdeh-Wl^n^Mr^^R-^- J-,,,-p- ^,, ^ Asphodel" on Monte Maiio lam strOT^^^ P flowers and flower- t^^T^lMliir^ SISf^STer-TaLt^annotbc said of any Asphode..- Vines Not Fi^^™"?. ^ h^ve a s J ^^^ ^^ jj^^^ ^^^ y ^rc^n^eiThJn'^jrn^ofgg^^^^^ °ard"f™m\TtlI.g^"^el?e^r!/r"^^ respecting them I shal be gM.-O.T,iy^^ ^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^,^_^ Young Winter Carrots. y™°^ "j ^^^^^ ^^ the first week in August winter months th^in yo,™g,'^"/,°S- ind commence drawing them in October, outside, on a f°"'l^ b°r^^"' P^^fi^'^i^^^lX Sey^^^^ both as a dish, Hi ^uurin rm'ny forSsTo? ^u'i"o\etof iecoraLn that they have become nnifn ji npnpRsitv. — R. Gilbert, -Bfn-^/itry. ^:;:o;r^^.;-otyct^s.n^a.s^^^^ ?ry^dB™o1ig'Telds'aUhis'S? seaTon\jaly 26th) one barrel of good-sized a conspicuous object m the late ^I'l'^S,'""', „i„,iied with small snow-whito tT,rb^r"e°eranXoSistas^T^^^^^^^^^ Drayfov-Beanchtmp Htdory, Tring. THE GARDEN. 99 SATITBDAT, AUG. 7. 1875. " This is an art WMoh does mend nature : change it rather : but The a rt itself is Natusb," — B VARIETIES OP PERFUME IN THE ROSE. In Roses there is a national interest ; their scents are especially interesting, and, I am sure, to none more so than to our lady gardeners, whose delicacy of discrimination in matters o£ perfume will be of the greatest assistance to us in discussing this subject. The well-known perfumes of Mignonette, Musk, Heliotrope, Verbena, Violet, Orange-blossom, and others are highly prized by most people ; but the same peculiar scents are maintained by them all the world over ; while the Rose, queen of all, is uusurpased in the variety of its perfume. Having, during many years, given much attention to this subject, I shall now endeavour to make a classification of distinct types of Rose scents ; asking your readers to bear with me in this, the first attempt that has ever been made of this kind. I would here enumerate some seventeen varieties, beginning with the well-known Sweet Briar: — 1, Sweet Briar, the garden variety ; 2, Moss Rose-bud scent, common Moss and others of that family; 3, Austrian Briar, Copper, Austrian, and others of that section ; 4, Musk Rose, Narcissus, Old Musk, and others ; 5, Myrrh-scented, Ayrshire, splendens ; 6, China Rose scent, an astringent refreshing scent, old monthly China and many others ; 7, Damask Perpetual scent. Rose d^ Roi, &c. ; 8, Scotch Rose scent, the early double Scotch ; 9, Violet-scented, White Banksia ; 10, Old Cabbage-scented, the well-known double Provence; 11, Otto Perpetual scent, Charles Letebvre, Madame Knorr, &o. ; 12, true Perpetual scent, Chabrillaud, Pierre Netting, &c. ; 13, Old Tea scent, the old yellow Tea or Magnolia Rose, and others— almost unpleasantly strong for some tastes : 14, Sweet Tea scent, Gou- bault, Devoniensis, Mardchal Niel, &c. ; 15, Hybrid Tea scent, La France ; Bessie Johnson is closely allied to this ; 16, Nectarine or fruit scent, Socrates, Jaune Desprez, Aline Sisley, &c. ; 17, a new variety which I would name the Verdier scent, represented more or less by" all the Victor Verdier hybrids, such as Eugenie Verdier, Castellane, Countess of Oxford, Marie Finger, and many others of recent introduction. Some compare this slight but peculiar perfume to that of Apples ; I think it might be described as a delicate Rose scent, with a " suspicion" of turpentine about it, pleasantly blended. The petals of the highly-scented varieties have on their inner surface minute perfume glands, or vessioles, containing the highly volatile essence, under the microscope distinctly visible. Those on the foliage of Sweet Briar and sepals of the Moss Rose may almost be seen by the naked eye. So that with the microscope and good olfactory practice, the interesting ques- tion, " Which are the sweetest Roses ?" may be readily settled. To my taste, and by the same rule, the following are the most deliciously and powerfully scented of all Roses, viz. ; — La France, Goubault, Devoniensis, Marechal Niel, Bessie Johnson, Madame Knorr, Pierre Netting, and Charles Lefebvre. As a rule nearly all the dark Roses are sweet-scented. To unstop Nature's finest bottle of Rose-scent, remove the cap in hot weather from a " pasted " full-blown bud of La France, or even the Old Cabbage, and the flower will instantly expand, throwing out a surprising volume of fragrance. Roses after they have been gathered a short time, appear to give off more perfume. Again, Roses blooming under glass usually give off more than those of the same kinds blooming in the open air. Toi-iiuay. Heney Curtis. LILY GROWING EXTRAORDINARY. We have frequently recommended that Lilies should bpplonied in Rhododendron beds, the soil and slight shelter and shade of the shrubs assisting them perfectly. We had, however, no idea of the splendid results to be in this way obtained till we saw Mr. Mcintosh's garden at Duneevan, Oatlands, the other day. Here Lilium auratum, planted near the margin of masses of Rhododendron, attains an astonishing degree of vigour, and sends up such noble pillars of its huge blooms as we have never seen equalled byany other plant, whether grown under glass or in the open air. Each noble tuft of Lilies, well defined, tells as well in the picturesque garden landscape of the place as well-grown and well-placed trees of the variegated Maple do. The smallest and most recently-planted specimens are from 5 to 6 feet high, while the old-established plants range from 9 to 11 feet high, so that one has to look up at the colossal bouquet of flowers borne by each plant of this noble Lily. From 110 to 140 full-sized blooms are borne by each tuft (originally one bulb). Some few of the plants have now past out of flower, others are yet to open, while the majority are in the full glory of blossom ; the varieties show such a variation as to the time of fJowering that their season here lasts nearly three months. The beds are on a steep bank, they are for the most part of sandy peat, with wet sand within 2 feet of the surface, and the garden is perfectly shel- tered from all strong wmds. No examples of Lilies in pots, as seen at our best shows, give the faintest idea of the specimens in this garden, or of their extraordinary effect in the garden landscape. With such effects from one single Lily we may well expect great aid from them in the embellishments of the gardens of the future. MY WILD GARDEN. The most showy part of my wild garden at the present time consists of about 20 feet square, filled with the two following vigorous plants, Galega officinalis alba and G. orientalis, with white and lilac pea-shaped flowers respectively. They are smothered in bloom and most effective ; and growing, as they do, to nearly 5 feet high, are more fitted for naturalisation in the garden proper. In the latter (in a rich border) they grow taller, over 6 feet, and display more leaf and less flower than in the Grass in a wild place. They are easily increased by seed or division. In front of them are clumps of Phloxes ; and they are flanked on one side by the tall-growing and handsome Pascalia glauca, and on the other by varieties of Helianthus, and by Polygonum cuspidatum. The whole forms a very striking autumn bed, and the Grass grows right up to the plants, so that no earth is visible ; and backed up, as they are, by Irish Yews, the contrast between the dark green of the latter and the bright colour of the former is very good. A very effctive bed here consisted (the beauty is, of course, over now) of 100 bulbs of Allium Moly interspersed with fifty early-blooming purple Gladioli. The whole bed was carpeted with that most useful plant, Sedum acre aureum, and the contrast of the yellow Alliums and Sedums with the Gladioli was extremely good. We do not look on the Sow Thistles as by any means our friends, and would sooner have their room than their company ; but one of them is, I think, worthy of a place in a wild garden — viz., Mulgedium Plumieri, a tall composite 6 feet high, with blue flowers, very much in appearance like those of the Chicory (Cichorium Intybus). There is a great deal of leaf in comparison with the flower, but it is distinct enough for trial in a large place. The Monardas, generally called Bergamots, are now well in flower, and are showy ornaments to the garden. M. didyma, with scarlet flowers in whorls, is perhaps the best, and looks well behind low shrubs, as well as in the mixed border. There are several varieties, and perhaps all should be grown, particularly one with violet-coloured flowers, which grows very vigorously ; but none of them come up to the scarlet one. I tried them under the shade of trees in a thin wood, but found they did not do nearly so well as when fully exposed, and have, consequently, moved them. I do not think the old Rose Campion (Agro- stemma coronaria) is sufficiently appreciated. One seldom sees it now-a-days ; but, as we have it here, it is most valuable. Growing in great patches of crimson, with grey leathery leaves, it now lights up a dryhill-side in the wild garden, and has been in bloom for nearly two months. Grown in the garden proper, it partakes more of the character of a biennial, but on a gravelly hill is a true perennial, and, in addition, remains much longer in bloom. I believe it would flourish in the most wretchedly dry soil. It is so easily raised fi'om seed that it should be grown largely in any place where there is room for it to be planted in quantities. A double form (crimson) is very good. There is also a white, and a white 100 THE GARDEN. [Aug. 7, 1875. and red, variety, which, are useful for associating with the highly-coloured one, but are certainly not neai-ly so good as the old form. Cannas look, to my miud, much better when in clumps of four and five than in the immense masses one sees of them in some of the London Parks, but I think the happiest effect is when an odd one starts up here and there amongst the perennials of the mixed border. A shilling packet of seed would yield quite enough plants, which (though not named sorts) are quite good enough for any garden, and, as they will flower the first year from seed if raised on heat, there can be no excuse for their absence from the mixed border. They are, of course, indispensable for the wild garden, where they will come up year after year if on a porous bottom, and protected with some dead leaves or litter. There are, as many of your readers no doubt have experienced, many hardy perennials, which, individually, or as single plants, have little or no beauty to recommend them, but the same plants, when grown in large masses may have a fine effect ; and here it is that the wild garden is so useful. The common Bluebell, when carpeting a shrubbery or thin wood, shows us how Nature likes massing her colours ; and, still better, when thickly planted, is the beautiful Anemone apennina. I have never seen anything much prettier than some of the woods in south Italy, towards the latter end of April, particularly those on the left-hand side of the road from Amalfi to La Cava after leaving the main road from the former place to Salerno. The ground was literally covered with the sky-blue of A. apennina, occasionally mixed with rosy Cyclamen, and was worth a long journey to admire. It was raining heavily, but I could not resist carrying off a quantity of bulbs, on the chance of some of them not resenting their untimely removal, and conse- quently was not surprised at only seeing about a dozen show up this last spring. I brought them over last year. However, I made a bargain afterwards with a Neapolitan nurseryman, who in the autumn sent me over a quantity of both Cyclamen and Anemone. There are also quantities of a rose-coloured Anemone growing with A. apennina, but these were found in the greatest abundance along the Sorrento coast, and in the island of Capri. Now, there is no reason why both these Anemones should not be grown in equal abundance in our thin shrubberies, where they would be as free as the common Wood Anemone. There are a few places where this has been done on a small scale, but to do so we must be able to procure roots at less than 2s. Od. or 3s. per dozen. I have found few subjects better or more effective for a wild garden than masses of the common Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus), which we grow here in large quantities in every shade of colour, from dark purplish-crimson to white. They seed themselves very freely, if they hnve the least chance ; and, if planted in any light dry soil become nearly, or quite, perennials ; at all events, they have bloomed here for three seasons in succession, massed in front of the Rose Campion (both flowering at the same time, and for a long time in succession). A mixed packet of seeds would produce a number of plants in every shade. This reminds me that when one day speaking of Ware's new double Sweet William (Dianthus magnificus), a cottager told me that she had quite double plants of it for years ; and had, in fact, only lost them during the last year or so. As, however, I had never seen them, I simply state the fact as told me, premising only that the cottager in question has always been an enthu- Biastic lover of flowers. Oxon. Cnltnre of Nierembergia rivnlaris.— What is the best method ot culti- valiiif; this pretty Nieromberffia ? The description ot it in " Alpine Flowers " has piven mo a great desire to grow it, but hitherto my attempts to do so havo proved unauccosstul. What soil and what situation are best for it, and should it be grown in the full sun or in partial shade ?— Ubk. [About London, this plant thrives in borders or on the rock-garden in any ordinary open soil. Further north, it may require more heat than the open garden enjoys. Some of our readers will probably give theft" experience in other districts.] Flowering of an American Aloe at Wevmonth.— There is now flowering here a flno specimen of Agave amcricana. It is about thirty years old, and has been planted out-of-doors twenty-three years. Itj (lower-stem is now 23 feet high, but the flowers are not yet expanded. The plant stands about 10 feet above high-water mark, and within about 15 yards of the sea. Its base is 2 feet in diameter ; its height, to the top of the leaves, is 8 feet ; length of leaves, from -1 to 6 feet, and about 9 to 10 inches wide at their middle. It is, probably, the youngest specimen that has ever flowered in this country.— Joirif BcoTT. Mistletoe on Eose.— A correspondent of the "Field" states that he has a Rose tree with a bunch ot Mistletoe growing out ot it about 2 fe»t from tha root. The plant is apparently (juitc healthy. Is this a common occiirreneo ? NOTES OF THE WEEK, The reports of the state of the fruit crops throughout tho country, which we publish this day, have an unusual interest this year from the notes on the kinds of fruit that succeed best in each locality. These notes, and the reports generally, are the results of the observations of the best fruit-growers in the country. Amateur readers may, with advantage, note the varieties which have proved most worthy of culture in the various districts. Mr. G. F. Wilson, of Weybridge Heath, has sent us speci. mens of the beautiful Lilium Leichtlini, one of the most graceful and prettily coloured of all the recently introduced Lilies, and one destined to prove a valuable ornament to our gardens. Two fine Ei'yngiums, of the Pine-apple-leaved section, are now in flower at Kew, in a shrubbery near the " rock-work." Eryngiums of this type are likely to prove effective ornaments iu our gardens in the warmer districts. Mil. Hill, Keele Hall, has sent us cut specimens of Clero- dendron Balfourii loaded with jet black fruit, partly surrounded by rosy-lilao-coloured bracts, and half-covered by an orange-scarlet arillus, which gives the fruit an attractive and novel appearance. Mr. Maw, who has been absent during the last three weeks on a botanical tour through the Lombardy Alps, has just got back with capital results, including a good supply of Primula daonensia (CEnensis of Thomas), which is, we think, new to cultivation. A NEW volume of Dr. J. T. Boswell Syrae's " English Botany" is advertised as in preparation. It will contain the Ferns, Fern allies, and some additional plants, together with a general index to the whole work, which is one of the best yet published ou English botany. ■ At Woodditton, Suffolk, Amy Swann, the wife of a labourer, aged thirty.two, and Jane Swann, her daughter, aged thirteen, per. sisted in eating some Fungi, under the impression that they were Mushrooms. The result was that they both died after two dajs' considerable suffering. Mrs. Swann's infant child has since died. • — • — News has just reached us of the death ot M. Andre Leroy, of Angers, one of the most distinguished horticulturists of the age. His nursery at Angers is one of the great gardens of the world, and his noble " Dictionary of Pomology " is a work far more precions than anything the puny efforts of our pomologists in this country have yet produced. OwiMG to the probability that the Potato disease will bo prevalent this autumn, Messrs. Hooper are of opinion that their Potato competition, at present fixed to take place on the 10th of November, sbonld be held earlier than that date — say in " September, or thereabouts." This change Messrs. Hooper believe will be an advantage to competitors, with whose views on the matter they will be glad to be furnished. The Cryptogamic Society of Scotland is to hold a Fungus show and conference of Cryptogamic botanists at Perth, on Sep- tember 29th and 301h and October 1st. Tho first day is to bo devoted to field excursions, the second to examination and arrange- ment of the specimens, with a " Fungus dinner " in the evening, and the last to a show in the City Hall. The secretary is Dr. Buchanan White, Bannoch, Perthshire. Among the more beautiful hardy flowers now in bloom round London are the orange Asclepias tuberosa, the varieties of Platy. codon autumnale, the handsome Triteleia laxa, Dianthus Atkinsonii, Phlox glaberrima, Punkia spathulata alba. Anemone palmata (flower- ing the second time this season), the double Peach-leaved Campanula, Lysimachia clethroides, a species of Calochortus, Gentiana Pneumo- nanthe and septemfida, Calliprora flava, Adonis pyrenaica, Littonia modesta, and Statice incana in variety. This last is a very hand- some plant, which, out when in fresh blossom, endures for years. The above, and many more commoner-grown plants, we observed in Mr. Ware's nurseries at Tottenham during the past week. Mr. B. S. Williams writes to us to say that there is now in bloom at Chatsworth the best plant of Disa grandiflora superba he ever saw. It has been grown in a cold Heath-house, in which there has always been plenty of ventilation both night and day, except during frosty weather. The plant, he adds, is worth a journey from London to Chatsworth to see. On one spike it has twelve largo flowers, bright scarlet-crimson in colour, veined with pink. There is no doubt that this is the same variety as was figured, some time ago, in Warner's " Select Orchids," when it was stated to have had eight flowers on it. 'Ibis plant, quite lately small in size, has reached its present state in a very short time. I-v consequence of tho large amount of space occupied by the fruit reports in the present number of The Garden, we have not been able to publish our usual number of illustrationa or vari ty of matter this week. Aug. 7, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 101 COLLECTIONS v. SELECTIONS. The great desire of many lovers of flowers is to have the most complete collection of all the known varieties of some par- ticular class of plants that are to them objects of special admira- tion ; and usually, in these cases, the expense is not considered, so long as the end can be attained and the collection made complete. While fully admitting the value of these collections, from a botanical point of view, at such places as our public gardens, it by no means follows that they are serviceable in gardens when a large demand for decorative plants, cut llowers, and gorgeous flower beds keeps all the available staS fully employed. For my own part, I find selections answer the purpose much better, for a plant that is only valuable for its rarity goes but a little way towards meeting the general demands, even if its commercial value is equal to a house full of old varieties. If we take Orchids as a type of the col- lector's fancy, we find them vary considerably in their degree of usefulness in a general way, for while many of the most lovely kinds last perfectly fresh, either on the plant or as cut flowers, for several weeks, others, again, only last as many hours. Equally varied are their merits as regards the form and colour of the individual flowers, for while many are the most lovely of Nature's products others of the same family have far less conspicuous flowers than a large proportion of our most abundant native flowers. It is the same with many other classes of plants ; for beauty does not appear to be more con- stant in the vegetable than the human family. Another weighty reason why gardeners should select, even from the most attractive classes of plants, is the impossibility of accommo- dating the immense number of varieties that every year tend ^ swell the number of really good plants in cultivation. The numerous varieties of foliage plants and Ferns that now form so important a feature amongst decorative plants have well nigh superseded the old flowering stove plants that for the greater part of the year had but little to recommend them, while the labour attending their culture was out of all propor- tion to the amount of service they rendered. To grow two distinct Roses that it takes a professional rosarian to distin- guish between, or two scarlet Geraniums different only in name, appears to me out of the line of professional gardeners, who, as a rule, value a plant for its serviceable qualities. If it were otherwise, and collections instead of selections were to become the rule, our gardens would be more like museums, with a greater display of labels and hard names than of flowers and foliage. Fruit and Vegetables. Of even greater importance, than in the case of ornamental plants, is the selection of fruits, for the trees being of a more permanent character, the regularity of the supply will entirely depend on suitable varieties being chosen to succeed each other in regular order. This may be much more satisfactorily accom- plished by growing varieties that can be depended on as to their season of ripening, than by growing a large and miscellaneous collection of tried and untried sorts. If we take Peaches as an example, those in the houses may be made to yield a long succession of fruit by planting the earliest ripening kinds at the warmest, and the late varieties in the coolest, end of each house, with a corresponding beneflt to the trees ; whereas a far greater number of kinds planted indiscriminately may all come to maturity at once. The preservation of ripe Grapes, in good condition, late into the winter and spring, is a simple matter if the few varieties suitable are grown for the purpose. Amongst these are such as Lady Downe's, Barbarossa, and Calabrian Eaisin. But if one attempts the same thing with a general collection of thin-skinned kinds, no amount of attention compensates us for the absence of a judiciously made selection. Pears are amongst the most useful of fruits for autumn and winter, and require as much knowledge of their various qualities to ensure a regular supply as any fruit grown. So many varieties that are really good ripen simultaneously, that, without great care, the supply will exceed the demand ; and they soon become unfit for table when over ripe. Where the wall space is limited, some adopt the system of grafting several varieties on one tree ; but I do not consider this method to be in every respect desirable. Apples are some- what bewildering to a novice, there being so many ; but a very limited number of varieties will sustain as good a supply for both kitchen and table as if all the known varieties were grown. These remarks will apply to most kinds of fruits. The principal aim of the cultivator should be a regular and constant supply. When forced fruits are grown, they should not be commenced until there is a certainty that the supply will last until those grown in the open air are fit for use ; and, by selecting early and late sorts for correspondingly warm and cold seasons, the season of each may be greatly prolonged. The Society's gardens, at Chiswick, have done good service by reducing the number of synonymous terms under which many of our vegetables were known, and catalogues are thus considerably reduced in bulk, although many still offer collec- tions which may answer the purpose of those who would find a difiiculty in selecting for themselves. The new varieties offered are, doubtless, acquisitions in some localities, and even the old-established varieties are much better adapted to one locality than another. Hence the conflicting statements that are often made respecting the value of different kinds. New kinds often receive exceptionally good treatment the first year or so, and apparently excel old varieties far more than they do when placed amongst, and treated like, ordinary kinds. The amount of success, as regards sucoessional cropping, will always depend on the forethought shown in selecting suitable varieties in the first place, and sowing at frequent intervals, according to dates fouiid to suit the locality. If we take Broc- coli as an illustration, we find varieties enough to suit any collector ; but many of the late kinds are very capricious, and sometimes come in before the early ones. For this reason, gardeners who have to provide for a regular supply, greatly prize a really good late or early variety of any vegetable. Ecnham Hall, Wangford. James Groom. OUTDOOE PANSIES AND VIOLETS. These may be said to have become indispensable to the flower garden, where they can be used in various ways, and at all seasons ; but certain charaoteristicg are required to constitute Pansies and Violeta acceptable plants for beds ; and, seeing thai they are wanted more in spring than in summer, earlinesa is an absolute requirement. We want Pansies and Violets that will blossom with the Primroses and Daisies in early spring, and our raisers have rightly and successfully turned their attention to that matter. The now well-known Viola Cornuta Perfection, which Mr. Williams distributed a few years ago, and which is now being bo much used in summer flower gardens, is deficient in this respect, inasmuch as it does not flower till May. Hence it cannot be used in early spring gardens. All its progeny partake of the same late-flowering character. Continuity of bloom is another indispensable characteristic, and all these varieties that send up a few leading shoots and do not produce young successional wood from near the base, bo as to ensure continuity of flower, are of little and uncertain value ; and this leads me to another great reqni- site habit. This is most important. The habit ought to be dwarf, compact, f ree-branching, and spreading. A habit of this kind ensures successional bloom, and, by covering the surface, keeps the soil cool and moist about the roots. This matter of appropriate habit is of much greater importance in the hot, dry south than in the moist and cool districts of the midlands and the north. We want tenacity of growth also— a holding on to the soil through the hottest and driest, as well as through the coldest and wettest, weather. Southern raisers are bonnd to pay great attention to these requirements, and they have succeeded in obtaining them in a remarkable degree. The following ia a hstof some of the best Pansies for beds, as far as my experience goes :— Blue— Blue King, clear pale blue, with dark blotch, early, continuous, good habit, free bloomer. CUveden Blue, the true old variety of which is scarce, good in colour, and very early. Dickson's King, bluish-purple, large, continuous, and an effective bedding kind ; I have placed this among Pansies, though it is classed by the raisersamong Violas. Celestial, rich dark blue, with dark blotch, compact in habit, and continuous in bloom. Imperial Bine, deep bine, large dark blotch, very fine, but best adapted for cool moist situations. Yellow— Dickson's Sovereign, rich golden, yellow ; flowers, round and of great substance ; habit, excellent, early, free, and continuous in flower. Bedfont Yellow, pale yellow, early erect, good habit, free, and effective. Pride of Eutford, an improved Cliveden Yellow, large, very early, free, and continuous ; good in habit. Primrose Queen, delicate primrose, dwarf and com- pact; very free, continuous and effective. White— Dsan's White Bedder, most useful and efiective, very early, and stands well 102 THE GARDEN. [Aug. 7, 1875. throughout the summer. Diotson's Queen, pure white, dwarf, com. pact, and branching ; very fine, continuous, and effective. Great Eastern, pure white, fine shape, very free ; dwarf and compact. Delicata, pure white, the upper petals blotched with blue early in the season, but in hot weather it is pure white ; it stands exposure to heat well, and is most effective. Purple — Cliveden Purple, early, and excellent for spring work. Tyrian Purple, clear velvet purple, fine shape, good in habit, very free, and effective. Violet King, deep violet shaded with purple, dwarf habit, and profuse bloomer. Dickson's Lavender Queen must be added to the foregoing, being novel and effective in colour ; it has a robust habit and is a free bloomer. Among Violets for earliness, duration, and effectiveness, nothing can compare with Blue Bell, which is as valuable in spring as in summer. In the south, during hot weather, all the varieties of the Cornuta Perfection type are apt to become much affected with mildew, and cease flowering ; but Blue Bell is proof against this scourge. Blue Bedder is another early and continuous bloomer, the colour of which is violet-purple. Old-established plants of this variety bloom with remarkable profusion early in the summer. Imperial Blue Per- feotion, purplish-violet, is exceedingly effective ; and, though it is a little tall in growth, it is a useful variety, which can be highly commended. Lothair, clear indigo-blue, has a very dense, dwarf habit, and does well for edging; it is free, continuous, and effective. Queen Victoria, clear blue, with large, well-formed flowers, is a fine variety also ; the new Violas, Waverley, appears to be almost, if not quite, identical with this. The Tory, pale indigo-blue, is also a fine variety, well deserving cultivation. Cornuta Perfection and Cornuta Magnificent are good for summer work, but, during dry weather, apt to become affected with mildew. Of purple Violets, the only repre- sentative that has made a reputation is Mulberry ; this is of a rich mulberry-purple ; flowers, large and of the finest kind ; habit, singularly dwarf, dense and spreading; early, free flowering, and continuous. Of white kinds, we have White Swan, a pure white of the Lutea grandiflora section, very early, continuous, and effective; and Lily White, pure white, with yellow centre, excellent in habit, and an effec- tive bedding kind. One of the best of all the yellow bedding Violets is Dickson's Golden Gem, deep golden-yellow, very early, free, continu. ous, and certain ; and, as a pale yellow nothing surpasses Corisande, clear pale primrose, early, distinct, free, and a continuous bloomer. Princess Teck is a very distinct variety, delicate mauve in colour, very novel and distinct. This list does not exhaust all that are useful in the flower garden ; but it serves to indicate those that can be depended on, and which, if judiciously used, would yield a succes- sion all the year round. For early spring work I should rely on Tom Thumb (yellow), Blue Bell, Cliveden Purple, and White Swan. These bloom profusely, which is most essential in a spring garden ; and, ia order to have strong plants of them, I should select those that were struck from cuttings in June and July, and, when rooted, planted out in beds to make growth for use in the spring garden! During the remainder of the summer they would be perfecting their growth, and would bloom more or less during the winter when the weather proved favourable; and early in the spring the plants would become covered with flowers, which would last until July, if the plants were allowed to remain in the beds. It is an easy process to raise Pansies from cuttings during the summer. My plan is to make a bed under a north wall, by usinc pieces of board a foot in width, and then putting in at the bottom a good layer of brick rubbish ; on this I place some pieces of turf, fill lu some rough soil, and finally add, as a surface 2 inches in depth, a good open soil, with plenty of leaf mould and eand in it and press it down rather firmly before placing the cuttings in it. I select the young growth thrown up from the roots of the plants out of which to make the cuttings, and they are put into the bed some three-quarters of an inch in depth, about an inch apart in the rows, and the rows an inch and a half asunder. The cuttings are pressed firmly into the soil, and a good sprinkling of water is given them. Keep the bed moist and cool, and shade it from the sun, and there will be no difficulty in striking cuttings and in getting fine young stocky plants for spring use. When the spring plants are lifted; at tho time the beds are cleared for the summer display, they should the them. , . - , - o . ■^.^^^, ,n the autumn. I now reach tho time when the method of getting plants for ember mber have be ae cut close down, and then planted in some spare spot, usin" siftings of tho potting bench to plant them in, and place about thi ihoy will soon begin to make a free growth, and will bloom in lifted in the spring and planted out, or just divided. In Septo 1 lift a few of tho roots, pull them to pieces, and a largo nu ot the young shoots thrown up from the roots will be found to rooted. A number of these are selected, and planted out in a fuy prepared bed for the winter, and by the early part of May will bo good tufts, and will throw up flowers. It is better care- they to do this than to trust to the plants used in spring to carry one through the winter ; as some sorts will stand well, while others fail, and then there are awkward blanks in the bed. I plant out a few subjects to furnish cuttings, so as not to have to get them from the summer beds. FLOEAL DECORATIONS AT THE GUILDHALL. For the recent inter-municipal festivities at the Guildhall, Mr. J. Wills, of South Kensington, supplied the floral decorations, which were remarkable for the quality and rarity of the plants employed and the charming effects which they produced when artistically grouped and massed by Mr. Wills. Coming early upon the scene previous to the ball, before the glittering throng had obscured the view, tho visitor might have remarked that the display ot plants had been entirely re-arranged, as well as greatly augmented, since the pre- ceding night. Nor was it only that more Palms reared their graceful heads over an increased array of bright blooms and variegated foliage. In addition, Mr. Wills had snatched a hint from the stately pleasure-dome which Kubia Khan decreed in Xanadu. It was a miracle of rare device, Tfiose sunny pleasure-domes and caves of ice. — Colkridge. Caves of ice, irradiated by lights ot diverse hue, and decked with greenery of waving Ferns captivated the eye, while, at the same time they imparted coolness to the air. These frozen rockeries, first introduced at the ball given by the Prince of Wales in the lioyal Horticultural Society's buildings and grounds, were new to the City. Maiden-h.air Ferns in the House. — I have heard so many lamentations of late on the great difficulty of growing these beautiful drawing-room ornaments that I feel inclined to communi. cate my own experience, in the hope that it may be of use to your readers. For many years I have kept them in my drawing-room, not only without damage to their appearance, but also greatly to their advantage. My Ferns are always bushy and of the brightest green, and seldom without a few young fronds just piercing the soil to replace those that are failing. I find they give far less trouble than any other pot plants indoors, except, perhaps, Begonias. My method of culture is very simple. I re-pot them once a year in January, using pure peat mould ; I water every two or three days liberally with lukewarm rain water, if I can get it, and I do not stop until it comes through into the large deep saucer in which the plants always stand. It is not necessary to keep them always standing in water; probably the saucer may become dry the next day, but much will depend on the heat of the room. Mine has a large fire on most days in winter, but my Ferns have had to endure occasional trials ot per- haps two or three frosty days together without a fire, and have not been hurt. In summer we have constant thorough draughts also, without any harm arising to the plants. — N. Roses from Cuttings in August. — A " Surrey Gardener," writing in the " Journal ot Horticulture," says : — " I have never failed to strike as many Roses as I required by inserting the cuttings in Jnlyor August. When the cuttings have been inserted in an open place, and a period of drought has followed, many of them failed to grow ; but, when planted in a north border, failure has been very rare, and cuttings of half, or rather more than half, ripened shoots 6 inches in length, with all the foliage removed except the top pair of leaves, yirmti/ planted up to these leaves, are almost ' certain to grow if put in at this season of the year. The main point to aim at is to keep the foliage fresh as long as possible, and to this end a shaded place and occasional sprinklings of water should be afforded. Another point to attend to is, that the cuttings cannot be too quickly made and put in, for, if allowed to lie about until the bark becomes shrivelled, they will not prosper. Most varieties of Roses thrive well on their own roots, and some ot them better than on stocks. Baronne Prevost on its own roots is much finer and sweeter than when worked, and so is the old Provence Cabbage Rose. Indeed, I have fancied that many Roses arc sweeter when grown from cuttings than when worked on the Briar — certainly such is the case with those I have named. I have had blooms of John Hopper from cuttings growing at the base of the Briar invariably superior to those elevated abovo them and growing from the Briar stock ; and the same remark applies to the lovely old Rose Coupe d'Hebo. If stocks affect the quality of fruits, why should they not exert the same influence on flowers ? As a general rule I believe Roses are sweeter when on their own roots than they are on any stock, and some of them axe finer and most of them more permanent. The present is a very good time to put iu the cuttings, and if firm wood is selected and the work quickly done ; if 5 inches of the cutting are put firmly in the ground and 1 inch left out; if shade is afforded and water given occasionally, not one out. ting in twenty will fail to grow." Aug. 7, 1875.] THE GAEDEN. 103 THE INDOOR GARDEN. AREANGING PLANTS FOR EFFECT. The effective arrangement of plants, either in conservatories or in drawing-room stands, is a matter requiring considerable taste and experience; a skilful workman will often effect a better arrangement with a few ordinary materials than one with but little knowledge of the art will do with abundance of plants to select from. But it will greatly assist even the best operators, if plants specially suited for the purpose are selected. From a good collection of specimen plants, it might be easy enough to select suitable subjects for single vases, or central plants for large stands ; but the natural and graceful effect of decorations of a more general character will much depend upon the small edging plants used, and the majority of plant stands are so shallow that only plants in small pots are of any service in them. Foliage plants, such as Palms, Dracjenas, and Crotons, enter so largely into all such combinations, that a stiff or formal arrangement is well nigh impossible ; while Fuchsias, by their elegant habit, contrast well with the more erect kinds of Achimenes, Balsams, and Cockscombs. For »n edging plant I find nothing tnore effective than the beautiful Thunbergias anrantiacea and alata, and a. alba. They may be grown so as to form beauti- ful plants in 48-sized pots, and, from their elegant drooping habit, they give a natural and charming effect to any groups or stands with which they are associated, and their blossoms are seen to the greatest advant- age when the shoots are allowed to grow naturally over the edges. A good selection of Gloxinias, and well grown plants of the silvery Panicum varie- gatum, together with a liberal mixture of Ferns and Lyco- pods, never fail to give a fresh and charming appearance to all floral arrangements. When such displays are carried out, shading is indispensable for the well-being of the plants. Win- dow-boxes planted with blue Lobelia, Daotylis variegata, Poa trivialis variegata, Iresine Herbstii, Coleuses, Mesembry- anthemums, or Portulacas, and Pyiusie; surfaced with fresh green Sela- ginella hortensis, are very showy. They may be varied by the introduction of choice succulents, and margined with Isolepis graciUs, one of the most useful of all decorative plants. Ilenham. James Groom. flower luxuriantly, a rich porous soil. They should also occupy the lightest portions of the house. They may be readily propagated by means of cuttings placed under cloches ; but they may also be raised from seeds, which should be sown in pots or pans in heat, and the young plants should afterwards be pricked out. Climbers, espe- cially Bignoniads, usually require plenty of room in order to display their beauty to advantage ; but it is to be regretted that the plant now under notice is not more frequently gi-own than it is. In a warm conservatory or intermediate house it would be quite at home and, when once fairly established, could not fail to become a favourite. — " Revue Horticole." PYROSTEGIA IGNEA. Tnis handsome Bignoniaceous plant, though li.ng known in gardens, is not so often met with as it ought to be, although nothing can be more strikingly beautiful than its long pliable branches, loaded with bright orange flowers. It is a native of Brazil, and especially of the provinces of Rio de Janeiro, San Paul, and of Minas Geraes ; it does not appear to be found as far north as the river Amazon. It is a plant which, under cultivation, grows with great rapidity, throwing out branches that occasionally reach a length of 60 or 70 feet. Its flowers are numerous, and of a velvety orange-yellow colour. The calyx is small, and the corolla tubular. Creeping Bignoniads of the hot or temperate house require, in order to become well developed, and to Acacia armata. — This, though one of the oldest of cultivated Acacias, is certainly one of the most ornamental. A plant of it 15 feet high, grown from seed and planted out, formed the moat striking object in a large con. servatory in which I saw it last May. It was grown with a per- fectly straight and naked stem, surmounted by a symmetrical bushy head, several feet in dia- meter. For general purposes it is, however, beat in moderate sized pots, in which it can be employed for vases and baskets with the best effect. To keep it within hounds the shoots may be clipped well in annually after flowering; this will cause it to furnish thickly without any further training. I usually pot it at the same time, reducing the roots considerably and returning it to the same-sized pot again, keeping it in the greenhouse all summer, where it makes good growth before winter and plenty of flower-buds. Peat chiefly, with a little loam and sand, suits it perfectly. — J. Epacrises.— These endure hardships better than Heaths. Plants of them that lose their foliage and appear almost dead, from being left too long in warm dry rooms in winter, seldom fail to push forth as freely as ever again in spring if kept a little warm till they start, and occasion, ally dewed overhead. They must be badly used indeed if they fail to revive under such treatuient. From among the many varieties of these now in cultivation the fol. lowing is a good selection :— Alba odoratissima, carminata, Albertus, delicata, densiflora, elegans, grandi- flora, Kinghornii, multiflora, Mont Blanc, splendida, and Queen Vic- toria. They require a compost of peat and silver sand, firm potting like the Heath, and efficient drainage. Unless large specimens are desired the plants will do well enough if potted once in two or three years. They should be cut down after flowering, and I have always noticed that, unlike soft-wooded Heaths, which prefer the open air in summer, they do best in a cool greenhouse or pit during the season. Some of the varieties make long straggling shoots, but these are not unsightly, and the longer they are the longer will the wreaths of flowers on each shoot be, if the plants have been grown under a good light, with plenty of ail-, and are well ripened. It is best to use the Epacris for flowering in early winter or spring, which gives the plants time, after being cut down, to make a good growth the following summer ; when cut down late the flowers are not so abundant nor so fine. Their roots will stand pruning when it is needful to keep them in smaU-sized pots. S. The Best Early-flowering Pelargoniums.— Those who have to produce a good supply of flowers for the conservatory, and for cutting for indoor decoration, should work up a good stock of early. flowering Pelargoniums, some of which are of the utmost value for this purpose. A few of the best (says the " Gardeners' Magazine ") are Braid's Duchess of Edinburgh, a compact-growing variety, which . Ignea. 104 THE GARDEN. [Are. 7, 1875. produces grand trnsaea of white flowers with rose-coloured spots on the top petals ; Triomphe de St. Mande, rich glowing magenta, a capital companion to the foregoing, but stronger in growth and less compact ; Queen Victoria, a variety having flowers of large size, and so closely packed with petals as to have the appeai-ance of being double — this is attractive as a decorative plant, and the flowers, when cut and well wired, are of great value for hand-bouquets ; Captain Raikes, a kind having flowers of a deep crimson colour — the trusses of this are not, however, compact enough to admit of much being said in its favour as a decorative plant ; but, for cutting for bouquets, as the individual flowers can be easily wired, and as they are so stout, they remain fresh for a very considerable period. To the foregoing may be added Prince Arthur, a deep rosy-carmino kind, with white throat and dark blotch on the top petals ; Princess of Wales, blush, the petals marked with a dark crimson blotch ; Prince of Pelargoniums, a beautiful variety similar to Dr. Andre, with fringed petals ; Kingston Beauty, white with dark purple spot on each petal ; and Prince Charlie, white ground with large rosy blotches, dwarf, nearly perpetual blooming, and very attractive. MK. BLEU'S NEW CALADIUMS. This persevering raiser has just sent out another fine batch of splendid new seedling Caladiums. The varieties below are described by the " Illustration Horticole " as first-class : Gretry. — A handsome and attractive variety, of good habit and elegant form, displaying a rich contrast of colours. It is the issue of C. Maxime Duval and C. Auber. The leaf, which is more elegantly elongated than that of the former, has the same carmine-red centre, the colour spreading less over the blade ; and its numerous large white spots are from the latter. IjOuise Duplessis.^A grand acquisition, the result of across between G. Due de llatiborand C. bicolor fulgens, having a leaf inter, mediate in shape between the two, with brilliant lake nerves and rose-lake outlines, and the transparent white ground is slightly suffused with pink, and traversed throughout with very slender green veins. Madame Heine. — This novelty is the issue of C. Madame Andrieu and C. Ducbartre, and is remarkable for its carmine nerves, which show off the slightly-tinged ground faintly traced with a deep green network, to great advantage. Minerve. — A lovely variety exhibiting quite a new combination of colours. The large well-posed leaf has the centre and nerves of an extremely bright violet-rose, encircled with a greyish-green, and an outer band of blue-green, the whole thinly spattered with white blotches. It was raised from C. Honlletii and Madame Andrieu. Vicomtesse de la Roque Ordan — Like the foregoing, this variety delighted all who had an opportunity of seeing it at the shows of Paris and Versailles last year, where it appeared for the first time. It was obtained from C. Duo de Ratibor and C. A. Bleu. The deeply pellate leaf is elegantly lengthened out, and has delicate pink nerves, forming a pleasing contrast with the opaque snowy- white ground, which is prettily laced with bright green. Alcibiade. — A large and brilliantly-coloured variety, having ample leaves with a scarlet centre and green bordering, thickly spotted with white. Although this plant has very large leaves it combines with them a good habit. C. A. Bleu, fei'tilised by C. Madame Ilumbelle was its parent. Darlingtonia califomica at Glasnevin. — Of pitchers old and new, small and large, this plant now carries about a score ; but towering far above their fellows are the wonderful half-dozen of this year's growth. In every way these latter are nearly, if not quite, double the size of those produced last year, from which were selected the specimens used by Dr. Hooker to illustrate his lecture, and which we heard him state on the occasion were the finest which he had over seen. We believe, in fact, that they were larger and finer than any met with on the plant in its native habitats, and were regarded at the time as being examples of about the maximum development of which the plant is capable in respect of its seductive insecticidal amphora). As above remarked, those of the present season's growth are six in number; the height of the tallest is about 2 feet 6 inches ; the inflated lesscUated hood or dome measures about 6 inches by 1 inches, and would scarcely be covered by a partially-closed hand of the largest size, and the usually small orifice leading to the tube, and which is covered by tho hood, is fully li inch wide. The two singular lish-tail coloured Daps wliich depend from, and then diverge laterally in front of, the dome are each about 3 inches long, and measure fully a span from point to point! The soil in which the plant is growing so vigorously is of chopped Sphagnum, with a portion of rough fibry heath-soil and lumps of charcoal, the whole surfaced over with growing Sphagnum. The drainage has, of course, been well cared for, and the plant sits slightly elevated on its mossy mound, over which is dotted here and there tiny plants of that little insect-trapper of our own bogs — the round-leaved Sundew. Dr. Moore has reason to be proud of his Darlingtonia, and, we think, may safely challenge the gardens of Europe to show such another. — " Irish Farmers' Gazette." [From having seen the Darlingtonia in its native country, we may add that the development above described ia as great as its natural one, under favourable circumstances.] THE AMATEUR'S GARDEN. By THOMAS BAINES. Fausies and Violas. — Cuttings of these should now be put in. They strike freely in the open air, under a north wall, but must be well supplied with water. The Violas especially deserve a place ia every garden ; the profusion of flowers they bear, and their con. tinuous blooming habit, place them in the front rank of hardy decora, tive plants. Pausies, particularly the self-coloured varieties, are very beautiful during the spring, but do not flower as long as the Violas ; yet, if a succession of plants is kept in hand, by putting in a few cuttings every six weeks through the season from the time growth commences in spring until autumn, uninterrupted bloom may be had ; but, in the hot summer months, they should be grown on the north side of a wall, or they will not produce good flowers, as they do not like exposure to the dx-3'ing influence of the sun. Globe Articliokes. — It is no uncommon occurrence to see the stalks of Globe Artichokes left standing for months after the produce has been cut, oi-, where a portion has not been gathered, allowed to flower. It is to such treatment as this that the loss of the plants through the winter may be attributed. Where the stalks are thus left until late in the autumn, very few healthy suckers ai-e produced from the crown of the plant, but only a small number of weakly, drawn up shoots, half smothered by the large leaves that grow from the stems ; whereas, if these were removed during the present month, by cutting them right out from the bottom, the plants would throw up a number of strong shoots that, by full exposure to. light and air, would be in a much better condition to bear a severe winter than the growth produced under negligent cultivation. Cauliflowers, Winter Greens, and Spinach. — Prepare a piece of ground in an open situation, on which to sow Cauliflower seed. In the northern part of the country the best time ia about the middle of August ; in the south the seeds should be put iu from the 20th to a few days later. If sown earlier than this, many will button in the spring. Pill up all vacant ground in the kitchen garden with Winter Greens, as Peas, Broad Beans, Cauliflowers, and Potatoes are cleared off. It is important that no time should be lost in this kind of work, as delay at this period of the year is more injurious than at others, inasmuch as these crops are not allowed time to grow to a useful size before winter has set iu. The plants may now be put in closer together than would be advisable earlier in the season, as they will not get so lai-ge. If there happens to be a vacant place at tho north side of a wall, some Cottager's Kale may be planted upon it. This will, after the first cutting iu the spring, throw up quantities of sprouts without running to seed so early as if grown in a situation under the influence of more sun. By this means a supply cf useful Greens will be secured that will last until early Cabbages are ready for use. A sowing of winter Spinach should now be made. This will come in through the autumn, when the round-leaved kind is over, and when there is considerably less variety in vegetables, tho absence of which is often not provided for or thought of until it is felt. Pits and Frames. — Late Melons will require assistance in bottom-heat by placing linings round the sides of the beds. If this is not attended to with the latest sown crops the fruit cannot arrive at maturity, and it will be very inferior in quality. If stable manure ia not at hand collect Grass mowings, vegetable haulms, and, if avail, able, some old leaves of last autumn's gathering. If these are mixed together and placed round the beds in a body 2 feet thick, allowing it to come some distance up the sides of the frame, a good heat will be thrown into the beds, which will have the effect of hastening on the fruit to maturity. Late Cucumbers require similar treatment. Where there is a demand for these far into the autumn and there ia no suitable place in which to grow them, except a dung frame, every means should be taken to have tho planta as strong and healthy aa possible previous to their being planted out. By proper attention tho plants will often bear, without suffering, a low night temperature for a short time, provided they have enough warmth at the roots and are Aug. 7, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 105 in a vigorous state and free from insects. If a slight hot-bed — one 2 feet in height will be sufficient for the purpose required — is now made up it will be found very useful for striking cuttings of choice varieties of Phloxes, Pentstemons, Snap, dragons, and Hollyhocks. A two or three-light box will hold a large quantity, and, if there is a bottom-heat of 60', they will root freely. Phloxes, propagated yearly in this way for flowering the following season, are much dwarfer, and produce very fine heads of bloom. Many grow the best varieties in this manner, planting them out in the spring in beds about a foot apart, whence, after they have flowered, they are transferred to the herbaceous borders, where they form large masses, but the individual blooms are not so large as those produced by the young plants. With plants of this description, choose, for cuttings, as far as possible, shoots that have not flowered, which root more freely than those that have bloomed, although the latter will grow, allowing a couple of ioiuts to each. Hollyhocks are often struck from single eyes. On the surface of such a bed as recommended, place 6 inches of sandy soil, in which insert the cuttings in rows a few inches apart, according to the size of the different plants to be increased. There is one essential in striking all such subjects, as the above and others of a similar nature — they must never want water, and the soil should always be kept quite moist, a thin shading being put over them when the sun is powerful. As soon as they are rooted, pot them singly in small pots, and gradually inure to full exposure in the open air. During the winter they should be kept where the soil will not get frozen in the pots. Glasshouses. — -Hardwooded greenhouse plants, such as Acacias, Genistas, Bpacrises, Hydrangeas, and similar subjects that are used for winter and spring blooming are much better and will flower more profusely for being submitted now for some weeks to the full sun and ■air, which has the effect of checking growth and setting bloom buds. Greenhouse subjects of a more tender nature, as Boronias, Erio- stemons, Correas, Adenandras, Chorozemas, Dillwynias, and Tre- mandras, a month's exposure in the open air will do them much good, enabling them to get through the winter without being so liable to mildew as if kept under glass all through the summer ; place them for a few days where they will not be exposed to the sun at mid-day ; after this they will become inured to their new quarters, so that it will not do them any harm. Put a piece of mat or some- thing of a similar character round the pot, so as to shield them from the sun's rays, or the roots will receive injury. Attend to them with sufficient water, of which more will be required than when indoors, and syringe overhead on the evenings of bright days. Cinerarias should at once be placed in their flowering pots — 6 or V inches in diameter is large enough for ordinary purposes — and, if the plants are well managed, these will grow them to a size that will produce fine heads of bloom. They are very subject to greenfly, which must never be allowed to get established upon them, or both appearance and vigour will be sacrificed. As soon as the pots are filled with roots, they should regularly be supplied with manure-water. Never allow them to become cramped at the root before moving them into their flowering pots, or they will not attain their wonted strength and size. Grow them in good loam, with one-fifth of rotten manure, and leaf Boil in equal parts added, and as much sand as will keep the soil porous. They do not bear tobacco smoke well, as it often injures the leaves if applied of sufficient strength to destroy aphides, to f i ee them from which dipping in a pailful of tobacco-water is the best remedy. Primulas. — These continuous winter-blooming plants should also be moved into 6-inch flowering pots. They are somewhat spare- rooting subjects, and do not require a great body of soil to grow in, being more subject to damp off in large pots. Drain them well, using soil similar to that used for Cinerarias. Put both in pits or frames, facing northwards, and give air freely, taking the lights completely off the Primulas during the day ; but do not allow them to get saturated with rain. In very bright weather, a piece of old fruit tree netting placed over them will be useful to break the sun's rays ; but will not obstruct the light as a mat would do. If too thick material is used the leaves get drawn up weakly, in which state it is impossible for them to flower as they ought. Sow Mignonette now in 4-inch pots filled with soil such as that recommended for the last-named subjects. Put half-a-dozen seeds in each, covering them slightly ; place iu a cold frame and put on the lights until the plants are up, after which they should be taken off for some time so as to keep them strong and sturdy for the winter, never allowing them to want water. Stove plants will now be fast maturing their wood, and should have more sun and air, but here the latter must never be admitted, even at this time of the year, in any. thing like the volumes that greenhouse subjects require. In this respect most growers commit serious error, for if stove plants — especially such as come from the hottest countries — are too much exposed to cold currents of air, it destroys all their energies. With stove plants a maximum of light, which may be obtained by keeping them elevated near the glass during the whole of their growing time, imparts strength and substance to the wood as it is formed, and does away with the necessity of subjecting them to treatment that stops all growth during the remainder of the season. A much shorter period of rest will suffice for these than with greenhouse subjects. Orchids. Dendrobiums that have completed their growth should be placed in a temperature of from 5° to 10° lower than than that in which they have been allowed to grow, and should have more light and air to ripen them. The majority of Dendrobiums like a high temperature while growing. Many of the East Indian plants will be growing freely this month, and should have unremitting attention, as regards heat and moisture. In order to prevent thrips injuring the centre growth of Vandas, Saccolabiums, Aerides, and many others, dust them lightly with Pooley's tobacco-powder, which does not hurt the plants. Cattleyas that are growing freely must receive more mois. ture till they have completed their growth ; afterwards less moisture and a dry atmosphere, to allow them to become hardy and withstand the long dark and damp days of autumn and winter. Coelogyne cristata will require more water as the growth advances. Syringe very slightly till the bulbous part is formed. A great many of the Oncidiums that require more heat will grow freely if placed at the warmest end of the Cattleya. house and supplied freely with moisture. Odontoglossum Bluntii, 0. Pescatorei, and many others that do well in a low temperature, should be kept as cool as possible without direct draughts. Disa grandiflora, while flowering, should have just sufficient water to keep the roots plump. Calanthe Veitchi and their varieties must be plentifully supplied with water. Pleiones that have developed their bulbs must not receive so much moisture as hitherto ; on the contrary, gradually discontinue watering till they get quite dry. Orchid flowers will be as scarce this month as at any time during the year. Mesospinidium vulcanicum and Odontoglossum Roezlii, if grown in large quantities, would keep up a supply for the present — the former bright pink, the latter white, with dark purple spots. When grown strongly, almost all the Odontoglossnms are perpetual bloomers, but they like the heat of a Cattleya-house in which to grow. — E. Gullet. Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground. During the unprecedentedly wet weather which characterised the greater part of last month, the bloom of most kinds of bedding plants suffered very severely. Many varieties, however, of bed- ding Pansies and Violas, more particularly the lattei — of which the hardy Viola cornuta may be considered as the type, — proved striking exceptions, as wet and cold did not appear to detract much from their beauty. The variety known as Perfection seems to be one of the finest of this really charming family. The flowers, which are of a pale blue or violet colour, are borne upon stiff erect stalks ; and are produced in great profusion. They supply a shade of colour which is of the greatest value in the flower garden. Some of the varieties are better adapted to the purpose of spring than summer bedding, but the variety in question, together with Enchantress, Magnificent, and one or two others, do not commence to flower until May, and may justly be considered as summer bedding plants. It the stock of such pi ants is limited, they may now be propagated by cuttings, in the same way as has been recommended for Verbenas and other bed- • ding plants ; but, if the stock of them is considerable, their multiplication may be deferred until the end of the season, when they may be increased to any desired extent by division. If not already done, spring bedding plants, such as the Daisy, Hepatica, Myosotis, and Primrose, may now be increased by this means. Many kinds of hardy herbaceous plants, such as the various and beautiful Phloxes, Pentstemons, Lychnis, &o., may also be increased by cuttings, as well as some of the finer Saxifrages, including longifolia and Cotyledon. Side shoots of moderate growth should be selected for cuttings, rejecting ex. hausted flower-stems, as well as gross shoots. These cuttings may be inserted under hand-glasses placed upon a partially-spent hotbed, or they may be struck in pots in a close frame along with other bedding plants, and allowed to remain in the pots until spring, or they may be planted out as soon as rooted in beds, in any favourable situation where they will be likely to become well established before winter sets in. Now that there is a prospect of finer weather than was experienced during the greater part of last month, let every possible means be used to preserve and prolong the beauty and attractions of flovper gardens and dressed grounds for the longest possible period. The season for effective display, in the flower garden at least, is of comparatively short duration, and no neglect should be permitted to curtail still further this period. All parts of the garden should have prompt and careful attention ; tying, staking, weeding, and watering should be thoroughly attended toj and injury likely to result from high winds should be guarded against, whilst any damage unavoidably 106 THE GARDEN. [Aug. 7, 1875. Bastained through violent thnnderstorma and heavy rainfall should bo promptly repaired. The growth of climbing plants, of all kinds, must be carefully regulated. The many improved varieties of the Clematis will now be in full beauty, and are of the greatest value for the purposes of covering ornamental arches and wire or trellis- work of all sorts. The flowers of these plants vary in colour, but blue or violet shades prevail, and these contrast well with the blooms of standard and pyramidal-trained Pelargoniums, which are of many shades, from the brightest scarlet to the purest white; and all such plants will require occasional attention in regulating and tying out their shoots, and removing decayed trusses of blooms, &c. Perpetual Roses must be encouraged by copious supplies of manure-water, in order to obtain a second display of bloom. These plants may also be mulched with rotted manure, if this can bo applied without having a repulsive appearance, and this can generally bo accomplished by a covering of tan, or the mowings of the lawn. Remove the flowers as soon as they appear on beds of tricolor Pelargoniums, as this greatly improves their appearance, the bright-coloured blooms detract, ing much from the brilliancy of the foliage, whilst, at the same time, their removal greatly encourages the healthy development of the plants. The growth of such plants as the Golden Feather Pyrethrum, when it is used in carpet bedding, must still bo pinched in. This very valuable plant still holds its own, and is far from being supplanted by the Stellaria graminea aurea, as was expected by some planters. The system of carpet boddiug also appears to gain increased favour, and many excellent examples of this style of orna. mentation are now to be seen in many garden establishments — ■ indeed, the present season has been more favourable to the develop, ment of ornamental foliage than to flowers, and proves the value, during some seasons, at least, of sub-tropical and carpet bedding. The decaying flower. stems of early. flowering herbaceous plants should be removed, unless seed is desired, and this is seldom the case, as most of these plants are readily increased by cuttings, or, rather, by divisions. Seeds are, however, sometimes secured, with the view of obtaining new varieties; but, to justify a reasonable expectation of obtaining improved kinds, artificial fertilisation must have been pre. viously performed. It is generally found that if seed be saved from even the finest strains of our annual flowers, such strains will, sooner or later, become deteriorated. The old proverb, which says that " ill weeds grow apace," applies, to some extent, to annual flowers, as it somehow happens that the worst flowers are almost always the most productive of seed. There are, however, at least two methods by ■which almost any strain may be improved — that is, by artificial impregnation, or careful selection. The first method is, of course, most likely to be successful, but its application is tedious, and requires more time than can always be devoted to it ; but much may bo done by the latter system, and now is tho time to look carefully over beds or clumps of various kinds of plants, in order to mark any trusses of bloom which may be of superior merit, with a view to its producing seed. By pursuing a system of this sort, from year to year, most varieties of flowers or vegetables may be raised to the highest possible point of excellence. — P. Grieve, Culford, Bury St. Edmunds. Indoor Fruit Department. Vines. — Wasps and largo flies are frequently very destructive to Grapes, where they are hanging ripo on the Vines. They not only destroy whole berries, but make smp.ll holes in others, necessitating their being cutout, and spoiling the appearance of the bunch. Ilam. burghs and other somewhat thin-skinned kinds aro generally attacked to a greater extent than thick-skinned varieties. In order to keep them out of Vineries, in which there is ripe fruit, nail some closely, meshed netting over the ventilators ; but, where tho ventilators are so arranged that the netting cannot be used in this way, small bags should be made of it, in which the bunches should bo encased. This generally proves a safeguard, though not so effectual a one as the other. Grapes aro often put into paper bags to keep them from such depredators, but that is a bad practice, as tho berries often decay when air cannot reach them, and unless the paper is removed daily • — an operation which seriously damages tho bloom — numbers of berries may be rotten before the evil is detected. Bottles containing Bour beer aro hung up amongst the bunches as traps, but for one wasp or lly that enters them two keep out. Do not let the surface soil in Vineries, in which tho fruit is ripo, become dust dry. A little moisture in tho atmosphere does littlo harm, so long as there is a circulation of fresh air, and tho dust does not rise and settle so freely on tho bunches when the soil is a little damn as when it is dry. When the Vino borders are finally watered tho soil may be raked finer than it has hitherto been, in order that its surface may lo(jk tidy for the remainder of the season. Pines. — Lose no favourable opportunity of admitting a free circulation of fresh air to all Pine plants in active growth, so as to keep them dwarf and stocky. Plants, which are drawn up tender never do well throughout the winter. Look over the first potted suckers, and water such as are dry and have their roots appearing on the outside of the ball of soil. Do not be in a hurry to expose them too much to sunshine, especially if they have been kept somewhat closely shaded while making roots. Old plants will, however, bear and be benefitted by fuller exposure to the sun now than earlier in the season ; care should be taken, however, not to allow the leaves to become brown, or the completion of their growth may bo retarded, — J. Mum. Forestry. Look over young plantations in order to see that none of the trees are overgrown with Fur.4e, Bracken, or vigorous-growing weeds. It is not, howevei', necessary to clear away all the natural growth from the stems of tho plants, so long as tho leaders and side branches have room in which to develop themselves, a moderate growth of vegetation round the necks of young trees rendering them not nearly so liable to be damaged by hares and rabbits as they otherwise would be ; besides, in exposed situations, it acts as shelter and protection against severe weather. See that ornamental deciduous trees and Conifers planted last season are not suffering from being too tightly tied to stakes; tho pinching back of contending leaders and fore- shortening any lateral branches that are out-growing their neigh, hours must also receive attention. Where ground game is numerous and the plants are not protected by wire netting. Birch spray and Heath tied round the necks of the young trees will last good for two or three years, or the straight hard shoots of Rhododendrons put in round about tho stem of the plants are eqn.ally good as a safeguard. Ornamental shrubs must be kept clear of weeds by hoeing round the plauts for the first year or two after planting, but, after they have become fairly established, the herbage may be left. If the orna- mental portion of wood " rides " is not already trimmed, this work should be done as soon as possible, as it adds a neatness and finish to their appearance, and, moreover, prevents the Bracken from being broken down on the verges and glades through heavy rains and snowstorms in winter. If the mowings of the rides are not required for litter, a thick layer of them may be spread over the roots of specimen trees as far as the branches spread. Shorten back any duplicate loaders on deciduous and other trees in the nursery ; clear their stems of superfluous shoots, and foreshorten any overgrown side branches ; if this work is properly attended to when the trees are young little attention to pruning will be required after they are planted out. Hedges that are usually trimmed twice during the season will have had the first trimming and cleaning finished ere this. Cut Ivy off trees and grub up its roots ; cutting it off at the surface of tho ground only encourages it to grow afresh more vigorously than before. A suffioiont stock of cordwood, oven, and fire. lighting fagots should now bo gotready forwinter use. Oak and Beech is preferred to any other kind of wood for safe and clean burning ; Oak tops make tho best oven fagots, and Oak underwood the best fire-lighting fagots ; the latter should be cut in winter, and should be thoroughly dry before they are tied up. — George Berry. Hint to Fruit-eaters. — M. Garnier, a French physician, who gives details of a death from eating too many Strawberries, in one of the French medical periodicals, the " Lyons Medical," takes the opportunity of pointing a moral by giving some advice as to how to eat Strawberries without injury to tho health. He rocoramonds persons who can eat this fruit in its natural condition with impunity, not to eat many at a time, and is of opinion that a certain amount of sugar singularly faciUtates their absorption and, still more, their digestion. Tho juice and scraped rind of a Lemon mixed are sometimes useful for the same purpose, but generally this mixture, even if compounded with powdered sugar, does not agree with every one. It is the same with Strawberries and cream. M. Garnier thinks it bettor to sprinldo the Strawberries with a good and strongly alcoholic wine. Debilitated stomachs should not venture^ on Bordeaux wine ; Kirschenwasser, rum, or cognac being, in his opinion, preferable. His last recommendation is never to eat Strawberries alone ; they should always be accompanied with other food, which phould precede them in the digestive tube. All that has boon said of_ Straw- berries applies with greater force to Raspberries, which are still more indigestible ; but is not true of Cherries, Currants, and Gooseberries, in- asmuch as in their case chemical decomposition is much slower. — ■ " London Medical Record." [There must surely be some mistake here. If people die from eating good Strawberries, deaths maybe expected to result from pure air, sweet flowers, or anything else that is usually considered hiirmleas. The advice to season Strawberries with rum or coguac is pernicious nonsense ; moderation is a better and cheaper preventive.] The Garden Party in 1875. — Tho garden pai'ty which was to have been given at Holland House on Wednesday, was postponed till Thursday, when, owing to the still unfavourable weather, it took place in. doors. This information wo owe to an Irish correspondent, who adds, that had the garden party at Holland House been given in tho garden on either of those days, it would haye been entirely a water party on shore. -" Punch." Atjg. 7, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 107 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. SIAMESE TWIN CUCUMBBE. Some time ago I sent you a Cucumber (Rollisson's Telegraph), which you thought sufficiently curious to be worthy of an illus- tratiou. I now send you another monstrosity (also Telegraph), In my experience, I have never seen a twin Cucumber come to such perfection as the one sent ; they have generally died off at an early stage of their growth. The flowers, wliichhave, unfortunately come off in packing, were cjuite perfect up to the time when the fruit was cut. I have now been growing Cucumbers under most favourable conditions for many years, and the result of my experience is, that no variety in cultiva- tion surpasses Rollisson's Telegraph for productiveness and general utility. For the last ten years I have made it my standard fruit, only growing others from time to time to test them against it, and always with the result which I have Siamese Twin Cucumber (15 inches long). stated. Last autumn Messrs. Garraway & Co., of Bristol, sent me seeds of a new sort to try, named The Friar, which was a good sample of the Sion House improved strain, but I found it inferior in fertility and size to Telegraph as a winter Cucumber, and its culture was abandoned, as has also been that of many others which did not come up to my standard. As to my method of cultivation, itdiffers but little, if at all, from that adopted by any experienced gardener who has the necessary accommodation at command. For the summer supply I raise the plants from seed sown early in spring ; and, for winter, I generally raise my plants from cuttings struck early in the autumn, as I prefer them raised in that way for winter growing. By this means I find no difficulty in having a supply of Cucumbers all the year round. A. Puttigrew. Cardiff GaMe. [Twin Cucumbers are by no means uncommon ; but that represented m the accompanying illustration is the most perfect specimen of the kind we have seen ; in quality it was as good as single fruit of the same kind.J Japan Radish. — M. Lille, seed merchaut, of Lyons, has sent out a new Japanese Radish. It is the Daioon, a plant cultivated in all parts of Japan. It appears that its roots often reach nearly a yard in length and a foot in diameter. The colour is a milky white, tinged wiih yellow ; the very thin skin is easily removed, and the compact juicy flesh has the delicate tlavonr of our best small Radishes. M. Jean Sisley, who obtained seeds of the Daicon from Dr. Henon, states, in an article in the " Cnltivatear Lyonnais," that another esteemed variety, the Satsnma Radish, has not yet been introduced, but deserves to be. In Japan they are prepared for the table in various ways — baked, sliced very thin in salads, or preserved in salt. In the latter form it is used to season boiled Rice. No doubt these Radishes are allied to the large and tender Chinese Radish, which Chinamen cultivate so much, both when at home and in other lands. Snowflake Potato as a Long-keeping Variety. — Among the hundred or more varieties of Potatoes which I have tested during the pasti ten years, none excel the Snowflake as a late keeper — in fact, I do not know that there is a better sort for any season. But I am reminded of its excellent keeping qualities at this time, as all the more common and older varieties, and especially the Early Rose and similar well-known sorts, soon wither and become worthless for use in spring, or as soon as warm weather sets in ; but my Saowflakes are now (June 15th) sound and firm, and of such excellent quality that we are in no haste for new Potatoes, as we would be were it not for this very promising new sort. If it continues to be as good in the future as my one year's experience with it leads me to hope, then I shall place it very high on the list of excellent sorts. — "Moore's Rural." Tomatoes as a Farm Crop. — Within the memory of many, Tomatoes were almost unknown. A few were grown in gardens as an ornament under the name of " Love Apples," but scarcely anybody thought the food fit to eat. This vegetable has fairly won its way to popular favour, as may be seen in the fact that a majority of young children like Tomatoes the first time they eat them. Now thousands of acres are grown for market round all American cities, and a few plants are found in most farmer's gardens. Large establish- ments are engaged for weeks canning Tomatoes for winter use. The prices paid by these establishments are usually low, as they take the surplus of the crop after prices for the earliest have declined. Taking it altogether, the crop is generally profitable, even on high, priced lands near cities where it is usually grown. It will bear trans- portation some distance with careful handling, and is a crop which many farmers might profitably cultivate on a small scale. It does not demand very rich ground, nor, as a field crop, any better care than should be given to corn or Pototoes. A larger average yield can be got in Tomatoes than in Potatoes, and the average price is generally higher. — " Cultivator." Preventing HoUowness in Potatoes. — Large tubers,, wo all know, have a tendency to become hollow, while small ones are rarely affected in that way. One year there was a drought extending well into the season, it was found that tubers dug at the close of the dry period, and grown under its influence, were very materially different from those of the same crop, dug after the rains had set in, and had advanced the growth rapidly. The tubers were more than double in size, and it was then noticed that there was an irregularity of shape to some extent ; protuberances also made their appearance ; while the inside showed hoUowness. The inference was that the growth was unnatural. This was to be avoided. A steady, medium growth was then aimed at ; and it was secured by close planting. Such planting was found to give uniformity of size, and fewer small Potatoes. Drainage and frequent working of the soil greatly aided, especially during drought. Deep, mellow tillage was also an advan- tage, as was also early planting. All these precautions had uniformity and moisture for their object as well as the admission ot air ; and deep planting secured coolness and a more equable tempera- ture. In this way sound medium-sized tubers were produced free from hoUowness. The principle, probably, can be applied with success to all large Potatoes. The distance of planting must be governed by the habit of the variety. — " New York Tribune." Snowflake Potato.— I have ibis day (July 26th) tasted this new Potato, and I am pleased to say it is by far the best American kind that has come under my notice. Its flesh is milky-white ; the skin firm and cracking— a good sign. The crop is not heavy, but good. — R. Gilbbet, Bcirghlej/. New Varieties of Peas.— Of these such vast numbers have been added to catalogues o£ late that it is almost impossible to know what to select. Some or the now kinds are certainly great acquisitions as regards size and flavour ; but, on the other hand, they do not bear comparison with the older varieties so far as their producing quaUties are concerned. I think it is always best when you have discovered a good kind to be content with it, andiafter some years trial I am still inclined to adhere to the following :— Sangster's No. 1, Huntingdonian, Veitch's Perfection, Champion of England, Ne Plus Ultra, and British Queen.— Rauelbb. 108 THE GARDEN. [Aug. 7. 1875. THE FRUIT GARDEN. THE HAUTBOIS STRAWBEERY. It is to be regretted that a Strawberry of suoh peculiar flavour as the Haiitbois should be neglected iu favour of finer-looking fruit. The genuine Hautbois is, no doubt, still to be found in old gardens, and would repay any attention bestowed upon it. Is there any foundation for the belief that the Hautbois is dioecious, bearing male and female flowers, on different plants ? This fact (if correct) would account for the occasional unfruit- fulness of beds from which one kind may have been acci- dentally omitted. A Constant Reader. [The neglect into which the Hautbois has fallen is doubtless due, in a great measure, to the fact that size has more weight with proprietors of gardens than it formerly had. Eruit is grown now almost as much for the fine appearance which it presents as for eating; but, I have no doubt the time will come when the Hautbois will again come into favour, and, probably, improved both in point of size and pro- ductiveness. This may reasonably be anticipated, as, in both points, Rivers's Royal Hautbois is far superior to the old Hautbois that used to be grown thirty years ago. With the exception of the old Alpines, the Hautbois Strawberry is less particular as to soil than most of the English and Continental Strawberries, now so generally grown. Of course, as a rule, the best result will be obtained on the best soil, but I have seen fine crops of Hautbois grown on land too light to be pro- fitably occupied with other kinds. Light land, if it is well manured, and made thoroughly firm before planting, will do very well for the Hautbois, but mulching and water- ing in dry seasons must not be neglected. A very good way of growing them, is to plant them in beds, say three rows in a 4-foot bed, and the plants about a foot apart in the rows, with alleys 2 feet wide between the beds. This will give room for gathering the fruit, and also allows space for the. produc- tion of strong runners for making new plantations. It is not advisable to allow the beds to continue iu the same place lono-er than three years. Early in August is the best time to plant ; although, when the beds cannot be propci-ly made then, the runners may be planted 3 or 4 inches apart in nursery beds, lifted with balls, and planted out finally the following March. I should recommend this course in preference to planting in ground ill-prepared or not properly consolidated. The Hautbois Strawberry has often been called dioecious, but botanists, I believe, do not consider that character to be fully established. No doubt some of its flowers are often defective, or what is popularly termed "blind," but the same thing occurs occa- sionally amongst our best English hermaphrodite varieties. This defect can generally be removed, too, by careful selection when obtaining runners, which should only be taken from pro- lific plants. Planting in very rich soil or highly-manured land, especially if recently trenched and not allowed time to settle and become firm, will, by inducing over-luxuriance, often produce " blindness " iu the flowers, or, in some cases, prevent flower-buds being formed at all, the whole efforts of the plants being confined to the production of foliage only. This, how- ever, is usually the result of some error in management, and the observant cultivator scarcely makes the same mistake twice. — E. Hobday.] NOTES AND QUESTIONS ON THE FEUIT GARDEN, A Chapter on Strawberry Culture.— In order to grow Strawberries well, tbo foliowing points want attention :— Planting out of small pots the first week in AuRust ; digging the ffi-ound deeply, manurinK it heavily, and treading it urrnly. Succdbb then is certain.— R. Gilbebt, Burffhlej/. How to Colour Indoor Peaches-- 1 have in a Peach-house hero two trees, nno Bellcpardo and one Violette Hitivo, covering a trellis 30 feet by M, each bearing over fourteen dozen fruits, many of which weigh 8 ozs. I took especial care to get an many as possiljle on the upper side of the treUis, consequently they are well-coloured, and, when looking up the trellis from an opening at the lower end, the largo crimson fruit resting on a carpet of dark green foliage has a fine effect. —H. J. 0., Tadcatter. Frogmore Late Pine, the Best Strawberry to Resist Wet.— The rains this seanon have tried the mould-contracting and wct-roBistin" properties of every variety of Strawberry to a greater extent than usual. The Pino kinds have best resisted the wet, and Frogmore Late Pine the best of all. Trollope's Victoria was soon rendered worthless, as was also Vicomtease Hericart de Thnry. British Queen did her best ; but, being heavily loaded, was bent down to the ground, and many of the fruits were spoiled. La Constante withstood too wet woU ; but, being a dwarf grower, it at iast overcame it,— N. H, P. | MY TOWN GARDEN. In matters connected with gardening it is not difficult to prove that a great deal may be done under the most unfavourable conditions. By way of experiment, I selected for my gar- den a neglected corner of ground which was degenerating into a rubbish place, in the centre of a manufacturing town, with chemical works on all sides — such a place as would be about ecjuivalent to the back-yard of an average house — and at the expenditure of a few shillings have succeeded in obtaining daily, throughout the year, and at least a month before their appearance in the market, fresh salads, besides forced Rhubarb, French Beans and herbs, such as Mint, Parsley, &c., in large quantities. The means used are simple enough, and within the reach of anyone who has a moderate-sized back-yard open to the sun. The first step was to obtain some Grass sods, and- mix them with stable manure, the second to get some old pre- served-meat boxes, knock the bottoms out, and put in their places a sheet of glass, leaving, however, a few of the boxes, with the bottoms in. The boxes with the glass bottoms, which we converted into roofs by the simple process of turning them down side up, were at once promoted to be our cold green- houses, and under these live and flourish, in all weathers, Mustard, Cress, and Lettuces. In the spring, a pile of fresh manure, a few Vegetable Marrow seeds, and one of our port- able greenhouses, which are, let it be remembered, " tenant's fixtures," give us Marrows before they have reached what may be termed a reasonable price in the local market. Of course, when the plant gets too large for its habitation, we let it out, and at the end of the season, when the frosts come, we dock it and put it iu again ; by this means we get a few Marrows when everybody else has none. The last experiment is to make an early sowing of French Beans in small pots, under one of our " tenant's fixtures," and plant them out as soon as safe. By this means we have plenty, whilst they are sold by the inch in the markets. Before we learnt better we bought all our forced Rhubarb ; we now simply dig up a few roots at intervals, commencing early in November, and place them in a box of soil in the cellar. When we have got a fair supply of each we replace them in the garden in a waste corner, to live or die as best pleases them. They generally live, however, and we have not only plenty for ourselves, but have been obliged to give splendid Rhubarb away about January when the digging-up process has been done too vigorously. Being of opinion that spring Onions are necessary for salads, and finding that they are not so easily grown to be good for twelve months in the year, we gave them up as hopeless, and for years have put ui, at intervals of about a fortnight, some two dozen Shallots. These will start at once in almost any weather, and we keep them covered with one of the boxes with the wood bottoms so as to be completely in the dark. When 2 or 3 inches high they are brought out as required and split up into tender blanched spring Onions. Our Onion bed, which supplies our table all the year round, is 3 feet long and 2 feet wide, and is covered by- two boxes, which, when complete, cost us only the small sum of sixpence some years ago. After steady experience year after year with this style of protection we find that there is always a tendency to knock one or two more together, and to work all to the fullest extent ; and our neighbours with glass houses and hot-beds are glad to borrow salads from us when they cannot grow them themselves. We tried some glass frames and ground vineries, but they were more troublesome to get at, and did less work for the space they occupied as, when one of the boxes was wanted and none were quite empty, we could sow the seed for it, and cover it with straw for a few days. Practically, the hotbed frames are so much more trouble to get at and keep in order that they are very little used. Our friends say our garden looks disreputable; but, the simple fact is, it pays a large profit on the reut and expenses, and is, in addition, a great convenience. We are now building a stove and greenhouse, but I fancy they will exist simply as ornaments, and that the greater part, if not all, of our market work — if it may so be called — will still be done under the boxes, with or without top light. The best size we find to be about 2 feet by 16 or 18 inches, with a rib nailed across the top for a handle ; larger than this are unwieldy, and smaller do not hold enough. We average about two each, Aug. 7, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 109 steadily working with Cress, Onions, Mustard, Marrows, and sundry miscellaneous subjects ; three or four with French Beans; the same number with Lettuces; and, when not on regular duty, they are set to work raising seeds and plants, which we should otherwise have to buy. By the way, there is one neglected vegetable which would be more appreciated if more generally known. When our neighbours cut the heads of their Curly Greens we beg the stalks, pull them up, and plant them close together under an old packing-case. The shoots, tender and blanched, are, in my opinion, second to no vegetable to be obtained in the same season; they cost nothing to grow, and take up ground which is at the time useless for anything else. Before start- ing our portable greenhouses the garden existed, and this was as much as could be said for it, as the conditions altogether were unfavourable. Except in the hottest weather, the smoke and dirt were, and are, so great, that young tender plants have no hope of existence without help ; and winter vegetables are too much flavoiired with soot to be quite fit for use. The inventor of second-hand packing-cases made, in my case, a valuable disoovei'y, although he may not have intended them for the use I put them to ; and, strange to say, the old preserved meat boxes were exactly the right size for some old glass I had, so that our cold greenhouses cost the sum of 4.d. each, or Ijd. per superficial foot. We have got rather proud lately, and have painted the whole set black ; but, although decidedly more ornamental, they are no more useful. When an .acquaintance hears me say I make a large profit out of our ' garden in the middle of a dirty town, he smiles a smile of un- belief, knowing, from his own expensive experience, how un- likely it is. When he sees it, the smile disappears, and he is converted, as an American would say, " right away." Of course there is little or nothing new in this ; but the matter altogether is one well! worthy of the attention of all ; and I record, therefore, my experience, which has been thoroughly successful with the simplest and cheapest possible appliances, within the reach of the poorest cottager. It will, of course, be understood that the heavy cropping during the whole of the twelve months, under the hand frames, is only to be got out of gi'ound which is kept in good condition. Twenty crops of salads cannot be got out of the same ground in one year unless it is constantly assisted with manure. Warringion. Thomas Fletcher. Large Aucuba in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Regent's Park. — I have sent you a photograpli of our large Auouba, which, in April last, was loaded with bright red berries. It measures 13 feet 8 inches through its largest diameter, aud 10 feet 7 inches through the others, and the extreme height is S feet 10 inches. I am unable to say when it was planted ; but, when I first came here, in 1812, it was, if I remember lightly, a large bush. About five years ago, I first placed the male plant (then only a few inches high, it is now over 2 feet) in its midst, raised on a short post nearly to the top, so that the pollen might fall well over the plant, and since then we have each year had fine crops of fruit, and raised from the berries many hundreds of plants, besides distributing quantities of berries to our friends ; 300 went to Australia last year, but of these I have not yet heard the result. Of the plants raised from the berries, more than half turn out to be males, and these being planted about the garden, most of the old original Aucubas every year, more or less, show fruit. The leaves of the young plants are very varied, both in form, colour, and markings. — W. Sowerbv. [The photograph showed a splendid plant of the ordinary spotted-leaved Aucuba — so fine, indeed, that we had intended to have had it illustrated, but the difficulty of showing, in a satisfactory manner, the plant loaded with fruit, is greater than we anticipated, and has prevented the fulfilment of our intention.] Flowers in Hospitals. — The attempts made to decorate and enliven the wards of hospitals with flowers is deserving of liberal support. Already several of the hospitals are supplied during the summer months with flowers through the aid of tho Flower Mission or by private benevolence. But much needs yet to be done. If those rich and highly favoured persons who, in their country and suburban residences may be said to repose on beds of Roses and to breathe ambrosial odours in place of fog and smote, consider what gratification they derive from their gardens, they may get some con- ception of the pleasure with which the poor sufferers in hospitals regard even a tiny nosegay of wild Hoses. We feel sure that no further appeals will be necessary to have this want fully supplied, aud a speedy response may confidently be looked for. — " Lancet." THE FLOWER GARDEN. CLIMBING HYBRID PERPETUAL ROSES. No plants look more beautiful on wire trellis-work than Roses and Clematises planted alternately ; and, in this way, a grand display of flowers may be maintained from May to November. The following varieties possess brilliant and striking colours, and will grow from 9 to 10 feet high, viz., General Jacqueminot, Camille Bernardin, Knight's climbing Princess Louise Vic- toria (blush, shading off to peach, and a free bloomer in autumn), and Louisa Wood (brilliant carmine, and also a free autumnal bloomer). Many other varieties might also be used ; but, for general effect, they cannot be surpassed. Before they are planted, the ground should be dug two spits deep, at least, and plenty of old rotten manure should be forked into it. As soon as they have made long shoots, which they will do in one season, pull them down as low as you can in the month of March, and tie them fast to small stakes, as directed for Noisettes. In May, when it is found that shoots have pushed at every joint pointing upwards, they may be raised up. and fastened to the trellis-work. Whenever a shoot promises to grow long, encourage it by keeping it in an upright position, when it will bloom iu the autumn, if the variety is a true Hybrid Perpetual ; instead of pruning it back, keep it its full length, and bend it down in the month of March, raising it up again in May, and in this manner proceed until as much of the trellis is covered as may be wanted ; after that, conduct the pruning on the spur system, cutting occasionally clean away any superfluous wood, and always encouraging the growth of long shoots, when they can be found. These long maiden shoots, after having been bent down for a season, in order to cause them to throw out side shoots, always yield the best blooms ; if no room can be found for them against the trellis, cut away the old shoots, and substitute the new ones, which are always preferable. Pole Roses may be grown, and the shoots furnished with short side shoots in quicker time by bringing down the long shoots for a season, and afterwards raising them up again, and tying them to the pole, than by cutting them back. The long shoots become furnished with laterals, from top to bottom, the first season. There are no better sorts adapted for pole Roses than the Hybrid Perpetuals just mentioned. The rich carmine- coloured Moss Rose Baronne de Wassenaer makes an excellent pillar or wall Rose. Among kinds of Clematis that bloom in May and June may be named Miss Bateman (wliite), Standishii (lavender-blue or pale mauve), Lanuginosa pallida (largo pure white). Amongst the best of those that bloom from July to October arc Jackmanii, Rubella, and Rubra violacea. The proper time to plant them is in March. Whoever has a situation, either in front of his house, or a wall with any aspect, can grow both Roses and Clematises with good effect. _ The trellis on which I grow them is made of galvanised wire, and the aspect is nearly due north. Nevertheless both Roses and Clematises do well, lasting a longer time iu bloom, aud holding colour much longer than those grown against a wall with a south aspect. Henry Taylor. Fencoie, near Bedale. THE PRESENT ASPECT OF FLOWER GARDENING. While flower gardening in this country is in its present transition state — while we are hesitating dubiously between our adherence to the departing sensational style of bedding and our adoption of the more natural but less gaudy style which threatens to affect considerably the general aspect of our flower gardens, and modify not a little our ideas of decorative gardening — it is instructive to look back for the last twenty-five or thirty years, and note what progress has been made, and what lessons we have learned. During the above period flower gardening has partaken distinctly of the " fastness " and sensationalism of the age, and taste has often been ruled by fashion more than by good sense or judgment. Look at the " bedding " fashion, for instance, which had unrestrained run for nearly twenty years, until it was over- done ; then came the surfeit, which is always the consequence of excess. The rage for bedding plants has undoubtedly done no THE GAEDEN. [Auo. 7, 1875. much good, however, for it stirred the hybridiser, the im- prover, and the collector into renewed zeal, and added amazingly to our knowledge in many things ; but the advent of the bedding rage will always be looked back upon as a period in the history of gardening that we ought to be some- what ashamed of, for it inaugurated the beginning of a war of extermination against a race of herbaceous and other hardy plants which had spread throughout the country and accumu- lated in many a noble private collection, but which were ruth- lessly sacrificed to make room for Geraniums, Calceolarias, and the like. The writer can remember one of the most extensive collections of herbaceous plants in the kingdom, the accumulations of years, being trenched down to make room for bedding purposes. This was the time when, in gardens furnished with scores of thousands of bedding plants, you might have looked in vain for a single plant of a Lily, a Phlox, or even a Carnation ; all were gone, " alike forgotten and un- known." This is a true picture ; such infatuation is hardly now credible, but it is the fact. The rage for colour and contrast on a glaring scale had, for the time being, eclipsed everything else in the minds of gardeners and their employers. But, in truth, the bedding system was simply a reaction from the dull and monotonous style of gardening previously existing, when flower gardens were a kind of compromise between the botanical and the ornamental — the latter not a very prominent feature. What were called " herbaceous collections " were the rage, and to have an infinite number of species, either orna- mental or not, was the highest ambition of some gardeners. We could mention private collections of the time that numbered many hundreds of species, carefully named or numbered, and by far the greater portion of which were useless rubbish, so far as either beauty, intei'est, or decorative utility was con- cerned. In respect to these the bedding epoch did good service, for, now that hardy herbaceous plants are fast coming into repute again, there is a weeding out o£ them, and a decided disposition to have nothing to do with any but those which are really useful and attractive ; and it is to be hoped, with past experience to guide us, that we shall not again run into extremes. The modern bedding system is the latest exemplification of that strictly formal style of gardening which was carried to such extremes a few generations back. The true landscape gardener has emancipated himself from the trammels of arti- ficialism ; but the flower gardener has not yet shaken them off, for his formally-arranged beds, his terraces, and his parterres still indicate the school from which he inherited his ideas. The advanced taste of the present time is in favour of a simpler, more natural, and what is certainly a more truly English style of gardening than has hitherto found favour. We allude to that increasing disposition, not to do away with bedding, but to dispense with much of that foi'mality in the arr.angement of the beds, and in the general plan of the garden, which the system entails ; to do with less pretentious architectural adjuncts in the shape of walls, balustrading, and vases, &c. ; and to dispose of the ground in that free, informal manner, which, while it affords facilities for the display of the highest gardening taste, is still unaffected and natural, the flower garden and pleasure grounds merging into the park and woods in such a manner that one hardly notices where the cue ends and the other begins. This style of gardening is less ostentatious than the other ; it does not afford the same facilities for the display of wealth, and perhaps, upon the whole, the effect is less imposing at first sight ; but it is lasting, and always pleasing. A grand terrace with its parterres is taken in at a glance, and soon becomes stale to thj eyes of those who see it continually ; and it is unwillingly conceded that the owner prefers to take his pleasure in his woods and parks, which arc more congenial to his tastes, and is content to keep his grand parterres for show, having no very clear notion for what other purpose they were made. But let us try to describe actual examples of the two styles of gardening referred to. The first is an Italian garden of the most elaborate description. It is laid out in front of a fine mansion, situated on a gentle slope, which terminates at the margin of a lake some distance off. The house is fronted by two terraces, one under the other, the upper terrace also flanking the ends of the house, and the whole forming a square, enclosed by the usual retaining walls, and profusely furnished with vases, balustrading, &o., of a massive and imposing order ; and beyond is the park. The occupants of this expensive and pretentious enclosure, which is some acres in extent, are one or two fountains ; a great variety of flower beds, arranged in geometrical ordei', and furnished with bedding plants and shrubs, and the usual formal gravel walks and Grass margins ; with here and there a Yew, a Juniper, or a Box tree perhaps, arranged with that due regard to uniformity and balance which the style is thought to necessitate. And yet, after all, it is only a theatrical scene, without real interest ; a look takes it all in. It is not a garden to be walked in, and its beauties have not to be explored, for they are not very varied, and are spread out before you, like the flowers upon a carpet. It is, in fact, a garden to be glanced at, and nothing more. Between it and the park, and lake extending beyond, there are no gradations ; its limits are terminated abruptly by a dead wall, which, to the outside spectator, looks not unlike the boundary wall of a fortress, so strange and isolated does it seem to be from the natural surroundings. Such, as accurately as can be delineated by the pen, is the modern Italian flower garden. We turn now to what may be called an example of the semi-natural style, so far as contrast is concerned, as instancing the direction in which the free taste of the present time is tending. The site and the situation are much the same as those before described. The mansion stands upon a rising ground of considerable elevation, with an undulating ground before it, and a river in the distance. The garden front and ends of the house are also surrounded by a terrace, but without the retaining wall and balustrading. It is simply a broad gravel walk, with wide margins of Grass on each side, and a border of mixed flowers next the house. From this terrace a deep and well-made Grass bank slopes gently down on the east side to a level extent of ground laid out as an American garden, and planted freely with Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Kalmias, &c., hardy and peat -loving herbaceous plants, including Lilies, Hollyhocks, Delphiniums, &o., which rear their heads in the recesses and corners formed by the shrubs, and on the west side to a garden of Roses, Carnations, herbaceous plants, and mixed shrubs, the background of both gardens being well supported with trees of an appropriate character. In front the slope terminates in a second broad gravel terrace, which stretches the whole length of the man- sion and the flanking gardens just described, and is supported on its far side by a well-proportioned balustrading, which overlooks, from a lofty height, the flower gardens and pleasure grounds that extend below, without the sign of a boundary line, until they are lost in the woods beyond. Yet, though anything like formality or uniformality in the general plan of the ground has been avoided, or rather disregarded, neither floral decoration of a high order nor geometrical design is wanting ; but all of these are not spread out under the windows of the mansion and nowhere else ; nor are they the only features which attract the spec- tator, who discovers other objects of interest in his perambu- lations besides flower beds and bedding plants. Trees, groves, and lawns, with groups of shrubs, Roses, &c., and sloping banks intervene to partly conceal the flower beds interspersed throughout the grounds in appropriate situations. Not the least attractive features of such a garden are the ample lawns, well furnished with a varied selection of noble trees and shrubs, and the winding walks that traverse the patches of natural bush here and there, and which would lead the traveller into the woods or park before he was aware he had passed out of the well-cared-for garden. This, we submit, is a picture of a garden such as finds favour with many modern landscape gardeners and modern taste, and it is not too much to state that in such a garden only is it possible to follow out that free and natural style by which the most pleasing efliects are produced, the greatest diversity of interest afforded, and the most lasting pleasure conferred. — " Field." The " Water Convolvulus." — Some time ago you were asked what was the proper name of a flower locally called " Water Convol- vulus." A specimen of it was not sent to you, but I wrote suggesting that it might possibly be the Frog-bit, which is rather a showy water Aug. 7, 1875.] ISE GARDEN. Ill plant. Lately a friend sent me an aquatic flower to name for him. It was without doubt the Hottonia palustria — Water Violet or Peatherfoil. I never saw it growing, however, nor can I find it in any list of Cumberland or north country plants. Its foliage grows under the water, the flowers alone rising above tho surface. They are of a beautiful lilac colour, of the shape of those of a Primrose — to which group of plants it belongs. It is most likely that this was the plant enquired about. The suggestion that the Water Lily was meant is absurd, as there is no comparison bcitween the two ; both the yellow and white are too well-known to be mistaken for anything else. I should be much obliged for soine seed of the Hottonia from any of your correspondents who may have some to spare. — J. Gill- B.v.\KS, Whitefield House, MeaUgate, Carliile. FERULA TINGITANA. Febulas are among the finest of the umbelliferous plants that bare so long remained unnoticed in our botanic gardens, with- out their great value for garden embellishment being recog- nised. This is one of the best known and most Taluable Ferula Tingitana. species, very elegant in habit, and as vigorous as it is graceful. It takes several years to form the strong tufts, which all who have seen them so much admire when bursting into their stately verdure in spring. The best way is to plant the young Ferulas where they are to remain at first. The position should be most carefully chosen. The mixed border is not suitable, as the plants die down in early summer, and would leave blanks that could not easily be filled. The best way is to place them singly, or in small groups, a little without the margin of a shrubbery, or isolated on the Grass, and so placed that their verdure might be easily visible in the garden-landscape in early spring. Deep free soil should be supplied before planting, if the soil be not naturally good and deep. It would be a good plant to associate with those Daffodils, and other early-flowering bulbs, which also die down in early summer. The Ferulas are most readily raised from seed, which should be sown as soon as gathered in a nursery bed in the open air. JULY FLOWERS ON HILL BROW. Hill Brow, or, as some call it, New Liss, is an exceedingly beautiful ridge, situated between the little village of Rake and the town of Petersfield in Hampshire — a district rich in lovely views and wild flowers of all descriptions. The plants which I am about to enume. rate, and which now brighten my table, were gathered in the course of a short walk. First comes the wild Rose, with fragrance which, to me, is sweeter than the perfume of her more cultivated sister, contrasting its delicate pink tints with tho lovely pale grey hue of the Succory, a plant which, cultivated in rich garden soil, is known in France as the Barbe de Capucin. Then there is the bright yellow and orange Toad Flax, whose unexpanded blossoms resemble a number of small birds perched upon the branches of a tree, and close to it stands the stately Foxglove, with its long purple fingers, relieving the brilliant bloom of the Corn Poppy. Honeysuckle, " ripened by the sun," gives sweetness to the group, while the Ragged Robin's pink sepals wave over the exquisite little blue Veronica, and its relative Germander Speedwell. The purple Ling, or, to use its more general name. Heather, nestles amongst the green fronds of the slender black-veined Spleenwort, mingled with sprays of Yarrow, whose delicate white florets scarcely serve to remind one of Achilles, though the genus is said to have derived its name from him. The true Harebell, the Bluebell of Scotland, the Herb of War, Hypericum, whose anthers, tipped with purplo dots and bright yellow petals, nearly eclipse tho modest Forget-me-not, and boldly challenge the great Mullein's handsome spike-like raceme of bloom, showing off to perfection those " flowers worthy of paradise," the crimson. tipped Daisies, and delicate wild Strawberry flowers. The Mallow, Wood Betouies, Bladderwort, varieties of our native Grasses, and the Pansy Violet, better known as wiKl Heartease, complete the bouquet, and afiord a fair specimen of our Hill Brow flora. Helen E. Watney. PLANTS IN FLOWER AT GLASNEVIN. Amongst the great number of plants now in flower in the open air at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, are the following : Abutilon Begonia Gentiana Philesia vexiUarium Chelsoni cruciata buxifolia Acanthus Castanea geUda Pontaderia Schotianus chrysophylla Justicia cordata Adenophora Crinum carnea Sollya reticulata ornatum var. Lilium heterophylla Aj^apanthus capense var. al- Humboldti Spiranthes Moorei bum californicum Kemmipara Alstroemeria capense var. Martagon var. Trapa Simsii roseum Catauii natans ociilata Cypella carol inianum Yucca Althiea Herbert! Thunberpli.var. plorioea Trulbviana Desfontainea PCrandiflorum, rubra cincta Aquilegia spmosa Limnocharia filamentosa chrysantha Fremontia Humboldti recarva Aster californica Linum glaucantha dumosus Gentiana depressum superba fragihs scptem&da Pentstemon Cobcea Da VID JVIcAltBLE NOTES AND QOESTIONS C N THE FLOWE a GARDEN. Crystal Palace Lobelia compacta.— This is one of the best dwarf Lobelias with which I am acquainted, being compact in growth and very floriferous. Massed in small beds, or used as a dwarf edging plant, it is invaluable. — W. M. S. The White Musk Mallow (Malva moschata alba).— This is a very elegant border flower, pure white, and it continues long in bloom. It comes true from seed. It is also a desirable flower for naturaUsation in places where it does not occur wild.— V. Beg'onia Sedeni Hardy.— A strong tuft of this plant is now covered with its large and brilliant flowers on a dry rocky bank in Mr. Wilson's garden at Weybridge Heath. It has been in the same position for three years without disturbance. Opuntia Rafinesquiana, in bloom near it, is also quite hardy. — V. Leptospermum huUatam,— This, though usually considered agreenhonse plant, did not suffer in the least out of doors during last winter ; although long, it was, however, by no means a severe one here ; indeed, many half- hardy plants exposed to it are now fresh and vigorous.— T. Tsorntow, ITeather- shle, BagskoL Carpet Bedding.— One of the most effective plants used for this kind of gardening at the Crystal Palace is Tagetes signatus pumila. It is not. of course, allowed to flower, but is kept closely stopped back, and presents a delicate surface of the brightest green. This style of planting is well done at the Palace this season, no flowering plants, except the blue Lobelia, being used.— P. G. Oflfsets of Sempervivam triste— " W. D. C." (see p. Si) complains that this Sempervivum throws off but few offsets. Has not situation or soil some- thing to do with this ? Here, in a rocky border, in a mixture of sandy loam and peat, a plant bought at Rollisson's in March has a family of eight out in the world, and a second brood of eight still attached to the parent. " Triste " is a misnomer for this bright Cherry-looking plant. — George F. WiLsoif, SeatkerbaJikt Weyhridge 112 THE GAEDBN. [Aug, 7, 1875. THE FRUIT CROPS. METEOPOLITAN AND SOUTH-EASTERN DIVISION. Middlesex.— Uxbridge District.— Apples are a good crop, but early varieties are much spotted through the rains; the two early kinds least affected are Lord Suffield and Manks Codlin. Hawthoruden, Wellington, and many other varieties are badly spotted. Pears are also a good crop, but much discoloured ; and several have cracked, especially the Jargonelle in the form of standards, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Crassane, Chaumontel, and William's Bon Chretien. Apricots are a good crop, and not injured by the wet ; the kinds which we grow are Moor Park and Orangefield. Peaches are a good crop, but mildew is showing itself in places ; the trees generally are, how- ever, healthy and free from red spider this season, and, if we get fine weather, will swell off the fruit well. Plums are a partial crop ; those on walla, however, are for the most part good everywhere. The best on standards is the Winesour or Market Prune Plum, Victoria ; and Prince of Wales and the old Violet are plentiful everywhere. Cherries are a heavy crop, but are nearly all spoilt by the rains ; and in many places they do not pay for the gathering. The wet has caused them to swell too fast, and to burst. The Morello on walls is cracking equally bad. Of Gooseberries there are good crops, but the Lancashire, or large varieties, are nearly all spoilt ; they have burst and rotted on the trees. The Warrington has stood the best, owing to its being a late Gooseberry. Golden Drop is good, but nearly over. Pigs are good, and so are Currants ; but of the latter many are rotting on the trees. Raspberries are good, though watery and deEcient in flavour ; and many of them have been spoilt by wet. The best sorts are the Fastolf, Antwerp, and Prince of Wales. Straw- berries have suffered greatly from the wet. The wire crinoline would be very useful to use with the large varieties as the fruit would dry much quicker, and be less liable to rot. The best sorts of Strawberries are Sir Chas. Napier, Sir Joseph Paxton, and President. I have found reeds or long straw good material on which to lay the fruit in such bad seasons as this has been. — G. Bkush. Kent.— Preston Hall, Aylesford. -So far as I have seen, frmt crops generally appear to be abundant. Apples are very abun. dant; Apricots, thin; Cherries, Gooseberries, and Currants, abun- dant ; Nuts, Nectarines, and Peaches, a moderate crop ; Pears and Plums, good crops; Raspberries and Strawberries, very abundant. Of fruits which succeed as standards in the orchard, and which are not subjectto canker, and bear well, the names are given below in the order in which they ripen : Dessert Apples. Quarrendeu, second size Osliu Pippin, second size Kerry Pippin,_third size King of the Pippins, second size Blenheim Pippin, first size Cox's Orange Pippin, second size Franklin's Golden Pippin, third size Beachamwell, third size Scarlet Nonpareil, second size Court Pendu Plat, second size Syke House Russet, second size Sturmer Pippin, second size WilUams's Bon Chretien, first size Pondante d'Automne, second size Jersey Gratioli, second size Louise Bonne of Jersey, first size Bourre Superfin, first size Comte de Lamy, second size Morocco Orleans Prince of Wales Gisbome's Kitchen Apples. Lord Suffield, first size Keswick Codlin, second size CeUini, second size Blenheim Orange, first size Tower of Glamis, first size Brabant Belle Fleur, first size New Hawthornden, first size Waltham Abbey Seedling, third to second size Northern Greening, second size Yorkshire Greening, first size Hanwell Souring, second size Wellington, first size Pears. Beurre Bosc, first size Duchesse d'Angouleme, first size Broom Park, second size Vicar of Winkfield, first size Chimenette, second size Ne Plus Meuris, second size Plums. Diamond Pond's Seeiling, very large St. Martin's Quetsche, late, and good I have intentionally, and, I think, rightly, avoided a long list of names. — W. Bradley. Eridge Castle, Tunbridge Wells.— Apples here are excellent, both as regards quality and crop ; Apricots are about half a crop ; Cherries, very fine ; Currants, excellent ; Figs, good— I cover with a net in April to keep off the frosts; Gooseberries, a very heavy crop, and excellent in flavour ; Peaches, half a crop— wo are 400 feet above tho sea, and rather exposed— Peaches and Apricots, therefore, suffer with ns in May; Pears, a fine crop, but want sun to thoroughly ripen it ; Plums, a very fine crop ; Raspberries, good and plentiful ; Strawberries, abundant, rather deficient in flavour from want of sunshine ; Walnuts, very good ; Filberts, excellent. This is the best fruit year I can remember. To ensure good crops of fruit, the trees should not bo planted in a hollow, nor yet ou the top of a hill, but on a gentle slope, half-way between these two extremes ; they should have plenty of shelter to protect them from high winds. — J. Rust. Kent. — Chevening, Sevenoaks. — We have a heavy crop of the following kinds of fruits, viz.. Pears, Plums, Apricots, Peaches, Cherries, Gooseberries, Currants, and Apples. Plums here hardly ever fail ; the sorts which we grow are the Green. gage, Kirks, Blue- gage, Orleans, Goliath, Coe's Golden Drop, and Late Red; also Jefferson and Washington. Strawberries, which promised to be a fine crop, became stunted, owing to toe long continuance of dry weather, and did not ripen well ; Filberts and Walnuts are a good crop ; Figs, half a crop. I may add, that Potatoes here are much diseased, more particularly the late sorts, which I fear will be a complete failure, as I find that most of the tubers are decaying. — D. CoE. Surrey. — The Denbies, Dorking. — Apricots here are a fair crop ; Apples, on both espaliers and standards, are plentiful, but small ; Pears are a fair crop, as are also Peaches and Nectarines — the trees are, however, blighted and mildewed ; Plums are plentiful ; Figs, scarce ; Cherries are a fair crop, but many useless through the wet weather ; Strawberries have been good both in crop and quality ; Gooseberries are a partial crop, many much cracked ; Red Currants good, but, where thick in the clusters, many have rotted ; Black Cun-ants are very good; White, a fair crop; Raspberries, good; Nuts and Walnuts, plentiful. The Potato disease has made its appearance within the last few days, and promises to be bad ; both early and late kinds are much affected. The rainfall for the present month has been 5-28. — Jas. Beesley. Hampshire. — Heckfleld Place, "Winchfield.— In this dis- trict the Apple crop is somewhat variable, but, upon the whole, it may be termed an average one. Apricots are a fair crop, and fine in quality; Peaches and Nectarines are abundant, but will be late this season. Pears on walls are plentiful, and will be very fine, but on standards, espaliers, and pyramids the fruit is thin inideed, and will be small ; of Cherries, there are good crops of all knds, more especially Morellos ; Strawberries and Gooseberries hava also been heavy crops, and all kinds of bush fruits have been abundant, though much has been lost through the heavy and long-continned rains ; Walnuts and Filberts are heavy crops. The following fruits are amongst the best for this district, viz. : — Apples — the old Duzan, ICeswick Codlin, Devonshire Quarrendeu, Blenheim Pippin, Ribston Pippin, Hawthornden, Cellini, Dumelow's Seedling, Royal Rassett, and Lord Snflield. Apricots — Moor Park, Kaisha, Shipley, and New Large Early. Peaches — Early Louise, Early Grosse Mignonne, Royal George, Noblesse, Barrington, Stirling Castle, Gregory's Late, and Princess of Wales. Nectarines — Violette Hative, Elruge, Roman Stanwick, Pitmaston Orange, and Albert Victor. Pears — Maiie, Louise, Williams's Bon Chretien, Brown Beurre, Doyenne du Cornice, Beurre de la Assomption, Passe Colmar, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Winter Nclis, Duchesse d'Angouleme, Thompson's, Beurre Superfin, Comte de Lamy, Ne Plus Meuris, and Bergamotte de Esperen. Plums. — Orleans — Green. gage, Kirkes, Coe's Golden Drop, and Diamond. Strawberries — James Veitch, La Grosse Sucree, Lucas, Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury, President, Aromatic, Cockscomb, John Powell, Keen's Seedling, and Frogmore Late Pine. — W. Wild. SMITH. Berkshire. — Coleshill. — Apples here are plentiful ; Apricots and Cherries, moderate, with the exception of Morellos, which are plentiful; Red Currants ai'e scarce, but White and Black kinds are good and plentiful ; Gooseberries are plentiful, but have suffered greatly from the continued wet ; Mulberries are plentiful ; Peaches and Nectarines arc abundant ; Pears are a good crop ; Plums, a moderate one ; Strawberries, fine and plentiful ; Raspberries, plen. tiful; Nuts and Walnuts, abundant. — Henry Eckfokd. Royal Gardens, Frogmore. — Crops of fruit of all descriptions are above tho average in this district. Pears and Apples are plentiful, and promise to be of excellent quality ; nearly all kinds do well in the gardens here. Apricots are plentiful and good. The best varieties here are Frogmore Early, Royal, Moor Park, Shipley, and Frogmore Late. Peaches and Nectarines aro also plentiful and promise well. The best kinds for outdoor culture are, among Peaches, tho Early Victoria, Grosse Mignonne, BcUegarde, Premier, Buckingham Mignonne, Noblesse, Walburton Admirable, and Solway ; and, among Nectarines, the Murray, Violette Hative, Elruge, Pine-apple, and Prince of Wales. Plums aro below an average crop, with tho exception of Damsons, which are plentiful. Cherries havo been a heavy crop, but large portions of them were destroyed by tho heavy rains which we have had. The following varieties succeed best, viz. : — May Duke, Frogmore Early BIgarreau, Governor Wood, Bigarreau, Bigarreau Napoleon, Black Tartarian, Late Duke, and, Frogmore Late Bigarreau. Morellos are a heavy crop, and of good quality. Crops of small fruit have been heavy, but Aug. 7, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 113 large portions of them have been destroyed by wet. The best Straw- berries here are La Grosae Sacree, James Veitoh, Fairy Qaeen, Cockscomb, Sir J. Paxton, J. Powell, and Late Pine. Gooseberries are confined to a few kinds, among which are Salphur, Keen's Seed- ling, Ironmonger, Whitesmith, Rifleman, Warrington, and Hedgehog. Walnuts and Filberts are in abundance. — Thomas Jones. Bearwood. — Fruit crops hereabouts are, on the whole, good, especially those of Apples and Pears on walls ; the latter are most promising, and, should we have a fine autumn, will be of a fine description. There is a good crop of Peaches and Nectarines, but mildew has now shown itself badly, owing to the heavy rains and cold nights. Evving's mixture I find the best remedy for it. Royal Ascot and Stirling Castle are two good Peaches for out of doors. Of Apricots there is a good crop, and the fruit is of fine quality ; whilst Pluois are plentiful on standards as well as walls. Rivers's Early Favourite is an early and well-flavoured variety. The crop of Cherries is good, that of Strawberries heavy. The later kinds suffered much from the heavy fall of raia — -in fact, all small fruits are much spoilt. The crop of Filberts is unusually large. A continuance of fine weather is much wanted for most things. The Potato disease has appeared about here in its worst form. I have never seen it so bad. From the plot of the poor cottager to the open fields — all are alike bad. I fear more than one-half of the crops are destroyed. I had dug up a fortnight back a fine lot of Rivers's Royal Ashleaf for present use, pretty well ripened, and free from disease; within a week three parts became so bad as to be quite useless. Moving too soon is a great mistake. I trust the fair weather we are having will continue, and be the means of keeping the disease from the later kinds. — James Tego. The Deepdene, Dorking. — Oar fruit crops, both here and in this neighbourhood, have been unusually heavy. There has bden plenty of all kinds of fruit, more especially Plums, Apples, and small fruit ; Walnuts and Cobs are plentiful. — JoaN Buknett. SOUTH MIDLAND DIVISION. Bedfordshire. — Luton Hoo. — We have moat abundant crops of fruit of all kinds this year, and on the whole it is of good quality, although the recent heavy rains have, of course, destroyed the flavour, to a certain extent, of those kinds that had already ripened. The crop of Apricots is most unusual for these gardens, for I am told by an old man, who has been employed here many years, that it is ten years since there was a crop to equal that of the present year. One tree is especially worthy of notice as carrying a much lai'ger crop than others. This tree is situated on a portion of a wall at the back of which there is a labourer's mess-room, where a fire is lit every morning and noon for cooking. This room was only placed there at the beginning of this year. I shall be curious to see if the heated wall has any influence in the way of producing a crop next year. The large crop of fruit this year is to be attributed, I think, to the absence of frost during the setting period. I am of opiuion that the heating of walls to ensure a crop of Apricots ought to receive more attention than it has hitherto done. There can be no question that it is the best way to get a crop, for they do not succeed well covered with glass. I may add that the disease is very bad among the Potatoes, and continues to spread ; some of the early kinds were badly affected with " curl." — R. Budd, Luton Hoo. Huntingdonshire.— Ramsey Abbey.— All kinds of stone fruits are most abundant; of Pears and Apples there is a good average yield, while bush fruits and Strawberries are very plentiful. Much damage, however, has been douo to the latter by the late wet sunless weather. Walnuts show a very heavy crop, and open-air Grapes a good one. E very thiug stands much in need of sunshine. The soil in this neighbourhood is a rather heavy loam on Oxford clay, inter- spersed with beds of gravel. A few of the best and most prolific fruits grown here are as follows :— Apples— Red Juneating, Red Quarrenden, Waltham Abbey, Alfriston, Dumelow's Seedling, Kentish Fillbasket, Ribstou Pippin, Lord Snffield, IManks Codlin, Haw. thornden. Winter Pearmaiu, Kerry Pippin, Fearn's Pippin, Norfolk Beefing. Peaches— Acton Scot, Noblesse, Grosse Mignonne, Barring- ton, and Walburtou's Admirable. Pears — Jargonelle, Autumn Bergamot, Gansel's Bergamot, Marie Louise, Vicar of Wiukfield, Doyenne Gris, Benrre Diel, GIou Mor^eau, Winter Nelis, and Easter Benrre. Plums — Greengage, Transparent Greengage, Orleans, Diamond, Goliath, Victoria, Golden Drop, Magnum Bonnm, Pond's Seedling, and Damsons. Nectarines- Violette Hative, Elrnge, and Pitmaston Orange. Apricots— Moorpark, Ilemskirk, and Breda. Strawberries— Keen's Seedling, British Queen, Dr. Hogg, Viscomtesse Hericart de Thury, Victoria, Sir Charles Napier, Elton Pine, and Alpines. — E. Hobday. Buckinghamshire.— Wycombe Abbey.— Apricots here are an abundant crop, which promises to be fine under suitable conditions for ripening ; Apples are a superabundant crop, and, consequently, the fruit is small ; Pears are a fair average crop ; Plums are plentiful, excepting the Golden Drop and Damsons, which are scarce ; Straw- berries have been very plentiful, but much injured by moisture; Cherries of all sorts are most plentiful, but the late rains have greatly damaged the sweet varieties ; Peaches and Nectarines are abundant crops ; Figs, where the bearing wood has been secured from frost, are an average crop ; small fruits have been very abundant and good ; and Walnuts, and other Nuts, are abundant. I may add that the Moor Park still excels all other Apricots in excellence for general purposes, and, as an early variety, none is better than the Early Orange. As for Apples, so many are good, it is diflicult to particularise. In making new plantations of them, it will, however, be prudent to include amongst kitchen sorts a good proportion of such sturdy varieties as Lord Suffield and Wellington. The somewhat new variety of Pear, Pitmaston Duchesse d'Angouleme, is a fine variety, large in size and excellent in quality. Jefferson, Coe's Golden Drop, Kirke's, Washington, and Magnum Bonum Plums hold a foremost position amongst ordinary sorts, and Ickworth Imperatrice and Coe's Late Red are desirable on account of their long keeping qualities. Most varieties of Strawberries succeed well here in the valley of the Wick, the latest and best being Souvenir de Kieffe and Filbert Pine. Among Cherries, the Black Circassian stands pre-eminent, and it is a good keeper considering its fine size and quality. Frogmore Early Black is also a useful sort. Among light-coloured varieties. Belle de Choisy ripens first, which is its chief] merit. For excellence as regards quality, Bigarrean is still unrivalled ; and, for appearance, Bigarreau Napoleon is the best of all. Among Peaches, I can recommend the Early Beatrice, which is early and productive, attaining perfection out-of. doors early in July, and, therefore, a valuable acquisition on walls, as well as under glass. Figs are not extensively grown out-of- doors in this district, but the Brunswick succeeds well in some seasons as a standard in elevated positions in this locality. — G. T. Miles. Latimers. — Fruit crops here are, on the whole, very good. Apples are abundant, both in gardens and orchards ; Pears are plentiful and good, both on the walls and standards, and require thinning ; the crop of Apricots is a good one, Moor Park being the best; Plums are good, and all the sorts here have been thinned ; the Peach and Nectarine crop is a fair one, that of Strawberries very good, but the latter did not last long, on account of so much rain. Gooseberries are plentiful ; the early sorts cracked, but I have never seen the Warrington better. Raspberries and Currants are both very fine ; and the crop of Cob Nuts has been a wonderful one. Damsou Plums, in this neighbourhood, are abundant ; also Walnuts. We are situated high here, so that the late rains have done us much good. Potatoes I find very much diseased in this neighbourhood; the English varieties quite as much so as the American. — A. Donaldson. Northampton.— Castle Ashby. — Peaches, Nectarines, Apri- cots, Plums, Morello Cherries, are very good on walls ; Strawberries, Raspberries, Currants (Red and Black), and Gooseberries are also good crops ; on Apples and Pears, trained horizontally, there is only a moderate crop, but that on standards is plentiful. Of small fruits there have been very good crops, but large portions of them have been lost in consequence of the unusually wet season which we have had. Pyramidally-trained Pears are complete pyramids of fruit ; the following succeed best under this mode of training, and all of them were root-pruned in October, 1873, viz. : — Benrre Clairgeau, Beurre Sterckmau's, Benrre d'Aremberg, Albertine, Doyenne d'Ete, Bergamotte 'Esperen, Susette de Bavaj', St. Germain, Louise Bonno of Jersey, Poire de Peohe, Marie Louise, Madame Millet, Knight's Monarch, Mareohal de Cour, Viaeus, White Doyenne, Van Mons Leon le Clerc, I'lnconnue, Van Mons, Williams's Bon Chretien, Jean de Witte, Duchesse of Orleans, Grasliu, Prince of Wales, Durandeau, Duchesse d'Angouleme, Gratioli of Jersey, and Zephirin Gregoire. — George Beech. Rockingham Castle. — We are generally favoured with a good crop of fruit, owing, I believe, to our garden being sheltered from the east, nortli, and west. The bush fruit this year is a very heavy crop, but the Strawberries ai"e not so good as usual, owing to the heavy rains and cold nights we had whilst the fruit was in bloom ; our best kinds are President, Keen's Seedling, Sir Harry, Eclipse, and Wizard of the North ; British Queen is a total failure. Rasp, berries were a good crop, and the same may be said of Apples, some trees, such as Devonshire Quarrenden and Lord Derby, requiring props, the crop being so heavy. Pears, as a rule, are not grown ag standards in this locality, the soil being to heavy and retentive. Those on the walls are bearing a f nil crop ; Cherries, Plums, Damsons, Filberts, and Walnuts are an average crop ; the Apple orchards in the neighbourhood are bearing a good crop. — James Clews. Oxfordshire. — Blenheim. — The crop of Apricots is excellent in every respect, and usually is in this district. The most suitable are Moor Park and Roman, but all kinds succeed well. The crop of 114 THE GAEDEN. [Aug. 7, 1875. Apples 13 very abundant, except in low-lying and damp localities. The kinds best suited to the district are Blenheim Orange, Welling, ton (which does well in almost any position), Stirling Caatle, all the Codlin kinds, Lord Suffield especially ; Devonshire Quarrenden, Red Astrachan, Sam Young, Cox's Orange, Margil, Gravenstein, Tower of Glamis, King of Pippins, Ecklinville, Ilawthornden, Yorkshire Greening. The kinds of Cherries that have answered best are Bell's MagniSque, Black Eagle, Elton, May Duke, Bigarreau, and Morello. The crops of this fruit are moderate, and inclined to crack, but the Morellos are very abundant and largo. The crops of Currants — Black, Red, and White — are plentiful and large, but the flavour is somewhat acid. All kinds thrive in the district. Of Figs, the stock hero has been recently planted ; bat, throughout the district, the crop is an abundant one — Brown Turkey, and Brunswick seem to be general favourites. Gooseberries are abundant and large, all kinds apparently doing well here. There are moderate crops of Medlars, which threaten to become small ; whilst Mulberries are somewhat scarce and late. There are heavy returns of Nectarines, not many of which succeed upon open walls. The kinds most suitable are EIruge, Hunt's Tawny, Violette Hative, and Downton. The Peach crop is fair, not many being grown on open V7alls. Insects have been very severe on the foliage this year. 'The best varieties are Bellegarde, Crawford's Early, Royal George, and Violette Hative. Pears are very abundant ; but, where they have not been thinned, will be small. The kinds that succeed best are Beurre d'Amanlis, Benrre d'Aremburg, Beurre Bosc, Beurre Capiaumont, Beurre Diel, Comte de Lamy, Duchesse d'Angouleme, Easter Beurre, Flemish Beauty, Glou Moigeau, Jargonelle, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Marie Louise, ISfe Plus Meuris, and Zephirin Gregoire. There are numbers of small types under local names that bear abundantly. The plums are very plentiful and fine, and all kinds seem to do well in the district. Blue-gage, Bryanston Greengage, Coe's Golden Drop, Goliath, Greengt.ge, Jefferson, Kirke's, Victoria, and Washington are generally known. The Quinces have yielded a moderate crop. Rasp- berries are very abundant, but poor in flavour. Fastolf , Red Antwerp, and Yellow Antwerp are well known here. Strawberries are plentiful and large ; the varieties most generally seen here are Keen's Seedling, Sir Charles Napier, President, Sir Joseph Paxton, Elton Pine, and Dr. Hogg. Grapes on open walls ai'e abundant. — M. Temple. Northampton.— Burghley, Stamford.— Of Apples and Pears there is a good half-crop of very excellent fruit, which is much better than a heavy crop. We have 700 feet of south wall engaged with Apricots, of which there is an excellent crop of good-sized fruit just colouring. As regards the crop of Plums, that of Greengages is thin; Rivers's Prolific is large in size, good, and nearly ripe. Of Strawberries there is an excellent crop of large-sized fruit, but they lack flavour. Strawberries like moisture, but the wet this season has been too much for them. The crop of Cherries on all the early varieties has been good, and the Morellos, now just ripening, are enormous. Peaches and Nectarines have a good half-crop, those on south walls being the best, and the same may be said of Figs. Of small fruits the crop is heavy, but of medium quality in consequence of the wet. The crop of Nuts is enormous. — R. Gilbert. WEST MIDLAND DIVISION. Worcestershire. — Madresfield Court. — The fine genial weather, which we are now having after a long period of continuous rains, will prove most beneficial to fruit of all kinds, which are unusually abundant this season. Apricots, Peaches, and Nectarines are heavy crops, fine and clean, but rather later than usual ; Plums, generally, are a heavy crop, the large plantations of them throughout the Vale of Evesham are loaded with fruit, which is, and will be, very cheap ; Apples and Pears, in most places, are heavy crops, both in gardens and orchards. The amount of Cider and Perry that will bo made this season will be large, and probably better in quality than usual. Cherries have been, and late kinds still are, abundant ; bush fruits, such as Currants and Gooseberries, are plentiful ; Straw- berries have been a fair crop, but they were much injured by con. stant wet weather ; Pigs are a very heavy crop here. The most remarkable crop of the season is, however, probably. Nuts, Filberts, andWalnuts — Nuts,bothin coppicesand hedge-rows, being at present quite a sight. Taken as a whole, fruit crops this year are excellent — W. Cox. Worcester. — In this district there ia abundance of all kinds j>i fruit, except, perhaps, Apples, which are not quite so plentiful as Pears, Plums, and other kinds of fruits ; still, the crops generally are good ; there is not a failure of any kind ; but, owing to so much rain, hitherto it has lacked flavour. — Riciiaku S.Mrrn. Witley Court, Stourport. — Upon the whole, the fruit crops in this district, although somewhat partial, are satisfactory. The excessive rainfall and absence of sunshine throughout July has, however, materially damaged tender fruit ; nevertheless, trees of all kinds are making vigorous growth, which is free from blight. Apples, although somewhat partial, are an average crop. Since the rains, I observe that some sorts have dropped in unusual quantities. Cider varieties are very partial ; in some orchards they are abundant, whilst in others they are scarce. Pears are under the average and very partial. Plums generally are most abundant, many of the trees being loaded to the ground with the weight of fruit, Damsons form- ing no exception. Strawberries of all kinds have borne abun- dant crops ; late sorts have, however, been much damaged by the wet weather. Cherries are also abundant, bat the early varieties were got in fine condition, whilst later sorts have burst iu quan. titles, being continually wet. Peaches and Nectarines on open walls are excellent, and the trees are perfectly healthy. Figs upon walls are swelling fine crops ; Currants, Red and White, are abundant ; as are also Black Currants and Raspberries ; of Walnuts, Cobs, and Filberts, we have heavy crops. I may remark that the disease in the Potato crop is spreading seriously, even amongst the early sorts, which are not yet sufficiently matured to harvest, and I fear much for the result, even although we have at last the prospect of fine weather, seeing that the soil is so thoroughly charged with moisture. — George Wes'iland. Cheshire. — Crewe Hall. — Fruit crops in this place, and in the surrounding distiict, are more abundant than they have been for years. Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots, on walls, set so plenti. fully that I was obliged to thin off quite two.thirds of the fruit, to reduce the quantity to what the, trees would be able to bear without injury. Pears, Cherries, and Plums, both on walls and as pyramids and standards, with few exceptions, are bearing heavy crops ; and Damsons, which are grown largely in this county, are bearing heavier crops than they have done for years. Apples, also, are abundant. AUthe small fruits were very plentiful, with the exception of Strawberries, which were injured by the wet weather which we have had. The kinds of fruits which succeed best with me are the following: — ■ Apricots — The Moorpark and Alsace. Peaches — Early Albert, Dymond, Princess of Wales, Grosse Mignonne, Violette Hative, Barrington, Stirling Castle, and Walburton Admirable. Nectarines — EIruge, Imperatrice, Violette Hative, and Victoria. Pears on walls — ■ Maria Louise, Knight's Monarch, Beurre Diel, Napoleon, Jean de Witte, Josephine de Malines, Winter Nelis, Glou Morcjeau, and Easter Beurre ; as pyramids and standards — Aston Town, Citron dea Carmes, Jargonelle, Doyenne d'Ete, Williams's Bon Chretien, Duchesse d'AngouU-me, Louise Bonne, Zephirin Gregoire, and others. Plums — Coe's Golden Drop, Jefferson, Kirke's, Denyer'a Victoria, Washington, and white Magnum Bonum. Damsons, Orleans, and Mitchelson's, for cooking and preserving. Apples, Dessert — Court Pendu Plat, Irish Peach, Cox's Orange Pippin, Old Nonpareil, Ribston Pippin, and Scarlet Nonpareil ; Kitchen— Blenheim Pippin, Cellini, Cox's Pomona, Dumelow's Seedling, Hawthornden, Keswick Codlin, Lord Suffield, Mure de Meuage, Minohal Crab, Norfolk Beefing, Northern Greening, and Yorkshire Greening. Trained as single cordons in an orchard-house here are the following compara- tively new Peaches and Nectarines, raised, I believe, by Mr. Rivers ; they have grown vigorously, are bearing abundantly, and are a great acquisition, ripening as they do with me from the first week in July to the end of September. I have given them iu the order of their ripening :— Peaches — Early Beatrice, Early Louise, Early Rivers, Dr. Hogg, Early Alfred, Rivers's Early York, Dagmar, Alexandra Noblesse, Crimson Galande, and Lord Palmerston. Nectarines — Stanwick, EIruge, Pine-apple, and Victoria.— Wm. Wiiitakek. Abney Hall, Cheadle. — Strawberries would have been a full aud good crop had they not been so much injured by the con. tinned heavy rains when they should have been at their best. Lucas has been our best sort for general purposes, and for preserving we grow Black Prince. Cherries have been a good crop. Raspberries were injured by the wet weather; still the supply has been sufficient. Gooseberries have been very heavily loaded, aud no sort seems to be more useful than the \Varrington. Red and Black Currants have been good crops, especially the former. Crops of Apples and Pears are not so heavy as they were last year, especially Apples, and the Pears are not so good in quality. The best last season were Williams's Bon Chretien, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Marie Louise, Red Doyenne, and a few of Benrre Diel were good. Gausol's Bergamot, Seckle, Beurre d'Amanlis, and some others were not satisfactory. Apricots are not much grown here, and the fruit this season are not regular on the trees; they may therefore be set down as a partial crop. Of Peaches and Nectarines there are full crops, though, on account of snring frosts, they cannot generally be depended upon. Of most kinds of Plums, both on walls and on standards, the crop has seldom or never been more abundant. — R. Mackellar. Herefordshire.— Downton Castle, Ludlow.— Frnits of all kinds here are good this season. Raspberries, Gooseberries, and Strawberries are fiue crops; Red and Black Currants are also Aug. 7, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 115 good, and we have excellent crops of Pears, Peachea, Nectarines, Apricots, Morello Cherries, Mulberries, Walnuts, and Filberts ; Plums are not so good this seasoQ as usual ; but Apples are a splendid crop in most parts of this county. — Wsi. Lundon. Ledbury. — Peaches are plentiful, even on trees that had no protection from spring frosts ; Apricots, abundant ; of these we have had no such crops for years, and the trees of both these and Peaches are healthy. Figs, also plentiful ; during the two last years the wood got well ripened ; no difference is found in trees that had their shoots pinched in and those that were allowed to ramble. All are bearing equally good crops. On walls, Pears are plentiful ; but some sorts vary greatly in size and quality, according to the aspect. Take that best-of-all-known Pear for flavour — Marie Louise ; of this, there are fine fruits on south and west aspects, but the finest fruit of all is that from a north aspect, and it keeps longer than that even from standards. Glon Mor(;ean is best from a west aspect ; on a south aspect it is liable to crack. Williams's Bon Chretien, on a south wall on a Pear stock, is excellent. Beurro d'Amanlis is good on south and west aspects. Plums on walls are fair crops ; on standards, heavy crops. Mirabelle, a small culinary Plum, grown as a standard in this neighbourhood, always bears a crop, whatever the season may be ; it comes in just when other small fruits are over. Cherries are plentiful, both on walls and standards. Cherry orchards abound in this neighbourhood, and in well sheltered situations the crops in these are abundant, affording employment for women from the surrounding villages and hamlets for weeks gathering the fruit. Tons of Cherries have been sent to the mining districts of Stafford, shire and Wales during this season. Of Apples, we have good crops, which have been washed clean by the heavy rains. Currants, Black, White, and Red, are good crops, as are also Raspberries and Goose- berries ; Walnuts and Filberts are also good. — R. • Gloucester. — Tortworth Court. — The frnit season of 1875 is the most productive we have had for many years past. It is, however, to be regretted that there has been an unusual deficiency of sunshine, accompanied by an excessive rainfall, which has kept the atmospheric and ground temperature very much below the average of years. As a consequence, growth has been checked materially; and, however favourable the weather may be during the remaining part of the year, there is not, I fear, sufficient power left to remedy the defect, and hence there is a failure in flavour, particularly in fruit grown in exposed situations. The Pear crop with us is heavy ; but the Apple crop is moderate, and confined to some particular kinds, particularly the autumn and early winter varieties. The only remedy in a back, ward season, such as the present, is to allow the frnit to remain on the trees as long as they are safe from frost to prevent shrivelling in the fruit-room. Peaches, as a whole, are a good crop; the greatest bearers are Stirling Castle, Royal George, and Grosse Mignonne. As an instance of the uncertainty of seasons, in 1874 I gathered ripe fruit from these varieties on the 20th of August, while I shall be unable to do so this year till the first week in September. Nee. tarines may be classed with Peaches, and are equally late. The Plum crop is heavy, both on the standards and wall trees. The same may be said of Cherries, and more particularly the Morello. Apricots are a failure, indeed they rarely succeed here. Small fruits have cropped heavily, but are deficient in flavour. With us the Fig is always a precarious crop, and never well flavoured. Nuts are abundant everywhere, and show the heaviest crop I have seen for many years past. The Potato disease is running its usual course, and, unless it moderates, there will not be a third part of a crop left. — Alexander Cbamb. NOETH MIDLAND DIVISION. Nottinghamshire. — Radclifife-on- Trent. — Apples, a very partial crop, in the best situations, and vei'y thin in others. Lord Suflield, Spencer's Favourite, Kingston Pippin, Bess Pool, Bess Pool Improved, Normanton Wonder, and Caldwell are the most notable Apples in this place. Pears are a very fair crop, though not so large as their blooming gave promise of, but still good. Dearborn's Seedling, Doyenne d'Ete, Beurre Giffard, Beurre d'Amanlis, Williams's Bon Chretien, Beurre Superfin, Marie Louise, Welbeck Bergamot, Winter Nolis, Beurre Ranee, and Easter Beurre are sorts much grown here, and they are sure croppers. Plums have yielded a heavy crop throughout, except Damsons, which ai-e only a partial one. Victoria is one of the most prolific, and of all the Plums it is the most exten- sively grown. Tho Gisborne, Kirke's, Early Prolific (River's), Jefferson and Washington, Magnum Bonum, Coe's Golden Drop, Dove Bank, and Orleans are much grown. The crop of Apricots is a heavy one. Moor Park is almost the only variety grown here. Apricots are much grown in this village ; almost every cottage has its tree trained against it, and, in good seasons, its produce goes a long way, in many cases, towards paying the rent. Of Peaches and Nectarines there are not many grown here, except under glass. Royal George and Noblesse are generally used in those cases. Raspberries show a full crop; Pastolf and Fillbasket being the kinds most grown. Straw, berries yield a heavy crop, but a great deal of fruit has been spoilt by the long rainy season. Black Prince, Keen's Seedling, President, Sir Joseph Paxton, British Queen, Sir Charles Napier, and Frogmore Late Pine succeed best hereabouts. Bush fruits, as Black and Red Currants and Gooseberries, are a fall crop, except where birds had taken the buds. Of Black Currants, Black Naples and Ogden'a Black are the two best ; of Red, Houghton Castle, Red Grape, and La Marseillaise are superior to all others. The most useful sorts of Gooseberries are Crown Bob, Warrington, and Lancashire Lad. The show sorts, as Antagonist, Loudon, and Companion, are much grown amongst amateurs, who grow them for show purposes. The crops of Cobs and Walnuts are heavj-, the latter especially so. Our river Trent, during the past week, has overfiowed its banks, and risen to a height previously unknown in the month of July ; garden produce in the lowlands has therefore suffered to some extent. The river is now full for summer time, but is within reasonable bounds. — • N. H. POWN.VT.L. Nottingham.— Chilwell. — Theroisherebuta verypartial crop ; of Apples and Pears some trees are very full, and others quite destitute of fruit ; I have more than 80 acres of orchards, most of them on hill sides, and, contrary to the general rule, the trees are full in the valleys and carry a very light crop on the hills. I do not think we have more than a third of a crop of Apples and Pears ; Damsons or Prune Damsons show a very good crop, and Victorias are also bearing well. — J. W. Peaeson. North Nottinghamshire. — Welbeck. — Of Apples and Pears there is an average crop ; of the early kinds of kitchen Apples in this district, Lord Suflield, Keswick Codlin, Old Hawthornden, and Duchess of Oldenburg have cropped the best, and of the later kitchen aud dessert kinds. Cox's Pomona, Irish Peach, Blenheim Orange, King of the Pippins, Small's Admirable, and Sturmer Pippin ; of the early Pears, Doyenne d'Ete, Beurre Giffard, Beurre d'Amanlis, Williams's Bon Chretien, and Citron des Carmes, are abundant ; and, of the later varieties, Louise Bonne, Fondante d'Automne,Thompson's,MariaLouise, Josephine deMalines, and Easter Beurre, are likewise bearing well this year; Plums, in general, are above an average crop, that old favourite, the Victoria, being every, where heavily laden ; Damsons also show very heavy crops in favour- able soils and situations ; Cherries of the May Duke and other early ripening sections, were abundantly supplied iu the markets, but after the heavy daily rains set in in Jnly, all that were nngathered split, and were rendered useless. The Morellos and late Dukes being yet unripe, may escape if August is dry and fine. Gooseberries of the thin-skinned sorts are all much damaged by the wet weather, having split their skins and dropped off the bushes ; the Warrington, how. ever, being thick-skinned, is, as yet, uninjured, and this variety, being the latest keeper, is by far the best Gooseberry to be grown in quantities, either for dessert or market purposes. Raspberries are much damaged, being rendered soft and flavourless by the rains j some of the earliest varieties of Strawberries, such as the Old Scarlet, Black Prince, and Hericart de Thury, ripened good crops for preserving, but all the later kinds were injured and lost flavour, Dr. Radclyffe, the Elton, and Frogmore Late Pine, being the only sorts that were not affected in this respect; small bush fruits, such as Currants, Red and Black, are cropped heavily, and have withstood tho wet weather without much injury. I grow the Parsley.leaved Blackberry, as well as some of the American sorts, and they are loaded with blossoms. I see that the wild Blackberries in the hedges are likewise iu a wonderful sheet of bloom, so that if the autumn is fine there will be plenty of these fruit for preserving. In my opinion, the finest of all preserves is a jam made of the frnit of the Parsley-leaved or Lawtou Blackberries, mixed with a few good sauce Apples. — William Tilleey. Eastwood Hall. — Apricots are scarce, the trees being iu bad condition ; of Apples there is an abundant crop of fine fruit ; the returns of Plums and Damsons are very large, the trees being ready to break down with fruit ; Strawberries are abundant, but they are damaged by the rains ; Cherries show a good crop of all kinds ; of Peaches and Nectarines the crop is large, the trees are very free from red spider and are healthy ; Figs show a large crop of fine fruit, aud the same may be said both of Gooseberries and Currants; Raspberries are most abundant and fine. — Chas. Turnee. Leicestershire.— Coleorton Hall, Ashby-de-la-Zouch. — The crop of Apricots where the trees were protected when in bloom is heavy, in other cases it is only a partial one ; Peaches and Nectarines are both abundant and required much thinning; the Apple crop in this neighbourhood has been very heavy, and of Pears on standards this may also be said ; on walls the crop has been good. Plums are not so plentiful as last year; whilst of Strawberries there is a heavy crop which, however, is much damaged by the long con. 116 THE GARDEN. [Aug. 7, 1875. tinned wet ; of Cherries, and particularly of Morellos, there is a good crop, and Figs I never saw more abundant ; Currants, Gooseberries, and Raspberries are each and all plentiful but are injured by the rains ; both Walnuts and Filberts are abundant. — M. Hendeeson. Derbyshire. — Chatsworth. — Oar fruit prospects were all that could be desired up to the 30th of May, when we registered 9' of frost, which killed nearly all the Apple and Pear bloom, as well as that of the earliest Strawberries. We have no Peaches, Nectarines, or Apricots out of doors, our summer being too short to enable such trees to ripen their wood. We have a fair crop of Gooseberries, a good crop of Currants (black, red, and white), a fair crop of Rasp- berries, and good crops of Cherries ; of Apples we have none, and Pears are only one-tenth of a crop ; of Filberts we have none. StrawbeiTies have been good, especially Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury and Underbill's Sir Harry, which suits our cold district best. We have had 5i inches of rain during the mouth of July. — T. Speed. Osmaston Manor. — Apples here are a heavy crop, so.me trees being loaded down with them. Pears are also a great crop, and Apricots are plentiful. Damsons and Medlars are about half a crop. Of Cherries there is a large crop ; Strawberries have been plentiful, and the same may be said of Raspberries, Carrants, and Gooseberries. Nuts hereabouts are a great crop ; Filberts, half a crop ; Walnuts, plentiful ; Peaches, Nectarines, and Figs, grown indoors only, and are always good crops. — J. Booth. Lincolnshire. — Aswarby Park. — I never had such fine pro- speots for a heavy crop of Apples and Pears as during the past spring ; but I am prohibited from shooting bullfinches, and they have got so numerons that the Apple and Pear tree buds suffered enor- mously, and consequently our Apple and Pear crops are very light ones indeed ; of both fruits there is but a quarter crop. Varieties that do well here — Williams's Bon Chretien, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Tan Mons, Leon Leclerc, Marie Louise, Monarch, Doyenne du Comice, Ne Plus Meuris, Glon Morijeau, Beurre de Rauce, Winter Nolis, Josephine de Malines, Forelle, Jean de Witte, Beurre Bosc, Brown Beurre, Crassane, Duchesse d'Angouleme, Gansel's Bergamct, Althorp's Crassane, and Napoleon. Of Apricots there is a full crop. The best varieties are Hemskirk, Kaisha, and Moorpark. Figs are plentiful and the fruit very fine. I gathered the first ripe fruit on the 29th July. I grow two varieties ; one is Castle Kennedy, the other I do not know. I can trace its introduction to Scotland from France about sixty years ago. The tree is still growing in the same place. It is the hardiest and earliest Fig I know. The original tree has had no protection in Scotland for the last thirty-six years. This Fig is also good for potting. In two days' time I shall gather ripe fruit from Castle Kennedy — some I have on the tree measuring lOi inches in circum- ference. Of Gooseberries there is a full crop. The heavy rains caused a great destruction to the crop. Warringtons are the only ones that have escaped ; they are growing on a north border, and are now in good condition. Black and Red Currants are plentiful, and the fruit fine. Both Nectarines and Peaches are plentiful, but the trees are not doing well. Of Plums there are thirty-six varieties, one and two years planted, all being trained to the single cordon. With the exception of six trees, all are bearing full crops. Wo are gathering Rivers's Early Prolific in fine quality; this is an early Plum. Every person ought to cultivate Mamelonnee; this is also ripe, and makes a fine variety. Besides the Early Prolific Plums, old trees are all bearing heavy crops. Of Strawberries there is a full crop — fruit large and fine. Varieties — Keen's Seedling, British Queen, Presi. dent. Dr. Hogg, and Sir J. Paxton. Walnuts, full crop. In this neighbourhood the Apple crop is very good. Pears, full crop. Plums, over the average. Red and White Currants, above the average. Vines outside bearing heavy crops, but very late. — Richard NiSBET. Bloxholm Hall. — The fruit crops in this locality are, on the whole, good. Apricots are an abundant crop, the fruit being fine and just ripening. Apples and Pears are not quite what we expected of them from the very abundant show of blossom in spring, but still we have good crops of all the hardy varieties. Plums, in most cases, ai'o abundant, and, on walls, very fine. Strawberries, in most cases, were very abundant, but were of short duration, as the heavy and continuous rain in July injuried the ripe fruit ; Cherries are a moderate crop. Peaches and Nectarines are abundant and clean, whilst the trees out of doors have yielded moderately, but abundantly under glass. The crop of Gooseberries is a very large and very fine one. Red and White Currants are plentiful, but black varieties are somewhat scarce, having been injured by spring frosts. The Raspberry crop is a very good one, and the fruit fine. Walnuts are abundant, and Filberts fairly so. Of Potatoes there is an abundant crop of both early and late kinds, but disease has made its appearance amongst all varieties, both English and American, within the last week, after three weeks heavy and nearly continuous rain. Very few tubers are, as yet, diseased. but the haulm shows it in many parts, more particularly on heavy soils and strong-growing varieties. The month of July has been remarkable for heavy rains in this neighbourhood, the fall having been over 4^ inches; rain fell on eighteen days, and thunder was heard nine days in succession, on the 17th to the 25th ; since then we have had beautiful weather. — D. Lumsden. Rutland. — Belvoir Castle. — Apples here are a satisfactory crop, and the fruit is lai'ge and free from maggot. Apricots are abundant on all aspects, and the fruit is large and clear. Earlv Pears sufiered from ungenial weather and insects ; but late sorts are bearing well; on Bergamotte Esperen, Beurre Ranee, and Josephine de Malines, the fruit is abundant. Cherry trees on walls are bearing well, but standards are not well cropped. Of Plums we have excellent crops, both on walls and standards. Peaches are healthy, and are bearing a good crop. The drought of the preceding and present year affected early Strawberries ; but rain came in time to save the late sorts ; Frogmore late Pine and Duke have been good. Figs on walls are a fair crop ; Gooseberries are abundant, a remark which also applies to Currants and Raspberries. — Wji. Ingram. SOUTH-WESTERN DISTRICT. Dorsetshire — Morton, Dorchester. — Of Apricots very few are grown. Peaches and Nectarines in orchard-houses, &c., are very plentiful indeed, on open walls thin, but there are not many grown without protection. Plums in high and dry situations yield good crops, but where the situation is low and damp are very thin. Pears have tolerably good crops on walls, but are scanty in open quarters. Apples are very good indeed under all systems of pruning and train- ing. Of Cherries, the Morellos good. The crop of Figs is thin. Strawberries are abundant, but damaged by rain, whilst Gooseberries and Currants are plentiful. Sherborne. — The Apple crop, both in gardens and orchards, appears in this district to be plentiful, but it is much blighted. Apricot trees have produced a very fine crop, and Bar. berries are abundant. As regards Cherries, little can be said of a satisfactory character, except of Morellos, of which there is a good crop. The other varieties are scarce. Currants have been ripened in abundance ; whilst of Figs there is but a moderate crop. Goose, berries. Raspberries, aud Strawberries are plentiful, but the heavy continuous rains have spoiled large numbers. Of Medlars, there is a moderate crop, and of Mulberries a very fair one. The supply of Nectarines and Peaches is very good, but Pears are small, and the crop of moderate extent. Of Plums, the crop is a meagre one here, but they are plentiful in some parts of the neighbourhood. Nuts of the common kind are abundant, but Filberts are scarce. The Quince trees have been fairly prolific, aud Walnuts are good, both as regards quantity and quality. I am afraid the Potato crop will be a complete failure here. Many kinds will not be worth taking up. — W. G. Pbagnell. Clevelands, Lyme Regis. — The fruit crop in this neighbonrhood has been generally very good ; but the amount of rain which fell during the ripening period affected the flavonr, especially that of Strawberries, of which we had an abundant crop. Apples are again plentiful, and are influencing the price of Cider, which can now be had at low prices. I'ears are a partial crop this year — in some places there are plenty, in others none. Bush fruits are abundant and good. Of wall fruit there is a fair crop. Plums are plentiful. Peaches and Nectarines are scarce, except in orchard houses, where they are plentiful. Hedge Nuts and Walnuts are plentiful, and promise to be good. The Potato crop is sadly diseased — both leaves and haulms, and there is every probability that the crop will be deficient. — Henry Munro. Canford. — Small fruits have been very abundant here this season. Of Strawberries, Marguerite, Dr. Hogg, Sir Joseph Paxton, and President, are standard varieties ; the first mentioned, of French origin, seems to suit a southern climate. Currants have been a heavy crop, aud, among cottagers, one often sees immense-sized fruits of all the varieties. Gooseberries have also been plentiful and large, no varieties being more useful than Whitesmith, Tellow Sulphur, Warrington, Greengage, and Glenton Green. Plums, eon. sisting of Greengage, Reine Claude de Bavay, Kirke's, and Golden Drop, on walls, are plentiful ; Victoria is abundant on standards, and various Plums, with local names, are very heavy crops. Apricots are very light crops, except on elevated localities. Pears and Apples are heavy crops. Dumelow's Seedling, Cellini, Mire de Menage, Nelson, Dutch Mignonne — in short, all Apples do well here. The large cooking Pears, Verulam, Vicar of Winkfield, Uvedale's St. Germain, do well as dwarfs ; Marie Louise succeeds as a large standard tree, and Beurre Bosc, Glou Morcjeau, Ne Plus Meuris, Williams's Bon Chretien, and many others, as standards in the orchard. On espaliers, Comte de Flandres, Duchesse d'Orleans, Beurre Capiaumont, Josephine de Malines, Benrre Sterckmans, and Aug. 7, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 117 many others do well. Figs, suoli as Brown Turkey and Brnnswick, are a heavy crop. Peaches out of doors, poor.- — W. Dick. Cornwall. — Enys, Penryn. — Of Apples, there are plenty of kitchen sorts, but the dessert kinds are under the average, especially the later varieties. Pears are scarcely up to the average ; the kinds which do best are Jargonelle, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Swan's Egg, Brown Beurri?, aud Beurre Capiaumont ; Winter Nelis and Glou Morceau do well in some places, and Chaumontel and Williams's Bon Chretien in others. Peaches and Nectarines yield good crops ; Plums are plentiful where the bullfinches did not carry ofl the buds ; here they made havoc with them. The supply of Cherries is also meagre from the same cause ; Strawberries are abundant ; bush fruits are variable, but generally good ; Raspberries, very good, and Figs abundant. — Hexuy Mills. Devonshire. — Killerton, Exeter. — Apricots are very scarce. Of Apples there is a very good crop, but not so heavy as in 1873 and 187-Ji. The crops of Pears is below the average, with the excep. tion of Winter Nelis and Glou Morceau. There is a moderate crop of Plums and a good one of Strawberries, but the latter are much injured by the heavy rains. Cherries are plentiful, but Peaches and Nectarines are below the average ; the trees, however, are very healthy. The Fig crop is a fair one. Black Currants are abundant, and Eed and White fairly so. Gooseberries are below the average, the bushes having been much disbudded by bullfinches in winter. We have heavy crops of Nuts, but they are not much grown in the district. — J. Gakland. ■Wiltshire. — Wilton House, Salisbury. — The Apple crop is very large, but is much injured by the low temperature and excessive wet ; Apricots are scarce. The trees are more subject to canker than I have observed for years, owing, in a great measure (I believe) to^the excessive rainfall last October. Of Cherries there is a fair ofop, and Currants are abundant and good in quality; the Pig crop is good, and Gooseberries abundant ; Nectarines and Peaches have set an excellent crop, and Pears are good ; Plums are good on walls, but not on standards ; of Medlars aud Mulberries there is a fair crop; Nuts and Filberts are plentiful, and both Raspberries and Strawberries are abundant ; the Walnut crop is heavy. Previous to the commencement of the late heavy rainfall the fruit crops generally, in this neighbourhood, looked most flourishing, and there was every prospect of the greatest and best fruit harvest we have had for years past, but the excessive wet, accompanied by the sudden fluctuations of, and, at times, exceedingly low temperature, has engendered so many evils, that, although the quantity is great the quality is poor, and will, I fear, continue to be so, unless we shortly get bright sunny weather. — Thomas Challis. Somerset. — Ashton Court, Bristol. — The crop of Apricots here has been but a partial one, Moor Park and Breda yielding the best, but in higher aud better drained localities the crop is larger and the fruit finer ; the trees are clean and vigorous. Apples are abundant in gardens and orchards alike, and of Pears there are good crops of fine clean fruit. There is an average crop of dessert kinds ; preserving and common varieties are thin iu exposed and open sitna- tions. Strawberries have been abundant and fine. The early varieties were good in every respect, but the late kinds have been rendered almost worthless by the unusually heavy rainfall. All kinds of Cherries are abundant, of Peaches and Nectarines the crops are good generally, and the trees are clean and healthy. The crop of Figs is thin here but good on dry and warm sites. All kinds of bush fruits are abundant and remarkably free from blight, whilst Nuts, especially Walnuts, show heavy crops, and this refers to all kinds. — Jno. Austen. Merriott, Crewkerne. — The warm weather of 1874 eo matured the wood of all ont-of-dopr trees that we anticipated a fine blooming season, and our expectations were fully realised, for the sight presented by gardens and orchards during the past spring was very beautiful. Our hopes of having a plentiful crop were high, more especially as the weather continued cold and nearly without frost up to a late period. These hopes nevertheless have been only par. tially realised. The nights of the month of May, as usual, proved cold and frosty, so that great numbers of the young fruits perished ; notwith. standing this, we had an abundance of most kinds left, but were visited by a heavy hailstorm, which sadly injured the yonng succulent fruits, specking them all over, and cutting the leaves into hundreds of holes. Apples are over an average crop in nearly all localities iu this neigh, bourhood, and it would have been well if three. fourths had been cut off. On most of the trees, as it is, the fruit will be small and husky, and a number of small Apples will not make up for a few large juicy ones; hence the importance of judicious thinning. Cherries, where any are grown, have been a good crop; but we are not large Cherry growers in the west. My own trees in large numbers were loaded ; but the blackbirds claimed nine.tenths of them, and I may truly say that they take considerably more than half of all my fruits as their share. Pears are a good crop, but many are much specked. It is worth noting that sorts worked upon the Quince have this year borne much more generally than those worked upon the Pear stock. On this last I have an avenue row of 1,000 sorts, and one.third of these have failed ; whilst a sioailar row of 250 sorts npon the Quince has only ten trees in it fruitless ; besides all the sorts upon the Quince have full crops, but not half of those on the Pear stock show a fair crop. The more I see of Pear culture, the more I am convinced of the utility of growing them upon the Quince ; of course, I mean such sorts as grow freely upon it, and the more I cultivate such trees the more I see the wisdom of planting the stock 2 inches under ground, i.e., 2 inches below the junction of the stock and graft. It has been said, " Oh, the graft will root, aud then the stocks will be of no avail." I know the graft will occa- sionally do so, but the instances in which such rooting takes place are few. I had to transplant 3,000 trees gi-afted on the Quince this season. They had been nearly all planted below the junction three years ago, and my men found only about six that had rooted from the graft. 1 have a Beurre Diel Pear " worked " npon the Quince that I planted twenty.two years ago. It has rooted from the graft, but I perceive no difference in its bearing. It has not, however, grown so large as others, of the same age, not worked upon the Quince ; hence no one need be afraid that Pear trees on the Quince are going to overgrow, or give up bearing, because sometimes they may happen to root from the graft. — J. Sco'iT. EASTEKN DIVISION. Suffolk.— Henham Kail.— The Apricot crop is abundant, and the fruit very fine. Peaches and Nectarines are plentiful and good as also are Cherries, especially Morellos. The Apple crop is partial, but is good on espaliers and dwarfs ; on standards they are much blighted. The crop of Pears is an average one ; this may also be said of Plums, of which the fruit is fine. Walnuts and Filberts are very plentiful, and Strawberries have yielded a heavy crop. Gooseberries, Currants, and Raspberries are abundant. Culford, Bury St. Edmunds.— Apples are exceedingly abundant, with every appearance of being remarkably fine. The same may be said of Pears on standard trees, as well as on those trained to walls. Apricot trees are healthy, and the fruit plentiful, as well as very large and fine. Peach and Nectarine trees are toler. ably free from insects, and bear an abundance of fruit. Plums of all sorts are plentiful. Of Cherries, only the Morello variety is grown out of doors here, and the trees are all bearing a heavy crop of fine fruit. Figs on the open walls, as well as under glass, are bearing an abundance of fruit, which a week or two of fine weather will begin to ripen. Gooseberries are in very great abundance, and very fine, although the continuous wet weather is causing some of the fruit to burst or crack. Currants of all kinds are plentiful, as are also Raspberries, which are very fine. The kinds which this season have proved the most abundant croppers were Prince of Wales, Carter's Prolific, and FiUbasket. Strawberries of all kinds have been most abundant, and of the finest quality — the showery weather having been particularly favourable to this fruit, on the light soils of the district, and the supply has been of much longer continuance than is usually the case. The finest varieties have been Sir Joseph Paxton, Sir Charles Napier, Dr. Hogg, and British Queen. Walnuts will be a lather light crop. Filberts of all sorts are plentiful. — P. Geieve. Wolverstone Park, Ipswich.— The heavy hailstorm that passed over some parts of this district on the 18th of June did a good deal of damage to the Apple and Pear crops in these gardens ; but, on making enquiries, I do not hear of others having suffered to tie same extent. Here all large-leaved plants were cut through, and the tender fruit of Apples and Pears bruised and pitted by the pelting hail, the effects of which ai'e now showing itself in warty excrescences on the rind of the fruit that checks their swelling and causes deformity. Some kinds of Pears on walls having a west aspect have set immense crops, and have had to be thinned by removing at least two. thirds. The soil here is not over favourable to Pears on the Quince and the pyramids on this stock have not set a very abundant crop, probably owing to the weakness of the bloom resulting from the excessively dry summer and antnmn of last year. Of Apples we have not had such crops for many years past, and, where they are not affected by the storm above mentioned, promise to be unusually fine, owing to the soaking rains we have had. Apricots have set immense crops, and it has been necessary to thin them freely. Both these and Peaches have been kept back by the cold and wet, but are now swelling rapidly, and, with warm weather, promise to be large and fine ; in fact Peaches and Nectarines have not been in such a eatisfactory state for years past, the crops being abundant and the wood clean and healthy. Plums have set well, but many have since fallen, and others are deformed and exude a great deal of gum, probably the result of frost bite or the effects of the hail. Jefferson 118 THE GARDEN. [Aug. 7, 1875. and Greengage have stood best, and the crops on these are in a more satisfactory condition than any other varieties. Cherries have had splendid crops, but, owing to the excessive wet, the fruit has not been so good in flavour as usual, and quantities have split open and rotted. The late sorts, such as the Dake or Elton, will be in bettor condition now that the weather has become more settled ; and the varieties mentioned will be unusually large and fine. Raspberries, and all kinds of bush fruit have been heavily cropped ; but the early sorts of Gooseberries, such as Golden Drop and Whitesmith, have been com- paratively worthless as most of the crop split open and fell from the trees. The late sorts have not as yet suffered in that way, and that esteemed old favourite, the Warrington, appears all the finer for the soaking they have had. Strawberries on light land have not been very abundant, owing to the extreme dryness of the summer and autumn preventing the proper formation of flowers ; but, on stiff soils, the crop has been very heavy and the fruit large. The late sorts have suffered a good deal from the wet, and quantities have rotted on the plants. Nuts of all kinds are unusually abundant, and every berry or seed-bearing plant or tree is this year laden with the one or the other. Beeches are so weighed down by the load of nuts they are bearing, as to have quite lost their distinctive character, and look even more pendulous than the Birches ; while the trees present quite an autumnal appearance on account of the rusty brown colour of the mast. Hollies, too, are crowded with berries, and, when coloured, will be exceedingly beautiful. — J. Sheppakd. Suffolk. — Bury St. Edmunds. — Hardwicke. — Upon the whole the crop of fruits is unusually large and fine hereabouts this season. It is emphatically a Plum year. Pears were a marvellous sight — the trees literally whitened over with bloom. The fruit also seemed to set well. Then came the ravages of the maggot, which bored thousands to destruction, the Pearlets falling in showers, Qntil, in every case, few or none were left. We have, however, a fair crop. Apples are abundant, though a good many of them have also fallen off lately, still there will be an average good crop left. Peaches are plentiful, and the same may be said of Nectarines. Apricots are a very full crop ; they are swelling well and ripening somewhat slowly. Cherries are a very fair crop, though they suffered much from the heavy rains. Of bush fruits, there are extraordi- narily fine crops. Currants of all sorts heavily laden, and Goose, berries breaking under their enormous burdens. Raspberries are also plentiful, but much injured by the rain. Strawberries have been, on light lands, an extraordinary crop, but full half of the late kinds rotted on the plants. Walnuts, Filberts, and other Nuts are plentiful. Figs in the open air are abundant. Citron des Carmes Pears totally rotted on the tree before they were ripe ; Apricots did the same. Morello Cherries are of unusual size, and so watery as to threaten decomposition. George the Fourth Peach proves one of the hardiest and the best, being less injured by spring frosts than any other variety. — D. T. Fisn. Norfolk. — Cossey Park, Norwich. — Peaches and Nectarines on walls have yielded good crops ; Apricots are, as a rule, abundant, but, in some instances, thin from the fruit dropping off before it is ripe ; Plums on walls are somewhat scarce, but most abundant on standards, while other trees of the same kinds are, in a few cases, fruitless, especially in exposed situations; Cherries are a failure, except Morellos, which are plentiful ; Apples are thin, and much below the crop of last season ; the Pear crop is a moderate one, both on walls and on standards ; Medlars, abundant ; Figs are an average crop ; Str.awberries have been good, but all the late kinds have been spoiled by the cold wet weather which we have had, a remark which also applies to Raspberries, Currants, and Gooseberries, especially the last ; Filberts and Walnuts are under an average crop. I may add, that the Potato blight is spreading fast. For curl, which appeared in the fore-part of the season, the best remedy is change of seed for moor-land districts. — J. Wighton. Sandringhain.- — Apricots here are not so plentiful as they were last season. Apples are a great crop, and, since the late rains, are swelling fast. Plums had to be thinned very freely, an operation which we did early, and they are becoming very fine in consequence. Pears, under all forms of training, are good crops, as are also Peaches and Nectarines. Bush fruits, of all kinds, are plentiful. Potatoes began to show disease about the 20th of last month, more particularly the following varieties, viz. : — Robson's Challenge, Snow- flake, and Extra Early Vermont; but the fine weather, which we are now getting, seems to have very much stayed its progress. — Chas. Penny. YORKSHIRE. Tadcaster. — There are heavy crops of Peaches and Nectarines, but Apricots are not above tho average. Trees that bore lightest crops last year are the best this. The crop of Cherries is good, and that of Plums fully up to the average, Victorias especially. Apples are abundant, and Pears fairly numerous. Of Strawberries, this year's crop is the lightest we have had for several seasons. Our staple sort, indoor and out, has hitherto been Keen's. Whole flats that bore heavy crops in 1874 and planted out on well-prepared ground, have been nearly all blind. We attribute this to the drought last summer, and, as our water supply was short, we could not arti. ficially water them. Viscomtesse llericai't de Thury and one or two others did well on the same flat as that upon which Keen's failed. Other small fruits, such as Raspberries, Currants of all sorts, and Gooseberries, have been very productive, and of Walnuts there are very heavy crops. I may add that early Potatoes have been very good. Wo are lifting a border of Veitch's Improved Ashleaf now, and have no difficulty in getting 30 lbs. of fine Potatoes in a 15-feet row. I am glad to say we have seen no sign of disease yet. — H. J. Clayton. Wortley Hall, Sheffield. — Apples and Pears, though not a full crop, are better than they have been here for some years. Apricots and Plums are only middling. Cherries are good, all small fruits most abundant. The crop of Strawberries is unusually heavy. Herioart de Thury eclipses anything I ever saw for a heavy crop and long continuance, but everything is much damaged by rain, above 11 inches having fallen since the beginning of June, and the greater portion of that within the last few weeks. Everything is late here as usual — early Cherries on a west wall being not more than fully ripe. Black Prince Strawberry still bearing freely, and earliest Goose- berries just getting ripe. Indoor Peaches are a heavy crop, but there are none outside. — J. Simpson. Ribston Hall, Wetherby. — We expect here a good crop of Apples, although a few of the trees suffered from 9' of frost whilst in full bloom. Ribston Pippins is onr favourite dessert Apple, but the trees suffer from canker. Apricots upon south walls are very productive ; on west aspects they are failures here. The crop of Cherries is good, as well as that of all kinds of Currants. Goose- berries are a very heavy crop. The crop of Medlars is light. Peaches and Nectarines are fairly abundant, and the same may be said of Pears upon walls, but this fruit is rather light upon the pyramids, as they suffered from early frost. Plums I never saw better. All kinds are very heavily laden ; whilst many of the sorts, such as Victoria, Michelsou's, Coe's Golden Drop, and Washington, we have been obliged to thin with the scissors to prevent the trees being broken. Raspberries are plentiful, but the fruit is small. Strawberries are lighter than we have had them for some time. They suffered very much from the wet weather. British Queen, Sir Harry, Sir J. Paxton, Stirling Castle are finej Keen's Seedling, and Elton Pine do well with us. Eleanor is grown very extensively about Knaresborough, four miles from here, for the Harrogate market ; it is a fine late kind, but will not grow here. — Thos. Jones. NORTHERN DIVISION. Cumberland. — Whitefleld House, Carlisle. — The crops of Apples, Pears, Plums, and other autumnal fruits, do not at all correspond with the wondrous show of blossom which we had in spring. After a winter of unprecedented length and severity, every flowering tree and shrub, large and small, no matter whether worn out with age or newly planted, were one mass of bloom ; on Pears, Apples, and Plums, very little of it set, and I observe that on those Apple trees, on which there is any fruit at all, it is in clusters like a bunch of Grapes, which has a singular appearance. Some dwarf Pear standards have very fine fruit on them, and are coming into a sheet of blossom at the same time. The same is the case with flowering Thorns, the Pyracanthas, and other shrubs. The Ribston Pippin — by far our best and most certain Apple — has failed this season. The next best for heavy and certain crops are Emperor Alexander and Lord Suffield. Most of our famous old Apples, snoh as Housewife, Keswick Codlin, &c., are nearly extinct, and I am of opinion that it has been a great mistake to let these certain bearers die out and supplant them with so-called superior sorts, chosen by their fruit at horticultural shows, without ascertaining first whether or not they would stand the climate and situation. Cherries have been a very heavy crop ; Currants are so plentiful as to be unsale. able ; Gooseberries are weighing the bushes to the ground ; many of the berries being as large as Walnuts. Since the Small-bird Preser. vation Act has come into force, blackbirds and thrushes have increased to such an extent that the quantity of fruit they destroy in a day is beyond calculation. Killing twenty or thirty a day makes no perceptible diminution of their numbers. I hear they have migrated to and attacked the fruit gardens close to large towns in immense flocks. I am afraid that by this well-meant enactment we have destroyed the balance of Nature to our detriment. — J. Gillbanks. Northumberland. — Shawdon Hall, Alnwick, — Fruit crops in this district have not been so good for fifty years as they are this season. In many places Gooseberry and Currant bushes are Aug. 7, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 119 breaking down under their loads of fruit; Raspberries are exceed, ingly large and plentiful. Strawberries in some places suffered, in the first part of the season, from want of rain ; but, upon the whole, the crop is an average one. Of Apples the crop is perhaps the heaviest that has been seen in this district for a number of years ; the trees, too, are healthy, and the fruit forward for the season. Wall fruit is not so abundant aa might have been expected from the profusion of bloom that was upon the trees in spring. Apricots, though in some places thin, may, upon the whole, be pronounced an average crop. Plums are the heaviest crop that have been seen for years. The abundance of fruit this season is to be attributed to the lateness of the spring, which kept back the blossom nearly a month behind the usual time. The crops, nevertheless, are as early this season as in other years. This may be owing to the fact that during April, May, and Jane, we had little rain, and up to this time we have escaped the deluges of it so prevalent in many districts. — J. Thomson. NORTH-WESTERN DIVISION. Lancasliire. — Waterdale, St. Helens. — The crop of Apricots is below the average, the best varieties being Blenheim and Moor Park. Of Apples, generally, there is a good crop, the best being Alfriston, Cellini, Keswick Codlin, Greening's Pippin, Hawthomden, Lord Snffield, and Devonshire Quarrenden. Pears have produced excellent crops both on walls and standards, tho best are Beurre d'Aremberg, Beurre Diel, Beurre Easter, Beurre Superfin, Comte de Lamy ; for walls, GIou Mor(;eau, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Marie Louise, Passe Colmar, and Winter Nelis. The crop of Plums is an average one, the following being the best varieties ; — Early Prolific, Jefferson, Kirke's, Orleans, Magnum Bonum, Denyer's Victoria. Peaches and Nectarines are as plentiful as they are most years ; whilst of Cherries generally the supply is fair, whilst that of Morellos is excellent. Strawberries have been damaged much by run, bat there is, notwithstanding, a good set of fruit ; the best ^rieties are, Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury — which on this cold clay supersedes all others — Sir Charles Napier, President, and Sir Joseph Paxton. Of small fruits there has been in all cases a good supply, but Gooseberries and Raspberries have suffered from the wet. — James Smith. Knowsley. — There is an unusually large crop of Apples here, which on many trees has Inckilybeen severely thinned by the wind, &c. Pear trees have been also very productive, and stand in need of more thinning than can be done to them. Apricots are all that could be desired, as far as the crop and the general health of the trees go, but I think more branches than usual have gummed off this year. There is a splendid crop of Peaches on the trees, which are clean and in good health, and we only need fine summer weather to finish the fruit well and mature the wood for another year. Cherries are abundant, but the fruit has suffered a little through the heavy rains and dull weather which has caused some of it to burst, but I am glad to say that, as yet, I have not seen a vestige of the black fly, notwithstanding the trees were smothered with that pest last year. The crop of Plums is moderate. Gooseberry and Currant bushes are loaded with fruit, some of the older ones having given way under their burden, and both these have burst and moulded on the trees to some extent. Of Strawberries, we have had a large crop of fine fruit, but I am sorry to say that a great portion of it rotted on the ground through the wet weather. Raspberries, too, have been a heavy crop, but have suffered from too much wet. — P. Harkison. Ormskirk. — Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots, owing to the absence of spring frosts are very plentiful ; but there are compara- tively few Apricots grown about these parts. Of Apples there is an average crop, which is always the case when the trees bloom super- abundantly. The late prolonged cold rainy weather has caused a very considerable portion of the fruit to drop from the trees, which however, will allow the remainder to grow large, and the trees will also be benefited by this natural thinning. There is in many places a considerable amount of blight on the trees, the foliage in such cases is nearly gone, and this has caused the young fruit to turn yellow — apparently ripe, even in July. All kinds of Apples do well, and Lord Suffield is grown in quantity for market, and is a general favourite, as it comes into bearing so soon ; the old Hawthornden always bears great crops, and a free-bearing variety called Rollisson is largely planted. Pears are abundant, more so than for many years; all kinds seem alike, and trees scarce ever known to bear before are loaded. For walls the Marie Louise is fast driving the old Jargonelle out of the field ; about here, however, it is rather tender. A variety called the Hazel Pear bears prodigious crops. Plums are abundant; the Victoria does admirably. A district about 6 or 7 miles from Liverpool is famous for the Halewood Plum, taking its name from where it originated. Strawberries have been plentiful. Though Strawberries succeed in damp boggy ground, the excessive moisture in July has caused great loss. Tho variety Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury is the best to stand the wet. I know a case where a number of these Strawberries having been soiled were actually washed before going to market, and seemed none the worse. Gooseberries and Black Currants have been abundant, especially the former. I have been talking to a person who had the same day despatched half-a-ton of these fruits from a cottage garden. What are known as prize Gooseberries are very little grown, few people caring to grow them. The three principal sorts grown are White, smith, a heavy cropper, good for gathering green ; Aston Seedling, the best preserving Gooseberry grown ; and Crown Bob, a largo rough red, a fine table berry when fully ripe, and the most popular Gooseberry grown. — Thomas Williams. A NEW SPECIES OP SEDUM DISCOVERED BY THE LATE JOHN STUART MILL, IN ASIA MINOR. Amongst the plants of the late J. S. Mill which have been presented by Miss Helen Taylor to the Kew Herbarium, are full and complete specimens of a very distinct species of Sedum, marked by him " Sedum, species nova," and gathered by himself between Brusa and Gimlek, in Anatolia, in July, 1862. As it is not included in Boissier'a " Flora Orientalis," and still remains unnamed and undescribed, I wish now to place it on record. Sedum Millii, Baker, n. sp. — Perennial — Stems half a foot to a foot long, decumbent in the lower half, then assurgent, 1 to IJ lines thick, terete, clothed throughout, not very thickly, with short, spreading, or deflexed whitish hairs ; internodes of the flowering stems, 1 to li inches long ; leaves, in opposite decussate pairs, sessile, blunt, entire, oblong, with a cuneate base, obscurely ciliated, on the edges, 12 to 21 lines long, i to J inch broad at the middle; flowers in a very lax terminal cyme, with two to five, usually three, scorpioid branches, which are mostly 3 or 3 inches long, and brae teated at the base by leaves like those of the stem considerably reduced ; flowers, not more than six to eight to the longest branches, so that they are i to i inch apart, the lower on short thick pedicels, the upper sub-sessile ; sepals, lanceolate, glabrous, j of an inch deep ; petals, linear, acuminate, bright red, three times as long aa the sepals ; stamens, half as long as the petals, the anthers oblong, red-purple ; caqiels, glabrous, i inch long, the inner side distinctly angled just above the base, and the carpel spreading almost horizontally above this angle ; style, half a line long, tipped with the minute capitate stigma. The plant, by its general habit, spaced opposite blunt leaves and showy bright red flowers, recalls at once S. oppositifolium, Sims (Bot. Mag., t. 1,807), and S. spurium, M. Bieb. (Bot. Mag., t. 2,370), both of which are common in cultivation. From both these it is separated at a glance by its hairy stem, entire leaves, lax cymes, and stellately divaricating carpels, but it quite matches these in calyx, corolla, and stamens. The only other species with which I am acquainted that come near it are S. stoloniferum, Gmel. (better known under the name of S. ibericum, Stev.), which ia a much smaller and more slender plant, with leaves both stalked and toothed, and the East Siberian S. Middendorfianum, Maxim. Prim. Amur., 116, which has the same lax inflorescence and the same stellately.divari. eating carpels, angled a little above the base on the inner side, bub totally different foliage.— J. G. Baker, in " Journal of Botany." [We hope this Stonecrop, evidently valuable as a garden plant, may soon be added to our collections, and may long be grown therein as an interesting souvenir of the botanical work of our great political economist.] PARIS LAWN TURF. As the freshness and texture of the lawns in Paris gardens is a frequent subject of remark, we have thought it well to translate the following account of how they are formed. Nothing can surpass the beauty and texture of our own garden carpets ; but the Paris system may be worth trying in certain cases in which our own fails, owing to the climate in some parts of tho world. In any case, the infor- mation conveyed by M. Rafarin, principal gardener of the city of Paris, in a letter to a French nurseryman, is worth recording. Without a smooth glade, our gardens would lose half their charms. In order, therefore, to obtain the best results in forming a lawn, three points must not be lost sight of :— 1st, preparation of the soil; 2nd, choice of Grass seed ; and, 3rd, keeping. I. Preparation of the Soil. — In the first place, it must be well drained, i.e., if it be too damp, swampy, or if it rests upon an impenetrable sub-soil. Secondly, light dry soils must be enriched by means of manure, as must also clayey, damp, or 120 THE GARDEN. [Aug. 7, 1875. cold soils. Thirdly, the soil should be mellowed by repeated ploughings and harrowings, taking care, during each opera- tion, to break the clods, and to extract the stones and roots of ■weeds. Fourthly, it must be made even by levelling a fort- night after it has been ploughed; then roll it, break the clods afresh, and finally sow the seed. II. Choice of Seeds.— It is indispensable that the seeds used be of the best -qualit}'. Having chosen the seeds, mix together those that resemble each other in size, form, and weight, taking care that they are suitable for the nature of the soil ou which they are to be sown. The following are four mixtures that are very commonly used in France; they should, however, only be cousidered as examples, and may be modified according to circumstances. i'lKST MIXTURE— I'Oli, A TKESU SOIL, IMrKOVED AND rREPAllED AS JUST DIKECTEI). lbs. Agrostis stolonifera 220 Bromus pratensis ll'O Cynosurus cristiitus lOS Festuca tonuifolia 22'0 ,, rubra . . . . . . . 33 0 Anthoxantlium odoratum ll'O Poa trivialis HO „ pratensis 220 Lolium perenne GCO Trif olium repens , • 2*2 2200 The amount will suffice for an area of rather more than 2 acres. For smaller pieces of land and for borders a larger proportion must be used. SECOND MIXTURE. lbs. Agrostis vulgaris ll'O Avena flavesceus ll'O Broraus pratensis 110 CynoBurus cristatna 8'8 Festuca tenuifolia ll'O „ heterophylla. 110 „ ovina 22 0 „ rubra 110 Anthoxanthum odoratum ll'O I*oa triviaHs ll'O „ pratensis ll'O „ _ nemoralis ll'O Lolium perenno ...... 77'0 Trifolium repens 2 2 220'0 TUIRD MIXTURE- FOE SIIADY GROUND, AS, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT BENEATU TREES. lbs. Aira clatior 220 ,, flexuosa 220 Festuca clatior 220 „ tenuifolia HO „ hcteropliylla 22 0 ,, rubra 22'0 Antboxanthum odoratum 11 0 Holcus lanatus . . . . . . , HO I'oa trivialis 8'8 „ pratensis' . . . ; . . . H'O ,, nemoralis . . . . . , . HO Lolium perenne 4.1'0 Trifolium repens 2'2 22200 For small patches, an increase of 20 to 60 per cent, is reiiuircd. FOURTH MIXTURE — FOR CALCAREOUS SOILS. lbs. Agrostis stolonifera HO ,, vulgaris H '() Broinus pratensis 3;{'0 Cynosurus cristatus H'O Festuca ovina HO ,, rubra 220 Anthoxanthum odoratum 1!)'S Po.i trivialis , H'O Lolium perenno 88'0 Trifolium repens .••••,, 2'2 2200 For borders and small plots, from 20 to 50 per cent, more should be used. Sowing should take place in the spring in the case of stiff, damp, or cold soils, and in autumn, in the case of soils that are light, dry, or scorched, and, so far as is possible, when the weather is calm, and when the earth is cool without being damp. Each variety of seed, of which the mixture is composed, should be sown separately, commencing with that of which there is the largest quantity, and which requires to be buried at a greater depth in the soil than the others ; and finishing with that of which there is the smallest proportion. After each sowing, harrow with an implement of a power pro- portionate to the depth at which each kind of seed has been sown. Then beat down the earth (especially if it be light), and scatter a layer of earth to the depth of an inch or bo. Finally, water when the soil has become dry to hasten germination, which will take place in from eight to forty-five days according to the variety. III. Maintenance. — The old popular saying — "Water makes the Grass," proves the importance of frequent waterings for maintaining turf in perfect order. It is necessary to water after each cutting and whenever the ground becomes too dry. Each year in autumn and in spring, during cool, but not damp, weather, after having given the turf a vigorous harrowing, and, above all. those parts which are covered with Moss, first remove the Moss and noxious weeds — an operation which is indispensable, but which is too often neglected, and which it is necessary to repeat during the course of the year, whenever they make their appearance; secondly, sow the seed over all parts which are bare ; thirdly, scatter upon the surface (use guano if the ground requires enriching) a layer of good soil ; fourthly, roll with a roller, the weight of which is adapted to the nature of the soil. If the preceding instructions are carried out in their integrity, nothing remains but to speak briefly of the operation of mow- ing, which may be done either with the scythe or mowing- machine. Lawns should be mown with the scythe once or twice a month in spring, three times a mouth during the summer, ceasing towards the end of October, so that the Grass may grow again before the winter frosts set in. EAISING DEAC^NAS IN THE UNITED STATES. The stems are procured, in the first instance, from Cuba, selection being made of those that are soft. If you order stems that are of hard wood, like a walking-stick, they begin to split through the centre, and then they take too long to start ; I refer to the joints on the stems. As a consequence, soft stems are preferable. They are laid flat on the benches of the propagating-house, sand, to the depth of 3 or 4 inches, being used. On this sand the stems are laid at distances of 2 inches apart, the whole being covered with sand. The surface of tho stems being discernible, the spaces between them are used for striking soft-wooded plants, which do not interfere with tho cuttings produced from the Dracasnas. As soon as the cuttings are from 2 to 3 inches long they are taken off, not with a por- tion of the old wood, as some growers do, but a quarter of an inch from the stem. The eye left will yield two or more cuttings, a circumstance worth considering where the raiser has a market for this class of plants. The cuttings are inserted in sand in the warmest part of the house, say 150 to the square foot ; and, as soon as rooted, they are potted off into 2-inch pots, and placed in a close house with a high tem- perature. When ready for re-potting they must be shifted into 4-inch pots ; and here I would suggest, for their summer growth, manure-pits of such construction as those used in England for Melons and Vines in pots intended for fruiting the following season. This plan will pay a grower in the United States best, as it supplies him with bottom-heat, which he can regulate at intervals, and the climate sup- plies an abundance of surface-heat. If grown in pits plunge the pots to the rims in coal ashes. The plants should bo kept thoroughly supplied with water and syringed with the hose morning and evening. They should be shaded from say half-past nine in the morning until four in the evening, light muslin being used for this purpose. By the end of September, if the plants are properly managed, they will be in 5-inch pots and 15 inches high, and, if well coloured, they should then sell at from £3 10s. to £4 10s. per 100, trade Aug. 7, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 121 price. If kept until spring, and larger plants are required, the following treatment is pursued : — The balls are reduced one- third, and the plants are replaced in the same sized pots, and set in the warmest house ; all the heat possible is now supplied, and plenty of water and moisture is kept up. As soon as they have filled their pots with roots, they are shifted into 6-iuch ones, and are grown on in heat during the summer, shading, &c., being attended to, as already directed. Thus treated, by the middle of September the plants will stand from '2i to 3 feet in height, and will be worth £21 per 100, at whole- sale prices, and from 8s. to 10s. each retail. In the United States, these plants are used by the thousand, for there they are produced for the masses, not for the few. They are employed for hanging-baskets and vases, and will yet be used in ornamental gardening ; they are also used for decoration. My remarks refer to the coloured varieties. The other kinds are not propagated from stems, but are imported from England and Belgium. Compost for Dracasnas should be like that for Roses, heavy and rich, one- half strong fibrous loam, the other old well-rotted manure, with a slight addition of superphosphate to the whole. No drainage is necessary for this class of plants, nor for similar ones in the States. It is a mere loss of time to resort to drainage. With Camellias, Azaleas, and other plants, it is different. Dracasna terminalis, considered an old variety in England, is, in the United States, in much request. John Howatt. Botanic Gardens, Beqent's Parh. y Kheum Emodi.- — This is a fine herbaceous and large-foliaged •[jlant, and should bo planted in gronps in the tnrf of tho pleasure ground in good soil. It grows about 5 feet high, and is very imposing with its wrinkled leaves and lai'ge red veins. It is, how. ever, surpassed in appearance by Il.ofBcinale, of which I have lately procnred a plant, and of which there is a fine specimen in the herba. ceous depai tment at Kew. — Oxo.v. Beds of Cannas on Lawns. — I have had occasion once before this year to make a note on the beauty of Cannas on lawns. The late copious rains have so invigorated them that they have leaves of an unusual breadth. It is this splendid development of foliage of au appearance so different from that of ordinary leaves, that makes them so striking. Put them in large beds (my beds are 12 feet in diameter), with a good, high, and bold edge, with a contrasting iuner circle, and they will be the great attraction of the place. Two rows of Stachys lanatamake a capital edge; it is vigorous in constitution, easy of propagation, and perfectly hardy, and of a dusty. miller whiteness. Inside it, a good belt of Bell's Crimson Beet makes a good contrast when it gets up sufficiently high to overtop the Stachys and cover up the bareness of tho stems of the Cannas near the soil, thus making a bed which is the admiration of everybody. — N. H. P. Amateur Exhibitors at Flower Shows. — Is it to be taken as a rale without an exception that a gentleman, employing one or more gardeners, cannot be capable of taking such a practical interest in his garden as to entitle him to be considered tho exhibitor of his own plants or flowers, however much he may appreciate them, or however carefully he may have watched and tended them ? This seems to be the prevailing idea at all our floral exhibitions, if we may judge by the prize. cards placed upon the successful specimens in the amateur classes, which almost invariably inform the passing spectator that the beautiful plants or cut blooms to which the prize has been awarded are " exhibited by Mr. , gardener to , Esq." I must confess to a feeling of disappointment and annoyance when, having entered my own name as tlie exhibitor of certain flowers, to the collection of which I have for some years devoted considerable personal attention, I find so little credit given to my amateur efforts that I am turned for the occasion into a professional gardener. Such was the case when, having exhibited my favourite Carnations at the Royal Horticultural Show on tho 2tst July last, the award of the judges vras thus reported : — " Class 22. Twelve Carnations (amateurs). — Second, Mr. Burnaby, gardener to T. P. Atkins, Esq." Now, however much I may rejoice in being associated with the fraternity of gardeners, or however little I may care to have my name disintegrated, and to find myself split into two individuals, I must be excused for objecting to be denied the honour of being duly represented as an unprofessional exhibitor of my own pet blooms. — T. P. Burnaby. Atkins, Halstead Place, Sevenoalcs. A TIMBER-RAPT Covering 20 acres of surface and containing 3,460,000 feet of timber, broke up against tho International bridge of the Niagara river, some little time ago, and went to pieces. About one million feet of timber lodged on the head of Grand Island. Much of the remainderwcnt over the falls. SOCIETIES AND EXHIBITIONS. ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. August 4th. At this meeting some interesting new and rare plants were exhibited by Messrs. Veitch & Sons, Mr. W. Ball, Mr. B. S. Williams, and others. Cut Hoses of excellent quaUty came from Mr. W. Paul, and Messrs. Paul & Sou also showed some new varieties. A Laburnam was exhibited by Mr. Smith, of Worcester, which, in addition to being new, illustrated in a remarkable manner the influence which buds, in some instances, have upon the stocks in which they are inserted. First-class Certificates. — These were awarded to the following new and rare plants : Cytisus Laburnum aureum (Smith). — This is a distinct and beautiful hardy foliaged plant, tho leaves being of a bright golden.ycllow colour. It succeeds perfectly on tho common budded Laburnum, and, curiously enough, the green-leaved stock on which it is worked not unfreciuently throws out golden variegated growths below the point of union, as sometimes happens when a variegated Jessamine has been budded on a green-leaved variety. Cibotium Menziesii (Bull). — This is a strong-growing tree Fern, with a thick massive trunk. Its fronds, which are long and tripinnate, are of a bright green colour, leathery in consistence, and very gracefully arched. The lower part of the rachis is densely covered with dark brown hairs, which add materially to the characteristic appearance of the plant. Dracaena Hex (Bull).— This is a strong-growing and distinct plant, resembling, in general habit, D. Mooreana ; but, in this case, its bronzy leaves are streaked with crimson in the way of those of D. ter- minalis. Its foliage is broad and gracefully arched, and, as a decorative or exhibition plant, it is well worth general culture. Streptocarpus Greenii (Green). — This is a new hybrid, obtained between S. Saundersii and the old S. Rexii. The foliage, which is broad, glossy-green and Gloxinia-hke, resembles that of S. Saundersii, while the flowers are exactly like those of S. Rexii in form and colour, which is delicate mauve, streaked with purple, five to seven flowers being borne on an erect spike. The plant exhibited had three fine leaves, and ten or twelve flower-stems. This hybrid is a decided advance on both its parents, and is well worth culture as a decorative stove plant. Alsophila pliilippinense (Veitch). — This distinct Philippine Island plant, bears dense, green, crisped fronds, which are arched grace- fully from the apex of a very slender stem. The young fronds are of a bright glossy green in colour. Dracaena Taylori (Veitch). — This is a strong, broad-leayed, denso- growing form, well worth general culture as a dark-leavod foliage plaut. It is a hybrid, obtained by crossing D. magnifica with D. Mooreana, its broad, shining fronds being of a dark bronzy-purple, with crimson petioles. It is the most massive and noble of all the Dracasnas. Adiantum princeps (Veitch). — This is a free-growing plant, indeed, one of the noblest of all Maiden-hairs ; it has gracefully-arched fronds, fully a yard in length, tripinnate, and of a bright green colour, the rhomboidal pinna! being deUcately crisped or irregularly serrate a,long thoir margins. It is an ornamental stove Fern of the utmost value either for decorative purposes, or for those of exhibition. Begonia Frcebelii (Frojbel & Co., Zurich). — This is a distinct plant, presumably a species with oblique heart-shaped hoary leaves, from G to 12 inches in length, and 7 to 8 inches in width. Its flowers, which are of a vivid crimson-scarlet, are borne on erect peduncles, 10 or 12 inches in height. It is an effective stove decorative plant, and will also prove valuable for hybridising purposes. Hollyhock Le Grand (Chater).— lA full flower of excellent form, and of a deep rosy-salmon colour. Of this variety a spike was not shown, but, judging from the cut flowers, it will make a worthy addition to this family of favourite flowers. Rhododendron Prince Leopold (Veitch).— This is a distinct buff or yellowish. flowered variety of good habit, obtained by crossing R. Lobbii with Princess Royal, the last-named plant being itself a cross between tho white R. jasminiflorum'and the orange-scarlet R. javanicum. Platycerium Willinckii (Veitch).— This is a strong-growing Hart's-tonguc Fern, the fertile fronds of which are fully a yard in length. These are very smooth, and of a glaucous-green colour, droop- ing gracefully from the shield-like upper fronds. It is au epiphyte, and grows well on a block in a moist humid atmosphere. Dracaena elegantissima (Veitch). — This is a dense slender- leaved variety, from 12 to 15 inches in height, the leaves being narrow, of a dark bronzy colour, margined with crimson. As a table plant it is one of the best of its class. Asplenium ferulaceum (Veitch). — This is a very distinct and effective stove Fern, with bi-pinnate or rubra-decompouud fronds of a bright glossy green colour. They vary from 1 to 2 feet in length, and arc produced in a vasif orm tuft from the rhizome. It is a native of Columbia , and, as is inferred by the specific name, closely resembles the foliage of some Ferulas. Alsopliila austraUs var. 'Williamsii (Williams).— A noble tree Fern, with a distinct weeping habit, its bright green finely-cut fronds drooping gracefully on all sides, giving an umbrella-lilie aspect to the whole plant. The trunk is very stout, and from 6 to 8 feet high. 122 THE GARDEN. [Aug. 7, 1875. ■Woodwardia radicans var. cristata (Williams).— Thia is a very cjistinct form, the apex of the pinnae and their divisions being crested. It is of free growth, and will doubtless become a great favourite with all lovers of Fema. It is the first crested form hitherto obtained in this genus. Stove and Greenhouse Plants. — Of these Messrs. Veitch & Sons staged an interesting collection, in which we remarked, among other things, a basket of the pretty Olearia Haastii, containing eight bushy little plants, each about a foot in height. It is a half-hardy shrub, with oblong Privet-like leaves and dense axillary clusters of white Yarrow-like flowers, which are very agreeably perfumed. As a free- blooming rock plant it well deserves culture, and, in the warmer parts of the country, will probably prove sufficiently hardy to stand out of doors all winter. The same collection also contained a small plant of the rare Nepenthes marginata, bearing four or five fully-developed pitchers of a deep red colour covered with a bluish or downy bloom and blotched with deeper red ; their margins are of a bright crimson colour, below which is a band of buff-yellow about a quarter of an inch broad and of a leathery texture. Associated with it were likewise Dractena elegantissima, a narrow-leaved and very dwarf-growing variety of a bronzy colour margined with crimson; and Croton Cooperii, a strong-growing variety, with leaves nearly 18 inches in length and about 5 inches broad, bright green in colour, blotched with golden-yellow and suf- fused with red. Lilium Neilgherense was also staged in this group, the flowers of which remind one of L. longiflorum, the leaves being very narrow however ; and the slender flowered stem rarely over 18 inches in height. It is a native of India, and closely resembles L. philippinense; but the leaves are broader than those of that species. The same firm also showed Dracfena Tayloi"ii, one of the strongest and most robust-habited plants in the genus, a hybrid between D. magnifica and D. Mooreana ; Cissus Endresi, a strong-growing climber, with heart- shaped leaves of a velvety-green colour, the veins being of a deep purplish- brown ; and Adiantum princeps, a strong-growing and very effective species, with bright green tripinnate fronds, fall a yard in length. Several new Hybrid Rhododendrons likewise came from Messrs. Veitch & Sons, for the most part crosses between a hybrid raised from R. javanicum and E. jasminiflorum, named Princess Royal ; and a species named R. Lobbii. Two of these were certificated. Mr. W. Bull staged several new Cycads, and a very efi'ective group of Orchids, Ferns, and other plants. Among these wo noticed Macrozamia cylindrica, with elegantly plumose foliage, of a deep glossy green colour ; two plants of La-lia elegans var. Andersonii, each bearing a spike of bright rosy-purple- crimson-lipped flowers ; and a small plant of the summer-blooming Zygopetalum crinitum, bearing a spike of flowers which closely resembles those of the winter-flowering Z. Mackayi. A plant of Macrozamia plumosa, with finely cut fronds, and a young fruit, was also shown in this collection ; together with a double-lipped form of Cvpripedium superbens and a new Japanese Lily, in the way of L. laneifolium, but much dwarfer. Mr. B. S. Williams staged a very effective group of Stove Perns, Palme, Pitcher plants, Ixoras, and similar subjects, to which a vote of thanks was awarded. In this collection we remarked well- grown specimens of Adiantum gracillimum ; A. Farleyense ; Ixora Dixiana, a dense-growing free-flowering orange-scarlet variety, well adapted for exhibtion or stove decoration. In the same group we noticed the bright scarlet Ha^manthus puniceus and H. tenuifloras, both well- known Cape bulbs ; Bertolonia Van Houttei, Reidia glaueescens, and other new or rare plants. Miscellaneous Subjects. — Some eight or ten stands of cut Roses were shown in excellent condition by Mr. W. Paul, of Waltham Cross. Mr. T. Laxton, Stamford, also had one or two stands, in which we remarked the following varieties, viz. ; — Empress of India (H. P.), a full deep velvety-crimson of good form ; Marchioness of Exeter (H. P.), a bright rosy variety, very full in the centre, the closely imbricated petals being revolute at their margins ; and Dr. Hooker (H. P.), a full deep rosy-purple variety, the outer petals of which are velvety in texture. Messrs. Paul & Sons showed Captain Christy in excellent condition, and half-a-dozen fine flowers of Duke of Connaught (H. P.l, which obtained a second-class certificate. It is a full velvety-crimson Rose, deliciously sweet-scented, of good form and substance. A fine stand of the new blush Madame Lacharme was also furnished from Clieshunt. These flowers had been grown in the open air without any shade or protection, and were of excellent quality and substance. Mr. R. Dean showed a stand of seedling Hollyhocks, of good quality, the colours being buff, straw, crimson, rose, and bright red. Some striped seedling Petu- nias were also very bright in colour. In this collection was, likewise, shown a flowering plant of the double-flowered yellow Auricula, a kind which bears flowers as large as a shilling and four to five on a trass, the colour being bright golden-yellow. Mr. Dean also exhibited half-a-dozen plants of the new Stock Mauve Beauty, forming perfect pyramids, from 12 to 15 inches in height, of lilac or mauve- coloured flowers, and perfectly double. A fine collection of new Holly- hocks, both cut flowers and spikes, came from Mr. W. Chater, Saffron Walden. Among these we noticed Joy, bright rose ; Bullion, yellow ; Mulberry Gem, dark purplish-brown ; Queen of the Yellows, straw colour ; Venus, rose ; and Beauty of Walden, a rosy-salmon, to which a second-class certificate was awarded ; a similar award was also made to lanthc, a bright rosy-crimson. Among the cut spikes the following were very elTective, viz. : — Regalia, crimson, very full in form ; Sunset,light rosy- salmon ; Model, bright rod ; Golden Queen, Sulphur, and Rosy Gem, bright rose. Mr. Douglas exhibited a fine cluster of the pure white Banana-scented Rosa bracteata, or " Macartney Rose," as it is popularly called, an ever- green climbing species, deliciously scented, the flowers being of snowy whiteness and the foliage of a deep glossy green. Mr. Green had a Saxifrage, named Cassia major, from Mentone. It is a dwarf dense incrusted kind, growing in semi-circular tufts, and excellent for rock- work. Mr. G. P. WUson staged a strong plant of the old Hyacinthus candicans, a kind with long glaucous, Leek-Uke foliage, and erect spikes of white bell-shaped flowers ; it is nearly hardy in some localities, and is a very desirable plant. It received a first-class certificate a year or two ago, when shown by Mr. Wilson Saunders. Fruit. — Mr. Miles, gardener to Lord Carrington, at Wycombe Abbey, exhibited two varieties of the Charlotte Rothschild Pine ; one was stated to be similar to the Moscow Queen and of good flavour, with a large quantity of juice ; the other, which ia the true Charlotte Roths- child, had flat pips, larger than those of any Queen, indeed, the fruit closely resembled that of the Smooth Cayenne, but the leaves are mar- gined with dark purplish spinea. Mr. W. Paul sent a dish of Citron des Carmes Pears, and Mr. Owen, Broughton Gardens, West Derby, near Liverpool, showed a brace of seedling Cucumbers of good quality. Mr. Whittaker, of Crewe Hall, Cheshire, sent two seedling scarlet-flesh Melons. Mr. Jones, Royal Gardens, Frogmore, received a first-class certificate for the Frogmore Early Apricot, a small but highly-flavoured kind, which ripens in July on the open wall, and one which ia well worth a place as the earliest Apricot known. A Substitute for Hain. — It seems by no means improbable that some scientific and inventive mind will find means to do away with the need for rain. Good cultivators already do this in part by mulching newly-set trees, keeping the soil moist and light by deep and thorough pulverisation. The air is always charged with moisture, aa we can see on the dryest, hottest day by the drops deposited on the surface of an ice pitcher. A French chemist, M. Paraf, has found this in chloride of calcium, which he has successfully applied in times of drought to sand hills, road beds, Grass, and all kinds of soils. One application will condense and retain moisture three days, while, if applied by irrigation, the water would evaporate in an hour. IVIag^nolia grandiflora near London. — There is a specimen of this fine evergreen here 22 feet high, and measuring 51 feet round, the foliage touching the Gr.T,ss on the lawn. It is a very fine lawn tree, and is loaded with flowers. — F. B. Spinach Beet. — Where Spinach is in demand throughout the summer, this Beet maiies a really excellent substitute. It merely requires to be sown in the Ijeginning of April and to bo thinned out to aljout 12 or 18 inches apart, and it yields a succession of succulent leaves from the middle of June onwards. It also makes a good market vegetable. — R. P. B. Koses for Covent Garden In Winter.— Can you tell mo what kinds of Roses are principally grown for Covent Garden Market in winter. — L. Collins, Ortnige, New Jersey, U.S. [Niphetos, Isabella Sprunt, Sofrano, Madame Falcot, iklarechal Niel. and Devoniensis. — T. A. Dickson, Centre JZoic, Covent Garden.^ Early Ascot Frontignan Grape.— Mr. G. F. Wilson, of Hcathorbank, tells us that this Grape, raised by the late Mr. Standish, of the Ascot Nurseries, is one of the most valuable of all Grapes for the orchard house. Grown under the same circumstances as the Black Hamburgh, it ripens fully a month before that variety. The Double-flowered Ivy-leaved Pelargonium (see p. 81).— This attractive novelty was raised by Herr Oscar Liebmann, of Dresden, from whom Mr. Williain Bull purchased the half-stock, with exclusive right of disposing of it in the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, America, and all other countries, Germany and Austria excepted, the right of distributing it in these two countries remaining with Herr Oscar Liebmann. A New Vine Disease in Italy.— A circular appears in " L'Economista d'ltalia, "referring to a disease wliichhas lately appeared among Vines in Italy. Excrescences and gall-tumcrs first appear, gradually extending to the foot of the plant, causing the stock to dry up. Entomologists have decided that the disease is caused by an insect of a species quite distinct from the Phylloxera, and believe it to "be the Orchestes alni, which has hitherto been considerel harmless as regards the Vine. Uses of Barberries.- Though the fruit of several varieties of Barberry is eaten with safety, I should be careful in trying experiments with that of untried kinds. The common Barberry, if pickled in a green state, makes a fair substitute for capers ; the bark is also used medicinally, and the ripe fruit makes the famous Rouen preserve. Syrup of Barberries and Fennel seed composed Simon Paul's fever drink, and the Egyptian phvsicians always at one period recoraraend the same drink in cases of plague. — Hblhn E. Watnkt, Sandchjfe, FetentfieU. Thread Worms.— What is the strange creature enclosed ? When allowed to dry, it assumes the appearance of a dry skin ; but, when placed in water, it becomes round and shiny, somewhat similar to a thin thread of Indiarubber ; at least it did so several times, and wriggled about in serpent-like fashion.- John R. C. Taunton. [This is the thread worm named Gordius aquaticns. It lives in fresh water, and attains a length of from 7 to 10 inches. It is parasitic on insects in the earlier stage of its life. — A. M.] Japanese Lacquer Work.— The Japanese lacquer, referred to at p. 92, is procured from one or more species of Rhus. R. vernicifera is probably tho source of tho principal supply ; but, from accounts that have recently been published in tho " Japanese Mail," and in the report of tho British Consul at Kanagawa, it seems that R. suocedanea, the fruits of which are known to yield tho vegetable wax used in candle making, also furnishes some of tho varnish. Abstracts of thcso accounts and reports will be found in tho " Journal of tho Society of Arts," vol. xxii., 1871, pp. 431, 787, and 1,000.— John R. Jackson, Mmejtm, Kew. Suitable Premises.- A great teetotal gathering i« expected to take place next summer in Kew Gardens, in tho now " Temperate House."—" Punch. THE GAKDBN. 123 BATXTBDAY, AtTG. 14, 1875. " This is an art Whioh does mend natnre : change it rather : but The Aet itsbli is Natuee." — Shakespeare, FORMATION OF MY WILD GARDEN. To my mind there is no description of gardening equal to, in interest or amusement, that which has been termed the " wild garden." We have a large one here (about 5 acres in extent), which is rapidly becoming a mass of Pines, flowering shrubs, and hardy perennials. It leads out of the garden proper, commencing as a thin wood containing old-established trees ; then we come to what was a long bare slope, but bare no longer; on each side the background consists of groups of the better kinds of Pines ; in front of them are endless flowering shrubs ; and towards the centre of the ground are smaller shrubs and hardy perennials in profusion. The whole of this ground was a wood of Spruce and Larch Firs — principally the former, planted seventy-five years ago ; but, about fifteen 3'ears since, extraordinarily high winds from the south-west blew down, in a week, the greater part of them; these involved others in their ruin, and the few that stood soon succumbed when bereft of the shelter of their comrades. Most of the ground was dug and trenched, and then left alone, and provident Naiture, as a matter of course, soon covered it with a wilderness of ' Elder and weeds of every description. But we have changed all that now, and six years ago cleared out all the rubbish and commenced the wild garden, a step I have never repented. Many of the hardy perennials are in beds, carpeted with dwarf Sedums and Saxifrages, but the principal number grow boldly out of the turf. A walk to one side leads to an old ruin (the origin of which is buried in the obscurity of time) surrounded by Tew trees supposed to be over 1,000 years old when a few of their companions were cut down. The ruin, being in a hollow, is approached by descending a few steps, and between the steps and the ruin comes the hardy Fernery, the low and rather damp situation and the partial shade seeming to suit the Ferns well, as many of them grow there as luxuriantly as in their native homes. As we are on the subject of Ferns, I will take the opportunity of mentioning for the benefit of your readers whose home (like mine) is not mild enough in winter for the Maiden-hair Fern to survive unprotected out of doors, that there is a very good substitute (in fact, almost a fac simile) of it in the shape of two of the Thalictrums (T. minus, a British plant, and T. adiantifolium). The latter, especially, so much resembles it, that visitors to my Fernery frequently, in fact generally, are under the impression that it is the Maiden-hair planted out of doors for the summer. I need not say that both species are perfectly hardy, and simply require the removal of the flower- stem as soon as it appears. But to return to our wild garden. The bank surrounding the Fernery, and a few feet distant from it, is covered with trailing plants of different descriptions, such as Honeysuckles, evergreen Sedums and Saxifrages, Lithospermums, Everlasting Peas, Coronilla varia, Vincas, and many other kinds. Several old Spruce Firs look gayer than ever they did in their lifetime. I had them headed, of course kilHng them (but, as they were nearly useless for timber trees, that did not much matter), and at their bases are planted either climbing Roses, good varieties of Clematis, Pyrus japonica, Virginian Creepers (both Ampelopsis hederacea and A. Veitchii), or other climbers, most of which seem to take kindly to their nurses. Any of the horizontal branches of the Spruces are, of course, left on their stems, to give the climbers a chance of running along them, and thence of falling grace- fully down. Some, even, of the growing timber trees are pressed into the service, having to submit to the embraces of different varieties of variegated Ivies ; and here I may mention a very fine Ivy, not variegated, though it bears a name suflicient to frighten any beginnner — Hedera rhom- boidea obovata — with rich green leaves, which become bronzy in winter. In the wild garden, after it has once been carefully planted, the perennials are principally left to themselves. The gardener and his men look after the dressed grounds, but my wild garden I look after myself, with the help of an old lady, who does a little occasional weeding, and looks partly after the slugs and similar vermin, and partly after sticks and fallen branches for her own cottage fire. Having planted nearly everything with my own hands (the Pines, of course, excepted), I look on them with ten times the interest that I should do if I had left the arrangement to others, or even only given the orders. I did know once when every plant ought to appear in spring or early summer, but they have increased too fast for that now ; however, it is all the better for that. The soil away from the wood is, unfortunately, not so good as I should like ; gravelly on the hill side, and very stifl: and cold in the lower part of the grounds. Fortu- nately, however, there is a large choice of hardy perennials suitable for every kind of soil, and the best way is undoubtedly not to go to the trouble of preparing soil for plants, but to grow only those which happen to suit that which you have ; the stron.Qjer growing subjects (especially those with strong tap roots)''inost of which will be found in the large order of Composita3, I place in the stiffer soil, and the doubtful peren- nials"and more tender subjects on the higher ground and in lighter soil. We all know how plants suffer from the effects of frost when on low-lying ground, when the same plants on the uplands are unaffected by it ; and this must be borne in mind when putting out subjects, and especially those of a per- manent character. OxoN. THE BEST PHILADELPHUS. Altiiough the Mock Oranges "rank," as has been recently stated in your columns, " among the most effective and beautiful of perfectly hardy and deciduous-leaved flowering shi-ubs," still, they are not so much appreciated as they ought to be, and, indeed, are often rejected. Setting aside our most common Mock Orange (Philadelphus coronarius), whose odour is objectionable to many, and whose flowers are the least showy, all the other species and varieties are beautiful, and, if their snowy blossoms were set amid foliage as rich and glossy as that of the Orange or the Chionanthus, P. thyrsiflorus, or even P. grandiflorus, would rank as the queen of hardy shrubs. North America is the home of all the best of tho Mock Oranges, the Old World specimens being few and small- flowered. I have long cultivated all that are hardy in our climate, and, among them, one which your correspondent (see p. 3) does not name. I received it, among other new plants, many years ago from England, under the name of P. thyrsiflorus. Loudon does not enumerate it in his "Arbo- retum Britanicum ; " but, perhaps it was not introduced until after that work was published. It is distinct, and by far the showiest of the whole tribe. It blooms from four to six days later than P. grandiflorus, and has flowers of the same size, but of a clearer and purer white. It makes strong, straight, annual shoots, from 6 to 8 feet in length, the upper half of which is completely covered with blossoms. I counted to-day, on a two-year-old plant, thirty little axillary branchlets on one of last year's shoots, and each branclilet had eight flowers, making in all 240, in a space of 3 feet— fully sustaining its name of thyrsiflorus,^ for each shoot is a grand floral thyrse. Our plants were received some twenty years ago, and I had the curiosity to measure one to-day. It is 26 feet high, grows erect and pyramidal, and has twenty-four stems, six of the largest measuring 9 inches in circumference. Though standing so long in one spot, and crowded by some Norway Spruces, it annually throws up fresh young shoots, so that this year it was literally one sheet of snow-white flowers from the ground to the top— a huge and superb pyramid, and a grand study for those who admire Crinoline Azaleas instead of Nature's own unaided growth. This variety of Mock Orange may be distinguished at any season of the year from all others by the quantity of horizontal branchlets, covered with the old capsules, which clothe all the terminal shoots. We have large specimens of P. coronanus, inodorus, Zeyheri, verrucosus, latifolius, floribundus, laxus, grandiflorus, Satsumi, and thyrsiflorus ; but the last is certainly the finest of the whole group. C. M. Hovey. Boston, Mass. 124 THE GAEDEN. [Aug. 14, 1875. NOTES OF THE WEEK. The present season, -when various species of Yucca are in great beauty in onr gardens, seems to be the best time to call atten. tion to the extraordinary value ot the family for garden decoration. We have often done so before, but the article by Mr. Hemsley, which we publish this week, and its accompanying illustrations, brings the matter down to the present state of our knowledge, as far as horti. culture is concerned. Yuccas, as regards their habit and foliage alone, are the most tropical-looking and most distinct of all the really hardy plants which we possess ; to estimate their value to the fall we have, in addition, to consider their noble panicles of flowers thrown up in many parts of the United Kingdom as freely as on their sunny native plains. As to their capacities for picturesque effects in our gardens and pleasure grounds they are invaluable. That the French should not grow Ehubarb or Seakale is not more curious in its way than that we do not grow the Irish Peach Apple in London gardens. It is far superior to any of the early Apples that come to Covent Garden at this season, and is of Buch a peculiar and good flavour that it would be considered delicious in this respect among the best Apples of any season. Mk. Basskt's plants, sold the other day, by Stevens, realised £1,006 4s. They consisted chiefly of Azaleas, Camellias, fine-foliage plants, Orchids, Ferns, aud other stove and greenhouse plants, and were divided into 535 lots, some of which fetched from £1 to £16 5s. 6d. The last was for a double white Camellia, 6 feet high and of the same width. Fkom reports which have reached os respecting the condi- tion and prospects of the Potato crop, obtained from almost every county in Great Britain and Ireland, we may safely come to the conclusion that, while in most parts of England, and especially in the south, the crops are seriously diseased, and tho yield proportion, ately deteriorated, in Scotland and Ireland the Potato crop is abundant, and scarcely at all affected. At a meeting of the Committee of the Horticultural Club held at the Club House, Adelphi Ten-ace, on Wednesday tho 4th inst., Mr. George Deal was unauimously elected a member of the Committee in lieu of the late Mr. Standish, and the following gentlemen were admitted members by ballot : — The Rev. E. Norman, Edgevvare ; Mr. C. R. Stewart, Glasgow j Mr. H. C. Wilkins, Chipping Norton ; Mr. W. B. Lewis, Weybridge ; the Rev. C. C. Ellison, Bracebridge Vicarage, Lincoln ; Capt. Christy, Buckhurst Lodge, Westerham ; and Mr. H. P. Oakes, Newton Park, Bury St. Edmunds. Tnp; bedding plants at Battersea, as well as those in Hyde and Victoria Parks, are, notwithstanding the recent heavy rains, in admirable condition. The dwarf-foliage or carpet bedding is, this year, very attractive, though somewhat colourless through want of sunshine, and this system is useful as affording bright masses of colour of a neater and much more permanent kind than that afforded by flowering plants, which, as a rule, present such a miserable appear, ance during stormy weather. The Calceolaria disease has broken out this season virulently in several of our London gardens. Dr. Roden informs us that he has this season gathered an average of eight quarts of fruit from each plant of the British Queen in a large plantation. The plants are seven years old, and each is about a yard through. The fruit on these plants was finer than that on young ones, frequently running but twelve to the pound ; some of the individual berries weighed as much as li ounces, and some, times more. The soil is light, treuched 12^ feet deep, made very solid, well manured, and never dug or forked after the plantation is made. About 2 inches of rotten manure is placed on tho surface every autumn. The fruit is supported on little wire stands, and, in that way, kept perfectly clean. Amono hardy plants, now in bloom in London gardens, the following deserve more than a passing notice. Yucca fiaccida forms an attractive object, isolated here and there on grassy slopes near the rockery in Battersea Park. Its spire-shaped columns of ivory, white flowers look strikingly beautiful, backed up by Brambles and dark. leaved evergreens. Pavia macrostachya is one of tho most effective of all hardy trees or shrubs now in bloom, and is flowering freely in Battersea and Victoria Parks, as well as the Hospital Gardens at Chelsea. In the Royal Horticultural Gardens at South Kensington, some largo clumps of tho common Hydrangea are well worth notice, inasmuch as they show how this hardy shrub is suited for London gardens. In Victoria Park the mixed borders are now in excellent condition, being well stocked both with showy annuals and hardy plants. Conspicuous amongst the latter is the douLle. flowered variety of tho golden-blossomed Helianthus multiflorus, the blossoms of which are as showy as those of a yellow Dahlia, whilst its esculent ally, U. tuberosus is employed with excellent results for forming stately masses of bright green foliage in thin portions of the shrubbery boidcrs. SITUATIONS FOR HALF-HARDT PLANTS. Flowek-gauden plants may, perhaps, be divided into two classes, viz., those whose uoble foliage makes them fit subjects for the natural or free style of gardening, as, for example, Cannas, Musas, aud Castor Oil plants, and those of more humble growth, such as Alternantheras and Sedums, which are best suited for the elaborate and formal style in flower culture, known as carpet bedding. This mode of gardening is best adapted to exposed situations, as full sun.light is indis- pensable to the perfect colouring of the leaves, on which the main beauty of carpet bedding rests. They also thrive with increased brilliancy after heavy rains ; and thus contrast strikingly with the weather-beaten appear, ance of ordinary bedding plants, whose floral display, as all of us know, is often sadly disfigured by heavy rains. When large plants are used in exposed situations they should consist of varieties not easily injured by the wind, such as Yuccas and Aloes, for no greater eyesore can exist in a garden than torn and lacerated foliage. It is to the first, or fiue-foliaged class, to which I wish now more particularly to direct attention, as on the choice of a suitable situation for such plants depends our chances of success. Shelter on all sides is indispensably necessary ; for, if it is provided on one or two sides only, the wind sweeps round or between the barriers with greater violence than if none existed to oppose its violence. Here we have situations well adapted for both classes of plants, the formal geometrical gardens being fully exposed to the south, but well sheltered on the north by lofty trees ; while, a less formal garden, with large beds cut on the Grass, and surrounded on all sides by large wide-spreading Cedars, affords a situation in all respects suitable to show ofl^ to advantage the fine foliage of the many suitable subjects for this st3'le of gardening. Where such situations do not already exist, shelter, by means of raised banks thickly planted with evergreens, should be provided before any attempt at this description of decoration is made ; for the finer the foliage of plants placed in exposed situations, the greater is the damage done to them by storms. Here tho average temperature is by no means high ; but, by observing the following rules, wo get as fine foliage aa if we were in a more favoured district. This season has been more than usually sunless ; yet, our Castor Oil plants are over 6 feet in height, and have foliage more than 2 feet in diameter. We sow these in light soil, in heat, in February; also Wigandias, Cannas, and such plants as are generally raised from seeds, and old roots of Cannas and Caladiums are started into growth in a gentle heat ; for, unless the plants are large, and well hardened ofi! by planting-out time, little success is the result. Light airy pits, or an orchard-house, are the best places in which to shelter such plants from cold winds, which in spring are most destructive to their tender growths. The soil for this class of plants should be rich and deeply cultivated, as, in addition to the large mass of foliage to be supported, the ground will require covering with some dwarfer.growing plants, as, in order to show their fine foliage to advantage, the larger plants require to be planted widely apart. During bright sunny weather too much water can scarcely be given, with alternate applications of liquid manure. Syring. ing over head is also very beneficial to most of them. Single specimens of choice plants arc usually pluuged in pots or tubs, and are, of course, entirely dependant for their support on an artificial supply of moisture. Daturas, and many other plants, succeed better under this treatment than any other. Tree Ferns and Palms are well adapted for plunging where the shade of overhanging trees would prove too dense for the satisfactory growth of more sun. loving subjects. But for all, without exception, complete shelter from wind is a point of much importance. J. Groom. Uenliam Hall, Snffollc. Shading Materials.— In reply to " Salmono," I bog to say, class wliicli iviU afford Bufficient shiirto for Camellias during summer will 1)0 found to obstruct tho light too much in tlio winter. The cheapest and beal shading is limowash, and, if put on outside, ani, while in a wet state, dabbed with a dry hand-brush, the appearance inside is almost eijual to that ot ground glass. Our Fernery and conservatory are lioth bhaded in this way, and, as tho autumn rains set in, it gradually washes off, just as the plants require more light [and can stand whiit sun we get at that time— J. Subppaud, Wualccvslone, Aug. 14., 1876.] THE GARDEN. 125 THE FRUIT GARDEN. PEBPARING GRAPES FOR EXHIBITION. Bunches of Grapes with symmetrical form, large and eveu- sized berries, high colour, and perfect bloom should always be chosen for exhibition. These qualities are, in fact, absolutely indispensable in all Grapes staged for com- petition, excepting where flavour is specified, when some- times a badly coloured bunch of Muscat Hamburgh may be superior to some other variety of perfect finish. Black Grapes are generally shown in better condition than the white or yellow varieties, inasmuch as a slight tinge of green is not so easily seen in the former as in the latter. As regards form and size, a small well-shaped bunch of any kind is preferable to a large unshapely one ; but the size and shape is not of so much importance as the colour and bloom. Moreover, when these are secured, flavour is seldom wanting. In cutting the bunch, 2 inches of the shoot on each side of the fruit stem should be left adhering to it, with which to carry or hang the bunch ; its appearance is also thus improved. Great care is necessary, in cutting the bunch, not to touch or rub the bloom. Any large shoulder which may have been tied up should be kept in the same position until it is seen how it can best be placed. When allowed to rest upon the lower berries, the bloom is often more or less rubbed ofi, but the practised exhibitor knows the position in which his bunch will rest before it is cut from the Vine, and works accordingly. No„bunch should ever be laid on one side and reversed after- ws^'ds. The less that Grapes intended for competition are Exhibition Grape Stand. moved about after they are cut the better ; but, independently of this, the fine appearance of many bunches which are cut and kept with care, is spoiled through their being badly " set up," as it is termed, on the exhibition table. No bunch should ever be laid down flat, which is often the case with those shown in dishes, where the outline of the bunch (especially if the berries have been the least over thinned), is entirely lost. The accom- panying engraving represents a very suitable and convenient stand for exhibiting Grapes. It is made of bulf-inch deal, the perpendicular back board being 12 inches high, and the sloping one 1-^ inches long. The latter is attached to the former 2 inches from the top. The width depends upon the number of bunches it is intended to carry. As from 9 to 12 inches are required to accommodate one bunch, not more than four bunches should be placed on one stand. This stand should be at hand when cutting the Grapes, and they should be placed on it at once in the position in which they are to rest during exhibition. A piece of twine or matting should be tied round the neck of the bunch, passed through the hole near the top of the stand, and fastened at the back with a knot. When conveyed any distance, a ribbon of soft matting must be put across each. Great care should be taken in doing this not to rub the bloom ; if possible, the matting should be taken through amongst the berries, so as to rest on some of the principal stems. When two or three bunches are placed in one stand, the matting must be attached for support to a small tack between each bunch. This may be removed when the Grapes are finally placed on the exhibition table. The appearance of the stand is improved if it be covered with white paper below black Grapes, and green paper underneath yellow varieties ; or the latter kind of paper may be used for fruit of all colours. A wooden box, with an inside measure- ment, corresponding with the dimensions of the stand, should be provided, in which both stand and Grapes may be placed, yvhen being transferred from one place to another; no packing is needed, and the stand can be put in and lifted out without injuring a single berry. The lid should be fastened with screw nails, and care must be taken to keep the right side up. Some exhibitors ai-e in the habit of " dressing " their bunches after they are staged by bringing some of the best looking hemes to the front, and otherwise making them look as neat as possible, but this is of very little use ; a bunch of Grapes, properly thinned and swelled, requires no "polishing." Each variety should have the name placed on the stand in front, and not at the back, of the bunch. When a large bunch is' shown for weight it is always seen to much greater advantao-o in a hanging position than in any other. Some years ago j\fr. Fowler, of Castle Kennedy, exhibited at the Edinburgii and Glasgow shows some very large bunches, which were suspended from the centre of a small arch. The effect was much better than if they had been lying as if thrown down on a flat board. The arch may consist of a bent Hazel stick or it may be made of strong wire with each end supported on a small wood block. It is a great improvement to twist a small Vino shoot, with the leaves attached, round the arch ; and, if the end of the cut stem is wrapped in damp Moss it prevents the foliage from flagging. J. Muia. UNDERHILL'S SIR HARRY STRAWBERRY. In reference to Mr. Dean's remarks respecting this Straw- berry may I enquire if Mr. Turner means that the true variety of it has entirely disappeared ? We have here what we Lave always considered to be the true Sir Harry ; it has been in our possession upwards of fifteen years, and is a favourite on account of its good forcing qualities, being very free in starting and remarkably robust in constitution ; the foliage is broad and of an intense green ; the flower-stalks, which are strong, are thrown up well above the foliage. It is not a very heavy cropper, but its fruits all swell up to a fair size, which, for market purposes, is a recommendation. Its fruit is gene- rally round and rather soft, becoming almost black when allowed to hang. The most striking peculiarity in its growth is the small number of crowns which it produces, and the enormous quantity of runners that it makes. We have plants of it which have been growing in the same pots several years, and which have not increased in crown although they have borne a good crop of fruit each season. It has, too, a o-reater propensity than any other variety with which I am acquainted to flower during the summer ; in fact, with us a great portion of our plants begin to throw up a second crop of bloom before they were removed from the forcing-house. Two years ago we forced about 300 of Sir Harry, the fruit of which began to colour in the latter end of April, when there was a good crop of fruit; but, before the fruit berries were ripe, they had almost to a plant thrown up a second crop of bloom, and this, strange to say, was followed by a third set of flowers. They were allowed to remain m the house, and certainly presented a rather singular appearance, as before the first crop was quite picked the third trusses of flowei-s were fully out, thus furnishing a constant succession of fruit from the last week in April up to the first week in June. A correspondent in the " Revue Horticole " notices a planta- tion in full bearing in October, and enquires if the Sir Harry variety usually fruits at that season. As regards Sir Joseph Paxtou, it is undoubtedly one of the finest Strawberries grown ; and its noble appearance and firm wet-resisting flesh have created quite a little sensation in Covent Garden Market this season ; while, as respects its travelHng qualities, I can safely affirm them to be of the highest order. I saw this season a quantitity of Strawberries unpacked in the Centre Row after they had travelled a long distance. They consisted of Mar- guerite, President, and Sir Joseph. The first-named were much bruised, and President showed unmistakable traces of damage ; but Sir Joseph came out almost as bi-ight and fresh as when first gathered. j"^, Cornhill. Byfleet, Surrey. 126 THE GAEDEN. [Aug. 14, 1875. Pears on Different Aspects. — The difference that soil, situ. atiou and aspect make in the fruit-bearing capacity of trees, as well as in the size and flavour of the fruit itself is well known to gardeners, but in some cases the fact assumes so curious a form that it is worth noticing. A Josephine de Malines Pear, for instance, from a wall, and another from a standard, are so dissimilar that they might easily be mistaken for different kinds, and in other varieties differences of this kind are equally remarkable. Louise Bonne of Jersey on an eastern aspect produces small stunted fruit compared with that from cordons on the Quince stock.. — Ramblek. Pinching the Shoots of Fig Trees. — To a certain extent, I agree with Mr. Groom when he says (see p. 5 1) that pinching the shoots does not benefit Fig trees, a result, however, which quite depends upon the time of the year at which the operation is per. formed. I have tried both plans, that is pinching out the terminal buds in the spring, and allowing the shoots to grow without stopping at all. In the latter case, however, they were thinned. I have also allowed the trees to grow quite wild, and away from the walls ; and, under each and all of these conditions, I have had crops. Still, I consider everything depends upon the season. No care in the form of thatching, or otherwise protecting the autumn. formed fruits in winter will save them ; they will fall off like withered Fir cones in the spring. — Rambler, A Vineyard in Wales. — There are instances on record of the cellars of some of our British nobles being pretty well stocked with wine, the produce of Grapes grown in the open air on favourable spots on their own domain — such, for instance, as at Arundel Castle. The Marquis of Bute is at present engaged in preparing a piece of ground on his Cardiff estates for the formation of a hardy vineyard on a somewhat extensive scale. The ground selected is about 7 miles from Cardiff, at a place called Castle Coch, an old ruin which his lord- ship is having partly restored. This castle is situated on a tract of limestone some 500 acres in extent. It is well wooded to the north, east, and west, but lies quite open to the south, overlooking the Bristol Channel. The field selected here for the Vineyard is about 5 acres in extent, having a good fall to the south. It is of a light loamy soil, 2 feet deep, restiug on the limestone rock, and requiriuw no artificial drainage. The only preparation necessary before planting is trenching, and slightly enriching it with stable-manure. The Marquis, in his earnestness to put the practicability of open-air culture of Grapes in favoured spots in this country to a fair proof, sent his gardener, Mr. Pettigrew, on a tour of inspection among the most noted French Vineyards last autumn, preparatory to the plan being put into practice. Two thousand Vines will be planted this year, and the same quantity next year, and so on until the Vineyard is stocked. They will be planted 3 feet apart each way ; and it is pro- posed not to allow them to grow to a greater height than 3 feet. The varieties to be planted are Melier blanc and Gromier noir, in equal proportions — these being, from Mr. Fettigrew's observations on the Continent, the two most likely to succeed — both being very hardy and prolific. To further test the matter, 150 plants of Chasselas Fontainebleau are to be planted on the castle walls. It may be added that the French system of culture will be adopted generally. — • " The Gardener." NOTES AND QUESTIONS ON THE PEUIT GARDEN. Peaches for the Midland Counties.— Rivers's new Peaches, Early Beatrice, Dr. Hogg, aud Earl;y Louise, have all borne excellent crops of firat-class fruit here this Beason. We have just now (1st of August) Early Louise ripe on a west wall. I may add that Mr. Rivers is quite right as regards Plums— I did mean Kivers's Early Prolific. — R. Giluekt, Burgkiey, Hellebore Powder and Gooseberry Caterpillar.— Mr. James Smith states that a solution of white Hellebore powder will kill Gooseben-y caterpillar. Will he kindly inform me where this powder maybe obtained?— A Novice. [Helle- bore powder may be obtained from any respectable druggist at from 6d. to 8d. per lb.— Jambs Smith.] Grapes Cracking.— On Saturday last, from nine to twelve o'clock in the forenoon, and from half-past eleven to twelve o'clock at nitrht, we had coi>iou3 thunder showers, everything here being thoroughly drenched. On looking over my Vineries this morning (Monday), I find not all, but many, of the bunches of Black Haraburghs cracked in the second house, in which the Grapes arc just swelling and colouring otT. This, to me, is serious, as this ia the house in which I can keep them hanging the latest. The Vines are old, and their roots are deep down, and out of reach of the sun, in our clayey sub-soil on a rocky bed through which the water cannot escape. — N. H. P. Vines Not Fruiting" (see p. 98).— Unripe \vood is a frequent cause of unfruitfulncss in the case of Vines as well as in that of other fruits, especially in small houses, in which there ia not much air or sunlight. Your correspon- dent should lose no time in cutting away every growth except the main rods, and, if these are Htill green, the house should be kept somewhat close, main- taining MO* during the day, until the wood and leaves show signs of changing colour, when abundance of dry air should be admitted to ripen the wood, it makes no difTuronce, as regards fertility, whether the Vines are propagated from cuttings or eyes.— J. Muih. Underhiirs Sir Harry Strawberry.— Messrs. Steele, of Richmond, would be glad if Mr. Dean, of BedCont, would inform them how long this Strawberry baa been extinct. THE GARDEN IN THE HOUSE. POT VINES FOE DINNER-TABLE DECORATION. Pot Vines, bearing good crops of well-ripened fruit, are always an attractive object on the dinner-table, yet they are not so often fruited for this purpose as they should be. Black Grapes look better than white or light-coloured ones, in artificial light, but those of a light colour make a pleasant contrast, and, when the bunches are large, and not too much hid among the leaves, many people like them as well as the dark varieties. I am familiar with the table-decorations at one place, where, for three months iu the year, there are seldom fewer than thirty at dinner. The table is of considerable width, and admits of large plants being used for its ornamentation. Sometimes a lai-ge Croton, Palm, or plant of a kindred nature, is placed in the centre, with a pot Vine at each side, and a smaller plant at the further side of them. At other times, a well-furnished pot Vine is placed in the centre, and in whatever position the pot Vine is used it is always eilective. Any pot Vine, which is grown in the ordinary way, that is by being trained and fruited against a trellis, may be made to answer well for dinner-table decoration. When the fruit is ripe, the cane and other shoots should be cai-efully untied from the trellis ; four .green painted stakes are then placed at equal distances around the pot; these stakes should be moderately strong, and about 3 feet high. After they are firmly fixed in the soil the cane is twisted round the outside of them and arranged so as to bring the last coil within a few inches of the top of the stake. The side shoots, especially those on which the bunches are, must be carefully tied in, leaving the bunches as much outside as possible ; any of the shoots which are too long may be cut back close to the bunch, and when the shoots are too thick or close together, those bearing no fruit may be taken off altogether. In tying the shoots they should be arranged so that the leaves will cover all bare wood. The only inconvenience which those who grow their fruiting pot Vines in 14 and 16-inch pots will experience, in introducing them to the dinner-table, is the enormous size of the pot, which few vases will contain aud which requires a large opening in the table for its accommodation. Nine and 10-inch pots are easily accommodated with a large-sized vase, and splendid Grapes can be obtained from Vines in pots of this size. For small tables, where only one or two plants are used, the Vines should be grown dwarf and in small pots. When the Vines have grown into fruiting-oanes the first season they are rooted and potted into large pots as they require it. When the final shift has been given into a 10 or 12-iuch pot, the young growth will probably be 4 feet high; the bottom is then knocked out of a 6-inch pot, and the cane is passed through it until the soil in the large pot is reached, when the 6-iuch pot is firmly filled with the same kind of soil as that contained in the large pot. Roots are soon formed in the soil in the small pot, and by autumn it is filled. All this time the growth is kept stopped at between 3 and 4 feet in length. Uuder this treatment a strong dwarf cane is formed with two sets of roots which, when started into growth the following season, is most productive. The cane is staked straight up at first, with several cross supports,to which the shoots as they groware tied. Only these bearing branches arc left on, and they are stopped at one joint beyond the bunch, which forms the Vine into a hand- some, well-formed, compact bush, well furnished with bunches, the lowermost ones hanging over the edge of the pot. When the fruit is ripe, the plants may be kept in a cool place — a fruit room answers the purpose — until wanted for table decoration, when the whole of the roots are cut underneath the 6-inch pot, which leaves the plant ready for placing in a small vase in which the pot is easily accommodated. The foliage droops for a day or two after being severed from the large pot ; and, in order to have the leaves in fresh condition when used for decoration, the separation should take place a day or two before the Vine is required. Sometimes the small pot is not put on until the Vino is being started for fruiting ; but it never becomes so full of roots when this delay occurs. All kinds of pot Vines for table decoration should be kept thoroughly clean from insects, especially red spider. Those Aug. 14, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 127 varieties which assume rich autumnal tints in the leaves are extremely effective, and resemble some fine foliage plant. Barbarossa is one of the most" beautifully marked ; but, unfortunately, it does not behave well under pot treatment ; cue or two specimens of it are, however, always worth a trial. Notts. NEW PLANTS, &c. Cereus Landbecki var. Phillipii. — In a recent number of the " Gartenflora," t. 832, is a figure of this variety, which is a strong-growing plant, belonging to the columnar group. The seven, angled glaucous stems are 2 to 3 inches in diameter, and formidably armed with stellate clusters of long dark brown spines. The flowers are G or 8 inches in length, tubular below ; the segments spreading trampet-wise at the mouth. The outer row of segments are of a lively rose colour, the inner row being pure white. It is an attrac. live and easily grown plant, well worth culture. Campelia xnexicana. — This pretty little Commelynaceons plant is figured in a recent number of Kegel's " Gartenflora," pi. 833. The fleshy decumbent stem is as thick as a swan's quill, rooting at the nodes, and clothed at the apex with smooth lauce-shaped leaves, about a span long. The flowers are blue or bluish.violet, pro- duced in clusters at the ends of smooth peduncles, about as long 'as the leaves. The small flowers are rendered attractive by having hairy stamens, as have most other plants in this family. -J- Top-shaped Bell-flower (Campanula turbinata). — A good coloured figure of this well-known and attractive plant is given at pi. 831 of Kegel's "Gartenflora." This lovely blue-flowered species and its milk-white variety are now blooming freely in the herbaceous ground at Kew, and also in Messrs, E. G. Henderson's nursery, St. John's Wood. Dietes Huttoni. — This is a Cape Irid, with broad grassy leaves, and erect scapes of golden.yellow flowers, streaked with brown, and was sent to the Kew collection by Mr. Hutton, from the eastern province of Cape Colony, and it bloomed in March of the present year. The plant in appearance and structure is so nearly related to the genus Iris that it seems a pity it was not figured and described as such. It appears to be nearly related to Dietes bicolor, of Sweet, which is the same as Iris bicolor, figured by Lindley in the " Botanical Register," t. l,40Ii. The plant varies from 18 inches to 2 feet in height, and well deserves culture, although not nearly so showy as many of the common varieties of Iris germanica. " Botanical Magazine," t. 6,174. Cypripedium Argus. — This Lady's - slipper has solitary flowers, the drooping petals of which are conspicuously decorated with numerous eye-like spots. The leaves are light green, with darker markings. Dr. Hooker remarks that C. Argus is no doubt much the handsomest of the section to which it belongs, and was discovered by Mr. Wallia, Messrs. Veitch & Sons' collector, in the island of Luzon, one of the Philippines, and it first flowered in Messrs. Teitch's collection in 1874. As a garden plant it is one of the most attractive of all the solitary-flowered kinds, and is by some thought to be a natural hybrid between C. menustum and C. bar. batum. " Botanical Magazine," t. G,175. Crocus minimus. • — This is a pretty little purple-flowered species, the yellow backs of the three outer segments being streaked with purple. The plant has previously been introduced to our gardens, but was lost until Mr. George Maw succeeded in bringing a few bulbs from Corsica some months ago. It is very frequent in that island, where it flowers in the valleys in January, and upon the mountains it blooms in March. The same plant also occurs in Sar- dinia, and is the smallest of all the species of this genus, closely resembling some of the varieties of C. versicolor, but it has been confounded with C.biflorus, one form of which has been figured under the name of C. minimus, in plate 2,994 of the " Botanical Maga- zine." A figure of the true species will be found in t. 6,17G of the same magazine. Eranthemum hypocrateriforme. — A very showy Acantha- ceous plant, a native of West Tropical Africa, extending along the west coast from Accra to Sierra Leone. Seeds were sent to Kew from Sierra Leone in 1870, by the Rev. Mr. Bockstadt ; and the plants flowered for the first time in May of the present year. It assumes the shape of a small smooth shrub, with opposite ovate leaves, and terminal clusters of orange-scarlet flowers, the buds and backs of the flowers being of a clear golden-yellow colour. It strikes freely from cuttings, and succeeds well in a warm greenhouse. It is well worth growing for greenhouse or conservatory decoration, and, like its allies, requires pinching to keep it bushy. "Botanical Magazine," t. 6,181. THE FLOWER GARDEN. FUCHSIAS ON GRASS. Few plants are naturally of a more beautiful habit of growth than the Fuchsia. In fact, after all the labour we can bestow on specimens trained into standards or pyramids, they are not to be compared with plants left to Nature's training. We have here, on the open lawn, some old plants of F. Eicoartoni, which many years ago were planted in old hollow tree stems, cut into about 2 feet lengths. These were sunk into the turf about 6 inches, and filled with soil, of which the Fuchsias soon took entire possession and rooted through into the soil beneath, so that they are entirely independent of the watering pot, and only require to be cut down in winter. They are beautiful objects throughout the summer, and far into the autumn. Their annual growths are about 4 feet long, the outer branches drooping in a most graceful manner and almost touching the green turf. No amount of expensive care could increase the beauty of their appearance when their branches, heavily laden with blossom, .are waved by the slightest breeze. Anyone planting large blocks should put in several plants of one variety, by which means a striking eilect may be produced ac once. The small-blossomed varieties of robust habit, such as Riooartoni and globosa, appear best adapted for this sort of decoration ; but, in sheltered situations, the large flowering kinds would doubtless be most attractive. Venus de Medici and Rose of Castille are excellent varieties for contrasting with the dark varieties. Anyone giving this system a trial would soon give up plunging specimens in pots, as the effect is far better, and the cost no more than that of growing any hardy border plant. James Groom. GARDEN VEGETATION FOR JULY. In this district the weather during the month of July has, upon the whole, been pleasant. Some days have been very warm, but, for the most part, the temperature has been cool, easterly winds having pi-evailed. Some acceptable showers fell at intervals, but there has been no long continuance of heavy rains, such as have been experienced in other districts of the country. The six lowest thermometer readings were on the mornings of the 13th, 14th, 16th, 26th, 28th, and 29th, when 40°, 39'-', 35°, 38°, 41°, and 40° were respectively shown. The six highest morning readings were on the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 19th, 20th, and 21st, when 53°, 53°, 53°, 56°, 55°, and 56° were indicated. Vegetation of every description is now very luxu- riant, but the dry state of the weather is causing many leaves to discolour and fall oS. Portugal Laurels were white with blossom on the 10th ; but, owing to the dry weather at the time, their flowering period was of short duration. The Spirtea ariffifolia was at its best about the 15th, Deutzia scabra about the 18th, and Philadelphus Gordonianus about the 20th. The blossom on the Lime trees was in perfection about the 22nd. From that time to the end of the month the honey was con- stantly dropping from their flowers, often damaging to a serious extent, particularly when wind prevailed, the bonnets, parasols, and dresses of ladies, who were far from suspecting the real cause. The common Chestnuts (Castaneavesca) were white with their feathery flowers about the 25th, and have every appearance of yielding a large crop of fruit. Walnut trees, although long past flowering, are now covered withfruit,as also are the scarlet, common, and yellow Horse Chestnut. In my report on garden vegetation for May, I stated that the so-called Scotch Laburnum (Cytisus Laburnum var. alpinus) had shown few or no flowers dirring spring, while the variety known as the English Laburnum had flowered profusely. At the pre- sent time, it is interesting to observe the top leaves of all the trees of the Scotch variety perfectly yellow, and, when the sun is shining on them, they look as if they were in full bloom. The leaves are evidently ripening early, having had no flowers or seeds to mature, which may account for the beautiful golden appearance of the foliage at the present time. Forest trees, of almost every description, are this year pro- ducing seeds freely, and there is every appearance of an early ripening. No flowers are showing on any of the Tulip trees here, nor is fruit observed on any of the Mulberries. These, 128 THE GARDEN. [Aug, 14, 1876. like many other exotic trees and shrubs, often require the aid of two consecutive hot summers, one to ripen the wood to enable it to produce flowers, and another to ripen the fruit, provided flower buds are previously formed. On the 1st of August, 207 species and varieties, exclusive of duplicates, were counted in bloom on the rock garden, the most con- spicuous of the herbaceous plants at the present time being Gentiana gelida, Thymus alpinus. Campanula turbinata (blue), and Dickson's white C. turbinata, Siiene Schafta, Sedum ibericum, and S. kamtschaticum, Santolina Chama3cypa- rissus, Fragaria lucida, Disa grandiflora. Spiraea palmata, Cyauanthus lobatns, Diauthus dentosus, Teucrium pyrenaicum, Linaria alpina, Lithospermum fruticosum, Grucianella stylosa rubra, Lilium auratum, Bellis rotundifolia coerulea, Pteroce- phalus Parnassii, and many Ericaceous plants, particularly the Daboecia polifolia, and its numerous varieties of purple, variegated, and white. The Orobanche rubra, parasitic on the roots of the AVhite Thyme, is also conspicuous. A few tufts of this Orobanche were placed last autumn in a large mass of the Thymus Serpyllum album, and the plants are now flower- ing profusely on the roots of this plant. The ten plants of Yucca gloriosa noticed in ray June report as showing flower- spikes hi the rock garden have now bloomed. The spikes average 0 feet in height and 5 feet in circumference. Numerous plants of Podophyllum Emodi are now covered with fruit, each as large as a duck's egg^ and of a rich crimson colour. In consequence of the heat and moisture which has prevailed, many of the dwarf, shrubby, and herbaceous plants, are now producing flowers for a second time, such as Rhododendron ferrugineum album, Menziesia coerulea, and M. empetriformis, Saxifraga purpurasceus, Rosa pyrenaica, Trifolium uniflorum, Gentiana verua, Veronica Guthriana, double red Hepatica, also several species of Primula, particularly P. scotica. P. farinosa, P. annularis, P. nivalis, P. cortusoides. P.- involu- crata, P. minima, &c. Subjoined is a list of the better class of plants as they came into bloom during the past month, chiefly in the rock garden : Plants iu Bloom in July, 1875. 1. CalUprora flava 2. Hypericum Burserii Teucrium pyrenai- cum 3. Anthemis Aizoon (.'yauanthus lobacus Dryas octopetala, m.inima Erica cinerea bicolor Krica cinerea pallida Machasrauthera bi- color Santolina Chamoe- cjparissus 4. Accenamicrophylla Campanula Dicksoni Campanula lanata (iypsophila dubia Stidum sempervi- vioides 5. Campanula nitida Dianthua ratnosus Kchiura rubnim Saxifraga cochlearis vera SuUivantianbionis (?) 6. Campanula carpatica bicolor Campanula gracilis Lychnis japonica Sedum retoridum Spiriea yjalmata , 7. Campanula Hender- I sonii Sisyrinchium cceles- tinuni Vitadenia trilobata 8. Oxalis bonariensis I Saxifraga Hirculus Sedum multiceps I 9. Epipactis palustris Lilium pulchellum 10. Arum teuuifolium Linaria hepaticfefolia Polygonum vaccini- fblium Thymus Acinoa ! 11. Erica tetralix Law- j soniana I PetrocalliB pyrenaica 12. Micromeria Piperella i Teucrium aureum ! 13. Salvia taraxacifolia I 14. Statice trinervis ■ 15. Arenaria larieifoUa I Erica Watsonii j S c 0 1 y m u 3 grandi- ! florua j Statice globularis I 16. Gypsophylla arenaria j lUecebruin verticil- I latum , 17, Campanula Rainerii Convolvulus sabateus Jloyal Botanic Gardens, Edlnhunjlu IS. Teucrium corsicanuui 20. Krica ramuloaa Teucrium canum 21. Bellium minutum Ericacinerea atropur- purea Veronica salicifolia 22. AcfBna pulchella 23. Rrica ciliaris Gentiana asclepiadea alba Orobanche rubra (parasitic on the roots of Thymus Serphyllum album) 24. Campanula flori- bunda 25. Campanula Hostii albiflora 26. Micromeria Douglasii Yucca angustifolia Campanula isophylla alba 27. Hypericum Coris 28. Gonvolvulua aericeus Cypella Herbertii Sedum cyaneum 29. Funkia ccerulea alba 30. Symphyandra pen- dula 31. Scabiosa Gramuntia James M'Nab. AUTUMN-SOWN HARDY ANNUALS. Few think of sowing hardy annuals at any other season than in spring, and yet spring is not the time to sow, if one wishes really to sec what thoy are, and what fine effects, if rightly treated, they are capable of producing. No ; towards the end of the present or commencement of the succeeding month is the right time. With a view to saying a few words on the subject at a later date, we (** Irish Farmers* Gazette") some few weeks since, took occasion to bring under the notice of our readers the fine and ell'ective beds of Nemophila, Saponaria, &c., from seasonably sown seed in the People's Garden, J'fioonix Park, and also at Glasncvin. Plants of Q^]nothera Lindleyana in the latter, from autumn-sown seed, were, too, marvels of floriferous profusion. One of the strongest objec- tions to the " bedding out " system of flower gardening is the nakedness of the beds during the long pei-iod which inter- venes between the time they are cleared of their summer occu- pants and that when they are again replenished the following season. In large establishments, where there are ample means and appliances besides, this is, or may be, got over by means of a well-organised system of shrub bedding ; but how exceptionally few are the places where this system is at all in practice, and fewer still where ic is effectively carried out. Well, for a very small outlay, with the aid of autumn-sown annuals, few, but select, the naked beds may be clothed with beauty. Then, too, in the matter of the spring flower garden, to make it gay with the materials ordinarily in use — flowering bulbs and herbaceous plants— the quantity required of both to produce any considerable effect must be large, and the expenditure consequently large also. The amount of time and labour which they require is also very considerable. Feyv, only familiar with choice annuals, as seen in the ordinary spring-sown scraps and patches, can even dream of the beauty of beds such as Bartonia, Leptosiphon, Limnanthes, Nemo- phila, Saponaria, (Enothera Lindleyana, and others grown from autumn-sown seed. Instead, then, of waiting till March or April next, sow annuals about the last week in August or the first week in September, either at once iu the beds where they are to flower, or, better still, in seed-beds from which they may be transferred to their flowering quarters before frost sets in. In respect of room and soil also, annuals are rarely afforded fair play. When sown in autumn and well treated in these respects they show that no flowers we possess ai'e more precious. Verbena venosa in "Wet Seasons. — This is a most useful plant, as it grows and flowers abundantly in almost any kind of soil or situation. It looks all the brighter for drenching rains, and lasts very late in the season. When all the ordinary varieties of Verbenas fail this one is sure to give satisfaction. ■ It is easily kept through the winter, and if its fleshy roots are stored thickly in boxes any number of plants may be propagated in spring from the young shoots that are abundantly thrown out. When geometrical gardening is largely carried out the rich pui-ple of this plant is most effective. It should be planted rather thickly, and pegged down nntil the ground Is covered, when it will continue to flower until the last of the summer flowers are removed or destroyed by the frost. — James GiiooM, Henhaiih Hall, NOTES AND QUESTIONS ON THE FLOWEE GARDEN. Yucca gloriosa in Flower in Scotland.— Tliere is now flowering in Mr. Johnstone's gardens at Alva a fine specimen of this Yucca. Its height is upwards of 9 feet, and it has more than 400 flowers on it, all of which are not yet expanded. I may state that the plant has never been protected from the weather. It stands in a flower border in the kitchen garden.— W. Lauuie. Ornamental Grasses. — Wherever cut flowers are in demand for room decora- tion or bouquet-making, these Grasses, sparingly used, are very effective. Agrostis nebulosa, Eragrostis elegans, and Lagurus ovatus are amongst the best of the small-growing kinds. Sow thinly in the open ground in April, and transplant or thin out to 5 or 6 inches apart. The flowers may easily be dried for winter use. — K. Hobday. Double Tom Thumb Pelargonium.— This, which is also sometimes callede Madame Rose Charmcaux, I find one of the most pleasing of the double Pelargoniums. It is most iirobably a sport from our great garden favourite Tom Thumb, and resembles it exactly in leaf and habit. In many gardens whore Tom is discarded liis double descendant will probably be welcome to a place.— T. V. A New Grass.— In the *' Chronique " of the Acclimatation Society it is stated that the Society has received a c|uantity of seeds of Reana luxurians, a Grass from Guatemala, said to be of value as a forage plant. According to M. Durieu de Maisonneuve, a single tuft will supply an ox with food lor a day. In its native country, it is a perennial plant, forming enormous tufts. The leaves resemble those of Indian Corn, but are much broader. Double Stock Seed.— Much has been written upon the saving of Stock seed. Three years ago I first had Mauve Queen, and, owing to neglect, I jitiowcd the seed to stand uugathercd through the winter; in spring, finding a few pods left nnaffected by the frosts, I gathered them, and sowed them at the usual time in March. I have since adopted this plan, and my difficulty has been to get single flowers, quite nme-tenths being double. — W. T. Dix, CheUeuhani. Propagating* Semperyivum tabulae forme.— it is quite a mistake to suppose tliM.t this plant "does not multiply freely" (seep. Hi). It is very plentiful in some |ilaco3. 1 began with a single plant one August and had plants and to spare by l)cd{|ing time. Uet an old plant, strip off its leaves from the base up— each with a little piece of heel attached— and peg them down by the middle as thick as they will lie in a shallow pan of light sharp soil, leaving the ends of the leave's sLicking up. In a short time every leaf will produce plants at the heel, and they soon get large. Keep the leaves rather dry than otherwise.- J. S. Aug. 14, 1875.] THE GAEDEN. 129 THE YTJCOAS. The present season seems to be an unusually favourable one for developing the beauties of this noble genus of evergreen shrubs, for many species are flowering most profasely, and are just now in the height of their glory. No other genus of hardy plants constitutes so distinct a feature in the garden as some of the stately Yuccas — indeed, there is abso- lutely no adequate substitute for them. Notwithstanding this quality, their bardiness, and their special suitability for certain purposes and situations, they are still comparatively rare in gardens. In early times they appear not to have been appre- ciated, and, consequently, nurserymen neglected to propagate them ; and, as they are rather slow growers, the prices of good specimens have increased of late years, since tastes have altered and the demand for them has been greater ; but the prices are certainly not beyond their value for ornamental purposes. Y. gloriosa was introduced nearly oOO years ago, and Y. aloifolia about a century later ; but they appear to have been regarded attained their full size, which is from 10 to 20 feet high. Such specimens may be seen in a few private establishments, but, as already observed, Yuccas are not so generally planted as they deserve to be. Nearly all the hardy species inhabit the shifting sands of the seashore of North-east America, from Virginia southward to Florida, and, therefore, they are admirably adapted for planting in similar situations in the United King- dom ; but they will flourish in any thoroughly-drained, free soil, open sunny places suiting them best. They grow rapidly and flower freely in the London gravel, and we have also seen them doing well on various sand formations, and on the chalk; but they thrive best of all on a deep alluvial soil. For the rock garden, for massing on knolls, for planting singly, for association with other plants with ornamental foliage, for planting in formal gardens, and for a variety of other purposes, Yuccas stand unrivalled. Although loving a deep free soil, especially where there is moisture below, they will succeed in Flower of Yucca fie.xilis (" Hevuo Horticole "). See p. 131. as curiosities, and deserving of a place in the garden on that account only. Speaking of Y. gloriosa in 163-5, old Gerarde says— ;^' This some yeares puts forth a prety stiffe round stalke, some 3 cubits high, divided into divers unequall branches, carrying many pi-ety large flowers, shaped somewhat like those of a Fritillaria, white inside, and warm reddish colour from the stalke to the middelst, so that it is a floure of no grete beauty." JMdler, too, writing in 1731, had scant respect for them, and another writer cavils at the use of the specific name gloriosa. But they were cultivated about the latter date in James Sherrard's fine garden at Eltham, in Kent, and Dillenins figures two, G. aloifolia and draconis, in his splendid work "Hortus Elthamensis." Subsequently, at various periods, additional species and varieties were figured in the " Botanical Magazine," " Botanical Eegister," and other works without; exciting any enthusiasm. The fine examples now in flower in the public gardens of Regent's Park, and at Kew, especially the young plants near the Victoria-house at the latter place, will give some idea of their magnificence when they have a stiff loam ; but, in a heavy soil, slightly-raised mounds should be selected, or they are liable to suffer in winter, and rarely flower. In very dry seasons they should be liberally watered ; this promotes growth and the production of flowers ; but Yuccas will bear a long drought without actual injury. This may be verified by any resident in London or other town where the small garden plots are drained completely dry, and when rain comes most of it runs off the ground, unless the precaution is taken of keeping the surface moved. Nevertheless, Yuccas should be extensively planted in towns, not only in small gardens but also in the public squares and parks, for water is not altogether so scarce in towns that a little cannot be spared for the garden, and the labour of applying it is far less, as a rule, in town than in the country. For defying dust, and general hardiness of consti- tution, few plants equal, and none surpass, the hardier species of this genus ; but give them the sunny side of the house. With regard to the. propagation of Yuccas, although they 130 THE GAEDEN. [Aug. 14, 1875. rarely — with the exception of T. filamentosa and that not very frequently— ripen seed in this country, little difSculty will be experienced, as most of them thi-ow up numerous suckers, which may betaken off and planted out at almost any time of the year. Portions of the rhizome and the clustered lateral shoots will also strike very readily. Doubtless several of the species would often bring mature seed if artificially fertilised, for we are informed by American botanists that they depend upon the offices of a certain species of moth for fertilisation in their native habitats ; and, in seasons when this moth happens to be scarce, the Yuccas ripen little or no seed. Artificial" fertilisa- tion is, however, not so easily effected in this genus as in many plants, because the pollen is shed before, or perhaps immediately after, the flowers expand. Judging from the figures of different species consulted for these notes, it would appear that neither botanists nor artists have often seen the perfect anther. If a flower-bud nearly ready to burst be cut open, perfect anthers will be seen. They are nearly triangular, or shaped like the head of an arrow, and attached by their centre to the top of the stout filaments. Before they open to allow the pollen to escape, they assume an almost hori- zontal position in relation to the axis of the flower. After shedding their pollen, the anthers quickly shrivel up, presenting the appearance de- picted in most of the figures. We have said that they will flourish in open elevated situa- tions, but shelter from the north and east winds is neces- sary, especially on the eastern side of these islands. And, although the foliage will bear any wind, the caulescent species require support, or they easily blow over, par- ticularly when planted singly. It is only in the colder and wet parts of the kingdom that even the hardier species will not succeed out of doors ; and, as might be expected from the latitude of their native haunts, they thrive best in the south and west, though nearly all do well in the climate of London. Before leaving this part of our subject, wo would again call attention to the fact that they naturally grow in the sands of the sea-shore, and will therefore flourish where few other things will live. They .should also find a place in public winter gardens, aquariums, and similar places, always giving them a sunny, airy position. "We need not enter at length into the botanical character of the genus and its affinities, but a few words on this subject will not be out of place here, as they will aid the reader in understanding the following descriptions. With the exception of a few necessary terms, technical language is eschewed, and only tlie more obvious distinctive characters are given. The general appearance of a Yucca is so different from most ever- green shrubs that we I'cally need a suggestive popular name to designate the members of this genus and others of similar habit, as Cordyline, Astelia, Phormium, &c. But it is difficult to find OMO that is not open to some grave objection, and, therefore, we will not venture to propose one. Suffice it here to say that this character of foliage is very rai'c among ever- greens or dicotyledons — Dracophyllum in Epacridea:, and Yucca stricta ("Bot. Mag."). Seep. 132 Bryngium in Umbelliferaa being notable exceptions. On the other hand, it is a characteristic of several groups of Endogens, iucluding one or two tribes of the Liliaceas, to which family the Yuccas belong. A glance at the accompanying woodcuts will give a better idea of the foliage than a long paragraph. The leaves are never absolutely fleshy, as in the allied genus Aloe, which, moreover, has small cylindrical flowers in dense spikes or clusters. In Yuccas the flower is composed of six petals in two series, those of the outer series being rather narrower, and usually more or less tinged with green. When fully expanded the flower is somewhat bell-shaped or hemi- spherical, but the petals soon close again, and then the flower is nearly spherical or oblong. Within the flower are six curious club-shaped stamens, bearing relatively small anthers seated on their tips ; and, occupying the centre, is the three- celled, many-ovuled ovary, or young seed vessel. This last character is easily seen and ,, ^ worth noting, becaiise in the Agaves — plants of similar habit, which, with some other genera, form a parallel tribe of the Amaryllis or Narcissus family — the ovary, or future seed-vessel, is beneath, not within, the flower. The most readily-seized characters for distinguishing the species are furnished by the leaves, and particularly by the seed-vessel, but, as the latter is rarely seen in this country, we may neglect it altogether, and rely upon the differences in the leaves and such other charac- ters as are easily seen and understood. There are great differences, it is true, in the size and colouring of the flowers, shape of the petals, &c., of extreme forms, but there is every intermediate gradation, hence, although valuable for pictorial repre- sentations, these characters are of little use in written descriptions. There arc three principal types of foliage, each represented by a number of species. In one set the leaves are quite entire on the margin ; in another they are more or less evidently toothed or saw- ed^ed ; whilst those of the third group have the margin split up into thread-like fragments. Each of these groups is represented by a number of almost stemless species, and others forming a distinct trunk. The genus Yucca is probably confined in its natural distribution to North America, from about 3.5° N. lat., on both coasts, through Mexico to the northern part of South America, and possibly one or two species are indigenous to some of the West Indian Islands. But we have no trustworthy evidence that any of them are really indigenous to Japan and China, though it may be true, as reported, that some of them have been bi-onght to Europe from those countries. The name is from Hijucca, or Jucca, a name said to be applied by the Indians to one of the species of this genus, and by others said to he one of the appellations of the Cassava. The roots were once stated to furnish the food called Cassava — a statement now known to be erroneous ; but whether the name Yucca has been misapplied, we know not. Before proceeding to a considera- tion of the hardy forms, we should observe that many of them are still very rare in this country, whilst others are not yet, to our knowledge, in cultivation. The term hardy is here Aug. 14, 1875.] THE GAEBBN. i3i employed in its widest sense, and inclndes those species whicli will only endure the winters of the most favourable parts of the kingdom. Notes, relative to hardiness, are given under each species. For many of the details of the following descriptions, I am indebted to Mr. J. G. Baker, who will shortly monograph the genus on a scientific basis. Enumeration of Species and Varieties. Division I. Serrato-marginatee. — Species in which the margin of the mature leaf ia more or less distinctly toothed or saw-edged. 1. Y. aloifolia, of Linnsus, is vei'y commonly cultivated in this country, having been introduced as early as 1696 ; but it is naually treated as a greenhouse plant, although Chapman, in his " Flora of the Southern States," gives the same habitat for this as for Y. gloriosa, namely " drifting sands along the coast from Florida to North Carolina." Possibly it may not be quite as hardy as the species just mentioned, but there can be no doubt of its hardiness in the south and west. It extends to Mexico and Jamaica ; and, therefore, it is very probable that plants introduced from the warmer parts of its geographical area are tender in this country, whilst those from its northern limits in the United Sates would prove hardy. In North America, it is reported to form a stem from 4 to 8 feet high ; in the West Indies, from 8 to 12 feet high ; and, under cultivation in this country, it grows even higher ; but it seldom flowers with us. Hence the stem remains unbranched, and exceeds its normal height. The leaves are very numerous and rigid, almost horizontal, or slightly ascending, dark green, with a slight glaucous bloom, when fully developed 18 to 24 inches long by 1 to I5 inch broad, half way up, and narrowed to about J inch above the dilated base, and gradually upwards into a rigid point. The upper part not plaited ; margin horny, rolled in on the lower part, and furnished with fine teeth ; flowers, white or lurid red. The ordinary variety is figured in the " Botanical Magazine" and in the " Hortua Elthamensis ; " but there are several others in cultivation, including some handsome variegated ones. Y. quadri- color and versicolor are beau- tifully variegated with mar- ginal stripes of green, yellow, and red. The form called Y. Draconis in gardens, which Mr. Baker referred to this species iuhisenumeration of the species in the "Gardeners' Chronicle" for 1870, has since been figured in the " Refugium Botanicum," under the name of Y. guatemalensis. This is doubtless a tenderer plant than the true aloifolia ; and it differs considerably from the true Draconis of the " Ilortus Elthamensis, which does not appear to be in cultivation now. For ornamental purposes, for the sake of the foliage alone, Y. aloifolia and its varieties are invaluable ; and, though not so graceful as Cordyline australis, they are hardier, and will bear the wind better. Where the climate is too severe for it to bear the winter, or where it is feared to turn out large plants of it, Y. aloifolia should be used for summer embellishments only out of doors. 2. Y. Treculeana, of Carri^re, was introduced from Texas in 1850, and is reported to be hardy, and to have flowered in the open air at Paris, and in other places in the north of Prance ; but it is still very rare in England. It forma a very stout stem, and the fully developed leaves are from 3 to 4; feet long by 2 to 2Jr inches broad, dark green on both sides, with a hard, sharp point, and very fine regular teeth. The inflorescence of this species is an exceedingly dense, much-branched panicle, not much overtopping the neai'ly erect upper leaves. We have no information concerning the height this species grows in its native country. A warm sheltered situation should be selected for it. In catalogues Y. concava is Quoted as a synonym. 3. Y. rupicola, of Scheele, is supposed by Mr. Baker to be the same as Y. lutcscens of French gardens. It resembles Y. aloifolia, Yucca Treculeana. but it has narrower and thicker leaves, with a broader horny margin, and more distinct teeth. It is described as forming a stem from 4 to V feet high ; but M. Carriere says lutescens is stemless. Leaves, pale green, with a sharp, often twisted point. Reported to be a native of Texas, and should, therefore, be treated similarly to the last. 4. Y. Whipplei, of Torrey, is a Californian species of this division, which will probably prove hardy, in the warmer parts, at least, of the kingdom. It is described as having a stem from 1 to 2 feet high, and very thick leaves, about i of an inch broad and 18 inches long. There are several other caulescent and stemless forms of this group, but they are imperfectly known, or too tender for our climate. Division II. Filamento-marginatse. — Species in which the margin of the leaf always splits up into filamentous threads. Section I. (Acaulesoentes). — All the generally known species of this division belong to this section, characterised by having no distinct stem, the leaves being spread out in the form of a rosette close to the ground. 5. Y. filamentosa, of Linnseus, is the species of this division usually seen in gardens. It was introduced in 1675, and is, perhaps, the hardiest of the genus, though in humid situations it is sometimes injured, when Y. gloriosa is unscathed. At all events, its northern limit is considerably beyond the others, as it reaches Virginia. The accompanying figure will give a better idea than words of the habit of this species, the long, slender shaft of the infloresence being character. istic of the group. Leaves, from thirty to fifty, tough and pliable, with abundant mar- ginal grey threads, apple- green or slightly glaucous, from 15 to 24 inches long, by 14 to 2 inches broad at the middle, outer ones spreading, central ones erect or only slightly recurved, point not pungent ; panicle, 4 to 6 feet high ; scape tinged with red ; flowers, nearly pure white, or more or less tinged ; petals, rather long and narrow. In a well-drained soil this species flowers almost every season, and its slender, graceful in. florescence and showy flowers render it a very attractive and desirable plant. There is a handsome variety with variegated leaves, which is a great acquisition among varie- gated hardy plants of this class. In the " Refugium Botanicum " there is a figure of a large-flowered variety called grandiflora, which is perhaps the same as that known in gardens as maxima. It is larger in all its parts than the type, and the flowers are tinged with yellowish - green outside and red at the tips of the petals. The panicle attains a height of from 6 to 8 feet. There is also a variety called concava, with shorter, more rigid, concave leaves, and a dwarfer inflorescence. This species, and most of the stemless ones of this division, flower when quite young. 6. Y. flaccida, of Haworth. — A rather smaller species than the last, with thinner leaves, about 18 to 25 inches long, the young ones erect or slightly spreading, the old ones very thin in texture and abruptly decurved about the middle, almost as if broken off, giving the rosettes an untidy appearance, by which they may easily be distinguished from any of the forms of Y. filamentosa. The leaves, too, are very copiously furnished with grey threads, from 3 to 4 inches long ; panicle, 3 to 4 feet high, with pubescent branches ; flowers, rather smaller than in the preceding, greenish-yellow outside, nearly white within ; petals irregularly toothed on the margin. This species is perfectly hardy, and flowers very freely, but it is scarcely so ornamental as the last. The date of its introduction is given as 1810 by Loudon, but its origin is uncertain. It is probably an extreme form of Y. filamentosa, for Chapman gives only four species in hia "Flora of the Southern States," namely Y. filamentosa, gloriosa, aloifolia, and recurvifolia. 7. Y. puberula, of Haworth. — This is rather a smaller plant than either of the foregoing, and the branches of its panicles are 132 THE GAEDBN. [Aug. 14, 1875. densely clothed with short hairs ; leaves of the centre decidedly recurved, and very sparsely furnished with marginal threads ; flowers, broadly campannlate, of a deep cream colour. Mr. Wilson Saunders states that this species seems much e.xhausted after flowering, and the portion which flowers dies, generally leaving side shoots, which require two or more years before they have strength to produce flower-spikes. Stated to be a native of the Southern United States ; date of inti'oduction unknown. This species also is most likely included by Chapman under fliamentosa, though probably a more careful examination of the native plants might lead to their being discriminated as distinct species. 8. Y. striata, of Sims, " Botanical Magaziue," t. 2,222.— This species has longer narrower leaves and a proportionately shorter stalk to the panicle, the lower part of which does not rise quite clear of the leaves. The marginal threads are very slender and few in number. The lower branches of the panicles are long, and bear as many as a dozen flowers, and the latter are comparatively large. Eeported by Sims from Cai-olina, but the dried specimens in the Kew Herbarium are from Texas and near New Orleans. Intro- duced in 1817, and figured in 1821. Yucca stricta, of the "RevueHorticole," isdescribedas a short-stemmed plant which, at the surface of the soil, presents a spherical mass of leaves, which are very numerous, and measure some 16 or 17 inches in length, and about half-an-inch in breadth. They taper off to a point, are straight or sometimes a little bent, slightly canaliculated, and bear upon their edges whitish- grey filaments ; the youngest leaves are somewhat shorter and broader than the others, and are glaucescent on the interior sur. face. The flower-spike is green, pubescent, and strong, attaining a height of 3 or 4 feet. The twin flowers, which are often solitary on weak stems, are at first greenish, then yellow, and subsequently nearly white. The external divisions are about li inches long, and three-quarters of an inch wide ; the interior ones are oval and somewhat larger. This plant, which commences to flower towards the end of June, sends out but few suckers. It seems to be intermediate between Y. flaccida and Y. filamentosa. 9. Y. glaucescens, of Ha- worch. — I am in some doubt whether different writers have had the same plant in view, judging from the discrepancies in their several descriptions. Tho true plant appears to have been introduced in 1819. It is very near Y. filamentosa, having firmer narrower glaucous leaves, sparsely filiferous and sharp- pointed. Panicle, 3 to 4 feet high, with very downy branches. Mr. Baker thinks it may be only a variety of filamentosa. Mr. Robinson, in the " Sub-tropical Garden," describes it as a very free-flowering kind, with flowers of a greenish-yellow colour, tinged with red when in bud, which tends to give the whole inflorescence a peculiarly pleasing tone ; and he adds that it is a very useful sort for groups, borders, isolation, or placing among low shrubs. Reported to be a native of North America, though probably of garden origin, as seed- lings from V. filamentosa are known to vary considerably, 10. Y. angustifolia, of Pursh. — This species has very narrow loaves, from a quarter to a third of an inch broad, and rarely so rnucli as 1 H inches long. They are of a pale glaucous green, very thick, and more rigid in tcxtnro than any others of this section, sharp.pointed, and furnished with numerous white marginal threads. It is the dwarfest of the group, rarely exceeding 2 feet in height, and the inflorescence is reduced to a simple raceme. Cultivated specimens sometimes attain larger dimensions, but it is rarely seen now. Y. angustifolia, of Carriure, belongs to the same set as Y. Yucca glori aloifolia, and is unknown to me, beyond the description. The true plant, it is recorded, was introduced in 1811, and there is a figure, though a very indifferent one, of it in the " Botanical Magazine." It is a native of New Mexico, and scarcely so hardy as Y. filamen. tosa and its varieties, in a heavy loam — the only soil I have seen it tried in. 11. Y. paviflora, of Torrey. — This is also a New Mexican species, so far as I am aware, not yet introduced. In foliage it resembles the last, except that the margins are rolled inwards and much duller in colour ; the panicle is very slightly branched, and the flowers are very much smaller than in any other species of the genus, the petals not exceeding three-quarters of an inch long by an eighth of an inch broad. It is also very distinct in many other characters. From its native country it will probably thrive only in the milder parts of the kingdom. Section II. — Caulescentes. 13. Y. baccata, of Torrey.^Mr. Linden, of Ghent, has recently introduced this curious species from New Mexico, and possessors of it should not trust it out of doors through the winter until it be- comes more plentiful. It is described as having a short thick ': , i.^ trunk; erect, sword - shaped, • ' ^^- ^ channelled, filameutose leaves, "■^^., and very large flowers, the petals =^-\^ measuring 2.V to 3 inches long ,' by about half an inch broad. The fruit is stated to be as large as a big Fig, with a sweet edible pulp. Mr. Baker has published pre- , liminary incomplete descriptions of several other forms of this ' section, formerly in the collection i'' of Mr. Wilson Saunders, but I have not been able to glean any further information concerning their hardiness; and, as they aro doubtless very rare in culti- vation, it is scarcely worth whilo copying the description, especi- ally as the flowers of all of them were unknown to him at the date of his paper. They bear the following names : — Y. periculosa, polyphylla, ciroinata, scabrifolia, and fragilifolia. Division III. Integro-mar- ginatse. — Jlarginof theleaves quite entire, that is, neither toothed nor splitting off into threads. Section I.— Acaulescentes. 13. Y. orchioides, of Car. riere. — A very distinct species, the smallest of the genus not exceeding 18 inches in height. Leaves, about a dozen in a rosette, very thin, and reed-like in texture, from 9 to 12 inches long by an inch broad, the broadest part pale green in colour, point not at all pungent, surface nearly flat throughout or slightly involute towards the top, margin marked with a faint brown lino ; inflorescence, unbranched, the stalk below the flowers deep red, clothed with a grey pubeacenoe ; flowers, broadly campannlate, with ovate petals about an inch long. The native country of this species is not given. It is figured and described in the " Revue Horticole," 18G1, p. 369, and is still rare iu this country. 14. Y. glauca, of Sims, in the "Botanical Magazine," t. 2,662. A very hardy form, whose native habitat is not given. Most likely it is of garden origin. It approaches very closely to .some of the filamontoso set, but it is almost or quite destitnto of marginal threads. The original is described as having lanceolate glaucous, flexible loaves, and yellow flowers, with ovate spreading petals. Mr. Baker describes a plant, believed to be the same, as having from twenty- five to thirty leaves in a rosette, 15 to 18 inches long, and about 1^ inches broad iu tho middle. Panicle, very much branched, 3 to 4 feet high ; flowers, somewhat sancer-shaped. 15. Y. tortulata, of Baker.— I only know this from Mr. Baker's Eugland (see p. 133). Aug. 14, 1875.] THE GAEDBN. 133 description. Ita native country appears to be unknown. Leaves, abont forty in a close rosette, 18 to 21 inches long, when fully developed, by 14 to 15 lines lines broad at the middle, narrowed to half that width just above the base; apple-green; always retaining a glaucous tinge ; more or less twisted to one side ; point, hard and sharp ; lower side, distinctly rounded ; margin, distinct and quite entire. Possibly the same as the Y. undulata of Martins. 16. Y. pruinosa, of Baker. — Another little known form. Leaves, seventy to eighty in a close rosette, 26 to 30 inches long when fully developed, nearly as stiff as in some of the forms of gloriosa ; per. manently clothed with a glaucous bloom, sharp pointed, flat, margin marked with a distinct brown line. The flowers of this and the last are not known to me. 17. Y. acuminata, of Sweet, " Flower Garden," 2, t. 195. — This forms a very short stem, and is in many respects very near gloriosa; but its flowers aro less showy. Leaves, fifty to sixty in a dense rosette, 18 to 2 1 inches long, nearly 2 inches broad in the middle, narrowed gradually upwards to a hard brown point, deep 20 feet high — that is, including the inflorescence, which often attains a length of 6 feet. This species flowers freely in sunny situations, after it has reached a certain age, but plants from suckers are usually some years before they flower. The trunk branches after flowering, and it is not unusual to see old specimens many times branched, forming very heavy heads, which should be supported. It is very variable, though, perhaps, not more so than the other species of the genus, but its varieties are better known. The ordinary form or type has upwards of 100 leaves in a dense tuft, 21 to 30 inches long, and 3 inches broad at the middle, in luxuriant specimens, narrowed gradually upwards to a brown sharp point, and downwards to Ij to li inches above the base, green or slightly glaucous when 3'Oung, very rigid, even the outer older ones remaining erect ; face, concave, with longitudinal folds ; margin, entire, with a distinct brown line ; panicle, 3 to 6 feet long, according to the vigour of tho plant, not downy or hairy ; flowers, large, among the handsomest of the genus, almost globular or goblet-shaped, when the petals are incurved ; petals, oblong, narrowed into a point at the top, from Old Specimens of Yucca aloifolia iu Ital,v. green, slightly glaucous when young, the face more or less concave throughout the entire length, edge marked with a distinct brown line, ascending or spreading, not recurved. Panicle, 1 to 5 feet high, with several short ascending branches ; flowers, cream-white, more or less tinged with dull purple. Mr. Saunders st:ites that this is a slow-growmg, shy-flowering, though quite hardy, plant in the neigh, bonrhoodl^ of London. It is believed to be a native of the Southern United States, and was introduced early in the present century. Sweet figured it in 1838. Section II.— Caulescentes. 18.^ Y. gloriosa, of Linnfous.^This is certainly tho most majestic and the most beautiful of the genus, as it was the first introduced, having been in cultivation ever since 1596. It o-rows in drifting sands along the coast from Florida to North Carolina, where, according to Chapman, it forms a stem from 2 to 4 feet hi^h • but in favourable situations in this country, it is not uncommon to see the whole plant from 10 to 15 feet, or occasionallv, I am informed. 2.V to 3 inches deep, the inner ones from 1 to Ij inches broad, the outer ones narrower, and distinctly banded, or more or less tinged with bright red down the back ; or sometimes the flowers are almost a pure white, seedlings varying much iu this respect. Several have been distinguished. Y. minor, of Carriere, sometimes called rubra and superba in gardens, is a very showy, flowered dwarf form, that flowers freely when small. Y. glau. cescens, of the same writer, differs mainly from the type in its decidedly glaucous foliage. Y. superba, of Ha worth, and the " Bot. Reg.," t. 1,090, has smaller more rigjd leaves than the typo, and a short dense panicle. Y. mollis, of Carriere has longer, less rigid leaves than the type. Finally, Y. recurvata, of Baker, has the outer leaves recurved, and, in other respects, being intermediate, between gloriosa and recurvifolia. 19. Y. recurvifolia, of Salisbury, in the "Paradisns Londi- nensis," t. 31. — This is, perhaps, better known in gardens under the name of pendula, of Siebold ; but the above has priority over all others. It is also called recurva, reflexa, and japouica. The stem 134 THE GARDEN. [Aug. 14, 1875. of this sjjecies does not grow so high as the last, bnt it is usually- more branched ; leaves, very numerous, from 2 to 3 feet long, bright apple-green, or faintly glaucous when young, not so thick in texture nor so sharp.pointed as in the last, but becoming distinctly recurved with age ; panicle, 3 to 4 feet high ; flowers, of a more cylindrical shape than those of gloriosa, exhibiting the same variety of colour. This highly ornamental species inhabits the sea-coast of Georgia, and was introduced in 179 i. It is perfectly hardy, and, perhaps, the best of all for forming clumps on the lawn and general purposes, its reflesed leaves giving it a less stiff and formal appearauce than its congeners. Mr. Saunders says this is not a very free.flowering species; but my experience of it, in favourable situations, is quite the reverse. Y. rufo-cinata is a variety in which the leaves are distinctly margined with a reddish-brown. 20. Y. Ellacombei. — This species or variety was named by Messrs. Osborne in honour of the Eev. H. N. Ellacombe, of Bitton Vicarage, whose collection of this genus is very rich. Its origin is obscure ; but, as an ornamental species, it is highly spoken of by Mr. Saunders, who gives a figure of it in the " Refugium Botanicum." It is quite hardy, forming a short trunk, with rosettes of about forty or fifty leaves, which are from 2 to 2J feet long, and IJ- to If inch broad at the middle, narrowed up. wards into a brown sharp point somewhat thinner than those of gloriosa in texture, all spreading or ascending, permanently glaucous, the face more or less concave throughout, not plicate, edge marked with a distinct brown line ; panicle, a yard long by half as broad ; flowers, pure white, with the exception that the outer petals are tinged with red on the back. 21. Y. flexilis, of Caniero. — This kind is, so far as I am aware, not cultivated in this country, at least it is not included in any of the nursery catalogues I have before me. It is described as having a short trunk and bright green leaves, shining as if varnished, faintly glaucous when young, when fully developed 2 to 2i feet long by about l;i inches broad at the middle, narrowed gradually to a sharp point, the outer ones grace, fully reflexed, margin reddish- brown ; flowers, pearl-white, 3 to 3} inches long. This form probably originated in French gardens. 22. Y. gigantea, of Lemaire. — According to the description in the " Revue Horticole," this istho largest form of this series. It has leaves from 4 to 5 feet long and 3 inches broad in the middle, bright shining green, edge whitish ; pani- cle, 2 feet long, copiously branched; flowers, cream - coloured ; petals, 3i inches long. It flowered in Verschaffelt's colleotiou at Ghent, in 18.59. Ji3. Y. canaliculata, of Hooker, " Botanical Magazine," t. 5,»01.— A Mexican species, thriving only in warm, sheltered situa- tions. Stem, 1 to 2 feeo long below the rosette, 3 to 4 inches thick ; leaves, forty to fifty, in a dense rosette, 20 to 2 |. inches long, 2 to 2i inches broad at the middle, very strong and rigid in texture, with a very strong, sharp point, tlic face so deeply concave as to bo almost boat.shaped, slightly toothed near the point, marked all through with a very distinct brown line, colour a slightly glaucous green, back moderately Hoabrous ; panicle, 4 to 5 feet high ; flowers, cream-whito, li inoboa dotp. An exceedingly handsome aud distinct species. 24. Y. ensifolia, of gardens, figured in "Refugium Botanicum," Vol. IV., tab. 318. — This is probably a native of Mexico, and it is treated as a greenhouse plant by Mr. Saunders, though doubtless aa hardy as the last. However, its hardiness has not been tested, and so long as it remains rare I should not recommend trying it out of doors through the winter, except in the very warmest localities in the south- west. The specimens known have a short trunk, very thick at the base j leaves, thirty to forty, spread over about a foot of the stem, narrow, lanceolate, (2 to 2^- feet long, li to IJ inches broad at the middle, narrowed gradually upwards to a brown sharp point, and downwards to half-an-inch above the broad base, pale glaucous green, similar to those of gloriosa in texture, the face more or less concave through- out, the edge marked with a dis- tinct brown line ; panicle, 2 feet long; flowers, nearly globular in shape, cream-white, faintly tinged on the outside with red. The foregoing is a very im- perfect synopsis of the hardy cultivated Yuccas ; very little having been added to our know- ledge since Mr. Baker wrote in 1870 ; but as they become more generally cultivated it will be possible to get more together at one time for comparison and description. Several other names might have been added, but the plants are either not in this country at all or extremely rare, and we have no informa- tion as to their hardiness. W. B. Hemsley, A.L.S. Yucca angustifolia (soa p. 133) A Frenoli Gardeners' Or- phanage.— At the little village of Fresnes, on the Lyon railway, in France, stands the orphanage founded by M. Esnault-Pelterie, a lawyer, for the children of gar- deners who have been left unpro- vided for. The organisation of this little establishment has been simple in the extreme. Standing within spacious gardens, the pro- perty of the benevolent founder, the institution affords accommoda- tion to from fifteen to twenty-five children who are lodged, clothed, and instructed in the art of garden, ing by a gardener specially ap. pointed for the purpose. Ten years ago, this good work was in. augurated ; aud, since then, the establishment has sent out a great many young men trained as gar. deners, who have had little difii. culty in obtaining situations as garden assistants. In order to mark their sense of M. Esnault. Pelterie's benevolence, the Central Society of Horticulture of France have recently sent him their gold medal, and to M. Simon, the gar. dener in charge, a silver one. New Hybrid Herbaceous Spirseas. — Some Hybrid Spiraeas of a very interesting character have been sent to us by Mr. Willison, of Whitby. S. palmata was the female plant, but all, or nearly all, of the progeny have pinnate leaves, differing much among themselves both in size and form. Out of about 100 plants flowering this year, which have bloomed earlier than the parent, the flowers are either white or pinkish. One of tho white-flowered forms has the pips so much larger than usual, that Mr. Willison suggests it might be called grandiflora. Tho value of these seedlings as garden plants cannot yet be truly estimated, since their permanent character will scarcely be manifest, but the large. flowered one alluded to, and some of those with the flowers much suffused with pink, may be expected to prove pretty ornaments of our flower borders. — " Florist." Aug. 14, 1876.] THE GAEDEN. 135 THE AMATEUR'S GARDEN. By THOMAS BAINES. Currants on Walls.— The fruit of these is not often molested by birds whilst they have bushes in the open ground to attack, bat when these fail the wall fruit will be in danger, and should be netted at once. By this means a supply of Currants for dessert can be kept up much longer than it otherwise could be; they will hang for many weeks when grown against the walls of buildings or anywhere else under copings. When grown on north, east, or west walls they come in later than on more sunny aspects, and, if kept dry, will afford a long succession of useful fruit. Wasps, in some parts of the country, are very numerous this season, and should be guarded against ; a ready and certain method of destroying them is dipping pieces of rag in gas tar, placing them in their holes at night, and setting fire to them, at the same time covering the hole up with earth, so as to prevent the fumes escaping ; if this is done effectually, none that are inside will survive ; but, as quantities of nests exist that are never found, means must be taken to trap those that molest ripe fruits. Pluma, especially Greengages, are their particular favourites ; so fond are they of this fruit that they will often attack the crop before it is fully ripe, and unless they are destroyed scarcely any will escape. The most effectual traps are ordi- nary hand-lights raised on bricks placed near the foot of the trees which they infest ; put a few of tljifi fruits which the wasps have partially eaten inside and near the top of the hand-lights, in which there should be an opening an inch or two in diameter, through which the wasps can get ; nine wasps out of every ten that are attracted by the fruit-bait, instead of departing at the bottom, where they came in, will rise to the top of the glasa and find their way out through the small aperture alluded to ; but, to prevent their getting away another glass, similar in size and shape and quite tight, must beput on the top of the first ; here they will be con. fined until they die. Wide-mouthed bottles, filled with sweetened beer or treacle and water, hung in the trees, will also catch great numbers of them, and may be employed in addition to the hand-light traps. Flower Garden. — Continue to go over the beds regularly, in order to remove dead flowers and discoloured leaves ; this applies particularly to Pelargoniums, which, if not attended to in this manner, look shabby ; peg down the shoots of any other plants that require that attention, so as to cover the ground evenly. In most places the surface was further from being covered at the commence- ment of the present month than it usually is at the end of Jane, and, as perfect regularity without any blanks is a most essential point in this system of gardening, everything should bo done that tends to make the appearance of the summer flower garden as perfect as possible. If the weather becomes dry Dahlias and Hollyhocks should bo supplied with manure-water ; quick-growing, gross-feeding plants, such as these, can scarcely be overdone with stimu- lants of this kind, which may also be given to them strong. The drainings from the stable and cow-shod manure-heap, with about twice their volume of water, will not be too much. Asters, that are vigorous and coming into flower, and also Zinnias,will be much benefitted by similar applications. The cool, moist weather that we have had throughout the summer has been much against the progress of tender bedding plants, but it has had an opposite effect upon most hardy herbaceous subjects. Delphiniums, Phloxes, Campanulas, Poten. tillas, scarlet Lychnis, Chelones, and a host of other fine summer flowering subjects, have been beautiful. Delphiniums have thrown Yiicca cnsifolia (see p. 134) up successional blooming shoots that promise more tlian an ordmary amount of autumn flower, and will be much improved by the removal of all bloom-stems as they go out of flower where seed is not required. Gather the seeds of Sweet Williams, Wallflowers, Fox- gloves. Snapdragons, and similar subjects, as they ripen, and put them in paper bags, labelled sothat there may be no mistake at the time they are required for sowing. Houses.— Vineries.— Where ripe Grapes are hanging wasps are here more destructive even than out of doors, domg senoiis damage in a very short time if they are not prevented. IVIany con- trivances are resorted to to stop their ravages, such as putting the bunches in muslin or paper bags, but these, at best, are but halt measures, for the wasps often eat their way through ; and it the weather becomes very damp later on before the insects are got rid of, a few berries often become mouldy, and when the bunch is so deprived of air and ot bght, the whole very soon decays. In addition to this the operation of putting on the bags destroys the bloom. A much more effective plan is to keep the wasps out ot the house altogether, which can be done by nailing hexagon net- ting over the moveable front and roof-lights, or ventilators, that are opened for the admission of air. This, with a little care in putting on, so as to leave the material loose enough, will effectually keep these pests at bay, without ex- cluding the necessary air. The woolly nature of this netting pre- vents the wasps eating their way through it, as, with some fabrics, they will do, if they have found the fruit. Vines that have been allowed to start of their own accord in the spring by the sun's power will at once require the assistance of fire-heat where the means for its application exists, not only for maturing the fruit in time, but, for what is of equal importance, ripening the wood for another year. A little should be turned on when the weather is at all dull. Where fire-heat cannot bo applied, not an hour should be lost in utilising sun-heat. Close the houses in the afternoon as soon as the thermometer falls to 80'. This will often cause the tempera, ture to rise to 100°, which will, at this end of the day, do no harm, but much good. Give air early in the morning ; a little by six o'clock will do much to prevent scalding in both fruit and leaves. Have suflicient moisture in the atmosphere to swell the berries out and to keep in check red spider. This applies to Grapes that require Hamburgh treatment. Where Mus- cats are grown in such a season as the present, it is impossible to get them into satisfactory condition without continuous fire-heat, at all events from this time forward until ripe. Potatoes.— With amateurs, as with others engaged in gardening pursuits, the question of the greatest importance at the present time will be how to deal with the Potato crop. We frequently meet with those who, when disease attacks their crops, are more disposed to stand still and let things run their course than take measures to save even a portion of them, the reason assigned being that numerous attempts to check the disease in past years have utterly failed. This course might be defensible if we were sure of the weather, from this time, being dry, for it not unfrequently happens that the disease makes its appearance on the haulm and on a portion ot the tubers, while the remaining, and often the greater part, is not affected. After the first attack, however, should the season continue wet, seven.eighths ot the whole crop generally go bad ; whereas, if all the early and second early kinds had at once been taken up on the first appearance of the disease, a large portion might have 136 THE GARDEN. [Aug. 14, 1875. been saved. I have continually found it to be no easy matter to convince people that Potatoes will keep sound equally well if taken up before they are ripe as when allowed to remain in the ground until fully matured ; yet such is the case, even if the tubers are so young that the skin will slip off them easily when touched ; this I have proved by repeated trials extending over at least a score of years. If, on the first appearance of disease on the leaves, before it has extended to the bottom of the haulm and thence to the tubers, the latter are taken up, they will keep as sound through the winter as if no disease had been prevalent and as if left in the ground until fully ripe; bat Potatoes thus early taken up are never quite so good in quality as when time is allowed for thorough maturation. I would strongly urge the advisability of at once taking up all early and second early kinds, putting any that have been at all diseased where they can be turned over, in order to pick out such as are affected, and have escaped notice at taking up time. If there be a continuance of wet weather, I should also advise that late varieties for seed be taken up at once ; but for this purpose, when disease is prevalent, they must not be allowed to re- main out of doors to green in the usual way, for, although they may not be effected when lifted, yet, if exposed in this manner, they will quickly suffer to a greater extent even than when they were in the ground, although they may be a considerable distance from any that are suffering from disease. This shows clearly the existence of spores in the air when the disease is rife. The removal of Potato crops earlier than usual will admit of a much larger breadth of ground being planted at once with Cab- bages, Cottager's Kale, or other Winter Greens. Spring Flowers. Now is the time for preparing the various kinds of Pausies used in spring bedding, beginning by carefully going over the whole of the old stock, which probably had been used last spring and removed hurriedly from the quarters it then occupied to make room for summer bedding plants. If it has not already been done, lose no time in getting in plenty of cuttings ; for, although it is late they will 3'et root, and be very useful in spring for filling any vacancies which are always very liable to occur during the winter months in the beds planted in autumn. If seeds of any kind have been col- lected, sow them at once ; although they will not all come true to name, a fair percentage will do so, and by letting them remain in the seed beds all the winter they will flower early in spring. Then select such as are true, and they will supply cuttings such as cannot be taken from the beds in the early part of spring. These will be found very useful in the succeeding autumn. It generally occurs, particularly where spring gardening is extensively practised, that, when planting is completed, there is nothing left for stock; conse- quently it is very necessary to make every effort for the supply of this. I have always found, in my expoinence oE spring gardening of this kind, that the stock requires much more attention and watchfulness at different seasons of the year than that of summer bedding plants, and, if once out of order, it is not a very easy task to right it by the time it is wanted. See that no seedling Daisies spring up amongst your stock, or you will experience much difficulty in detecting the true ones in autumn. Various kinds of Silenes should now be sown, not forgetting S. pendnla compacta, which is a lovely variety. Sow also Limnanthes Douglasii and grandifiora, the former is the first to flower by one month, but gr,audiflora is the most showy. Lasthenia californica. Erysimum Perofskianum, Nemophila insignis, Saponaria calabrica and alba, Myosotis diesitifiora, and other kinds, should now be sown ; and all other kinds of annuals required for spring flowering Yucca recurvifolia (see p. 133) of which there are others omitted here, as I here only named such as I know to be quite hardy, and may be depended upon for a spring display. In planting Myosotis dissitiflora, I find it a good plan to partly use plants from cuttings, and partly from seed planted thickly. This prolongs the time of flowering greatly, the cuttings flowering first, and the seedlings succeeding. By sowing them now in beds, and pricking them out as soon as they are large enough to handle on ground prepared to receive them, they are strong plants by end of September, or by the time you have cleared away the summer bedding plants. And when you have done, lose no time in planting your spring flowering plants. The system of bi-annual planting, to which I here more particularly refer, requires great care, and much labour and attention. What I have written above, refers to late — March, April, and May — displays of spring flowers, and not very early spring flower gardening, which would require quite a different class of plants. — George Beech, Castle A^hlvj. Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground. As soon as cuttings of Pinks, Picotees, Double Wallflowers, &c., are well rooted they should be planted out where they are intended to remain, either in beds or in patches, as may be desired. It is always advisable to do this soon, so that the plants may become well esta- blished before winter sets in ; but, previous to turning such plants out, the soil should be properly pre- pared for their reception. Pinks, Picotees, Cloves, and Carnations succeed best in a tolerably tenacious loamy soil, and, if the natural soil of the garden be deficient in this respect, it should have fresh mate- rial added to it ; at the same time examine very carefully the fresh soil, and remove wireworms, should it contain any, which is very fre- quently the case, for they are the most deadly foe of this family of plants. When a good strain of Sweet Williams is obtained, this can generally be perpetuated by seed saved from the very best blooms, but it is at the same time advisable to perpetuate unusually fine varie- ties by cuttings, and if these were inserted under hand-glasses when the plants first came into flower, they will now be rooted, and may be planted out. All such plants may, if desired, be planted as single specimens on the herbaceous border, but they are much more effec- tive when massed, or formed into beds. Where cuttings of choice Pansies are well-rooted the;:" may also now be planted out. Such plants rejoice in a tolerably rich or well - manured soil, and a somewhat shady situation. The various kinds of Brompton and Queen Stocks may also be planted out now, and will succed in any tolerably good garden soil. AVhen it is desirable to have Ten-week and intermediate sorts in flower early in spring, the present is a suitable time to sow the seeds, and a portion at least of the plants should be potted, when strong enough, and kept in cold pits or frames during winter. Look over beds of seedling Holly- hocks as soon as they are in flower ; pull up all vrorthless varieties, and increase promising seedlings, as well as named kinds by cuttings, or eyes, to the extent they are likely to be required. The Phlox Drummondii is one of the mo.st charming of annual flowers when a good strain is obtained, and to prevent this from deteriorating, it is necessary to look carefully over the beds or plantations of such plants, and weed out interior varieties. This practice should be pur- sued with all annual and biennial flowers, such as the various Dianthuses, Sweet Williams, Mignonette, Wallflowers, Zinnias, &c. ■ — indeed, seed should never be gathered promiscuously from such plants, or the strain will be sure to deteriorate. In oven the most exten- sive establishments only a limited quantity of seed of such plants will be required, and it is always advisable to select and mark the very best flowers for the purpose of furnishing seed for the following season's Aug. 11., 1875.] THE GAEDEN. 137 supply. Continue to increage, by cuttings, the necessary stock of bedding Pelargoniums for next year's embellishment ; but, at the same time, avoid by all means despoiling the flower beds for this purpose, which it will not be necessary to do if the surplus ' stock was planted, as directed, in the reserve garden for this pnr. pose. Now, when the weather is somewhat dry, allow no plants nor beds to suffer in any degree for want of water, as, if this is not attended to when necessary, such plants as the Verbena and the Calceolaria will soon become unhealthj'. The wet and comparatively cool weather has been favourable to the healthy development of the Calceolaris ; although, ia some gardens, the cultivation of this fine bedding plant has been discontinued on account of its liability to become diseased or to die suddenly off, and this circumstance is to be regretted, as there is no plant of similar colour belonging to any other family of plants which can equal in beauty the numerous varieties of the yellow Calceolaria, for which it is no easy matter to find substitutes. Probably the best will be found among the various kinds of yellow bedding Pansies. The best with which I am acquainted is a variety named Harris's Yellow Bedder, which was raised some years since by a nurseryman of Bury St. Edmunds. This variety is of a remarkably dwarf and compact habit of growth, exceedingly floriferous, is unaffected by the brightest sunshine, remains uninjured by rain, and continues to bloom for nine or ten months out of the twelve. Attend carefully to the various routine operations, and endeavour to maintain the greatest degree of order and neatness in all departments of the gardens and grounds. — - P. Grieve, Culford, Bury St. Sdmunds. Hardy Fruit. The improved state of the weather has saved our fruit crops, and also the trees themselves. Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots, are now looking as vigorous as they usually do after one of the most genial of summers, and the fruit is swelling rapidly, and, though late, will be unusually fine. If nailing, stopping, and laying-in bearing wood for next year has not yet been completed, let such operations be done at once, in order that the trees may reap the full benefit of the brighter days we are now having. Many kinds of Apricots will now be readj' for gathering ; this is best done early in the morning ; and, as the slightest bruise will cause the fruits to decay, due care should be exercised. If placed in a cool airy room they will keep for at least a week after being gathered. Early Pears, such as Jar. gouelle. Citron des Carmes, Beurre de I'Assomption, and Williams's Bon Chretien, should not be allowed to ripen fully on the trees, as, in such cases, the flavour is never so good as it is when the fruit is gathered early and ripened in the frnit.room. These varieties are now all ripe enough to gather ; but, where there is a good supply of any of them, their season may be prolonged by gathering them at intervals of a few days, as they then come in for use successionally. The same remarks apply to early dessert Apples, such as Early Harvest, Joanneting, Irish Peach, and Devonshire Quarrenden. Many kinds of Plums are now ripening fast, and those for preserving should be gathered as soon as they are ripe, in order to prevent unnecessary exhaustion of the trees; any that are to be kept for dessert will have to be protected from both wasps and birds. From new plantations of Strawberries, which are now growing freely, all runners should be removed, and the ground should be frequently stirred and cleared of weeds. As soon as the supply of plants for forcing and making new beds has been obtained, clear away all runners from old beds, and fork up the soil between the rows, but not so deeply as to injure the roots. The excessive wet which we have had has caused an undesirable second growth of Apples and Pears, both of which should be at once pinched or stopped back, in order to induce the formation and development of fruit buds. Auy trees growing too vigorously, and, as a natural consequence, fruiting shyly, should now be " noted," and, at the proper time, have some of the superabundant roots removed, an operation which never fails to induce greater frnitfulness. — W. WiLDSMrrn, Heckfield. Tomatoes and Wasps, &c.— Some say that Tomatoes prevent w.asp3 from entering fruit-houses, and a correspondent of " Moore's Rural," says — " Set a Tomato plant into each hUl of Cucumbers, Melons, and Squashes, and you will have no trouble from the striped hugs that are so destructive to these plants. The plants can be tied to stakes, and if well pruned when large, both subjects can proceed with their fruiting without deb-iment to one another." M. Thieus is an enthusiastic horticulturist. He knows each flower in his garden, and treats it as a personal friend. 'The little semi-circular pleasure-ground at the back of his mansion in Paris is tended by two gardeners. The master's ideal is so high that thoy scarcely suffice for the work. There is no fresher or more delicious spot in Paris than this oasis. Birds are encouraged to settle in it. The Commune did not destroy the old trees. But a fine Poplar and Mountain Ash were killed by the demoUtion dust. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. THE POTATO DISEASE. This set in this season ten or twelve days before its usual time, but only, or at least principally, in gardens that were close and confined. During the last four years I saved my Fortyfolds, without having one diseased tuber amongst them, merely by having lifted them by the end of the first week in July ; but this year the disease set in before I had my early sorts up, and they are now affected as much as the others. I cannot but admire the perseverance of Mr. Worthington Smith and others in discovering resting spores, &c. ; but how did they get upon mj' Fortyfolds, that had been grown free from them for four years previously, and were planted this season a long way from any other Potatoes ? Nevertheless, they are now covered with disease. Now, as to the so-called new disease. I may just say that it ia nothing more or less than the " curl," which was the precursor of the more fatal disease forty-two years ago. A curious instance of curl happened amongst my Potatoes this season. In March, I had some tons of Victorias from Scotland, as a change of seed. After preparing a quarter of an acre of ground for their reception, I out into sets two sacks fnll ; these I planted by the side of some of my own saving, which had been all spread out and sprouted well before planting. The freshly-cut sets grew very well, but many of them failed and came up full of curl. Nevertheless, they appeared to be, upon the whole, a fair crop. I prepared another piece — about a quarter of an acre — and planted five rows down the middle of the piece with the cut Scotch seed, which had been kept over for a week or more after having been cut before they were planted. On each side of the five rows I planted five rows of my own seed, that had been spread out six weeks before planting. The result was that the cut sets from end to end of the long rows — 100 yards each — were a mass of curl, whilst the other ten rows showed not a single symptom of it. Now, this is a result that is entirely attributable to keeping the sets, some time after they were cut, in a sack, so that we must not too hastily blame our friends the Americans for the curl. I have, indeed, several kinds of American Potatoes, including the Snowflake, every eye of which I used as a set, planted in the end of April or beginning of May, which at present are simply magnificent. I see in the gardens about Weymouth, where I have been for some weeks, that late kinds appear free from disease ; and in the fields, where they enjoy both sun and air, they look well, and, as far as I have yet been able to examine them, are in good health. John Scott. Merriot, Creivkeme, New Varieties of Peas. — Allow me to inform " Rambler " (see p. 157) that Laxton's William the First Is superior in every way to gangster's No. 1 ; whilst Omega, only growing 4 feet high, is not only one of the best flavoured, but also one of the best coloured Peas with which I am acquainted ; Veitch's Perfection is good only in some people's hands (for seventeen years past it has always failed with me) ; Commander-in-Chief and G. F. Wilson are both Peas of great excellence ; and the same may be said of Dr. Hogg. When true, British Queen is certainly good ; but, when there are Peas as good which only grow half the height, I maintain that they should be substituted for it. — R. Gilbeet, Burghleij. A Second Crop of Globe Artichokes. — In the beginning of last June, my employer, having no need for any of these till about the end of August, the thought struck me, one day as I passed a patch of Globe Artichokes, that the beautiful heads they were throwing up would be useless. I accordingly told one of my men to cut the stems down to the bottom and see if they would throw up new ones in the autumn. To my mortification, when I again looked round, he had taken a scythe and mown the whole ofi:, leaves and all ! However, I made no remark, but patiently awaited the result, although secretly lamenting their decapitation. I am now pleased to tell you, however, that they are growing away vigorously, throwing up fine young stems, and already a tew of the heads are as large nearly as my clenched fist. — A. M. Experiment with the Snowflake Potatoes. — Thefollowing is as nearly as possible a correct statement of the results that have been derived from planting 1 lb. of Snowflake. I dug them up because, the haulm appearing quite withered, I thought that the tubers were ripe ; nor was I mistaken, as they were, with few exceptions, separated from the parent plant. I have cooked them, both by boiling and steaming ; the latter process I prefer, and am so pleased with them, that it is my intention to store as many of them as I can for seed, but not to plant eyes again. They were 138 THE GARDEN. [Aug. 14. 1875. planted March 27, 1 lb. being weighed off ag the amount, which was cut into thirty-three sets, all of which came to maturity, and were dug on July 29th. The time that elapsed between digging and planting was 124 days, and the number produced was 233 tubers, weighing 451b. 61 oz., besides 54 tubers which were not weighed, as they were under 1 inch, making a total of 287. The heaviest produce from one set was 2 lb. 10ioz.,the lightest 8i oz., giving an average of 1 lb.6oz. The soil in which these Potatoes were grown was loam, and the sets were planted immediately after they were cut, and manured on the top. The rows were between Raspberry.bedg, and had a north and south aspect. Only two tubers were diseased. The ground was not cropped last year, but the year previous carried Carrots and Parsnips. — John' H. Howard. Late Peas Sown in November. — If late Peas are sown in November in the same way as early sorts, they come in usefully in the following summer. We sowed a number of late kinds last season along with early sorts, and they came in for use from the second to the third week in June, and were of much service. They were sown on a border, in rows about 20 feet apart, allowing the stakes to give shelter to dwarf kinds which were sown between them, as well as to Lettuce, Endive, &c. Those which did best were Champion of England, Veitch's Perfection, and Ne Plus Ultra. The last named were very fine, and lasted longer in bearing than the earlier kinds. We depend on those planted ont from boxes for our main early crop ; but, of late years, we have fallen back on the old system of sowing in November. Sevei-al cats, trained to live in the garden, keep such crops safe from rats and mice ; and ashes, or old Mushroom manure, placed along the rows, afford good protection during very severe weather. — M. Tempie, Blenheim. THE FRUIT CROPS. SCOTLAND. Dumfriesshire. — Drumlanrig Castle. — Upon the whole, fruit crops are good in this district. Small fruits, such as all kinds of Currants, Gooseberries, and Strawberries, are unusually abun. dant ; Apples are a good crop ; Pears, moderate, and the same may be said of Cherries, except MoreUos, which are very abundant. There are moderate crops of Peaches, Apricots, and Plums, but the state of our trees and the climate are such as to preclude the possi- bility of heavy crops. There is no attempt made to grow Figs upon the open wall. Nuts are very abundant in a wild state in the woods. We have tested some thirty-six varieties of Strawberries here, and find some that we have proved excellent elsewhere, to be worthless here. Grove End Scarlet ia the most valuable of any for pre- serving. Indeed, it may be considered a pity that this old variety is not much more cultivated than it is. Of the larger sorts, the best of any tried here for this soil and climate is Wizard of the North. All sorts of Gooseberries do well. The Raspberry that does best is Prince of Wales. Lord Suffield, Stirling Castle, Croftaury, Catshead and Blenheim Orange Apples yield the best returns here. Delicate sorts that require a longer season, do not thrive nor ripen properly ; and the same may be said of Pears. — D. Thomson. Mid-IiOthian. — Dalkeith. Park. — Fruit trees came into flower in this district three to four weeks later than usual, set well, and received no check from frost, so that crops generally are considerably above the average. Strawberries and Currants of all kinds have been very abundant, as also havebeen Gooseberries and Raspberries. The rain came just in time to swell off the fruit properly ; therefore, all small fruits have been much finer this season than usual, and we had a Bufificient number of dry days to gather them in excellent condition. On the light soil of this district we find the best Strawberry to be Garibaldi (ViscomtesSe Hericart de Thury), next James Veitch, Princess Alice Maude, Lucas, and President j for preserving we still grow the Roseberry, but Garibaldi is preferable where small fruit is not an object ; Keen's Seedling does not succeed out of doors, but we force it largely and find it by far the best for that purpose. Our best Black Currant is the Black Naples; the best Red, Raby Castle and Red Dutch (Knight's) ; the best White, Cut-leaved White Dutch. Our best KaspbeiTies are the Red Antwerp and Fastolf. Of Gooseberries the best may be said to be red, Warrington; gi'een, Walnut, Whitesmith ; and yellow, Gipsy Queen, Hedgehog. Green Gascoigne, Golden Lion, Grown Bob, Early Sulphur, Ac, are also largely grown in market gardens. Apples and Pears are an excellent crop, and, with a few weeks of warm weather to ripen them, they jiromise to be fine, both in size and quality. The trees, too, are very healthy and free from disease and insects. A few of the best Apples are Cellini, Ecklinville, Lord Sullield, King of the Pippins, Reinetto du Canada, Tower of Glamis, nawthorndeu, Warner's King, Stirling Castle, and Keswick Codlin. Of Pears Williams's Bon Chretien, Marie Louise, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Beurre Diel, Jargonelle, Napoleon, and Hessel, succeed as pyramids or standards, and, except the last, do well on walls, on which are also grown Brown Beurre, Easter Beurre, Beurre Ranee, Beurre Superfin, Beurre d'Aremberg, Glou Morcjeau, Winter Nehs, &c., but the first seven are the best and most profitable. Plums are a good crop ; Victoria and Orleans are the best bearers, but Kirke's, Coe's Golden Drop, Jeffer. son, and Magnum Bonum, are well worth growing, and also the Shropshire Damson. Cherries are a very good crop. May Duke, Black Tartarian, and Elton being the best ; Morello always bears freely. Peaches and Nectarines on open walls are good crops, and in an average season ripen well ; the best Peaches are Stirling Castle, Bellegarde, and' Barrington ; the best Nectai-ines are Elrnge, Pine, apple, and Violette Hative. Apricots are a heavy crop — Moor Park, Hemskirk, and Kaisha being the best. — M. Dunn. Oxenford Castle. — Apricots are a fair crop, though by no means so heavy as last year ; the fruit will, however, be larger, and the trees more vigorous, the late rains have benefitted them very much, though it has done injury to ripe fruit. The sorts most esteemed hero are Moor Park, Hemskirk, Breda, Shipley's, Kaisha, and Musch Musch, in the order in which they are named. Of Apples there is a good average crop ; the fruit is swelling well since they got rain. Our best early sorts are — Keswick and Mauks Codlin, Ecklinville Seedling, and Lord Suffield ; later sorts — Blenheim Orange, Stirling Castle, Cellini, Northern Greening, and Yorkshire Green. I have still Blenheim Orange in good condition. Of sweet Cherries there is a large crop, somewhat spoiled by the close moist weather after the rain. The best varieties are — May Duke, Black Tar. tarian, and Bigarreau, the latter fine but shy bearer. Morello Cherries are extra heavy, fruit small in consequence. Our sweet varieties have supplied jam and bottling fruit, hence MoreUos are not so much prized as usual. The crop of Gooseberries is extra heavy, and the fruit fine; the kinds most esteemed are — Golden Lion, Sulphur, Hedgehog, Porcupine, Red Captain, Whitesmith, and War- rington. The Plum crop is light, excepting that of Victoria ; our kinds are — Greengage, Washington, Blue-gage, Kirk's Seedling, Guthrie's late Green, Coe's Golden Drop, Reine Claude de Bavay, and Damsons of sorts, Orleans, &c. Pears are plentiful, but are not growing well ; our favourite sorts, which are true and trusty, are — Louise Bonne of Jersey, Jargonelle, Marie Louise, Beurre d'Arem- berg, Crassane, Marechal de la Cour, and Gendesheim ; many other sorts are grown, but are uncertain or worthless. The crop of Rasp, berries is large, and the fruit fine ; the ground in which they grow has not been dug for twelve years, but is annually mulched with manure ; the same with our Currant and Gooseberry bushes. Tliere is a good crop of Strawberries on stiff soil, but, when light, many of the successional fruits have not come forward. The flavour, how. ever, has not been quite so good, owing to the showery weather experienced when ripe ; Keen's Seedling and Duke of Edinburgh are principal varieties ; Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury and Elton Pine are also very fine, and large bearers. — A. Andeeson. East Lothian. — Prestonkirk. — Of Apricots there is a good crop. The kind chiefly grown is Moor Park. The Pear crop is an average one. The principal varieties grown are Jargonelle, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Marie Louise, Winter Nelis, Flemish Beauty, Beurre Ranee, Beurre Diel, Beurre d'Aremberg, Williams's Bon Chretien, Hessle, Moorfowl Egg, and Autumn Bergamot. Of Plums the crop ia very poor — Kirke's Jefferson Washington, Victoria, Orleans, Green, gage, and white Magnum Bonum are principally cultivated. The Apple crop is very good, most of the varieties are doing well here. Cherries were very abundant ; the principal varieties being White Heart, May Duke, Morello, Late Duke, and Early Black, 'fhe crop of Morello Cherries is unusually good. Peaches and Nectarines are not grown out of doors here. Strawberries have been very plentiful and good. The kinds grown here are President, British Queen, Dr. Hogg, Garibaldi, Rifleman, Ingram's Late Pine, Elton Pine, Keen's Seedling, and Grove End Scarlet. Raspberries have been plenti- ful, especially Prince of Wales. Gooseberries are very plentiful, War. rington. Ironmonger, Hedgehog, Whitesmith, Sulphur, and a few of the large fruiting varieties being grown. Of Red Currants the crop is an average one. Red Dutch and Raby Castle are principally grown. Of the White varieties there is a fair crop ; White Grape and White Dutch being the chief ones. Black Currants are fairly plentiful ; Black Grapes and Lee's Perpetual being chiefly culti- vated. Figs are not grown out-of-doors here. — John Garret. Tynninghame. — The fruit crops, as a rule, are very heavy here ; some of the Apples and Pear trees have failed to bear fruit, but the great majority of these are, like the other kinds of fruit, above the average. The size of tho fruit is also larger than usual.— R. P. BRoriiKUSTON. Ayrshire. — Culzean. — In this district the crop of all sorts of small fruit is very plentiful, every kind being above the average Aug. 14, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 139 except Black Carrants. Wall and standard fruita of all descriptions are very abundant. The following are a few of the varieties that bear and ripen well here : — Pears — Mario Louise, Passe Colmar, Williams's Bon Chretien, Windsor, and Gansel's Bergamot. Apples — Cox's Pomona, Doonside Pippin, King of the Pippins, Oslin Pippin, Ribstou Pippin, Lord Suffield, Ecklinville Seedling, Keswick Codlin, .and Manks Codlin. Plums — Kirk's Blue, Coe's Golden Drop, Jefferson, Goliath, and Victoria. Cherries — May Duke, Kentish, and Morello. — Daniel MuiiH.iY. Renfrewshire. — Blyth.ewood. — From the amount of blossom shown this year, on all kinds of fruit trees in oar neighbour, bourhood, a heavy crop was naturally expected ; and certainly all kinds of small fruits have been very abundant and fine. Straw- berries were fully an average crop — Eclipse, President, Sir Charles Napier, and Elton Pine being our best. Apples promised a heavy crop, bat are dropping off considerably ; still we look for a better return than we had last year. Pears are plentiful, but Apricots and Plums did not set well, and, consequently are thin. Peaches, Nectarines, and Cherries, are good, and the trees much more promising than they have been for the last three years. Potatoes in this district look remarkably well, being a good crop, and of fine quality, with no signs of blight — John Methvex. Perthshire. — Tullyallan Castle. — Apricots here are most abundant, and require much thinning; Apples ai*e a moderate crop; of Pears, some trees are laden, whilst others are nearly bare of fruit ; the Plum crop is a moderate one ; Strawberries were remarkably plentiful ; and Peaches are very abundant. The crops of small fruits of all kinds are excellent. — M. Gilroy. Stirlingshire. — Drummond Castle. — The fruit crops here are much better than they have been for the last ten years ; and, as far as I have seen or heard, they are good in most parts of Scotland. — Roderick M'Do.vald. IRELAND. Fermanagh. — Crom Castle. — Strawberries, Gooseberries, Raspberries, Red, White, and Black Currants are abundant and fine; Pears are abundant, both on walls and standards ; of Apples there is a good crop ; of Plums but half a crop ; Cherries are abundant and fine ; the crop of Medlars is good ; Apricots and Figs require glass ; Nuts are very scarce. During the ten years I have been here I have not seen fruit more plentiful and fine than it is this year. — R. Elwokthy. Sligo. — Markree, Collooney. — We have excellent crops of Apples, Pears,. Plums, Cherries, and Peaches, and all kinds of small fruits are both plentiful and of good quality. I also hear favourable accounts from all quarters of this district. From some cause or other, which I cannot account for. Apricots never do well with us. The varieties of the dMerent fruits which scarcely ever miss bearing a good crop, let the weather be what it may, are, amongst Apples, Cox's Orange Pippin, Golden Pippin, King of the Pippins, Keswick Codlin, Yorkshire Greening, and Northern Greening ; amongst Pears, Benrre Giffard, Beurre d'Amaulis, Williams's Bon Chretien, Glou Morcjeau, Zephirin Gregoire, and Knight's Monarch ; amongst Plums, Kirke's and Victoria are superior to all others here, and of Peaches Royal George and Noblesse are great favourites ; amongst Cherries we consider May Duke, Kentish, and the Morello the most useful. — F. BOTTOMEK. Waterford, Lismore Castle. — There is a good crop of Apples. Varieties that succeed well, and are, in general, good bearers, are Lord Suffield, Devonshire Quarreuden, Cellini, Hawthornden (old and new), Datch Mignonne, Sturmer Pippin, King of the Pippins, Alfriston, Blenheim Orange, Manks Codlin, Hambledon, Ecklinville Pippin, Lord Bnrghley, and Lewis's Incomparable. Of Pears there is an average crop. The following varieties succeed well as wall trees : — Glou Morcjeau, Marie Louise, Duchesse d'Angouleme, Seckle, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Williams's Bon Chretien, Napoleon, Beurre Diel, Josephine de Malines, Beurre d'Aremberg, and Gansel's Bergamot. Of Peaches there is a very good crop, with few exceptions. Plums are scarce. The following are the best varieties : — Washington, Coe's Golden Drop, Victoria, Jefferson, Kirke's, Prince Englebert, Diamond, Greengage, Blue-gage, Rivers's Early Prolific, and Prince of Wales. The Cherry crop is a good one. The following are first-rate kinds : — Bigarreau Napoleon, May Duke, Elton, Black Eagle, Morello, and Belle d'Orleans. Nectarines do not succeed here so well as Peaches ; the trees are tender, and the wood does not ripen. The ■following varieties are the most satisfactory: — Hunt's Tawny (a certain bearer), Violette Ilative, and Downton. Apricots are seldom grown in this district. Of Strawberries there is a good crop. The following are first-rate sorts, and can be highly recommended : — ■ President, Amateur, James Veitch, Dr. Hogg, Sir J. Paxton, and Sir C. Napier. We invariably secare a good crop by thoroughly water. ing when the plants are in blossom. Small fruit, such as Currants, Gooseberries, &o., are abundant. Nuts are not generally grown. — W. Stone. Meath. — Headfort House. — Figs are very good ; Apricots half a crop ; Apples and Pears, very good ; Peaches and Nectarines, good, but late ; Strawberries have been very fine in some places, in others, none; Nuts, very good; Gooseberries and Currants, good; Rasp, berries, good, but bad in flavour; Cherries, best of crops. The Potato crop is good at present, but disease is appearing in places ; the tubers are, however, as yet, dry and clean, and have every appearance of being better than they were last year. — Jon.\ Clews. Dublin. — Vice-regal Gardens. — Apricots hereabouts are a small crop ; they showed plenty of bloom and seemed to set well, but the cold east winds, together with continuous wet, checked their growth, and ruined all prospects of a crop. Pears on walls are a moderate crop ; those on standards are rather under an average crop ; free-bearing kinds, such as Marie Louise, Glou Mor9eau, Napoleon, Beurre Diel, Beurre d'Amaulis, Beurre Hardy, and Beurre Bosc, are yielding good crops, but many varieties have failed altogether. Of Apples, autumn varieties are plentiful, but good winter sorts gene, rally are scarce. Plums are a thiu crop on walls, while on standards they are a total failure, as are also Damsons. Cherries are under an average crop ; they showed abundance of bloom, but shed their fruit in the stoning process ; Morellos, that are usually good here, are poor this season. Out-door Peaches and Nectarines are a scanty crop. Figs are plentiful, but late, which is nearly equivalent to a failure, as here it is only the first of the crop that comes to maturity. Strawberries have been a heavy crop and fine in quality, the fruit being extra large. The varieties we depend upon mostly for forcing and for a general crop are — President, Sir J. Paxton, and British Queen. Small fruits of all sorts are plentiful and good. Potatoes look well at present, their haulm being particularly robust, but their ultimate safety will depend, in a great measure, upon the amount of bright sunshine which they experience during the present month, — G. S-Mrni. Wicklow. — Killruddery. — The crops of Morello Cherries are abundant, but other sorts are scarce ; Plums are an average crop, except Damsons, which are scarce. Apples are abundant and good, but Pears, although they are plentiful, are inferior in quality. Strawberries were plentiful and excellent in quality. Peaches grown under glass are abundant ; of those grown outside there are very few. Of Walnuts and Pigs there is a heavy croo ; Cob Nuts and Filberts are scarce. All small fruit is abundant and excellent in quality. Our soil here is very light and rich, resting on blue marl, position very low ; but favourable in dry summers. The varieties of Apples that thrive best in this neighbourhood are ; — Dessert kiuds — ■ Quarreuden, Joanneting, Kerry Pippin, Blenheim, Early Nonpareil, Red Ingestrie, Court Pendu Plat, Golden Harvey, and Hubbard's Pearmain ; kitchen kinds — Emperor Alexander, Lord Suffield, Golden Knob, Hawthornden, Mere de Menage, Norfolk Beefing, Bess Pool, and Yorkshire Greening. Pears — Jargonelle, Williams's Bou Chretien, Swan's Egg, Doyenne d'Ete, Marie Louise, Easter Beurre, and Beurre Ranee. Plums : — dessert kinds — Jefferson, Kirke's, Ickworth Iniperatrice, HuUng's Superb (a splendid Plum), Green, gage, Coe's Golden Drop, and Reine Claude de Bavay ; kitchen kinds — Victoria, Orleans, Pond's Seedling, Goliath, and Early Rivers. Cherries — Black Tartarian, May Duke, Elton, Frogmore Early BigaiTcan, and Morello. Gooseberries —Red, Warrington ; amber, Ironmonger ; green, Walnut and Antagonist. Strawberries — Sir Charles Napier, Eclipse, President, Dr. Hogg, and Rifleman, which I imagine will do well in this locality. — Tnos. P.Turner. WALES. Penllergare, Swansea. — Apricots are not grown here now, aa they very seldom fruited ; Apples are an average crop ; Pears are a light crop, many trees being without fruit ; of Plums, we have very few ; Morello Cherries are abundant ; and of Peaches and Nectarines wo have good crops. Strawberries, and bush fruit, have been abundant. Tho following kinds of Pears do best, viz., Conseiller de la Cour and Beurre d'Aremberg upon walls ; Louise Bonne of Jersey upon espaliers; Williams's Bon Chretien upon pyramids; Jargonelle upon espaliers; Beurre deCapiaumont upon walls; Duchesssed'Angouleme upon pyramids ; Hacon's Incomparable upon espaliers ; Marie Louise upon espaliers ; Belle de Noel upon pyramids ; Beurre d'Aremberg upon walls ; and Swan's Egg upon espaliers. The following varieties, generally crack and shrivel before they are ripe, viz., Beurre Diel, Beurre Rauce, Bishop's Thumb, Napoleon, Pius IXth, Baronne de Melo, Bergamotte d'Esperen, and Ne Plus Meuris. We grow about thirty varieties of Pears, of which those named in my first list always produced good crops in favourable seasons, and the fruit is of good flavour. The other varieties bear well, but never can be depended upon for dessert. Our soil is a stifli 140 THE GARDEN. [Aug. 14, 1875. loam, rather shallow, resting upon clay ; the position is high sloping towards the east, and well open to the south. Apricots and Plums are no good in this neighbourhood. It is said that where Rhododendrons grow luxuriantly in the common soil Apricots will not thrive. Is that true ? Rhododendrons grow here in the natural soil, qaite rampantly, both in the woods and in open situations. — John Nuxns. Dynevor Castle. — Apricots do not do well on open walls here. Of Apples, some trees have yielded good crops, others none. The Pear crop is good on walls, but Pears are not much growu. Of Plums on walls, the crop is light ; of Strawberries, very good ; of Cherries, few are grown. Peaches and Nectarines are a good average crop. The Pig crop is good, and small fruits of all kinds are plentiful. Walnuts are scarce, but Hazel Nuts are abundant. The undermentioned are a few of the kinds of fruit that do well here: — Apples — Keswick Codlin, Blenheim Orange, Herefordshire Pearmain, Wel- lington, Syke House Russet, Wheeler's Russet, Cox's Orange Pippin, and August Pearmain. Pears — Napoleon, Brown Beurre, Beurre Clair, geau. Winter Crassane, Beurre Bosc, Beurre Diel, Yan ilons Leon le Clerc, Marie Louise, and Louise Bonne of Jersey. Plums — Victoria, Greengage, Coe's Grolden Drop, Diamond, Kirke's Round, and Wash, ington. Peaches — Royal George, Red Magdalene, , _ Barriugton, and Late Admir. ^ able. — James Ticehukst. ENGLAND. Additional Reports. Middlesex.— Sion House, Brentford. — We have hereabouts abundance of Apples, Plums, Walnuts, and, indeed, of all kinds of fruits. Market gardeners in this neighbourhood are, in some instances, using props to their fruit trees, so abundant are the crops. Peaches, Necta. rines, and Apricots are excel- lent on open walls ; Groose. berries cracked much through excessive wet. — J. Woo d. liRIDGE. Ox on. — Grreat Tew, £ustone. — Fruits of all kinds here are this year good. Apples, Pears, Plums, and Cherries are plentiful ; Straw, berries, too, have been abun. dant, but were much spoiled by the rains; CutbiU's Prince of Wales is an excellent late kind, which we have now (Aug. fi) in daily use. Rasp, berries, and Red, White, and Black Currants are abundant ; Walnuts are likewise a great crop ; Filberts, good. Of Apricots we have not many ; Peaches and Nectarines are fair crops, but, having a good large orchard-house, we do not pay those out of doors that attention which we used to do. In the orchard-house we have good crops, as usual, of everything. After eight years' experience with orchard-houses I would advise all who intend building one to have plenty of room and abundant venti. lation ; our trees, which are mostly in pots, are grown upon Mr. Rivers's plan. We gather our best Apples and Pears from trees grown in this way, and I cannot too highly recommend the single diagonal cordon Pears on which the fruit is much liner and better in flavour than that grown on trees trained in the usual way. Some vertically trained do also equally well. I do not think the autumnal Yucca stricta {" Revuo Horticolo "). See p. 132, Raspberries (red and yellow) are generally in cultivation ; we have beautiful crops of them here from the middle of October onwards. — A. MaC1'AI!L.\.\E. Sussex. — Petworth Park.— Of Apples there are generally good crops, both trees and fruit looking remarkably healthy and well ; the Pear crop is not so heavy as last year, but is abundant in some places ; the crops on wall trees and pyramids here are good ; Plums and Damsons are rather thin, but some of the wall trees bear heavy crops ; Peaches and Nectarines are plentiful, both trees and fruit looking healthy and well ; of Apricots there is a fair crop, but not so heavy as last year, the fruit, however, is fine ; Currants, Rasp, berries, and Gooseberries are each and all abundant, and the fruit fine, but a large quantity was spoiled by the late wet and cold weather ; Cherry trees bear heavy crops, and the fruit is fine on wall trees; standards and pyramids suffered much from the wet, more than half the crop being spoiled, except that of Mor- ellos, which are finer and more abundant than for several years ; there are some very good crops of Figs in this neighbourhood ; Strawberries were abundant, and the early kinds were excellent, but later sorts suffered much from the wet ; Filberts, Cobs, and com- mon Nuts are very abundant, there being heavy crops every- where; of Walnuts there are heavy crops ; Medlars and Quinces are rather scanty; Mulberiies are plentiful; the Cranberry beds here are cov- ered with fruit ; ont-door Grapes are plentiful but very backward ; I fear they will not ripen this year. For the past ten days we have had bright hot weather, and every, thing has improved wonder, fully. If we get line weather, some fruits, such as Apples, Pears, Plums, Peaches, and Nectarines will, I anticipate, prove excellent crops this year. — Geo. Bueese. Shropshire.— W i 1 1 e y Gardens, Broseley. — Apricots here are fine in quality and abundant; of Apples we have large crops ; Pears, too, are very good, as are also Cherries, especially Morellos ; Figs are good ; and Peaches and Nectarines are good in quantity and promise to be fine ; Strawberries have been a moderate crop, and the best part of them was spoilt by the rains ; of small fruits, crops are very good, and the fruit is fine in quality ; Nuts are excellent, and the heaviest crop we have had for years. I may add that all hardy fruits do well in this district, especially Damsons, of which large qantities are grown and good prices realised for them, in many instances amounting to double the rent of holdings. — W. H. Welch. Leicestershire. — Gopsall Hall, Atherstone. — Fruit crops hereabouts are, upon the whole, abundant. Stone fruit, such as Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, and the choicer kinds of Plums on walls, are all that can be desired. Figs are also plentiful ; but unless we have fine weather, and plenty of sunshine, many of them will not ripen. Strawberries have been abundant, but they sustained much damage from the heavy rains. Wo lost quite three-fourths of our crops. Gooseberries, Currants, and Raspberries are plentiful, as are also Pears. Of Apples, wo have but few in the garden ; but AiUG. 14, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 141 in many orchards they are abundant. Cherries have also been plentiful. I may add that Potatoes are badly diseased ; not only early sorts, but also late varieties. The haulm is fast decaying, growth is permanently checked, and nothing but a continuance of dry weather will preserve the tubers from perishing. The American varieties, all of which I grow, are as bad as our own kinds. — J. P. Hants. — Strathfieldsaye, Winchfield. — Hardy fruit crops vary considerably hereabouts ; Apples are a fair crop, but Pears, generally, are less than half a one. This I attribute to the severe frost which we had on the 2ifch of April, when the trees were in full blossom — Marie Louise, Althorpe Crassane, British Queen, Beurro Capiaumont, Beurrc d'Araanlis, Beurro Hardy, and Beurro Clairgeau suffered least. Many years' observation has convinced me that those named are not only among the surest bearers, but kinds equal in quality to any in their respective seasons. Cherries, especially Morellos and Kentish, have been abundant ; among dessert kinds the Black Tartarian is by far the best here. Plums on walls are a fair crop ; Kirke's, Greengage, Jefferson, and Golden Drop are my favourite sorts. Apricots are a splendid crop, and the fruit is unusually fine and high. coloured ; Moor Park is the best, but the Royal is a fine fruit, aud nearly three weeks earlier. Peaches are a full crop, and promise to be fine ; we cover our Peach walls very carefully from tlie time the first bloom opens till the beginning of June. Of small fruits, Strawberries and Raspberries have been very heavily cropped, but much of the fruit has been spoiled by the excessive rainfall. Gooseberries aud Currants having suffered much from frosts while in blossom, have been thin here this season. — James Bell. Hertfordshire, Rabley. — Apples are vei-y plentiful in places. The best varieties here are Quarrenden, Hawthorudon, Wellington, ■ Wyken Pippin, Lord SufBeld, and the different kinds of Pearmain. Tho Pear crop is also a good one, but more partial than that of Apples. The best kinds are Bou Chretien, Jargonelle, Doyenne d'Ete, Doyenne du Comice, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Marie Louise, Winter Nelis, and Passe Colraar. Apricots are a heavy crop. The best kinds are Moor Park, Breda, Shipley's, and Hemskirk. Of Peaches there are very heavy crops. The best varieties are Bellegarde, Early Beatrice, Early Louise, Royal George, Stirling Castle, and Violette Hative. Nectarines are a very heavy crop. Those that have done best are EIrnge, Uardwicke Seedling, Downton, Violette Hative, and Pitmaston Orange. Plums are most abundant, the best being Orleans, Prince of Wales, Victoria, Kirke's, Mitchelson's Early, and Jefferson. Cherries are very plentiful. The best kinds are Circassian, Higarreau Napoleon, Frogmore, May Duke, Kentish, and Morello. The Strawberry crop has been a very heavy one. The best are Sir G. Napier, President, Dr. Hogg, Sir Josejjh Paxton, and Cockscomb. Raspberries are very plentiful, the best being FiUbasket, Prince of Wales, and Antwerp. Currants are a good crop, the best being Lee's Prolific Black, Black Naples, White Dutch, Red Dutch, Grape, La Versaillaiso, and Raby Castle. The Gooseberry crop is partial, but plentiful in places. The best varieties are Crown Rob, Rough Red, Ironmonger, and Champagne. The crop of Medlars is good, the best being Dutch and Nottingham. Nuts are abundant, and so are Walnuts in places. The crop of trainees is partial. The Damson crop is most abundant, and Mulberries plentiful. Figs are a very good crop ; the best kinds being Brown Turkey and Brunswick. 'Taking the fruit crop, as a whole, it is the most abundant I ever remember. The trees are in a most healthy condition, and promise to perfect their fruit thoroughly. The crops ai-e in good condition, free from blight, and more healthy at this season of the year than is generally the case. — E. Ben.nett. Yorkshire. — Thorpe Perrow, Bedale. — Apples here are very plentiful, the trees in many places being quite borne down with their weight, and, where not thinned, the fruit will be small, especially the finer sorts for dessert. Apricots are a good crop, but late in ripening; the trees suffered so much during the winter that their branches are in many places dying. This always takes place here after a severe winter. Apricots cannot withstand the thermometer at zero, in our damp climate. Cberries are abundant, especially Morellos. Peaches are good, but late ; the trees suffered a little in winter. Of Nectarines, we have none out of doors. Pears are very abundant, and have required a groat deal of thinning. Filberts and Nuts, in tho hedge rows, are plentiful ; and of bush fruit of all kinds we have had enormous quantities. Strawberries have been plentiful, but bad in flavour, and much spoiled by the wet. Plums are a partial crop. The sorts which, whtm in bloom, stood the frost best, are the Victoria, Jefferson, aud Magnum Bonum. — William CuLVEltWELL. Lancashire. — Huntroyde, Burnley. — Currants, Goose- berries, and Raspberries are plentiful crops here, and the fruit is fine in quality. Cherries and Plums are both good crops ; Victoria, Kirke's, and the old Greengage do best in this locality. Strawberries have been heavy crops, and the fruit individually fine ; President and Yates' Seedling succeed best with us, the latter being the only variety grown by many of the market gardeners in this part of the country. Pears are only an average crop ; Marie Louise, Passe Colmar, Due d'Aremberg, Glou Morcjeau, and Autumn Bergamot are amongst the best croppers in this neighbourhood. Apples are a complete failure ; bloom was plentiful enough, but when the young fruits set they were badly attacked by a maggot, which destroyed fruit and young wood too. On Apricots and Peaches, protected by glass lights in spring, we are able to secure pretty good crops. I may add, that Potatoes, up to the present date, have done well ; the crops of them are good and the tubers clean. The season with us is altogether three weeks later than last year. — H. Lindsey. THE FUTURE OP THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. The Council report that they have obtained from the Royal Com. missioners terms which will, in their opinion, free the Society from its difficulties. The present agreements between the Royal Com. missioners and the Society are so complicated, that any attempt to deal with them otherwise than by way of modification was impossible in the time which the Council, without risking the very existence of the Society, could devote to the negotiation, and a question of some importance, involving the construction of these agreements, is still pending, but is, as the Council believe, in a fair way towards being settled amicably. The nature of this question is such that it is not> possible to explain it within the limits of an ordinary report, but the Council refer to it inasmuch as it has necessitated the wording of the 3rd clause of the proposed first agreement, which, to those Fellows who are not intimately acquainted with the relations between tho Corporations, may appear obscure. Two new agreements are pro. posed to be made between the Royal Commissioners and tho Society. By the first the Commissioners absolutely remit the pay. ment of the £2,400 rent now due, and authorise the Society to borrow £7,000 to pay its debts and repair its buildings ; and if, at the end of three years, they shall exercise the power given to them by clause 2, they must take upon themselves this £7,000 of new debt, or so much of it as shall not have been repaid, out of what would have been their own rent. The Society's lease cannot in any case be forfeited before the end of the year 1878. It cannot be then forfeited unless tho income of the Society for that year fall short of the amount required by clause 2. Even if such income should for that year fall short of that amount, there can be no forfeiture if the Society shall pay its rent in accordance with tho present agreement ; or if the society shall next year, out of monies which it could tender as rent, reduce the new debt by £2,400. By the second new agreement the Council hope to obtain part of tho French Annexe, the garden attached thereto, aud a new entrance close to the Royal Albert Hall, in consideration of certain conces. sions in respect of the strip of land lying to the north. west of and outside the gardens, which they believe can be made without injury to the Society's property. Tho following are the heads of proposed new agreement : 1. The subsisting agreements to be continued iu full force where they are not inconsistent with this agreement. 2. The Commissioners to have the power of determining clauses 6 and 7 of this agreement at the expiration of the third year from its commencement, if the income of the Society for that year, from entrance fees and the subscriptions of fellows and other annual sub. scribers, shall not amount to £10,000, and the Commissioners shall in that case take upon themselves the repayment of the sum of £7,000, hereinafter mentioned, or so much thereof as shall remain unpaid, and the interest thereof. 3. In the event of the Commissioners exercising the power by clause 2 hereof agreed to be given to them, they shall, notwith. standing anything herein contained, be entitled to any right of re- entry which they may, prior to e.xercising the said power, acquire by virtue of subsisting agreements, unless the Society shall in tho year 1876, out of monies which under those agreements would be applic. able to the payment of the rent thereby reserved, and on or before the day on which such rent ought to bo paid, pay in respect of interest on, and in reduction of the principal of, the said sum of £7,000, the full sum of £2,400, which but for this agreement ought to be applied in the payment of such rent ; in which case such con. ditional right of re. entry as is given to the said Commissioners by the subsisting agreements shall be deemed not to have arisen. 4. Save in so far as their claim thereto may be necessary to preserve such right of re-entry as is referred to in the last clause, the Com. missioners shall remit to the Society the sum of £2,400, which under the subsisting agreements would be payable as rent in 1876. 5. The Society may borrow such sum, not exceeding £7,000 as 142 THE GAEDEN. [Aug. 14. 1875. stall be necessary for the discharge of its existing liabilities other than its debenture debt, and for the thorough repair of its buildings at South Kensington. 6. The Society shall not accept any more life compositions without the written consent of the Commissioners. 7. Until the present debenture debt of the Society shall be fnlly paid off, all sums of money which, under the subsisting agree- ment, would be payable to the Commissioners as rent, shall be applied (a) in paynaent of the interest to accrne upon such sum as may be borrowed by the Society under clause 5 hereof, and in repay- ment of the principal monies so borrowed until they be fully repaid ; (b) for the mutual benefit of the Commissioners and the Society in such way as shall from time to time be determined by the Expenses Committee and be approved of by the Commissioners. 8. Whilst the said clauses 6 and 7 remain in force the Society shall, on the authorised bank holidays or on such other days not exceeding five in number in any ono year, as may bo agreed upon by the Society and the Commissioners, admit the public to the South Kensington Gardens free, or at such charge as may be fixed by the Commissioners. INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION, PHILADELPHIA, 1876. In the following circular just received from the office of the United States Centennial Commission, 90-1, Walnut Street, Philadelphia, will be found a classified list of articles which will assist contributors iu their selection of exhibits, and also afford some idea of the accom. modation to be found in the department devoted to horticulture. The special exhibitions will be mostly confined to local contribu- tions, tender exotics, plants in bloom, and cut flowers, which, on account of their perishable nature, cannot be sent from long dis- tances. Contributors from a distance must rely upon the oppor. tunities they can have for planting in the open ground, and there the space for a fine display will be ample. Bureau of Horticulture. The horticultural building occupies a central position in a portion of the park set apart for this department. The grounds are con- veniently placed and beautifully shaded with trees, thus offering a variety of suitable situations for the contributions of ornamental plants that will siicceed best in the open air during the summer months. Plants requiring partial shade, and others that prefer the full sunlight, will be placed iu positions best suited to their nature. The conservatory or main hall of the building (230 by 80 feet) will be planted and decorated with large Palms and other (lopical plants by this department. There are four greenhouses attached to the conservatory, 30 by 100 feet each, which will be allotted to exhibitors of choice exotic and rare hot-house plants. The buildings will be heated by the best and most approved system of liot.water. All kinds of hardy shrubs and trees, tropical and orna- mental plants suitable for the decoration of the garden and lawn are in demand here, while, on the other hand, there are but few pur. chasers for rare and tender exotics. The following will, perhaps, convey some idea of the class of pLants referred to above : — Arauearias, Cupressus, Cedars, Tews, and all sorts of Coniferous plants. Hollies, Aucubas, Euonymus, Aralias, Box, and other choice evergreens. Khododcndrons, Azaleas, Kalmias, &c. Aloes, Agaves, Yuccas, and Cacti of different sorts. Palms, Dracronas, &c. The space allotted to, and accepted by, exhi- bitors for the display of such ornamental plants, trees, &c., as above mentioned, should be bordered with bulbous roots, such as Hyacinths, Tulips, and other early flowering kinds, that will be in their best condition at the time of the opening of the exhibition; such bulbs to be replaced with summer-blooming plants. Allotments for exhi- bitors in the park and grounds will be prepared and made ready this autumn. Conifers, Rhododendrons, and other choice evergreens, should bo shipped in the spring of 1876, and ought to arrive here not later than the middle of April, and be placed at once in the position assigned them. Bulbous roots, Roses, &c., should be sent early in the autumn, and planted before winter sets in. Contri. butors in England, Belgium, and Holland, should contribute fine collections of bulbous roots. Hyacinths, Tulips, Japan Lilies, &c., all of which are in great demand here. Such exhibits as those last mentioned could be consigned to this department, to be planted in the fall, and properly cared for during the winter; they would bloom and be in their best condition at the time of the opening of the exhibition. The expenses of such exhibits would be very small in comparison with others that require daily attendance. In order to enable the bureau to make its arrangements complete, and have the grounds laid out and made ready before winter sets in, it is absolutely necessary that applications should be made as early as possible. (Signed) C. H. Miller, , Chief of Bureau of Horticulture. Outdoor. — Ornamental trees and shrubs, herbaceous perennial plants. Coniferous plants. Rhododendrons and other ornamental ever- greens, Roses (showing method of planting). Ferns (collections), Cactus (in varieties) ; new plants (with statement of their origin) ; annuals, and other soft-wooded plants, to be exhibited in successivo periods during the season ; bulbous and tuberous-rooted plants. Indoor. — Hothouse and conservatory plants, Orchids and para. sitic plants. Ferns — their best method of cultivation under glass and in Wardian cases; plants — the best methods of forcing and propaga- tion ; succulent plants — their arrangement and culture; aquatic plants — their culture under glass or in aquariums ; plants used in commerce — their uses and application ; herbarium — botanical speci. mens, method of arrangement, classification, and preservation; floral designs, bouquets, &c., and cut flowers. Adornments of Horticulture. — Garden statuary, fountains, vases, pedestals, and artificial edging for the parterre, summer, houses, artificial rock, grottoes, caves, &c. ; window gardening as applied to dwellings. Garden Requisites. — Horticultural buildings, propagating houses, hot-beds, &c. — the best mode of heating them: portable or moveable orchard-houses and Graperies, park seats, chairs, plant and flower stands ; ornamental wirework, viz., fences, gates, trellis bordering of flower.beds, porches ; utensils for portable habitations of plants, viz., ornamental flower-pots, plant-boxes, tubs. Fern. cases, &c. ; stnictures for the propagation, culture, and forcing of small fruit. Implements of Gardening. — Instruments of operation requir- ing more skill than physical force ; tools or simple instruments for performing operations of the soil as applied to gardening; instru- ments of action as used preparatory to operating, viz., compasses, levels, lines, and ground measures; instruments of designation, viz., labels or number tallies for pot plants and for plants in the open ground ; hanging labels ; machine for transplanting trees, shrubs, &c. ; portable forcing pumps for watering plants in greenhouses ; methods of watering the garden and lawn. Art and Science of Horticulture. — Designs for the laying out of gardens and the improvement of private residences. Designs of rustic constructions and adornments for private and public grounds, public squares, parks, &c., showing arrangement of com. mercial gardens or nurseries, and for the parterre. Examples of planting and the ornamental grouping of trees, plants, and shrubs. Treatment of water for ornamental purposes. Formation of lawns and after management. Works on botany, arboriculture, and horti- culture, landscape gardening, and horticultural engineering. Models in wax of flowers, fruit, &o. Illustrations of plants and flowers. GARDEN PARTIES IN PUBLIC GARDENS. On tho invitation of Pi-incipal Sir Alex. Grant and the Senatus Academicus of the University of Edinburgh, upwards of 3,000 ladies and gentlemen attended a garden party the other day in the Royal Botanic Gardens. Rain fell in somewhat heavy showers in the middle of the day, and it was feared that the entertainment — quite a novelty, by the way, in Edinburgh — would be shorn of half its attractions ; but the weather fortunately cleared up before the hour of reception, and the afternoon, though not brilliant, was fine and cool. The party, indeed, proved a great success, the guests enjoying an agreeable promenade in the beautiful grounds while entertained with a concert of excellent instrumental music. Sir Alex. Grant, Professor Balfour, and others, received the guests on their arrival, at tho end of the entrance avenue, just in front of a fine specimen of the Wellingtonia gigantca, planted as a memorial tree in 1861 by Sir Robert Christison. By an admirable arrangement of Mr. M'Nab, the gardeners attached to the gardens, were employed to conduct visitors through the grounds, to point out the more notable plants, and indicate the views of greatest interest. On leaving the entrance avenue, the guests wore shown over the Museum of Economic Botany. Adjoining the Museum is the class-room, and here a special exhibi. tion had been prepared by Mr. Sadler, Prof. Balfour's assistant. Its chief feature was a collection of over 300 specimens of Fungi — the majority of them British — some modelled in wax, and others the actual plants. The arrangement was very pretty— the specimens being placed in a convex bed of sand — and the collection, which is larger than has ever been brought together in Britain, proved exceed, ingly interesting. Among the most curious Fungi were " Satan's Own," one of the most poisonous of the Mushrooms, and an immense Polyporus, 18 inches long and 26 inches in fjirth, found on a, Aug. 14, 1876.] THE GAKDBN. 143 White Pine tree in Canada. Very attractive, too, were the models of the microscopic Fungi, v?hich cause many of the diseases to which trees and plants are liable. In the same room was laid out a coUec. tion of plants of much interest to medical gentlemen. Here were specimens of the insectivorous plants, sach as the Dionaaa and the Drosera, or Sundew. Among the medicinal or economic plants were the Quassia, from which the well-known bitters are extracted ; Coffee, Tea, and the Eucalyptus globulus, or Blue Gum, which of late has been the subject of much attention, not only among abori. cnlturists, but medical men, from its extraordinary properties in removing malaria. Then there were the Castor Oil plant, the Gum Tragacanth, useful in pharmacy ; the Jute, so largely imported from India to Dundee for sacking and other purposes; the Guaiac plant ; the Cinchona, from which quinine is obtained ; Drimys Winterii, brought from Tierra del Fuego, and very useful as a tonic ; the Cinna- mon plant, from the Brazils ; the Oil Palm, from the west coast of Africa ; the Arrowroot jilant, from the West Indies ; the Bread- fruit tree ; the Balsam of Peru, a very rare plant in this country ; the Date Palm ; the Annotto plant, employed for dying confections and colouring butter ; the Lemon Grass, which yields a fragrant oil ; the Olivo tree; Barbadoes Aloes, extensively used by chemists for disguising the taste of drugs ; the Camphor tree ; the Tobacco plant and the Cotton tree. Further on, the visitor came across a curious Mexican Cactus, which, in its native habitat, affords sustenance to the cochineal insect used so extensively in dyeing ; the Black Pepper and the Cabeb Pepper plants, from the Malay Archi- pelago ; the Cow tree, the juice of which is utilised as milk in Demerara ; the Bichardsonia scabra, from which Dover's powders and other medicines given in fevers are made ; and, lastly, the Ipecacuanha plant, also used in fevers, apropos of which it may be jP' mentioned as a curious fact that the large plantations of Ipecacuanha now in India are all derived from plants reared in these gardens and sent out to Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay. Another table was fur. nished with models and sections of flowers, specimens of the dry rot, and a very interesting landscape formed naturally on a plank of wood by Fungi. Microscopes were also placed at the command of the guests, and among the preparations were the cells of leaves of the Anacharis, commonly called the American Water-weed, which show iu the most admirable manner the movements of the living proto. plBsm. Round the walls were hung beautiful coloured drawings of such medicinal plants as Squills, Aconite, Calabar Bean, Belladonna, Henbane, Capsicum, Jalap, Senna, Nutmeg, Tamarind, Squirting Cucumber, which sends out its secretion with immense force; Assafcetida, Hemlock, Sarsaparilla, Eice, Maize, Millet, and, lastly, the glorious Victoria Regia. It may be well to state here that this unique collection was opened to the public. Visitors were next conducted into the long range of glass-houses, commencing at the east with the Orchid-house. Here might be seen Pitcher plants, the Lattice plant from Madagascar, with leaves like a window lattice ; Sensitive plants, whose leaves creep together on the slightest touch, or even when breathed npon ; a curious plant, with a dark ruby, mottled, star-like flower, and an odour like that of carrion. In the next house, were Sugar Canes, Bananas in fruit, tree Ferns, and the Papyrus (the Bulrush of Scripture). A tem- perate-house succeeded, with a fine collection of Ferns and similar plants. In the fifth house, the visitors found another collection of plants, interesting to the medical student — such as the Theobroma Cacao, from which chocolate is, made; the Gutta-percha tree, the Paraguayan Tea plant, which is, oddly enough, a Holly, and in no way allied to the true Tea plant ; the Bread-fruit tree. Cassia, Cin. namon, and Pimento ; the Marmalade, Orange, and Citron trees ; the. Tamarind, the Tallow tree of China, the seeds of which contain a grease very like animal tallow ; the Ginger and Gum-arabio trees, and the Sacred Banyan tree of India. Passing through several other houses containing collections of Palms and ordinary greenhouse plants, the visitors reached the Australian-house, with its Draca3nas and Epacrises, and next the Heath-house, where South African plants are displayed. Among the latter were seen specimens of the beautiful crimson Orchid, Disa grandiflora, from the top of Table Mountain at the Cape of Good Hope. The large tropical Palm.honses were next visited, and the collection here, which is the largest and best in the United Kingdom, was much admired. Leaving the houses the visitors wended their way southwards to the .arbo- retum, passing on the way the general collection of plants ai-ranged according to their natural orders ; and from the high grounds of the main avenue what are recognised as the finest peeps of Edinburgh were duly enjoyed. Continuing in this direction, the Pinetum, with its fine collection of the newest and best Coniferoa, was surveyed, and Tisitors passed on to the rock-garden, one of the most remarkable of its kind, and a never-failing source of pleasure alike to botanist and amateur gardener. Between the rock-garden and the herbarium is a beautiful lawn, and here gradually all the guests congregated. In the centre of the lawn was stationed the band. The promenade on the smooth sward seemed to be generally enjoyed, and between five and six o'clock the terraces overlooking the lawn and the Grass slopes presented a gay and animated appearance. THE VEGETATION OF MADEIRA. Mk. William Longman, in an article iu " Eraser," for August, speaks enthusiastically of the beauties of the vegetation of Madeira. Wo quote a few paragraphs from a long paper dealing with the island generally : No one, I think, has adequately described, or even hinted at, the extraordinary beauty of the wide expanses of golden splendour pro. duced by hundreds upon hundreds of acres of Broom and Gorse ia profusest blossom, of the marvellous masses of colour — pink, mauve, and brick-dust red — derived from Bougainvillea bracts, and of the wondrously manifold luxuriance of the varied garden flowers. The gardens of the quintas, which are almost peculiar to the south of the island, are often exceedingly beautiful. They are usually a blaze of colour. Everything grows and blossoms with a luxuriance unknown to the more temperate — and, may I add, more friendly — north. Geraniums grow to a height of 20 feet and more in a few months, and must be cut down yearly to prevent their straggling into useless exuberance. Strange tropical exotics are here naturalised . Bananas, Camphor trees, Nettle trees, Poinsettiaa, Palms, and Gum trees, with many others, are found in these delicious gardens ; while Lilies, Daturas, Bougainvilleas, and tlowers too numerous to mention, decorate the neighbourhood of every house, however humble. But oven here — even in these quinta gardens — Nature is niggardly, or rather, has not had time to do for Madeira what she has done for larger areas. All is silence ! or so nearly so that the sounds one hears serve rather to increase the oppressive feeling of want of life thau make one perceive its presence. Hardly a bird carols forth its joyous son"-, or even twitters in the trees ; hardly a butterfly flutters among the flowers, hardly a beetle crosses the path. The hum of bees ia almost unknown, the mysterious harmony of myriads of buzzing insects' winfs, so charming iu an English wood, is in Madeira never heard. All seems silent, all seems dead ! The neighbourhood of Santa Anna seemed to me more nearly a realisation of the poet's Arcadia than any place I had ever seeu. The soil — now full of Vines, corn. Yams, Bamboos, and Sugar-canes, but before the failure of the Vines, in 1855, densely covered with Spanish Chestnuts, with Vines climbing from tree to tree — is fertile beyond imagination. The land is thickly inhabited by a quiet, peaceful people, capable, however, of being roused to fury. Their picturesque huts, reminding one of those of the South Sea islanders in Cook's voyages — roofed with long.ridged, steep-pitched thatch, fenced in with Bamboos, surrounded and covered with Fuchsias and Geraniums — almost crowd the ground ; and the paths, no longer steep and stony, but smooth and of a rich red colour, wander among Chestnuts, and Vines, and hedges of Box, Geranium, and Fuchsia, intermixed with Ferns and Mesembryanthemnms. We made an excursion to the Arco San Jorge, one of the many picturesque ravines of the northern coast. The sea.sprinkled rocks, as we descended into one ravine and mounted up another, were absolutely painted with those thick-leaved plants commonly known under the name of House Leeks in Eugland, but which botanists describe as belonging to the genus Sempervivum in the family Crassnlaceas. They grow in such profusion that one overlapped the other, and with a luxuriance unequalled at Kew or in other gardens. The crown of an ordinary hat inadequately represents their size. Their outer tint was a rich brownish-red, fading insensibly into tender green towards the centre, where the leaves formed a crown of the same colour, but of a brighter hue. Few were in flower, but the beauty of the plant ia in its leaves, and not in its flowers. DRAINAGE OF DWELLING HOUSES.* TnE evils of improper drainage are best observed, said Mr. Eassio, iu houses that have been from time to time added to until the cottage has become almost a mansion. One is then able to trace the first awakeu- ing up of the inmates, when the patrimonial cesspool has filled up and choked the drains. When this happened in villages, all that was done was merely to partially empty the receptacles and clean out the drains. And when this had occurred several times, and the sides caved in, a new dumb-well was sunk, and the drains led into it, the old pit being covered up with a stone. It was cheaper to do this than to fill it up ; and, besides, this procedure did not necessitate the absence of the family. It was the same in towns, and only a week • A Paper read by Mr. Baasie, C.E., of 1, Great Winchester Street, London, before the Eainburgli Meeting o£ the British Medical Association, Aug. 6lh. 144 THE GARDEN. [Aug. 14, 1875 ago I laid bare in a west-end London house three cesspools which had been dng in moat brotherly proximity, and abandoned in rotation as they filled up with odour and filth. Four cartloads of nightsoil were removed, which could not have seen daylight for half a century. Nor would it now had not the rats formed runs in their vicinity, and allowed horrible smells to invade the house by way of a long.for. gotten back-drain. The reason why these ancient nuisances are fonnd inside houses in towns and cities was not because they could not be accommodated outside the houue, but because the slops from the kitchen and bath and laundry wastes were insufiicient to flush the more solid wastes outsides the walls. In nearly every case, too, the drains were of brick, laid with uneven bed, and through the joints of which the fluids percolated. We will take an instance. A cottage is drained into a cesspool in the kitchen, and, when that is full, another is dug, until the place is honeycombed with them, the sub-soil saturated, and the well poisoned. A common closet is used in the yard, and this performs the same evil functions. By-and-bye water-closets are introduced, and earthenware pipes, and the cesspool for these is now dug down in the garden, with a lower one for an overflow, and both cemented down, air-tight fashion. There is no ventilation either, except through the trapping water of the syphons at the foot of sink-waste, soil-pipe, or rain-water stack. And here I may say that the drainage into a cesspool is not necessarily dangerous — provided only that the waste-pipes of the sinks deliver outside over a trap ; provided, too, that the soil-pipes are carried roof hin-h, and a foul-air withdrawing-cowl fixed upon them ; then all would be well. It might, in some cases be absolutely necessary also to ventilate the cesspool by an upright shaft, or a ventilating charcoal trap in the stone cover, and it might even be wise occasionally to ventilate the march of the drain. Where a common closet is used, an earth or ash closet ought to replace it. The next difficulty arises where a parish sewer is put in the main road, and the value of the land enhanced so much as to make it worth while to add an extra wing or two, to convert the old stables into servants' offices, and to erect new stable accommodation. When this has happened, sometimes the one-half of the house is drained into the sewer and the other half into the old cesspools. The old cesspools have not, however, been dug up in the basement of the hoi;se, nor the urine catch-pit in the stables. The result of this is not difficult to imagine. Even should the whole of the cottage chrysalis, but now winged mansion be drained into the new sewer, it is just possible that the drains are laid without fall, or with backward fall ; syphons put in where they ought not to have been ; rectangular bends instead of acute ones, and a ventilating shaft not only forgotten, but the sinks, baths, and lavatories taken direct into the drains : and the result, if not disastrous in the matter of health to the inmates, has proved sufficiently annoying to compel the dismissal of the builder and the attendance of the engineer. It is very easy to so arrange tho plan of a house that tho whole of the wastes shall deliver immediately outside the house, and to have nothing but the outside wall between the water-closets, lavatories, and sinks. When it is found advisable to drain tho basement, it can bo disconnected from tho main drain, so to speak, by interposing over the Junction a venti- lating shaft. The sink and lavatories should all deliver over an open chamber. For the rest the walls of the house should be bnilt hollow, and protected from rising damp, also by a proper damp-proof course. Variegated Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium coeruleum variegatum). — In some soils and situations this plant is apt to get rusty-looking, and in hot summer weather ceases to grow. A good way to prevent this is to plant it in its permanent position in April, keeping the roots well down in the cool soil, with which should be incorporated a little fresh cowdung. We treated some thus this year and they have done remarkably well — much better than usual. We jiropagate it by means of offsets taken off abont the end of September, dibbing them in 3 inches apart in light sandy soil in ground Vineries, and keeping them close for a few weeks till rooted. There they remain until spring. If the weather is very severe we protect them with a mat or a little dry litter. Like most hardy plants used for bedding purposes this variety of Polemonium dislikes fire-heat and coddling; simple treatment is best. We find that it associates well with plants having pale blue flowers. We have some forming centres to small circles of Blue King Lobelia resting on a groundwork of Mesem- bryanthcmum variegatum. Thus treated they look well and have been much admired. — 11, J. C, Grimston. Budding Trees and Shrubs. — The principal conditions necessary in bndding, arid worthy of particular attention, are to have the stocks growing rapidly, and the buds to bo used plump and fully developed. Tho Ash sprouts about the fence corners may, according to a corre- spondent of "Moore's llural," be budded successfully with White Fringe (Chionanthns virginioa). The suckers from Plum trees or wild seedlings should be budded with choice sorts, and removed to the garden next year if desired, or let alone to supply some traveller with a choice morsel. The flowering Almonds, and double flowering Plums and Peaches may also be budded upon these stocks, and beautiful little trees produced ina year or two in this way. Cherry stocks may also be employed, not only for the different kinds desirable tor their fruit, but for the double-flowering varieties so much admired for orna- mental purposes. Roses may also be budded at this season ; in fact, the budding-knife can be employed to advantage npon hundreds of trees and shrubs, and the man or woman who is so fortunate as to have a garden, and not know how to propagate the various kinds of plants by bndding, loses many a chance of spending an hour in transforming an inferior plant into a superior one. A book which tells all about this operation, and much more, costs but a trifle, and the infor- mation obtained from it, if put to practical use, will be worth much to any family possessing a garden. It is a pleasure to know how to do a thing, even if one never does it. Weeds as Water Purifiers.— I had recently a striking proof of this. Into my pond runs a stream of 25 gallons per minute of pure water from a drain 12 feet deep which I cut some thirty odd years ago. Weeds will grow and thrive in this pond, and we have annually to rake out large quantities of them. They look very beautiful as they grow in the pellucid water, which is used for household purposes. Said a visitor to me one day, " If you had a pair of swans your pond would be free of weeds ; " so a kind friend presented me with a pair, and very soon they cleared the pond, pulling the weeds up by the roots and feeding on them. My family were delighted with the graceful swans and the removal of weedy obstructions to boating j but although the pond was free of weeds, the water was no longer pure and pellucid, but most decidedly muddy in taste, and when the steam issued from the kettle the smell of mud was unmistakable. Well, no one thought it could be the swans, but at last I came to that conclusion, and, despite family and other remonstrances, returned them to their original owners. After a short period the weeds reappeared, and, as they increased in bulk, the water gradually resumed its pellucidity and purity. — J. J. Mechi. Frogmore late Pine the Best Strawberry to Resist Wet.— This is also (see p. 1C8) tho very worst variety to resist fro«t, its flower trusses being thrown up so much above the foliage. — R. Gilbebt, Burr/hlt^if. Duke of Bnccleugh and Golden Champion Grapes.— Can any of your readers tell me the difference between the Duke of Buccleugh Grape and the Golden Champion ? From what I can see of the Duke, it appears to be a mere variety of the latter. — J. Sheppabd, Woolverstone. Statice Bonduelli and spicata.- These pretty Statioos grown in 48-sized pots make neat little decorative plants for a drawing-room stand or the green- house. They are easily grown and form a pleasing contrast to the plants usually in flower at this season. — E. Hobday, Samaey Abhry, Lee's Prolific Black Currant.^After three years' culture, I can fully endorse all that has been said in favour of this Currant. Not only is the fruit very large, and the plant prolific, but the flavour is such a^ will make it a welcome addition to even the choicest dessert. — Ferdinand Globde, Eppindorf, Hamburgh . Carter's Extra Early Premier Pea.— Dr. Koden tells us that ho has found great merit in this new Pea. It came into use after Blue Peter and Bijou (a great advance on Blue Peter) . It makes up for lateness by its good qualities. It has a handsome pod, a good flavour, and is 18 inches in height. Potato Disease. — This continues to spread with alarming rapidity, and I fear that the greater portion of our earlj^ sorts are affected. Nothing but tho best drying weather can avert the total destruction of our late crops, which have hitherto been most subject to its virulence.— G. Webtlahd, Witley Court. Cooking American Rose Potatoes.— Will some of your readers say what is tho best way of cooking the American Rose Potato ? Fine large specimens of this variety are brought in by the gardener, but when they appear at table they are uniformly watery and inferior in quality to our other kinds. At what age should they bo used ? — E. T. Double-flowered Lobelia pnmila-- Grown thickly in pans, this is exceed- ingly eCTectivc as a front row plant for the greenhouse or conservatory. Its small bright blue, rosette-liko, flowers when produced freely are strikingly pretty. If the edges of the pans are covered with the drooping Sednm carneum variegatum the eflect is charming. — E. Hobday. Colouring Peaches (see p. I08). — Leaving all the Peaches on the top of the trellis is very well as far as appearance goes j but a practical man always leaves some underneath for succession. I grant that some of the varieties aro not so highly painted when shaded as when exposed, but pale Peaches are bettor than no Peaches at all. If, however, your correspondent plants Dr. Hogg ho will have high-coloured fruit underneath as well as on the top, — R. Gilbebt. A Pretty Edging Plant. — In Mr. R. Sims's nursery at Foot's Cray there is a most graceful edging composed of the crisped variety of the Lady Fern, known as tho " Garden Parsley Fern." This is a good name for it as it bears a striking resemblance to the true Parsley Fern. It forms an admirable edging to beds of hardy Ferns, and might be used for the same purpose round choice bods or groups of hardy flowers whore the soil is suitable. Double Sneezewort (Ptarmica vulgaris fl. pi,).— Lot me recommend all who require large quantities of white cut flowers through the summer to grow this useful herbaceous plant. Its flowers aro small, many on a spiko, double, and pure white. The plant is hardy and easily cultivated. At Chilwell, it is found to be one of the most useful of cut flowers, and is used largely in bridal bouquets. — N. H. P. Late Peas.— These have all grown much taller than usual— the great quantity of rain in July having kept them growing instead of filling up their jiods as quickly ns they would havo done with more sunshine. Now, however, they are all yielding abundant crops, and are entirely free from maggots. Champion of England, Champion of Scotland, and Excelsior Marrow are flno varieties, tho two last-named being best left untopped. I still find No Plus Ultra to be one of the best for the latoBt crops ; it is now growing vigorously, and yiolda a long succession. — James Ghoom, lleuham. THE GARDEN. 145 SATTJBDAX. AtTQ. 21, 1875. " This is an art Which does mend nature : change it rather : bnt Thb Art itself is Natuke." — Shalcespeare. THE DIFFERENT BACES OF HYDRANGEAS. At the present time several of the species and varieties of this admirable genus are in bloom in the large temperate- house at Kew, and serve to show what may be effected ■with them in the hands of a skilful cultivator, not alone in growing fine specimens of existing varieties, but also in raising new ones. It is, perhaps, not generally known that most of the forms in cultivation are varieties of the familiar old Hydrangea Hortensia, and that they originated in Japanese and Chinese gardens, but such appears to be the case. Dr. Maximowioz, who has had opportunities of studying them both in China and Japan, and who introduced some fine varieties into Europe, which have been distributed from the Botanic Garden at St. Petersburgh, holds this view ; and, from an examination of living and dried specimens, and a com- parison of numerous figures, there seems no reason for doubt- ing its correctness. We call attention to this fact, because it goes to prove that the Hydrangea is probably susceptible of further improvement, and a wider range of variation. So far as we are aware,no attempt has yet been made to raise now varieties in this country, nor, with the exception of the common form r for market purposes, have the imported ones received that amount of attention from the cultivator which they merit. The original variety appears to have been introduced towards the end of the last century,though the exact date is uncertain. How- ever, it was figured in the " Botanical Magazine," in 1799, and soon became a general favourite ; afterwards falling into neglect, to be again reinstated and largely grown for the market, though not so largely as it deserves to be. The genus consists of between thirty and forty species, natives of the mountains of North India, various parts of China, Japan, and Java, and of America, from Virginia southwards, in the Eastern States, re-appearing again in Western Peru, and extending south- wards to Chili. The South American species have thick coriaceous evergreen leaves and no sterile flowers, and, more- over, possess no special attractions. It is the Japanese species that are the most desirable, and, after these, the North Indian, and, lastly, the North American. These are all hardy or greenhouse plants, but some of the latter succeed well in the warmer parts of the kingdom if treated as herba- ceous plants, or like some of the hardier kinds of Fuchsia, and cut down in the autumn. In the original variety of H. Hortensia, the one commonly met with in cottage gardens in the south of England, and iu several other varieties in cultivation, all flowers of the inflorescence are many times larger than the central ones of some of the wild forms. This is due to the enlargement of the lobes of the calyx at the expense of the suppression of the corolla and sexual organs. Sometimes there may bo rudiments of stamens, but they are barren, and, therefore, these flowers are called neutral or sterile. In some varieties only the outer flowers are thus transformed, as in the wild Guelder Rose ; the only difference is that in the latter it is the corolla which enlarges. Of course the varieties having all the flowers barren can only be propagated from cuttings, layers, or suckers. Cuttings of the Hydrangeas readily strike root, hence that is the method of propagation generally employed. The lateral shoots strike quickly in heat, and these, with generous culture, will usually bear one enormous corymb of flowers, unless pinched back ; cuttings struck in the autumn and kept growing in a warm greenhouse through the winter come into bloom early in spring, and few things are more effective or last longer. A rich free soil, including, if avail- able, a small proportion of peat or. in default thereof, good leaf mould and plenty of silver sand, suits them best ; but, in the open ground, some of the varieties, at least, will flourish in any ordinary garden soil. Liberal watering is necessary to ensure large flowers, and perfect drainage is also essentia!. Of North American species there are only three, but there are likewise several well-marked forms of them. With the exception of H. arboresoens, however, they are only suited for the milder parts of the kingdom, as their home is in the States of Carolina, Alabama, Florida, &c. H. arborescens was the first introduced (1734), and reaches as far north as Virginia. It is a shrub 6 to 8 feet high, with greenish-white inconspicuous flowers — a few of the outer ones enlarged and sterile — and possesses no special attractions. H. quercifolia is a hand- somer species, whose leaves resemble more those of the Plane (Platanus acerifolia) rather than those of an Oak, though they approach in shape some of the North American Oaks. This is a distinct shrub for the milder parts of the kingdom The plants we have seen growing bore comparatively small panicles of flowers, but dried specimens in the herbarium at Kew have leaves and panicles a foot long. The flowers are white, and the panicle is of narrow pyramidal outline. It was introduced in 1803, but appears to be very rare in collections, though it would contrast well with the Japanese forms, having nearly flat or only slightly rounded clusters of flowers and lanceolate leaves. Another deserving mention is the variety of H, radiata called nivea, from the white down which clothes the underside of the lanceolate leaves. The Indian species may be dismissed in a few words, inasmuch as they are inferior to the Japanese as ornamental plants and scarcely so hardy, with the exception, perhaps, of H. altissima, which is found on the Himalaya Mountains up to an altitude of 10,000 feet. More- over, they are altogether larger-growing shrubs. H. altissima is a climbing species ; H. heteromalla or vestita, introduced in. 1821, we have only seen in a dried state. H. cyanema is a very pretty species from the same region, with blue flowers. We now come to the North-east Asiatic, or Chinese and Japanese species, of which there are eight, and a large number of varieties, many of them exceedingly showy and beautiful. They are H. hirta, virens, chinensis, Thunbergii, soandens, paniculata, involucrata, and Hortensia. To the last belong, according to Maximowicz, the following forms: — acuminata (including coerulescens and loseo-alba), japonica, Belzonii (ccerulea, " Botanical Magazine," t. 4,253), Otaksa, Hortensia, Azisai, and stellata. The extreme forms are so different that no one would think of uniting them under the same species without the connecting links, and it seems most probable that they descend from two distinct species. But this question concerns us less than their value as orna- mental plants. The common variety, with immense corymbs of sterile flowers — at first green and then chang- ing to rose or bright blue according to the nature of the soil in which the plant is growing — and large bright green glossy leaves, succeeds near the sea, and even in the shady back courts and yards of town houses. It seems to thrive best in partial shade, though it will grow in open sunny places. Of this form there is a fine variety, the leaves of which _ are bordered and spotted with white, and the typical variety, having only the outer flowers of the cyme enlarged and sterile. H. stellata is a pretty variety with small leaves and smaller clusters of flowers, with more than four or five narrow sepals in the sterile flowers, and as many as ten to fifteen in a sub- variety, termed prolifera. They are yellowish-green at first, and eventually a bright rose. H. accuminata has also much smaller leaves (2 to 3 inches in length), and some of the outer flowers only enlarged. These are blue in coerulescens, and red, or red and white, in roseo-alba. Curiously enough, the barren flowers of ccerulescens are reversed, the upper surface being turned downwards. We believe this is also the case in some of the other varieties. H. Otaksa^ is near the commonform, and is said to have invariably intensely blue flowers, without regard to the nature of the soil. H. Hortensia is variable in this respect. In soil highly impregnated with iron it produces blue flowers; andcharcoal, alum, iron-filings, and similar rn ate - rials, are used to procure them artificially. H. Otaksa is as hardy as the common form, and bears clusters of flowers, from 13 to 20 inches across. H. Azisai is also of smaller dimensions, and is remarkable in having its barren flowers extended on long pedicels. H. paniculata is the species next in point of merit as an ornamental shrub. It is" a taller growing plant than any of the varieties of H. Hortensia ; and quite as hardy, perhaps even hardier. The leaves are clothed with rough hairs, and the flowers are arranged in long pyramidal 146 THE GARDEN. [Are. 21, 1875. panicles. This is described somewhere as one of the best autumn flowering shrubs in cultivation, holding its flowers for two months or longer. There are two varieties ; one in which each cyme or branch of the panicle produces a solitary barren flower and several fertile ones ; and the other, with larger and more numerous barren flowers. The flowers are white at first, changing to red. This is still rare in English nurseries, but it appears to be more commonly cultivated in the United States. H. virens is an attractive little plant, judging from the dried specimens, and the figure in Siebold and Zuccarini's " Flora Japonica." It has small leaves, pure white flowers, and, con- spicuous yellow styles. H. Thunbergii is a small shrub 2 to 3 feet high, small serrated leaves, and flat cymes of blue flowers, a few of the outer ones barren, Messrs. Cripps, of Tunbridge Wells, raised a variety of it, which they call H. Thunbergii floribus persicis — that is bearing flowers the colour of Peach- blossom. It is perfectly hardy, coming from the mountains of Japan ; and, although not so showy as some of those noticed above, it is a desirable flowering shrub. The leaves of this species, Siebold states, furnish a very choice kind of tea, having an exceedingly agreeable flavour, and bearing the name of Ama-tsja, or Celestial tea. H. scandens, including H. petiolaris, is of climbing habit ; but I have not had an oppor- tunity of seeing it growing. W. B. Hemslet. A CHAEMING WILD GARDEN. Mr. Hewittson's garden at Oatlands, near Weybridge, has some features worthy of note for those interested in wild gardening. The new Clematises scramble among the common Ling, grow vigorously, and flower gorgeously. Clematises are also allowed to grow through the branches of huge Oaks that touch the ground. The finer-coloured varieties of our British Heaths are planted among the common kinds, and their effect in flower is excellent. The Gentian-blue Gromwell (Litho- spermum prostratum) is thriving perfectly in the free sandy soil of the district, planted out here in wild-looking but carefully- planted masses among the Ling and Brake. In introducing plants of this kind to the wild garden here they are not set out singly and without preparation, but carefully planted by themselves in beds of such naturally irregular outline that when the plants become established they seem native children of the soil as much as the Bracken and Heath around. It is remarkable how all this is done without in the least detract- ing from the most perfect order and keeping. Closely-shaven glades and wide Grass belts wind about among such objects as those we allude to, while all trees that require special care and attention show by their health and size that they find all they require in Mr. Hewittson's beautiful garden. It is more free from needless or offensive geometrical-twirling, barren expanse of gravelled surface, and all kinds of puerilities —old-fashioned or new-fangled — than any garden we have seen for years. "Woodsia polysticlioides Teitchii. — Thia is a distinct and remarkably graceful Fern for the hardy Fernery or rock-garden. It is not of the "miflfy" character of our AVoodsias, and is of a slielitly silvery tone, which makes it a welcome addition to our other dwarf hardy Ferns. — V. The Pyramidal Mignonette.— Some of the new varieties of Mignonette are desirable introductions. The best of all for outdoor use is Reseda odorata pyramidalis. It is a great improvement on the old Mignonette. — Hooper & Co., Covent Garden . Double White Pelargoniam George Sand.— I have had this variety in fine condition. It has a good habit and flowers freely. Its finely-shaped flower trusses, with long stems, are valuable in bouquets and button-boles, and the individual pips are also good. It is decidedly the best double white Pelargonium yet introduced. It requires a little shading to keep the flowers pure in colour. — E. Ci. Ottbwell, Penge, Transplanting Apricots in Bloom.— Last spring I was obliged to remove an Apricot tree when in full bloom, and it does not seem to have suiTered in the least from being moved in that condition. It has even produced a fair propor- tion of fruit, and has grown with as much vigour as any of the other trees that were not disturbed.- R. GaiiENriBLD, Prior;/ Oardcm. Grapes Crackiue.— I am in the same dilemma as "N. H. P." (see p. 126), except that my black Hamburghs stand better than any other variety. Of Muscat of Alexandria and .Josling's St. Albans, scarcely half a bunch is left. White Tokay and I.ady Downs have also cracked. Our Vines, with the excep- tion of Lady Downs are about forty years old, and have got into a sour clay bottom, — CnAS Tuenee, Eanlvood. The Fever Gnm Tree in Ireland.— A plant of Eucalyptus globulus flowered freely the end of last month in tlio garden of Mr. R. \V. Hall Dare, Ncwtown- barry House, Wexford. The tree is 20 feet high, and is in a dry and sheltered position; it has been planted out about four years, and is very healthy.— ' Gardeners' Record.' NOTES OF THE WEEK. Fkom Alabama we learn that Early Beatrice Peaches ripened for shipment May 28th ; Early Rivers and Louise were ready from 1st to 5th of June ; Hale's Early and Tillotsou'a Early, June lOlh to 15th. The last-named came in ten days later than in 1871. The day after learning the above interesting news from, the Agricultural Department at Washington, Messrs. Kivers sent us from Sawbridge. worth well.flavoured and fairly.grown fruit of Early Beatrice and Early Louise, gathered from standards grown in the open garden. Me. Tkuffaut, Versailles, writes to ns to say that the weather in France has been quite as bad as with us. For two months it was very cold and rainy, and great difficulty was experienced in the culture of fine.foliaged and tropical plants indoors in consequence of the absence of snn and natural heat. Out-of-doors, an immense quantity of fruit rotted on the trees. Me. G. F. Wilso.v, of Weybridge Heath, sends ns speeimens of that magniBoent variety of the Tiger Lily, known as Lilium tigrinum splendens, which is by far the best of its race, and is at once distinguished by the greater size of both the flowers and their spots from all others that belong to the tigrinnm section. It is one of the most precious hardy bulbs ever introduced to our gardens. We are authorised to state that the exhibition announced to be held in the Botanical Gardens, Manchester, on the 2nd of September next is postponed. Thk Victoria Lily is now flowering freely in the new aquatic house at Kew, the old aquarium being now devoted to the smaller- growing Nymphaeas, many of which are also in bloom, associated with the Nelumbium specioaum, or Sacred Bean. For the last few weeks there has been a considerable scarcity of good fruit in the London market. This sometimes happens between the small fruit season and the coming-in of the good early Pears and Apples. This year, in consequence of the injury done by wet to the small fruits, the want has been rather unpleasantly felt. As an example of what may be done with flowers in the heart of dustiest London we may mention the graveyard of St. Sepulchre's, Holbom Viaduct. It is now a pleasant little garden, well fumishetl with numerous bright flowers, and among them Japan Lilies and other subjects only seen in tasteful gardens. In the grounds of the New Plant and Bnlb Company, at Colches- ter, there are now remarkably fine plants of Lilium longifloram eximium, a superb variety of very vigorous growth, the plants attaining a height oE 3 feet out of doors, and bearing from five to eight of their large trumpet-shaped flowers. It is a much finer plant than that lately alluded to as being sold in Covent Garden, under the same name, and which is evidently only L. longiflorum. Some of the fine trees in the gardens belonging to North- umberland House, now down, are being felled to make way for contemplated improvements. Where thousands of pounds are being spent in planting young trees in towns it is to be regretted that more care is not taken to preserve established specimens of them. If the trees in question were wrongly placed, it might not have been an impossible matter to have removed them to more eligible positions. A GOOD example of railway gardening may now be seen at the Lower Norwood Station. The walks on both sides of the platform are fringed with rock borders, and carpeted with Saxa- frages, Sedums, and other low-growing green-leaved vegetation, a few bedding plants being used here and there, in order to give colour. On one side is a really good piece of carpet-bedding, con- sisting of a six.rayed star of Coleus on a flat mass of the Golden Pyrethrum, the whole being neatly edged with Blue Lobelia. Among plants now in bloom on the rock-work at Kew are the following, viz., Dinris elongata, a pretty little Australian terrestrial Orchid, having grassy leaves and terminal white rose- spotted flowers, borne on leafy stems, from 6 to 8 inches in height ; Polygonum capitatnm, a quick-growing and free-flowering half- hardy species, having creeping stems, ovate, dark, blotched leaves, and pale-rosy flowers ; Asteriscus maritimua, a vigorous.habited Composite, bearing bright golden-rayed flowers, as large or larger than a penny piece ; and Gaultheria procumbens, studded with its wax-like pearly-tinted bell-shaped flowers. Among plants now in flower in the lobby of the Orchid-house at Kew are the showy old-fashioned Hajmanthnscoccineus; Campanula Vidalli, a pretty shrubby white-flowered Bell-flower ; O.xalia Smithil, a free-flowering bright rosy species, with elegantly six-lobed leaves j Gastronema sanguineum, a showy scarlet-flowered Amaryllidaoeous plant, somewhat resembling a Vallota, but with a more bell-shapod flower ; Amphlcome EmodI, with pinnate Burnet.like foliage, and rosy-lilac funnel-shaped flowers ; Astelma eximium, an interesting Composite, the stems of which are clothed with closely imbricated woolly foliage, and surmounted by a cluster of Heliohrysum-like everlasting flowers of a reddish colour. Aug. 21, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 147 THE FLOWER GARDEN. NOTES ON NEW AND EAEB YUCCAS. All -who grow Yuccas will thank Mr. Hemsley for his paper on them, published iu The Gabden of last week (see p. 129). It is not, and it does not profess to be, an exhaustive scientiiic account of the family, but it is one which will be very useful and popular. Those who wish for more strictly botanical accounts will find them in the papers by Mr. Bakei', Dr. Bngel- man, and Mr. Wilson Saunders. I have ventured to supple- ment Mr. Hemsley's paper by a few stray notes. To the two variegated Yuccas named (aloifolia var. and filanientosa var.) should be added gloriosa var. At present this is very scarce, and, I believe, not in private hands. I only know of it at Kew, at the Jardin des Plantes at Paris, and at M. Van Houtte's. It is a grand plant, and I hope it may soon be more widely distributed. Yucca aloifolia can only be considered hardy in Devonshire, South Wales, and such parts, and even in those districts it must beprotectedfrom wind and snow. Y. Treculeana, I fear, is very tender, but it is a magnificent species. I saw it last year, just after flowering, at the garden of M. Leroy, at Angers, and I considered it the king of Yuccas. Y. flacoida increases fast, and is one of the best where only a few are ^grown, as it generally flowers every year. There is a very good variety of this (as I suppose it to be), that I had some years ago from M. Van Houtte, under the name of Y. Meldensis. When in flower it is very distinct, as the branch- lets of the panicle are set almost at right angles with the main stem, and the flowers are a good white. I know nothing of its origin. Of Y. angustifolia I fancy there are two or three varieties, and my experience is that they are not easy to establish, but when once estab- lished they are as hardy as any. Y. angustifolia is rather scarce. I have never seen its flower ; but Mr. M'Nab reports it as now in bloom at the Edin- burgh Botanic Gardens. There is a species or variety very like this called Y. alba spica, which Sir. Hemsley does not mention. Its leaves are very rigid, and the margins are very thready. It is at present scarce. I do not question that Y. gloriosa var. superba is only a variety ot gloriosa ; but, when well grown and the season is favourable, it is so distinct as to merit a special notice. Dean Herbert said of it " that it is unquestionably the most magnificent plant in the flower garden." The name Y. Ellacombei seems to be now estab- lished, but the plant was raised bv Messrs. Loddiges (not by my father) from seeds that came from Malta. It is a distinct and very handsome plant, the colours being very fine. Dr. Engelmann connects it with Y. recurvifolia, but the leaves are not recurved. The peculiar twist in the leaves reminds me of the description of Y. tortulata, but I know little of that species. Among the curiosities of Yuccas may be noticed one called " Joshua " by the Mormons (Y. brevifolia). Dr. Parry describes it as having an odour " decidedly fcotid, seeming to present special attrac- tions only to various beetles and insect larva;." A second curious point is, that the Yuccas are night-blowing plants, so that the flowers are generally seen by us either before or after expansion. This is specially noticed by Dr. Engelmann as connected with fertilisation by night-moths. A third point worth notice is, that though the family is markedly a fibre- beanng family, yet hitherto it has not been found of much commercial value, though it has been experimentally used for the manufacture of both cords and paper. Bitton Vicarage. Henry N. Ellacombe, ACANTHUSES IN BLOOM. These are beginning to get a well. deserved place in our borders, and also occasionally in the sub-tropical garden. It, however, takes some time to get them thoroughly established, and hence we do not as yet often see them at their best. The largo dark.leaved one, called A. latifolius, requires considerable time and good deep, rich soil before it attains its full size ; it is then very effective. In some heavy cold clay soils these do not appear to flower freely. In our warm open soils they bloom freely enough, and their flowers have a very distinct appearance from any others, and, to my mind, much quiet beauty. By the way, is it not said that the firmly but delicately-chiselled beauty of the flowers and their surroundings led the Greek sculptors to adopt them as the original model of the celebrated Corinthian capital ? Acanthus longifolius, A. latifolius, and A. spinosus, are all kinds that flower well with me in good sandy loam, and which are much admired by all who see them. V. '^r Acanthus spinosus in flower. The American Weed in Ornamental Waters. — Pour years ago, under the advice of an eminent landscape gardener, I ex. cavated a basin or pond to retain a water, course which passes through my garden, in order to create a sheet of water intended to be ornamental. My design, both before and after execution, looked well, but has been productive of a series of annoyances. First the sewer came in, next the water ran out. The remedies applied to these evils have been very costly, and, as yet, are by no means successful. But in addition to these — and this is the point upon which I wish to consult you — that pest the Anacharis Alsinastrum, introduced, as I believe, with some Water Lilies purchased from a neighbouring nurseryman, has made its appearance, and, in a few weeks, has taken possession of my pond. How can I eradicate or arrest it ? That is the important question. I know there are many others suffering from the same evil, some of whom will perhaps give me their experience. Some have suggested the introduction of swans ; others the application of a mixture of limewater. I have an idea of drawing off the water to a minimum sufBcient to float the weed, and then to saturate it with carbolic acid, which I hope may effect its destruction. — AMPHiiiious. A Bright Yellow Muscari.— When visiting Mr. Ellacombe and Mr. Atkins this spring, I saw, in each garden, a single bulb of a very showy and handsome Muscari in fall bloom. The bells of the flower-stalk were nearly double the size of those of M. mos- chatum, and of a clear, bright yellow. I believe Mr. Bohn, to whom a flower was sent, pronounced it to be M. moschatum var. maritimum (luteum). I have several times ordered this variety from the Continental nurserymen, but it has always turned out to be the ordinary M. moschatum. Mr. Ellacombe and Mr. Atkins had only a single bulb each, and the latter told me that he had in vain tried to procure more. Whatever the plant is, it is a most striking and handsome species, and one which ought to be largely grown in every garden. Why do not our nursery, men look it up ?— H. Harpuii Ckewe, The Rectory, Drayton-Beau. champ, Tring. Gentian Culture. — Gentiana verna thrives well in Oxfordshire in a sandy border, with a few large stones half-buried about it, and G. acaulis we use for edging purposes. G. Andrewsii is a fine kind, with large deep blue flowers in clusters, which never quite open ; it grows iu company with a Gentian sent to me as G. gelida, but I think it is wrongly named. G. asclepiadea and the white variety grow very freely in a half-shady border (facing the north), with a fair proportion of peat in it. — OxON. 148 THE GAEDEN. [Aug. 21, 1876. EAISING NEW PELARGONIUMS. Pelakgoniums form an extensive family, which is of consider- able importance from a decorative point of view. It is divided into several sections, among the most conspiouons or important of which ai'e those known as the " zonal," the " show," and the " fancy " varieties. It is generally admitted, however, that these terms do not satisfactorily designate the class of plants to which they are respectively applied. And yet there appears to be some difficulty in assigning other and more compre- hensive terms which would be likely to be recognised and adopted. The zonal varieties are supposed to be descended from two or more of the Cape species, viz., P. zonale, P. inquinans, and P. Fothergillii ; while the show and the fancy sorts are probably derived from P. grandiflorura, P. cuculatum, or other large-flowered species.. Considerable uncertainty, however, exists as to the origin of these plants. The practice, still continued, of applying the term Geranium to this genus is somewhat inexplicable, as, putting botanical distinctions aside, the general appearance of the two classes of plants is essentially distinct. The Pelar- goniums are nearly, if not all, tender, being mostly natives of the Cape of Good Hope ; while most, if not all of the Geraniums are indigenous to Europe, some of them even natives of Britain, and, consequently, hardy. Not less inexplicable is the notion entertained by some that the name Pelargonium .should be applied to the zonal section, and that of Geranium to the other sections, known as the " show," the "fancy," and the "sweet-scented" varieties. It is true that the numerous varieties forming the zonal section differ very materially from what are called the " show " and " fancy " sorts. But even the structural resemblance which these sections bear to each other is certainly much greater than any of them bear to the Geranium properly so called, such as G. pratense, G. platypetalum, &o. ; and this circumstance alone might be supposed to be sufficient reason for applying the name of Pelargoniums to all sections, if it is applied to any of them. The term zonal is sometimes objected to, when applied to plants whose leaves show no indication of a zone ; but the zoneless varieties may, I think, continue to be considered zonals— as, in all other respects, they agree with them, — until some more applicable and comprehensive term can be applied to the zonal, as well as to the various other sections of this genus. Cross-bred and hybrid are often thought to be synonymous terms, and are frequently ajaplied indiscriminately. This, however, I am inclined to think, should not be the case. Nature appears to favour or promote the production of cross- bred varieties,inasmuch as every hermaphrodite flower generally possesses male and female oi-gans, and yet the stigmas of such flowers are rarely fertilised by their own pollen, as, in most cases, this is ripe and dispersed before the stigma of such bloom is in a sufliciently forward condition to be fertilised by it ; while, in other species, the stigma is frequently fertilised by foreign pollen before its own is ripe. As an instance of the way in which flowers in general are fertilised by other pollen than their own, I may mention the case of a bloom of a double Zinnia, of somewhat extraordinary dimensions and of peculiar colour, which was produced in a bed among many other double-flowered Zinnias of various shades of colour. The plant which produced the bloom to which I am alluding had all its other flower-buds i-emoved before they expanded, and this single bloom was allowed to mature its seed which was care- fully sown this spring, and the plants produced by it (some three dozen or more) were planted in a bed, and are now in flower, producing blooms of all shades of colour, including white, yellow-bronze, purple, &c., but no plant among them has flowers of the same shade as that of the bloom which produced the seed from which they were raised. Therefore, as has already been said, Nature, by insect agency or otherwise, but without the intervention of man, facilitates the production of cross-bred varieties, while, on the other hand, she discourages hybridity, however accomplished, by invariably placing such productions under the ban of sterility. Zonal Pelargoniums, now more particularly under consideration, are, with good reason, believed to be descended from two or more species, say, zonale and intjuinans, and, in this instance, sterility has not been induced. A variety, which has recently origi- nated in a garden at Nice, and which M. Jean Sisley, of Lyons, considers to be a hybrid between a zonal and some Ivy-leaved species, produces, nevertheless, fertile seeds ; it is, therefore, quite possible that some plants which, according to botanical arrangements, have been separated and considered to be distinct species, may, nevertheless, be more properly regarded as mere varieties. All the plants, however, which I have raised between the modern zonal varieties and Pelargonium peltatum, have invariably proved sterile ; nor have I ever succeeded in inducing the hybrid plants, raised by Mr. Wills, to produce seed. These, by the bye, I am very much inclined to think, have also been produced between P. peltatum and some of the zonal sorts ; and, if this be so, no hybrids, as far as I know, have, up to the present, been obtained between P. lateripes and the zona.ls ; for, according to Loudon's " Hortus Britannicus," the former kind and P. peltatum are con- sidered to be distinct species. II: therefore, very consider- able difficulty is experienced in obtaining a cross between allied plants of kindred species, it may well be supposed that this difficulty will be greatly intensified when attempts are made to produce hybrid plants between distinct genera ; yet this, Mr. Lowe, of Highfield House, noar Nottingham, con- siders he has accomplished. He has, he thinks, produced a variety between Madame Vauoher, a white-flowered zonal, and the hardy blue-flowered British plant. Geranium pratense. This may, of course, be so ; indeed, Mr. Pearson — an authority, as may be supposed, on such matters — admits himself to be nearly, if not altogether, convinced that such is the case. All attempts, however, made by me in that direction have hitherto failed. During the early part of the present season I potted several plants of G. pratense, G. platypetalum, and G. anemoni- folium, and placed them in situations in which it was hardly possible that kindred pollen of any kind could reach them, otherwise than by my own hand. The blooms were duly emasculated, and zonal pollen carefully applied ; and, in due time, what appeared to be seeds were freely produced. But these, on close examination, were found to be merely empty seed vessels. They were, however, sown, in order that no chance should be thrown away ; but, as was expected, no plants were the result. This experiment was also reversed — that is. Geranium pollen was used for fecimdating blooms of the zonal Pelargoniums, the result of which has yet to be ascertained ; but sanguine hopes are not entertained of its success. Dr. Denny, of Stoke Newington, a successful raiser of improved zonal Pelargoniums, attaches much importance to the influence or potency of the pollen parent in producing the desired qualities in colour, form of flower, habit, constitu- tion, &c., of the progeny. But, in order to ensure this pre- potency of the pollen plant, he thinks it necessay to use the pollen somewhat lavishly ; in fact, to saturate or smother the stigma of the intended seed-bearing plant with pollen grains. My own experience in the matter has not led me to observe the superior influence of the pollen parent, and I should think one parent as likely to be prepotent as the other ; or, if any- thing, I would rather be inclined to say that, as regards consti- tution, the seed-bearing plant has most power. My experi- ments, however, have generally been directed more towards the production of certain qualities in foliage than in flower, and whenever variegated plants have been allowed to become the seed bearers the progeny has generally been found to be weak or delicate in constitution, although the pollen used may have been furnished by the strongest-growing green-leaved varieties. I may state, too, that I never succeeded in raising a robust or free-growing tricolor Pelargonium from seed which had been produced by a variegated plant. On the contrary, I have always found that in cases where the seed-bearing plant was variegated, and the pollen plant greeu-leaved, there was a greater percentage of variegated seedlings among the progeny than in cases in which this order was reversed, that is. the seed-plant green-leaved, and the pollen plant variegated, and the latter will always be found to furnish the strongest and " finest varieties. If a union is effected between two varieties of corresponding vigour of constitution, the transmission of quali- ties from each parent will generally be found to be pretty much the same. Some years ago I fertilised a few blooms of the well-known white-flowered zonal Madame Vaucher, with pollen taken from a strong-growing variety with a well-defined zone, and large trusses of dark scarlet flowers, named Emperor of Aug. 21, 1875.] THE GAEDEN. 149 the French ; from the result of this union. Tvas selected a Tariety which has been lonp; known as a good bedding sort, ■viz., Culford Eose — a strong vigorous variety, with large trusses of rose or oerise-coloured flowers. In this instance it will be observed that the pollen parent was prepotent in the matter of colour, but it must also be remembered that in this batch of seedlings there were also plants with lighter-coloured flowers, as well as some of darker shades. But, in no instance was a plant produced having blooms of as dark a scarlet as the pollen parent, nor so light-coloured as that of the seed parent. During the following season pollen from this Culford Eose was applied again to Madame Vaucher, and one of the results was a very dark zoned variety, with well-formed pink flowers, which was named Culford Pink; this proved to be an excellent bedding sort, with possibly the darkest zone of any zonal Pelargonium. About this time a sei'ies of papers on bedding Pelargoniums appeared in the " Gardeners' Magazine." In one of these it was stated that a good pink-flowered variety, with very darkly-zoned foliage, was something very much to be desired ; and it was face- tiously added, that whoever would furnish such a deside- ratum would deserve well of His country, or words to that effect. This v.ariety, in all re- spects, fulfilled the conditions asked for. Pollen of it was also applied to Madame Vaucher, and the result was a batch of very light pink-flowered plants. The experiment was still farther carried out, and it was found that in about the fifth or sixth generation plants with flowers nearly, if not altogether, as white as those of Madame Vaucher, were produced. From what I saw of Mr. Lowe's so-called hybrid variety I felt inclined to think that, like the French variety alluded to by M. Jean Sisley, it would produce seed pretty freely, and, if this be so, it by no means indicates hybrid origin. About the middle of last September I repeated an experiment which I had previously tried, with the view of ascertaining whether or not superfetation could be induced in the case of the Pelar- gonium, and, if so, it might of course be inferred that ■ ^ ■ — — the same might take place amongst other hermaphro- dite plants ; or, at all events to ascertain for the second time whether or not the application of foreign pollen to the stigmas would have any perceptible effect upon the progeny in cases in which sach stigmas had been previously fertilised by their own pollen ; accord- ingly two plants of Pelar- gonium peltatum were again selected and placed in a structure where it was hardly possible that pollen from kindred species could by any moans reach them, and, as soon found to be in proper condition Semi-circular ribbon bed. small ; some had zoned foliage, the leaves of others were quite zoneless ; while the plants raised from the seeds pro- duced by the blooms which had received only one applica- tion of pollen were quite uniform in appearance. All the plants, however, were kept growing slowly through- out the winter months, and were planted in the open air about the end of Slay. All the seedlings raised from the plant whose blooms received only one application of pollen have now flowered, and their blossoms differ in no respect from those of the parent plant ; while, as regards the produce of the twice fertilised plant, none of the seedlings have yet flowered, and — what is more remarkable — the plants are rapidly losing that diversity of appearance which distinguished them during the earlier stages of their development, although they are still very distinct from each other, and the appear- ance of flowers is looked for- ward to with interest. Should they approximate to the zonal type, this circumstance may perhaps be considered as favour- able to the theory of super- fetation ; while, should the flowers be in no degree different from those of P. peltatum, it will be WifBcult to account for the diversity of appearance among the seedlings apparently occasioned by the second appli. cation of p,ollen, otherwise than by supposmg that, even after fertilisatidn has been effected, the ovules may still, to some extent, be nourished or fed by the application of pollen to the stigma. P. Grieve. CAEPET BEDDING IN LONDON GARDENS. Our summer this year has been too wet and cold for beddino' and sub-tropical plants, more especially for such kinds as pro''- duce flowers, and yet herbaceous plants in mixed borders have rarely been more attractive than they have been during this summer. The most remarkable features of our public gardens just now IS, however, undoubtedly the carpet beds, which, though less bright in colour than they were last year, have not, at least, been much affected A LTERNAtJTHERA Panelled carpet beds the stigmas were few blooms upon each plant were fertilised with their own pollen, and all other blooms were removed. On the following day the stigmas of one of the plants were covered with pollen taken from a zonal variety. The blooms upon the other plant were left untouched after the application of their own pollen. Both plants duly ripened seed, and the produce of each was sown in a separate pot, and germinated simultaneously ; but, as was expected, the produce of the plant whose blooms had the second application of pollen were exceedingly diversified in aspect, although they all appeared to be of the peltatum type, the leaves of some of them were large, others exceedingly by the heavy rains to which they were subjected all through July and early in the present month, and, apart from the meaningless and complicated designs in which these bright-coloured low- growing foliage plants are too often arranged, they are highly useful as affording permanent, rich, and decided colours, which can be de- pended on even when flower- ing plants fail us. We have now three styles of bedding, and these, although distinct in themselves, may frequently be effectively combined in one and the same garden, as may be seen this year in Battersea and Victoria Parks. In the so- called " carpet bedding," dwarf-growing foliage plants, such as Alternantheras, Eohevei-ias, Golden Pyrethrum, Cerastium, and Golden Chickweed alone are used, with now and then the addition of some dwarf-growing Lobelia. In ordinary bedding arrangements, Pelargoniums, Calceolarias, Verbenas, and such strong-growing foliage plants as Centaurea and Coleus are employed, while in sub-tropical gardening, as is well known, we use any noble-habited tropical or other fine-leaved plants, such as Aralias, Palms, Ferns, or Grasses, provided they are suffi- ciently hardy to stand out of doors during the summer months. Carpet bedding is a comparatively modern system of flower gardening, and is useful in the way of affording neat belts, 150 THE GARDEN. [Aug. 21, 1875. bands, panels, or clumps of bright colour on bigbly kept or closely Bhaven lawns. Its beauty depends on brightness of colour and skilful design; that of sub-tropical gardening on elegance and stateliness of form ; hence, by a judicious com- bination of the two, excellent results may be produced. Neatness is secured by pegging down, clipping, and pinching, until the whole bed is nearly as flat and as formal as a Teritable carpet or, rather, hearih-rug. We have, in fact, left off clipping onr Yews and other evergreens into all manner of fantastic devices only to torture our dwarf bedding plants in a somewhat similar manner. This kind of bedding is, however, now the fashion, and that being so, we have thought it well to furnish a few illustrations as to the best way of carrying it out. Examples of carpet beds may now be seen in all our London parks, those in Battersea, Hyde, and Victoria Parks being, perhaps, the best. Independently of design, however, the materials with which they are planted demand considera- tion, and, therefore, we cannot perhaps do better now than give a synopsis of the plants employed in this kind of gardening, which is likely to extend to country gardens ; such a list will be useful for future reference. WHITE. *Cerastium tomentosum Antennaria tomentosa Gnaphalium lanatum *Leuoopliyta Brownii Centaurea ragusina Centaurea ragusina compacta Cineraria maritima compacta Euon ymus ra dicans variegatus Euonymns latifolius albo- marginatus Fuchsia gracilis variegata Veronica Andersonii variegata Salvia argentea Stachys lanata ORANGE-RED. *Altemanthera paronycbloiiles Alternantliera parouychioides major Alternantliei'a amabilig Alternanthera amabilis latifoUa BLUE. Lobelia Blue Stone Lobelia pumila Lobelia pumila grandiflora Lobelia pumila magnifica Lobelia Blue King ROSY-PURPLE. Lobelia Omen YELLOW. *Pyrethrum Golden Feather Meserabryanthemum cordifolium variegatum *Stellaria graminea aurea Pelargonium Robert Fish Pelargonium Crystal Palace Gem YELLOW. Pelargonium brilliantissimum Viola, yellow flowered Coprosma Baueriana variegata Euonymns japonicus aureus Lamium purpureum aureuni *Sedum acre aureum *Sedum anglicum BLUISH-GREEN OR GLAUCOUS. Sedum glaucum Echevcria secunda Echeveria secunda glauca Echeveria metallica glauca Sempervivnm cuneatum Gazania splendens variegata GREE.V. *Tagetes signata pumila *Cerastium arvense Sedum lydium _ Pyrethrum Tehiacthewii Sedum acre CRIMSON AND CARMINE. *Coleu3 Verschaffelti Coleus Verschaffelti (improved) Iresine Lindenii Iresine Herbstii Iresino acuminata *Alternanthera amcena Alternanthera amo3na spectabilis Alternanthera amoena magnifica Alternanthera spathulata Amarantus rubra BLACKISH-CRIMSON. Coleus (dark-leaved varieties) PeriUa (Those marked * bear clipping or pinching well.) Pruning and Manuring Clematises and Conifers. — I should bo much obliged by your telling me if I ought to cut my Clematis Jackmani down in winter ; it grows well and seema healthy, but never blooms until September. I want to cover a trellis with Clematiaea, and I ahould like to know what vaTietiea of Clematis will look well associated with Jackmani, and last all the autumn as Jackmani does when properly treated ? Will manure put to the roota of Yews in winter increase their growth or will it injure them ? Will manure also benefit Cupressus Lawaoniana ? — Kate Brook, Crawsliaw Hall, Rawtenstall, Lancashire. [Clematis Mrs. Jas. Bateman will contrast well with Jackmani. Cut them both down to within a foot of tho ground and in November dig in a liberal supply of well-rotted stable manure. Yews and the Lawson Cypress will also be improved by having well. rotted manure applied to their roots in Niivember. — G. Jackmax & Son, Wohing.^ The Best Phloxes. — The following are the beat now in bloom in Mr. Laing'a collection at Stanstead Park, viz., A. P. Barron, lilac with a largo crimson eye; Bryan Wynne, deep crimson, aufTuaed with purple, centre bright crimson ; Dr. Maatera, rosy.pink with bright crimaon centre, flowera large and fine in form; J. K. Lord, salmon-red with large carmine eye, fine both in form and spike ; Lothair, light scarlet shaded with purpliah-violet, distinct ; Madame Domage, white slightly marked with purple, large and fine ; Madame la Comtesse de Turenne, pure white, with a purple centre ; Madame Moisset, violet, centre brilliant scarlet ; Miaa Macrae, pure white, with a dark pnrplish-crimaon eye ; Monsieur Joaeph Heim, salmon red with ricb purple-centre ; M. Marin Saiaon, red, aalmon. violet, dwarf and very fine, extra ; M. Taillard, salmon.red, centre purple-bronzed ; Mrs. Dombrain, white, with a well-defined eye of bright crimaon ; Philippa Penglase, purplish.lilac with a glowing pink centre, effective ; Princeaa of Wales, white shaded with rose, large bright scarlet-crimson eye, fine form, and in spike ; Retour de la Fortune, clear lilac, white in the centre ; Souvenir de Berryer, dark rosy-salmon, with a purple centre j and White Lady, a distinct pare white variety. — F. Transplanting Clematises.— My Clematis beds, consisting of Jackmani and rubella, are moat effective. They are araall circular beds, in which the Clematiaea are tied to Willow sticks hooped over about 3 feet above the beds in the shape of common bee-hives. My garden is, however, to be somewhat changed next year, and I am anxious to know if the Clematiaea are carefully lifted in November I can depend upon their blooming well the first year in their new quarters. They would, of course, be immediately replanted in rich, deep beds; but, if I thought they would suffer from transplantation, I would even prefer to allow them to remain where they are. They have been undiatnrbed in their present quarters for the last five or six years. — J. Thomas, Carlou:. [Prnne back the Clematises in November to within 6 or 9 inches of the base or surface of the ground, transplant them, in that month, with good balls into some rich, rotten, atable manure well mixed with mould, and mulch the surface during the winter months. They will then flower freely during the forth, coming aeason. — Geo. Jaokman.] A Weeding Lesson. — We have often spoken of the importance of killing weeds before they come up, or before they have reached a a tenth of an inch in height. It ia then done with the single stroke of a steel rake or hoe. A bed of flowers, containing 80 square feet, should be raked once a week, whether the weeds appear or not. It requires four minutes for each raking ; and for the entire months of May, June, and July, forty-eight minutes. This leaves the bed at all times perfectly clean and mellow. If the ground is full of foul seeds, they will come up in warm, moist, growing weather in one week, and once or twice their green points had just appeared when the weekly raking was given. In another bed of equal size, where raking was omitted, they came up in a week, and in two more weeks were from 3 to 6 inches high — requiring one hour to clear all out by hoe and hand. This muat be repeated every three weeks, or four times in the three months, requiring half a day's work to keep the weeds under for the three months, and even then doing it imperfectly. — " Cultivator." NOTES AND QUESTIONS ON THE FLOWER GARDEN. StrutMopteris japonica- — This is a noble hardy Fern quite distinct in appearance from auyihing else we have. Mr, Sim, of Foot's Cray, informs us that it is quite hardy in any soil, having wintered safely with him in frozen water. Marechal Niel Rose upon Briar Stocks.— This charming Rose has the fault of flowering but sparingly when the stock upon which it is grafted is not very vigorous. The best stocks for it are young Briars, upon which it flowers profusely. — W. Phlox Countess of Sefton.— I saw a most effective bed of this the other day in the Botanic Garden, Birmingham. It belongs to the suffruticoso section, is a free bloomer, and has a dense compact habit. When neen in good sized masses, within a purple band, it is most eCFective. — Geo. WESTLAifD, Witley Court. Campanula persicifolia coronata coerulea.— Amongst Bell-flowers this is my favourite. The efTect produced by the harmonious dash of light green on the outer segments of the individual flowers is unsurpassable ; whilst the stately and free growth of the plant in general, makes it, as a whole, one of the most striking of herbaceous plants. — R. P. B. Rats and Water Plants. — Whenever I have planted a strange aquatic in my pools, the water rats attacked and devoured it immediately — often before our eyes — a few minutes after it was planted. They have carried off Hemp Agrimony {a very fine plant), Butoraus, the large lleed-Mace, tfcc, year after year. Can it be a taste for novelty ? Some of my friends have observed tho same. — Jackson Gillbankb. Ferula tingitana.— Your figure of this Ferula (see p. Ill) conveys but an inditTerent idea of the beauty of the plant. It is a splendid plant when grown in the open border, but it does not usually bloom in so small a state as is repre- sented by the figure which you have given of it. It requires four or five years before it produces flower-stalks, which grow as high as 12 or 15 feet. I have a plant of it which was sent to mo about ten years ago by the late Mr. John Salter ; but I have had it only once in bloom. It has withstood all our severe winters.— Jean Sislet, Lijona. Gathering Alpine Flowers.— X propose spending a few weeks in the Kngadine. Can you give me the name of a handy, trustworthy, and intelligible work on tho flora of the district.— Salmoniceps.' [There is no published flora of the Engadine. Ball's Guide gives botanical information. Pontresina is the best centre, being close to Pitz Langard, Roseg Glacier, &c. " Salmoniceps "should also go up to the Bcnnina Pass and stop tliere several days ; there is a good hotel. Also at the Albula ( Woissenstein Hotel, 6,500 feet above the sea). Primulas are plentiful at Pontresina. At the south end of the village there is a man who collects and sells dried specimens of Engadine plants, and who will give information about localities, — G. Maw, Bentkall Hall.'] AnG. 21, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 151 THE AMATEUR'S GARDEN. By THOMAS BAINES. Propagating Bedding Plants. — It is now time to commence tbe propagation of bedding plants for another year, especially some varieties of Pelargoniums, such as the tricolors, the cuttings of which, if they are not got in early, do not root well ; if put in at once, in the open air, they are far less liable to fail than when con. fined in frames or houses; but, as in the course of some weeks, we may expect cold nights, it is well to provide against their effects. The best means of doing this is to prepare a number of propagating- boxes or large cntting-pans, according to the number of plants which will be required ; these must be well drained, and for this purpose there is nothing better than coal cinders, as they are dry and open, and not so heavy as crocks or broken bricks. The cinders, to the depth of an inch, should be placed in the bottom of the boxes, a little dry rotten manure, such as has been used for mulching a Vine border or Asparagus bed, being laid on the top. On this pnt the soil, which may be any ordinary loam, in which there is a fair proportion of sand. The bo.^es should be deep enough to take, above the drainage, 2i or 3 inches of soil, which should be pressed moderately firm. The cuttings should consist of shoots taken off with four or five joints, a clean incision being made just below the bottom joint. All the lower leaves must be removed, leaving only two or three at the top. In making cuttings of all kinds, but especi- ally of those that are soft and fleshy, sui:h as the plants under gonsideration, a sharp knife ia always absolutely necessary, in order that the part cut may not be crushed or bruised, in which case cuttings are much more likely to rot than root. After they are prepared let them lie for a few hoars, so that the wound may dry a little, and then insert them 3 inches apart. See that the soil is not too wet, and do not give any water for a day or two. Place the boxes containing them in the full sun, in a warm corner of the garden or frame-ground, and, before danger is apprehended from cold nights, have in readiness a frame to put over them that can be all or partially closed when re- quired. Unless a sufficient number of Verbenas were put in store pots in spring to provide stock for next year, cuttings of these should at once be put in. Select such as spring from the base of the plant and are free in growth without showing any disposition to flower. Let them be two or three joints in length. Prepare a sufficient number of G-inch pots, well drained, and filled with sandy loam ; put ten or a dozen cuttings in each, give them a good watering, and place them in a cold frame, the atmosphere of which must be kept moist, giving only a little air in the middle of the day, and shading to keep them from flagging ; damp them with the syringe every afternoon when the weather is sunny, and be careful to remove any leaves that turn mouldy. Here they will root in a few weeks, after which more air must be given them. In preparing cuttings of any description that have to be struck in a close atmosphere one thing is essential to success, and that is never to bruise any part ; if even a leaf is at all crushed, far better cut it clean off than allow it to remain, as a bruised stem or leaf is always liable to damp. Apples. — In gathering, for immediate use, early kitchen Apples, such as Keswick Codlin, Lord Snffield, or Manks Codlin, a little dis- crimination should be used in getting the first from trees that are heavily laden. If a portion is removed from those that are over- cropped, it not only gives the fruit left a better chance of attaining a useful size, but also relieves the trees for another year. Where forethonght is exercised iu this way, amateurs' trees that are usually limited in number never need suffer by over-cropping, for which there may be some excuse where large orchards exist. This also applies to Plum trees, which, this year, in the south of England, are generally so over.laden as to prevent their setting moie than a very small Circular carpet bed (see p. H9) quantity of bloom, a scanty yield the ensuing summer being the inevitable result. Celery. — The particular time at which Celery ia wanted for use, in the autumn, should regulate the period at which it should be earthed up, for it is not advisable to do this fully, thus early in the season, unless It is required for use as soon as blanched ; for, when the earthing-up process is completed, it does not afterwards keep so well. There are many who do not value this vegetable whilst summer Lettuces can be had; consequently, where this is the case, it is better not to draw more earth to the rows than is necessary to keep the leaves in an upright position aad prevent them from being broken down by the wind. Crops intended for use as soon as they are large enough for the purposes for which they are required should be gone over at once ; a few of the small outside leaves and all suckers should be removed, and the whole of the remaining leaves should then be brought together in the hand and tied loosely with a ligature of bast high up the stalks— in fact, just beneath the leaves ; if the tie is not slack it does not allow the centre leaves, that are now pushing up, room to grow, in which case they become deformed and spoilt. Hand-pick all weeds that are growing in the trench, give a good soaking with manure-water, and then apply 6 inches of fine soil to it; draw the stalks tightly together with one hand, whilst with the other the earth is placed close up to the plants. If this is not done the soil gets into the hearts, causing decay ; in the course of a fortnight add another 6 inches, carrying out the work as above de- scribed ; and, after the lapse of a similar period, finish off with 6 inches more, leaving the sides of the ridge sloping and smoothed with the back of the spade so as to throw off wet. It is not good practice, except in the case of the general winter crop, to finish the earth, ing up of more Celery than will serve for a month or so, for i£ much is earthed up early in the autumn in a dry season, it suffers from want of water, for, as will be easily understood, when the soiling up is complete, little can reach the roots. Always allow the leaves of Celery to get quite dry before earthing up, or it is liable to rot. In carrying out the work, care should be taken that the roots are not interfered with. This will not occur if, at the time of planting, suf- ficient room was left between the rows. The use of paper tied loosely round the plants before they are earthed up, with a view to keeping the earth out of the hearts, is advocated by some, but, even when quite thin and good in quality, it always gives a disagreeable taste to the stalks. Onions, like most other crops, are late this summer in finishmg their growth ; as soon as this is complete they should be taken up, for, if allowed to remain in the ground after they are ready for drawing, they throw out roots a second time, which prevents their keeping well. In taking up Onions, they should be tied in bunches of eight or ten as the work proceeds, separating the best bulbs from those that are thick in the neck ; the latter will not keep so well, and may be used at once. The smaller growing, firm-textured kinds, such as James's Long-keeping and Brown Globe, should be kept for the spring supply, nsin° first the larger sorts, such as Nuneham Park. There is no better method of keeping Onions than hanging tbe bunches so as to be just clear of each other, on nails driven for the purpose into a north or east wall. The wall of any building that has the eaves projecting for a few inches iu the usual way, and that has a spout to Sirry off the water, will be suitable ; here they should bo hung up as soon as pulled, and they will dry thoroughly and keep lonf'er in the spring, without making growth, than in any other situa- tion. They are not influenced in the slightest by frost, and the growth they are liable to make in spring, when confined in a building, is avoided. Lettuce, Endive, and Spinacli.— Thin out Lettuces that are large enough to handle. These, where it is necessary, may now be 152 THE GARDEN. [Aug. 21, 1875. transplanted, as after this time there will be no disposition to run to seed from the effects of any check they receive, such as frequently occurs during the dry summer season. Plant them in rows 12 inches apart, allowing a similar distance between the plants in the row. This will be enough at this season, as the kinds recommended for sowing a short time back will not require so much room as the larger.growing varieties. Prepare at once a piece of good ground for Endive ; it should be well dug and moderately rich, and, if not highly manured for the previous crop, a moderate dressing should now be given. Put in the plants 15 inches apart each way. This will give room for the use of the hoe to keep down autumn weeds. Make at once another sowing of Endive, both Batavian and Green. curled ; and also of Lettuce, Hardy Green and Bath Cos. Sow in an open situation, where the plants will not get drawn up. Make also another sowing of winter Spinach. Choose for this a light dry situation that will not favour rank growth, for if this vegetable is grown too luxuriantly, it stands a poor chance of surviving the winter frosts. The Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground. Although on heavy land the copious rainfall of the past and present months has proved very injm'ious, on light dry soils the reverse has been the case, and the moisture has been directly beneficial to many species of plants, such as the Calceolaria, Verbena, Viola, and others. The green.leaved Zonal Pelargoniums have, it is true, in many cases, run more to leaf than is desirable ; but this tendency will soon be counteracted by the more settled weather we are now experiencing, and those varieties of the Pelargonium, which are generally grown for the beauty of their foliage alone, have seldom looked better than they do at the present time. The rainfall having tended somewhat to lower the temperature, has prevented some sorts of tender or sub- tropical plants from making the progress they would otherwise have done had the weather been warmer ; and such genera as Alternanthera and Coleus have hardly kept pace with the more hardy varieties of bedding plants. The propagation of bedding plants of all kinds should now be pushed forward as rapidly as possible. Cuttings of the tricolor, and variegated kinds of Pelargonium should be put in first, as these varieties require a longer time to strike root than the more robust green, leaved kinds. As soon as the cuttings of Verbenas and similar kinds of bedding plants are fairly rooted they should be removed from the close frame and placed in the open air, where plenty of water should be given them. Many kinds of hardy herbaceous plants may now be increased by cuttings, in the same way as the Verbena and other bedding plants ; amongst such kinds are the different varieties of the hybrid Phloxes, which are now in great beauty, and of which a collection should be grown in every garden, as they are exceedingly ornamental, remaining for a considerable time in bloom, and affording an abundant supply of cut flowers while they do so. Cuttings of Pentstemons, Mule Pinks, Picotees, Pansies, Tea-scented Roses, &c., may all be increased by cuttings at the present time. Careful atteu. tion must be paid to the routine operations of the season. Litter, of whatever kind, must be swept from the walks and lawn every morn- ing, and neatness and good order everywhere maintained, as long as it is possible, by removing decayed leaves and flower-stalks from flower-beds and borders. To keep gravel walks firm and solid they should be rolled as soon as possible after a plentiful fall of rain. Finish, also, the clipping of Yew and other evergreen hedges, and also the budding of Roses of all sorts, while the bark will rise freely, which will not long be the case. — P. Geieve, Culford, Bury St. Edmunds. Indoor Fruit Department. Vines. — Pot Vines intended to supply Grapes very early next season, should now bo hard and brown to the extreme point. All those in this state may be set out in the open air in some sheltered position. The canes should be supported as they have hitherto been, or they are liable to get twisted and broken. Any with green wood near the point, or about the part whore they are expected to fruit, must not be put outside until they have ripened like the others. Water may bo sparingly given, and decayed leaves should all be cleaned off. Side shoots may also be cut in to about 2 inches from the main stem. Later fruiting canes and others intended for plant- ing, should now be encouraged to ripen their growth. Keep their laterals closely pinched in, and let plenty of dry warm air circulate alx)ut the wood ; on fine days sun. heat will bo sullicicut but on cold wot ones a little fire-heat may be given. Muscats are generally the worst to ripen, and, if it is not already done, they should be placed in the warmest corner of the house. No shading should be given afterthis time, and, when they have been grown underneath other Vines or climbers, as many you7]g Vines are during the summer time, move them to an unshaded house, or, where this cannot be had, a frame, covered with sashes, will do. The wood of Vines, planted out early, will now be thoroughly ripe. From these, the leaves may be removed when they have become yellow, and none of them should be permitted to lie on the surface of the border. Where late Grapes look as if they were going to be very late in ripening, take the greater part of the foliage off the lateral shoots, and remove any leaf on the principal wood which is shading the bunch. Pines. — Where the stock of suooessional plants for nest year is deficient, any suckers which were put in to root about the beginning of June, and which have done well since that time, may be put into a fruiting pot, in which they may be kept growing slowly throughout the winter, and where, with careful treatment, they will fruit towards the end of next year. Plants which will ripen fruit at Christmas and the new year may be slightly damped overhead on fine days after they are out of bloom ; for these the temperature at night should not be less than 68'', and the bottom-heat may range 10' or 12° higher. Fluctuation, either in the top or bottom-heat, often proves injurious ; therefore, keep both as steady as possible. — J. MuiR. Peaches and Nectarines. — Peaches and Nectarines to be forced early should now have their wood well ripened ; when the bearing wood is firm and brown, and growth has ceased, it may be con- sidered in that condition ; the buds should be prominent and mealy- looking. Under these conditions forcing may be considered a simple matter. No young wood should be allowed to grow now ; and, if the leaves are very large and succulent, they may be cut to a moderate size, BO as to allow the sun and air to have full power on the buds. Crowding too much young wood into the trees is an evil too commonly met with, and where growth continues and the wood is soft, failures are proportionately frequent, as might be expected, in rich badly-drained borders. The roots should be first examined underneath the trunk, and, if they are growing far from the surface, they may be carefully lifted and placed in clean fresh loam ; but, if they cannot be raised without bending them much, they may be cut clean off, and, the soil being rammed firmly underneath them, no further trouble need be expected. If growth continues after this, the roots on one side may be moved more or less, and the young wood growths well trimmed. If the roots are both outside and inside the structure, the latter portion may be lifted almost entirely, the drainage put right, and plenty of good loam mixed with some lime rubbish placed over a layer of turves, the whole being made firm. The roots are then laid upon the surface in clean earth, a foot of soil being placed over the whole, and a moderate watering being given if required. If this be done, and the foliage still adheres, success may be looked for. If there are doubts of too much vigour, a few feet of the outside border may be removed along the front, and ordinary soil rammed firmly into the space. We did this with two early houses of very old trees, the branches of which were dying off and which were making great sappy shoots. The results obtained were excellent, and, where the stems were apparently decaying, fresh bark is growing over them. Keep later houses free from insects, and expose the fruit to the sun, giving, at the same time, plenty of air. Figs. — These should be kept thoroughly clean in the early houses. If they are in pots, and have rooted through, they should have the outside portions taken off, keeping the roots in the pot well watered. When they are to be started into fresh growth, the old inert soil is taken away and is replaced with rich material, of which crashed bones form a part. For very early fruiting — say, at the beginning of April — it is a good practice to have the roots built into brick cases 4 feet square, and treated otherwise as if in pots. In Fig-houses where the trees are established, but are forming too much wood, root-pruning may be freely practised and the fresh space filled up with loam, mixed with bones, stones, or broken bricks, the whole being rammed down until perfectly firm. This system, adopted with early and late Fig trees, has always resulted in an abundant supply of fruit, and the use of the knife is seldom required. No suckers should be allowed to grow, and plenty of air should be given to fruit when ripening, but at this period too much watering at the root injures the flavour of the fruit. Where the new growths are strong and are intended as permanent wood, a nick should be made with the knife above each leaf ; plenty of sturdy young shoots will thus be induced to push, and the balance of vigour in the tree will thus be equally maintained in all parts. We have had Castle Kennedy Fig, trained in the form of cordons, in full fruit the season after planting, by paying careful attention to " nicking " the young rod as it grew. Cucumbers, Tomatoes, &c. — Seeds of Cucumbers should now be sown for winter crops ; some should also be well advanced in gi-owth. It is well to have plenty of sturdy growth made before fruiting is allowed. For the present let them have plenty of light and air, and do not permit them, on any account, to become pot- bound. Tomatoes under glass may be kept growing, all the laterals being removed. Cordons allowed to grow as far as there is room and trained overhead with the fruit hanging down, have a fine Aug. 21, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 153 appearance, and for early work are a most valuable crop. When grown in pots their roots may be allowed to run through the bottoms into rich soil, to which a suiSciency of mannre-water should be administered. Successions from cuttings or seeds may be kept growing with plenty of light and air, but they should not be allowed to become pot-bound. French Beans may now be sown in pits to succeed those in the open ground; frames may be placed over a portion outside where frosts are expected early ; hoops and mats often do good service, and " plant protectors" are of much value for sheltering tender vegetables, &c. Continue to make Mushroom beds as they are required ; if there is a house or shed for the purpose it is most convenient to grow them under cover instead of outside ; but, in either position, the manure should not be wet nor very dry. Dry manure from excessive heating is useless ; if mixed with some turfy loam it may be imj^roved. The beds, when made, should be built very firmly, kept dry, but not allowed to heat over 90° ; add the spawn to them when at about 80°. — M. Temple, Blenheim, GAEDENS I HAVE ENJOYED. Br A LADY. CowLEV, writing to John Evelyn, whose literary fame rested at that time on his recently published " Sylva ; or, a Discourse on Forest Trees," says : — " I never had any other desire so strong, and so like covetousness, as that one which I have had always-^that I might be master at last of a small house and large garden, with very moderate conveniences joined to them, and there dedicate the remain- der of my life only to the cul- — - — - — ; iure of them and study of <^ature, and there, ' With no design beyond my wall, whole and entire to lie, In no inactive ease, and no in- glorious poverty ; ' Bnt several accidents of my ill-fortune have disappointed me hitherto, and do still, of that felicity ; for, though I have made the first and hardest step to it by abandon- ing all ambitions and hopes in this world, and by retiring from the noise of all business, and almost all company, yet I stick still in the inn of a hired house and garden, among weeds and rubbish, and with- out that pleasantest work of human industry — theimprove- ment of something which we call (not very properly, but yet we call) our own." This is a most natural wish, thoiigh I must say that, perhaps, the pleasantest hours of my life have been spent in the gardens of others. There one has none of the cares andresponsibilities which a sense of ownership brings, no regrets over the blindness which caused us to plant that Cupressus Lawsoniana in that barren spot where it could not possibly do well, no lamentations over the careless manner in which the gardener transplanted that Magnolia so as to render its flower- ing during the summer more than doubtful ; no vexations, no remorse at having been persuaded into allowing the greater pai-t of a garden which might have been a paradise of sweet- scented plants and old-fashioned flowers to be turned into an exhibition ground for tri-coloured Geraniums, Echeverias, Aloes, and other things well enough in their places, but which offered no real satisfaction to a true lover of Flora. These thoughts sometimes interfere with the enjoyment of one's own garden ; but it is far otherwise when, either alone, or in pleasant and congenial company, we spend a quiet hour in the garden of a friend; memory recalls many " times of refresh- ings " like these. I speak not now of the stately pleasure grounds, when, as the learned author of the " Anatomy of Melancholy " says, you may " walk amongst orchards, gardens, bowers, mounts, and arbours, artificial wildernesses, green thickets, arches, groves, lawns, rivulets, fountains, and such- like pleasant places, or disport in some plain or park ; " and then he proceeds to describe the Prince's garden at Fer- rara, and quotes S. Bernard's account of the garden of his A border carpet bed (see p. US). monastery. Very fine on paper are these descriptions, but, as when Don Pedro wooed the fair Beatrice, and prayed her to take him for her husband, she replied, " No, my lord, unless I may have another for working days, for your grace is too costly to wear every day," so I turn from these and dwell with a feeling of relief on the recollection of some homely spot, where old-falihioned flowers thrive well, and you can pluck them to your heart's content ; where trees and shrubs (planted in no formal manner) cast a peaceful shade on grassy walks, where you are not tormented by thinking you are called upon to admire something; here nothing is obtrusive, and some feeling of the exquisite repose of Nature steals over you as you walk alone. A garden like this is the place for thought — Minds innocont and quiet take Such for a hermitage. There is such a garden (probably one among numberless others) on the borders of the Mediterranean Sea. It is in a fair Italian town, as yet unhannted by tourists. Cook is a power still unknown. No one speaks English. There are no amusements in the proper sense of the word— no casino, no theatre, no gaming tables. This garden stands " somewhat back from the village street," the Strada Borgo Marino. On one side you approach it by an Olive wood, whose shaded turf is covered in spring with scarlet and lilac Anemones, the fra- grant Narcissus, and the star-like flowers of the white Periwinkle. As you enter the gate out of the wood, you traverse a long avenue of Orange trees, covered with ripe fruit, with here and there a gigantic Palm. The Oranges are for the most part Manda- rins ; the trees are beautifully shaped, the glossy green of the leaves forming a fine con- trast to the golden fruit. Leav- ing the avenue, you pass into the garden proper, which is not large in extent, though the tall trees and luxuriant vegetation deceive the eye as to the size. There are no for- mally planted beds, but Roses, Stocks, Violets, and Migno- nette, grow here in what the Irishman called " nate con- fusion." Here a Palm with twisted stem and yellow Dates hanging in clusters, shades a rustic seat, while groups of Aloes fill up the ground below. Stocks and Eoses were the chief flowers in the month of March ; but Violets, particularly the light double ones, were most fragrant. There were nume- rous patches of Pinks, while Virginian Stock, and other pretty annuals, made the odd corners of the garden gay. Here and there grow large Oleanders, not, however, yet in bloom. There are many fan Palms with their broad spiked leaves, and other fine trees, principally the Caroub, with flowering shrubs which were quite new to me, and of whose names I am ignorant. On one side is a rockery covered with Mosses and large plants of the Maiden-hair and other Ferns. The " old- fashioned country seat " has likewise its covering of creepers. Passion-flowers, the Gloire de Dijon, with other Eoses, inter- laced with the branches of a luxuriant Vine. Such was the garden in which the writer spent many hours in every week this spring entirely undisturbed. No gardener was ever to be seen, and the distant hum of life from the town, some way off, hardly broke the stillness. No one ever appeared to walk there ; the silent inhabitants of the villa seemed to have left this garden to take care of itself. It was like " the land where it was always afternoon." The ground gradually rose from the gate you entered until you reached the other door, which led into the upper part of the town, and opened into the Strada Eomana. From this spot you looked down on the sea, though too far off to hear anything of the fall of its waters beyond a distant murmur. Far away to the west the snowy peaks of the Maritime Alps seemed to touch the clouds ; while below, white villages nestled on the hillside amid the dull green of 154 THE GARDEN. [Aug. 21, 1875. the Olive woods ; here and there a tall Campanille broke the line, and sometimes a distant bell was distinctly heard in the quiet air ; on the east a tall cliff and a rocky shore, with here and there shming sands, with picturesque fishing boats, the gay-coloured dress of the fishermen adding colour to the scene. A Garden in Madeira. If you get into a bullock car iu the town of Funchal and allow yourself to be dragged up a long hill paved with stones, having walls on each side which partially hide from your view the gently rising ground dotted over with villas, and planted with Sugar Canes ; if you can bear the jolting incidental to this kiud of travelling and the frantic cries with which the driver urges on his lazy cattle, you turn up a lane to the right, which takes you to a small door, over which is a porch covered with Jessamine. This leads into the garden of the Quinta de Jasmineiro. You enter, and see before you a long walk, shaded by Mangoes, Bananas, the Norfolk Island Pine, and other semi-tropical productions, and arrive at a lovely ai-bour, covered by a purple Passion-flower. From this spot there are two exquisite views. Looking down, you see in the cemetery the long line of Cypresses, whose sombre foliage forms a strong contrast to the deep blue of the sea. The mountains slope gradually down to Brazen Head, which is at one end of the bay, while Cape Jirao closes it in on the other. Not far from the first promontory lies a group of islands (the Desertas), whose ever-changing hues, whether seen at dawn, or midday, or in the glow of evening, or beneath the rays of the moon, add an indescribable charm to the scene. Look- ing upwards, the chain of mountains which crosses the island rises to the height of 6,000 feet ; while, half way up, a deep gorge casts many coloured shadows at morning and evening. The town of Funchal lies low down on the shore ; in its narrow streets are many splendid houses, unoccupied at the time I knew Madeira, as during the disastrous period of the Vine disease the merchant princes, to whom they belonged, had left the island, and the Vines themselves had been replaced by sugar canes. The garden (which I left for this digression) contained nearly all kinds of fruits and flowers known on the island; Apricots, Peaches, Oranges, Bananas, Mangoes, the two kinds of Guava, colossal Opuntias or Prickly Pears, fine Oleanders, Aloes, Geraniums, and Helio- tropes being among the native plants, grew luxuriantly. There also were fine Tea Koses ; these flowers grew in beds bordered with Box, as no Grass is possible, excepting higher up in the mountains. The garden was peopled by a quantity of African parrots, who wandered about at their own sweet will, while a large aviary sheltered love-birds, besides parroquets, and weavers of several kinds. The rainy season takes place in October or November, most often in the latter month ; it is Tery wretched, but only lasts a short time. The rain comes down in torrents, the mountain streams are swollen, and, in their headlong course, they uproot large trees, and not unfre- quently bear them, and even cottages, down to the sea. The garden presented a melancholy aspect during one of these stormy seasons. The Bananas were laid low, the flowers dashed and spoiled, the Oaks shed their loaves, and all was desolation. This was, however, of short duration. Nature soon recovers herself in this favoured spot. December retrieves the losses which had occurred the month before ; the gaps in the vegetation were filled up, and all was again beauty and verdure. A Garden in the Midlands. After all, the garden which I remember with the most pleasure is one iu a midland county. No particular beauty marked the situation — no mountains, no river, no very extensive prospect. It occupied the slope of a hill, and from the top, where " the swallows twittered from the straw-built " summer- house, there was a lovely view of a fertile and well-wooded plain ; and, iu the far distance, the long line of Yorkshire hills preserved the landscape from monotony. The garden was about H acres in extent: part of it was given up to vegetables, and, on the south side, the wall was covered with well-trained fruit trees. Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, Pears, and Plums. I^ never saw anywhere finer crops than those produced here. No pains were spared to render this little spot not only pleasant, but profitable. But I am speaking of things as they were twenty years ago, and the science of gardening has made great progress since that time. The north wall, to which Morello Cherry trees were trained, divided the garden from a large orchard ; all the length of this wall was a border, full of " April's first-born flowers," Violets, Primroses, and Lilies of the Valley. Here they flourished, for they were not disturbed ; from year to year, they went on bearing masses of flowers, for it never occurred to the gentle and bookish master of the old house to think of allowing them to be dug up to make room for modern favourites. He would as soon have thought of sending his pet copy of Pietro della Valle's works to be divested of their old Italian binding, and I'e-clothed in modern dress, as of allowing one of his Lilies to be moved. True, he was no botanist, and hardly knew the Latin names of his plants ; but he loved them well. How often have I seen him, with some ancient folio in hand, treading the grassy walks, ever and anon stooping to pluck a flower, and lay it for a mark in " the chronicle of wasted time." Many a discussion had he with the old gardener, who treated him with great reve- rence, excepting when he ventured to differ from him on some point connected with gardening. "Rakes" was a thoroughly practical man ; little book-learning had he, and made awful blunders in most of the names of his plants ; not only did he mispronounce them strangely, but he went out of his way to write them as unintelligibly as he possibly could. Some of his mistakes were amusing, " Eakes, I do wish you would label those new Roses." " Ay, ay sir, I'll libel them." " Rakes, what do you call that fine shrub ? " " Why, master Duke, your grandfather, do say it is a Jupiter tree " (Juniper). " Rakes, it is such a pity you are a Methodist ; now, if you would go to church you would hear such music. What an anthem we had the last time grandfather preached in Aldwark church." " Nay, nay sir, I don't think nowt at all o' your hanthems, they're all baokards and forrards, and up the middle and back again, and when you think you've done wi' 'em, they just sets off, and begins all over again. I can't abide 'em. Gi' me a good ranting hymn, and have done wi' it. It's just as if i'stead o' sowing these 'ere Peas, I wor to spend my time dancing backards and forrards on a Cabbage leaf." But Rakes was well up in the practical part of his work ; how proud was he of the part of the garden specially given up to Roses and other perennials. From the straw summer-house, a long grassy walk, shaded by Nut trees and Portugal Laurels, whose branches formed an arch, led down hill to the large Grass plot in front of the old house ; what a walk that was ! The July sun could hardly penetrate the thick foliage over- head, the path was wide enough to allow of rustic seats being placed at intervals ; and here, if you strayed in on a fair summer afternoon, you would find the master smoking a quiet pipe, and always ready to greet a friend, and with him Discuss the books to love or hate. Or touch the changes of the State, Or thread some old Socratic dream. On each side of the walk grew masses of flowers, Roses, Pinks, Carnations, Canterbury Bells, Phloxes, with beds of Stocks and Mignonette. The shade was so thick that You could not wonder at the Lilies -white, Kor praise the deep vermilion of the Rose, But the scent was something to remember. Beyond these, in spring towered tall Lilacs, Laburnums, Snowballs, and Syringas. The large Grass-plot was not cut up into beds, but on one side, not far from the south walk, Apple trees, trained as espaliers, divided it from the border given up to the wall trees, while in a quiet corner there was an arbour formed of a carefully trained Jargonelle Pear tree. It was fitted up with seats and a table ; many were the luncheons and teas which took place here ; it was, besides, the hallowed scene of many an interesting flirtation. But you will say, "What! no bedding-out iilants ? Was there no room for Christine or Mrs. Pollock f" If you had asked Rakes, he would have said he " knowed nowt about such like fine ladies; thowt they was furriners — or, leastways, strangers to these parts." But, for all this, there were many fine Geraniums, Heliotropes, Verbenas, and Calceolarias iu the garden — only, instead of being bedded out in the orthodox manner, they were l)lanted in the mixed borders, where they were not thought to Auff. 21,1875.] THE GAEDBN. 155 suffer by comparison with their herbaceous neighbours. The grass-plot was a carpet of velvet, soft and mossy, and always beautifully kept ; it sloped almost down to the house, only divided from it by a brosd paved walk. The house itself was of the time of Queen Anne, and not remarkable for any beauty ; but Nature, pitying the poverty of art, had clothed it in a lovely dress of climbing roses, .Jessamines, and Honeysuckles. They nearly covered the fi'ont which opened into the garden ; they garlanded the old windows, peeping into the quaint low- ceiled rooms, and filling them with perfume. A rustic porch protected the door ; on each side of the porch were three shelves, the entire transformation of the old home. Mr. Nouvcauriche, a wealthy ironmaster, had bought it, and had, of course, imme- diately set about the work of renovation. Little was there to be seen of all I had fondly remembered. The house was curiously decorated and converted into a cottage oiiie, and the garden Here the curtain must be drawn. Let us hope that the last slumbers of " Rakes," who has long been laid to rest among the other " rude forefathers of the hamlet," and not far from his old master, are quite untroubled by any of Mr. Nouveauriche's doings. He worked well all his life, it is but fair that he should sleep soundly at last. N. which were filled in summer with pots of Balsams, Musk, and a trailing Campanula, whose pale blue flowers, hanging from the lowest shelf, touched the ground. Even early in spring there were Crocuses, Snowdrops, and Hyacinths, with other children of Flora who " come before the swallow dares." Such was a garden in the Midlands, some twenty years ago, but who can arrest " Time's thievish progress ? " After an absence of fifteen years in a distant colony I returned to England, and hastened to re-visit the spot I had so often seen in my dreams. Sad news had, it is true, travelled across the sea — tidmgs of loss and change ; but I was hardly prepared for ALOCASIA INTERMEDIA. When well grown, thi3 is a noble fine-foUaged plant, suitable alike for the decoration of the plant-stove or for purposes of exhibition. In habit it somewhat resembles A. Lowii, but it is even more stately than that species, while its leaf-stalks (as will be seen by the annexed engraving) are conspicuously mottled or barred in a very beautiful manner. Like its congeners, this plant ia propagated by dividing its fleshy rhizomes, and, being of vigorous habit, it soon makes a good specimen if potted carefully in a fresh open compost, consisting of fibrous peat, turfy loam, and leaf mould, with sufficient coarse sandstone grit to keep the whole open and porous. It ia 156 THE GAEDEN. [Aug. 21, 1875. wortli notice, that few Arads like a close soil; on the contrary, a rich, free, vegetable mould is what they enjoy. If the thick roots of an Alocasia or Anthurium be examined, the tips will be found covered with short hair-like processes, which are vigorous and healthy wherever the soil is open, but which soon decay in a wet, stagnant compost. They seem to be of use in absorbing moisture from the air spaces between the nodules of peat and turf rather than from the compost itself ; and if a covering of fresh living Sphagnum be placed over the tops of the pots, near the root-stocks, fresh roots soon make their appearance there, a circumstance which adds considerably to the health of the plants. It is a singular fact that the roots of nearly all the endogenous plants grown in our gardens like to grow in living Sphagnum Moss, a material which may with advantage be added to the compost used for nearly all Arads. B. TREES AND SHRUBS. THE L I B R A R Y. LAND AND FEESH-WATER SHELLS.* Repulsive as the occupation may at first sight appear, the close investigation of the structure and habits of snails and slugs may become of such intense interest to the observer that the uninviting details are lost sight of and nothing but the wondrous story revealed b}' the microscope and dissecting knife is remembered. Of this we have ample proof in the interesting little volume before us, which tells us much of the private life of those lower organisms which gardeners consider as pests, but which are evidently viewed with feelings of an entirely opposite nature bytheauthor,who imparts his mforma- tion in so pleasing a manner that many may be induced to turn their attention to the subject, and add the result of their researches to the stock of general information. The book is well illustrated with coloured plates. We make the following extract from this excellent little book respecting what is called the " carnivorous slug," preying as it does upon members of its own family and upon worms : Before leaving the garden, however, we may look for the curious shell-slug, Testacella haliotidea (that is, resembling a Haliotis or ear. shell), which is not very rare in London gardens, although, from its habit of burrowing, it is often overlooked. The metropolitan form, however, is said to differ sufficiently and permanently from haliotidea to warrant its being regarded as a permanent variety, and it was accordingly described by the late Mr. George Sowerby as Testacella Bcutulum. To this variety probably belongs the animal described by Mr. Tapping (" Zoologist," 1856, p. 5,105) as Testacella Medii Templi, from its having been found under the shelter of a south-west wall, in the Middle Temple Gardens. Specimens have been procured from time to time in the Botanic Gardens, Regent's Park ; in the Circus Head and Adelaide Road, St. John's Wood ; at Hampstead, Hendon, Kensington, Hammersmith, and Lambeth. The animal partakes of the nature both of a slug and a snail, having a long naked body, and a comparatively small and flat shell, which serves to protect the heart, liver, and other vital organs. In the colour of the body and size of the shell it varies very much ; hence varieties have come to be described as new species. It is said to be the only land mollusc which has truly predaceous habits, feeding on earth- worms, which it pursues under ground, and devouring snails, sings, and even others of its own species. Dr. Ball writes : — " I first became aware of this Testacella preying on worms by putting some of them in spirits, when they disgorged more of these animals than I thought they could possibly have contained ; each worm was cut, but not divided, at regular intervals. I afterwards caught them in the act of swallowing worms four and five times their own length." When following the worm through its winding tunnels, the Testacella finds in its small flat shell a useful defence against similar attacks upon itself from the rear, for, as it moves along, the shell serves to block up the passage, and at the same time acts as a shield by which the whole body is guarded. In dry weather this slug retires into a sort of nest or cocoon, formed of slime, which gradually dries and hardens, and in this it remains in a state of semi-torpor, until more genial weather tempts it forth again. TRANSPLANTING TREES AT MIDSUMMER. As much has been lately written abont removing trees, both deciduous and evergreen, perhaps the following remarks on the subject may not be uninteresting. lu the third week in June this year, I was engaged in making alterations, and had to move six Lombardy Poplars. These I planted in an open situation fully exposed to the sun, without the least shade, and, to my delight, not one of them has lost a leaf. In fact, they have grown away as if they had never been disturbed at all. They vary in height from 20 to 30 feet. In lS71i, I planted, in the month of August, a great quantity of silver Birch, Elms, Limes, Planes, Lombardy Poplars, and others ; and not one of them has failed. On the contrary, all of them are loaded with fine healthy foliage, and are otherwise in the best possible condition. My success is, in a great measure, owing to careful planting. After the trees have been taken up and placed in their proper position, I cut clean off any roots that have been mutilated, and straighten the rest. I then cover the roots over with fine earth, and give them a good watering, afterwards mulching well, a point of importance, especially in dry seasons. Three Larch stakes, 3 feet 6 inches in length, are what we mostly use to stake them with, placing them in the form of a triangle, and securing the tree to them with No. 12 galvanised wire ; but the staking required must, of course, be determined by the size of the tree. In all cases, however, secure staking is necessary, as nothing does more injury than wind waving. The trees in question varied from 25 feet to 35 feet in height. A two-wheeled drag, 2 feet in height and 3 feet in breadth, is what we used to remove them with. One of the Birches I examined this month, and found that it had made a great quantity of fine new healthy roots. From experience, I am con- vinced that July, August, and September, are the best months in which to transplant evergreens, as, when planted thus early, they get well established before winter sets in, and break away in spring without check. T. Hurt. Kemoood Fark. Do not give them a Chance. — It has been estimated that one plant of the lied Popjiy boars .""jO.OUO seeds; one Sow Thistle, 10,000 ; one Corn-cockle, 200,r,IJO; the Charlock, 4,000 ; a Groundsel, 0,500 ; and the Black Mustard, 1,200. * " Ramblea in Search of Sholle, Land and Fresh-water." By James Eilmuud Harling, F.L.S., F.Z.S, London : John Van Voorit, Paternoster Kow. Giant Olive Trees. — Consul Bidwell, in his report this year on the Balearic Islands, states that the Olive tree of Majorca grows wild in the mountain land as a shrub that produces a fruit which bears no oil. When brought under onltivation grafting is practised. The ancient historians of Majorca represent that in olden times the Olive was unknown in these islands, and that the art of grafting was taught to the islanders by the Carthaginians. But the Consul states that the appearance of some of the enormous and ancient-looking Olive trees in Majorca tempts him to believe that their existence dates a long way back. He asked an intelligent Majorcan farmer how old he thought some of these trees were, and the answer was — " I believe they may well date from the time of the flood." These mag- nificent. trees assume in the course of time most grotesque forms, and in Majorca they have in some places attained proportions which remind one of the forest trees of the tropics. The Consul says he has more than once walked round such trees, whose trunks, now rent open, would require the outstretched arms of half-a-dozen men to encircle them ; and the wild growth of the trunks makes one doubt whether the branches proceed from one tree or from two or three congregated together. Philadelphus Souvenir de Billiard and Actinidia volubilis. — M. Jamin, of Bourg la Reine, recently exhibited at a meeting of the Central Society of Horticulture of France some flowering branches of the Philadelphus Souvenir de Billiard which took its name from M. Billiard, who died at the age of thirty, a week after the siege of Paris had commenced. He was well known as the introducer of several curious and noteworthy varieties of plants, as, for example, Spirica Billiardi, a hybrid raised from S. Douglasii, crossed with some other species, the flowers of which are not, like those of Douglasii, apt to fade when they lose their freshness. The variety Souvenir de Billiard flowered first in 1869. It is very floriferous, and has the merit of blooming late, generally during the second fortnight in June. The flowers are less scented than those of the common Philadelphus. M. M. A. Lavallee, the secretary of the Society, exhibited some buds of Actinidia volubilis, a plant belonging to the family of Dilleniads, and culti. vated at his arboretum at Segrais. It was stated that this plant, which is handsome, is very vigorous, and grows so luxuriantly as to climb rapidly to the very top of large trees. It is to be admired alike on account of its beautiful foliage and its flowers. This variety has sometimes been confounded with another kind of Actinidia, and also with Maximowiczia sinensis. At Segrais it has proved quite hardy, for it bore, without injury, the severe winter of 1870-71, which killed the Amur Ivy. Aug. 21, 1875.] THE GARDEN. 157 Camellia-flowered Balsams. — I have sent you blooms of these from plants that have been in full flower for more than a month. They are in reality Camellia-flowered ; so much so, that if Camellia leaves were attached to them they might easily be mistaken for blooms of that favourite plant. Balaams are the easiest of all plants to grow. Sow them in spring in light rich soil, in bottom-heat — a Cucumber frame suits them well—and pot them od quickly, accordinj;^ to the size of the specimens required. At the final shift tie a piece of matting round the rim of the pot, to which bring down all the bottom branches. This is all the training they require in order to induce them to make pyramids. The compost which we use for them is one. year stacked turf and a good quantity of sheep or cow-manure. Keep all blooms picked off until the plants are wanted for the conservatory, and then liberally tsupply them every other day with liquid manure. Plants treated iu this way will attain large dimensions, and continue blooming for a long period. It is, however, important that good seed be o-ot with which to start. We get what are termed selected strains, and they always produce a good variety of both self and marked varieties.— ^Jajies Groom, Uenliam Hall. [The blooms sent were very double and quite as large as small Camellias.] Nine years old ! The first of any Seem tho happiest years that come : Yet wlien I was nine, I said No Buch word ! I thought, instead. That the Greeks had used as many In besieging Ilium, ^ine green years had scarcely brought me To my childhood's haunted spring ; I had life, like flowers and bees. In betwixt the country trees, And the sun the pleasure taught me Which he teacheth everything. If the rain fell, there was soirow. Little head leant on the pane, Little finger drawing down it The long trailing drops upon it, And the " Rain, rain, come to-mor- row," Said for charm against the rain. Such a charm was right Canidian Though you meet it with a jeer ! If I said it long enough, Then the rain hummed dimly off And the thrush with his pure Lydian Was left only to the ear ; And the sun and I together "Went a-rushing out of doors : We our tender spirits drew Over hill and dale in view, Glimmering hither, glimmering thither. In the footsteps of the showers. Underneath the Chestnuts dripping. Through the Grasses wet and fair. Straight I sought ray garden-ground With the Laurel on the mound, And the Pear-tree oversweeping A side-shadow of green aii-. In the garden lay supinely A huge giant wrought of spade ! Arms and legs were stretched at length In a passive giant strength, — The fine meadow tui-f, cut finely. Round them laid and interlaid. Call him Hector, son of Priam ! Such his title and degree. With my rake I smooched his brow, Both his cheeks I weeded through, But a rhymer such as I am. Scarce can sing his dignity. Eyes of Gentianellas azure, Staring, winking at the skies ; Nose of Gillyflowers and Box ; Scented Grasses put for locks, Which a little breeze at pleasure Set a- waving round his eyes : HECTOR IN THE GAEDBN. Brazen helm of DafTodillies, With a glitter towards the light ; Purple Violets for the mouth, Breathing perfumes west and south ; And a sword of flashing Lilies, Holden ready for the fight : And a breastplate made of Daisies, Closely fitting, leaf on leaf ; Periwinkles interlaced Drawn for belt about the waist ; While the brown bees, humming praises. Shot their arrows round the chief. And who knows (I sometimes won- dere'l) If the disembodied sduI Of old Hector, once of Troy, Might not take a drearj' joy Here to enter— if it thundered, Rolling up the thander-roU ? Rolling this way from Troy-ruin, In this body rude and rife Just to enter, and take rest 'Neath the Daisies of the breast — They, with tender roots, renewing His heroic heart to life ? Who could know ? I sometimes started At a motion or a sound ! Did his mouth speak— naming Troy With an ototototoif Did the pulse of the Strong-hearted Make the Daisies tremble round ! It was hard to answer, often : But the birds sang in the tree, But the little birds sang bold In the Pear-tree green and old. And my terror seemed to soften Through the courage of their glee. Oh, the birds, the tree, the ruddy And white blossoms sleek with rain ! Oh, my garden rich with Pansies ! Oh, my childhood's bright romances ! All revive, like Hector's body, And I see them stir again. And despite life's changes, chances, And despite the deathbell's toll. They press on me in full seeming : Help, some angel! stay this dreaming! As the birds sang in the branches. Sing God's patience through my soul ! That no dreamer, no neglecter Of the present's work unsped, I may wake up and be doing. Life's heroic ends pursuing, hough my past is dead as Hector, And though Hector is twice dead. Elizabeth Babkeii Beowninq. Cleansing Asphalte Pavements.— The jet system is now used in the City regularly for washing and cleansing the asphalte pavements, and gives relief to the traffic, when the surface is in a slippery condition, by removing from the asphalte the accumulated greasy mud. It also proved, during last winter, a ready means for removing heavy falls of snow from the streets by washing it down the sewers. It possesses, moreover, a great advantage in being able to remove the filth which gives rise to such disagreeable odours. So far as can be judged, no pavement at all equals the asphalte when worked in connection with this system. The newer wooden pavements do not seem to come near it in many important respects. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. SNOWPLAKB POTATO. I HAVE just taken vip the produce of 1 lb. of seed of this variety planted early in April on a south border. The ground was in very good condition, but no manure was put in with the sets — they had, in fact, just the same treatment as our other kinds of Potatoes. Tho three tubers forming the pouud were cut into twenty-four sets, and I find that the largest set has pi'odnced the strongest tops, and the heaviest weight of produce ; thei-efore I think, in a general way, there is not much gained by cutting them up to small pieces, 'i he crop ia very even in size, and there are very few small tubers, not more than a score ; twenty of the largest weighed 17 lbs., and the whole produce weighed just a fraction over 58 lbs. When cooked they are very white and mealy, and the flavour is superior to that of most of the American varieties which I have tried. Altogether, I consider that this Potato is destined to become popular in this country. It is, however, not disease proof, as several of tho large tubers were more or less affected. E. Hobday. Ramsey Abiey. In the spring I obtained 1 lb. of Snowflake, which I cut up into thirty-four sets ; some of them certainly had a very small portion of tabor attached to the eye. Three sets perished from wire-worms, and thirty-one sets grew. They were planted on the 21th of April, and were lifted on the llth of August. The tubers were quite ripe, although some of the tops were still green. The crop weighed 41 lb. 7oz. ; 4 lbs. were eaten early in August, in order to try their quality, vs'hi('h, being added, makes the weight 45 lbs. 7oz. Twelve diseased tubers were found, weighing 1 lb. ; these I do not take into account, neither do I account for a quantity of tubers under 1 inch in size. Snowflake is the handsomest and best Potato yet received from America, and will, doubtless, be much sought after in the spring. They were planted in Amies's manure, the rows were 2 feet apart, and the distance between the sets was 16 inches. The ground last year was planted with Late American Rose, Gibbs's guano being used. Amies's manure does not cause the haulm to grow so tall as guano does, and I like it better for Potatoes than that fertiliser. Bedale. Henry Taylor. Vegetable Marrows on Refuse Heaps. — This useful vege- table may be grown iu the greatest abundance on ground that could scarcely be utilised for any other crop. Our plan is to collect all refuse, such as sweepings of lawns, walks,