UMASS/AMHERST i 312066 0333 3020 8 mm , ft '/ ) '!, « ,"1 ^ LIBRARY OF THE MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE NO._I->_S.3-a__-. DATE Ad. 88 5_ souBCE__R^icVv— ?kma_... 1878 ^. ddl'^^"^ \ ^ajU^jfZ^.^ (Pu II^X^USTT^ATf^D WEf^KI^Y JOUT^KAJh HORTICULTURE IN ALL ITS BRANCHES, FOt'KDliD '[V. Ifohinson, F.L,B., Jluthor of " J^lpine Floxvers," etc "Tou see, sweet maid, we mai'ry A gentle scion to the wildest stock ; And. make conceive a "bark of baser kind By bud of nobler race : This is an art "WTiich does mend nature; change it rather: The art itself is nB.tMre."—S/iakes/ean'. VOL. XIV:-CH RISTMAS, 1878. LONDON: OFFICE: 3 7, SOUTHAMPTON STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W. C. [Die 28 1378 GEORGE MAW, F.L.S., Of Eenihall HaU, Broseley, Salop, THIS FOURTEENTH VOLUME OF "THE GARDEN" IS DEDICATED m RECOGNITION OF HIS LABOURS TOATARDS EXRICHING THE FLOR V OF BRITISH GARDENS: c 1^78 . i^ TiBC. 2?. 1873.] THE GARDEN, IN"r)EX TO VOLXJIME XIV. A. Abelia mpestris, 125 Absurdities, Horticaltural, 570 Abutilon Anna Crozy, 466 ; igneum, 474, 513 ; insigne, 513 ; in winter, 557 Acacias, dealbata, 170, 190, 323 ; De- caianeana, 407 ; melanosylon, 190 ; as window plants, 454 : culture of, 329 Acacia, the Rose, as a standard, 154 AcanthueeB in shade, 244 Acera, 77 ; ■Wagneri lacinintam, 131 ; Schwedleeri, 213 Aehimenes, 162 ; wintering, 385 Acorns Calamus, 150 Acrostichum peltatum, 499 Acttea racemosa, 264 Adiantum caudatnm, 87 ; Capillua- Veneris on walls, 549 ; Farleyense, 264; ditto, on water-tanks, 644 ; Hen- dersoni, 257, 511 ; palmatom, 525 ; Edgeworthi, 555 Adlumia cirrhosa, 106 Aeridea Lobbi Ainatvortlii, 147 Agapanthua minor Mooreanus, 305 ; the double, 78 ; umbellatus, out-of-doora, 191 ; in Wigtonahire, 199 Ageratum Imperial Blue, 141 Ageratuma as annuals, 6 Ailantus as a standard, 391 Alders, the, 437 Aliama sinensis, 169 Allamanda, culture of the, 398 Alocaaia Jenningsi, 101 Aloe, American, in flower, 169 ; winter- ing American, 454 Alpine Poppies, 124 Aletrcemerias in wild garden, 3 Althreas in London, 199 Alyssum, variegated rock, 416 Amaryllidacere, new key to, 332 Amaryllis, Mrs. Rawson. 332; O'Brieni dehcata, 191 ; Prince Teck, 332 Amaryllises and their treatment, 43 America, notes from, 452 American Aloe in flower, 169 American Cork, 130 American Elm, variegated, 121 American Star Grass. 64 Ampelopsis Veitchi, 415 : how to grow, 462 Anffictochili, 112 ; culture of, 493 Anchusa incamata, 191 Androsace earmentosa, 102 Anemone, Honorine Joberfc, propaga- ting, 356; japonica, 408; white and rose-coloured, 345 Anemones from seed, 75 Anemones, Phloxes, and Begonias, 190 Anemonopsis macrophylla, 3 Anemidictyon Phyllitidia tesselata, 567 Annuals as bedding plants, 5 : Agera- tum s as, 6; new, 93 Anthers of flowers, 114 Anthonomus pomorum, 491 Anthomyia ceparum, 347 Anthnrium Scherzerianum in winter, 411 ; album, 364 ; variety of, 465 Antirrhinums. 28; in poor soils, 288: dwarf, at Tottenham, 213 Ants in Grass, 98 Aphelandras, varieties of, 222 Apios tuberosa, 234 Aponogeton spathaceum, 8 ; distachyon, 149 ; ditto in small aquaria, 555 Apples, early, 120; crops of in Kent, 344; Devonshire Queen, 281 ; mildew on, 119; origin of, 10; Redleaf Rus- set, 273 ; the cultivated, 10; the wild Balaam. 303 ; Warner's King, 261 ; Worcester Pearmain, 279; and Pears best bearing, 118; classification of, 81; for northern diatricts, 380, 419; gathering, 260 ; in June, 156 ; notes on, 380, 58 J; pruning cordon, 209; Russian, 120; Dr. Hobb. 574 Apple trees, blight on, 143 Apple-tree-boring caterpillars, 297 Apricots, nailing, 39 ; treatment of in autumn, 167 Aquaria, fresh water, 245 Aquatic plants, hardy, 102, 193 Aquilegias and their culture, 1 ; hybrid, 1 ; coerulea hybrida, 663 Aralia Sieboldi, 62, 374; in flower, 454; spinosa, 530 Arboretum, Kew, 3 Arbutus Andrachne. 190, 231 ; Menziesi, 151. 210; ditto and procera, 170, 210 Arbutuses from seed, 477 Argemone hispida, 235 Ari^tolochia altissima, 125 ; trilobata, 390 Armerias, dwarf Alpine, 266 Arrowhead, 150 Artichoke, Jerusalem, 75 ; and rabbits, 501, 526 Arum italicum in Cornwall, 141 ; the bog, 149 Arums at Kew, 125 ; tropical, long roots of, 362 Aruncus sylvestris, 303 Arundo conspxua, 152, 235 ; mauri- tanica. 217 Ash, Mountain, an avenue of, 350 Asparagus, beetle, 275 : beds, 429 ; making ditto, 231 ; culture at Argen- teuil, 294 ; at Chester, 132 ; ditto, im- proved, 457 ; Couch Grass in beds of, 143 ; and salt, 630, 570 Aaparagua decumbens, 478 ; failure of, 204 ; from seed without transplanting, 251 ; in July, 3 ; removing the seed from. 453 ; all the year round, 569 Aapidium crinitum, 384 Aspidistra lurida variegata, 213 Asplenium nobile. 478 Aster Amellus, 451 ; Curtisi. 345 ; Novaa- Belgii var. minimus, 280 ; grandi- florus for the conservatory, 451 ; select, 562 Astragalus adsurgens, 310 Atraphasis spinosa, 389 Auriculas, 398 ; in September, 219 Avens, double scarlet, 562 Avenue trees, 104; two good, 173 Azaleas. 113 ; Duke of Edinburgh, 221 ; and Camellias from seed, 1 ; hardy, antunin tints in, 428, 441 ; re-potting, 386 ; white, in the open air, 430, 498, 454, 510, 534 Azaras, aelect, 350 Balaninua nucum, 318 Balsams, annual, 323 ; at Forest Hill, 125 ; Indian, 234 ; in pots, 395 ; out-of- doors, 395 Balm of Gilead, 184 Bamboo mats. 482, 549, 570 Bamboos at Tottenham, 366 ; for con- servatorie?, 146 Bambusa Ragamowski. 170 Bananaa at Wimbledon House, 451 j in Covent Garden, 301 Barberry, Coral-bearing, 73 Basket plants, Begonias as, 30, 100 ; Othonna crassifolia as, 76 Battersea Park, gardening in, 176 Bean, Canadian Wonder, for forcing, 397. 429, 454 Beans, French, and Scarlet Runners, 458. 569 Beaucamea recurvifolia, 436 Bedding, carpet, merits of, 4 ; vrith hardy plants, 76; Lobelias for, 65; Pelargoniums for, 176 ; summer and winter combined, 460 Bedding plants, annuals as, 5 ; propa- gating, 111, 553 ; yellow, 105 ; TropEeo- lums as, 6 Bed straws, 23 Bee plant, Pentstemon as a, 133 Beech trees and underwood, 510, 634, 571, 579 Beet, Dell's black-leaved, 423 Beetles, Mushroom- eating, 231 Begonia, a new, 169 ; Chiswick Blush, 144; Froebeli in win er, 339; gera- nioides, 276 ; Louis Thibaut, 276 ; Mrs. Dr. Todd, 144 ; Mrs. A. Potts, 191; Nellie May, 276; poly petala. 531 ; Queen of the Whites, 213, 302 ; RoezU, 436 ; Weltoniensia, 347 ; Saundersi, 667 Begonias at M. Lemoine's, 189 ; as bas- ket plants, 30, lOO ; for the conserva- tory, 311 ; Mr. Laing'H, 212 ; new hybrid, 436; and Phloxes and Ane- mones, 190 ; platited out, 58 ; seedling, 101 ; flower-shedding in, 76 ; tuberous rooted, 101, 392 ; propagating, 467, 573, 586 ; of 1878, 603 Berberis pallida, 104 Berberries for wine, 120 Berberidopeis corallina, 78 Berkeley Portrait, 3S9 Berry-bearing plants, 101 Biennials, Helichrysums as, 106 Bignonia erecta. 169; capreotata, hardy, 305 ; venusta, 478 Billardiera longiflora, hardy, 100 Bindweed, a pretty, 3 ; the great, 78; eradicating, 143, 165, 187, 430 Birch, purple-leaved, 172 Birch wood, a, 343 Blackberries, 242 Blackheatb, improvements at, 172 Blight. 143 Blue Gum Tree, 187, 190 (see Eucalyp- tus) Boiler, Gold Medal, 439 ; French, and pipes for heating. 340 Bomarea Carderi, 364 Borders, Thahctrums in, 12 Boronia serrulata, propagating, 399 Botanical discovery, 103 Botanic Gardens, Regent's Park, bar- riers at, 3 Botanic Garden, Glasgow, 168 Botany, garden, 81, 114, 159. 182 Bougainvillea glabra, flowering of, 244 Bouquets, Roses in, 43, 75 ; French, 101 ; English and foreign, 145 Bouvardia angustifolia, 191 ; triphylla, 235 Bouvardias at Christmas. 363; at St. John's Wood, 478; cool grown, 485, 483 ; for the flower garden, 331 ; in market gardens, 522 ; planting out in Bummer, 412, 506 ; propagating, 267 ; warm treatment of, 438 ; winter- flowering. 643 Bos edgings, 164 ; planting, 403 Box, the Golden Japanese, 169 Boshill, Roses at, 28 Bramble, double- flowered,*l 47 Bridge, rustic, without nails, 474; the new Regent's Park, IS" Briers, propagating, 319 British Orchids, 25 Broccoli, autumn, 415 ; Veitch's Autumn Self- protecting, 457, 570 Broussa and Mount Olympus, 27 Brownea erecta var. princeps, 235 Browallia elata in winter, 574 Brugmansia, large, 461 ; as a tub plant, 272 Bryonia divica in the garden, 389 Buckbean, the, 150 Budding Roaes, 13 . . . «.« Buddleia globosa. 101 ; msigms, 319 Buildings, ancient, 548 Bulbs and tubers, wmtenng, 32i JbJ, 509 Bulbous plants, exotic, 101 Ballace, a prolific, 323, 435, 521 Burdock exterminator, a, 229 Burgundy, Vine pest in, 125 Burial grounds, St. Lukes, 15 Burning Bush, 2 Burnt earth for potting, 544 Butomus umbellatus, 150 Buttercups, double. 305 ; double ani semi-double. 285 ; eradicating, 2o3 Butterfly, Cabbage, 94 ; Turnip, 107 Cabbage butterfly, 91 Cabbages, clubbing in, 254; crowbar- planted, 207, 252 ; for early use, 343 ; when to plant, 131, 243 ; when to sow, 67, 131 Cacti, free-flowering, 185 Caladium argyrites, 411 Calanthe Sedeni, 475 ; Turner!, 549 Calanthea in flower in small pans, 410, 586 Calandrina nitida, 101 Calceolaria crenatiflora, 94 Calceolarias, herbaceous, 113; shrubby, propagating, 318 ; wintering bedding, 624 Calendula officinalis, 285 Oalifornian Dicentras at home, 177 Callas in trenches, 414 ; planting out, 14, 463, 498, 509 ; ditto, in water, 432 Calyategia sylvatica, 507 Camellias and Azaleas from seed, I ; and Roses, 316 ; and Euryas, 323 ; Ameri- can, 500 ; group of new, 354 ; treat- ment of, 68 ; watering, 434; ditto and thinning, 512 Campanulas, culture of, 141 Campanula uobilis, 23,54; pyramidalis, 14 ; pumila alba, 94 Canna iridiftora, 3i3 ; iridiflora hybrida, 235 Cannas. culture of, 537, 583 ; in Ireland, 346 ; propagation of, 537; with Gladioli, 539 Cape Gooseberry out-of-doors, 123 Cape Pondweed, 149 Capsicum Prince of Wales, 530, 570 Cardiff Castle, Melons at, 74 Carnation and Picotee Society, 96 Carnation Souvenir de la Malmaison, 165, 221, 341 Carnations, 65; culture of, 121; dis- figuring, 142 ; dressing, 145 ; exhibi- tion, 106, 191 ; propagating. 111 ; re- moving. 165 ; seedling, 93 ; two good, 221; tree, 525; yellow, and insects, 75 ; and Picotees, 336, 414 ; do., yellow, 530; perpetual, planted out, 534 ; ditto at St. John's Wood. 301 ; at Slough, 574 Carpet bedding, merits of, 4 ; plants for, 265 Carpocapsa pomonana, 391 Carrots for main crops, 395 Cascades in pleasure grounds, 65 Cassia corymbosa, 88 ; out-of-doors, 279, 343 Castaneachrysophylla, 77 Castings, elaborate, 439 Casuarina Bumatrana,396,544; ericoide?, 556 Catalpa for economic planting, 19 ; fruit of the. 301 i^^Si Catchfly, Sickle-leaved, 529 Caterpillars and Dill, 376 : and Oak, 107 ; Apple tree boring. 397 VI THE GARDEN". [010.28.1878. Cattleya, a new, 147; crispa, 87; El- dorado var. 213 ; Leopold!, 101 j Hit- chelli. ISS; Veiichiana, 1S3 Cittleyas, treatment of, 492 Caucassian Scabioae, 125 Cauliflower, Autumn Gian*, 143, 336, 453. 187 Cauliflowers, autumn-plantei, 313, 423; early, 33, pricking oat, 295 ; SuLton's King of tiie, 386 Ceauotbus ArnoUli, 55 ; azureus, 301, 510 ; Gloire de Versailles, lOJ ; velu- tinus, 172 Cedars at Guonersbury, 105 ; at Lebanon, 58) Cedrns Dcodara, 170 ; cones of, 209 Ce'ery, 182; earthing, £u9 ; free from worms, 63) ; maggots, 341 ; worm- eaten, 363 ; ronnir-g to seed. 363 ; and Scarlet Runners, 67 Celosias, S3 Celosia pyramidalis in the conserva- tory, 549 Centaurca macrocephale, 55 Centropogon Lucyanus, 576 Cera&ae Waterenana, 572 Cerens serpentiLus, 134 Cestrum auiantiacum, 466 Cetonia aurea, 42s Chalk herbaceous plant? on, 177 Chamcerops escelsa iu flower, 367 Charring weeds, 15 Chelsea, Pitcher Plants at, 55 ; Orchids at, 519 Cherry Plum as a hedge plant, 430 Cherry, Morello, the, 222 ; fruit fa'ling off ditto, 501 : black fly on the, 520, 550 Cherries in Rheni&h Bavaria, 196 Chervil, curled, 295 Cheshuut, Roses at, 123 ChesLnut, golden-leaved, 77; Sports, 241 Chestnuts, sweet, 405 Chiswick, rockworkat, 235 Chlora perfoliata grandiflora, 396 Chorozemas, culture of 556 Christmas decorations, 551 Christmas Roses, 17S Chrysanthemum, frutescens aureum, 235 ; M. Crousse, 475 Chrysanthemums, Anemone-flowered, 375; at Isleworth, 436; at St. John's Wood, 390; exhibition, 483. 544; in a cut State, 614 ; in pots, 375 ; iu the Temple Gardens, 411; feeding and disbudding, 194 ; Japanese, 156, 5(.ij ; potting, 14 ; proteciiog in windy weather,265 ; show of, at the A Combination, a pretty, 4S5 Comfrey vanegatefl, 191 Compass plants, 55 Composition, binding, 5SG Conifers at Preston Show, 76; Golden, 103, 124; in towns, 32L ; notes on, 240; pruning, 258; vanat'OLS in, 411 Coneervatory, Begonias for the, 211 Convovulus aithEeoides, 3 ; sepium, 73 Ccelogyne Hookeriana. 39) Cool Orchids. Columbian, 125 Cordyline indivisa from seed, 211 Coreopsis medata. 180 Cork, American, 130 Corn, green, fur the table, 430 Correas propagating, 13 Corydalis lutea, 301 Cotoneasters in masses, 322 Cottagers' Kale, 33 Cotton Thisiea, 28 Covent Garden, bouquet? in, 396 ; Grapes in, 166 ; iniprovemeut in, 295 Crane fly, 131 Cranberry culture in England, 435 Crassula lactea, 577 Creepers for training over doors and window--', 265 Crinum llackenni, 101 Crocosmia and Sparasis, 429 Crocus Elwesi, 315; vitellinas. 420 Crocuses, winter and early spring. 420; autumn, 305 Crcesia Bergmanniana, 259 Crops, Peach, 76 ; Potato, Ireland, 76; market, 424 ; fruit, 23, 38, 71 Croton Prince of Wales, 55, 513; Wil- liamsi, 189 Crotons at Anerley, 411 ; at HoUoway, 367 Crowfoot, the water, 151 Cucumbers, 163, 181 ; and woodhce, 93; bitter, 250 ; diseased, 143 ; in the East, 252; ridge, 164; winter. 32; new v. old seeds of, 342 ; Telegraph, 3^7, 530 Cuphea Zampari, 369 CupresBus Lawsoniana, propagating, 157 Cure for Eats, 43 Currants, losing their bloom buds, 550, 573 ; standard, 325, 344, 332 ; summer pruning, 167 Cuttings, Rose, 57; striking, ISl; Os- senkoss method of ditto, '22S ; netv mode of ditto, 615 Cycas revoluta in fruit, 525 Cyclamen Mount Blanc, 475 Cyclamens, 181 ; at Reading, 323; planted out, 372 ; sweet-scented, 257 Cymbidium Parisbi, 28 Cyperus longus, 213 Cyphokentia macrocarpa, 3t5 Cypripediums, 112 ; hardy. 59 Cypripedium insigne in cold pits, 322 Cypress, a fine-leaved, 172 Cyprus, vegetation of, lio D. Daddy-long-legs. 131 Dahlia Aurora, 276 ; Clara, 276 ; Ellen Macgregor, 183; imperialis, 525; Jo* seph Ashby, 276; Little Beauty, 235 ; iQtea, 276 ; Paragon, 276 ; Prince Bismarck, 133 ; species of, 124 Dahlias on Grass, 323 ; Pompone, bou- quet of, 218; Single, 102, 169, 257; various, 276 Daisy, a sky-blue, 55 Daisies, Michaelmas, 5G2; on walls, 257 Daphn'S, Alpine, 389; of China and Japan, 4-12 Daphne Blagayana, 20O, 212; propaga- ting ditto, 330; indica, 66; rnpesiris, 301 Datisca cannabina. 257 Deathless flower, the, 12 Decorations, table, 3, 25, 50, 53. 97, 145 ; wild flowers in, 67 ; at Charing Cross, 76 Deherainea smaragdina, 531 Dell in Hyde Park, 78 Delphinium cardinale, 65, 147 ; Victory, 235 ; George Taylor, 55 Delphiniums, perennial, 87 ; double, S" ; from seed, 100; single, 87 Dendrobium, a new, 65 ; barbatulum grandiflorum, 55; bigibbum at Chel- sea, 315; bigibbam album, 500; d'Al- bertisi, 65, 141 ; nobile, culture of, 239 ; Goldiei, 244 Desfontainea epinosa, 147, 190 Desmodium peuduliflorum for the con- servatory, 323 Desmodium racemosum in September, 257 Destroying slugs, 21 Diary, extracts from, 15, 3S, 67, 83, 114, 13S, 164. 182, 204, 226. 243, 26!). 29>, 313,339,358,379,402, 423,415,491,518, 512 Dianthuses as bedding p'.ants, 257 Dianthus Heddewigi, 6 Dicentras, Californian. at home, 177 Dicentraesimia.lL'O; formosa,451; Rue- leaved, 95 ; thalictrif jlia, 95 Dictamnus Fraxinella. 2 Digitalis gloxinoides, 7 Digging, best spades for, 570 Dill and caterpiUars, 276 DioscDrea retusa, 133 Diospyros lucida, 282 Dipladenia bolivieusis in winter, 478 Dipladenias, finely -flowered, 367; at Holloway, 85 Disa grandiflora, culture of, 99 ; in the open air, 497 Dog's-tooih Violet, 177 Double Agapanthus, 78 ; Edelweiss, 50; flowers, 9 , Wistaria, 105 ; Zinnias, 191 ; zonal Pelargoniums, 2 Dracaena Frederici, 436 Dracaenas at Anerley, 411 ; striped- leaved, 23 Dracophyllum lusitanicum. 126 Drought in the Eastern Countie?, 73 Drying everlastings, 9S ; herbs, 89 Duration of flowers, 10 Dye plants, 23, 75 Dynamite and tree rjots, 534 Early Cauliflowers, 33 Earings, 253 Ba&tem counties, drought in, 78; Ja- panese Primroses out-of-doors in, 5-9 Echeveria De Swetiana, 436 ; winter quarters for, 49S Economic planting, Catalpa for, 19 Edgings, Box, 164; brick, 509 Edelweiss, loO; a double, 50 Edwaid=ia, -jrandiflora. 510 Elder, red-berried shedding of, 363, 429, Elder, 476, 533 Elm, the Western Rock, 131 Elms in Kensington Gardens, 441; 423 Elymusglaucus, 125 Endive, good, 33, 163 ; sowing, 39 ; late- sown, 295 ; blanching, 408 England and Wales, handbook of, 163 Everlastings, drying, 93 Exhibition Cbrysanihemums, 544 Epacrises, propagating, 374 ; scale on, 476 Epidendrums, 36 Epidendrum vitellinum, 2 Epilobium hirsutum, var., 217 ; obcor- datum, 2, 253 Epiphyllums on pillars, 473 Epiphy Hum truncatum , varieties of, 134 Eraerostis elegans in pots, 87 Erica cerinthoides coronata, 186 Erodiums, 451 Erodinm pelarg&nifolium, 363. 430 Eryngium BromeliaefoUum. 195 Ei-ythrrea Mohlenbergi, 217 Erythronium americanum, runners of, 92, 177 Escallonias, 3 Escallonia Phillipiana, l<'3 Eucharis amazonica. 162, 195, 211 ; in market gardens, 503 Eucalyptus globulus, 190,236.356.409, 441 ; about London, 427 ; in Corn- wall, 232 ; in Surrey, 572 ; high, 5S0 Eucomis, species of, 259 Eugenia apiculata, 172 ; in Ireland, 123 Eulalia japonica, 78, 91, 141, 262 ; ja- ponica zebrlna, 212, 276 Euonymus latifolius, 256 Euoatoriums gracile, 87; ligustrinum, 335 ; riparium, 37 Eiipatoriums, propagating, 37 Euphorbias, Alpine, 305 Euryas and Camellia?, 323 Erening Primroses, 3 Evergreens, cuttintr down, 3:9, 341, 336; light-coloured, 113, 1G5, 171 Everlastings, drying, 93 Exhibition Chrysanthemnms, 511 ; Ferns, 75; International Jnpanese plants, 76; Plumbago capensis for, 73 ; Roses for, 75 ; plants for, 21 Exotic bulbous plants, 101 Experimental garden, 125 F. Fairy rings, 143 Pancy Panaies, good, 73 Fern, violet-scented. 110 Ferns, basket for, 434 ; culture of. 225 ; for a conservatory, 476, 433, BjO, 680 ; for exhibition, 75; hardy, forrockeries, 537 ; treatmen-. of, 37; Filmy, and their culture, 30; in the Tyrol, 507; bouquet, 073 ; winter coveringa for, 586 Fernery, hardy. 68 Ferneries, slags in, 137 Ferula giauca and commanis, 62 Festuca punctoria, 354 Fete, Botanic Societies, 22 Figs in pots, 43, 93, 16J ; Argenteuil, 261 ; Oaborn'a Prolific, 167 ; and iheir culture, 534 Filbert, the bronze-leaved, 1(5 Filberts, culture of, 275 ; grown at Chiswick, 154; preserving, 3i9, 3e3 JE'ilmy Fern**, 30 Firs, Scotch, and Spruce, 363 Fir trees. Honeysuckles on 495 Flag, the Sweet, 150 F.ax, New Zealand, in Scotland, 176 Floral decoration in churcne8,3;3 Florist flowers, diessmg, 231 ; in Lon- don, 55 Flower beds, dwarf Liiies for, 90 ; near Westmmbter Abbey, 279 Flower garden, a pretty combination in the, 235 Fluwer gardening at Lambton, 265; at Batteraea Park, 176; in Hyde ir'ara, 152; Antirrhinums lur, 6; Lanta^a tor, 0 ; Petunias lor, 6 ; Kojanthett- tor, 6; formal, 90 Flower-pot, Japanese, 175 Flower show at Versailles, 209 Flower, the Deathle=s, 12 Flowers, Alpine, 431; anthers of, 114; autumn, in Herttordshire, 481 ; bor- der, Octoboi- blooming, 345 ; caiyi of, 34; double. 9; duiati-jn of, lO; exhi- biting wild, 273 ; dressing florist, 231 ; florist, in Loudon, 55 ; lor church- yards, 105, 152 ; for cutting in winter, 106 ; hardy, at Tottenham, 213 ; haray October, 394; language or, 13; out- door, November, 4il ; open-air in De- cember, 525 ; ot Grasses, 8l ; preser- ving, 175 ; pistils of, i59 ; scarlet, amung Grass, 539 ; showy hardy, 235 ; size of, 9; stamens ot, 115 ; stigma or, 162 ; styles of, 162 ; sugar m the nectar of, 317; colours of, 63; iheir origiDj. 03 ; perfumes of, 10, 63 ; their shape, 63; Veronicas for cuttiug, 136 ; waim exposures for, 23J ; winter, 143 Flowering Rush, the, l'-i9 ForciDg, uy smote, 172; French Beans, 529; preparations ft.'r, 418; flowe s, 540 Forficniaauricularia, 230 Forget me-nots in marsnes, 62 Forestry, ornamental. 532 Forest, a Trinidad, 340 Forest work for September, 256 ; for October, 309, 350 ; lor November, 407 Fountains, garden, 93 ; m pleasnro grounds, 65 Foxgloves, tall, 177, :00; varieties of, 7 ;°and Rbodcdenurons, 7 Frames, heated, 187 ; and their uses, 57S Frame protectors, 577 France, climate of the north of, 52 J; common Rhubarb in, 538; Rose groov- ing in, 334, 355, 333, 402 Francoa ramosa, 341 French Beans, forcing, 529 ; bouquets, 101 Fremontia californ-ca, 144 Freesia refracta alba, 23 Freycmetia Banksi, 3oy Frmt bushes, pruning, 471 ; 65(i Fruit crops, the, 2!«, 33, 71 ; ditto, " fuDCh " on, 118; m Caithness, 119 ; in Worcester, 119 Fruit at the Paris Exhibition, 215, 392; damage done by wasps to, 229 j dryiDg hardy in Georgia, 327 ; at Saw- bridgeworth,325 ; in ltaly,ll3; hardy, 67, 163 ; culture of, 476 ; in Cahfor- nia, 545 ; helps in harvestmg. 118 ; at the Crystal Pa'ace. 297 ; storing, 303 ^ ditto, in malt duSt, 332; tinned, danger of, 132 ; preserving soft, 594 Fruit rooms, absorbents lor, 344 j shelves for, 408 Fruit trees, avenues of, 31*; borders for, 221 ; fast budding of, 4ol ; fasten- ing labels on, 546; in autumn. 490, 521, 646, ; on walls, 4-9; roct-pru- ning, 519 ; select, 3h5 ; summer pru- ning, 120; steel brushes for, 619 j training pyramid, 327; twice trans- planted, 196; watering, 81; wood of , ripened by root-pruning, 419 ; pruning bush, 343 ; from Australia, 279: warm exposures for, 230 ; want of, 534 Fuchsia aucubcefoba, 108 ; microphvlla, 94; pumila.493; the first white, 253; species of, 367; dwarf, 416, 46 J Fuchsias, more about, 539 ; under- growth for, 391 ; as bedding plants, 394 ; amongdt Ivy, 321, 346, 372, 416 ; for exbibition. 374 ; for open-air culture, 281,305, 372, 462; on bottom heat out-of-doors, 434 ; in and out-of doors, 463 Fumitory, the climbing, 106 Fungus foray, Woolhope Club, 279 nc. 29. 187^.] THE GARDEN. vu Galatella cana, 323 Gales, destraciive, ia Ireland, 257 Galiums, 2S Gardenias, ISO; culture oE, -ISO; prona- gation of, 430 ; in maiket gardens, 568 Garden Botany. 8, 34, 68, 81, Ui, 138, 159, 18^, 2)5, 22ti, 219, 270. 293 Garden covered way, 56 Garden, an Alpine, in Vienna^ 431 Garden under plass, 478 Garden, art in the, 451 Garden, an experimental, 125, 133 Garden, a Thames-aide, 120 Gar.ien fountains, 93 Garden, plants for the wild, 127 Garden schoola, Marib)rough, 130 Garden, the Viceregal, 125 Garden, the wild, in America, 2lS; in Moravia, 551 Gardens, Kew, 3 : Kew, Defence Asso- ciation, 101 ; Kew, repor« on, 122 ; Kew, opening of, 162; GlasROW Bo- tanic, 166 ; Heckfield Place, 109 ; orna- mental, Rochester, 107 ; picturesque, 473 Gardenincf, formal flower, 00 ; geo- grapical, at Munich, 340 ; Japanese, 174 ; ditto. Lamport Hall, 180 ; London market, 4'9, 418; landscape, 87; in Battersea Park, 176; in Green Park, 147 ; Hyde Park, 152; in Greece, 251; in Ip.dia. 2S7; in Victoria Park, 2L1; in the Parks, 5; spring, 152; town, 408 Gardeners' market waggrons, 116 Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institution, 2 Garrya elliptica, 253 Gaultheria procumben?, 363 Geniiana asclepiadea in autumn, 257 Genoma gracilis, 436 ; Seemanni, 339 Geranium sylvalicum, 28 Germany, winter Radishes in, 530 Gesneras, 162 Gesneraceous roots, storing of, 131 Geum coccineum. fl.-pl., 16, 563 Genms, select, 562 Gladiolus ColvLllei, 12 ; gorgouius, 144; Herois, 144 ; Tetamon, 144 ; Saun- derei, 101 ; autumn-planting, 413, 460, 504; English-raised, 277 ; French- raised, 277; mulching, 66; wintering out-of-doors, 354, 4S0, 553; with Can- nas, 539 Glandule's Wootton, 192 Glasgow Botanic Gardens, 168 Glass houses, double roofs for, 340 Glazing, doable, 317; Rendle'a system of. 5S5 Gloxinia bulbs storing, 195 Gloxinias, propagating, 65 ; wintering, 385 Golden Conifers, 103, 124 ; Feather. 6 ; Japanese Bos, lb9 ; Chestnut, 77 ; Re- tinospora, 31 Goold's chemical compounds, 548 Gooseberry, the Cape, outdoors, 123 Gooseberries, etaudard, 325, 314, 3s2 Grape, Alnwick Seedling. 301,408. 476; Black Hambar jfa, 524 ; ditto as a la':e. 405, 559, 584 ; iladresfield Court, 132; Pearson's Golden Queen, 435, 558 ; the Catawba, 454: the Sultana, 273; mildew. 143; Vines at Fulham ; Chasselas, 341 Grapes, diseased, 165 ; from Notting- hamshire, 3i4 ; in Covent Garden, 166 ; in a warm greenhouse. 363 ; new, 472 ; non-fertilization of, 105 ; on open walls, 81; prizes for new, 323; shy Betting, management of, 241 ; two kinds of, on one Vine, 650 ; w.thout fire-heat. 343. 472, 521 ; in ibotUes of water, 531 Grass, ants in, 98 ; in Hyde Park, 12.5; St. James's Park, 179; a fine. 152; scarlet flowers among, 539 ; the Ameri- can Star, ot; the Lyme, 124; Water Lilies on, 539; coach in Asparagus, H3 ; Pampas, transplanting, 187 ; flowers of, 3i Greenhouse, how to heat a, 29S, 476 ; ditto, a small, 466, 501 Greenhouse plants at Kew, 126 ; in small pots, 14 Greenlands. Henley-on-Thames, 126 Grevillea robusta frcm seed, 214 Griffinia Blumenavia, 257 Grifiinia hyacinthina, 257 Grounds, burial, St. Luke's. 15 Grouping Oaks in Parks, 534 Gmbs and Pansies, 165 Gryllotalpa vulgaris, 287 Gamming in Plums, 121 Gum Tree, the Blue, 187, -S) Gunnersbury, Cedars at, 105 Gynerium argenteum nanum, 279 Gymocladus canadensis, 77 Habranthus pratensis fulgens, 511 Haberlea rhodopens'S, 389, 402 Hadena oleracea, 535 Haplophyllum palavinum, 125 Happy hours, 57 Hardiness of New Zealand plants, 93 Hardy flower garden plants, 539 Hardy aquatics, 9i, 102, 192; Fernery, 66;' fruit, 67; plants for cirpet- bed- ding. 76 ; plants, 95, 102, 143. 170. 192 ; at Kew, 126; at Colchester, 125; at Tooting, 100 ; costly, 91 Hardy red Water Lily, 55 Hardy shrubs, 95, 102, 170 ; at Kew, 126, 143 Hardy Water Lilies, 54 ; water plants, 149 Harees^, the, fruit helps in, 118 Hawthorns, pink, 21 Heath, the Sea, 10.i ; white Irish, 147 Heaths, Cape, pro pa,Lra ting, 374 ; shad- ing, 78 ; treatment, ot, 112 Heated frames, 137 Heating a small greenhouse, 501 ; French boilers and pipes for, 310 ; lamp, 33S, 477 ; pits. 137 Heckfleld Place Gardens, 160 Hedges, clipping, 93 Hedysarum Mackeuzi', 390 Helianthua multiflorua, 239; orjyalis in flower, 301 ; divaricatus. 452. 563 Helichrysums as bieunials, 106 Helleborus, culture and propagation of, 179 ; altifolius in pots, 451 ; species of, 178 HemerocalUs Mittendorfiana, S^S Herbaceo'13 plants at Hantmg-don, 90 ; on chalk, 177; in 187S, 215 Herbs, dryinc, S9 Hexacsntris mysorensis, culture of, 283 Hitiscus Manihot as a badding plant, 353 ; palustris in flower, 302 ; the White Shrubby, 190 Hillfield, Beigate. 172 Holboellia IStauntonia) latifolia, 3j9 Hollyhocks, 135 ; propagating, lb6 Holly, Hodgin's 511 Holly and Roses, 56 Hollies, grafting, 429; in vases, 101; propagating, 289; berries. 572 Home travel, 197 Honeysuckle, the wild, 3C0 Hf'neysuckles in oots for forcmg, 281; on trees, -1S5, 552, 579 ,„,.,.. Horticulture at the French Exhibition, 169, 179, 486, 587 Horticultural exhibitions, provmcial, 2i0 ; international exhibition for 133 ', 467 Hyacinthus caniicans. 101 Hyacinth glasses, 219 ; the White Roman, 194, 577 Hyacinths ia pots, beds, and glasses, 3:;0 Hvde Park, beds in, 226; Dell in, 73; Gardeuiog in, 152; Grass in, 125; Lilies in, 28 Hydrangea paniculata grandidora, 172, 190 Hydrangeas in Ireland, 478 ; m pots, 477 ; two fine, 154 ; planted out, 6'9 Hypericum Coris, 429; epscies of, 238 Hylobius abietis, lil Hylotoma rosarum, 215 Icjhouses. Gcoaomic, 593 Icehouse doors, 501 Ilex scotica aurea, 475 Illuminations and trees, 169 Irapatiens Jerdonis, 328, 377 Imported Orchids, 162 Indigofera tinctoria, 29 Indian Azaleis planted out, 5U Ink, indeliable, 347 Insecticide, paraffin oil as an, 310, 376, 391, 501, 526, 535 Insects, leaf-mining, 21 ; Rose, 13 ; on Carnations, 75 International Exhibition, 179; Japanese, plants at, 76 Inula Candida, 49) Inopsidium acaule, 217 Ipomcea Horafallia, 500 ; in small pots, 519 Ireland, Potato crops, 76; weather in, 654 Iris Alexander von Humboldt, 2 ; De Vreese, 2 ; Kempferi, varieties of, 2; pseudo-acorus, 151 ; Ruthenica, 62; Sieboldi, 2 ; new, 2 ; the Pigmy, 62 ; the water, 151 ; persica and reti- culata, 557 Irises, 394 ; a group of hardy, 12 ; at Kew, 7 ; hardy, 13 ; in flower in July, 7 ; Spanish, 7 ; varieties of, 7 ; winter* flowermg, 490 Irish Eleath, the white, 147; Yews, 534 Irrigation near Paris, 16 Italy, fruit-growing in, 118 Ivy amongst Fuchsias, 321, 316. 372, 418, on rockwork, 283 ; growing inhouses, 3e2, 373 Ivy and Clematises, 100 Ivy and Virginian Creeper on trees, 462 Icy, autumn, 3)5 Ivies, mixed, 3 Jacaranda mImDsaifolia as a standard, 315 Japanese Maples, 31 Japanese plants at the International Exhibition, 76 Japanese Primroses oat - of - do:r3 in eastern counties, 529 Jasmine in London, 143 Ja-minum nudiflorum aureo - variega- tum, 256 Jerusalem Artichoke, 75 Jonny Spinner, 131 K. Kaki. a full-grown, 175 Kale, cottagers', 33 Kew Arboretum, 3 ; Arums at, 125 Kew Gardens, 3, 95 ; Defence Associa- tion, 101 ; opening of, 162, 254, 276 ; report on, 122 , Irises at, 7 ; notes from, 4. 26. 53. 214. 236, 253, 28^, 302, 324. 31^,368,383.412,452.477, 524, 572; in December, 554 KniphoQa folio;a. 321 Kniphofii?, propagating, 223 Laburnum, scarcity of bloom, 104; in flower. 403 Lachanalia pallida, 283; pendula splendens, 5/4 Lady's-bedstraws, 28 Lady's-slippers, 112; hardy. 59 Ladybirds and green fly, 197 Lajlias, 87 Ljeliaautumnalis, 500; anseps alba, 519, 57 i Lambeth Pa!ac3 Paik, 13) Lamium striatum, 4^2, 526, 539 Landscape gardening, 87 Linguage of flowers, 13 Lantauaa for the flower garden, 6 Lapftgeria alba as a pot plant. 78 ; rosea, 279; roieasuperba, 315 ; out-of-doors, 335; varieties of, 376; flowering of the, 376; the white, 3j1 Lapagerias as standards, 451 Larkspurs, perennial, 87; select, 28^ Lasiandra macrantha purpurea, 276 ; macrantha floribunda, 411 Lastrea aristata variegata, 334 Last of the giants, 153 Late Peas, 38; 63) Laurustinu?, indoors, 549 Lavendula lanata, 539 Lavender, the Woolly. 53a Lawns on light foils, 210 Lawns, weeds on, 163 Laxenbnrg, 387 Layering Strawberries, 15 Leaf-mining Insects, 21 Leaves, autumn, 3ly ; bleaching skele- ton, 2C9 ; fungi on, 613; rtmoving fallen. 391 Ledum latifolium, 21') Leekp, quick growth of, 339 Leelis, transplanting, 15 Lemon seeds, germination of, 254 Leptodactylon californicum, propagat- ing, 467 Leptospermum buUatam hardy in Va- lencia, 31 ; lanigerum, 125 Lettuce, 163 Lettuce, Bossin Cabbage. 27J ; Foot's Grean-friuged, 149 ; Jefferies' Little Qaeen, 252; Scott's Favourite, 143, 165 ; brown cos, 536 Lettuces, good, 119 ; notes about, 207 Leucojam roseum, 100 Libei'tia formosa, 12, 62 LlBBiKT: — Album Van Eeden, 19. 439 Brief, 76 Bulb Garden, the 123 Cookery, Handbook of. National Training School, 19 Library [Continued). Cottages, Designs for, 133 Flora, British, Bentham's Boo'i of, 192. fulcra of the British Isle?, 133 Flowers and Ferna of tae United States, 122 Flowers, familiar Wild, 43) Holmes' Botanical Note Book, 19 Kew, Guide to, 19 Pine plantations in France, 133 Plant-lore of Shakespeare, 28 Wild Sports, the, and Natural History of the Highlands, 533 Ligastrum japonicim lucidum, 172 Lilac Charles the Tenth, 171 Lilacs from seel, 1^1 Lilium auratum. 253 ; in Lancashire,. 284; a fine. 19); virginalis, 29; var. Emperor, 169 ; at home. 560 Lilium Batemanniie, 147, 193; candi- dum, time of blooming of, 105; da- vuricura,2; esceUum, 62; esinium, 233 ; Ha-.soni, 8, 26 ; longiflorum, second growth of, 146 ; neilgherrense. 345 ; speciosum out-of-doors; 238 ; new varieties o% 257; rubrnm with white flowers, 5.9; superbnm, 168 Lily, birth to death of, GO, 91, 257, 140 Lily bulbs, growth of, 177 ; cheap, 233 ^ hints to imparters of, 303 ; reproduc- tion of, GL Lily culture, 200, 216, 607 ; at Rochdale, 2 151 ; httoralis, 23 ; Omen, 65 ; speciosa 0 Lobelias for bedding, cool treatment of^ 65 London, florist fiowera in, 65 ; rookeries, 49 Lonicera fragrantissima, 329 ; Halleana, 2b7 Lophyrns pallidus, 559 Luculia gratissima, 478 ; on wills, 109 Lychnis coronata grandiflora, 315, 372 Lycopodium denticulatum, hardiness of, 609 Lycopods in the Tvrol, 567 Lyme Grass, the, 124 M. Macleaya cordata, well gfown, 312 Macrozamia cylindrica, 7i Magnolia grandiflora, injary to, 121; pruning, 476 -, Lenne, 322 Maize as a vegetable, 319 ilalva crispa, 302 Mammillaria erecta. 395 ; longimamma, 329 ; sphacelata, 33* Mandevilla suareolens, 275 Manures, Goold's artiScial, 514, 557 Maple?, Japanese, 31 Marigolds, treatment of, 66 ; as autuma border flowers, 233 ; dwarf. 354 Market gardeners' waggoni, 116 Market Pears, 132 Market gardens, Roses in. 45G; Garf5e- nias, Eucharis amazonica, Scephan- otis floribunda, and Tuberoses in, 56* Marl as a caltu-al aient, 559 Marshes, Forget-me-nots in, 62 Masdevallia, a finely-coloured, li7 ; velifera, 323, 474; culture ot, 331 McNab, James, death of, 459 Meconopsis, species of, 280 Medlars, 408 Medinilla magnifica, 575 Meehan's American flowers, 416 Melanthium triqaetrum, 363 Melolontha vulgaris, 197 Melon, Dell's Hybrid, 23 ; Dickson's Exquisite, 405 ; Netted Victory, 23 THE GARDEN. LDbC. 28, 1873- Viaeriea. ants in, 429 Vina?, 89, 162: and liquid mannra, 113 ; in pot8, 3t^i , mealy bugs on, 472 ; orchard house, 429 ; for table decora- tion. 405, 419 ; treatment of, 14, 37 ; triple roote'^, 242 ; watering, 120 ; stocks for, 5SU Viola Ardwell Gem, 49 ; Blandyana, 365; lilacina, 124; Love'.ineas, 190; stricta alba, 3i5 Violas and Pansies, 135 ; bedding^, 4S9 ; blighted, 143 Violets in pots. 4Si ; in autumn, 315. 363; Neapolitan, 193; select, 217 Virginian Creeper, 3'J7 ; amongst shraba, 434; Dog's-:ootb, 177 Vitts Thunbergi, 310 Vriesia brachystachys in pans, 323 W. Walka, salting, to kill weds on. It Wallflower seed, 231, 539 Walle, Grapes on. Si; plant-covered, 600, 557 ; wiring, 93 Wall-copinga, permanent, 55i Wardie Lodge, Edinburgh, notes from, 332 Wasp traps, 259, 318, 491 Water, broken margins to, 79 ; for Vines, 120 ; in park and garden scenery, 79 Watergate in Buckingham Street, 279 Watering fruit trees, 81 Watering pot, pedigree of a, 161; street trees, new plan of, 531 iVaterLilyat Kensington, 191; hardy red, 55, 78, 279 ; pond, the. 54. 9i, 140, 31G; on Grass. 539; Rose-cy.oared, 596 Water Soldier, 151 Watsonias, 19J Weeds, charring, 15 ; clearing a garden of, 520 ; destroying, 15 ; eradicatine, 531 ; in Ponds, 143 : on lawns. 43, 166 Wellingtouia, ihe Weeping, 232 WelUngtonias, fine specimens of, 573 Weigela, a golden -leaved, 65 ; a late- flowering, 151 ; amabilia aur a, 55 ; Looymansi aurea, 77 ; the white- flowered, 468 Wigan, pubhc park at, 144 Wild garden, Alstroemerias in, 3 ; plants for, 127 Willow trees, fine, 300, and malaria, 538 Wild flowers for table decoration, 67 Winter Cucumbers, 32 ; flnwerp, 143 ; ditto for catting, 1' 6 ; propagating in, 201 Wiring walls, 93 Wistaria sinensis, double. 115 Witsenia corymbosa, 514 Woodland work for November, 440; for December, 4S5 Woodland trees, fallac'.es concerning, 573 Woodlice in Cucumber frames, 93 Woodsia alptna, 3il Wood?, high, in Trinidad, 436 Woo:hope Club fungus foray, 279 Xanthoceras sorbifolia, ting ditto, 105 309 ; propaca- Yellow bedding plants, 115 Yew hedges, clipping, 93 Yews, Insh, 42^. 435, 534 Yucca baccata, 3!0 Yucca filam^ntosa variegata, 13 Yuccas in clumps, 177 Yuccas in the Isle of Wight^ 525 Z. Zephyranthes carinata, 27 Zeuvera -E;culi, 453 Zi-Goma,334 Zinnias, double, 33; single and double 461 Die. 2?, isrs.i THE GARDEN. ILLUSTRA.TIO NS AlIAETLLIS, TWO NEW ... APHELANDRA. FASCINATOR ARMERIA SETACEA AURICULA, VARIETIES OP THE , CAIIELLIAS, GROUP OP NEW . CARNATIONS, YELLOW CHRYSANTHEMUMS, JAPANESE . CROCUSES, EARLY AND LATE . DAHLIAS, BOUQUET DAPHNE BLAGAYANA DAPHNE ODORA VAR. MAZELI , DENDROBIUil GOLDIEI EPIPHYLLUMS, GROUP OP GEUM COCCINEUM FL.-PL. COLOURED 332 222 26G 398 354 550 156 ■,=7 420 110 200 442 I 2tl 131 562 PLATES. HABRANTHUS PRiTENSIS FULGENS ... HELLEBORUS ALTIF0LIU3 IRISES, GROUP OF IRISES, WINTER FLOWERING LAPAHERIAS LARKSPURS, PERENNIAL PELARGONIUMS, FANCY PICOTEES, YELLOW PRIMROSES, JAPANESE PUSCHKINIA SCILL0IDB3 ... SAXIFRAGiA 0PP03ITIF0LIA VAE. SQUILLS, EARLY SPRING FLOWERING STUARTIA VIRGINICA 51 178 12 490 376 86 61 589 466 288 310 538 38 ENGRAVINGS. ... 471 ... 199 ... 656 ... 611 437-40 Atratilon igneum Acrcsticlium peltatum Adiantum Kdgeworthi Adiantum Hendersoni Alders, various Anemidictyon Phyllitidis tesaelati 687 366 491 466 303 381 79 Anemoce, cutting of.. Anthonomous pomomm Anthuriuoa Scherzerianum var. Applp, Wild Balsam, ihe ... Apple?, varo'JS Artific al water, margins to B. Balaninns nucum 318 Begon-a polyoetala 531 Boronia Eeniilata, cutting of ... 399 Boavardia cuttingB £67 Branch hco-er 118 Bridge, rust'c frarrlen 5 Brushep, steel, fruit tree 519 Baddleia carvifiora 349 „ insignis 319 Bullace, a prolific 435 Buttercups, Lo-jq'iets of 285 Butterfly, small white 107 C. Calceolaria, cutting of 318 Calystegia sylvatica 607 Caterpillar of butterfly 107 Carnation layer Ill Carpccapsa pomonana 391 Cellars, vegetable, sections of ... 208 Cereua serpentinus 131 Cetonia aurata 428 Chrysanthemum, Anemone ... 376 Chrysalis of buferfly 107 Cichorinm Intybus 63 Cobsea scandens, cuttings of ,.. 201 Ccckchafer, the 197 CccVecomb 373 Coleusep, propagating 647 Correa, cittin^sof ... Crceaia Bergmanniana Croton Princs of Wales Cupressus Lawsoniana D. Dracaiaa, leaf of E. Eriodendron aufrac.u?€um Eecallonia Phillipiana Eulalia j^ponica zebrina Bupatorium gracile, cutting of . ,, riparinm, cutting of . Forficula aur'cilaria Freycineti* Banks'a Fruit galheier G. Garden, a Thames-side Gardea Botany, 8-10, 31-6, 63 71, 82-4,111-16, 133-1', 159-BI, 13J- 85, 205-07, 2;6.29. jld-SO. 270-72, 29.i-93— in all 336 illustrations 13 L. r69 Label ... ^02 513 Ledum latifolium ... 241 157 Lily bulbs 61.237 Lily stem and rcots ... 237 Loasa Tolcanica ... M 121 Lobelia ilicifolia .:. 353 Lonicera fragrantissima ... ... 323 Lopbyrus palUdus .. 6c9 310 Lczotffiuia rosana i5i 101 283 M. 87 Mammillaria ere eta ... 95 87 „ longimamma... ... 329 Microlepia hirta cristata ... ... 362 MLcrosperma bartonicides - ... 91 Mikania scandens va". ... i52 3a9 Mr. J. McNab ... 469 lis 0. Onion fly ... 247 127 Orchard ladder ... 118 Garden covered wa', a ... 67 Giants, th3 last of tha ... 163 Gioxinia, leaf of ... 65 Gooseberry, standard ... 325 Gryllotalpa vulgaris ... 187 H. Hadenaoleracea ... 635 Heath, cutting ... 371 Hig'l Woods, Trinidad ... 406 Holboellia latifo'.ia ... 369 Holly, cutting of ... 289 Hollyhocks, cuttings of ... 198 Hyacinth glasses ... 219 Hylotoma rcsaruna ... 245 I. Indigofera tinc^oria ... 29 Ice hotises ... 685 P. Panicam virgatum 215 Paris Exhibit on, grounds of ... 48r Park water, a reach of 31 Pear, the Ansanlt 471 Pear rails, French 30* Pears, select ... 417 Pelargoniame, cuttings of... 313, 4i3 „ grafts of 443 Pelletier wasp trap 491 Fentstemon heterophjUua 5C5 Phloxes, cuttings of 39 Pieria brassic:e 94 Pinus Pinaster, cone of ... ... 20 „ ,, leaves of 20 Plants, dwarfed 174-75 „ hardy water... ,.. 149-51 Plum, Coo's Golden Drop 419 „ Quetache d'ltalie 419 Platycerinm, frond of 121 Polygonum tinctorium 29 Pot-herb moth 535 Primula, cuttinfj of double ... 135 Irtisgatirg touee R. Rhamnus cblorophornm , 29 ,, utilis S9 Rodrigueziarecurva in a nutsliell 577 Rose, a proliferous 413 „ cuttines £81, 403 ,, grafiing 426,493 Rose pruning tools 311-17 Rose stocks 335 Rose layers 424-25 Roses, grafting 446-48 S. Sagittaria variabilis .. 239 Secateur, the ., 311 Penecio macroglossus .. 361 Sewage irrigation, French,.. .. 17 Stoves for greenhouses .. 296 Street trees, wa'ericg . 534 Stuartia virginica, flower-bud .. 38 T. Taxus elegantissima .. 615 Tipula oleracea .. 131 Tree stump, ornamental ... .. 193 Trap, for snails and slugs ... .. 635 ,, wasp and fly .. 318 V. Valve, slot throttle .. 97 Ventilator, patent automatic .. 531 Verdier, M. P. V .. 142 Vine, pot trainer .. 405 W. Wataring-pots, two .. 164 Weeping Birch and cascade 17 z. Zeuyera, sescoli xii THE GARDEN. ld.c. as. i878. GEORGE MAW, F.L.S., &c Me. George Maw, to whom this volume of the " Garden " is dedicated, was born in London on December 10, 1832. In 1853 he became associated with his brother, Mr. Arthur Maw, in the proprietorship and management of the well- known encaustic tile and majolica works at Benthall, near Broseley in Shropshire, where their energy, perseverance, and skill have brought the art of tile-making to an almost unrivalled perfection, and deservedly earned for them a world-wide reputation. From an early age Mr. Maw developed a great liking for geological research, and pursiied it with unwearied diligence and assiduity. From the year 18G4 up to the present time he has contributed a series of papers of great ability to the " Geological Magazine." His accurate knowledge of the character and distribution of the various kinds of clay has been of material service in bringing the Benthall tile pottery to such perfection. Having also devoted much time and diligence to the study of archajology, especially to that portion of it which relates to the ancient tesselated pavements of the Romans, he has been able to bring his knowledge to bear with much effect at the Benthall works. He has for many years past taken an active and prominent part in all matters connected with the religious, social, and political welfare of the country, and has been a frequent and powerful contributor to the Press. It is, however, with his eminence as a botanist of almost irnrivalled keenness, and a collector, inti'oducer, and discoverer of new, rare, and little-known plants, that we are more immediately concerned. Having, in his earlier years, made himself intimately and thoroughly acquainted with the botany of the United Kingdom, Mr. Maw commenced in the spring of 1869 a series of foreign botanical excursions, of which the following is a summary : — 1. April, 1869.— Gibraltar, Tetuan, Tangier, Escarial Mountains, 15. May, 1874. — Florence and Carara. and Toloaa Pyrenees. 10. September, 187i. — Mont Cenis, Maritime Alps, and Sonth-weat 2. July, 1869.— Zermatt. Tyrol. 3. October, 1869. — Volcanic district of Auvergne. 17. April, 1875. — Corsica and the Ririera. 4. Febrnary, 1870.— Montpellier. 18. July, 1875. — Mont Cenis, Maritime Alpa, and Sontb.west Tyrol. 5. April, 1870. — The Riviera and^Corsica. 19. October,' 1875. — Lisbon, Ciotra, Oporto, and Coimbra. 6. June, 1870.— Central Spain and Pyrenees. 20. April, 1876.— Trieste, Italy, and the Riviera. 7. August, 1870.^Danphine and Monnt^Cenis. 21. July, 1876. — Mont Cenis and Dauphine. 8. January, 1871. — Lisbon and Cintra. 22. September, 1876. — Spain and Majorca. 9. May, 1871. — Gibraltar, Tangier,Tetaan,Morocoo, and the Great 23. March, 1877. — Corfu, Athena, Syra, Constantinople, and Asia Atlas. 'Mr. Maw accompanied in this excursion Dr. Minor. now Sir Joseph Hooker, and Mr. T. Ball, F.RS. 24 October 1877. — Italy and Santa Maura. 10. August, 1871. — Luohon Pyrenees and Auvergne. [In the latter iaiaud he met with his singular and remark- 11. May, 1872. — Maritime Alps. able adventure with Ionian Brigands, the tale of which he so 12. July, 1872. — The Engadine. graphically told in the " Gardener's Chronicle" of December 1, 13. April, 1873. — Algeria and L'Aghonat Sahara. 1877, under the heading "Perils of a Botanist."] 1-1. July, 1873.— Dolomite district. 25. April, 1878.— Unitel States and Canada. Mr. Maw succeeded in bringing home living specimens of most of the new, r.are, and interesting plants which he col- lected during these excursions, and has since cultivated them with almost unfailing'success in his garden at Benthall Hall, a fine old Elizabethan mansion overhanging the Severn, which has for many years been his residence, and where he has gathered together a collection of plants, books, .and pottery as unique in character as it is replete with interest. His knowledge as a botanist is only equalled by his kindness and hosijitality as a neighbour and a friend, and the large-handed liberality with which he distributes his plants amongst his numerous horticultural friends. Mr. Maw has made the hardier bulbous plants of Europe, Asia Minor, and the Mediterranean region of Africa his more special study, and has ja-(/- excellence taken up the genus Crocus, a family iirst monogriiphed by the lamented Dean Herbert some years ago. By the most patient and unwearied perseverance he has succeeded in importing living bulbs of almost every known species, which are, at the present moment growing in his garden at Benthall ; the few remaining species are on their way to the same happy home. Mr. Maw has in active preparation an elaborate monograph of the genus, which will shortly be published, and for beauty of delineation and exhaustive accuracy of description, will rank second to no work which has as yet left the Press. Mr. Maw married a daughter of" the Kev. Thomas Brown, rector of Hemingston, ne.ar Ipswich, by whom he has a numerous family, and whose kindly welcome and genial hospitality are never forgotten by any visitor to Benthall Hall. Mr. Maw's frequent botanical excursions have resulted in the discovery of several species of plants new to science, including Saxifraga Mawlana (Baker), Mountains of Tetuan, 1869 Boerhavia maroooana (Ball), Hills of Morocco, 1871 Draba Mawi (Hooker), Pancorbo, Spain, 1870 * Staohya Mawiana (Ball), between Sektana and Frouga, Morocco, 1871 Ononis Mawiana (Ball), Tangier Crocus corsicna (Vanucci), Corsica, April, 1875 Mr. Maw's published papers, which are too numerous even to give their titles here, may be found in the " Eoyal Agricultural Society's Journal," " Phytologist," " Eucyclopsedia Britannica," "Zoologist," "Times," "British Association Eeports," " Edinburgh Botanical Society's Transactions," " Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society," " Builder," " Art Journal," and in our own columns, as well as in those of contemporary horticultural journals. C. Jdli 6, urs.] /s^ v^ii^-C ^^ .^M-C. THE aA.RDElsr. VOL. XIV. TABLE PLANTS. I HAVE baen asked to reply to the qaeation, " How tall should table plants be for exhibiting ?" and I am obliged to confess my inability to answer it in a fe^v words, because I am not informed what is the kind of table upon which they are to be exhibited. To give informa- tion upon the heights of plants which may be used upon tables of different kinds, it will be necessary to ran throagh the various uses to which tables are applied. These uses may be divided into two classes — tables not used for maals, and tables at which meals are served. First, as regards tables at which meals are not served. These relate to halls, drawing-rooais, boudoirs, &c., and it must be evident to all that it is impossible to lay down any law as to the height of plants for such purposes, since so much depends upon the size and mode of ooustraotion of the table, and also upon the other furniture and decorations in the room. The size of the plant cannot be determined upon by the size of the table only; it must also be governed by the lightness or the solidity with which a table is made. A heavy Oak or Mahogany table, 4 ft. in diameter, would look well if decorated with a plant which would be quite out of place upon a wicker table of the same siz?, notwithstanding that the latter table might be strong enough to support it. As a general rule, large heavy plants should be placed on tables in halls, and plants of lighter character and habit in sitting-rooms ; but the height of the plants that would look best cannot be determined upon without seeing the table and its surroundings. It is equally impossible to fix upon a height for plants to stand upon a sideboard or dinner-waggon; and Buch plants may fairly be included under the title of table plants. Secondly, as regards tables for raeala. These tables require to be treated in different ways, according to whether the meal be partaken of sitting or standing. If it is wished to decorate a table at which a standing supper is to be served, the height of the plants need not arbitrarily be determined upon, though some of the prettiest effects are produced by using, alternately, plants that one can see over and see under, the latter having their long stems ornamented in some tasteful manner, but so as not to interfere with people seeing each other as they stand at opposite sides of the table. The same prin- ciple should be applied to tables at which people sit to partake of their meals. There should be nothing upon the table which can interfere with seeing and talking across the table ; hence the in- variable rule observed by all the best dinner-table decorators, that nothing should intercept the view between the heights of 15 in. and 20 in. above the cloth. From whenca it follows, that dinner-table plants, and, consequently, plants upon breakfast, lunch, and supper, tables, at which chairs are used, may be either short or tall, that short dinner-table plants must not exceed 15 in. in height, and that tall dinner- table plants must not have any branches below 20 in. from the bottom of the pot, but may be of any height that will look well upon the particular table and in the particular room which it is intended to decorate. The ignorance of these commoU'Sense princi. pies, which is so often manifested in the wording of schedules for flower shows, has surprised me mach and has given great trouble to judges on many ocoasionB. W. T. T. CAMELLIAS AND AZALEAS FROM SEED. It is stated (see Vol. XIII., p. 530) in reference to seedlings of these that " ninety-nine plants in one hundred would produce flowers nob worthy of notice." Such is far from my experience; on the col- trary, I should say that, unless the writer of the sentence in question takes the very best named flowers as models, he will get, through careful fertilisation, "ninety-nine" as good or better than tbe parents. In 1836, with no varieties to work with but the old Azalea indica, A. phoenicea, the variety called Smithi, and one or two more of about the same stamp, I raised a batch of seeilings, not one of which was as poor as the parents, and three of them are to this day equal or superior to any other of the same shade of colour in cultivs- tion. The variegata type had not then been introduced into this country. Again it is said that " four or five years would elapse before the seedlings bloomed." In the summer of 1875 we fertilised about a dozen plants of Bijou de Paris, William Bull, and similar sorts with each other. The seeds were sown in December of the same year, and now, as I write, I have still ia bloom saveral of these seedlings, at least 200 out of 500 having been in flower ever since April 1, The last one which opened this week wa^ a very distinct, beautiful, double rosy-pink, quite equal in fullness and size to that best of doubles that I have seen — iladame Paul de Schryven. Of the 200 that have bloomed I have marked twenty equal or superior to any of the best Belgian varieties, and at least 100 of them are quite equal to the average character of any good collection. Several of them flowered in March of last year only fifteen months from seed. My experience bag been of this character in the produotion of all kinds of plants and fruits that I have tried. Hovey'a Seedling Strawberry and Boston Pine, raised in 1833, were selectel from 1000 or more seedlings, but I might almost say hundreds, certainly dozens, were large and fine Strawberries. With the Camellia I have had still greater snocesa, having produced twenty-five very fine double varieties out of probably 1000 seedlings, all superior to the parent of many of them (C. Warratah). Two-thirds of them, indeei, are quite as good as the greater part of the kinds groivn at that time, such as King], Colvillei, Pressi, conspicna, and other doubles, but irregular-shaped flowers, and five of them, I think, are uneq'iaUad by any yet produced. One of my Azaleas yoa will soDn see at. aoaie of your London exhibitions, as the original plant, twenty years old, waa purchased by one of your leading nurserymen. Oar seeJ'ini; hardy Azaleas and Rhododendrons have all b3en quite equal or super or to their parents. Judicious fertilisatioa is sure to effjc^ changes and combinations which it is impossible to conceive, and results are some- times as remarkable as they are unexpected. That all seedlings are deserving of a name and description, I do not admit ; they should, in ■ deed, be a very decided advance on what ia alraaiy in cultivation to merit a name. C. M. HovET, Boston, Mass, Aquilegias. — In addition to the remarks made lately by various correspondents of The Garden in reference to the culture of the North American Columbinea, I may mention that the other day I THE GARDEN, [July 6, 1878. saw a loDg bed oE them in robust health, flowering and seeding abundantly. The kinds included A. coerulea pure and simple, A. chryaantha, and the hybrid known as A. ccerulea hybrida. This gave me another proof that this fine hybrid is a natural cross, as I was assured that no artificial means had beem employed in its production, and not the result of "careful hybridisiog," as sometimes remarked. This circumstance well illustrates the close affinity of the two kinds, ■which are, in my opinion, but two forms of one species. The soil in which they were growing was of a very stiff oharacterjwith a retentive subsoil, thus showing that a light warm soil is not a proper medium for Columbines. It seems odd that cultivators should expect that these, and also a host of other hardy plants, will remain in a border year after year and give no more trouble than a common German Iris, as in their native habitats thej'are under quite different conditions from those usually found in a garden border ; and, besides, they are not subject to such cUmatal changes as we experience in this country. To be successfal in their culture it is necessary to substitute seedlings for old plants every two or three years. Seedlings may be raised with comparatively little trouble, which they will amply repay by a fine display of flowers ^uch aa I saw the other day. — W. THE GARDENERS' ROYAL BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION. On Wednesday evening last the thirty-fifth anniversary festival of this charitable institution was held at the Albion Tavern, Alders- gate Street, under the presidency of Mr. Robert Mamock, and was one of the most successful meetings on record. The chairman, in proposing the toast of the evening, " Prosperity to the Gardeners* Eoyal Benevolent Institution," asked the assembly to sympathise with the cause and object which they had met to support. The Society (he said) was instituted forty years ago, since which time it had steadily progressed. There were at present seventy-seven poor gardeners on the pension list, who were each recti ving ptiisioas at the rate of £16 per annum, and £12 per annum for the widows. At the same time the Society had relieved during its existence 253 pensioners at a total cost of £22,780, and had funded £11,380 in the Three per Cent. Consols. It was a significant and gratifying fact to know that they had accomplished so much go id, especially when they remem- bered that since the formation of the Society some 500 charitable institutions had been brought into existence. Speaking of the ex. tended work of the gardener of iho present day, he said about fifty or sixty years ago it was only the highest in the land who employed gardeners, but now wo had many merchants and successful trades, men, and others who had their gardeners. That was not less cheering for horticulture than for the country itself. In the work of the Society there was something for all to do. Those who could do so should become subscribers, and others could say a word in season coDcerning the objects of the charity. Mr. Robert Wrench (whose name was coupled with the toast) hoped that not only the rich but the poor would contribute to the Society, for no one could tell what might happen to him. He knew of a case of a person being in receipt of £12,000 a year coming down to want the aid of a public charity. lie regretted to say that the gar. deners were far too backward in supporting the Institution. Prof. Bentley gave the " Health of the Chairman," and spoke in high admiration of the good taste of Mr. Mamock as displayed in his designs for landscape gardening at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Regent's Park, and other gardens. He also alluded to the great improvement in the attendance at those grounds, stating that he had seen nearly 20,000 persons present in a single afternoon. The chairman briefly acknowledged the compliment, and proposed the *' Health of the Secretary," warmly thanking Mr. Cutler for hia ■unceasing advocacy of the interests ot the Society, and for hia long continued labours on behalf of the Institution. Mr. E. R. Cutler said that only on one previous occasion had their anniversary festival resulted so favourably for the Institution, and that one occasion was when Baron Rothschild presided. The sub. Bcriptions on the present occasion amounted to over 600 guineas. After alluding to the great respect and popularity enjoyed by the chairman, Mr. Cutler said that there were present gentlemen from the west of England, from Liverpool, Manchester, Yorkshire, and other places, who had attended to do honour to the chairman. Thanking the assembly for the toast, Mr. Cutler said, that so long aa he enjoyed their confidence he should continue to do his very best for the Society. Mr. A. Philbrick, Q.C., proposed " Success to the Horticultura and Botanical Societies of London." He desired the success of a the great societies of the metropolis and elsewhere which wer devoted to the practice and interest of hortioaltore. A great deal wa due to the two societies he had mentioned, for they had been and were still the pioneers in the path of progress in the science of horti- culture. Dr. Brewer looked upon horticulture as a great friend, and as being of great nse in sanitary matters. He thought that plants and their effect upon health was a subject of special interest at the present time. Their cultivation now in large cities liko London was a matter of actual necessity to the health of the people. All that could be done in that direction and for the prevention of the spread of epidemic diseases had not yet been done, and he hoped that the work to that end would be persevered in. They were responsible in a great measure for the moral education of the people, and he hoped that the power they thus possessed would be used with all their energy. Naw Irises. — Among the varieties of Iris Ksempferi in Messrs. Hooper's collection, a large white one is remarkable for its purity of colour and a kind of beauty of line and form, which reminds one of a work in marble of the higher type. This variety is called Alexander Von Humboldt. De Yreese, a purple kind, is also an improvement on existing ones; and so is Sieboldi, a mauve variety. Others, representing different shades of lilac and other colours, are equally pretty. Tuberous-rooted Begonias. — Messrs. Veitch's collection of these is just now in full bloom and well worth seeing. The plants are large, bushy, and healthy, and their flowers vary in colour from pure white to rose, and through all the shades of scarlet and crimson. Different types, both as regards habit, foliage, and flowers, are all well represented here, and afford a good opportunity for selection. Double-flowered Zonal Pelargoniums. — New kinds of these are now so numerous that to select the best has become a difficult matter. In a collection of them in the Fulham Norseries, however, the following seemed well worth attention, viz., Madame Thibaut, dwarf in habit, and with flowers of a clear rose colour; Pille de Honour, blush ; Guillion MangilU, semi-double flowers, bright crimson in colour; Talabot, bright magenta, very double; Lucie Lemoine, pink; and Venus, white. Either in bouquets or on the plants the flowers of these kinds are exceedingly effective. Spiraea palmata elegans.— This has just flowered here and has greatly disappointed me, having nothing at all to recommend it. It does not appear to be a hybrid and intermediate between S. palmata and japonica, for, with the exception of the pinkish tinge on the anthers, it possesses no rosy hue at all, and I am afraid that this (unless in the case of those who usually search for effects by means of a microscope) wilt not be considered satisfactory. My impression is that 83., the price at which the plant was sent out, ought to have been 8d., and that would even be too much. The palming off of plants at high prices by means of tempting descriptions and finely got up plates, cannot, I think, be too strongly condemned. — T. Smith, Ncwnj. Epilobium obcordatum. — This little gem, which is now in flower, affords another striking instance of the richness of the Cali. fornian flora. Unlike the majority of the Willow herbs, it is very dwarf, not being more than a few inches in height and of a trailing habit. The leaves are, as the specific name implies, of a reversed heart-shaped form, of a bright green colour, about £ in. long and i in, in breadth. The flowers, which are borne singly yet profusely on short stalks from the axils of the leaves, measure about 1 in. across, and their colour much resembles that of Clarkia pulchella. It grows on an exposed part of the rockery at Kew, in a compost of rich loam and grit. As it is quite hardy and easily propagated, both by means of seeds and cuttings, it may be expected to soon become common in rook gardens. — W. Epidendrum vitellinum. — This Mr. Wills finds extremely useful in a cut state. He therefore grows large quantities of it for that purpose, and, associated with the delicately- tin ted blooms of Odontoglosaum Alexandrge, in floral decorations the effect which it produces is excellent. Lilium davuricum.— Many varieties of this beautiful hardy Lily may now be seen in good condition in the herbaceous beds of some of the London nurseries, and it is astonishing that tJaey do not find thoir way into the London parks. They arc subjects that may be seen at a distance, and a few bods of them would fill up a gap at a season when flowers are not over plentiful. The efl"ect of these beautiful Lilies cannot, however, be shown by a single spike ; they must bo seen in qiiantity if their full beauty is to be realised. — Jambs Gboom. Burning Bash (see p. 609). — This name is frequently applied to Dictamnus Fraxinella, because the plant is one of several which, under certain peculiar oiiditiona of the atmosphere, has been frequently observed to emit a phoa- phoreacent light,— S. Gablahsb, Caitle Street , Saliibury, JtiLY 6, 1878.] THE GAEDEN. NOTES OP THE WEEK. Dinner-table "Decorations "do not seem to be improvirig. There are endless pains bestowed on them, and mnoh delicate intri. caoy, but no advance in the direction of simplicity. What is wanted are good effects from materials few and simple, and Bucn arrange- ments as could be carried out in a few minutes. The Royal Botanic Society might fittingly open up some improvement in this direction. The Potato Disease. — This, we learn, was never known to be so bad so early in the year. The early Potatoes from the Channel Islands come in such a diseased state that they are unsaleable. On the spot even, when fresh out of the ground, the effect of this early prevalence of disease is to reduce the price of Potatoea to a very low figure, the round ones being offered at about 2d. per stone. Barriers at the "Botanic." — We have to complain of the barriers erected in the Botanic Gardens in the Regent's Park to protect the Royal and other visitors from being mobbed by thp well- dressed crowd. These seem to us to increase the danger of mobbing, and they certainly are an inconvenience to the public. In parts where thero were no barriers the Royal party did not seem to suffer any inconvenience. Convolvulus altheeoides. — This pretty Bindweed, with large pink flowers and small cnt leaves, which runs about among the stones and rooks on the shores of the Mediterranean, is quite hardy on light Bandy soils in England. It is now flowering abundantly and running about as freely in Mr. Wilson's garden at Weybridge Heath as ever we have seen it in its native country. Stuartia virginica. — This rare shrub thrives in moist peat Boil about London, where it has lately been, and is still, in flower. The habit, though compact, is free and somewhat open. The flower-buds, before they open, are beautiful in all stages. There are crimson stripes towards the base of the petals in at least some individuals. Evening Primroses. — The large. flowered and tall forms of these, now so beautiful and fragrant in tho evenings and throughout the night, are plants that seed freely and take care of themselves in half-wiid places — thin shrubberies, copses, and the like ; so that anyone may enjoy their beauty without trouble or cost. They add a new charm to the garden in the evenings, and their odour ia not of an overpowering kind. Bosa Brunoni. — This beautiful and vigorous single Rose has recently been very attractive in Mr. Mcintosh's garden at Oatlands Park. A specimen there growing on the margin of a shrubbery, and abont 12 ft. high, throws its long shoots as freely forth as a Bamboo, and they bend towards the earth laden with showers of white flowers. It is a lovely Rose, and will prove of great value for shrubbeiies and wild gardens. Alstrcemerias in the Wild Garden. — All who care for hardy flowers must, at this Eeason, be struck with the beauty of Alstroemeria aurantiaca, especially when it spreads into bold healthy tafte, and when there is a great variety in the height of the flowering btems. A valuable quality of the plant is, that in any free soil it spreads freely, and it is quite hardy. For dry places between shrubs, for dry or eandy banks (either wooded or bare), copses, or heathy places, the plant is admirable. We have even noticed it thriving under the shade of trees. Shrubby and Herbaceous Spireeas Grouped Together. — We have lately seen a peculiarly beautiful effect afforded by a fine group of Spirseas — the finer shrubby and herbaceous kinds. Moat conspicuous were two fine tufts of Spiraea arisefolia, bearing pictu- resque trusses of feathery plumes ; and near them were other shrubby kinds. On one side on the Grass were planted three of the finer herbaceous kinds — S. Aruncus, S. palmata, and S. japonica palmata, the last a fine plant in abundant bloom. There was not a trace of formality or awkwardness in the planting, the grouping being perfect. The effect of the fine deep rosy flowers of the one healthy tuft of S. palmata near the clouds of spray of the large shrnbby kind was charming. The arrangement is suggestive of improvements in grouping in gardens — public and private. The stiff lines in some of our botanic gardens are far behind this even from a teaching point of view. From a similar group, more complete as to species, one would get a far more comprehensive idea of this beautiful family of plants than from anything we have ever seen in a botanic garden. — W. R. Kew Gardens and Arboretum. — We have authority for stating that the Botanic Gardens and Arboretum at Kew are open to botanists and horticulturists from 6 a.m. in summer and daylight in winter on application at the curator's office. The houses and museums are closed during the hours of breakfast (8 to 8.45 a.m.) and dinner (12 to 1 p.m.). It is satisfactory that a matter of some importance to many concerned with horticulture ia thus put beyond doubt. As for ourselves, none can be more willing to defend all the essential rights and needs of the Gardens, and we particularly hope that the question recently mooted of increased refreshment facilities in the parka will not crop up as regards Kew. The slightest liberty in that way would be a great injury to the Gardens. Some of the best Continental gardens are seriously marred by restaurants and the like that would be quite as conveniently placed outside the gates. Asparagus in July. — The finest Asparagus which we have ever seen cut in July has just come to us from Mr. Harwood, Colchester. Mr. Harwood is one of the English growers who out their Asparagus at about the same length as that of Argeuteuil, i.e., when it has grown about 1 in. above the ground. It is also, we think, as delicate in flavour as any Asparagus which we have ever tasted. Ivy. — We have lately noticed at Mr. Parker's nursery at Tooting a novel and beautiful effect from a mixture of two very different Ivies in the same border — a very large shield. leaved kind (dentata) and the small, narrow-lobed (palmata). In the same place the same large. leaved sort has entered a lofty shed, which its fine foliage now adorns. The leaves seem nearly as green and no leas ornamental than they are outside. A Pretty Eock Scabious. — Scabioaa Parnassi is now a very beautiful object in sandy borders, spreading forth into grey tufta dotted with brownish.red flowers. It is one of the many rock plants the value of which cannot generally be seen, owing to the fashion of making rockwork of miserable, narrow " pockets," out of which the plants cannot spread, even if they succeed in living in them. Pig Plants. — There is, at least, one species of Escallonia which emits a very powerful odour as of the sty. I write 80 that any of your plant-loving readers who notice this peculiar and far from agreeable odour may put the saddle on the right horse. Are there not other plants guilty of this bad behaviour ? I think I remember detecting it in an Alaternus a good many yeara ago, having first looked in all directions for a more likely source for such an odour. I am greatly surprised that any vegetable should behave in each a manner. — T. 0. B. Anemonopsis maorophylla. — This rare and beautiful member of the Crowfoot family at first sight reminds one of the Japanese Anemone (A. japonica), but it is smaller in all its parts. The thick and shining leaves rise to a height of 12 in., the flower.stema are slender, about 18 in. in height, on which are borne numerous drooping blossoms, about li in. across, of a pale purple colour. The flowers differ from the Anemone in having two rows of petals, one outside and spreading, the other forming a cone in the centre. It is a native of Japan. A specimen of it in flower may be seen on a rockery at Kew, where it seems to delight in shade. — A. Coloured Plant Portraits.— Mr. B. S. Williams has sent us coloured illustrations of new Azaleas Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Car. michael, and William Carmichael, varietiea obtained by crosses effected between Azalea amcena and varieties belonging to the Indian section, which are valuable for decorative purposes ; also Croton mutabile. Prince of Wales, and Sunset, remarkable for their bright colours ; Ixora Duchess of Teck, a hybrid with orange flowers ; and several new Draccenas and zonal Pelargoniums, all of which are well worth having in any good garden. The Crimson Stoneorop (Sedum sempervivoides). — This fine species, now in flower on a rockery at Kew, is certainly one of the moat desirable of hardy succulents. Its foliage, which is quite unlike that of most of its congeners, is of a pale green colour, marked with dark brown spots, and arranged into a compact rosette about 2 in. across, like that of a House-leek. The flower-stem ia about 6 in. in height, and beara a multitude of blossoms in a dense head about 3 in. across. The individual flowers are about i in. in diameter, of a bright crimson colour, and they last a long time in good condition. It ia a native of Iberia and is an old introduction, having been figured in the " Botanical Magazine " as far back as 182-1 ; nevertheless, it is rarely seen in gardens. Associated with it at Kew is another charm, ing plant — the Sempervivum-like Navel-wort (Umbilicus Semper- vivum), which seems to be confused by some cultivators with the preceding, but the two are quite distinct. In foliage the last-named plant resembles a House-leek even more strikingly than the Crimson Stonecrop, inasmuch as it has a roaette of bright green leaves edged with a reddish colour. Its rosy.pink blossoms are borne profusely on stems springing from the base of the rosette, and therefore pro. cumbent. It is a native of stony hills near the Caucasian Moun. tains. Both of these plants are quite hardy in this country, and are of easy propagation — the former by means of seeds, the latter by off-shoots. Both will thrive under the conditions generally afforded to hardy enconlents. — A. THE GAEDEN. [July 6, 1878. NOTES FROM KEW. Hardy Shrubs. — Philadelphna Gordonianns, a tall shrub from British Columbia, now in flower in the Pleasure Grounds, has large white flowers, which are, moreover, strongly scented ; it is a useful kind for the shrubbery border. Spireea Douglasi, a very fine North American species, grows about 6 ft. or 8 ft. high, and bears dense panicles of red flowers. Veronica devoniensia makes a very charm- ing single specimen plant for a lawn ; the one at Kew is a compact, cushion. like bush, 3 ft. or more in height, covered with spikes of white flowers, the purity of which is enhanced by the purple anthers. Hardy Herbaceous Plants.— Trantvetteria palmata is an interesting and somewhat rare North American plant ; it has lobed leaves and numerous, rather small, white flowers; the great number of the stamens, however, helps to >ender the plant tolerably con. epicuous. Thaliotrum rugosum, also a native of North America, is a noble kind with large panicles of straw.ooloured blossoms ; it attains a height of 6 ft., and is, altogether, one of the most striking of all the Meadow Rues. Dianthua Segiesvi var. Atkinson! ia one of the most handsome of the beautiful genus to which it belongs ; the brilliant crimson. scarlet blossoms are freely borne on branches which are about 1 ft. high. Oxalis incarnata, a very dwarf sort, has pale blush flowers ; and 0. floribnnda alba, growing about 1 ft. high, is one mass of white. The moat noteworthy of the Potentillas at pre- sent to be seen in flower in the Kew collection are P. Dethomasi, li ft. high, with large lemon-yellow flowers; P. argyrophylia, 3 ft. to 4 ft. high, with clear yellow blossoms (the colour of the variety P. argyrophylia insignis ia slightly different from that of the type, and its height is only 2 ft.) ; P. atrosanguinea, 3 ft. to 4 ft. high, with blaokish.crimson flowers ; and P. nepalensis, 2 ft. high, with rosy, pink blossoma bearing a deeper blotch at the base of each petal. A distinct and handsome plant is Sedum sempervivoides ; in habit it is remarkably like some of the Hoaae.leeks, and the flowers, which are borne in rather long panicles, are pink in colour. Astragalus alope. curoides, a Siberian Milk.vetch, growing about 3 ft. high, has whitish pinnate leaves, seated in the axils of which are dense clusters of large yellow flowers. Centaurea macrocephala is a splendid plant, which grows about 2 ft. high and has very large golden.yellow heads. Cirsinm aculeatum has very pretty spiny leaves and purple flowers; it glows from li It. to 2 ft. high. Senecio artemisiasfolia, worth a place in the herbaceous border, if only for its finely-cut eaves, has Gronndsel.like heads of orange.yellow flowers, which are borne in large numbers on flower-stems about 3 ft. high. A Japanese species of this enormous genus (S. Kajmpferi) is a beautiful and peculiar plant, with large, heart.shaped leaves and stout scapes, 4 ft. high, bearing numerous, shortly.stalked, large, golden.yellow flower, heads, for the topmost third or more of their length. Arctotheca grandiflora, from the Cape of Good Hope, is a desirable plant, grow- ing from 6 in. to 12 in. high ; it is now a dense mass of bright yellow blossoms. Two very handsome Loosestrifes are Lysimachia verti. cillata, 18 in. high, a pale yellow-flowered species from the Caucasus, and L. ulethroidea, a Japanese plant, of much more recent introduc. tion ; in habit and colour the latter is totally distinct from all the other species of the genus known in gardens ; the smooth, shining leaves set off beautifully the terminal, drooping spikes of white flowers. Allium acuminatum, from California, a charming plant with purple flowers borne on scapes 3 in. or 4 in. high, is an excellent plant for the front of the mixed border. Milla ixioides (or, aa it ia sometimes called, Calliprora lutea), another Californian bulb, haa umbels of large, yellow, green.striped flowers aurmounting scapes about 12 in. high. Milla (Hesperoacordium) hyacinthinum var. lacteum grows 18 in. high and bears umbels of showy white flowers. An Anthericum named A. Renarni, a dwarf sort, little more than 12 in. high, has Grassy leaves and white flowers, and is altogether a raceful plant. A. ramosum is double the size of the last.named in all its parts, if we except the flowers, and these, too, are rather larger than those of A. Renarni. Cypella Herberti, a very lovely Irid from Buenos Ayrea, has large, handsome, orange.yellow flowera ; the Eew plants grow well in the open border, and attain a height of 2 ft. or 3 ft. Two of the finest members of the Lily family are the gorgeously beautiful Calochortus veuustns (figured in The Garden for February 5, 1«7G) and C. splendens ; the first.named has bios- soms about 3 in. in diameter and pure white, except towards the base of the wedge.shaped petals, where a blotch of deep crimson shades off into yellow and dark and light red. C. vennstus has large flowers of a delicate pale rose colour. Greenhouse Plants.— Few cool house plants surpass in beauty the Cape Irid (Dietes bicolor) ; by far the larger part of the flower is snow.white, but yellow, brown, and pale purple help to make one of the most pleasing combinationa imaginable. Anomatheca cruenta, one of the smaller.growing Irida, is a lovely little plant with scarlet blossoma. Dyckia frigida, a Brazilian Bromeliad, ia an Aloe.liko plant ; a tall, stout scape springs from the rosette of thick, green leaves, and bears a large number of orange.yellow flowera. The Mexican Bouvardia triphylla makes a splendid show when planted out in theconservatory, the rich scarlet of its numerous flowers being very vivid. Callistemon rigidum is a handsome New South Wales shrub, with very deep red flowers. Beaufortia purpurea, another Australian plant, is a neat.habited little bush with blood.red bloa- soma cluatered at the extremitiea of the branchea. Stove Plant. — Nelumbium aspericaule, a garden hybrid of which one of the parents ia N. speoiosnm — the Sacred Lotus of the early Egyptians — is, in some respects, even much more beautiful than that very lovely aquatic ; the leaves are larger, as are also the flowera, which are as well a ahade or two deeper and brighter in colour ; the leaf.atalk, too, ia much rougher. — f • THE MERIT OF CARPET BEDDING. In a recent communication ("Art in Gardens," Vol. XIII., p. 539) I endeavoured to show what is, in my opinion, the demerit of the now dying; " taste " known as architectural, geometrical, or carpet bedding. This crying demerit is, as I think, the unnaturalnesa of the whole system. However, I have long said to myself that it is impossible that any system altogether faulty can have for several years obtained the alle- giance of numerous cultivated persons who can and do appre- ciate the beauties of landscape nature. Looking for the merits of carpet bedding, I found what is, I think, also a defect in the old-fashioned " mixed border " system, and in many attempts of gardeners unaccustomed to look at large and distant effects, viz., the absence of masses of colour, I appealed to my ever- ready teacher. Nature, in the matter. The answer I got was this : A varying sheet of greens, the old and young Grasses stretching into the blue of distance, interrupted here and there by billowy trees, green still but of varying shades ; a wood- land carpeted now with Violets dark or pale, now with Prim- roses, now with Anemones, again with Hyacinths or Fox- gloves, as Nature flashes forth the varied lamps of her phan- tasmagoria ; a meadow white with Daisies or Lady's-smock, golden with Buttereups or Marsh Marigolds, or ruddy with Fritillary ; a down-side all ablaze with Furze or Broom, or left burnt in a brown robe of autumnal Bracken ; a Cornfield red with Poppies, yellow with Charlock, or in its own glory of blue, green, silver, gold, and orange. Large masses of colour, now of shades softly blending, now in sharpest contrast, are extremely common in natural landscape ; therefore, the lover of Nature wants them in his garden, and in the " carpet bed " he gets them. But he gets them unnaturally, for Nature's carpets are not geometrical like those of Kidderminster, Hyde Park, and elsewhere. The masses of colour I have spoken of generally mingle at their edges or " thin out " into a few scattered " outliers." They are some- times roughly lenticular in outline, but hardly ever angu- lar, never regular. The effect is one which may be readily obtained by the landscape gardener in the coppice, on the lawn, in the marsh, or in such a strip of unkempt Cornfield as I have formerly suggested might, in conjunction with a haw- haw, replace with advantage the high hedge or wall too often unsightly itself and also shutting out wild beauty beyond. Yellow has been fashionable this season, so I need not apologise for illustrating what I have just said by the following passage from a contemporary how Nature shades : " The cliffs present in different places, within an area of half a mile, different shades of yellow, very perceptible at a considerable distance. Thus in one set of places the cliffs are resplendent with the clear yellow of Lotus corniculatus ; in another with the rich orange-yellow of Hippocrepis comosa; in another with the pale primrose of Anthyllis vulneraria ; in another with the yellow heads of TrifoUum procumbens, or the less conspicuously flowered, but leaf-spotted Medicago denticulata. Close by are large patches of Charlock, differing in tint, and a little later in point of opening than its near ally Brassica nigra. All these different shades of yellow are most marked and distinct, all occur within a few yards one of the other, and all exhale a marked perfume of their own not to be described in words, but easily recognisable." G. S. Boulgek. 11, Burlington Road, Weaibourne Park. July 6, 1878.] THE GARDEN. THE FLOWER GARDEN. GARDENING IN THE PARKS. My time is chiefly spent in the country, but every year I endeavour to get a look at the London parka and their decora- tions, and I find that striving after the impossible is still the "order of the day." Tender plants, that should never be moved from under the shelter of glass, continue to be planted out-of-doors, the result of which is that bedding-out, as it is termed, lasts the whole year round ; for as soon as a bed or a portion of a design shows signs of failing fresh arrangements have to be made. Under such circumstances the finished beauty of a place is sadly marred ; even on the longest day I saw more empty flower-beds than one expects to see at Christmas, and the only sign of the fine foliaged plants (Palms, Musas, and Tree Perns) that usually figure largely in sheltered nooks, was the holes in the turf from which they were removed at least eight months ago, and some even more ; can anything bo more unsatisfactory than this ? Surely something more lasting should be substituted. London trees and shrubs are | this year exception- ally fine in foliage, and, owing to the contiunous heavy rains which we have had, as clean and bright as in a country pnrk or hedgerow. Why, therefore, should the beds be bare? Our turf, as regards verdure, can- not be equalled ; it forms the best and most natural ground- work for showing off t o advantage the natives of any clime. But why we should almost exclusively employ subjects that cannot be ventured out-of-doors until the days are drawing in and London society just going away, passes comprehen- sion. The effect is by no means im- proved, and, worst of all, the greatest charm of a garden, viz., repose, is effec- tually destroyed. I am by no means of opinion that visitors to a garden cannot enjoy its contents while the workmen are pursuing their duties, as the necessary work of a garden gives life to the scene ; but when the system of planting causes such an accumulation of labour on one spot as to render it soiled and trampled like a battlefield, some alteration is desir- able. If better results were obtained by the use of tender plants instead of hardy ones, such a state of things might be tolerated, but such is not the case ; for side by side are usually found beds planted with more permanent subjects that do not require one-half the labour that those filled with tender plants do, and yet they are equally attractive both earlier and later in the season. The Maples, both plain-leaved, coloured, and variegated, are a host in themselves, and what can be more handsome than the Ailantus annually cut down, Aralias, and similar plants p while as to hardy flowering plants, are there not Delphiniums of every shade of blue, Irises in colours unequalled even by those of the choicest Orchids, CEaotheras, Pffionies, Lilies, both delicate and showy, and Punkias, abun- dant in fine foliage ? Musas and Tree Perns are useful where proper situations can be provided for them, but they lose their effect by too close and constant repetition, while the extra labour and attention which they require might be other- wise employed. It is not so much the extent of a garden as its condition that gives pleasure, and if hardy subjects be used in its decoration instead of tender ones, more time can be bestowed upon routine work. J. Grooji. ANNUALS AS BEDDING PLANTS. It is generally admitted that the bedding-out system, as at present practised, cannot be satisfactorily carried out without the aid of considerable numbers of what are familiarly known as bedding plants, such as the Pelargonium, Verbena, Agera- tum, &c., and this to a certain extent is true, and the prepa- ration and protection of the requisite number of these tender plants in places where glass accommodation is constricted is frequently found to be a task of no inconsiderable difficulty. It is possible, however, to supplement the number of plants required for this purpose to a greater extent than is usually done, by the use of annuals, and of various kinds of perennial plants raised from Rustic Garden Bridge, with Weeping Ev of Island? seed sown during the spring of the season in which they are ex- pected to bloom, or, in some cases, during the previous autumn, and treated as annu- als. It is even found to be possible to induce the Zonal Pelargonium, the ad- mitted sine quel von of the bedding-out system, to conform to this treatment, although seedlings must not be expected to bloom so early as plants propagated by means of cuttings. To ensure as far as possible, however, their early flowering, the seed should be sown not later than September, or as early as the seed can be obtained in a ripe condition. And the young plants may be wintered in the pans in which the seed was sown, keeping them in a light, airy situa- tion, and near the glass. Each ordinary or 10-in. seed-pan may contain from fifty to one hundred plants, so that during winter they will occupy but little space ; and towards the latter part of February they should be pricked out into other pans or boxes, in order to give them additional space ; and for a week or two they should be kept in a somewhat close atmosphere until the young plants become established. In April they may be potted off singly into 3-in. pots, shortening or cutting the rootlets well back at the same time, with the view of some- what checking the luxuriance incidental to seedling plants, and promoting the early production of bloom. On this account rich soil should also be avoided. As soon as the plants have become established in their pots, the shelter of a cold pit or frame will be all that is required in the way of protection until the state of the weather will permit them to be planted in the beds or borders which they are intended to occupy. It will thus be seen that seed- lings will occupy less space during the greater part of the winter than a similar number of rooted cuttings, or plants lifted from beds in autumn ; and, if treated as recom- mended, they will generally begin to bloom about the middle en aud Deciduous Trees on Shores 6 THE GARDEN. [July 6, 1878. of July, Beds furnished with such plants may not be so gay early in the season as those filled with plants raised from cuttings ; their general appearance may be somewhat irregular, owing to diversity in habit of growth, and there may also be considerable variety in the shades of colour, but these and similar little drawbacks will be amply compensated for by the interest which is inseparable from watching the gradual development of seedling plants, and the knowledge that new and improved forms may possibly be detected amongst them. With the view, however, of securing meritorious varieties, it is, of course, necessary to save the seed from the very best sorts. The Petunia is also a plant which may be raised from seed sown in the early part of the season in which it is intended to flower — say about the middle of February — and thus treated, it proves to be a most effective bedding plant. Its seed should be sown in pans and placed in heat until the plants have fairly vegetated, when they may be subjected to the temperature of an ordinary greenhouse until they have become sufficiently strong to bear handling ; they should then be pricked out into other pans or boxes, in order to give them increased space, and atterw.ards they should be potted into 3-in. pots in April or early in May, so as to be fit for planting out in beds at the end of the last-named month. Petunias make exceedingly pretty beds, and continue in good condition until the very end of the season. IE the seed be saved from any particular variety, placed at some considerable distance from other plants of the same species, the probability is that the seedlings will differ but little, it at all, from the parent plants. If, on the other hand, however, the seed be saved from a mixed collec- tion, the varieties obtained will exceed in number those of the plants which produced the seed. If beds of double-flowered kinds be desired, a few of the best single kinds should be selected and grown in a light pit or frame, and, as these come into flower, carefully remove the anthers of a few of the blooms of each plant before the pollen is ripe, and about two days afterwards apply to the stigma, by means of a small camel's-hair pencil, a portion of pollen from the flowers of some of the best double kinds. Such plants, however, do not generally produce pollen in great abundance, so that it must be carefully searched for. When the bloom has been properly fertilised each pod will be found to contain a great number of seeds, so that the produce of even a few blooms will furnish sufficient plants to fill a bed of considerable dimensions. Not more, however, than 25 per cent., it so many, can be expected to produce double flowers, and although these may almost be selected by their foliage and general appearance before they have even bloomed, it is, nevertheless, best to get the plants as forward as possible, and to select them as their first blooms expand and furnish the intended bed progressively. Few beds can be more gay and attractive than one planted with single-flowered Petunias of good sorts, whether of one colour or mixed, and a bed of the double-flowered kinds ; although, in the latter case, there may be less profusion of bloom, the bed has, nevertheless, a very rich and remarkable appearance. The Lantanas are suitable plants for the flower garden, and during late years they have been greatly improved. Thev flower freely enough if not over luxuriant, and in order to check this tendency the soil composing the bed should be light, and stimulating manures should, in their case, be avoided. The seed should be sown in heat about the middle of March, and the seedlings should be pricked off' into pans when sufficiently large, and afterwards potted singly. They will be fit to plant out about the end of May, and will continue to bloom throughout the season. The only drawback to the use of these plants is their somewhat disagreeable odour. Lobelia speciosa or some of its varieties is indispensable in all styles of flower gardening. It can be and often is increased by means of cuttings, but seedling plants from a good strain give less trouble, occupy less space during winter, and are much to be preferred. The seeds, which are very minute, may be sown in heat in March, but the plants come more robust when the seeds are sown earlier, say about the end of January, in a cool pit or greenhouse, and the pot or pan in which they are sown should be covered with a piece of glass until they have fairly germinated. The seedlings, when large enough, should be pricked off into pans, in order to give them addi- tional space, but in their case potting singly is not at all necessai'y, and they may be allowed to remain in the pans until they can be transferred to the beds or borders which they are intended to occupy. There are various varieties, most of whicn are good, and they generally come true from seed, if the latter has been carefully selected, i.e., from plants which have not been in contact with other varieties. Pyrethrum Golden Feather, on account of the delicate yel- low colour of its leaves, is of great value in the flower garden, in which it is much used as an edging plant tor beds and bor- ders, ribbon lines, carpet bedding, &c. It is a perennial and quite hardy, but seedlings are better than plants propagated by means of cuttings, being less prone to run to flower. It ought to be always treated as an annual, and the seed should be sown early in March in pans placed in a gentle heat. From these the plants should be pricked off into other pans or boxes until they can be transferred to their places in the open air. There is a variety of this plant with cut lea\ es of the same shade o£ colour, but quite distinct in form, and this, as well as the type, comes true from seed. The dwarf varieties of Ageratums may all be treated as annuals, and the seed should be sown in heat about the end of February or early in March. The plants will begin to bloom soon after they are planted out, but, being somewhat tender, they should not be put out before the last, week in May. Seed- lings, however, sometimes lack the uniformity of plants propa- gated by means of cuttings, and on that account the latter are generally preferred. Some of the hybrid annual varieties of Tropa^olums are useful as bedding plants, and some of the climbing kinds are invaluable for clothing pillars, trellis-work, rough walls, rock- work, &c. In preparing beds tor the dwarf kinds the soil should not be made too rich, and the seeds may be sown where the plants are intended to remain ; or they may be sown in pans under glass about the middle of April and planted out about the third week in May. Some of the best bedding kinds are Advancer, Ball of Fire, Eclipse, Firefly, and Mrs. Tread- well. Rhodanthe Manglesi is one of our prettiest annuals, and, where soil and situation can be made to suit it, it forms a very pretty bed in the flower garden. The beds intended for its reception should be of considerable depth, and should consist of light, rich materials, such as turfy loam and leaf-mould. The young plants shou'.d be raised in gentle heat and should be pricked off into pans when large enough to handle, or they may be potted singly into small pots and planted out soon after the middle of May. Dwarf kinds of Antirrhinums form interesting beds. The only objection to their use for this purpose is their want of persistence, although they are exceedingly floriterous and ornamental for a time. Seeds of them should be sown in slight heat .about the beginning of March. Diauthus Heddewigi is a remarkably pretty bedding annual, and one which continues in bloom during the greater part of the season. The double-flowering kinds are great improve- ments upon the single sorts, and for the production of cut flowers they are invaluable, the individual blooms being full, beautifully imbricated, and of various shades of colour, from pale lilac to the darkest crimson and violet-black. The central part of the blooms is generally barred or mottled, while the margins are elegantly fringed with silvery-white. All the varieties of this Dianthns continue in great beauty through- out the greater part of the season, and they may be safely recommended as interesting and beautiful bedding plants. The seed should be sown in pans about the end of March, be gradually hardened off, and finally planted out about the middle of May. The numerous varieties of Phlox Drummondi may be re- garded as among the very best of annual bedding plants, and many greatly improved kinds have of late been introduced. Possibly the best of all, however, is a new variety which has been sent out under the name of P. Drummondi alba oculata superba, which certainly appears to be a gem. Although it is vigorous in habit, it does not exceed 10 in. in height, and it produces numerous large, full trusses of flowers of good form and substance, the individual blooms being fully 1 in. in. diameter. The colour is pure white, with a bright crimson July 6, 1878,] THE GARDEN. centre or eye covering one-third the diameter of the bloom, which has altogether a peculiarly rich and waxy appearance, and the plant appears to come remarkably true from seed. It is quite possible that this variety may become a popular bed- ding plant. There are several other varieties of this beautiful Phlox, such as P. Drummondi grandiflora splendens and P. nana compacta, the last named being remarkably dwarf in its habit of growth, and the flowers are of a bright fiery-red colour. The seeds of the various annual Phloxes may be sown in slight heat about the end of March, and the treatment should, in all respects, be similar to what has been recom- mended for other half-hardy annuals. To the above list of annual flowers many others might doubtless be added. Those named, however, will, I think, be found to be amon ^st the most effective and suitable for associa- ting with the various varieties of ordinary bedding-out plants. Culford. P. Gkieve. VAEIBTIBS OF FOXGLOVE. I KNOW of many good things which may be had for threepence. You may go a long way in an omnibus for that sum. Yon may buy a copy of the " Times " with it. In beer or Tobacco it will procure a real amount of satisfaction. You may for that modest sum insure yourself before taking your seat in a rail- way carriage for an almost fabulous sum ; and if in this case you receive nothing in return for your money, at least you can hardly grumble that it is because you came off with a whole skin. But of all the threepenny bits I ever spent, I have got most satisfaction out of one which early in last year I gave to Mr. Thompson, the seedsmen of Ipswich. In return he gave me a small packet of seed of Digitalis gloxinoides. This was scattered at the back of a peat border newly planted with Ehododendrons, and the result at this season is a really won- derful display of beauty. The flower-spikes are unusually tall ; I measured one to-day over 8 ft. high, and with more than 180 blossoms and buds on it. The colouring of some varieties is pure white ; others, white with large or small blotches of black or purple ; others, again, are rose, with large blotches of black. The effect of the group against a back- ground of dark trees is very fine. As the Foxglove is a biennial, the seed should be scattered yearly over bare places ; for instance, where hedges or bushes have been removed, or in the back lines of shrubberies. If the ground be kept without Grass the Foxgloves will reproduce themselves in the same spot year by year, but if not then, bare places must be sought for them. They appear to do remarkably well in peat. Salmoniceps. IRISES IN FLOWER AT KEW. To the section of Iris to which the well-known English and Spanish Irises belong the generic term Xiphion is now applied, and, as defined, includes those kinds which have a bulbous root- stock, combined with certain other peculiarities in the structure of the flowers. Of this section there are at present in flower three or four species worthy of mention, both on account of their beauty and rarity. X. tingitanum is a noble kind, about 2 ft. in height, and of very robust habit ; its flower-stems, which are freely produced, bear from one to three blossoms, about 5 in. across, and of a deep rich purple colour. It most resembjes the English Iris (X. latifolium), but is a much finer plant. It is a native of Tangiers, discovered a long tim Fig. 292.— Double flower of Cberrj. Fig. 21)3. — DoaWe flower of Wood Anemone. shrubs during the flowering season are an attractive sight on a sunny morning, when the bushes are covered with fully- expanded blossoms ; but by sunset of the same day not a flower is visible, and it seems almost impossible that they can be the same we saw in the morning. The individual flowers of the Day Lilies, Poppies, Flax, &c., last only one day, though this short duration of the separate flowers is amply compensated for by the long succession of flowers produced by most plants having this peculiarity. Fig. 291. — TranBition of petals to stamens in Nympbtea. HouK AT wiiicn Flowers Expand. — Different pl.iuts exhibit great diversity in this respect. Cereus Maedonaldi:e, the night- flowering Cactus, as its popular name implies, blooms only during the night. The flowers expand after sunset, and close again on the break of day. Some flowers open only under the influence of sunlight, and soon close again if the sun is ob- scured ; and there are flowers which open at nearly every hour of the day. Payer enumerates the following plants and the hours at which they expand at Paris : Convolvulus sepium L5Sa>, Fip. 295.— Single-flowered Hydrangea. begins to open at .3 a.m., Tragopogou pratense (Salsify) at 4, Papaver uudicaule (Alpine Poppy) at 5, Convolvulus tricolor at 6, Nymphnsa alba (white Water Lily) at 7, Anagallis arvensis (Poor Man's Weather-glass) at 8, Calendula arvensis (common Marigold) at O, Mesembryanthemura glaciale (Ice plant) at 10, Ornithogalum umbellatura at 11, Portulaca oleracea .it noon, Scilla pomeridiana at 2 p m,, Mirabilis jalapa at T,, Silene noctiflora at (5, Cereus grandiUorus at 8, and Convolvulus purpurens at 10. The time of opening and closing of flowers and the influences under which they open and close are more deserving of the attention of the practical gardener. Odours op Flowers. — The odours of flowers are almost as diversified as their colouration, but we can merely touch upon this subject here. White flowers, as a rule, exhale the most agreeable odours, though there are not wanting brilliantly- coloured flowers, as well as some with very inconspicuous greenish flowers, which are highly fragrant. To the latter category belongs Mignonette. Lavender, Violets, Tea Roses, &c., have characteristic scents. The Dandelion has an un- pleasant smell, whilst those of most Stapelias are absolutely fetid, and as offensive as carrion. W. B. Hemsley. THE FRUIT GARDEN. ORIGIN OF THE CULTIVATED APPLE.* There is evidence that the Apple was employed as food in certain parts of Europe at a very ancient period, perhaps even before the period of written history. The carbonised seeds and fragments of Apples and other fruits are found in the mud of certain lakes in Switzerland, where the pile-builders or lake-dwellers had their habitations. These remains have an age variously estimated at from 5000 to 50,000 years. It might be supposed that these vestiges were wild or Crab Apples, the native produce of the country, and such is probably the fact. But, according to Prof. Karl Koch, there are no species of Apples truly indigenous in Europe, those which are found growing without cultivation being only escapes from cultiva- tion, or the result ol' accidental sowings of common Apple seeds. If this statement is correct, the question arises. Whence came the Apples and fruits of the pile-builders? The same question might be propounded with respect to the Wheat which is found in the debris of their dwellings, and the answer to the one question would probably be an answer for the other. It is not improbable that the distribution of grains and fruits among the nations of the earth has a much greater antiquity than has commonly been admitted. In attempting to determine the original specific character of our common Apple we have to deal with a diSicult question. The Apple of the present day is the product of centuries of cultivation and horLicultui'al skill, and the transformations and modifications effected thereby are such that we need not be surprised if we are now unable to recognise the original or parent stock. Linufeus named the common Apple of cultivation Pyrus Malu3,taking as the type the common seedling Apple, which he appears to have considered a good species, and the same view has been generally enter- tained by succeeding botanists. But scientific inquiry has been greatly stimulated and extended within the past half century, and theories and opinions that once passed current have been subjected to the severest scrutiny. In the investigation of scientific as of moral questions, when doubt obtains license, it sometimes happens that new ideas are pushed to an extreme. Let us, then, briefly consider the argument in this case. In the first place, it is asserted that if our cultivated Apple were a distinct species, it would yet be found growing in a wild state in the country or countries where it originated. It is generally admitted that the earliest human civilisation took place in Western Asia, and in that country, or in Southern Europe, we should naturally expect to find the Apple in its native condition. But, according to Prof. Koch, there is no truly wild Apple to be found in these countries, the so-called wild Apples being merely such as have escaped from cultiva- tion. According to his view, the Apple of cultivation is the result of crossing and intermingling through many generations of four and perhaps five species of Pyrus, some of which are still growing in an indigenous condition in some parts of Asia. These original species he considers to be, first, Pyrus pumila; second, P. dasyphylla ; third, P. sylvestris; fourth, P. pruni- folia, and perhaps P. spectabilis. These will be subsequently mentioned more particularly. I will here only state that of these five species Prof. Koch expresses doubts as to the true specific character of two, and suggests that they may have originated *By Dr. George Yasey, "Wasbington, D. C, in proceedings American Pomological Society. July 6, 1878.] THE GARDEN. 11 through long culture by the hybridising of some of the other species. The native country of one is Cliina, and of the others, Northern China, Siberia, Caucasus, and Tartary. The remote localities of these species from the supposed centre of early civili- sation will, to some minds, beau argument against counting them as the parents of the present cultivated Apple. It may also be said that the fact of the common Apple being nowhere now found in a truly wild state, does not amount to proof that it had not a separate specific origin, for it is well known that many other cultivated plants of the greatest importance as food for the human family are not now found in a wild state. Many plants in their native condition have comparatively feeble hold on existence, growing very sparsely and in a few restricted localities, and we can readily understand that such plants, unless taken up and fostered by cultivation, would soon dis- appear before the advance of civilisation. For example, although it is probable that the original of our Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is yet to be found in some localities in South America, it is not at all improbable that in a few centuries the botanist may search its native land in vain for any vestige of the wild plant. It our cultivated Apple were a hybrid, the produce of a mixture of several species, we might expect that the law of reversion would reveal to us its true parentage. It is claimed that a correct and satisfactory result from the action of this law could be reached only by a series of experiments continued with the greatest care for many generations. Prof. Koch states that experiments with the common garden Aster, which is cultivated in a great variety of forms, have taught him that all the forms of that plant after six, eight, or ten years revert to the original type. We would inquire if it may not be possible that Prof. Koch has not over-estimated the changes and modi- fications which cultivation has made upon our Apple. There are, it is true, several hundred varieties known to cultivators, but the larger portion of them have originated in recent times. That all these varieties have a not very distant origin would seem to be indicated by the substantial resemblance of the seed- lings raised from such widely diverse varieties. In tracing the history of this fruit it is not necessary to go back to an imagin- ary period when it was so inferior in size and flavour as to be unpalatable and totally unfit for use. Of all the eastern species which have been claimed as parents of the cultivated Apple, not one probably equals the common American Crab in acerbity. Nature produces many other fruits of acknowledged excellence in a wild state, as, for instance, delicious Strawberries, Easp- berries, Blackberries, &c., to say nothing of very passable wild Oranges, Figs, and numberless other tropical fruits. Having once obtained a superior variety of fruit, the skill of the horti- culturist is employed to multiply and perpetuate it by the processes of grafting and budding, processes which preclude to a great extent any further deviation, because they are a- sexual and artificial processes. Natural variation manifests it- self principally through the action of the floral or sexual organs of plants. This action, whatever may be its nature, is impressed upon and fixed in the seed. The most of our cultivated varieties, including some of the best, have originated spontane- ously, that is, without purpose or anticipation on the part of man, but we are unable to perpetuate those varieties by means of the seed, the common course of seedlings from all varieties being to revert to an inferior form ; hence, we may reasonably suppose that the ordinary seedling represents somewhat fairly the original form of the species. Having thus stated various opinions respecting the origin of our cultivated Apple, we will now give a brief sketch of the different wild species, all of which are inhabitants of the Northern Temperate Zone. The genus Pyrus is classed in the natural order RosaoeiE, the family which includes the Kose. It will not be necessary here to give the botanical characters of the genus, but we will only state that it is subdivided into several sections, as the Apple section (Mains), the Pear section (Pyrophorum), and some botanists add as another section Sorbus, or the Mountain Ash section. We do not propose to speak of any but the section Mains. In enumerating the species, we will place first in order the five species which Prof. Koch supposes to have contributed to the production of our cultivated Apple, and of these, as wo have before stated, he expresses doubts respecting the real specific nature of two, thus reducing the number of funda- mental species to three ; then we will add ihe remaining indigenous species, which he does not suspect to have had any participation iu what he regards as our hybrid. 1. Pyrus pumila— Mill (P. Mains vai'. Paradisiaoa— L ). — This is called the Paradise Apple, and in Franco the Djucin aud St. Johu'a Apple. Its native country is said to be South-eastern Russia, Canoasna, Tartary, and the Altai Mountains. It forms only a low tree, or sometimea a tall shrub. The leaves are elliptical, and woolly on the under surface. On account of its rapid and low growth this is principally used as a stock for dwarf Apples. 3. P. dasypliyUa (Bork). — This is enumerated by Professor Kr.ch as a species, and yet he says that it is certainly nothing more than an Apple tree become wild, and was counted by the elder Koch in 1S13 as P. Mains, variety tomentoaa. Prof. Koch says it does not now grow truly indigenous in the East, and asks if it may not have arisen through long culture. Linnceua, indeed, considered this as the original of the cultivated Apple. It is found in cultivation in Europe under many different names, among which are P. pulverulenta and armeniacisefolia. 3. P. sylvestris (Mill). — Prof. Kooh says that probably Southern Siberia and Northern China is the native country of this species, and that it is frequently found growing wild in Earopg as an escape and not as a true native. He remarks that by cultivation a series of varieties has arisen from this species, some of which resemble P. pumila, and some P. prnnifolia. Indeed ho suggests that it may possibly have arisen by cultivation from P. prnnifolia. 4. P. prunifolia (Willd).— The Plum-leaved Apple. The native country of this species is said to be Southern Siberia, Northern China, and Tartary. It is the tree, or at least one of the forms of the tree, which is so commonly cultivated as the Siberian Crab. It is a beautiful tree both in flower and in fruit. 5. Pyrus spectabilis (Ait). — The native country of this species is China. It is closely related to P. prunifolia, but is distinguished by its longer and narrower leaves (3 in. by 3 in.), which are duller in colonr, and retain longer the hairiness of the under surface ; by the larger size of the flowers and the more numerous cells of the fruit. There are several varieties in cultivation, as Malus floribauda, Malua Kadio, and Mains Ringo. 6. P. Ussuriensis (Max.). — This is a handsome small tree, a native of South-eastern Siberia. Prof. Kooh says that this agrees in the main with P. sylvestris, and he suggests that it may be the mother plant of chat species. 7. P. baccata (L.). — The popular name which Prof. Koch gives to this species is the Apple with berry. like fruit. Its native land is said to be Siberia. It is more commonly a bush than a tree, with roundish or short lanceolate leaves, which are always pointed, mostly smooth and without woolliness, aud toothed on the margin. Not only has the tree a pleasing appearance at the time of flowering, but it is much more pleasing when the branches are covered with the clusters of long-stalked, berry. like Apples. Several varieties of this species have been produced by cultivation, of which those called cerasifolia aud sphaerocarpa are the principal. 8. P. Toringo (Lieb.). — The native country of this species is Japan. It is both bushy and tree-like. It has most resemblance to that variety of P. baccata called sphaerocarpa, but is distinguished by smaller fruit, by darker-coloured and somewhat thicker leaves, which are also more or less incisely toothed. We next come to consider the American species of this group. They are three in number. 9. Pyrus coronaria — L. (Our common Crab Apple). — This species is found wild over a large part of the eastern portion of the United States and Canada. It is a small. sized tree, atttaining the height of 20 ft., branching low with stiff horizontal limbs. The fruit is about 1 in. in diameter, generally very acerb and unpalat- able. 10. P. angustifolia — Ait. (The narrow.Ieaved Crab Apple). — This species differs little from the common Crab Apple. Its leaves are longer, narrower, and less disposed to be lobed, and in the flowers there is leas union of the styles than in the preceding. Its range is not as well known, but it occurs in Virginia, in the VVestern States, and in Kansas. It is doubted by some botanists if it should be con- sidered more than a variety of P. coronaria. 11. P. rivularis. — This is the only Crab Apple known on the western coast of North America. It occurs in Alaska, and descends to Oregon, Northern California, and Nevada. Its fruit is about the 12 THE GAEDEN. [July 6, 1878. size of a small Cherry, and ia employed by the Indians of Alaska as a part of their food supply. Prof. Koch thinks that it is probably identical with the Japan species (P. Toringo), but we hardly know Bofficient about either to decide this point. THE SETTING AND SWELLING OF MELONS. It cannot be too well understood by all Melon growers that the Melon needs to be artificially fertilised to insure setting ; secondly, that all the fruits set will not swell beyond a certain size if the blossoms be not all set about the same time — within a day or two of each other. This applies chiefly to the first crop, which is always the most important as well as the most certain. It is, therefore, important, so to train the plants that a good numb9r of female flowers be produced at or about the same time ; male flowers are always to be had from some of the plants, and generally from the same plant on which fruit is set. The way to secure this result is to originate and maintain an evenly balanced growth. For example, if a plant has two limbs trained in opposite directions, as is frequently the case in frame culture, the limbs should be started off from the base at the same time, by means of pinching the leader, and when they have grown 2 ft. or 3 ft. they shoald be stopped simultaneously ; this will cause them to produce side laterals, which, as a rule, show female flowers at the same time, and which can all be set once. If the first offshoots from the main limbs do not show fruit, or if only one limb shows fruit, or if the fruits are fewer for the size of the plant than is desirable, then the female flowers should be picked off altogether, and the laterals pinched again to induce sub-laterals, which generally show plenty of fruit. This is the only way to get a plentiful crop. It often happens, however, that when plenty of fruits are set they do not all swell beyond the size of a small marble, while a certain number will take the lead. Some of those that do not advance will sometimes turn yellow, and finally drop off j while others will remain green, but at a standstill. These latter should be left on the plant, and it will be found, as soon as the fruits which swell have reached their full size and begin to ripen, that they will in their turn begin to swell, and ripen off equally fine fruit, perhaps three weeks or a month later. This is called a second crop, but it really is from the first " set." A second crop properly so called is produced upon fresh growth made after the first crop has been all cut. Those who grow Melons must pay attention to these matters if they desire a good crop. Other means of insuring a plentiful first crop is to have plenty of plants. Suppose yoa have one plant to a light, which is a common thing, there is a chance that yoa may only have three fruits upon it ; but if you put two plants in a light, there is a good chance of your having six fruits to a light, because there are two independent plants to work upon. This plan is often very successfully carried on in lean-to Melon houses by planting twice as thickly as usual, say 1 ft, apart, and stopping every other plant when it has grown half, way up the rafters, and the others when they have grown 1 ft. or or li ft. higher. This plan requires methodical training, but there is nothing at all diflicalt about it, and it is a sure way of getting a plentiful and even ;crop. Of course, fewer fruits are allowed to a plant ; but a greater average quantity is secured than could be hoped for by planting fewer, and growing them larger. The quantity of fruit which one Melon plant will carry and finish off to > good size, depends, of course, upon the vigour of the plant and its size. Some- times plants will shew fruit very early, before they are well established ; such should be picked off at once, for it is useless setting fruit before the plant has made a considerable breadth of good foliage, without which, fruit of either good size or flavour cannot be expected. Taking oare of the foliage is indeed a far more important matter than soil, for the Melon will succeed in any ordinary good garden soil of which the staple is a good sound loam, while good turfy loam is the best material that can be procured for J. S. FXi^TE CX2C2CV. it. Two Good Strawberries. — In looking over the collection of Strawberries in Messrs. Teitoh's fruit nursery, I was particularly Btrnok with Pioneer and Loxford Ilall Seedling, both of which promise to become valuable additions to the list of really good sorts. I may remark that amongst young plants lifted from the open ground and potted for comparison as to date of ripening, Pioneer bids fair to be one of the very earliest ; it has a good deep colour, its flesh is firm, and the flavour brisk and rich. It is also a great cropper and the fruit is extra large in size. Lc^iford Hall Seedling is of the British Queen type, and a fine handsome Strawberry it is ; one, I imagine, which will become as popular for later forcing as Pioneer will be for early work. It was, as its name implies, raised by Mr. Douglas, of Loxford Hall, and Pioneer is from Laxtou's stock, a name closely identified with many of oar best hybrids. — J. G. A GROUP OF HARDY IRISES. Drawn by A. MAOPARLANE. The flowers which we figure are three varieties o£ beautiful hardy Irises, which are so valuable for the decoration of our gardens in early summer. At one time good varieties of Irises were scarcer than at present, and the plants were seldom well grown ; but recently about London fine collections have been established in various nurseries, and the beauty ot their flowers during the past mouth could scarcely be imagined by those who have not been fortunate enough to see such displays. These plants have every good quality which one could desire as regards hardiness, freedom of bloom, and easy culture. Like a good many other plants, their season of bloom is not long enough to please all ; but by cultivating them in various places where they are not in the way when out of flower, this is not felt to be a drawback. Among large shrubs, which ought to be more widely apart than they are generally placed, in thin copses; among dwarf shrubs, in tufts near water, and in isolated groups on the Grass near, but not in masses of shrubs, are some of the positions in which they may be enjoyed in addition to mixed borders and beds. In such places they would mark the season agreeably, and not be in the way when their bloom was over, which they are sometimes found to be in borders. In the smallest gardens, where people have not the space to plant them in these various ways, one of the best modes would be to establish healthy tufts in the fringes of the shrubbery. Another good way is to place them here and there in carpets of low evergreens, above which their flowers would be seen in early summer. It is worth the while of all who care for hardy flowers to devote a little attention to esta- blishing a good stock of these plants in their gardens. They have all the beauty of the finest tropical flowers without their cost, and will well repay the trouble of first arranging and planting them, so that their beauty may be seen to the best advantage, and so that they may not be in the way of the im- perious needs of " bedding out." We may add that tufts of the finest kinds look very beautiful here and there among dwarf Roses. The flowers from which our plate was prepared were supplied from Mr. Barr's garden at Tooting. They consist of varieties of I. plicata, pallida, and variegata. THE DEATHLESS FLOWER. Yes ! hope may with my strong desire keep pace, And I be undeluded, unbetrayed ; For if of our affections none find grace In eight of heaven, then, wherefore hath God made The world which we inhabit ? Better plea Love cannot have, than that in loving thee Glory to that eternal peace is paid. Who such divinity to thee imparts As hallows aud makes pure all gentle hearts. His hope is treacherous only whose love dies With beauty, which is varying every hour ; But, in chaste hearts uninfluenced by the power Of outward change, there blooms a deathless flower. That breathes on earth the air of paradise. Pkom the Italian or Michael Angelo. Gladiolus Colvillei.— This is a charming early flowering variety and a perfect gem in a cut state. It is of medium growth, and the flower-spikes, which are produced in great abundance, are in full beauty cut.of.doors about the end of June. Forwarded under glass, it would be moat effective during the spring months for conservatory and other indoor decorations. — J. GaoOM. Libertia formosa* — It seems odd how little this lovely plant is grown in the open air. A week or two ago I thought it the most exquisite plant in the garden — white three-petaled flowers, like gems, on their grassy stems. The Sedge-Uke leaves are more than 3 ft. long on an old plant at Kew, where the wet spring seems to be agreeable to the plant. The Libertia is perfectly hardy, and one of the loveliest known border plants. — Fbawk if iles, Bingham, Noitg. ' Thalictrums in Borders.— Mr. Williams (Vo'. Xtll., p. 622) has directed attention to the value of these for the wild garden, but some of the kinds, such as T. anemonoides and alpinum, are equally suitable for mixed borders, where their delicate, Fem-like foliage is not only an ornament, but proves welcome for many purposes for which tender Ferns have often now to be used j their leaves are also much more laatiug than thoeo of Ferns — J. Gboou. July 6, 1878.] THE GARDEN. 13 PROPAGATING CoRREAS. — These may be increased either by means oB cuttings, or by grafting. The cutting pots may be prepared either to accommodate bell-glasses, or to stand in a close box. The soil used should consist of peat, a little yellow loam, and a fourth part of sand, the whole sifted rather fine. Well drain the pots, which should be 6in. or 4j-in., and fill them with the soil, which should be pressed in rather firmly, and \ in. of sand should be put on the top. Water the sand with a fine-rosed pot and insert the cuttings, which should be made as shown Fig. 1. Fig. 2. Fig. 3. in fig. 1. When put in give a good watering, and place the pots on a cool bottom in the propagating house. April is the best month in which to strike cuttings. For grafting, take a free, strong-growing sort for a stock, which should be in the propag.ating house for a week or two before operating upon it ; cut the stock as shown in fig. 2, and the graft as represented in fig. 3 ; unite them, tie round with matting or worsted, and put them in a close box ; do not water them overhead. H. H. Refreshments in the Parks. — The First Commisaioner of Works, the Right Hon. Gerard Noel, M.P., received a deputation lately from the Working Men's Club and Institute Union. Sir Harconrt Johnstone, M.P., slated that working men had represented to the Society that the poorer classes were unable to pay the prices demanded by those who supplied refreshments in the parks, and that permission was sought for stalls at which tea, coffee, &c., should be sold at the prices generally charged in the streets. Mr. C. Symons, of the Soath London Institute, showed that the inability to obtain what was wanted at prices which the poorer classes could afford prevented many families from passing the Saturday or Sunday after, noon together in the park. Consequently, the children strayed about the streets, while the father, perhaps, found his way to the beershop, Mr. Gerard Noel expressed his sympathy with the object in view, and said he would allow the experiment to be tried in the first instance in one park, selecting Battersea Park for this purpose. — " Daily Paper." [The sale of refreshments in the parks, if not conducted with the greatest care, will lead to evil results. We have strenuously advocated the opening of public gardens at all hours, but there are good reasons why their precious space should not be devoted to beer or other shops of any kind. In fact, there is no greater danger to public gardens. Few of our parks are so large that what is required may not be had near enough for most people. The opportunity for boozing, smoking, and tea-drinking is already large enough without stealing any of the ground that belongs to the trees and flowers and Grass. We would urge that Mr. Noel in making the experiment should insist on any structures for this purpose being erected in spots where the space was of the least importance, and where their aspect could not mar any of the quiet beauty which we seek in parks and public gardens— as, for example, in clamps of trees and in woody corners.] Prophetic Language of Flowers.— A report of a flower show informs us that Messrs. Veitch showed a new Begonia, high and stately in growth, with a leaf tending towards the Strawberry. The plant is called the Ej,rl of Beaconsfield. Messrs. Veitch perhaps contemplate the probability of having to raise their plants a step in the Peerage. They will prove themselves prophets, as well as florists, should the sequel of the Congress confirm the indication of the leaf of their Begonia " tending towards the Strawberry." Then they will also, of course, have foretold a pacific solution of the Eastern Question. — " Punch." GARDENING FOR THE WEEK. Pot Roses Out-of-doors. — In gardens, large or small, the many demands, more particularly at tbia season, upon the lahour at command often results in something or other only receiving partial attention. There is nothing more likely to thus suffer neglect than pot Roses that are turned out, yet it is well to impress upon those who are comparatively new beginners in the cultivation of pot Roses for winter and spring flowering that upon the attention which the plants require at the present time being given them more than upon any treatment they receive during the winter depends their ability to flower satisfactorily at the time they are wanted. Roses are essentially sun and air-loving plants, and on this account the place chosen for them to stand through the summer should bo under the full influence of sun and not too much sheltered by surrounding trees or walls, which always is likely to cause mildew. Where the plants, as is frequently the case after blooming, have been turned out at the north side of walls and other places, or in the shade of trees, they should at once be put for the remaining portion of the summer in the best open position that can be found for them, and, as advised some time ago, should have their pots plunged, as, without the latter precaution is taken to prevent the soil in the pots drying up too quickly, it entails almost an incessant use of the water-pot to keep the roots sufficiently moist, the neglect of which has a tendency to stunt their growth. Independent of this it is necessary to plunge the pots, so as to protect them from the direct influence of the sun. By some it is considered requisite that only the pots in which the roots of tender bard-wooded plants are confined should be shielded from the full force of the sun's rays, but it is quite necessary to similarly protect all plants when out-of doors, as when the soil gets full of roots these lay thickly agaiast the inner surface of the pot, more especially the tender extremities wbich portion acts as absorbents, through which the food is conveyed to the plants, and suSer severely from the unnatural heat they receive when the full sun comes upon the sides of the pots, especially whenever the soil gets a little over-dry. After being in this condition I have frequently turned free strong- growing plants out of the pots to examine them, and generally found all the small rootlets on the side next the sun completely stagnated, aflfording sufficient evidence of the necessity for plunging. He-potting ■where Required. — Roses differ from many plants in there being no stated season that potting operations must be restricted to. Strong growers, particularly of the Tea varieties, that were potted early in the spring, only then receiving a small shift, will many of them have filled their pots with roots to a greater extent than the weaker growers will have by the end of the season. In this case it is advisable to give them more room at once, an operation that will well repay the labour by the size and vigour that it will impart to the plants, and, as I have frequently urged, a given number of strong examples will furnish more flowers than treble the quantity of smaller plants. During hot weather the soil should be well moistened before pottieg, and there is not the necessity for withholdiog water after potting, as in the case of tender-rooted subjects. I would again urge that in potting it is scarcely possible to rara the soil too close, providing there js a little sand in the compost, which will prevent it becoming an impervious mass ; but Roses are not partial to near so much sand in the soil as many plants ; neither, on the score of keeping it in a condition that the water will percolate through it freely, is it necessary that it should have as much sand incor- porated with it as required in the case of plants that are not periodically partially shook out and have their soil renewed. Rose Insects. — The worst of all insects upon Roses— red spider — which the late very hot weather will have favoured, is sure to make its appearance. There are no insects, not even the worst species of aphides, that so soon paralyse and destroy the leaves to an extent that renders them of little service to the plant as does red spider. Tobacco water is still the best remedy that I have found with a little Gishurst added ; but syringing the plants with it in the position in which they stand is an extravagant way of eff'ectlng the destruction of the insects; if, instead of this, the plants be laid on their sides while being syringed over a vessel large enough to catch the liquid, one gallon will go as far as a dozen will where applied otherwise ; the work can also be much more eS"ectually accomplished in this way, as it is easier to get the liquid to the undersides of the leaves where the insects most congregate. If there be any mildew on them this washing will also efl'ect its destruction. Roses in the Open Ground and Planted Out Generally. — Aphides usually exist in the spring and after a time disappear, but in the present season there seems to be no end to them, as up to this time they have gone on increasing unless where vigorous efforts were made to destroy them. On walls, especially where the plants were not dressed thoroughly early in the spring, they have subsequently been almost im- possible to deal with, but where they received a good washing with insecticide before the buds burst into leaf, in the way practised with wall Peaches, they have in many places not afterwards been troublesome, showing the advantage of taking timely measures to save the plants from their ravages. Sudding should be continued as the shoots of the stocks and the buds of the kinds desirable to be in this manner propagated can be obtained in a fit state. With the limited numbers usually grown in private collections the exact time for carrying out the operation when these are in the most suitable condition can be taken advantage of to an extent not possible where a very large quantity — such as grown by those 14 THE GARDEN. [July 6, 1878. ■who cultivate for sale — have to be got tlirough ; throngli a like cauee the most suitable weather for budding can also be chosen, which is when it is dull and cloudy. The intense heat we have lately experienced has been such that I have noticed in many cases, particularly where the bark of the wood of the buds used had got a little hard and, consequently, did not part very freely, a good many failures through drying up. — T. Baines. Flower Garden. Pay all requisite attention to bedding plants by giving them sufficient water as often as required, and in this way, so far as possible, endeavour to make up for the late, unsatisfactory condition they are in. In applying water in dry weather, it is much better to give as much once or twice a week as will moisten the soil to a depth of 3 in. or 4 in., than to sprinkle the surface daily, which latter operation is far too generally practised, and tends to promote root-action near the top alone, leaving the lower and more important feeding fibres in almost a dormant condition. Walks. — AVhere salting walks for the destruction of weeds is resorted to, dry weather is much the best in which to apply it ; salt dissolved in water is the most approved method, but it should be as near boiling heat as possible. There is one objection to salting walks, viz., that it gives to most kinds of gravel a dark, damp appearance; and if the value of the salt thus used were spent in labour in hand-picking before the weeds became numerous and were allowed to seed, it would be found the most economical. Through the difficulty of extracting weeds from a gravel walk when dry and hard, they are often allowed to remain until moistened by rain, during which time they may be maturing and scattering seeds by the thousand, wtiereas if a few pots of water be poured on with a rose- spouted can, a considerable space may be thus moistened in a very short time, and the ivork of weeding greatly facilitated, as a man will do as much in one hour with the walk in a moist condition as he will in three when dry. Indoor Plant Department. Greenhouse Plants in Small Pots, that have their leaf -surface large in proportion to the amount of soil in which they are grown, will require constant attention as to water, of which a frequent supply, sufficient to saturate the whole of the soil, should be given, as they invariably suffer more from a scarcity of water than those plants whose foliage surface is more limited. Primulas of the cortusoides section, grown in pots, should be kept plunged through the summer in a bed of ashes on the north side of a wall, and well attended to with water, for, if at all neglected at this season, no subsequent attention can remedy the injury they will have sustained. P. japonica is not often seen in the condition in which it is capable of being produced, and through this cause has disappointed many. Instead of confining it to the small pots in which it is often flowered, if the plants have more room (s.iy 10-in. or 12-in. pots), be grown in good soil, and suppHed with manure water as often and as strong as a Calceolaria will bear, the appearance of both leaf and flower will be materially improved. Campanula pyramidalis is one of the best summer-flowering plants that can be grown ; it will now have made considerable progress, and will be much benefited by an application of manure water every week. Young plants raised from seed this spring should, as soon as ready, be pricked off into small pots and encouraged to make growth, for upon the strength they attain before autumn in a great measure depends their blooming capabilities during the ensuing year; when well managed they will make flower-stems 8 ft. or 10 ft. high. Mignonette should now be sown in pots for winter flowering; this will not attain the size it would if sown a month or sis weeks earlier, but for general decorative purposes it will be rather an advantage than other- wise, as a number of comparatively small plants, when well flowered, will in most cases be more useful than larger specimens. Take as many 4-in. pots as will be required, in the bottom of which put ^in. of drainage material, over this a httle dry rotten manure, such as has been used for mulching, tben fill up to within i iu. of the rim with good ordinary loam, to which has been added one-fifth of rotten manure and a little sand, pressing it firmly in the pots j on this sow the seeds (six or eight to each, ultimately thinning them down to half the number) ; place the pots as close as they will stand on a bed of ashes iu a cold frame, and keep the lights off" until autumn, unless the weather should be excessively wet. Chrysanthemums.— Plants of these that were struck in spring, if not already in their blooming pots, should at once be placed iu them ; later-strnck plants require pots quite as large as those that were struck at the end of December or beginning of January, and for ordinary decorative uses will do as well, but under no course of treatment will they produce such a number of perfectly-developed flowers, simply because the growth has not the chance of getting so thoroughly matured, which, even in the case of soft-wooded subjects, is indispensable. The earUest-struck plants that were transferred to their flowering pots some time ago, should, so soon as the roots get fully in possession of the soil, receive a regular supply of manure water. Even to Chrysanthemums it is possible to apply it too strong, but they will bear it much less diluted than most plants. The frequent advice given not to use liquid stimulants to them until the flowers are set is a mistake. Chrysanthemums, like most other Chinese plants, are exceedingly grogs feeders, and to grow them well they require, in all stages of their existence, the application of rich manure water such as few plants will bear, and, in the absence of which, their flowers will neither be so perfect nor so abundant, nor the plants so well clothed with fohage down to the base. Richardias that have done blooming, or that are wanted early in the winter for that purpose, should be planted out at once in partially shaded situations, where water can be easily administered, of which they will take unlimited quantities. In turning them out, dig and mix some manure well in with the soil in the positions it is intended the plants should occupy, and in planting keep the crowns low, that a slight basin may be formed round them for the purpose of holding sufficient water, in order to soak their roots well. To prevent the escape of this by evapora- tion, they should be mulched by having some half-rotten manure laid round them to shade the soil and prevent it from cracking open, which is invariably the case after frequent applications of water. Keep them free from blooms, so as to concentrate the strength of the plants in forming fresh crowns, and induce them to make a vigorous growth, without which they will not flower freely when wanted. Treated in this way they pro- duce at least twice the quantity of bloom that can be got from them when confined to pots during the summer, independently of the saving of labour there is in watering and attending to them. Spiraeas. — These, like Callas, are half aquatic in their nature, and seldom get enough water if confined to pots; after they have done blooming, they should, therefore, be planted out, and treated after the same manner as recommended for the latter. Before doing so, they should be divided, if it be desired to have them in the same sized pots again at the time of lifting, as the effects of any mutilation of the roots that must necessarily take place iu so doing is more readily overcome now than when the plants are going to rest in the autumn. A little fresh, rich soil filled it round the balls of the plants, and made solid and firm, will be of the greatest assistance in inducing them to make fresh roots and strong, vigorous crowns, without which their capacity for blooming will be of the most limited kind. As soon as they get a start, manure water may be frequently given them with the most beneficial results, and a syringing or damping overhead is equally acceptable to them. Indoor Fruit Department. Vines. — The progress made by newly-planted Vines the first season has so much influence on their subsequent condition that their require- ments 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 freely ; the shoots grow until they are G in. or S in. 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 G5° can be maintained by hasbanding the heat of the sun in the afternoon. Muscats will ripen, in a certain fashion, in a night temperature a few degrees below 70', but, where perfection is desii-ed, nothing under that need be tried. Pines. — The first batch of suckers may now be taken o£E and potted. Queens, from which the earliest fruit was cut, should have them in a fiue mature condition. Plants bearing fruit may have large suckers also, but the size should not be taken as a guide to their fitness for being takeu 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 oS" 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. AVhere accommodation is available, each sucker should be placed iu a G-in. pot, into which 2 in. of broken crocks 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-in. 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 d(f can be obtained for five or six weeks. The suckers should not be watered until their roots have reached the sides of the pots. Syringe overhead every hot afternoon, and shade closely until enough roots are formed to prevent the leaves from shrivelling, 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. Hardy Fruit, Peaches and Nectarines on Open "Walls. — As these increase in size attend to thinning any that may be too thick, bearing in mind that it is a decided loss to have them too crowded. When more are left on the trees than they can support, not only is permanent injury done to the trees, but the weight of the crop is by no means increased in proportion to the numbers grown. When too many are left there is a preponderance of skin and stones in place of full-fleshed, large, handsome fruit; gradu- ally, and not all at once, expose each fruit to the full action of the sun by removing all the leaves that obstruct its coming directly upon them. By Joiy 6, 1878.J THE GARDEN. 15 this means only can the requisite colour be imparted to them, without which the largest examples are deficieot ia both flavour and appearance. At the same time do not by any menns denude the trees of leaves too much or the root power will be correspondingly weakened. Where the portion of a leaf at its exti-eraity only overhangs a fruit, break the leaf off in the middle; the part that is left, if free from insects, will remain in a healthy state upon the tree to fulfil its allotted functions, so far as its reduced dimensious will permit, as long as if it had been left entire. Never remove an entire leaf, to thus expose the fruit to sun and air, when takiocr away one-half will answer the object. Keep the trees regularly syringed with clean water, standing sideways in doing the work, so as to get the water well to the underside of the leaves, or it will only be par- tially effectual. Give abnndauco of water at the roots also when the weather is dry. Remove all superfluous shoots, so that the full strength of the trees will be directed to the production of good bearing wood for another year. Strawberries. — Those who intend to grow pot Strawberries should at once see to laying some runners in pots as soon as any are ready ; there is nothing like doing this work in time, for upon the thorough preparation of the plants depends the crop they can be induced to bear. For the purpose 3-in. pots should be used ; put a bit of turfy loam in the bottom of each for drainage, fill up with tine rich soil of a moderately heavy nature such as accords best with this fruit, and then with an ordinary planting trowel make holes in the ground where the pots are to be, in which plunge them up to the rim ; so ^nanaged they will not dry so quickly, consequently a good deal of labour will be saved in watering, for if ever allowed to get very dry they will be seriously injured ; after the pots are plunged, the runners must be placed on them, laying a stone the size of a hen's egg upon each to keep it in its place until rooted, when they will need transferring to 6-in. pots. Kitchen Garden- There is no such period as a " slack time " for the kitchen gardener; at least, I have not yet been able to discover it, for no sooner ia one crop planted or sown than another reanirea thinning, another earthing and weeding, and another lifting or harvesting, in order that the ground may be again prepared for cropping. Such is now the case with Shallots and Garlic, which, in many instances, will be ready to be taken up ; they should not be allowed to remain after the tops have dried off, but pulled up and left on the ground a day or two to dry, and afterwards tied up in convenient bundles for use, and hung up in the vegetable shed or other airy, cool, dry room. The ground where they have been grown, if well dressed when they were planted, will not now require digging, but simply levelling and weeding, drawing drills afterwards for the sowing of Endive, or black-seeded Bath Cos Lettuce for early winter use. If it be thought desirable to preserve the stock of any good variety of vegetables, such as Cauliflowers, Lettuce, &c., select the most perfect types for seeding, and stake or otherwise mark them in order that they do not get cat when the crop is being used. No two kinds of Cabbages, Brussels Sprouts, or Cauliflowers should ever be seeded togetlier if the stock be desired pure, for bees are wonderful hybridists, but not particular as to how or on what they operate. Tomatoes are now growing freely, and will require to have their growths trained or tied in ; if there be a tendency to strong growth, repress it by severe pinching of the lateral growth, an operation which also promotes fruitfulness. If the fruit set too quickly, thin it out, and remove all the large leaves that keep the light off it. As a rule, high feeding is not necessary for Tomatoes, but if bearing freely, they may be assisted by an occasional watering with weak liquid manure. Where Spinach is required all through the 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 purpose. 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. Xieeks. — 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 be in good order for planting. The ground they are to occupy should be well dug to the depth of 15 in. and broken tine, so as not to leave any large, hard lumps. Plant in rows, 15 in. apart, with 8 in. or 9 in. between the plants, and, in planting, use a stout dibber, that will make holes 8 in. deep and 2 in. (or a little more) in diameter. In these place the plants, dropping in soil to the depth of 1 in. or 2 in., 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 the hole, the requisite air gets down to the roots, and the opening above affords space for the stems of the plants to thicken, and also blanches them in a way tha-: imparts the pecuHar delicate flavour which a well- grown Leek possesses. If the ground be 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 vege- table which are often to be met with. Killing and Charrins: 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 the 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 suffice to merely pull up weeds that have got to a considerable size and leave them on the surface of the ground, as with many of the annual species, espe- cially 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 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 vege- table 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^ bo found more effective than animal manure used alone. The right principle upon which to act is to return to the soil, iu a decomposed harmless con- dition, all that it has produced of a useless description, without rccourso to burning, which, under the impression that there is no other way of killing some weeds that are unusually tenacious of life, is scjmetlmes resorted to. With good management this is unnecessary, and, as it is wasteful, should never take place. It may be necessary to point out that there is a groat difference between charring Jind burning; iu the former the bulk is comparatively slightly reduced, iu 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 Grass. They should be mixed with clay or other earthy matter sufficient to prevent the whole from blazing, a smouldering heat, sufficient to destroy vegetable life, being all that is required. The material so treated will not be very much reduced in bulk, and is very useful for digging into the kitchen garden, especially where the soil is of a heavy nature. Extracts from my Diary. July 8. — Sowing Cucumbers for late crops. Potting Tree Carnations ; alse a large batch of Roses in good strong loam. Planting out Veitchs' Autumn Giant and Self-protecting Broccoli. Thinuing Turnips and Early Uorn Carrots. Gathering Strawberries for preserving. Sticking Peas and getting them earthed up. PuUing up all blind-hearted Cauli- flowers and Broccoli, and tilling up their places with good strong plants. July 9. — Planting out a pit with Tender and True Cucumbers. Training out and pegging down bedding plants. Staking and tying in plants on borders and clearing away decayed leaves and flowers. Taking the nets off early Strawberries and putting them over Currants. Weeding amongst Leeks and giving them a little earthing up. Thinning out Car- doons and lightly moving the soil amongst them. July 10. — Sowing Spinach. Potting on a batch of Queen Pine suckers and placing them in a brisk bottom-heat. Digging up a largo piece of Gloucester Kidney Potatoes and placing them out thinly in the sun to ripen well for seed .next season. Watering Celery and Cardoons ; also Lettuce and Endive beds. Drawing drills for Spinach and well watering them previous to sowing. Nailing and tying iu all the leading shoots of fruit trees on walls and pinching back all the breast wood. Potting up a large batch of President and Sir Charles Napier Strawberry runners for forcing. July 11. — Sowing Sweet Basil and Chervil. Potting on Campanula pyramidalis; also young Cyclamens. Taking up Shallots and Potato Onions and laying them oat in the sun to ripen. Gathering Camomile flowers; also Sweet Basil, Horehound, and other herbs for drying. Weeding and cleaning all Box edgings in kitchen garden. Hoeing and weeding amongst Peas. Nailing and tying iu Roses on walls and picking off all dead flowers. Watering all newly-planted Broccoli, Cauliflowers, and Tomatoes, and renovating linings round manure frames. July 12. — Sowing Lettuces and Endive. Potting up Strawberry runners for forcing. Nailing in Tomatoes and closely stopping them. Tying up Dahlias and thinning them outwhere growing too thickly. Earthing up Celery when the soil is dry and iu workable condition. Look- ing over Vineries, stopping laterals, and giving the roots a good soaking of guano water where required. Gathering Raspberries and Red Currants for preserving. July 13. — Potting off herbaceous Calceolarias. Layering Carnations. Looking over Cucumbers and Melons, and stopping them where required. Weeding and picking over carpet bedding plants. Cutting up turf and putting it in water to soak for layering Strawberries on. Watering Pines all through ; also Celery, Cardoons, and flower borders. Mowing and cleaning in the pleasure grounds, and rolling down all gravel and Grass that require it. Fruit iu use for dessert : Pines, Grapes, Melons, Figs, Peaches, Nectarines, Strawberries, Raspberries, and Cherries. — W. G. P., Dorset, St. Luke's Burial Grounds. — These, having been converted into a recreation ground, were opened the other day to the public. Some time back these burial grounda were in a most deplorable condition, and the church itaelf, a very fine specimea of classical architecture, built by a pupil of Sir Christopher Wren, was fast going to decay. An energetic committee, under the title of the Church Restoration and Burial Grounds Committee, with Bishop Claughton as its chairman, however, took the matter in hand, and worked eo earnestly that on the 21st November last the restored church, upon which upwards of £7000 had been spent, was opened to the public, and now the gardens formed upon the old burial grounds, at a cost of about £1000, are also opened. They were formed by Mr. J. F. Meston, of 20, Spring Gardens, the well-known hortikjultoral contiactor. 16 THE GAEDEN. [July 6, 18?8. SEWAGE IRRIGATION AT GENNEVILLIERS, NEAR PARIS. The plain of GennevilHers is situated on the north of Paris, about five or six miles from the centre of that city, and forms a long peninsula, so to speak, being almost entirely sur- rounded by one of the numerous windings of the River Seine. This spot, being one of the most barren and badly cultivated in the neighbourhood of Paris, was selected some ten years ago by the Prefecture of the Seine as a trial ground for ascertaining the value of liquid sewage as applied to the cultivation of vegetables. A couple of years ago a commission was appointed to investigate the matter from a cultural point of view, and a sub-committee, formed from amongst its members, and consisting of a number of well-known horti- culturists, has just presented the Prefecture with a somewhat optimist report on the value of liquid sewage as an irrigating and fertilising agent in the cultivation of the commoner kinds of vegetables. The president of the sub-committee is M. Hardy, the Director of the Horticultural School at Versailles, and the reporter is M. H. Vilmorin, of the well-known firm of that name. The experiment was begun in 1869, when only 2| acres were put under sewage cultivation. The first trials being promising, this small plot gradually increased, until in 1877 it reached 13i acres. It must be remembered that around Paris vegetables are grown on two systems. First, we have the high culture system, in which forcing is carried to the highest perfection ; and, secondly, ordinary vegetable growing on a scale suitable to the richness of the soil and the capital of the market gardener. It need hardly be said that the method of cultivation about to be described is only applicable in the latter case. The sewage is pumped into a large conduit pipe at Asnieres, on the west of the city, and distributed over the fields in a series of open canals, as shown in the annexed figure. These canals are above the level of the soil, and are provided with sluices at regular intervals. The fields are divided into round-backed mounds by channels about 1 ft. deep and 4 ft. or !j ft. apart, and running at right angles to each other. By opening the sluices in the sides of the canal the channels can be filled whenever it is found necessary. As the water is absorbed a deposit is formed at the bottom of the channels, which is collected from time to time and dis- tributed over the beds. So much for the method of applying the sewage. Let us now speak of the results as obtained on the spot by the sub-committee. It must be premised that in several cases double crops have been obtained. Several Cabbage growers have grown a spring and autumn crop, or have alternated vegetables with green Rye for fodder. The following is the list as given in the report : — per acre Artichokes : li.OOO to 33,001) heads CauliflowerE 8,000 to 12,000 heads (weighing from 10 to IG tons) Garlic . about 15 tons Carrots >. 50 „ . . Celery • . ., 40 „ . . Cabbage „ 56 „ Onions . 24 to 32 „ Leeks .24 „ . . Potatoes . 12 to 16 „ . . Pumpkins . . 48 to 52 „ Salsify . about 10 „ These results, it may be remarked incidentally, are evidently the best that could be obtained. A commission, appointed by the Minister of Agriculture in 1874, puts the Cabbage crop at a little more than half, and the Carrot crop about two-fifths of the amount stated above ; we may therefore take the half of these figures as being somewhere near the truth, a remark that will apply to the other data quoted from this cniilcur do rose report. If we make a comparison between vegetables cultivated with and without sewage irrigation, goes on the reporter, we shallfindthattheorops yielded by the latter method are doubled, trebled, and even quadrupled in certain instances. In October, 1877, the first prize at the exhibition of the Societe Centrale d'Horticulture was carried away by M. Rothberg, a market gardener at GennevilHers, for the excellence of his vegetable.'^, against all the market gardeners of the valley of the Seine! Land which has been hitherto perfectly barren may, therefore, be made to yield as much as that which has been well watered and fertilised. Trees and shrubs for transplanting thrive well if irrigation is discontinued some time before winter sets in. Peppermint, Absinthe, Angelica, and other plants used in distil- lation or perfumery may be grown successfully if similar precautions are taken on the approach of gathering time. The following are the figures for three of these plants : — Peppermint , . 16 to 20 tons per acre (two crops). Absinthe . . . 44 to 48 ,, ,, „ Angelica . . .11 tons per acre the second year. This method seems particularly well adapted for vegetables whose value depends on the succulence of their leaves or stems, such as green forage. Cabbages, Celery, Endive, Salads, and green herbs for distillation. Young Almond and Peach stocks planted in spring and grafted in August throw out shoots 5 ft. and 6 ft. long, and nearly 3 in. in circumference at the base during their second year. Swiss Poplars and Willows also grow most luxuriantly, but the Osier succeeds best of all, especially when fertilised with the deposit that collects in the channels. With Potatoes the system does not succeed so well, but this may be accounted for by their necessarily receiving a larger amount of water than is good for them. The report then goes into the pecuniary part of the question, after having stated positively that the vegetables sent to the Paris market enjoy as great favour as those sent from other places. This part of the report seems somewhat exaggerated, for an Argenteuil correspondent informs us that although Cabbage and other vegetables grow most luxuriantly at GennevilHers, their tissues are watery. Cabbages, the staple produce of the locality, are looked on with disfavour by the sailer ki-'iiit makers. He admits, however, that the Tomato thrives wonderfully at GennevilHers, but no mention is made of it in the report. He adds that Asparagus, although it grows to a large size there, is of poor quality. The report goes on to say that before 1869 all that was grown on the plain were a few meagre crops of Oats and Rye, which rarely exceeded 13| bushels to l-lj- bushels per acre, but that now the fields yield at the rate of 271 bushels per acre, and that Wheat and Lucerne are begin- ning to be grown ; vegetables, however, seem to yield the most profit. The following figures are for rough crops ; it must be remembered, therefore, that in some cases two, and even three, crops may be grown in one year. Cabbages Cauliflowers Carrots Peppermint Artichokes (Anions Absinthe £48 to £64 £80 to £160 £48 £64 to £80 £80 to £96 £140 £64 to £80 per acre. or on an average' £64 per acre^the exact amount realised at Aubervilliers and in the neighbourhood of St. Denis in market gardens cultivated in the ordinary way. No comparison is intended to be made between these results and those obtained under the highest cultivation, but only with those obtained by ordinary vegetable growers. The report states definitely that the GennevilHers produce fetches the same price in the market as that from Aubervilliers and St. Denis. The amount of liquid sewage necessary for a given surface of ground does not seem to have been yet fixed. The sewage at present, being distributed gratis, it is very likely that an excess has been hitherto used. Up to the present time the rate of supply has been 24,500 cubic yards per acre per annum, but this amount is excessive, the consequence being that a large amount of the sewage matter has been absorbed by the earth without being decom- posed by the plant. The amount of sewage produced by the city of Paris amounts to 110,900,000 cubic yards per annum. C. W. QDI.V. Geam coccinenm fl.-pl.—Conspicaous amongst herbaceous plants at this eeason is tho double-scarlet Geuiii, the blossums of which ara produced in profusion and as double as ihose of a Ranunculas. In a cut state th-y are most valuable, being brilliant in colour.— J. Gboom. Cure for Rats-— Baron v3u Baekhofen has discovered a cheap an 1 simple muthod of exterminating rats. It consists of a mixture of two parts of well braised common Squills and three parts of finely chopped bacon made into a stiff mass, with as much meal as may be required, and then bakel into small cakes ; these are put down tor the rats to eat, and are said to effect their complete extirpation. JPLT 6, 1878.] THE GARDEN. 17 THE GARDEN. [JuiT 6, 1878. THE INDOOR GARDEN. SWEET-SCENTED PLANTS. There can be but one opinion as to the desirability of furnish- ing our conservatories and apartments with plants which are distinguished for their perfumes. From time immemorial sweet-scented flowers have been in great demand, and many plants owe their popularity to the delicate odours which they exhale. The Violet and the Mignonette, pretty though they may be, would hardly be held in such universal esteem were it not that they possess a sweetness that does not prevail amongst flowers in general. It is rather singular that the greater por- tion of our sweetly-scented flowers are of unassuming propor- tions, thus rendering them amenable to pot culture, and conse- quently adapted to the requirements of the million. It is not at all difficult to have a sweet-smelling plant in our window the whole year through, and just those which are possessed of the most pleasing perfume are of easy culture, and are, therefore, within the reach of all who may wish to enjoy them. Probably, amongst scented flowers, there is not one which can boast of such universal popularity as does the Violet. Indigenous to our native isles, it is often the subject of pleasing associations and reminiscences; and the fine varieties which cultivation has given us have served to greatly increase its value. Every one who has the convenience of a frame should make a point of securiug a few potfuls of Violets for winter enjoyment. Good clusters of the Neapolitan and double Parma are delightful in winter and early spring. It is seldom that one sees really good pots of Violets, and this is owing to the fact that no special provision is made to get them. It is true that Violets in favourable situations will, even if left to them- selves, thrive and make luxuriant growth ; but in a general way, to insure good results, they must receive some special care. A shady, sheltered position, where the sun goes off about midday, will fulfil their requirements. If exposed to the full glare of the sun, they are apt to get infested with red spider, and will not attain that hearty growth which is desirable. If young healthy pieces are set out early, in good soil, and are kept well ■watered during the summer, they may be potted up early in September, placed in a cold frame, and employed as required. Next in order of merit comes the Mignonette, which is in truth everybody's plant. This favourite of the milliom may be Lad in bloom the whole year through ; a result which, it is almost needless to say, is to be effected by judicious sowing. A few seeds should be sown in 4 in. pots several times durinc August and September; three plants should be left in each pot, and at housing time they should be placed upon a shelf in a light, dry, airy house, giving no artificial heat, admitting plenty of air, and suffering no lack of moisture at the root. They will thus flower successively during the winter months. Early in the year more seed may be sown, and a succession kept up until it comes in out-of-doors. Of Mignonette one can scarcely have too much, as what is not required for decoration in pots can be utilised in a cut state. A sprig or two of Mignonette amongst the table decorations, or in a bouquet, has a very refreshing appearance. The amount of space at the disposal of the grower will, of course, regulate the quantity grown. A most delightfully perfumed plant is the Lemon-scented Verbena, as it is commonly called. It is an old and well-known plant, a general favourite, and is largely grown for market. It may be propagated from the half-ripened shoots, inserted in a shady place in the summer, or the young growing tips may be taken off in early spring, and placed in bottom-heat. As this plant is deciduous, and the fragrance lies in the foliage, it must be placed in heat to push it into growth if required early in the year. The plants should be cut in, leaving about 2 in. of wood, and as soon as they break they should be shaken out and re-potted in 4-in. pots, which size is quite large enough. This plant, if placed against a wall or in some similarly shel- tered situation, is hardy enough, and a good bush or two is very pleasing in the summer season. The fragrance of this plant is very penetrating, and so peculiarly sweet that few are able to resist plucking a leaf. I once heard a lover of plants somewhat petulantly exclaim that he " would never grow it again," as "every one that came into the place carried away a shoot," so that the plants, much to his disgust, suffered from a chronic state of disfigurement. In the Musk we have a plant which, great favourite though it now is, is likely to play a still more important part in floral decoration. We shall probably see ere long a new race of showy flowering plants which will retain the grateful perfume of the old species. Unless lam much mistaken, the Musk has a great future before it. Nothing can be more simple than the culture of this plant ; the roots have merely to bo divided into short pieces, placing about a dozen in a 4-in. pot, using some good, free, rich soil. Place in gentle heat, and support the young growth by means of three or four neat stakes, and pieces of bast being run from stick to stick. If liberally treated, they will form bushy masses of fragrance for early spring work. The tender, green foliage and bright yellow flowers present a very refreshing appearance. Everyone is acquainted with the Heliotrope or Cherry-pie, of which there are now so many admirable varieties. Every- one, however, does not know how well adapted for pot culture this plant really is. There are now many varieties which are admirably suited to this kind of work, inasmuch as they are of a close compact habit and very floriferous. Some cuttings should be struck in May, and kept growing on until they become established in 4-in. pots, keeping them stopped till about the middle of August, when a portion should be allowed to form their flower-bud, pinching back the remainder a fortnight later. These plants will come well into flower during the early winter months, and are very acceptable when all outdoor bloom is past, for cut flower or other purposes. About February the plants may be cut back and started in warmth, when they will come into flower again in the spring. The Heliotrope may be planted out in a structure where it gets a little gentle warmth during the winter, or it may be grown on into specimens, in which latter condition it is but seldom seen. A specimen Heliotrope is, however, very pretty, and not at all difficult to obtain. It should be made to assume somewhat of a pyramidal form by training up one or two shoots in the centre, and judiciously pinching in the remainder. A good specimen may be formed in a season, when all that is necessary to do is yearly to prune it in, and when fairly started, shake away some of the old soil, replace with fresh, and place in a warm moist atmosphere for a time. The plants above enumerated are those of the sweetest nature, which are the most easily grown. By their means one may command perfume the whole year through. There are, of course, many other sweet-scented plants, amongst which may be cited the Hyacinth, the Kose, and many of the Cyclamen persicum. The Lilac, the common Thorn, and the Sweet Brier may all be potted and started early into growth, where there is convenience to do so. The Gardenias, or Cape Jessamine, are remarkable lor their perfume, but they demand an accommodation and manipulation which prevents their being so generally grown as they otherwise would be. — •" Field." NOTES AND QUESTIONS ON THE INDOOB GARDEN. Yucca filamentosa variegata.— This is the kind of plant one needa for conservatory or corridor decoration, for while it combines all the beauty of a variegated Pine and similar tender subjects, it flourishes in the temperature at which Euch places are kept during the greater part of the year. A good sponging and syringing overhead occasionally removes accumulations of du3t to which plants are subject in such situatione. — J. Gaooii. Musa Livingstoniana. — Some years ago {Linncan Society's Journal, 1805, p. 128) Dr. Kii'k dedicated what he regarded as a new species of Musa to Dr. Livingatone. Seeds of this Musa Livingstoniana, we learn from a German contemporary, are offered for sale by Thierrard, of Alexandria. To preserve the germioative power of the seeds they have been dipped in honey and then rolled iu coal-dust. No doubt many persons would like to possess this plant on account of the interest attached to its name ; but we may remind our readers, in order to prevent disappointment, that it is very much like Musa Ensete. Indeed Dr. Kirk says himself that in Habit M. Livingstoniana is undistinguishable from M. Ensete. It is IS ft. high, with a thick conical stem, bulged at the base, where it is of a purple colour. The leaf is nearly sessile, the midrib thick, and the blade broad, as in M. Ensete; but the seed is very ditTereut, and this is the only difference yet known, as the fruit has not been described. Dr. Kirk describes the seeds as small, tuberculated on the surface, rounded, with flattened facets, a deep hilum at one extremity, and a disk-shaped elevation. The testa is black, but not glossy, as in M. Ensete, and hard and brittle. — " Gardeners' Chronicle." July 6, 1878.] THE GAEDEN. 19 THE LIBRARY. GUIDE TO THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW.* This new edition of a popular guide book is juafc what ia wanted by the general ran of visitors, who desire some little information on the more striking and curious plants cnltivafced in our national garden. Containing many woodcuts and concise accounts of the uses, &c., of the plants spoken of, it is made still more interesting by the very numerous quotations from all sorts of books — paragraphs describing the beauty of the trees and plants in their native habitats and the impressions they gave the writers. In the present edition new matter has been iotroduced and information culled from various Bources previously unavailable; e.g., several newly-published books are quoted from, or at any rate books published sinoe the date of last edition, such as Fiiickiger's and Hanbury'a "Pharmacographia," and Belt's "Naturalist in Nicaragua." From the former work the following extract is given : *' The Fig is said to have been introduced to England by Cardinal Pole, where they still exist in the garden of Lambeth Palace. But it had certainly been in cultivation at a much earlier period. There is record of its cultivation in the thirteenth century," A plan of the pleasure grounds is given in this edition, by means of which many of the coUeotions of forest trees and shrubs can be easily found. Altogether, care seems to have been taken to bring the " Gaide " up to date and to render it as useful as possible. It, however, is by no means perfect, for there are many errors which certainly ought never to have been allowed to creep into it; for in- stance, Retinispora for Retinospora, CalUtius for Callitris, Notochlcena for Nothoohlaaua, Alocasia Lowei for A. Lowi (a mistake, by the way, oontinued from previous editions). Again, we are told specially to note many plants which a careful search in the spots indicated fails to discover. Amorpha fruticoaa is not to be seen on lawn D, and the Opuntiawith the cochineal insects feeding on it only exists — at any rate, the insects only exist — in the printer's ink. Cheirostemon platanoides, the Hand-plant of Mexico, has long disappeared from its bed in the winter garden, although the paragraph concerning it remains in the present " Guide." After mentioning Fuchsia excorti- cata, a New Zealand species, it is stated " that, with this and another exception, the large genus Fuchsia is exclusively South American;" this, however, is not the case, as there are several Mexican species, and at least another New Zealand one in addition to F. excorticata. Now that carnivorous plants are attracting so much attention, the compartment in which they are grown, recently built at the end of the Orchid house, might profitably have been given in the plan and much worry both to inquirers and to those inquired of would thus have been saved. With regard to the great Palm stove, we are now told that the interior is heated by six boilers (of which three or four are usually all that are required in winter), with which a system of over 19,500 ft. of hot-water piping, 4 in. in diameter, is connected ; the last edition estimated the length of 'i^-in. pipes at about 24,000 ft. HOLMES* BOTANICAL NOTE-BOOK.f If students of botany will follow strictly the lines laid down for them in this little work they cannot fail to acquire a good foundation on which to erect a thorough superstructure. The author is perfectly correct in saying that too often the names of plants merely are learned, while a corresponding knowledge of their structure and of the reasons why they are placed in certain Natural Orders is not obtained. No doubt this state of affairs is owing to the nnmerous exceptions to given rules met with by students, and also to the great number of technical terms found in so many text-books. In the present work only the terms most frequently found in floras, &c., are given, and these are thoroughly and succinctly explained in a glo3. sary. Two charts of the Natural Orders are given, aud in these the diagnostic characters are reduced to a minimum as far as possible, those which are most easily obaerved having been chosen in prefer, enoe to the more minute, whilst all the exceptions have been indicated in an appendix. With this help it becomes a comparatively easy task to find oat the Order of any plant belonging to the more im- portant Natural Orders and of all plants indigenous to Britain. Three diagrams are given — Scarlet Geranium, Daisy and Dandelion, and Narcissus. All the parts of the plant and flower are given in detail, and each part has its name printed near it. The plants purposely chosen for illustration are very easily obtained. The Daisy shows both ray and disc florets, but as it has no pappus, the Dandelion is figured, which has. Explicit directions ar© given for examining * " Guide to the Royal BotaBic Gardens and Pleasure Grounds. Kew." By Daniel Oliver, F.R.S., P.L.S. 23ch edition. London : Macmillaa & Co. 1878. t " Botanical Note-bonk, or Practical Guide to a Knowledge of Botany." By E. M, Holmes, F.L.8. London : Christy &. Co. 1378. plants, miorosoopically aud otherwise, chapters on how to describe a plant in the schedules contained in the book, how to use the charts, &G. ; also a floral calendar or list of plants with their periods of flowering. Although this book will be specially welcomed by medical and pharmaceutical students, we can heartily recommend it to all who are commencing the study of botany. The Album Van Eeden No. 1., 1878, just received contains coloured plates of a single early Tulip with variegated leaves called Yellow Prince ; Sprekelia (Amaryllis) formosisaima, a well known crimson kind; a group of Calochorti, of various colours; Lilium Thunbergianumaureum maoulatum ; a group consisting of oharraing varieties of the beautiful Sparaxis tricolor ; aud two varieties of Gladiolus floribundus. These are well dra'vn and beautifully coloured. Their only fault is the ground colour, which is too dark. The Official Handbook of the National Training: School for Cookery.* — A useful clearly written book, and a decided im- provement on the usual cookery book, being so explicit in the case of small details, which in themselves are necessary to produce a good result in cooking. The portion of the book devoted to vegetables is thejleast instructive. Very few receipts are given, and these are of the most ordinary kind. Hardly any mention is made of fruits, a strange omission, seeing that the work is compiled for the use of the National Training School for Cookery. TREES AND SHRUBS. IMPORTANCE OF THE OATALPA TREE FOR ECONOMIC PLANTING. By 0, S, Sargent, Director of the Arboretum o£ Harvard University. The Catalpa (Cafcalpa bignonioides), long known and generally planted aa an ornamental tree, haa of late years began to attract considerable attention aa oilering peculiar advantages for economic planting. The wonderful durability of the wood of thia tree, long ago pointed out by General Harrison, bnt until lately imperfectly understood j its rapid growth in good soil, and freedom from the attacks of insects, make the Catalpa a moat promising subject for general planting in rich, strong soil, in any portion of the United States south of the 42nd parallel. Further north.ib often auEEers in severe winters, especially when young ; and in the New England States, except in exceptional situations, the soil is not rich enough to make the planting of thia tree as profitable as that of many others better suited to reach maturity in that section of the country. The wood of the Catalpa ia soft, light, close-grained, and susceptible of a good polish. In general appearance it closely resembles Chestnut, but, unlike that wood, it is easily " filled," and shows none of the tendency to warp or start which renders Chestnut unlit for the best cabinet work. Should the wood of the Catalpa ever reach the market in quantity, it will rank with Butternut for cabinet and architectural work, and will make a valuable addition to the hard woods now so freely employed in interior decoration. It is, however, for railway ties, fence and telegraph posts. Hop and Vineyard poles, and such parposea that the wood of the Catalpa is particularly adapted, and it is for these and similar employments, where a wood capable of resist, ing decay when exposed to the soil and weather is required, that Catalpa will probably be more profitably employed than the wood of any other tree suitable for cultivation over ao large an area of the United States. Why the soft wood of this fast-growing tree, which is traversed with large open ducts, nearly as broad as those of Red Oak — a wood which notoriously rots very quickly — should resist decay longer than almost any other of which we have any knowledge, is not clear. And this fact presents a problem for which a chemist may perhaps be able to find a solution. The fact, however, ia undeniable. Samples of Catalpa wood are before me, taken from the top and bottom ends of posts which are known to have stood in the ground ia Indiana for seventy. five years, and which are atiU perfectly sound j and many other similar instances of its power to resist decay are recorded. Another peculiarity of the Catalpa is its small amount of sap-wood or living tissue, so that, nnlike the Red Cedar aud most exogenous trees, in which the soft and worthless '.sap-wood turns by death into durable heart- wood only at the end of many years of growth the Catalpa produces heart-wood when the stem ia scarcely 1 in, in diameter. For this reason the Catalpa has not an equal for fence posts and different sorts of small stakes, for which, if other wooda are used, many years of growth must be aaorifioed in order to avoid the rotting away of the outer and living layara, which have no power to resist decay. * London : Chapman & Hall. 20 THE GARDEN. [July 6, 1878. The few experiments which have been made with Catalpa wood for railway ties seem to promise that it will be of great value for this purpose, although euoh experiments are neither freqaent enough nor of Buffioiently long duration to be entirely conclusive; and it is evident that a longer test than it has yet been subjected to is necessary to demonstrate that this wood has the power to resist the crushing of the rails and to hold spikes equally well or better than Chestnut or White Oak, which, all things considered, are the best North American woods yet extensively employed for this pur. pose. It is bnt fair to say, however, that many practical railway men of excellent judgment, who are carefully watching in the West the Catalpa ties, speak with great confidence of their value, and already very large experimental plantations of this tree are being made in Eastern Kansas by railroad directors of that State, with a view of raising their own ties in the future. The Catalpa would seem, then, to be one of the most valu. able trees which our cul- tivators, suitably sitoated, can plant. It grows readily and rapidly from seed, and can be very easily trans- planted either in the spring or autumn. If planted thickly — say 4 ft. between the plants each way — they will run up with tall, straight stems, and make trees very different in ap. pearance fiom the short- stemmed, round-headed, and rather distorted. looking specimens which are gene, rally met with in ornamental grounds, especially in the Noithern States. The thin, nings of a grove of Catalpa, if planted in good soil; will in a few years be large enough for Vineyard stakes ; in a doi^en years the alter- nate plants will each make two or three fence posts, and theremainder will each, in twenty. five or thirty years from the time they were planted, probably be large enough to be cut into five or six railway ties. Cul- tivators to whom the annual expenditure for poets, fenc. ing, or stakes is very con. siderable, will do wisely to plant every year a few hun. dred or thousand Catalpas, according to their circum- Btances, and thus insure for themselves an abundant supply of home-grown material. Should the objec. tion be raised that the planter of trees must wait too long for his returns, it mnst be borne in mind that the money value of land will be largely increased if it has upon it a thrifty growing grove of Catalpas, or other valuable trees, whatever their age may be, and that purohasers of land in the near future are going to look with considerably more attention than in the past at the size and nature of the wood-lots. A well-marked variety of the Catalpa is recognised in cnltivation in some of the Western States, flowering two weeks earlier than the ordinary form, which it is said to greatly excel in hardiness, with larger white Bowers and more upright, rapid growth. This variety, which reproduces itself from seed, is the more desirable to plant. Seeds of it can be procured through Mr. E. E. Barney, of Dayton, Ohio, who has long taken an active interest in the Catalpa tree, and has done much to make its merits more generally known. He has lately published a pamphlet on the subject (" Facts and Information in relation to the Catalpa Tree"), which should be read by all, and their number should be legion, who intend planting this tree. Mr. Barney has favoured me with several large and instructive sets of wood specimens of the Catalpa, with which I have been able to enrich the principal museums of economic botany in this country and Europe. — " New York Tribone." Leaves and Cone of Pinus Pinafcter. THE CLUSTER PINE. (pinus riNASTER.) This well-known Conifer was first introduced to Britain by Gerard about 1596; the original trees, it is said, were planted in the garden of Bishop Compton, at Fulham,and probably some of them are still in existence. Tho Pinaster is a native of France, Spain, Portugal, and other parts of Con- tinental Europe, where it is extensively grown, mostly near the sea-coast, in light, sandy soils, it being naturally adapted for maritime situations. There are now many varieties in cultivation more or less distinct, some with peculiarities of habit and growth, others that differ from the species in the develop- ment of cones, some of which are borne iu clus- ters of twenty or more in a whorl. The variety Lemoiiiana bears single cones on the ends of the leading shoots, so much do the varieties vary as to coning; the cones of the type are large and ornamental, of a bright brown colour, and are chiefly grown in whorls of four or five in number, but sometimes more. This Pine is inraluable lor planting on sandy stretches along the sea- coast where shelter belts are needed. As a proof how vigorous and healthy it grows close to the sea, it may be seen at Has- tings, on an exposed hill adjoining the shore,thriv- ing beautifully where no other Pine succeeds so well. On the coasts of the Bristol Channel and many other parts of the west, examples of the Pinaster may often be noticed standing out boldly where but few brunt of terrific western is essentially the Pine other trees can exist, bearing the gales without injury. Indeed, it above all others for planting on the sea-shore for shelter or ornamental efi'ect, but it should not be crowded together when planted in belts or masses, but should be thinned out regularly and gradually, so as to allow its wide-spreading branches room for full development. It has a peculiar habit of growing crooked in the stem, and often in a leaning direction, as if threatening to uproot, but in reality rarely doing so, for it is a comparatively deep-rooting Conifer. As an ornamental tree, when well grown and fully matured, it ranks amongst the quaint, picturesque type, and its foliage is of a deep green colour. The timber is coarse and of no great value compared with that of other kinds of Coniferous trees. G. B. July 6, 1878.] THE GARDEN. 21 ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Pink Hawthorns.— I want to know the oroper time and how to strike cat- ting of the Piok Thorn, so a3 to have some pota for the coGservatory. — H. 3. [The Pink Thorn, or aay other variety of Thorn is moat easily prooagated by buddinff on the common Hawthorn in July or August, according to the con- dition of the fetock and bud. The qaicttest way of having Thorns in pots for the coDservatory would be to procure young plants from a nursery and pot them.— O.] Plants for ExUibition. — Aberian.—To your first question we say " Yes," unless the schedule states that floe-folia^ed stove or greenhouse plants are required. 2. You can show all the Ferns you name as exotic Perns, but not a^ stove Ferns. 3. See separate article on this subject. 4. All the plaits named are well adapted for the purpose yon mention. Leaf-mining Insects. — Can you tell me what grub it is I send you within Cineraria leaves. My plants last year, although constantly hand-picked, were destroyed by it, and, unless you can suEtgest a remedy, I fear the same result this year. Would some solution of paraffin added be of any use. — T. W. H, LThe mines in que&tion I believe to be executed by the larvae of a small moth, about which I hope to give more information shortly, as many of the larvae are in the chrysalis state, and will, I expect, soon make their final change. The only way of hindering the spread of the insects is to pick off the affected leaves and burn them. When first observed, a gentle pressure of the leaves between the thumb and finger at the spot where the larva is working will destroy it, and prevent further disfigurement of the leaf. — W. W. S.] Names of Plants. — Correspondents wishing plants to he named will oblige by eomplijing with the foil ncing TniUs •" To send the specimens as complete as possible, i.e., both stem, leaves, andjlotcers, and fruit, vhen possible. We cannot attempt to name plants from sine 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 oz. to G 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 pro- pagated. The leaves being fully matured, are now in a much better con- dition to form roots than earlier in the eeason 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 1 in. below the leaf; three or four of these should be placed round the sides of a G-in. pot, sufficiently drained 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 i in. of the base of the leaf. Where leaves for propagation of any particular sort JnLY 13, 1878.] THE GARDEN. 37 are Bcarce, 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 through in five or six places and laid with the underside downwards, a small stone, just 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. Old plants of Poinsettias should now be encouraged to make strong sturdy growth. Another useful winter-blooming plant is Begonia dipetala. If small plants of this are now at hand and grown on freely they will furnish quantities of bloom in the winter. AUamandas, Clero- dendrou splendens. and Dipladenias showing flower freely should now be trained round their trellises, but not too closely, as that gives them too stiff an appearance, and also has a tendency to cause premature decay in the leaves, which turn yellow and decay ; this has also a tendency to weaken the plants and reduce their blooming capabilities. Expose them to all the light possible, using just sufficient shading raaterial to break the direct rays of the sun ; by this means the flowers will be produced much stouter, and will stand in a cut state, if required, much longer than when treated more tenderly. Autumn-struck cuttings of hard-wooded stove plants, such as Isoras, AUamandas, Gardenias, &c., which have been potted during the winter, will by this time require a further shift. The aim of the cultivator ought to be to get the plants up to the required size aa quickly as possible ; if such plants are allowed to becom e stunted through being pot-bound, it takes a long time afterwards to get them to ..nove ; in fact, it is better to commence with a cutting than to grow a plant on that has been allowed to get into such a condition. It would seem that the increased demand for cut flowers at the present day is illimitable ; it therefore behoves gardeners to make provision to meet it. In most establishments, large or small, there will be some things held in greater esteem than others. Therefore it is impossible to name any plants in particular that would be held in general estimation. Tet during this and the nest two months flowers from stove plants wiU be largely used for mixing with Roses and other outdoor productions. There is a great charm in variety ; yet the old system of growing collections of plants where the object was to include the greatest number possible, both of species and varieties, is anything but calculated to meet the requirements of the present day ; it is much better to confine to a reasonable extent the number of varieties of plants grown to such as are the most attractive, last the longest, and are held in the greatest estimation. If there is one plant more than another that is more generally useful as a decorative stove or intermediate house plant, and capable ot producing quantities of cut flowers for eight or ten months in the yeai', it is Ixora cocciuea. Now is a good time to either strike cuttings or procure plants of it ; and if kept clean from insects, and grown under the same conditions as to tem- perature and atmospheric moisture, summer and winter, that will suit Cucumbers, it will amply repay for the trouble bestowed upon it, Its flowers will stand in water for a week, and it can be cut with impunity without injuring the plants. Fern3. — In the tropical Ferneries fire-heat can now be almost dis- pensed with ; the temperature, however, should not sink too low. Main- tain a moist atmosphere ; water growing plants abundantly, dew them gently overhead with tepid water, but refrain from damping the fronds of Gymnogrammas, Cheilauthes, Maiden-hair, and other such Ferns, and re-pot any that have well filled their pots with roots and that are not already in large pots. Seedling Ferns must be pricked out after they have germinated and can be transferred without difficulty from the seed-pans, fcipores should always be sown as soon as they are ripe, and young plants growing on Asplenium bulbiferum and viviparum, WoodwarLlia orientalis, and others should be separated and treated as ordinary plants, or the fronds containing them may be taken oS" and layered like Begonias. Keep a sharp watch over insects of all kinds, remove decaying fronds, and everywhere preserve neatness and order. Pelargoniums. — The beauty of large-flowered kinds that have been the first to bloom will now be over, land it is not desii-able to allow them to push a second growth and flower again, which they will if not inter- fered with, as this prevents their being cut down and making growth that will bloom early next spring. If there be a scarcity of plants to take their place, and flowers be required, a portion may be allowed to go on blooming for a time. Move at once the plants that flowered first into the open air, so as to get the wood ripened before they are cutback; if maturity be not eff'ected before cutting back tabes place, they will not break either evenly or freely. Place them in the full sun in an open situation,but do not all at'once withhold water, as that course stops further growth ; no harm will, however, be done by letting the soil get dry enough to cause them to flag for a few hours ; then give water, and when again dry let them go a little longer before applying any, and in this way, by degrees effect the ripening process of the wood, which in a few weeks will assume a hard brown colour, after which the shoots must be removed to within from three to half-a-dozen eyes of where they were headed back to the preceding year, according to the size of the specimens, allow- ing the greatest length of shoot to remain in the case of young plants which it is desirable to increase in size. Do not let them get saturated with wet during thunder-storms or continued rains. When there is an appearance of such occurrences kiy them down on their sides. Plants that are wanted to be in flower some weeks longer should be well supplied with manure water, particularly if in small pots, and these very full of roots. What are called fancy kinds push their flowers almost all together, and after the general head of bloom is over they should be cut back ; they must not, however, be cut in nearly so close or into the hard wood as the large flowering sorts, or the result will most likely be the loss of the plants; neither will it be well to expose them in the open air in the manner advised for the other kinds; a pit or cold frame after flowering will be the moat suitable place for them, never subjecting them to such extreme drought as the large-flowered ones will bear. They are equally impatient of too much wet, which is generally the cause of their dying suddenly in a way which they often do. 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 jointing, 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 green- house 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 through- out the bunch is affected, and iu 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 sufficient air cannot be admitted a temporary shading is often placed over the glass outside^ to keep down the temperature inside. Midsummer 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 nol 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. 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 be clear fi-ora 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 up the necessary warmth in 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 pro- gress and the summer is too far advanced before the crop comes to maturity. As the preceding 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 be 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 numbers as to do serious mischief. Kitchen Garden. Late Peas. — As a means of retarding, in some measure, the last sowings of late Peas, so as to have them far on in the autumn, the points of the shoots may be nipped out at the spot where they show the first flower; this will induce them to throw out growths at the joints lower down, and it also makes them more bushy, as they will, thus treated, push two or three shoots in the place of one, and will delay then- 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 sowing, the most open airy situations were selected for these late crops, and the rows were placed far apart, the chief measures for avoiding this troublesome parasite have been taken ; but if they are ever allowed to want water, mildew is certain to follow. If, therefore, the weather be dry, give a copious watering once a week, so as thoroughly to soak their roots, and mulch the ground with half-rotten manure for 2 ft. 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 iu the season. Ground that has been cleared of early Potatoes, Peas, or other crops will now be available for these. It will not be necessary to dig it previous to putting in the seed, unless it be of a very strong adhesive nature, nothing 88 THE GAKDEN. [JCLT 13, 1878. being gained by doing so ; in fact, when the land is light it does abeolute harm by inducing the growth of leaves rather than that of the bulb. Pre- vious to sowing, hoe the ground 2 in. deep, rake off and remove any weeds that may exist, and sow the seeds in rows 1 ft. apart, putting 'in enough to allow for loss from the depredations of birds or the fly. Before sowing dress the seed with red lead ; if this be properly done, accord- ing to the directions already given, it will secure them from molestation from all birds except the greenfinch, which seems to defy any dressing 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 affected by it, but it is simply a waste of strength to allow anything to seed when the seed is useless or not required. For this reason Asparagus in private gardens should have the seeds stripped off a« scon 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, if 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 in. space in the rows, and allow as much between each row. Vegetable Marrows and Endive.— Thin out Vegetable Marrows sufficiently, not allowing them to get too much crowded, and if the situa- tion be at all exposed, secure the shoots so that they will not be 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. Making 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 wUl 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. Extracts from my Diary. July 15.— Sowing Snowball and American Strap-leaf Turnips. Put- ting in cuttings of Carnations and Pinks uuder hand-lights. Planting out Wheeler's Imperial and Carters' Heartwell Early Marrow Cabbages for autumn use. Layering Strawberry runners, three in a bunch, on pieces of turf C in. square, for making new plantations. Stopping and nailing in Tomatoes. Looking over Cucumbers and Melons, stopping them, and earthing them up a little where required. Mulching late Peas and Beans with well-rotted manure. July 16. — Sowing a little Chervil for autumn and winter use ; also Mustard and Cress. Taking up and dividing a quantity of old Polyan- thuses. Planting out Celery in trenches. Getting up early Potatoes and storing them away for seed. Dutch-hoeing among Gooseberries and Currants, and all other growing crops. Gathering Apricots for bottling. Giving Scarlet Runner Beans a good soaking of manure water. Taking the nets off Strawberries and putting them over Morello Cherries. July 17.— Sowing Green Curled and Prazer's Broad-leaved Endive. Pricking off herbaceous Calceolarias ; also Cinerarias and Primulas. Planting out the last rows of Cardoons. Picking off the dead flowers and nailing and tying in Roses on walls. Giving Peach and Nectarine trees a good soaking of water. Cutting herbs and placing them in an open shed to dry. Gathering Raspberries and Red Currants for preserv- ing. Renovating the linings round Melon and Cucumber frames, and giving all Pear trees, where heavily laden with fruit, a good watering. July 18.-pSowing Red and White Turnip Radishes. Putting in cuttings of different sorts of Pelargoniums. Clearing off a large piece of Peas ; manuring the ground, and getting it dug up ready for other crops. Training out and pegging down bedding plants, and staking and tying in plants on borders. Stopping and nailing in the leading shoots of Peaches, Nectarines, and other wall fruit. Sticking Peas, and getting them earthed up. Watering the Pines all through, and putting stakes to any that require it. July 19.— Sowing Canadian Wonder dwarf French Beans. Potting on Begonias, Palms, and DracKUas for table plants. Earthing up eariy Celery when the soil is dry and in workable condition. Clearing off a piece of Broad Beans, manuring the ground, and digging it in ridges on which to sow Winter Spinach. Stopping and pegging down Vegetable Man-ows, and giving them a good soaking of manure water. Looking over Vineries, stopping laterals, and giving all late houses a good soaking with guano water. July 20.-Sowing Spinach. Tying out and picking blooms off luchsias intended for exhibition. Thinning Turnips. Turning over manure for making new Mushroom beds. Watering Cauliflower Celery Lettuce, Endive, and Tomatoes. Drawing drills for Spinach, and well watering them previous to sowing. Giving Peaches and Nectarines a good washing every evening with the garden engine to keep down insects Mowing and cleaning m the pleasure grounds, and rolling down all gravel and turf that require it. Fruit in use for dessert : Pines, Grapes, Melons Peaches Nectarines, Figs. Strawberries, Raspberries, and Cherries — W. G. P., Dorset, FIi-A-TE C2C2CX:VI- THE STUARTIAS. (with a COLOUKED HGCKE of S. VIBGISICA.) Drawn by MRS. DUFPIELD. OoNsiDEaiNG how few ornamental shrubs there are that pro- duce their flowers in summer, it is not a little remarkable that any really good hardy species should be neglected. Yet how many gardeners or amateurs have heard of a Stuartia ? much less seen a fine specimen ia its full beauty, although two species were introduced during the last century. Like many other North American plants, they were not very generally dispersed in British gardens when first introduced ; and during the last thirty years or more deciduous shrubs and trees have not received their due share of attention, in consequence of the great demand for evergreens. There are still, however, some gardens where the precious introductions of former owners are prized and carefully preserved. Notable amongst these is Syon House garden. The present duke is a great lover of trees and shrubs, and his gardener, Mr. Woodbridge, Flower-bud of Stuartia virginica. is very proud of the historical collection under his charge. At Syon one may see a Stuartia amongst the numerous rare species in the arboretum. About a year ago Mr. Woodbridge exhibited flowering specimens at South Kensington, and every one who saw them admired them. Now there is one species, at least, which deserves a place in every garden, no matter how unpretending its design. The genus Stuartia comprises four known species, two native of the Eastern States of North America and two of Japan. Only the American species have hitherto been introduced into Europe, but, judging from the dried specimens, one of the Japanese species is equally handsome as the North American. They are all deciduous shrubs with simple leaves, much like those of some species of Cerasus, and the flowers resemble those of a good single Camellia ; in fact, there is more than an outward resemblance, for Stuartia and Camellia belong to the same Natural Order. The two North American species have been confused by some writers, but it is important to distinguish them, since one is rather hardier than the other. S. pentagyna (syn. — Malaoho- dendron ovatum) is perhaps the hardier of the two. There is a coloured figure of it in Sir James Smith's " Exotic o O cc > D3 cQ < o w •< July 13, 1878.J THE GAEDEN. 39 Botany," t. 110, whic'i waa prepared from a specimen grown at Kew. Smith says : "It has long been cultivated at Kew, where the late Mr. Aiton gave me specimens in 17S5 from an old full- grown shrub." He also speaks of it as being exceedingly rare. It differs from its congener S. virginica in its larger, less hairy leaves, larger cream-coloured flowers, and especially in having five distinct styles in the flower, instead of only one, or rather of five consolidated into one. Its flowers, which are solitary in the axils of the leaves, are 3 in. or 4 in, across, and they are produced in great profusion during the months of July and August. The petals are cream-coloured inside, and tinged with red on the outside, and more or less jagged on the margin. This species is at home in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, and thi'ives in any good garden soil. S. virginica, on the contrary, inhabits swamps and shady woods from the coast to near the foot of the mountains in the South-Eastern States, including Florida and Louisiana. I have seen no specimens from so far north as the State of Virginia. The flowers of this species are also very showy, the petals being pure white and the stamens purple ; but it does not flower so freely as the other. It is figured in Andrews' " Botanists' Eepository," t. 397, under the name of Stewartia marilandica. W. B. Hemslkv. [The specimens from which our plate was prepared were E applied from the gardens at Syon House.] PROPAGATING. Perennial Phloxes. — There are several ways by which these may be increased, viz., by division, cuttings, and roots. For Fig. 1. Pig. 3. spring propagation the plants must be got into an intermediate house, the temperature of which is about 55^ in February, ■when they will soon begin to grow and produce fine, soft cuttings. Take well-drained pots, fill them with fine soil, con- sisting of loam, leaf-mould, and sand, putting ^ in. of sand on the top ; give a sprinkling of water, and make the cuttings as shown in fig. 1 or fig. 2, cutting off the bottom leaves and leaving the buds ; insert the cuttings up to the leaves, water them, and place them in a gentle bottom-heat ; they will, how- ever, do equally well in the box in the propagating house, or in a bed of fermenting material, taking care to let off all excess of moisture by opening the glasses every morning ; if on a manure bed, a little air given at the back part of the frame will be beneficial. Cuttings may also be taken off in autumn ; the best way is to put them in single pots on a spent manure bed ; they will emit roots in three weeks or so, when they may be put on a shelf in a cold greenhouse to winter ; they may lose their tops, but they must not be thrown away, as in spring they will shoot up from the bottom and make early strong plants. la order to increase them by means of division and roots, take up the plants intended tor that purpose ia September, cut off all the roots that are not wanted (there are a great mauy more in the case of some varieties than in that of others), cut up the plants according to their strength, pot them, and place them in a cool, close frame. The roots must be cut up into pieces about 1^ in. long, and laid in rows flat in pots or pans well drained and filled with rather sandy soil, with i in. of covering of the same over the top ; give a good watering, and place them on a shelf near the light. After they begin to grow, which some sorts will do quickly, they should be care- fully watered during winter, and should be potted off' in February and afterwards kept in the greenhouse a short time till they have become established. H. H, THE FRUIT CROPS. METROPOLITAN AND SOUTH-EASTERN DIVISION. Southgate. — Peaches and Nectarinea on open walla in thia neighbourhood are generally bearing good oropa where they received O-^dinary protection whilst they were in bloom, although just in the midat of their flowering wo had two or three nights with from 12° to l-i° of frost. Apricots alao in most places are a fall crop. Apples set freely, but a great many have fallen ofE, and they will not bo near so plentiful as at one time seemed likely; the most constant bearing kinda, each as Lord Snffield, Keswick Codlin, Hawthornden New and Old, Kiog of the Pippins, Blenheim Pippin, Wellington Manks Codlin, and Cox's Orange Pippin, are oarryiug the beat crops, Pears are in most places below the average. Plums abundant gene. rally. Strawberries plentiful. Cherries fair, but not heavy. Kaap, berriea and Curranta a full crop. Gooseberries mostly very thin Nuts, both Cobs and Filberts, next to none. Walnuts the same, — T. Baines. Syon House, Brentford. — Apricots in the gardens Iiere are a good crop. They were covered with frigi-domo in spring, but in some places there is an equally good crop where they bad no covering whatever. Peaches and Nectarines a good crop where protected with double net in the spring. Cherries at one time were most promiaing, but many dropped at stoning time, and since then all tbe tender- fleshed kinds, such aa Governor Wood, have suffered severely from the scorohing heat of the sun ; Bigarreaus have withstood the sua heat beat. Apples and Fears are very thin j the former were very promising at one time, but a great many dropped jost as they began to swell. Plums are also rather thin, although in some places about here there are good oropa. Red, White, and Black Curranta, and alao Raspberries, are abundant; but Gooseberries are very scarce, except where they are grown in sheltered situations. Strawberries are very abundant, especially Keen's Seedling, Garibaldi, or Vicomtease Hericart de Thory, President, Sir J. Paxton, Sir Harry, Oxonian, and Elton Pine.— J. Woodbeidge. Gunnersbury Park, Acton. — Applea in our own orchard, sheltered from the north and north-east by a belt of trees, are a good crop, but on trees fully exposed the crop is light. The most trust- worthy kinds in the market gardens in this district are King of the Pippins, Stone Pippin, Lord Suliield, and Duchess of Oldenburg. The trees have suffered much from blight. Pears are a light crop. The most fruitful are Hessle, Comte de Lamy, and Hacon's Incomparable. Our soil, a good loam resting on light clay, is favour- able to the growth of Apples and Pears. Stone fruits in general are a failure. Of Apricota we grow none. Peaches and Nectarines, protected with frigi-domo, are a light crop. Much of the fruit fell through imperfect setting, caused by the long continuance of wet, sunless weather in spring. Plums, with the exception of Victoria, are a complete failure. Cherries are a moderate crop ; Elton on an east wall and Morello on standards are good. Bush fruit is a fair crop; the lightest are Gooseberries and Raspberries. Amongst Strawberries 1 have seen heavy crops of fine fruit in this neighbour- hood, but, like all other kinds of fruit ripened up to the present time, they are deficient in flavour. — J. Roberts. High Grove, Pinner. — Fruit crops in this district have suffered greatly from the heavy rainfall and want of sun. The soil of this neighbourhood consiate of deep loam on the London clay, the high lands being gravel and sand. Applea and Plums grow very luxuriantly with na. Apricots are scarce. Apples in many places are almost a failure, though we had the finest show of fruit this seaaon which I have aeen for years. Feara are plentiful, moat varieties fruiting this Eeison, and free in most places from blight. Peaches and Nectarines are a fair crop in most placea. Plums partial ; good on walls ; the Victoria, Prince of Wales, and Orleans are the best general croppers. 40 THE GARDEN. [July 13. 1878. Gooseberries are very scarce. Currants are a fair crop. Strawberries good, bat eofEered greatly from too much rain. Orchards hereabonts are generally planted with Plams and Apples, small fruits not being largely grown. Raspberries are, however, plentiful, and Faetolf is one of the best for bearing heavy crops. The best Apples in this neighbourhood are Golden Pippin, Court Pendu Plat, Cos's Orange Pippin, Lord Suffield, Yorkshire Greening, and French Crab; the Borts generally grown in orchards are Wellington and Blenheim. Of Pears we grow the Crassane, Marie Louise (on standards and walls), Easter Benrre. Gloa Morceau, Williams' Bon Chretien, and Jargonelle ; but the two latter do not fruit freely with us. I may add that Potatoes as yet show no si^n of disease. — G. Brush. Weirton House, Maidstone. — In this neighbourhood, as in many others, the fruit crop is very unsatisfactory, and must come very short of what was expected. The trees, which were, while in blossom, oojects of great beauty, are now much disfigured by maggot and other insects. Many young trees, which were healthy last year, are looking half dead ; some plantations are better, but few are in a healthy condition. Cherries of all kinds are very thin. Pears the same. Plums are better, but still a light crop ; some of the principal kinds in bearing are Early Orleans, Prince of Wales, Royal Dinphine, Damsons, and La Deliciease ; the last, a fine old late market Plum for kitchen purposes, deserves to be more grown than it is. Apples are unhealthy, and the crop will be a short one. Currants are thin, except Reds, which are a fair crop. Gooseberries are fewer than they have been for many years past. In the garden here we have plenty of Peaches and Nectarines where coping boards and netting are used, but on other walls only protected by evergreens they are very thin. Gooseberries are not a quarter of a crop, the best bearers being the large Lancashire kinds. Strawberries of all kinds are abundant. We are well sheltered by timber trees, and the gardens elope to the south, the soil being a sharp loam on the Kentish ragstone. On the night of July 3 the thermometer fell to 37\ the highest point the next day being 68', with a scorching sun. — W. Divers. The Deepdene, Dorking. — Fruit crops her© this year are very varied ; as regards quantity we have very heavy crops, others very light ones. Apricots, Plums, and Cherries are most abundant; also Currants and Raspberries ; but Apples and Pears are thin. There is not one well-cropped Apple tree in the garden, though the bloom was very abundant, but we had a fine crop last year, and we can scarcely expect much this. Marie Louise Pear and Beurre d'Amanlis are the only two varieties that are carrying a crop. We had very little bloom, owing to the very cold, wet season last year. Peaches and Nectarines are very thin, but the trees look healthy. Gooseberries are a medium crop ; a large number dropped ofE from the effects of sharp frosts which we had in the end of March. Strawberries are a fair crop, bat have been hitherto very deficient in flavour. Figs in Bome places round here are a moat abundant crop. Nuts, both Cobs and Walnuts, are very scarce as far as I have seen. Hardy Giapes on walls are showing well for a crop, but mildew has been very troublesome during the past two seasons. Our Apricots were in full bloom during the very severe frost which occurred in the end of March, but they were well protected with a good thick canvas, and the result is a very plentiful crop. I have never found herring nets to be of the slightest use when the frost was more than 6" or 7°. — John Burnett. Tunstall, Sittingbourne. — This year commenced with great promise as to fruit, but the result has proved disappointing with almost every kind. Plums stand first as to crop, but I understand this only applies to certain districts; the Victoria and Prince of Wales are both bearing heavily hereabonts. Cherries have suffered much from late spring frosts and are not above a quarter of a crop ; the Bigarreau and English have done the best. There are a few common sorts of Pears, but all the best sorts are again very short. Apples are a very partial crop, bearing fairly at some places, but at others very short. All kinds of bush fruits are short and scarce, except Red Currants, which are good. Wall fruit is again very thin ; indeed, almost a failure. — G. Webb. Sulhaznetead, Reading, — On looking over my orchards and gardens I find I am not equal in quantity of fruit to what I was last year, though in regard to Apples I have got the lion's share, and the "tottle of the whole" in this district will not amount to more than one-fourth of a crop, and Pears less. I have read various theories for this deficiency after so favourable an exemption from spring frosts. I think that the severe north-east winds, late frosts, and blight of last spring (viz., of 1877), which so thoroughly emaciated th'^ first foliage, so weakened the buds that snflficient stamina was not atrained to perfect the blossom-buds for this year. My trees blossomed profusely, but they looked pale and delicate, and the stalks were more slender than I ever remember to have seen them before. Of the Piam tribe I have plenty, though too frequently as I go about I see trees fruitless. Two.thirds of a crop will be about the result. Upon walls that I have seen Plums are a full crop, particularly where protection was given. Pears, Apricots, Peaches, and Nectarines may be considered as a good sprinkling, and that is all. Figs are scarce, Qainces good, and Mulberries abundant. I fear much complaining will result as regards the paucity of Filberts, and even common Nuts. My Walnut trees will produce me about half a crop, and ten trees of my neighbour's, about a mile off, will produce two Walnuts, according to my scrutiny. Walnuts and Filberts are certainly scarce. Of the smaller fruits, Gooseberries are partial, Currants plentiful. Raspberries enormous, and Strawberries bountiful, though not rich as regards flavour. I hear complainings about the Potato disease, chiefly in gardens, amongst the American sorts, which, from their exuberant foliage, are invariably planted too thickly, and in a dripping time are the first to suffer in consequence. I have the usual curl amongst the American varieties, but in my rather extensive plantations of English sorts I am glad to say I have no complaint of either curl or Peronospora at present. — Robert Fenx. Heckfield, Hants. — Apples set their fruit apparently vigorously and then disappeared, but through what cause I am quite in the dark ; there may, perhaps, be a quarter of a crop ; on some few trees half a crop, the best being Hawthornden, Keswick Codlin, Blenheim Pippin, Lord Suffield,and Northern Greening. Pears may average half a crop ; on walls they are very good, the most prolific being Seckle, Marie Louise, Dochesse de Angouleme, Beurre Hardy, Ne Plus Meuris, Althorp Crassane, and Gloa Morceau. Peaches and Nectarines are a heavy crop, and the trees are growing vigorously. They were all protected with scrim canvas. On several nights when they were in bloom we registered 6"^ and 8^ degrees of frost, and the wind was continuously blowing from the north-east, thus creating a dry atmosphere and saving the blossoms from frost. Apricots are aiso a very full crop, and promise to be large; they were protected similarly to the Peaches; indeed, such is the severity of our spring seasons that it is now quite useless to expect fruit without artificial protection. Gooseberries suffered terribly through frost when in flower, and are very thin — scarcely a third of a crop. Morello Cherries blossomed after the sharpest frosts were over, and are a full average crop ; the earlier kinds are scarce. Plums are partial ; some kinds are bearing prodigiously, notably Diamond, Victoria, Jefferson, Orleans, and Belgian Purple ; other sorts are thin. None were pro- tected. Currants and Raspberries are a fair average crop, and Strawberries very heavy ; I never before saw them so good ; the favourite sorts are Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury and President. Potatoes are very fine, and as yet there are no signs of disease. The soil of this district is sandy loam, the Bubstratum being gravel and sand. — W. Wildsmith. Eaglehurst, Fawley, South Hants.— Apples in this district are a very light crop. Although there was a good show of bloom, the young fruits dropped after setting. Blenheim Orange, Beauty of Kent, Ribaton Pippin,' King of the Pippins, Newtown Pippin, Profit, Hawthornden, and Alfriston are the best bearers. Of Apricots we have scarcely any, except a few on the Moorpark and Hemskirk. Cherries are a thin crop with the exception of Morellos, which are very good. Of Pears we have scarcely any. Beurre d'Amanlis, Beurre Diel, Jargonelles, William's Bon Chretien, Gloo Morceau, and Louise Bonne are bearing a few scattered fruits. Of Peaches we have none, but Nectarines are a fair crop, the Elruge and Violet Hcttive being the best. Plums are abundant, but the trees very much blighted. Jefferson, Victoria, White Magnum Bonum, Early Orleans, Reins Claude de Bavay are the best. Figs, both on walls and standards, are a heavy crop. Raspberries a full crop and fine in quality. Bush fruits abundant and clear of blight. Strawberries are a very heavy crop, but deficient in flavour, owing, doubtless, to the wet,dull, and sunless weather which we have had. Our soil is of a light, black character, from 2 ft- to 4 ft. deep, resting on a gravelly sub-soil, and requiring in the summer time a good shower of rain every week to keep crops growing. I may mention that the Potato crop is good, but the disease is very prevalent in this quarter. — W. Watson. "Welford Park, Newbury. — Fruit crops in this neighbourhood are not going to turn out so well as was expected earlier in the season. Apples will not be so plentiful as they were last year ; there was abundance of bloom, and most of the sorts set pretty well, but more than three-fourths of the fruit have dropped off; many of the trees, both young and old, look as if they had been scorched, and some of the branches are quite dead. A few sorts are bearing an average crop and the trees are healthy, viz., Keswick Codlin, Eoklin- ville, Northern Greening, Lewis's Incomparable, Sturmer Pippin, and Cornish Aromatic. Of Pears we have but one-third of a orop ; the best are Josephine de Malines, Marie Louise, and Beurre Ranoe. Cherries are an average orop ; May Dukes are most abundant, but many of the Morellos have dropped, and the result will be a light JniT 13, 1878.] THE GARDEN. 41 crop. Plums an average on walls, bat very few on standards. Apricots are qnite a failure. Figs a light crop, but likely to be good in qnality. Peaches and Nectarines will be aboat half a crop ; none of the trees have had any protection this year. Strawberries are abnndant and good. Currants, Gooseberries, and Raspberries are fair average crops. — Charles Ross. Koyal Gardens, Windsor. — The froit crop here and in this neighbourhood is a very good one, more especially Apricots, Peaches, Nectarines, and Plums. These are plentiful, and promise to be excellent in qnality. The trees were covered with canvas every cold night from the end of January to the beginning of June. Cherries are above the average both on walls and standards; Morelloa especially are most abundant. Strawberries are a good average crop ; some varieties, such as Late Pine, Aromatic, Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury, Mr. Radclyffe, La Grosae Sncree, and Faii"y Queen, are bearing heavily ; but other varieties, such as Keen's Seedling, Sir Joseph Paxton, Unser Fritz, and Cockscomb, are thin, and many of the plants "blind." Pears are below the average; the trees generally were thin of bloom ; the fruit, however, promises to be excellent in quality, and at present free from spots. Walnuts are about an average crop ; bat Filberts are thin. Plums on standard trees are everywhere most plentiful; also all kinds of bush fruits. Taking the Apple crop as a whole, I may say that it is about an average one here. Blenheims are thin ; also the Wellingtons ; but Rosemary Rnsset, Scarlet Rnsset, Downton Nonpareil, Cox's Pomona, King of the Pippins, Cockle Pippin, Frogmore Prolific, and others are bearing heavy crops. Near here Apples in places are very thin, a circumstance probably owing to the cold, damp, and shady weather which we experienced towards the end of May and beginning of June. From May 21 to May 26 the day temperature ranged from 34° to 40"^ with a cold north and east wind. All Apples set well, and the dropping of the fruit I attribute to the above-named cause. — T. Jones. SOUTH MIDLAND DIVISION. Wycombe Abbey. — Apricots are a full average crop, and appear as if they would be early in ripening and good. Apples an average crop. Cherries under the average, and white kinds, which have not been protected from the effects of rain, are cracking. Morellos much above the average, and promiRO to be fine. Currants of all kinds a full average crop. Gooseberries very mnoh below the average, all the earliest being cut off by frost. Nuts below the average. Plums a full average crop and fine. Pears under the average. Peaches and Nectarines average. Raspberries full average. Strawberries over the average and very fine. Walnuts under the average. Cherries abound in this neighbourhood, but some varieties of these are but partial crops, and such is the case with Apples. In some places Pears are remarkably scarce. Amongst Plums, Victorias are bearing the greatest crop, and Gooseberries are plentiful on the higher land. — G. T. Miles. Bropmore, Maidenhead. — The soil about here ia mostly gravelly, and, in most cases, pretty much sheltered by hedgerow timber, such as Elm and Beech, where orchards are formed. There was a fine show of blossom of almost every kind of fruit, but the heavy rainfall and the continuance of an easterly cutting wind caused it to fall oS after one might have thought it to be qnite safe. Wall fruits fell very much. Apricots set well with me under a covering of Russian mats, and a good crop is the result ; but a great many fell off when about the size of marbles, and I hear that this shedding of fruit has occurred in other localities. — Philip Frost. Burnham, Bucka. — Apples here are a fair crop. Pears very thin. Plums and Cherries middling. Strawberries and Raspberries a good crop. Currants a fair crop. Gooseberries very thin. Walnuts middling. Peaches and Nectarines pretty good. Apricots a fair crop. Nuts and Damsons, thin. — J. Cliltird. Great Tew, Enstone. — Owing to the cold rains which we have had Apples are very scarce, Pears are about half a crop. Plums and Cherries about two-thirds. Of Apricots, Peaches, and Nectarines we have very few. Gooseberries are abont two. thirds of a crop. Rasp, berries, and Black, Red, and White Currants are full crops, and the same may be said of Strawberries. The orchard house is our only reliable place for crops of Apricots, Peaches, and Nectarines, and here, as usual, they are most satisfactory. This is now the eleventh summer of its existence, and every year has been the same — no dis- appointment ; and, as regards the trees in pots, they are as fruitful and healthy as at first. — A. Macfarlane. Blenheim, "Woodstock.— We had a profusion of bloom on all our fruit trees; but, nevertheless, with a few exceptions, we have not more than the tithe of a crop. There are scarcely any Apricots, the only exception being where the trees were thoroughly well pro- I teoted. Apples are but little better ; the moat certain bearer is Stir- ling Castle, young pyramidal trees of which carry good crops, whilst standards of Blenheim Pippin and Wellington (the best of all cook. ing Apples) have scarcely a fruit on them this year. Pears also are very partial, Marie Louise, Louise Bonne, and Beurre Ranee being the best bearers. I attribute our failure to the bads being frozen through in their embryo state, the nnnsually mild weather previous to April 1 having brought them to such a forward and tender condition as to be quite unable to repeatedly withstand 15'' and 16° of frost. To this must be added the late immature growth of last season. Cherries and Plums of all kinds are good, especially Damsons, which threaten to break down the trees with the weight of the fruit. Strawberries are also a very heavy crop and good in quality, Sir Joseph Paxton being one of the best fur main outdoor purposes, and gradually ousting President. British Qaeen and Sir C. Napier do not do so well on our limestone. Bush fruits, with the exception of Raspberries, are up to the average. Walnuts are a fair crop. Fil- berts and Cobs thin. The Potato disease is making its appearance. — William Cruiip. Castle Aahby. — The fruit crops in this neighbourhood are very unsatisfactory generally. Here we have a few dozen Apricots, and a small crop of Peaches, Nectarines, and Pears. Upon wall trees a medium crop of Plums and Morellos; on standards a small crop of Plums. Very few Apples or Pears ; on pyramidal-trained Pear trees very few ; on horizontally-trained Apple trees the same. Strawber- ries are plentiful, but the fiavoar is inferior ; too much rain for them in the early part of the season. Raspberries are araedium crop, but late in ripening, a remark which applies to all kinds of outdoor fruit, judging by the appearance of what has to ripen and what we have now harvested. Red Currants are a moderate crop, bunches small, having been injured by rain and wind. Of Gooseberries we have very few ; I never remember less. Black Currants plentiful and good. Very few Walnuts; a few Cob and Filberts. Mulberries pro- mise to be good. — G. Beech. Ramsey Abbey, Hunts. — In this immediate neighbourhood there will, I think, taking all things together, be an average crop of fruit. Apples are good, so are Plums, Cherries, and Peaches. Pears and Apricots, with a few exceptions, are rather thin. Strawberries and Raspberries are fine. Gooseberries are thinner than nsual, but the size of the fruit is much above the average. Currants (Black, Red, and White) are eood crops. Figa and ' -rapes are promiBing ; the latter quite free from mildew. Nuts of all kinds are very thin indeed. Our soil is a rather heavy loam on Oxford clay, interspersed with occasional beds of gravel. It is adhesive in winter, but dries rapidly in summer, and often cracks into deep fissures. We are well sheltered from the east, but much exposed to north and west winds, the latter being often violent. The following are the names of some of the best kinds of fruits in this district : Apples — Wellington, Lord Suffield, all the Codlina, King of the Pippins, Blenheim Orange, Juneating (Red and White), Royal Pearmain, Red Quarrenden, Scarlet Pearmain, Old Royal Rusaet, Bess Pool, Ribston Pippin, Waltham Abbey Seedling, Fearn's Pippin, Hawthornden, Sturmer Pippin, Yellow Ingestre, Scarlet Nonpareil. Pears — Autumn Berga- mot, Glou Moroeaa, Beurre Bosc, B. de Capiaumont, B. Diel, B. Ranee, B. Superfin, B. d'Aremberg, Duchease d'Angoulerae, Jar- gonelle, Bon Chretien (Williams'), Louise B^nne of Jersey, Marie Louise, Winter Nelifl, Swan's Egg, Seckle, Hessel, Paese Colmar, Ne Plus Meuris, Vicar of Winkfield, and Easter Beurre. Plums — Vic toria, Diamond, Early Prolific, Goliath, Pond's Seedling, Prince of Wales, Damson Green Gage, Transparent Gage, Kirke's, Coe's Golden Drop, Jefferaon, Reioe Claude de Bavay, and Washington. Peaches — Noblesse, Grosse Mignonne, Royal George, Prince of Wales, Bar- rington, and Walbnrton Admirable. Nectarines — Downton, EIruge, Pine-apple, and Pitmaston Orange. Apricots — Moorpark and Hems- kirk. Strawberries — Keen's Seedling, Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury, British Queen, Dr. Hogg, President, Sir C. Napier, Elton Pine, and Red Alpine. — E. Hobday. WEST MIDLAND DISTRICT. Madresfield Court, Great Malvern.— Fruit generally, though much more abundant than last year, is extremely partial. In some orchards crops are heavy, while in others, more especially in the case of Apples, they are suffering severely from blight, and much of the fruit, where set, has fallen off. In fact, more fruit falls this season than has been the case for some years. This is, I think, principally owing to the heavy rains and sunless days which occurred during May and the first half of June. Here espalier and pyramid Apples are producing fine crops. Amongst the beat bearers are Lord Suffield , Golden Spire, Hawthornden, Stirling Caatle, Golden Noble, Warner's King, Cox's Pomona, and Lord Grosvenor. The latter will be a great 42 THE GARDEN. [July 13, 1878. favourite when better koown, being an enormous bearer and similar in growth and appearance to Lord Suffield. Pears are generally a light crop, many of the trees producing bat little bloom. Plums are generally good, the hardier kinds on standards and pyramids being heavily laden; choicer kinds on walls are only a moderate crop. Apricots in some places, and especially against dwelling houses, are a good crop, but they suffered so severely on cold walls last season that many of the trees, where not killed, were seriously injured, and are this season barren. The same remarks apply to Peaches and Nec- tarines ; here we bad a full crop of fine fruit last year, and the crop is equally satisfactory this season. Of Peaches, our best varieties are Crawford's Early, Violette Hative, Barrington, Bellegarde, Late Admirable, and Walburton Admirable. Of Nectarines, EIruge, Oldenburg, Downton, Murray, Pitmaston Orange, and Victoria. These afford a good succession in the order in which they are named. Where climate and soil are suitable, Walburton Admirable Peach and Victoria Nectarine are especially valuable, prolonging the season of gathering well into October. Of bush fruits. Currants and Risp- berries are a fair crop. Gooseberries are a heavy crop here, but not generally. Strawberries bloomed well, but we have had too much dull wet weather for some kinds ; the best this season are Sir Charles Napier, La Constante, Sir Joseph Paxton, British Queen, and Oxonian ; the latter we grow extensively, finding it most valuable for late use, as, by trussing np and netting, it can be had until the middle of August. Potatoes are at pressnt looking remarkably well ; some fe(V instances of disease have occurred, but the present fine hot weather will, I trust, keep it in check. — WiLLiAii Co.\. Witley Court, near Stourport. — Fruit crops iu this district are again most unsatisfactory, and in some respects inferior to those of last season. Plums and Apples in some instances carry heavy crops, but this is by no means general. The great profusion of blossom gave every prospejt of an abundant fruit crop, which was somewhat remarkable, as the autumn was sunless, wet, and cold, and by no means congenial to the maturing of the wood. The failure this year is doubtless attributable to the severe frosts which we experienced in April and May. Apricots are a failure generally. Plums partial ; under average ; we have a famous crop upon walls where protected. Cherries very partial — half a crop — and of inferior quality ; trees much blighted ; Morellos and Kentish heavily cropped. Peaches and Nectarines half a crop ; trees healthy, protected by two folds of l.in. mesh netting. Apples generally scarce ; in low. lying situations they appear to have suffered most; trees much blighted. Amongst varieties bearing generally full crops may be named King of the Pippins, Lord Suffield, Keswick Codlin, that excellent kitchen Apple Ecklinville Seedling, Dutch Mignonne, Normanton Wonder, Yorkshire Greening, and Tower of Glamis ; Striped Beefing, oneof the mostcer. tain and best of our cooking Apples, is also bearing a good crop, as are also Hawthornden (new). Northern Greening, Golden Winter Pear, main, and Sturmer Pippin. Cider fruits are also partial and scarce. Of Pears we have very tew upon walla or standards; small fruits are of inferior quality, and the trees are much blighted. Gooseberries are a very light crop. Black Currants an average crop— fruit small. Currants are light, and Raspberries are under the average. Filberts are very thin, and Walnuts are a failure. Mulberries abundant. Strawberries are under an average, and inferior both in size and quality ; on President there is the best crop ; Vioomtesse Hericart de Thury and Dr. Hogg are bearing moderate crops. Potatoes in several instances show signs of disease ; otherwise the crops are promising. — G. Westland. Westwood Park, Droitwich. — As far as the gardens here are concerned the account I have to give is satisfactory. Gooseberries are a fair crop. Currants very fine. Strawberries excellent, Presi- dent and Carolina snperba being very fine. Garibaldi and La Grosse SucruB not quite so good ; Keen's Seedlings are a good crop, but after the first gathering the fruit is small. Plums are a heavy crop, though some say that during the past week one-half has withered and fallen off. We have well-laden trees of Early Favourite, Victoria, Kirke's, Green Gage, Peach, Jefferson, and Golden Drop. Morello Cherries are a full crop. Of Pears most of the trees here are bearing a good crop ; a large tree of Duohosse d'AngouliSme bloomed and set well, bnt every one fell off in the first week after setting. On the Jargonelle there is a good crop, on Bon Chretien an extra good one. We have fine fruit on young trees of Pitmaston Duchesse Souvenir da Congies, Beurre Snperfin, Knight's Monarch, and Glou Moroeau ; on walls Beurro de Capiaumont, Glou Morceau, Beurre Diel, Swan's Egg, Brown Beurre, Beurre Kanoe, and Crassane are thick ; on large bashes Gansel's Bergamot, Albertine, and Goubalt are a good crop ; on espaliers Marie Louise, St. Germain, Louise Bonne of Jersey, and Vicar of Winkfield are carrying good crops. Apricotsarea fair crop under glass copings, those unprotected being destitute of fruit. Most of the Peach trees that were worth it have had a cheap glass roof erected over them 11 ft. wide, with trees planted iu the front, and a flow and return pipe added. In this way we have secured a good crop, and the trees will soon pay for it by bearing crops annually. Another lot of trees has been grubbed up and twenty new ones planted in a new border ; these will be covered with an inexpensive wide glass coping. As to Apples, Cellini never has been without a crop anywhere that 1 have seen it, and here we have grand crops of it. It is a variety which every one should grow. A small tree of Worcester Pearmain is bearing a good crop ; Red Astrachanis loaded with fruit, also Prince's Pippin, Emperor Alexander, Lord Suffield, Stirling Castle, Keswick Codlin, and Blenheim Orange. Iu the orchards round here Pluma and Damsons are good crops, but Pears are partial. A neighbour with large orchards has only a few Apple trees bearing anything like a crop, and they are Tom Putt. There is a local kind grown here called ChuUey Kernel, and by some ChuUey Pippin, a great favourite. It is a medium-sizad, handsome, high- coloured variety, and bears a full crop almost everywhere. Cider fruit is but partial ; in some places next to none. — JOH.v Gough. Ashton Court, Bristol. — Apples and Pears here are under the average, both in orchards and gardens. The following kinds are bearing the best crops : Apples — Lord Burghley, Lord Suffield, Cellini, Dutch Slignonne, Hawthornden, Fearn's Pippin, Bedfordshire Foundling, Golden Winter Pearmain. Pears— Beurre Diel, Althorp Crassane, Huyshe's Victoria, Beurre Sterckmans, Thompson's, Williams' Duchesse de Angouleme. Of Peaches and Nectarines, there are good crops, whilst Apricots, Plums, and Cherries are much under the average. Strawberries are plentiful ; so are also bush fruits, with the exception of Gooseberries. Nuts of all kinds are very thin. 1 attribute the generally light crops of fruit more to the effect of the cold drenching rains which we experienced throughout the greater part of the spring than to the influence of frost. — John Austen. Alton Towers, Cheadle, Stoke-on-Trent. — Fruit crops in general here are very good. Strawberries, Gooseberries, and Currants are plentiful, but small. Damsons, Plums, and Apples are all excellent. Pears are not very g^od, and Apricots are a poor crop. Peaches are an average crop. The Potato crop is excellent, and I h ive seen no disease yet. We have suffered very much from rain ou heavy soils thu i far north. — T. Rabone. Drayton Manor, Tamworth..— Speaking generally, I am sorry to report that the fruit crops in this district are very light indeed. Pears are under half a crop, but the following are bearing fair crops on walls, viz. — BarronnedeMello, Beurre d'Amanlis, Beurre Diel, Brown Bsurre, and Glou Morceau ; on espaliers and pyramids — Beurro Clairgeau, Aston Town, Seokle, and Williams' Bon Chretien. Apples are about half a crop, excepting the following, which are bearing heavily, viz. — Lord Saffiald, Keswick Codlin, Manks Codlin, Hawthornden (new and old), Cat's-head, and Cellini ; the following are bearing medium crops, viz. — King of the Pippins, Ribston Pippin, Cox's Orange Pippin, Red Astraohan, Blenheim Orange, and Court Pendu Plat. Apricots are under half a crop ; the Royal is the surest cropper with us — these were well protected in spring. Damsons are quite a failure. Danyer's Victoria Plums are baaring heavy cropi as standards, and the following are fair on walls, viz., Cox's Golden Drop, Kirk's, and Reine Claude de Bavay. Plums generally are light. Raspberries are very good. Of Strawberries we never had better crops, especially from forced plants planted out last July; our best varieties are President, Sir Charles Napier, Keen's Seedling, Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury, and Dr. Hogg ; for cropping and general excellence I consider President the best Strawberry grown. Gooseberries are a light crop; so also are Black Currants. Red and White Currants are good crops. Apricots are the only trees protected with us. Our soil here is light, resting on gravel, and, being Situated rather low, and surrounded by water, we are very subject to spring frosts ; but, in my opinion, frosts have not had much to do with the fruit failure this year ; it is rather to be attributed mainly to last year's wood being imperfectly lipened, in consequence of the wretchedly wet and sunless season which we had. There were plenty of blossoms on all trees this spring (excepting Pears), with a promise of abundant crops, but no sooner had the fruit formed than most of it dropped ; especially was this the case with Apples and Pears. 1 observe that many of the bugh and pyramid trees are bearing heavier crops on the south and south-west sides this year than usual, which seems to me to point to the same fact, namely, better-ripened wood on the south side. — Owen Tho.«as. Tortworth Court, Qlouoeater. — The Apple and Pear crops in this district is much below the average. Although the bloom was very abundant and at one time very promising, it set badly and dropped off. Late fruits are by far the beat. Peach and Nectarine crops, protected only with old fishing nets, are abundant. Of Apricots we have very few. Plums on walls and standards are abandaut. Of Cherries we have a fall crop. Gooseberries and Currants are also July 13, 187S.] THE GARDEN. 43 good. Strawberries excellent. Nat trees her© produced but few oatkiDS, and the crop will be a light one. — Thos. Shingles. Eaetnor Castle, Ledbury. — After last year's failure, a dry, mild winter seemed to favonr all kinds of froit trees, which, Pears excepted, were laden with blossotn-buda, bat the sever© frosts which we had in May greatly injured stone fruits, and the incessant down- pour of rain damaged the Apple blossoms. The consequence is wO have in this district what may be termed a partial fruit year. Apricots are a fair half crop ; the trees very free from grub. Apples in favoured situations are plentiful and promising, while in low, cold soils they are in many cases a complete failure. Hawthornden, Keswick Codlin, and a kind known here as Izard's Kernel are fruiting well. The finer kinds, suoh as Ribston, Cox's Blenheim, and other Pippins, are very shy. Pears on walls, where there was blossom, seem to have set well. Marie Louise, Pitmaston Duchess, Knight's Monarch, Beurre d'Amanlis, and Duchesse d'Angoulume are carrying good crops. Cherries set well, but most of them fell off the trees. Bigarreau, Napoleon, Governor Wood, and May Duke are fairly good. Morellos on north walls are unsatisfactory. Plums are more plenti- ful than was at one time anticipated. Gisborne's Early Prolific, White Magnum Bonum, and Victoria are plentiful on bushes and standards. Coe's Golden Drop and Green Gage, a complete failure last year, are this season bearing good crops on walls. Damsons with us are plen. tiful. Peaches and Nectarines, where protected from the May frosts, are a full crop, in many cases requiring much thinning ; trees clean, healthy, and promising. Bellegarde, Grosse Mignonne, Prince of Wales, Barrington, two of the very best late Peaches, are bearing good crops. Nectaiioesof all kinds have stood well. Lord Napier should be grown extensively on west as well as south walls. Albert Victor, Stanwick, and Elruge are very fine, bat, like Victoria, they require a thoroughly good position and warm soil. Currants, Goose- berries, and Raspberries are abundant, clean, and fine. Strawberries on our cool soil are an immense crop, and the fruit is large and bright, the intense heat of the past week having just suited them. Walnuts promise to be abundant. Filberts light. — W. Colemax. NORTH MIDLAND DISTRICT. Radcliffe-on-Trent.— We are situated in the valley of the Trent, six miles east of Nottingham. We rise from the edge of the river up to the peculiar rounded uplands so characteristic of Netting- hamshiro, our soil^sandy, with gravelly bottom in the valley gene- rally, with variations of it up to the stiff clay of the higher lands — having a skerry bottom, which, I suppose, is a sort of bastard lias. The cliffs which overhang the Trent on the north side break the force of the winds from that quarter, as do also the highlands on the eaatern side, which finish at the head of Belvoir. The centre and lowest part of the valley, lying, as it does, in the hollow between these two elevations, is, however, swept by the north-east winds, and so in their course they do us deadly damage when spring frosts occur. Apples are a very good crop, and the trees are in moderately good health. The cold wet of May rather caused the early foliage to become stunted and blackened, but the new growths, since the hot weather set in, are all that could be desired. Keswick Codlin, Blen- heim Orange, Bess Pool, Northern Greening,Maltster,CaldweU, Barton's Free Bearer, and in some cases Ribston Pippin, are much grown. Apricots are a poor crop generally ; where the trees were sheltered by glass copings they are, however, abundant. The cottagers here grow many trees on their house walls ; on these it is only the late blooms that are set ; the frosts of the last week in March entirely destroyed the first and best blooms. Pears are a fair crop. Early Catherine and Welbeck Bergamot are two largely.grown market Pears. Jargonelle, Williams' Bon Chretien, Beurre d'Amanlis, Louise Bonne of Jersey, and Winter Nelis are very generally grown in gardens. Plums, taken as a whole, are a heavy crop. Mrs. Gisborne, Early Prolific, and Victoria are the heaviest croppers and the sorts chiefly grown. Damsons are a fair and even crop. Strawberries a good crop. Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury, Keen's Seedling, President (A 1), British Queen, Sir Charles Napier, and Frogmore Late Pine are sorts much grown. Amongst Raspberries, Fastolf and Pillbasket are the most grown ; they are bearing good crops. Currants — Black, Red, and White— are also good crops, Black especially so. Black Naples, Red and White Grape, and Raby Castle are the sorts mostly grown. Gooseberries are a middling crop. Brown Bob, Lancashire Lad, Warrington London, Antagonist, and Red Champagne are all grown, besides others, the first-named varieties being the most common. Altogether, our fruit crops are not so bad as they are in some districts. — N. H. Pownall. ChilweU. — I can give but a poor aooount of the fruit crops in this vicinity. We bad an abundant show of bloom on almost every- thing, but little fruit will be the result. Our main crop of Apples is very poor; many of the trees are bearing no fruic at all, and the best are but thin. Perhaps Keswick Codlin, Northern Greening, and Court Pendn Plat are amongst the best. Pears are very scarce ; there are a few Early Crawford, Grey Beurre, and Beurre de Capiau- mont, but many sorts are quite bare j on the walls I see Doyenne d'Ete and Marie Louise d'Uccle bearing well. Victoria Plums and Damsons are about half a crop. Apricots are very scarce. Cherries are plentiful, as are also Strawberries. Gooseberries and Currants are thin crops, and the Currant trees much blighted. — A. H. Peaesox. Thoresby Park, Ollerton. — When trees were in bloom heavy crops were anticipated, but many of the flowers never set, and many that did set dropped off when the fruit should have begun to swell. This applies to Apricots, Apples, Pears, Plums, and Gooseberries, of which we shall have about half a crop ; while Cherries, Currants, Raspberries, and Strawberries are abundant, and promise to be fine, especially Strawberries. As regards Peaches, Hale's Early is one of the best grown, being both early and large in size, with a fine colour when exposed to the sun. We have gathered a fruit of it off a young tree last week, grown in a late house, while fruits of Royal George, Grosse Mignonne, and others are not half swelled yet. — A. Hendersox "Welbeck, North Notts. — Fruit crops promised to be abundant this year early in spring. In May, however, the weather turned out excessively rainy, with a low temperature, and some of the varieties were attacked with aphides and blights, aud the young fruit, especially Apples and Pears, dropped off. In general these fruits will therefore be only partial crops, but nothing like a scarcity as there was last year. *' A. D" (Vol. XIIL, p. 630) gives an excellent list of Apples, growing in the bush form with him, that have borne freely this year, namely, Hawthornden, Lord Suffield, Mother Apple, Cellini, King of the Pippins, Sturmer Pippin, and to these varieties I have to add Irish Peach, Margil, Scarlet Nonpariel, Cox's Pomona, and Rosemary Russet, al! grown here on the Paradise stock. The Sturmer Pippin I set down as one of the most valuable Apples grown, for it is a sure bearer and keeps well all the year round in a good fruit room. If these better and free-bearing varieties of Apples were planted in quantities along with late keepers, such as Blenheim Orange, Orange Pippin, Reinette du Canada, Dumelow's Seedling, Dutch Mignonne, aud French Crab, in bad seasons there never would be a lack of Apples. On the strong soil of the kitchen garden here I find that Apples grown as bush fruit do best on the surface-rooting stocks, such as the Paradise and Doucin, and the Pears on the Quince stock. By adding litter or rich mould to the surface in dry seasons the trees are always kept fruitful. Pears on walls are only partially cropping this year, the best bearers being Beurre Bosc, Jargonelle (double-grafted), Beurre Giffard, Marie Louise, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Winter Nelis, and Hacon's Incompar- able. On iron trellis the following kinds are bearing well, viz., Seekie, Bezi d'Heri, and Catillac (stewing Pears), Beurre Clairgeau, and B. Diel, Noveau Poiteau, Bon Chretien (Williama'), Beurre Bosc, Louis Bonne, and Marie Lonise. The Apples on the same trellis are Small's Admirable, Court Pendu Plat, Alfriston, Pomme d'Api, Fearn'a Pippin, and Mannington's Pearmain. Of Plums, Victoria, Cox's Emperor, Prince Englebert, Diamond, Imperial de Milan, and Kirk's are bearing best. Cherries are only thinly cropped, except Morellos on walls and the Kentish on standards. Small busU fruits, such as Gooseberries, Raspberries, and Currants (Black and Red) are plentiful crops here, but the aphides have sadly destroyed the foliage and injured the fruit. Strawberries showed abundance of bloom, but the wet cold weather in May made many of the flowers " blind." — William Tillert. Chatsworth, Chesterfield. — Spring here was nnfavonrable. We had upwards of 10 in. of rain in May and during the first ten days of June ; consequently, vegetation made n o progress, not even the weeds. Since then the weather has been better. Of Peaches Nectarines, Apricots, and Figs, we grow none out-of-doors j we have to depend on indoor fruit chiefly the year round. Apples are a very thin crop. Plums none. Cherries good; May Duke, Elton, and Morello do best with us. Gooseberries are about half a crop; War- rington. Whitesmith, and Crown Bob are the best. Strawberries Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury, Underbill's Sir Harry (true) aud Harry Veitch are our best. Currants are fine crops; Whitei Red and Black, and Lee's Perpetual are excellent. Raspberries good • the best is Catbush's Prince of Wales. Pears Jargonelle, Marie Louise' and Louise Bonne of Jersey are the beat. Of Filberts we have none — T. Speed. Bloxholm Hall, Sleaford.— Frnifc crops early in the season looked most promising, but the lesult has not fulfilled our expecta- tions. This is not to be wondered at when it is remembered that we had an open, wet winter. In fact, we had no winter weather till the middle of March, when sharp frosts set in and continued up to the end of April ; Apricots, Peaohee, Pears, and Gooseberries were then 44 THE GARDEN. [July 13, 1878. in full bloom, and were very mnch cat op, except where well pro- tected. Apples, Cherries, and Pinms were not in bloom till after the sharp frosts were over. Apple bloasoma opened apparently very well, and in many cases the frait was partly formed; bat, being injured by frost, much of it dropped off; and the same may be said of Cherries and Plums. Apricots are a fair crop where well protected, but wh^re not protected they are a failare. Apples are a very poor crop, although we had an excellent show of blossom. Of Pears we have an average crop of some varieties, bat generally they are deficient, both in quantity and quality. Plums on standards are a failure, but a fair crop on walla where protected from frost and birds. Peaches and Nectarines are a fair crop where well protected. Cberries were most promising, but three parts of them fell off before swelling, leaving a very poor crop ; black fly has been very trouble, some on Cberry trees this season. Strawberries are most abundant and fine — in fact, I never witnessed such a crop ; Garibaldi is the kind chiefly grown here, and, in my opinion, it is the most useful Strawberry in cultivation. Figs out-of-doors are a fair crop, as are also Gooseberries, thoagh a little injured by frost and very much so by bull finches. Raspberries are a very fair crop, and the fruit is good. Eed Currants are under the average, and the banohea are smaller than usual, the severe frost nipping them whea iu bloom. Both White and Black Corranta are fair crops. Walnuts and Fil- berts are a partial failare. — David Lumsden. "Waterdale, St. Helen's, — Where gardens are well sheltered, fruit generally hereabouta is plentifal, bat in exposed situations the crops are thin. Kitchen Apples are plentiful, but choice sorts are thin. Pears in sheltered situations are bearing good crops, but where exposed they are light, both on walls and standards. Cherries of all sorts are good, especially the Morellos. Plums are only moderate, and amongst them there is a good deal of blight, with the exception of Damsons, which are mostly good. Where Gooseberries are well sheltered the trees are loaded to the ground, but where exposed they are almost fruitless, with the exception of the Red Warrington, which stands cold the best. Black and Red Currants are both well loaded. Raspberry bloom is plentiful, but looks poor and starved, as well as the foliage, even under favourable weather. Many fruits will be deformed, anS the same may be said of Strawberries, although bloom is plentifal on all sorts and the foliage looks well. — James Smith. Coleorton Hall, Ashby-de-la.Zouch. — Apples are thin crops in this eigbbourhood. Apricots thin generally about here. Pears very poor. Plums of most sorts are a good crop. Peachea and Nectarines are very abundant, requiring much thinning. Cherries of all kinds a good crop. Strawberries showed abandantly, but did not set well, on account of the long continued wet weather. Figa are a good full crop. Gooseberries are thin. All other bush fruits plentiful, bat much blighted. Filberts are an average crop. Of Walnuts we have scarcely any. — Montgomery Hendeeson. SOUTH-WESTERN" DISTRICT. Clevelands, Lyme Siegis. — The Apple crop in this neighbour, hood ia almost a total failure. Pears also are very scarce; although the trees flowered freely, very few fruit set. Apricots are not grown much in this locality. Cherries are scarce. Peaches and Nectarines in some cases are a fair crop; in others there are none. Strawberries are a fair crop. Plums a partial crop. Gooseberries, Black and Red Currants, and Raspberries are plentifal. As a whole, the fruit crops in this neighbourhood are much below the average, — Heitry MUNEO. Sherborne Castle. — Fruit crops in this neighbonrhood are any. thing but good this season. All kinds, with the exception of Pears, bloomed well bat weak, a circumstance which 1 attribute to the wood not being properly ripened last season, and to fertilisation not being able to take place owing to ao much wet weather at the time when they were in bloom. Apricots are very thin. Apples about two- thirds of a crop, and the trees are very much blighted. Cherries do not do well in this vicinity, with the exception of Morellos, and of those we have a moderate crop. Pears are a failare, with the exoep. tion of the following kinds, of which we have a few ou the walls, viz., Easter Beurre, Passe Colmar, GIou Morceau, Ne Plus Meuris, Beune de Capianmont, Jargonelle, and Marie Louise. Plnms are very poor, and Peaches and Neotarinea are a long way under the average. Nuts of all kinds will be scarce. Of Corrants, Gooseberries, and Raspberries there is a very fair crop, and Strawberries are the best we have had for many years past both as regards size and quantity. Keene's Seedling, President, Vicomtesse Hericart de Thary, and Sir Charles Napier are the sorts that I find do best here. I am sorry to say that the Potatoes are getting very badly diseased; it made its appearance here qnite three weeks earlier than usual. The soil in this neighbourhood is heavy, and is what is commonly called stone- brush ; oar sub-soil in low places ia of a gravelly nature, but ia generally, especially on the hilly grounds, very rocky. — W. G. Peag. NELL. Wilton House, Salisbury. — Apples hereabouts are a very bad crop. The early blossoms were destroyed by the severe frosts and wet weather which occurred in April, and the continaoos rain which prevailed throaghout the month of May was equally destructive to the late varieties. Of Apricots we have a fair crop ; they were pro- tected by means of three thicknesses of f -in. bird netting. Cherries are a fair crop. Currants medium. Figa not an average. Goose- berries scarce. Peaches and Nectarines, protected by canvas blinds, are good crops. Nuts and Filberts are scarce. Pears are a moderate crop. Plums good on walla only. Raspberries are a great crop. Strawberries abundant and fine, bat indifferent in flavour. Walnuts very scarce. — Thomas Challis. Carclew, Cornwall. — Apples will average half a crop ; they ara best where sheltered from southerly gales, from which exposed trees suffered very mnch last spring. Soil light loam, very shallow, soon dries and cracks. Some local but second-rate sorts do well. The following answer best with us, viz., King of the Pippins, Oslin, Braddick's Nonpareil, York Pippin, Blenheim Orange, Golden Harvey, Boston Russet, Adams' Pearmain, Keswick Codlin, and HawthorndeQ. Of Pears we have scarcely any. Soil very unsuitable, and the frait liable to crack. We get occasionally good specimens, but very second-rate as to quality. Beurro Clairgeau is our best cropper, bat generally has to be used in the kitchen ; Marie Louise, Gansel's Ber- gamot, Beurre Dtel, and Dachesse d'Angouleme are most satisfac- tory oa the whole. Apricots are not grown out-of-doors here. Peaches are a good crop, but the trees were much affected with swollen curl in spring, and we seldom get the wood ripened suffi- ciently. We cover with netting during the blooming period, but suffer from the east winds, the garden sloping sharply in that direc- tion, BO much so that the east wall affords no protection to the trees on the south wall. Nectarines do not succeed so well as Peaches, Of Plums we have one-third of a crop. The earliest ones do best; late ones often do not finish properly, and the same remark applies to Damsons. Of Early Cherries wjB have none ; Morellos half a crop. Figs generally do well, but this year they are scarce. Gooseberriea are a good crop and the fruit is fine in quality. Strawberries are a good ctop, but not so heavy as might have been expected ; Sir Chaa. Napier is by a long way the best all-round Strawberry which we grow here. Of Raspberries we have a good crop of very fine frait. We grow them on a north border; they do not succeed ia open quarters. Of Red aad White Currants we have two-thirda of a crop. Curiously euough, the bushes cast their foliage very early ; they will be quite bare by the end of this month or first week in nest, but I do not find that they suffer from this ciroamstance. Black Currants are a very good crop. For crops to succeed well in the garden here rain would be requisite every other day in summer, as mines — not worked in living memory — are in close proximity; in fact, they are under the kitchen garden, which, consequently, ia drained too freely. The soil is about 1 ft. deep, and the sub-soil useless for bringing to the surface. There are great complaints of the failure of the Apple crop in the surrounding neighbourhood, also of Pears in gardens. Apple orchards in this county are generally planted in low sheltered situations to guard against damage from winds, one, if not the chief, enemy to them here both when in blossom and frait. — G. Palmee. NORTH-WESTERN DIVISION". Worsley Hall, Manchester. — Fruit crops in this district generally are about the average. Stone fruits are never good here; our soil does not suit them. The garden is situated on the border of Chat Moss ; a good part of it is pure Moss ; thereat haa been heavily dressed with loam and day. Though the trees grow fairly well, still they have never borne good crops. Apples will be a fair crop, especially Lord Suffield and Keswick Codlin, which sorts do aa well as any. Irish Peach always bears well, but the fruit is under- sized and inferior. Pears are a good crop ; Beurre Diel and Easter Beurre are the only exceptions. Marie Louise promised well, but the blooms suffered in spring. Morello Cherries are heavily laden, and will help to take the place of Plums, which are deficient. Many of the earliest, and of course the beat, blooms of Strawberries were destroyed ; atill we have fair crops of rather small fruit. Vicomtesse Hericart de Thnry and President are the beet. La Grosee Suoree pro- mises well, and we are increasing our atock of it. Gooseberries are under the average, but good. Currants are a capital crop, except Black kinds, which are greatly injured by a mite which defies all attempts to eradicate it. Raspberries promise well, though the un- usually dry weather seems to be affecting their swelling. Peaches July 13, 1878.] THE GARDEN. 45 barely exist even on a aouth wall j all ours are under cover. — W. B. Upjohn. Abney Hall| Cheadle. — Thia, npon the whole, promises to be a fair fruit year with na. Of Strawberries, we have gathered a good crop of Black Prince for preserving ; the other two sorts which we mainly grow, Lucas and President, are now swelling aatiafactorily. The protecting material which we put on oar Vine borders for the winter is used in spring for putting between the rows of Strawberries, and this, we find, acts as a manure, and at the aame time keeps the fruit clean. Red Currants are a plentiful crop. Black ones an average crop. Raspberries are an average crop. Gooseberries a good crop. Apples are very abundant on some of the trees here, and when in blossom they were a fine sight. Pears are not nearly so abundant as Apples ; there is, however, a good crop on Williams' Bon Chretien, Beurre d'Aremburg, and a few others. Plums are a fair crop, the Victoria being overloaded. Cherries are an average crop. Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots are not much grown out-of-doors in this district. — Robert MacKellar. Crewe Hall. — Apples are scarcely up to the average hereabouts) and the aame may be said of Pears. Plums are very plentiful) mnch more abundant than they have been daring these last few yeara. Apricots and Peaches are under the average. Gooseberries the same. Currants are an average crop. Strawberries a very abundant crop, and the fruit large and good. Raspberries are also plentiful and good. Owing, I have no doubt, to the absence of sun- light and the low temperature daring the greater part of last summer and autumn, the fruit-bearing wood of many trees was imperfectly ripened and showed but little bloom, and in many cases much of that fell off without setting. Thia was especially the case with Peaches, Nectarinea, Pears, and Applea. Our soil is light and friable, and well suited for fruit trees, but rather too much shaded. We protect Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, and some Pears on the walls with canvas covers, which generally secure good crops j but this spring protection was not much needed, except in the case of Apricota, as we had no late frosts. Damsons are much grown in thia district, and this season they are a very good crop. The sorts of fruit upon which I rely for our principal supply are chiefly Moorpark Apricota ; Early Louise, Royal George, Noblesse, Early Alfred, Dymoud, and Walburton Admirable Peaches j EIruge, Rivers' Early Orange, Pine- apple, and Victoria Nectarines ; Green Gage, Cue's Golden Drop, Jefferson, Kirke'a, Victoria, and White Magnum Bonum Plums ; Jargonelle, Williams' Bon Chretien, Louis Bonne, Marie Louise, Winter Nelis, Glovi Morceau, and Easter Benrre Pears; Keswick Codlin, Hawthornden, Lord Suffield, Minohall Crab, Cat's.head, and Norfolk Beefing kitchen Apples; Irish Peach, Margil, Ribston and Wormaiey Pippins Court Pendu Plat, and Nonpareil dessert Apples ; President, James Veitch, and President Delacour Strawberries ; and for forcing, Keen's Seedling, Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury, La Groase Sucree, and President. — Wif. Whitaker. Eaton Hall, Chester.— The fruit crop, with the exception of Strawberries, Cherriea, and Plums, will be very much below the average in thia neighbourhood. Apples and Pears bloomed well, bat the crop is light. Apricots are scarce. Plums, both standards and on walls, are a fair crop. Gooseberries are very scarce indeed. Currants better. Strawberries are unusually plentiful and fine; on our stiff, heavy soil we find no Strawberry sucoeeda so well as Sir Harry.— Thos. Selwood. Belvoir Castle, Grantham.— The present season has taught us that there exist circumstances of weather as antagonistic to the well-doing of fruit trees as absolute froat. During part of April and May, the period when fruit trees were generally in bloom, no frost occurred, and the promise of Apples and Pears was very great ; but a blight fell upon fruit trees in June, the leaves curled and became blotched and disfigured by dead patches, and the fruit fell from many trees. Thus the crop of orchard fruit will be much less than was anticipated. It will be useful to record the kinds of Apples that are likely to bear satisfactory crops this season, and thus show constitu- tional hardiness. The record of rainfall during May, and a chilled soil Babmerged with wet from 4:^: in. of rain, was unquestionably one of the potent causes of the state of things I have described. The following Apples, situated in three large orchards and all in heavy Boil resting on liaa clay, show a aatisfactory amount of fruit, viz., Haw- thorndeo, Eve Apple, Downton Pippin, Cox's Orange, Pomona, Blenheim Orange, Beauty of Kent, Golden Noble, Northern Greening (a constant bearer), Golden Rasaet, Bess Pool, Lincoln Pippin, Caldwell, Ribston Pippin, Sturmer Pippin, Margil, Herefordshire Pearmain (very constant), King of Pippins (very prolific), Yorkshire Greening, and Frogmore Prolific (unfailing). Pears are not so badly blighted, but the fruit fell from standard trees in the same way as the Apples. The following kinds, trained on south-east and west walls, show well for fruit, viz., Old Crassane, Autumn Bergamot, Bergamotte d'Esperen; Soldat d'Esperen, Marie Louise, William's Bon Chretien, Orpheline d'Enghein, Bonne d'Anjou, Triomphede Jodoigne, Knight's Monarch, Doyenne d'Ete, Citron des Carmes, Beurre Diel, Beurra Clairgeau, and Josephine de Malines. Peaches moderate under Rendle's copiog. Apricots thin. Plums are excessively abundant, Victoria, Golden Drop, and Jefferson being too much loaded. The Cherry crop is also very abundant, especially Kentish. Strawberries are a large crop. Currants good. Gooseberries thin. — W. Ingram. Otterspool, liiverpool. — Fruit crops in thia neighboarhood are, generally speaking, good, except Peaches and Damsons, which are almost failures. The Apple crop here is fairly good ; but there are many cases just the reverse, and I hear many complaints of whole crops of Apples and Pears falling entirely off where the subsoil is at all heavy or wet. With a light soil and a fairly good situation, we are more fortunate here. All the old varieties of Applea and Peara are carrying full crops; Marie Louise, Louiau Bonne of Jersey, Beurre Diel, Passe Colmar, Glon Morceau, and Winter Nells are bearing excellent crops, many of which have had to be thinned more than once. Lord Suffield is the Apple for this climate, and, indeed, is good everywhere. Cherries are a moderate crop. Strawberries are quite a full crop, the best being those that were forced in pots last season ; old plantations are fast disappearing before the hot weather where the soil is light ; Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury and Sir Charles Napier are the most certain croppers. Gooseberries, Raspberries, and Currants are a full crop, and quite up to the ordinary standard in point of size. Potatoes are a fine crop ; I have noticed but one or two attacked with disease as yet. — W. Hinds, Haigh Hall, Wigan. — In this locality the Apple crop is under the average ; Lord Suffield and Cellini have done best. Peara are a very thin crop. Plums above an average, especially Victorias. Cherriea blossomed abundantly, but failed to set, and are not half a crop. Strawberries are fine and abundant. Gooseberries good. Red and Black Currants plentiful. Raapberries a very fine crop. The gardens here are very much exposed to east winds, which are every year more or less destructive to the fruit crops. — A. Jamieson. EASTERN DISTRICT. Culford Hall, Bury St. Edmunds. — ^At thia place, and as far as I can ascerain in this neitjh hour hood, the Apricot and the Peach crops may be said to be failures. Both looked at one time as promising as could have been desired, but 17"^ of froat on the morn- ing of April 1 proved too much for them even under a glass covering extending 6 ft. from the wall. The same low temperature proved in a great measure fatal to the Apple and Pear crops. A.a regards the latter grown as standards, nearly all are failures, except snob hardy sorts as Swan's Egg, Gieen Pear of Yare, and VVilliams' Bon Chretien, while very few Apple trees are bearing so much as half a crop. Plums on east and west walls are plentiful, but the trees are not in good condition, and can with difficulty be freed from aphides. Damson and other sorts grown as standards are failures. Moreilo Cherries on north aspects are looking promising and carrying good crops. Figs on open walls as well as under glaaa will be a light crop. Walnuts, Nuts, and Filberts will all be very light and partial, many trees being without a fruit upon them. The (i-ooaeberry crop ia very light, the aevere weather experienced during the first week of April having caused tho blooms to fall off in great numbers. Rasp- berries will be a moderately good crop, but the fruit appears to be smaller than usual. Currants of all sorts will be plentiful, and Strawberries are abundant and remarkably fine. I may add that some old trees here of the various kinds of deaaert Applea trained to a low wall with a west aspect are producing good crops, and the trees are looking more healthy than usually. Medlars are a fair crop, but Quinces are a failure. Taken altogether, thia season hereabouts will be distinguished by the paucity of the fruit crops generally. The soil here ia light and dry upoa chalky formation. — P. Grieve. Hardwicke House, Bury St. Edmunds.— In the gardeu here Peaches and Nectarinea are a fair crop. Apricota the same, where heavily protected with glass copings, nets, boughs, and canvas ; absolutely none under glass copings alone. Peara very meagre Jn blossom and thin in fruit. Apples promising when in blossom, which remained, however, too long on the trees ; it was also wanting in colour, indifferent as regards aetting, and much of the fruit fell off. The trees seem to be blighted with something much like mildew. Cherriea about half a crop; Morellos plentiful. Pluma a fair crop, especially the Victoria and Violette Hative on walla. As to excep* tionally good cropa, I can find none among Pears. Among Apples, the Keswick Codlin, Kerry Pippin, Warner's King, and New Haw- thornden are the best; Cellini, which has mostly set freely, is almost bare of fruit, unless in an exceptional case now to be noticed. A 46 THE GARDEN. [Jtjlt 13, 1878. length of diamond cordon Apples, stretching the whole length of the garden, and heavily protected with shrub branches, has hardly a barren tree in it, while the same varieties as pyramids are withont fruit. Gooseberries, Carrants of all sorts, and Raspberries plentiful. Strawberries in these gardens a full crop of fine fruit. As to the district, it is very bare of fruit. The walls, nnlesa where heavily protected, are almost bare. Pears have not been so thin for years. Pluma are also scarce, and Cherries, unless here and there. The Apples that have set are falling in shoals, pierced by a maggot, weakened by blight, or through imperfect setting. Gooseberries scarce ; immense quantities totally destroyed in flower cr in a young state. Currants generally a fair crop. Raspberries scarce. Straw, berries very varied ; the crop promised well generally, but was wrecked in many gardens by the continuous raina and wet cold weather that contioued up to Jane 20. Outdoor Figs are also thinner than naual. Never, perhaps, has fruit dropping been so prevalent as this season. It extends to all fruit, including Figa. At one period the latter showed well ; but the fruit has been falling fast for weeks, and comparatively few are left. The fruit prospects of the year are by no means bright. Fortunately, glass and artificial heat render us independent of the seasons to a great extent. The qualification is inserted advisedly, as I have heard this season of stone frnita and Grapes not being up to the nsual mark. It may be added, for the comfort of those who find consolation in having many companions in adver- sity, that the fruit crops of France seem but little brighter than our own. Cherries and Strawberriea are a fine crop acroaa the Channel, but beyond these the prospocts are anything but brilliant, and Peaches and Pears, nnlees in exceptional localities, seem little better than in England. — D. T. Frsn. Gunton Park, Norwich. — Peaches and Nectarines here are thin crops, though protected with frigi-domo ; Violette Hative and Barrington Peaches withstand the cold, esist winds here best. Apricots, protected with three thicknesses of fish nets, flowered well and set a heavy crop, but it was nearly all destroyed by the frosts which occurred on March 24 and 27 and on April 1 (when we had here 8*^). Apples are a heavy crop on some trees, while on others there are none. All flowered well, but in the case of many of the trees the blossoms were entirely destroyed by the heavy, cold rains that we had daily when the major part of the trees were in flower ; the trees promised so well that at one time I feared the crop might be too heavy. The kinds on which we have most frnit in this neigh- bourhood are Lord SuflSeld, Keswick Codlin, Nelson's Glory, Tower of Glamis, Ribston Pippin, and Red Astracban. Pears are a very thin crop; some of the trees promised well, but a very light crop is the result. The best crops are on Williams' Bon Chretien, Comte de Lamy, Josephine de Malines, Benrre Bosc, Jersey Gratioli, and Beurre Clairgeau. Strawberries are a fine crop ; the heaviest cropping kinds on our sandy loam are President, Sir C. Napier, Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury, Sir Harry, Sir Joseph Paxton, James Veitcb, Lncas, and Crimson Queen, Of dessert Cherries we have a fair crop of Bigarreaa and Napoleon ; Morello Cherries are very light. Cur- rants a heavy crop. Gooseberries medium. Filberts on pruned bushes a fair crop. Figs very thin. — W. Allan. Woolverptone Park, Ipswich.— The condition of the fruit crops in these gardens and around this district is most unsatisfactory, for although there was a good set of most of the hardier kinds such as Apples, Plums, Pears, and Cherries, the embryo fruit was evidently mnch injured during the severe frosts that prevailed towards the end of March, as the greater portion has since fallen off, and those that remain are swelling very irregularly and appear as if they wonld never attain their proper former size. This is more particu- larly the case with Plums on walls, and Cherries were nearly as bad, the stones of many of which were only just covered with skin, and these hung on the trees till quite recently, but the Plums we have had to thin. Gooseberries are nearly bare, many of the bushes being entirely so, and the bunches of Currants are very gappy, especially the Red and White kinds, but Raspberries are bearing fair crops. Strawberries gave promise of being unusually abundant and would have been so had the pollen a chance of ripening, but unfortunately the flowers were nearly always wet, which prevented the fruit from Betting in the free manner it otherwise would. The British Queens have suffered most and Ettons next, while Keen's Seedling and other kinds withstood the damp better, probably from being a little more forward and the weather a trifle better just at the critical time they were in bloom. Figs, which, owing to the favourable autumn and mild winter, were full of fruit have, since they came into leaf and the cold and wet set in, shed nearly the whole of them, so that the season for these will be one of the worst we have had for a long time past. Apricots are very Ihiu, but what there aie are swelling fast, and promise to be nnuanally fine. Peaches and Nectarines, where heavily protected by branches of evergreen and other coverings, in addition to wood copings, have fair crops, bat in all other cases the frost that occurred on the night of April 1 proved too much for them, and did a great amount of damage to the trees, from which they are only just now recovering. The Apple crop about here will be a very poor one, and in many places the trees are badly blighted, the leaves being discoloured and curled in such a manner as to look like having been bnrned or scorched by hot air, so shrivelled do many of them appear. The sorts bearing best are Cox's Orange Pippin and Keswick Codlin, the former an Apple that should be largely planted, as it seldom fails, and is one of the most satisfactory for both culinary and dessert purposes that can be grown. Pears are very thin on walls, but better on pyramids, and the trees, favoured by the heavy rains, are looking well and making plenty of wood. Passe Colmar is generally good with us in our light warm soil, as are also Glou Morceau, Marie Louise, Louia Bonne, Josephine de Malines, and Bergamotte d'Esperen, the latter two the only really late Pears that are worth growing, and even these require good aspects to get them well up. — J. Sheppard. Audley End, Saffron Walden. — The gardens here lie very low and close to a river, consequently, we suffer very much from spring frosts; the soil is rich and pretty deep, resting on a gravelly sub- soil. Most kinds of Pears do pretty well on the Quince stock. On some varieties we have a good sprinkling of frnit, but many trees had no bloom on them. A few of the earliest kinds were injured here by frost on April 1, but in the higher districts they escaped. Apples do well generally in this neighbourhood, but in the gardens here they often ripen prematurely in dry seasons; this year there is not half a crop. Apricots set well, but the frosts in April, even where covered with thick canvas, with but few exceptions killed the yonng fruit. This is the only kind of fruit tree to which we give any protection. Cherries are a fair crop, especially Morellos, which do remarkably well here. Currants of all kinds are abundant, with the exception of some of the newer varieties of the Red, which show the bloom before the leaves. These were very much injured by frost. Figs are promising ; the Brown Turkey is the only variety which we grow. Gooseberries were nearly all killed on April 1. Peaches and Nectarines might be put down as almost a total failure, excepting in the higher districts, where there are fair crops. Here the last few bad seasons have nearly killed the trees. Of Nuts we have a sprink- ling, with the exception of Walnuts, of which we have scarcely any, but in higher places they are better. Of Plums we have a very fair crop; most varieties do pretty well here. Raspberries are a fair ijrop. Strawberries are abnndant and very fine; our best varieties on this light soil are Sir J. Paxton, President, Keen's Seedling, and Black Prince for the earliest, and which do well if fresh planted every year. We also grow Trollope's Victoria, Elton Pine, and British Queon. Other varieties we have tried, but the above are the best. None of them do well, however, more than two years. — J, Bryan. YORKSHIRE. Wortley Hall, Sheffield, — The crops of Apples and Pears here will not be so good as they promised to bo when the trees were in flower. Two or three cold days, with occasional showers of sleet and hail, after a week or two of almost forcing weather, just when the fruit was setting, did considerable injury to the blossom; still there will be a good sprinkling of fruit. Cherries are good, Plums poor generally, and Apricots scarce. Small fruits are a light crop, except Strawberries, which are plentiful, but late, Black Prince not yet (July 3) having yielded a gathering in the gardens here. Potatoes were rather diseased-looking a fortnight ago, but the late warm weather has restored them, and they now promise well. No body in this district remembers such a plague of slugs as has been this season ; crops have only been saved after frequent sowings and much trouble. The rainfall during the latter part of May and the beginning of June was over 8 in. — J. Simpsox. Ribston Hall, "Wetherby, — Fruit crops this season are nnuan- ally light. Apricots, though on a south wall and protected with old nets, are a very thin crop. Peaches and Nectarines are very partial ; some have to be thinned, others are almost destitute of fruit. Gregory's Late, Barrington, and Walburton'a Admirable Peaches have set well. Plums on walls have set well ; Coe's Golden Drop, Victoria, Kirke's, Jefferson's, and Reine Claude de Bavay are good. All standard and bush Pluma are almost a failure. Pears are also very partial. The lower leaves are mnch affected with spot, caused^ no doubt, by the late rains ; and Apple trees have suffered in the same way. The ground under the trees is covered with dead leaves. On Beurre Diel, Winter Nelia, and Beurre d'Aremburg there are good crops. Of Marie Louise we have but few. Apples are nnneually thin and the trees look miserable. Keswick Codlin and Manka Codlin are July 13, 1878.] THE GARDEN. 47 the best. Eibston Pippin, which has not failed for twenty j ears to produce as many as we required tor dessert, I should have no difE. culty in counting this year. Gooseberries are thinner than I have known them for years, Ashtons especially, and yet in the case of Borne of the Lancashire show sorts we have bad to use props to l^eep the fruit from the ground, so heavily are they laden ; they were iu bloom early, and got out of danger before the frost of April 1. Strawberries and Raspberries are fair crops. Cherries are not worth netting, except Morellos. If crops of fruit were like the crop of slugs, we should have no reason to complain. — Tnos. Jones. Brettou Park, Wakefield. — The state of the fruit crops ia this neighbourhood is far below what was at one time expected. Since the end of April to the beginning of last week we had not one sunny day, the weather being wet, damp, and cold, and even occa- sionally frosty at night ; consequently, the trees have become infested with mildew and fly. Peaches, Apricots, Plums, and Pears on walls are almost a failure J standards of the two last-mentioned are fruit- less. Apples are scarce ; many trees have not a fruit on them. The only kinds that are bearing full crops are Lord Nelson, Hawthornden, and Ribston Pippin. Strawberries, Raspberries, and Currants are abundant. Gooseberries about one-third of a crop ; in many gardens near here there is not a single berry. Cherries have dropped while stoning. May Duke has proved the best. Morellos are a poor crop. The soil in this neighbourhood is generally of a heavy stiS character, with a clayey subsoil. — Geo. Clifiok. Thorpe Perrow, Bedale.— Fruit crops in this part of the North Riding of Yorkshire are anything but good generally. Apples are almost a failure. At this place the early autumn sorts are pretty good, but late sorts were killed on May 19 by hail and snow, followed on the same night by 7° of frost. Apricots are a very moderate crop. Kentish Cherries are very abundant; other sorts not so good. Pears are good generally, especially Marie Louise, Beurro Diel, Winter Nolis, and Glou Morceau. Peaches, too, are good. Plums on many trees required considerable thinning. All kinds of bush fruits are very abundant. Strawberries are plentiful and fine. Apple trees have suffered very much from the cold, wet spring, and the leaves are falling from the spurs as if it were autumn, — William Culver. WELL. Grimston Park, Tadoaster.— Apples hereabouts are, on the whole, a light crop ; Cox's Orange Pippin, Lord Suffield, Warner's King, and a local variety called Cockpit, are our most regular cop. pers. Apricots are thin ; Moorpark ia the variety mostly grown in this part of Yorkshire. Peaches and Nectarines are also scarce ; Royal George, Bellegarde, Early York, and Walburton Admirable are our best Peaches, and Tiolette Hative the best Nectarine. Plums are thin on standards, but fair crops on walls; Victoria, Jefferson, and Green Gage are the best croppers. Winesonra are very much grown as standards; Sherburne, some few miles from this, is quite noted for them. One grower there can nsually dispose of his fruit at about lOs, per peck of 18 lb. Cherries are thin, even Morellos, which nearly always produce heavy crops. Pears are partial ; on Jargonelle and Marie Louise, which are our best cropping sorts, there are fair sprinklings. Small fruits are abundant and promise to be fine, with the exception of Gooseberries, which were much damaged by the severe frosts and snow which we had about the middle of April, These frosts are blamed for the generally thin crops which we have hereabouts, bat, in my opinion, they are not the true cause of the failure. For my own part I never expected good crops of choice fruit this year, at all events in the north. Could good crops (excluding small fruits) the year after snch a cold, wet, sunless summer as we had last year be expected P We had plenty of bloom on all kinds of fruit, bnt it was weak, and in many cases very imperfectly developed. Our soil here is a stiff loamy one, restin" on maguesian limestone. — H. J. Clatto.v. NORTHERN DIVISION. Eaby Castle,— Apples are almost a failure, although there was plenty of bloom and at one time apparently a good portion of it had set, but there was unquestionably debility both as regards bud and flower, arising no doubt from the want of sunshine last year. Trees that I have trained against walls, such as Ribstons, are brinoioo- forward good healthy crops ; a few other trees in very sheltered situations are producing good half crops and are in good health, but trees more exposed have a wretched, stunted appearance, the tops of the shoots being all scorched as if by fire. Pears ate a light crop, bnt the trees are remarkably clean and healthy. Of Apricots we have plenty, if quality be preferred to quantity,and the treesare making strong growth, but canker is still making sad havoc where not im° mediately cut out. Branches which are diseased should in all cases be cut off just below the cankered part. Every particle of canker | should be cut out, leaving nothing but what is perfectly sound and healthy. Healing the wounds would be greatly facilitated by plastering them over with fresh cow manure and clay well mixed together. In this way air ia excluded and a little moisture is re- tained about the wound, whioh greatly assists the healing process. I have always observed that what are termed *' rider " Apricots are less susceptible to canker than dwarf trained ones. We have here a rider trained between two dwarfs, and both the latter are dead. Canker, I imagine, originates at the point of union between the graft and stock, which probably is the most sensitive part of the tree. These unions in the case of dwarfs are made so close to the ground, that they are constantly exposed to extreme variations ; therefore nursery- men should provide ua with trees having stems 3 ft, high instead of aa many inchea. Peachea and Nectarinea are not grown here on open walls. Cherries of the dessert class are good ; of Morellos we have very few. Plums are a good crop ; of Victoria and some of the free setting kinds wo have abundance ; but no Damsons, Of Gooseberries we have only a few ; the bushes, like Apple trees, are very much blighted. Currants, Black and White, are abundant, of Red there is about half a crop. Raspberries are plentiful, but stunted. Of Strawberries, plenty set, but only a few are swelling, and these are small, — R. Westcott, Lambton Castle, — Fruit crops in Durham suffered severely from late frost, more especially from that which occurred on May 21, which caused most of the early fruit to drop. Apples here are best on pyramids, eight years' planted, in a heavy soil. All bloomed freely, and showed signs at one time of great abundance ; but now those which have most fruit on them are the following, viz,, Ribston Pippin, Mannington Pearmain, Scarlet Nonpareil, Boston Russet, Reinette du Canada, Magnum Bonum, Keswick Codlin, Rymer, Lord Suffield, Cellini, Blenheim Orange, Cockle Pippin, Claygate Pearmain, King of the Pippins, and Manks Codlin, Pears suffered in the same way aa Apples, The following are bearing most fruit, viz., Eister Baurre, Jargonelle, Incomparable Baurre, Uessle, Green Yair, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Althrop Crassane, Banrre de Capianmont, Vioar of Wink, field, Beurro Superfin, Passe Colmar, and Comte de Lamy, Apricots are a failure, and the same may be said of Peaches and Nectarines, except in favoured spots where protection has been given them. Cherries are a good average crop and fine in quality. Plums are also well cropped and, to all appearance, going to be good. Gooseberries suffered sadly from late frosts, very few fruits being retained on the bushes, whioh are healthy. Strawberries are good, both in crop and quality. Currants of different kinds are fairly represented ; also Raspberries, Lambton Gardens lie on the banks of the River Wear, about seven miles from Sunderland, and so near the level of the aea, that the river rises some 6 ft, or 10 ft,, so influenced is it by the tide, causing vegetation to suffer much fi'ooi early and late frosts. — J. HUNIEK. Seaham Hall, Sunderland, — The gardens here are about ISOO ft, from the sea, and we are therefore subject to easterly winds and a constant change of temperature. They slope towards the south and are surrounded by trees. The soil consists of two kinds — one light and sandy, the other a stiff clay, which becomes hard and bad to work, except iu wet weather ; in fact, we can do with a shower daily, as the garden lies on limestone rocks. The locality produoea little fruit, except common sorts. Apples are scarce in this district ; Hawthornden, Ribston Pippin, and a small Pippin supposed to be Dowuton, are the only sorts that are bearing a crop ; these are rather exposed to the wind, and therefore were in blossom later than the others ; there was abundance of bloom, bnt at that date we had cold wet weather. Pears are very scarce ; on common aorta there are a, few, but good sorts will not ripen. Plums will not set their fruit being too near the sea. Peachea and Nectarines have set a fair crop on walls, but they are never worth the trouble of culture out-of-doors. Raspberries are always a sure crop, and they look very promising this season. Strawberries are also always a good crop, but they require a wet season; at present they look promising. Gooseberries of all sorts do well ; the only risk they run is from late spring frosts and east winds. Since I left off pruning the bushes I get double the quantity of frnit, owing to the branches protecting the blossoms, and in a few seasons they require no pruning, as they make no wood. Of Currants, Black and Red, we are always sure of a crop, as they flower tau days later than the Gooseberries. Potatoes look well ; they have plenty of foliage and no signs of disease. Slugs and weeds have bean very troublesome thia season, — R, Draper, Alnwick Castle, — Fruit crops in this neighbourhood are not very satisfactory. With us Apples are almost a failure, with the excep- tion of late aorta. Apricots are rather thin, but what frnit is left ia looking well, and the trees are clean and healthy. Early Cherries are a fair crop ; Morellos very thin. Currants and Gooseberries, with few exceptions, are tolerably good. Raspberries and Strawber. 48 THE GAEDEN. [July 13, 1878. ries are abundant. Peara are a good crop, except where mnch ex. posed ; most sorts do well here. Green Gage Plums are thin. OE others sorts we have good crops. Golden Gage is one of the best Plums with which I am acquainted, and a sure cropper if properly managed. Peaches and Nectarines on a south wall, well sheltered, are a good crop ; on another south wall, more exposed, they are very thin, but the trees are all healthy and making good wood ; Prince of Wales, Dr. Hogg, Royal George, Barrington, and Bellegarde Peaches ; Pine-apple, Pitmaston Orange, EIruge, and Hardwiok Seedling Nectarines, are most to be depended on in such seasons as those we have had of late. We seldom suffer from late frosts here, as the soil is light and dry, at an elevation of nearly 200 ft. above sea level. What we suffered most from, both this year and last, is the long con. tinuance of cold wet weather during the flowering and setting period. We protect stone fruits on walls ia spring with double her. ring nets, stretched tightly on poles, 4 ft. apart and 2 ft. from the wall at the ground, their tops being under the coping. I have tried many kinds of covering for trees, bat I have found nothing to equal herring net if properly put up. Its cost ia not much, and the trouble attending its application very little. It affords great protection to the trees, and does not obstruct light and air. — A. Ingram. Shawdon Hall, Alnwick.— The Apple crop in this district is again all but a failure. Notwithstanding the sunless year of 1877, the trees were loaded with blossom and great hopes were entertained of an abundant crop, but this has not been realised. The flue weather in March was followed by heavy rains during the latter part of April and May ; the temperature of the nights hardly ever rose above 35°;' and the result is, that that most valuable and indispensable of out.door fruits, the Apple, has again failed, and not only is the fruit a failure, bat the foliage of the trees in many places is blighted and falling to the ground as it it were early autumn. Small fruits vary much in different places. Gooseberries have failed in some quarters, while ia others they are a fair crop. The same holds good regarding the different sorts of Currants. Strawberries are exceptionally fine this year; they are late, but likely to prove an abundant crop. Raspberries have suffered from the same cause as the Apple trees, and their foliage is blighted and falling off. Wall fruits have become such a precarious crop in oar northern district, that no correct statement respecting them can be given. The Peach only comes to fall per. fection in exceptional situations, but under glass both it and the Nectarine attain a quality eqaal to that obtained in any district in. England. This year there is a fair crop in places even where no protection has been used ; in others where different kinds of ma. terial have been kept on the trees the fruit is a failure. It therefore becomes a question worth consideration whether or not in wet springs covering fruit trees with netting of various kinds does not do more harm than good. I have seen nets in some places kept over the trees even during the day. Apricots are an average crop in most places; unlike Peaches, they are healthy and clean in the foliage. Moorpark ia the standard kind in the north of England, other varieties are only grown for succession. Plums are seldom taken into account in many parts of this district; the old sorts are still the only kinds to be seen in many of our best gardens. This is to be regretted, as they form a valuable addition to the dessert table. River's Early Prolific is a most useful early variety; nevertheless, it was so little known in tV.is district, that the firat time I showed it in a collection of fruit few people would believe that it waa a Plum ripened in the open air in the early part of August. This fine early Plum can be followed up by other sorts in succession till October. The Cherry crop is very meagre ; the fruit did not atone, and consequently have dropped. Altogether, the fruit crop in Northumberland is below the average both in quantity and quality. This last defect is owing to the blighted state of the foliage, caused by an extremely low temperature. — J, Thomson. Figs in Pots. — At Messrs. Veitoh'a Frait Tree Nursery I recently saw several ranges of houses exclusively devoted to Figs in pota, and most useful they are where forced Figs are in request. The old Brown Turkey kind still appears to maintain its popularity, and, amongst new sorts, Negro Largo seems to be held in high esti. mation, while some other kinda not yet in commerce appear likely to eclipse all their predecessors as regards fruitfalness. The merits of Figs of the newer kinda are only juat beginning to be recognised, and for the future better places must be found for Figs planted out than the back walls of Vineries and similarly shaded honsea. No wonder that a plant which revels in aunshine in much hotter countriea than this could not ripen its wood or the fruit attain its maximum flavour under such circumstances ; bat keep the roots under control in pota or in brick compartments, and give the topa all the light and air possible, and the Fig will now, aa of old, maintain ita proverbial character for fertility. — J. Groom. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Orange Nectarine.— Will this Nectarine stand forcing ? This seaeon it ia a failure with me, although erery attention haa been paid to it, Buch as watering and setting the bloom.— E. S. [The Orange Nectarine is not a good forcer ; at least, such is oar experience. We prefer the following for that purpose, viz., Bh-uge. Pitmaston Orange, and Violette Hative.— ff". W.] "Weeds on Lawns-— is there anything that will kill weeds on lawns, such as Daiiioa, Buttorcaps, &c. — Subscbibeb, [Try Watson's lawn eand.] Sudden Failure in Raspberries.- The Raspberry plantation alluded to in last week's Gabden (p. 21) will require renewing. The treatment could not have been better, and we can only account for their sudden failure by a want of vigour to enable them to withstand the extreme heat of the last ten days of June. Raspberries prefer a moist situation ; it cannot be too moist; provided the drainage is effectire.—W, W. H. Tropseolnm azureum. — In answer to " D.," I may state that I have emplojed both the balloon and flat trellises, and with care in training the plants may be made to cover them from the pot upwards. I have found them, however, to grow stronger when allowed to ramble in a more natural and unrestrained manner, as on a trellis near the roof. The manner of training, as well as the situation, which *' D," has described as having snited Jarratti will do equally well for this species. — J. Cobithill. Names of Plants. — Correspondenfs wishing plants to he named will oblige hy complying with the following rules : To send the specimens as complete as possible, i.6., both stem, leaves, andjloicers, and fruit, when possible. We cannot attempt to name plants from single leaves. To carefully pack them in gutta-percha tissue, or other impervious material which will prevent evaporation. Not to send varieties of popular flowers, such as Fuchsias or Pansies, which are best named bg experienced growers of such plants, who have the means of comparisoJi at hand, Not to send mora than four plants or flowers at a time. Always to send, in addition to whatever pseudonyms or initials they may desire to use in the paper, their full name and address. To pre-^ag all packages containing plants or flowers. C. 35, TF". — 1, Cereus serpentinua. 2. Echinopsis Eyrieai. 3. Opuntia oylindrica. 4. Pereskia aculeata. ■ -P. B. — Adenacalymna comosa. Mrs. M, A, — Roses should be sent to some Rose grower, who has the means of comparison at hand. C. JP.— Teacrium fraticans.— J". E.—\. Pastinaca sativa. 2. Scabioaa arvensis. 3. Carduus arvensia. 4. Centaurea nigra. Bentham'a Handbook of the British Flora. IF. C— The orange-flowered shrub appears to be a Casaia. The other — not in flower— ia indeterminable. Sub. — The Wolah Poppy (Meconopsis cambrica). Amaryllids and their Treatment.— What ia the proper treatment, at this season of the year, of Amaryllis Belladonna, vittata, and the Nerines. Will yoa kindly ask someone when they should be dried off ? and for how long ? and when started aE;aia ? Should they be kept without any water, like the other kinds of Amaryllis ? By proper attention to growing and resting, can they be made to bloom every year, like Amaryllis Prince of Orange or Regina ? I have no greenhouse, only cold frames and hot beds. — Ja3. R. Townsbnd, Cedar Street, New York. [Amaryllia Belladonna for flowering in pots should be treated somewhat the same aa Vallota purpurea. After flowering it should have plenty of water, and should be nearly shut up in a close frame until it baa made good flowering bulbs for the next season ; then it shoald be gradually dried off. It does beat out.of-doors, but to grow and flower it well the bulbs should be planted about 6 in, deep iu a good rich border in the full sun, where they may remain for years without being transplanted, and will produce an abundance of flowers. Amaryllis vittata should be treated precisely the same as other Amaryllises. Kerines also require much the same treatment as Amaryllises ; they flower chiefly in autumn, and if properly dried off the flowers are thrown up before the foliage. Aa soon aa the flowering is over, the plants should be placed in a close frame and kept well syringed, so aa to make good flowering bulba for the fol- lowing season. — B. S. W.] Questions. Stamp the World Eeach.— Do any of your correspondents know any thing of this Peach? Grown in the same house, it succeeds Royal George and Violette Hiitive. We find it to be a very free bearer, and the fruit to be large and handsome and a good traveller. — A. Hbitdbbsow, Thoresby Park^ Ollerton, Care for Rats.— Will Baron Von Baekhoven (see p. 16) inform ua what is meant by common Squills ? Is it Scilla nutans ? or Ornithogalum Squilla (the Officinal Squil), which ia said to be poiaonous to aeveral animals ? Informacion on this point is required.— P. Bibb. Roses in Boaquets.- At a recent horticultural show I was an exhibitor in a class worded in the schedule as follows : '* For the best Bouquet of Greenhouse Flowers." Would the judges be considered justified in disqualifying nbouquet on the ground that it contained a Rose or Roses ? — Coa'STi.irT Rbadbb. - Viola Ardwell Gem.— This is a clear yellotv variety, which is exceedingly dwarf; indeed, it literally creeps along the ground, and the flowers, which are produced in profusion, are thrown well up above the foliage. For bedding purposes it is all that could be desired. — W. Paul, Paitleg, July 13, 1878.] THE GARDEN. 49 THE EOOKS AND ROOKERIES OF LONDON. By Edward Hamilton, M.D., F.L.S. With the exception of the ubiquitous house sparrow, no birds frequenting oar London parks and trees are so familiar to us as our black-coated friends the rooks, or, as they are commonly but erroneously called, crows. Winter and spring, summer and autumn, they may be seen stalking about searching for food, confident in their security, claiming friendship with man, yet wary withal, for they never allow too near an approach. Never disturbed by crow- boy or gun, their progeny protected, and allowed to gain maturity, no rook. shooting parties to molest them, they are happy in the dust and turmoil of this overgrown city. The rook, indeed, is to the citizen what the nightingale is to the conntryman — the harbinger of spring ; and there are few pleasanter sounds in Nature than the harmonious cawing from the lofty Elm which greets the ear at Eastertide. We never pass beneath a rookery in early spring, or listen to the distinct voices of our sable friends without being reminded of Longfellow's lines in "The Birds of Killingworth" : — Do you ne'er think what wondrous beings these ? Do you ne'er think who made them and who taught The dialect they speak, where melodies Alone are the interpreters of thought? "Whose household words are songs in many keys Sweeter than instrument of man e'er caught ! Whose habitations in the tree-tops even Are half-way houses on the road to heaven ! Alas ! the rooks and rookeries so pleasant to old Londoners are gradually diminishing and disappearing, and the London rook, to our grandchildren, will be a bird of the past. The cause is not far to sesk. The extension of buildings limits their feeding ground, and they have farther and farther to go to seek sustenance for themselves and their young. The parka are now so cut up with walks and so frequented, that the birds can find but little repose and but scanty subsistence. When the writer first came to London the Elms in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens were in the finest condition. Herds of fallow deer frequented the glades, and there was only one walk across Hyde Park from where the Marble Arch now stands to the Wellington Statue. All the rest was luxuriant Grass, affording abundant food for birds and beasts. " Tempera mutantur ! " Beginning westward, the first rookery to notice is that in the grounds of Holland House, one of the most ancient in the land. The trees bordering the high road were formerly covered with nests j now there are only fonr, and thirteen more in the avenue. In the days when Addison wrote, and in later days, when Sheridan, Jeffery, Byron, Brougham, Lyndhurst, Tom Moore, Macaulay, and a host of other wits and celebrities passed under that grand avenue to the splendid hospitality of that glorious mansion, the rookery was in its prime. Those great names are reminiscences of a great time in England's history, and are now of the past, and so soon will be the rooks and the rookery. A colony of rooks has existed for many years in the high trees in the north part of Kensington Gardens. This rookery, in 1836, extended from the Broad Walk near the Palace to the Serpentine, where it commences in the Gardens, and there must have been very nearly one hundred nests. The rooks were very busy and their voices very merry when our present gracious Queen first saw the light in the south-east apartments of Kensington Palace, on May 2-i, 1819 ; and their descendants were as merry and as busy when her Majesty held her first Council on her Accession, in that same Palace, on June 28, 1837. Even now the younger scions of onr royal family can hear the *' caws " of the old and the feeble cries of the young rooks, descendants of the old colony, now, alas! reduced to thirty.one nests, and confined to a few of the upper trees skirting the Broad Walk near the North Gate. A few years ago a pair of rooks took possession of the Plane tree in the grounds of the Deputy Ranger of Hyde Park. The colony increased, and numbered ten nests in 1870; dwindled again to two in 1874 ; increased to seven in 1877 ; and again diminished to two in 1878. Some new buildings have been erected close by ; this may be the cause of the diminution at the present time. A rookery formerly existed in the Green Park, in the Elm trees at the end of the garden belonging to the Green Park Lodge, the residence (if my memory|servea me) of the late Princess Amelia. When the lodge was pulled down some of the trees were also destroyed and the rooks all left. The rookery in Chesterfield Gardens then existed, but I think about this time the nests in Wharncliffe Gardens were commenced, and (as I suspect) by the rooks from the Green Park which migrated from those trees. If the great Lord Chesterfield could revisit the scene of his great, ness here on earth, what would he see ? His house remains, it is true, but in what desolation ! The garden, described by Beokford as the finest private garden inLondon, entirely destroyed and covered with modern mansions ; the stately Elms, with their sable inhabitants all gone J the beautiful colonnade in the courtyard demolished j nothing but the mansion left, despoiled of all its beauty and significance ! In those old Elms above that old bulging wall in Curzon Street there were, in 1816, close upon fifty nests, and two in Lord Whamoliffe'a garden. Now the trees are all gone and the rooks too. The colony in Wharncliffe Gardens has increased from two to ten nests, which are at present confined to three or four Plane trees behind the mansion. A year or two ago there were a few in the trees in the outer garden. In 1875 a rook'a nest was built and the young hatched in a tree at the back of Hereford Square, Brompton. The following year the birds returned with others, and ten nests were built in the fine Elm and Plane trees there, thus establishing a fine colony. A rookery formerly existed in the trees in the gardens of Carlton House ; but this was destroyed in 1827, when the trees were out down and the old house demolished, when the rooks emigrated to a plantation at the back of New Street, Spring Gardens. In the gardens of Brunswick House, in the New Road, opposite Devonshire Place, a colony of rooks has been established for some years. I find from my notes that in ISiO there were twenty nesta in the Plane trees of Brunswick House, and five in the trees over, hanging the New Road. In 1858 (an extraordinary mild season), on January 23, rooks were building, in the Plane trees of Brunswick Honse, fifteen nests. In 1876 I counted seventeen nests. This year, on April 15, fifteen nests, which now occupy only three of the Plana trees nearest the Regent's Park. The tree overhanging the New Road is untenanted, although in 1875 it contained a single nest. In some Plane trees in a garden on the east side of Gower Street are three rooks' nests, and two others in a Plane tree in the garden of No. 5, Gordon Place, Gordon Square. There was formerly a considerable iwokery in the Temple Gardens, in the Elms in the King's Bench Walk. When they ceased to bnild there I cannot ascertain exactly. One of the porters tells me that he has been in the Temple, man and boy, between forty and fifty years, and he cannot remembar any rooks or nests there. In Gold, smith's time it was a flourishing colony. In his " Animated Nature, printed in 1774, he says : — The rook, as is well known, builds in woods and forests in the neigh- bourhood of man, and sometimes makes choice of groves in the very midst of cities for the place of its retreat and security ; iu these it establishes a bond of legal constitutions, by which all intruders are excluded from coming to live among them, and none suffered to build but acknowledged natives of the place. I have often amused myself with observing their plan of policy from my window in the Temple that looks upon a grove where they have made a colony in the midst of the city. At the com- mencement of spring, the rookery, which during the continuance of wmter seemed to have been deserted or only guarded by about five or six, like old soldiers in a garrison, now begins to be once more frequented ; and in a short time all the bustle and hurry of business is fairly commenced; where these numbers resided during the winter is not easy to guess, perhaps in the trees and hedgerows to be nearer their food. In spring, however, they cultivate their native trees ; and in the places where they were themselves hatched they prepare to propagate a future progeny. The birds whose habits are thus so graphically described must have been in the height of happiness, and in the bustle of their business, when poor Goldsmith was on his deathbed, and their voices may have been his funeral requiem when he was placed in his grave in the Temple burial-ground, on the evening of Saturday, April 9, 1774, almost overshadowed by those Elm trees — Where the bat circled, and the rooks reposed, Their wars suspended and their councils closed. Twenty-five years ago the rookery in College Gardens, Doctor's Commons, still existed. Hone, writing of it in April, 1826, in hia " Every Day Book" (vol. i., p. 494), has the following anecdote con. cerning it : — Amongst the deliramenta of the learned, which have amused mankind, the following instance merits a particular rank. Some years ago there were several large Elm trees in ihe College Garden behind the Ecclesi. astical Court, Doctor's Commons, in which a number of rooks had taken up their abode, forming in appearance a sort of convocation of aerial ecclesiastics. A young gentleman who lodged in an attic, and was their close neighbour, frequently entertained himself with thinning this covey of black game by means of a crossbow. On the opposite side Uved a curious old civilian, who, observing from his study that the rooks often dropped senseless from their perches, or as it may be said, without using a figure, " hopp'd the twig." making no sign, nor any sign being made to his vision to account for the phenomenon, set his wits to work to consider the cause. It was probably during a profitless time of peace, and the doctor, having plenty of leisure, weighed the matter over and over, till he was at length fully satisfied that he had made a great ornithological discovery, that its promulgation would give wings to his fame, and that he was fated, by means of these rooks, to say, Volito vivus per ora verum. His goosequill 50 THE GARDEN. [July 13, 1878. and foolscap were qnickly in requisition, and he actually wrote a treatise stating circumstantially what he had himself seen, and in conclusion giving it as the settled conviction of his mind that rooks were subject to the "falling sickness." Few people, save lawyers and their clients, ever visit one of the quietest precincts in the city of London, viz., Gray's Inn. Turning out of noisy Holborn or Gray's Inn Lane, the most perfect stillness suddenly prevails ; another city seems to have arisen ; quiet alleys and paved courts shut out the noise of the busy world ; a solitary footstep — made still more solitary by its echo — breaks upon the ear. Can this be in the midst of London ? Even so, and in, that great square the chief noise is the "caw" of the rooks. In the gardens of Gray's Inn may still be seen the largest rookery in London. How long it has been established I have not been able to ascertain. The Elm trees were planted by Lord Bacon. It was probably coeval with that of the Temple, and probably increased when the Temple rookery was abandoned. Six years ago there were thirty. eight nests. Two years later some of the trees were blown down, others were cut down, and tho rookery was nearly annihilated ; a few nests only remained on some Plane trees. The gardens having been kept very quiet, and all noisy children excluded, the rooks are returning, and this year, on April 28, there were twenty. eight full nests with birds sitting, and four unfinished. On going round the garden I was informed that every morning one of the residents feeds the rooks, and that often as many as eighty birds have been counted. Now as twenty. eight nests will only give fifty. sis birds, the rest must come from a distance— probably the birds of a former year. Let na hope, from the care taken, that this rookery will long flourish and increase. The gardens are beautifully clean, and the birds aa glossy as if they had made their nests 100 miles from this smoky city. For some years a pair of rooks built tbeir nest in the Plane tree at the corner of AVood Street, Cheapside. I have notes of this in 1835, 1836, 1837, and 183S. Tarrell says that they did not use the nest after 183fi, but this ia a mistake. Probably these birds were the same who built their nest previously on the Dragon of Bow Church spire. Mr. Harting, in his "Birds of Middlesex," states that in 1845 there were two nests in this tree. I have no record of this cir- cumstance. The same author states that in 1838, a pair of rooks made their nest on the crown which surmounted the vane of St. Olave's Church, Crutched Friars. I know of no rookeries further east in London — that is, London proper — for we must exclude the outlying districts from our limits. There used to be some rooks' nests in the bnrial ground of St. Ducstan's in the East, in Tower Street ; and in 1876 a pair of rooks took up their quarters and built their nest in Bermondsey Church, yard. — *' Zoologist." Large Peach Tree.— A Peach tree at Sunbnry Paik measures 22 ft. by 22 ft., equal to 48i square ft. Suppose we allow an average of eight fruit to a square foot, the result would be 3872, or 322 doz. Peaches. An Elruge Nectarine in the same house covers 225 square ft., and carries 150 doz. splendid fruit. The trees are about fourteen years old, and perfect Bpecimens of good cultivation. In the same range there are two largo Vineries, the crops in which are equally good. — J. F. A Double Edelweiss. — The allusion to the Edelweiss in The Garden (Vol. XIII., p. 588) reminds me of a very interesting Bovelty cultivated (only a few plants) in the Imperial Botanic Gar. den at Innsbruck, viz., a double Edelweiss. I have seen a flower of it; it is very beautiful, and, as the single flower is so much prized (it is the clnb mark of the German " Alpenverein"), the double form will be of great interest. I am astonished to see from the remarks in The Garden that the Edelweiss is rather difficult to grow in England. Here it is of the easiest culture ; indeed, almost a weed. — T. FoKSTEE, Avjshirrg, Bavaria. Table Decorations at Timbridge "Wells. — At a recent show held here, table decorations formed a prominent feature. They exhibited much taste as regards arrangement, and the wild flowers with which some of the centre pieces were filled had a better appearance than if the most costly stove plants had been employed. This is a point worthy of special notice, as the flowers used are within tho reach of all, and the result is an increase of what may be called a more refined taste. Hand bouquets were also shown in profusion, and prettily made up many of them were. Matters such as these well deserve encouragement. — G. Bursn. SOCIETIES AND EXHIBITIONS. OBITUARY. Lewis Solomon, one of the best known of Covent Garden fruifc nier- cbants, died at Folkestone on tbe 2nd inst., at tbe age of sixty-three. His knowltdge of fruit was most extensiTe and accurate, and in times gone by be often filled the office of judge at fruit shows both at Chiswick and at the Crjetal Palace. He was well known and tnnch respected. EOYAIi BOTANIC SOCIETY. June 10. Althodgh some think there are too many flower shows now-a- days, we are pleased that the Botanic Society have this year returned to their old plan of having a third summer show, at which fruit is an important feature. This course is desirable, not only because such a society ought to fairly represent I'ruit among its exhibitions, but also for the sake of prolonging the season of these very pleasant meetings in a garden univer- sally admitted to be so well suited for them. Roses and other cut flowers and fruit formed the main attractions this time ; and although the large plants were absent, there was a very good meeting and many excellent Roses shown, the chief prizes falling to Mr. George Paul, whose immense baskets of Roses were much admired. Any plan that gets away from the ordinary straight box-way of showing the fairest of flowers is welcome. Mr. Paul's way in this case was to fill an ordinary circular packing basket, about -5 ft. across and 1 ft. deep, with Moss or other light material, and then plant it all over with superb cut Roses, sometimes one huge basket of a kind, some- times a variety of kinds in groups. Mr. George Paul also had a very interesting collection of climbing Roses. We believe that the beauty o£ climbing Roses has never (owing to the general practice of mutilation under the name of pruning) been fairly represented in our gardens ; and though they can be only very poorly represented at a flower show, they nevertheless deserve to be more often seen at shows. Their heads of abundant blossoms are welcome after the single blooms of the show kinds. Among new large-flowered Roses which have become standard kinds, we may mention M. Lia- baud and M. B. Y. Teas. These will stand the test time which is so fatal to many new Roses. Messrs. Cranston showed many Roses of great size and beauty. Mr. Turner's two new and beautiful Roses, Harrison Weir and Penelope Mayo, were there and much admired. Mr. Turner had also a very inte- resting group of yellow Carnations, of which too rare and delicate race a fine vigorous batch has recently been raised at Slough. Among the cut flowers, those of British plants were, as usual, a failure, owing to stiff arrangement and similarity in the groups. In the interest of the flora of a country, it is not desirable to offer prizes for the greatest variety of wild flowers, because this tends to the extermination of the rare kinds ; it is equally injudicious as regards effect. It would be better to give prizes tor effective and simple arrangement of the mora beautiful and graceful of the easily-obtained native flowers and Ferns. Then we might get away from the " besoms " now so often seen. There is moi-e beauty in a single wreath of wild Rose than in scores of those crammed bunches. There was some improvement in exotic cut flowers, but in this case also stiff' bad arrangement was the rule — a striking exception being the collections of cut flowers shown by Mr. Morse, of the Original Nursery, Epsom. The unusual calls on our space this week prevent us saying more of the fruit than that it was in many cases excellent, and that a detailed list of the prize-winners will be found in our outer sheet. Mr. Douglas showed a fine basket of a quite smooth Tomato (Vick's Criterion), which is as smooth as a Nectarine, but whether the fruit will be any better in con- sequence we cannot say. ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. PROYINCIAL SHOW AT PRESTON, July 10, 11, 12, & 13. Tuis great show opened on 'Wednesday last under favourable circumstances as regards weather. A more suitable place to hold a flower show could hardly have been selected than the Preston Nursery and Pleasure Gardens, for. in addition to being attractive in themselves, tho surrounding country, with its beautiful scenery, added much to the enjoyment of visitors. The principal tent consisted of three spans, and covered a large space of ground, thrown into a series of banks and undu- lations. A miniature lake occupied the centre, in which were July 13, 1878.J THE GARiJBN. 51 placed Tree Ferns, and on a series of round plots o£ tnrf on each side were placed groups of Orchids, Dracasnas, and Ferns alternately, which had a good effect. The banks round the tent were occupied by stove and greenhouse and fine-foliaged plants. Groups of specimen zonal Pelaretoniums gave colour to the show. The arrangement of the plants as regards general effect was in every way satisfactory — a remark, however, that does not apply to many of the minor details. Lord Aberdare, in opening the show, hoped that it would be a success, not only from a financial point of view, but from that of diffusing a wider taste for the cultivation of flowers amongst people generally. Flowekuts & Fine-foliaged Plants. — On entering the tent, on the left was a fine bank of these from Messrs. Yeitch & Sons. Amongst these were noticeable the new hybrid Zygopetalum Sedeni (with rich chocolate-petaled flowers and bright purple- spotted lip), the pretty Cinnamon-flowered Saccolabium curvi- folium, and several fine varieties of Aerides odoratum. Speci- mens of the bright-flowered Masdevallia Harryana, furnished with upwards of fifty blossoms, imparted colour to the group. Rhododendron Maiden's Blush was well flowered, and K. Duchess of Edinburgh was conspicuous for its brilliant orange- scarlet, waxy blossoms. At each corner of the collection was a fine group of Begonias, the flowers of which were exceedingly bright. These were surrounded by such fine-leaved plants as Croton Hanburyanum, Dracasna speciosa, and the beautiful Phyllanthus roseo-pictus. The bold-looking Anthurium Veitchi was remarkable for its deep green and bronze deep ribbed leaves, some of which measured nearly 3 ft. long. A plant of the variegated hardy Grass (Eulalie japonica) in this group was very effective ; and Pitcher Plants, furnished with large pitchers of various shapes, together with numerous bronze, crimson, and green-leaved Sarracenias and similar plants, made up a collection of great interest. Sonerila Henderson! marmorata, a garden hybrid from the same firm, was remarkable for its silver-coloured foliage and dwarf, compact habit. Adiantum speciosum, from Peru, had large branching fronds and bold pinna3 ; and the new A. cyclosorum, from New Granada, looked like masses of silvery bronze. Asparagus virgatus, as a pot plant, was much admired, on account of its light feathery appearance and deep green colour. This collection contained, moreover, bright-flowered Gloxinias, among which were Vesuvius, brilliant velvety crimson ; Patrie, a white-flowered kind with rich purple throat ; and TUnivers, an unusually large, upright-flowered sort, beautifully speckled with blue, purple, and white. Disa granditlora was here shown off to the best advantage against the white waxy-flowered Thunia Marshalli and the fine-leaved Acalypha Macfeeana. A stand of small fine-foliaged plants, covered with a bell-glass, attracted much attention. It contained miniature plants of the golden- veined Anajctochilus sctaceus cordatus (one of the most beautiful of this class of Orchids), Bertolonia Van Houttei, Liparis elegantissima, and small- leaved Marantas. Opposite this group was one from Mr. Williams, of Holloway, consisting of fine-foliaged and choice-flowering plants; amongst them were finely-flowered plants of Dipladenia amabilis on a balloon-shaped trellis ; Odontoglossum Alexandrfe, furnished with massive spikes of beautifully-spotted crisp blossoms ; Dendrobium devonianum, and some fine Lilies. The new Croton Prince of Wales was shown better in this group than we have hitherto seen it, its long, gracefully drooping, twisted leaves being very bright. The narrow, bronze-leaved Draca3na lentiginosa was noticed as being one of the best of plants for table decoration ; and the bright, rosy, purple-flowered Den- drobium Goldiei, hitherto known under the name of D. superbiens, was much admired, as was also a well-flowered specimen of D. suavissimum, and the elegant Adiantum pal- matum. A panful ot the lilac-flowered Lobelia Lilac Queen was very pretty, also Torenia Fournieri ; and the variegated Vine, the white-leaved Habrothamnus elegans argenteus, and some new Dracoenas were very showy. Near this was one from Messrs. EoUissou & Sons, Tooting, consisting of finely-flowered Ericas, such as the white E. Aitoniana TurnbuUi, E. venosa, and E. Dennisouiana ; also large boxes filled with small, but profusely-flowered plants of E. Massoni major and E. tricolor profusa. -Associated with these were Cattleya Leopoldi, the lemon-yellow Oncidium sessile, Aerides odoratum loaded with blossom, Lady's Slippers, and fine-leaved Dracaenas. In a miscellaneous group of plants from the Preston Nur- sery Company were good examples of Gymnogramma decom- posita, the white-leaved Phyllanthus nivosua, the yellow Croton volutum, C. Queen Victoria, Adiantum scutum and A. Farleyense, Lomaria gibba, with a stem 4 ft. long, and finely- grown plants of Cocos Weddelliana. New Plants. — Of these Mr. Bull had a collection, among which the most striking were Dieffenbachia Shuttleworthi, a plant of excellent habit with glossy green, pointed leaves, and a band of silvery-white down the mid-rib ; Lomaria discolor bipinnatifida, a beautifully crested kind; a red- veined Alocasia named A. Johnstoni ; a pretty cut-leaved Artocarpua named exsculpta; and the lace-like Davallia fijiensia. Associated with these were also Philodendron Carderi, Draca3ua Bijou, Croton formosum, Anthurium insigne, Zamia princeps, Dieffenbachia Leopoldi, Adiantum princeps, Dracasna Goldieana, Bowenia spectabilis serrulata, and Ixora regiua. Messrs. RoUisson showed in this class Dracfena vivicans, a narrow-leaved variety, bright bronze and rosy-crimson in colour ; D. Smithiana, a bold looking plant with broad, glossy green leaves ; the graceful Grevillea filicifolia ; a pretty little Tree Fern called Alsophila Imrayana, Anthurium Warooque- anum, and a new Stag's-horn Fern. Mr. Williams had Croton Queen Victoria, the fine table plant Panax laciniatus, the nesv Dracajua Goldieana and Berkeleyi, Croton Prince of Wales, and Dendrobium suavissimum. Among new plants exhibited for Mr. Bull's cups, the most striking were the black-leaved Artocarpus Cannoni, the fine Pern named Anemidctyon Phyllitidis tessellatum,a brilliantly- coloured Croton called 0. princeps, a distinct Acalypha mar- ginata with green and bronze leaves edged with deep rose, the double yellow-flowered Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Colei, a fine Aralia named filicifolia, evidently very suitable for dinner- table decoration, Panax laciniatus, and Brahea filamentosa. Stove and Greenhouse Plants. — Mr. T. M. Shuttleworth, Preston, furnished probably the most extensive and best grown collection of these ever before exhibited by an amateur grower. It consisted of nearly seventy gigantic specimens of flowering plants. It contained Allamanda nobilis, Ixora Crosseana, the white-flowered I. Colei covered with blossoms, and the brilliantly-coloured I. cocciuea superba. Statice pro- fusa and S. imbricata were probably never seen so well flowered as they were in this collection. It also contained a fine specimen of Lapageria alba covered with blossoms. The brilliant Dipladenia Brearleyana was very conspicuous, and the blue Plumbago capensis could be seen from every part of the tent. Among fiae-foliaged plants were massive specimens of Davallia elegans, D. Tyermani, D. Mooreana, and fine balloon-shaped plants of PauUinia thalictritolia. Gleichenia Speluncaj was represented by a specimen f tiUy 9 ft. through, the fronds being remarkably strong, and the leaves beautifully green, without spot or blemish. G. rupestris and G. micro- phylla represented massive mounds of elegant foliage. These were associated with vigorous plants of Cordaline indivisa, the fan-leaved Pritchardia pacifica, Cycas revoluta, the fine basket Fern, Nephrolepis davallioides, fine-leaved Crotons, Aralias, and Cocos Weddelliana. The background consisted of grand specimens of the Weeping Tree Fern, Cibotium Sieboldi, Cyathea Burkei, Cyeas circinalis, and similar plants. Of twelve stove and greenhouse plants, an excellent collec- tion came from Messrs. Cole & Son. It contained good plants of Erica tricolor Wilsoni superba, E. retorta major, and the white B. Shaunoni ; the white Ixora Colei, a finely-flowered Stephanotis, Allamanda cathartica, and A. nobilis. In other collections were fiuely-flowered plants of Franciscea calycina major, the scarlet-spathed Anthurium Scherzerianum, the orange and cinnamon-coloured Ixora amboynensis, and a specimen of Dipladenia amabilis bearing scores of brilliant rosy-pink flowers and buds. In a group of .miscellaneous plants from Messrs. F. & A. Dickson, of Chester, we noticed fine examples of the broad, bronze-leaved Dracaena Taylori, variegated Pines, and fine- leaved Crotons. 53 THE GARDEN. [JtJLT 13, 1878. In open classes for sixteen stove and greenhouse plants, in or out of flower, there was considerable competition, and by the flowering plants being mixed up with those distinguished for fine foliaige, a better effect was produced than when the two classes of plants are arranged separately. The best group contained a large specimen of Ailamanda grandiflora completely covered with blossom, which was shown off to advantage between a finely-grown plant of Gleichenia .heoistophylla and the rosy-flowered Erica Parmentieri rosea. A specimen Anthu- rium Scherzerianum was furnished with upwards of thirty large brilliant spathes, and Clerodendrou Balfouri was a mass of blossom. FiNE-roLiAGED Plauts AND Ferns Were but sparingly shown. Among them were several fine specimens of Cycas revoluta, the white-veined showy-leaved Anthurium crystallinum, and the elegant feathery-leaved Lomatia silaitolia. Ferns, which occupied a large sloping bank, were numerous. Amongst them were fine plants of Gleichenia rupestris, G. Mendelli, the fine lace-Uke Pteris scaberula, golden Gymno- grammas, fine plants of Davallia Mooreana and Stag's-horn Ferns ; also the Australian Bird's-nest Fern. "We noticed that many of the plants were grown in shallow tubs with handles attached to them, a way in which they are more easily moved from place to place than when in pots. Orchids. — The best came from the London nurserymen. Mr. B. S. Williams, Holloway, showed finely-flowered speci- mens of Cattleya Mendelli and 0. Leopoldi, Cypripedium bar- batum speciosum, the beautiful white C. niveum, and the brilliant Epidendrum vitellinum majus. A plant of Dendro- bium formosum giganteum was well furnished with flowers, and D. Bensonis was a mass of bloom. Messrs. EoUissou & Sons had finely-flowered plants of Cypripedium Parishi, the curious Odontoglossum hastilabium, a fine variety of the showy Oncidium maoranthum, and a large panful of Cypripedium niveum. In the amateurs' collections were grand plants of Dendro- ^ bium nobile, Cattleya Warneri, and the yellow and cream- coloured Dendrobium Schroederi ; and several good Lady's- slippers were also shown ; and we likewise noticed a finely- flowered plant of Aerides Lobbi Ainsworthianum, the colour of which was unusually bright and attractive. Of Begonias the best came from Messrs. Laing & Co., Forest Hill, who had well-grown plants of F. M. Dos Santos Viana, a bright cinnamon-yellow-flowered sort, with dark velvety-bronze leaves of the Pearoei type ; Corail Kose, a fine rose-coloured flower of fine form; Gloire de Nancy, dwarf in habit and com- pletely loaded with bright scarlet flowers as double as those of a Hollyhock ; La Baronne Hruby, rosy-crimson ; and John L;iing, salmon. Dracaenas were shown in good numbers ; they were arranged in isolated groups with excellent effect. Among the best kinds were D. Baptisti, a robust sort with rich bronze leaves edged with bright salmon and rose ; D. Gladstone!, a variety with dark, broad, recurved leaves ; and D. regina, green and yellow. Messrs. Rollisson & Son, who had the best group in the exhi- bition, showed D. amabilis, D. Goldieana, D. Guilfoylei, D. terminalis alba, D. Gladstone!, D. Salmonea, and other fine kinds. Cut flowers were shown in large numbers, especially in the shape of bouquets, none of which, however, were worthy of special remark. Pansies from Messrs. Downie &■ Laird attracted much attention on account of their bright and varied- colours. Roses were beautifully fresh and fine, and there was the best display, as regards colour, size, and quality of bloom, which we have seen this season. Among good kinds in the first prize collection were Marguerite de St. Amand, Baroness Rothschild, Annie Wood, grand blooms of Mdlle. Marie Rady and Prince Camille de Rohan. Charles Lefebvre was probably never shown finer than it was on this occasion. Messrs. Cranston, Hereford, who had an extensive collection, showed boxes of Louis Van Houtte, which were highly commended on account of the size, and rich crimson. scarlet colour of the blossom. It is one of the best dark Roses we have seen this year. Marie Baumann was in equally good condition. In the whole of the collection, which consisted of more than twenty stands, there was scarcely a bad bloom, and more attention was directed to this Ipart of the show than to any other. The blooms were arranged for effect, and this was gained by giving them room, and by their having plenty of foliage surrounding them. They were awarded a silver medal. Mr. Prince, Oxford, showed Roses grown on the seedling Brier, fine both in form and colour. Of Crotons there were several fine collections, and being arranged on sloping banks they formed a striking feature. Among those of the C. angustifolium type, the most remarkable were C. Johannis, C- majesticum, andO. interruptum. Among those of the pictum and variegatum types, the best were C. undulatum, C. Wiesmauni, and C. Queen Victoria. The curious C. pecturatum, with its pendent leaves, attracted much notice; those with tri-lobed leaves were well coloured and distinct. Of Heaths there were only two collections, the best plants in which were Erica ampullacea, E. Aitoniana Turnbulli, B. obbata, and E. Williamsi, white kinds; E. ferruginea, E. Paxtoni, and E. Massoni major, reds; and the yellow E. Oavendishi. Fruit occupied a large tent specially provided for it. (In the competition for Messrs. Veitchs' prizes offered for collections of ten varieties of fruit, Mr. Coleman was first with fine examples of Black Hamburgh Grapes, large both in bunch and berry, and finely-coloured, beautiful clean examples of Muscat of Alexandria, which, however, were hardly ripe ; large Royal George Peaches, Black Circassian and Bigarreau Cherries, Eastnor Castle Melon, and very fine fruit of Oxonian Straw- berries, brown Turkey Figs, and a Queen Pine-apple. In the competition for six kinds Mr. Bannermau, gardener to Lord Bagot, had good Elruge Nectarines, Royal George Peaches, a finely netted Reed's hybrid Melon, and Muscat of Alexandria Grapes. The same exhibitor had also the best Muscat of Alexandria Grapes, which, though shown in good numbers, were, as a rule, unripe. Nectarines and Peaches were well shown and in good numbers ; the best dish of the former was Elruge and the best Peaches Bellegarde. Black Grapes were of average quality, but in many cases they were wanting in colour. The best three bunches (each of which weighed some 2 lb. or 3 lb.) were of fine form, and the berries were large and black and covered with a beautiful bloom. Pine-apples con- sisted chiefly of Queens of medium size and well ripened. Melons were numerous and good ; the best was a green-fleshed Golden Queen, the next Conqueror of Europe and Eastnor Castle. Strawberries made a fine display, being large and clean, but they appeared to have suffered from wet. The kinds which won the first prizes were British Queen, Oxonian, Frogmore Late, President, Cockscomb, and Dr. Hogg. Vegetables.— These were shown largely. Mr. Miles had the best collection, consisting of Stamfordian Tomato, Canadian Wonder Bean, Culverwell's Telegraph Pea, Bailey's Selected Cauliflower, and Excelsior Potato. The best Cauliflower was Early London ; the best Bean, Seville Longpod ; and the best Tomato, Stamfordian. Peas made a good display ; the finest looking kinds were Culverwell's Telegraph, Laxton's Super- lative, Laxton's Supreme, and Ne Plus Ultra. Potatoes were well shown ; the best Kidneys were Mona's Pride, Veitch'a Ashleaf, and Snowflake ; and the best rounds, Porter's Excel- sior, Rector of Woodstock, and Schoolmaster. Classes were provided for Tomatoes and Cucumbers, which brought forth a fine display. Salads were comparatively poor. Miscellaneous Exhibits. — Messrs. Little & Ballantyne showed a weeping Wellingtonia, which seems likely to prove a valuable addition to choice Conifers. Mr. Pearson showed a collection of Pelargoniums of the Echinatum type, and first- class certificates were awarded to the following kinds, viz.. Beauty, Ariel, and Pixie. Messrs. Cowan contributed remarkably fine examples of pot Vines grown from eyes this season. A list of prizes awarded on the occasion will be found in our advertisement columns. Table Decorations.— In the report of the f^te given the other evoninif in the Royal Botanic Society's Garden we omitted to state that Messrs. John Mortlock & Co.. of Oxford Street, secured two first, one second, and a special prize tor table decorations, viz., one first prize for bnffet decorations, one first for an epergne dressed with fruit, &c., and one second for alfireplaoe ; also a special prize for three very pretty stands (or fruit, io. Other decorations were also highly ooinmended. THE GARDEN. 63 BATUBDAT, JULY 20, 1878. CVol. XIV- " This is an art Which does mend Nature : change it rather : but Th8 Art itself is Natukk." — Shaken^eare. DINNER TABLE DECORATION. I DO not agree with " J. S. W." on this subject. I do not see how one can compare two so entirely different thinga aa flowers and roast beef ; one might juat aa well compare a butcher's shop with a drawing. room. It is not now the fashion to put any dishes on the table at dinner, everything being helped from the sideboards; and, in apite of what " J. S. W." says about the lady and the Thyme, I venture to assert that flowera are juat aa auitable for the dining-room aa they are for the drawing-room or boudoir. And as for people not "deigning " to notice the flowera and plants on the table until they have finished their dinner, generally almost the first remark that people (especially the fair sex) make when they sit down to dinner is, ** How beautiful the flowers are !** or words to that effect. People who do not care about flowers on the table are generally thoae who care for nothing but eating and drinking, and who at dinner never find time to apeak a word to anybody, or give a look at anything beside their own plate, and, I preanme, would prefer a table only decorated with platea, knivea, and forks to one adorned with Nature in one of her moat beautiful forma. I don't aee why the fashion of table decoration ahould go out of the " upper gradea of society " because it happens to be made use of at school teas and among the lower grades. It is getting quite common among the lower classes of society for every one to keep a piano, but I should fancy that " J. S. W." would very much object to give up hie own on that account. I am sure that if there were to be no table decoration it would be a great loss to the ladies, aa one of the pleasures of a dinner party ia the exer- cising of their ingenuity and good taate in arranging the table and decorating it with flowers and planta in the way that will look best. I suppose that, as *' J. S. W."prefera a table only covered with eatablea and drinkablea, he will regret that he is obliged to leave uneaten the platea, &c. ; and that as be dislikes anything to distract bia attention from eating, he would rather use a perfectly plain white dinner service than one of the beautifully painted aeta that are made now- a.days. F. R. H. S. It certainly speaks volumes for your candour and impartiality to allow a diatribe againat the use of flowera on the dinner. table to appear in The Garden ; but I regret to aee it nevertheleaa, aa I cannot but regard suoh a letter aa a retrograde movement in civili. zation. Why ahould dining-room table decoration be an incongruity ? be indefenaible, unnecessary, or a depravation of luxury ? Does yonr correspondent aaaert that it ia so becauae it tends to divert the mind from the all-important busineaa of dining ? If that be ao, it would be DO great stretch of his argument to assert that all dining, room decoration should alao be annihilated, and that all pictures, plate, and ornamenta of every kind ahould be banished, and the room be made aa naked and uncomfortable aapoaalble. One's mind recoils from Buch an idea. Juat fancy a room with a carpet (even if the argument would allow a carpet), but no pattern thereon, equally plain walla, and a table with only the necessary number of platea, knivfis, and forks. What would become of the designs in the damask tablecloth and napkins ? Surely they are also an incongruity, and conld not be allowed, and the glass would be destitute of crest or cutting to match — nothing whatever to impede the dinner! The "sturdy old English gentleman" would have a fine time of it, and his dinner could proceed without any " protest " at all. But I maintain that, unless very much overdone, the use of flowers at meals ia no incongruity, but a very material help to rendering the meal agreeable and healthful — as giving pleasure to the eye and the higher senaes, affording a charming subject for conversation, and so, I verily believe, assisting a healthy digestion. A well-laid dinner.table will have no flowera on it that will incommode the gueats ; but why the use of flowera ia to go out of fashion and be vulgar, because the vulgarity of some people makes them overload their tables, is more than I can see; and it would be no more absurd to prevent your aon from learning to read or wear a hat or ahoea because the lower ordera did BO than it would be to banish flowera from the dinner-table because they were in vogue in the aervants' hall or were uaed at school treata. — J. L, I have read with much interest " J. S. W.'a" remarka (aee p. 25) on this subject, and I feel very strongly that those who entertain hia views are much to be pitied, since the fashion of the present day sboWB 80 little consideration for their feelings. It ia beside tbe mark to talk of artistic taste when a ateaming, savoury sucking pig standa before ua. No doubt there ia nothing in its way to compare, for effect on a dinner-table, with a silver soup tureen, balanced at the other end by a grand cover which hides a fine bit of fish ; and then four flat, covered, silver, quadrangular basins, containing made diahea of cooked-up meats, and surrounding an iced plum cake covered with the flaga of all nations. It ia under such circumatancea alone that the worthy entertainer can say, " You see your dinner." It ia only under auch circumstances that one has any chance of aeeing the beautiful designa on the table-cloth, or that a clever waiter haa an opportunity of ao spilling the gravy aa to make a map of Australia or of some other recognisable island. What are a few paltry flowera which any one could stick into a bowl compared with such a display aa thia ? I can tell " J. S. W," how he can quickly put an end, aa far as he ia concerned, to all "this table decoration buaineas," this "depravation of luxury," thia "indefensible, unneceaaary iucon- gruity." Let him nse in hia table vaaea aeveral blooma of Lilium auratum and Arum Dracnnculua, with aome elegant Ariatolochiaa (in flower) hanging over and twining round the glass stems of the vaaea ; and let hia flat decorations consist of Stapelias, their lovely chocolate and black blossoms being set off by close proximity to the delicate white cellular tissue of Phallus impudicus, garnished with the leavea of crisped Tanay alightly bruised. If thia doea not release him from all trouble in the matter of floral table decoration, at once and for the future, I'll eat him.— W. T. T. The remark (aee p. 3) that table decorations do not aeeiu to be improving is calculated to give ua hope that they will be done away with altogether. Thia would be the beat improvement that could be effected. I have certainly had very little to do with dinner table decoration, but I think that flowera uaed ao much on dinner tables is a vulgar practice which will very aoon go out of fashion. If people will have decoration let it be on aideboards or in vases. I used to have to decorate a dining room in Paris where nothing waa uaed but fruiting planta, and if we had none iu fruit no other planta were uaed ; but there is such a variety of fruiting planta in the way of Orangea, Pines, and even commoner planta, that something fruiting may be had all the year round. In winter hardy berried plants might be uaed on the candelabra. — H. K. MESEMBRYANTHEMDM EDULE HARDY. This is one of the noblest of the almost innumerable family of Fig Marigolds. The merits of the Mesembryanthemum for the summer decoration of rockwork have been long recog- nised, and justly; for what with their endless diversity of form, power of resisting the most intense drought, and the metallic lustre of their gorgeous flowers — white, orange, rose, pink, crimson — they have few equals for that purpose. Never- theless, Fig Marigolds are too little appreciated. They are children of the sun ; and a rockery devoted solely to a coUec- tiou of them, in an open, sunny spot, is a sight worth seeing, and one which can only be compared to a pyrotechnic display of variously coloured fire. A situation where the soil consists of little else than sand and gravel suits them perfectly. The species with which I have headed these remarks is, perhaps, one of the boldest*looking and most striking of the whole family. Its massive, prostrate stems and large, fat -looking leaves ramble about in all directions, something after the manner of the New Zealand Spinach (Tetragona expansa) — just the plant to ramble and sprawl amongst blocks of stone, where a Nettle or a Thistle could not possibly live ; and, owing to the very great weight of its succulent leaves and branches, it would be just the plant for a vase in a windy, exposed situa- tion. It is perfectly hardy ; indeed, it is scarcely known how very many of this almost innumerable family are truly hardy — perhaps upwards of a hundred would be found to survive our winters. Amongst the limited number which I have grown, the following are hardy, viz , M. cuueifolium, edule, Taylori, acutangulum, glaucum, foliosum, and others. Those who possess a large collection should turn the whole out on banks or rockwork, and leave them there, taking cuttings off them yearly for next season's supply. They attain characters out- of-doors never seen in pots. The foliage of the whole family is singular and diversified, and I should say, as a massing plant, the deeply glaucous, almost silvery M. deltoides would be most valuable. TuoiiAs Williams. Ormshirl:. [One of the most valuable and suggestive communications we have had respecting hardy plants. The beauty of the 54 THE GARDEN. [JULY 20, 1873. creeping Meaerabryanthemuraa in countries a little warmer than our own has often surprised and delighted us, but we did not know that so many were hardy in England. What a lovely drapery for the sunny sides of old walls ! — Ed.] HARDY WATER LILIES. EvEKYONE knows and appreciates that queen of native wild flowers, the common white Water Lily ; but my object now is to bring into notice other less common kinds, which, from their diversity of form and colour, are equally valuable. Their culture is of the simplest kind, for, if properly planted at first, they seldom give any further trouble. Where it is convenient to drain off the water, the best mode of planting the larger kinds is to make a hillock of a compost consisting of good loam and a small quantity of well-decomposed manure and river sand; on the surface of this place some large stones to pre- vent the soil from being removed by the water. In this hillock place the plant so that the depth from its crown to the surface oE the water may not exceed 2 ft. If there be no means of lowering the water, the best substitute is to put the plants into large baskets and to sink them to the proper depth. If the bottom be of a gravelly nature the plants will not spread much, but if otherwise they should be kept within bounds, or they will soon grow into a mass which tends to considerably mar the effect, as shown in the form of isolated patches. In the case of young plants and the small-growing kinds enu- merated below it is advisable to keep them in small baskets and in shallow water. There are about eighteen half-hardy Water Lilies in cultivation at the present time. The majority belong to the genus Ny mphasa, and the remainder to the genus Nuphar. Of the native kinds, which need no description, there are three varieties, which are very distinct. The minor form is very interesting on account of its small size, the blos- soms being but IJ in. to 2 in. across, with the leaves small in proportion. The variety Candida is a form intermediate in size between the two preceding. The rose-coloured variety {N. alba var. rosea) is a plant which has excited much interest ever since it first expanded its lovely blossoms, a short time ago in the open air at Kew, being the first time of flower- ing in this country. It is said to have originated in a solitary lake in Sweden, from whence it was taken to one of the Swedish botanic gardens, which is doubtless the source of the Kew plants. It is destined to become as common as the white one, and, in company with it and other aquatics, it will produce a charming effect. The North American species, N. odorata, is a very near ally to N. alba, but the most perceptible distinction between them is the larger blossoms, which measure from 6 iu. to 9 in. across, and which are very sweet-scented. The veins on the under sides of the leaves are also much more raised above the surface. The flowers of this kind, too, have a decided tendency to assume a red colour, and the full development of this is admirably shown in the rose- coloured variety (N. odorata var. rosea, or N. odorata var. minor of some), as the flowers are much smaller than those of the type. It is a source of much pleasure to hear that living plants of this beautiful variety have recently been im- ported into this country from the North American lakes. The variety maxima differs from the type only iu having larger flowers. The variety reniformis has the lobes of the leaf much rounded, so as to assume a kidney shape, but there is no difference iu the flower. The typo of the sweet-scented Water Lily was introdaced into this coantry in 1786, bat it is not so common now as it deserves to be. It requires precisely the same treatment as N. alba, and will be found to be qaiteas hardy in the southern counties. The tuberous-rooted Nympha3» (N. tuberosa) is also a native of North America, and much resembles our native kind, but differs from it principally in having tubers developed on the roots which spontaneously detach themselves from the plant, and so •afford a ready means of propagation. The shining-leaved AVater Lily (N. nitida) is also a near relative of N. alba, but has very shining leaves, and blossoms not so large and scentless. It inhabits the lakes and still waters of Siberia, and also the Kiver Lena. This kind, and also the preceding, can be obtained from nurseries in which hardy plants are made a speciality. The pigmy Water Lily (N. pygmjea) is a native of China and some parts of Siberia. It is the smallest of all, having leaves not more than 2 in. across and very small flowers. It is very rare in cultivation, but I noticed it at Kew in company with other kinds. The most interesting of all the Nymphaaas is, perhaps, the yellow-flowered kind N. flava, on account of its colour, as in no other sort, either tropical or temperate, is it found. I -have not seen the flowers, but I am pleased to hear that living plants have just been imported into this country from N. America. The common yellow Water Lily belongs to the genus Nuphar, of which we have one species, N. lutea, which inhabits many of our lakes and slow-running rivers in abundance, and, therefore, is too well known to need descrip- tion. It has a very interesting miniature variety called pumila or minima, which is found wild in some of the Highland lakes of Scotland. It is considerably smaller iu all its parts than the type, and also possesses the same vinous perfume. The stranger or three-coloured Nuphar (N. advena) is the North American representative of our yellow Water Lily ; it nearly approaches it in general aspect, but it may be at once distin- guished by its larger size and the leaves standing erect out of the water if it be shallow. The blossoms are larger and the same in colour outside, but the cone of stamens in the centre is of a brighter rjd. It was introduced in 1772, and is rather common in cultivation now. N. Kalmiana, also a North American kind, much resembles the small variety of N. lutea, and is a very interesting plant to grow in company with it. There is another kind, the arrow-leaved Nuphar (N. sagitttefolia), but I doubt if the true plant is at present in cultivation in this country. W. Campanula aobilis. — In last week's iasue of The Garden (see p. 23) mention ia made of a plant with the above name, which must be an error. The plant which " S." had in view when writing hia note appears to have been Campanula grandia, notnobilis. The latter haa no spike, but a few large drooping bella of a dnll, indescribable colour, something between dull mauve and dirty violet, and ia mora aingnlar than handaome, the beauty of the flowera (what little they have) being the spotted interior of the bella. Like the Hapancalas tribe, it is weedy ; what ia known aa C. punctata appeara to bo a whito variety of it, and C. Van Houttei ia probably an hybrid. 0. grandia, the plant paaaing aa nobilis, ia totally different, and haa a habit like that of C. pyramidalia ; it beara a profaaion of large, blue, salver-ahaped flowera, and, when well managed, ia even superior to C. pyraraidalia, owing to ita certainty of flowering. Lift the old plants in Augaat, aelect the strongest, grow them on well till winter, and pot them in rich earth for conservatory decoration, and plant the remainder out in the borders. Owing to ita very denee mode of growth, if not often lifted and separated, it ia aeldom aatiafaotory. A well-grown potf nl of thia fine plant ia moat effective. — T. Williams, Onaskirk. The Preston Show of the Royal Horticultural Society. — Thia ia aaid to have been a diaaatroua failure financially. Whao elae could have been expected from the aeleotion of such a placo for a national show in presence of the fact that aome really great centres, where horticulture ia very popular, were open to the Society ? Cor. reapondeuts complain to ua of being charged from four to six timea the usual pricea for rooms in the inna, a fact which speaks sufficiently of the character of the place. In such towns as Birmingham, when similar showa were held, no auch extortion was practiaed. The selection of auch a place may have benefited a few private individuala, but not horticulture. The American Star Grass (Aletria farinoaa). — Thia rare and pretty hardy dwarf perennial may now be seen in flower in the Kew collection. Although not very ahowy, it is, nevertheless, very inte- reating. The leaves are lance-shaped and ribbed, and form numerous tufts, from the centre of whioh spring the flower-atema. The latter are from 15 in. to 18 in. high, on which are densely arranged the pure white, bell-ahaped flowera, which are about i in. in length. The outside of the bloaaoui ia very much wrinkled, whioh givea it a mealy appearance ; hence ita apeoific name. It is alao intereating on account of ita being the only hardy plant belonging to the Blood-root family (Haemodoraceso). A cool and deep peat,'8oil|with partial ahade seeaia to auit ita requirementa. — A. Mr. BDMOlTDa. o£ LilHe Bridge, has recently built a series of Gxcellent span- rcofed houses for Mr, W. Bull in his new nursery at Chelsea. It consist-s of eiKhteen hooses, and although tbo building commenced not more than nino months ago, the work was so well and promptly done that the houses are already well stocked with new plants. July 20, 1878.] THE GARDEN. 55 NOTBS OP THE WEEK. Florists' Flowers in London. — We have been surprised and pleased during the week at seeing the superb collection of Caruationa and Picotees blooming in Mr. Dodweira garden at Clapham Rise, in a crowded part of the town, and with a bnay railway running by. Mr. Dad well is perhaps the best known of any amateur florist to readers of gardening literature; he has grown his flowers with great suooess in varions parts of the country, but never more so than in his small garden at Clapham Rise, Of course, the choicer Carnations and Piooteea are bloomed in glass structures, ih which, however, they are reached by the " blacks ;" but a great number of seedling plants bloom in the open air in the beds in which they passed the winter. In days when success with vigorous and very ordinary shrubs in London is thought worthy of record, it may encourage many to know what one of the acknowledged leaders among florists has done with flowers known to require good culture and much care to bring them to the standard of perfection recognised by florists. Lord Napier Nectarine. — This large and handsome fruit has recently been in fine condition in Messrs. Rivera' orchard houses at Sawbridgeworth. It is one of the moat valuable of the recent gains in new fruits. Centaurea macrocepliala. — This plant is now in full flower here, in the form of large masses 8 ft. or 10 ft. wide and 4 ft. high, crowned with great golden ball-like flower.heads, which are very oroamental. It would make a good plant for the wild garden. — T. SsiITH, Newry. Delphinium George Taylor. — This Larkspur is one of the many haudsocne ones now in Mr. Ware's collection. These plants, above all other hardy ones, need no praise ; but they deserve to be more grown than they are, owing to their incomparable shades of blue and purple — a wondrona gift of colour, which only the hamming birds share with them. A Black Pansy. — The St. Osyth Black Pansy is a very valu- able plant, and is a very rich black with a email yellow eye. It is a moat usefal and distinct variety, and the more particularly so from the fact that Messrs. Carter have, by careful selection for a number of years, succeeded in establishing it as a race coming true from seed. Those who know the way in which Panaiea sport from seed will know how to value this quality. Salvia gigantea,— This is one of the handsomest hardy plants in flower here. It haa large, rugose leaves and partially drooping terminal spikes of pale mauve-coloured bracts, very much resembling the inflorescence of some Bougaiuvillea. It grows about 4 ft. high, and nearly half of that height is floriferous, making it altogether a most distinct and striking plant. — T. Ssiith, Newnj. [Is it not a variety of S. Sclarsea ? — Ed.] Hardy Red Water Lily.— The Red Water Lily (Nymphgea alba rosea) is in the handa of Messrs. Froebel & Co., nurserymen, Neuraiinater, Zurich, Switzerland, but whether they have as yet sent it out is more than we can say with certainty. Frcebel's plants are planted out in a lake, and they apeak in the highest terma of their beauty. They aay that it is worth going to Switzerland to see them. Since writing the above we see that Messrs. E. G. Henderson offer plants of it for sale. Lobelia Omen. — This is a pretty Lobelia of the pumila type ; it is a kind that does well in good soil, and, if kept moist, it will continue in flower much longer than some kinds. Its flowers are purplish-pink, a colour which contrasts well with blue-flowered sorts. Many of these, as well as that first named, may now be seen in fine condition in the Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea. Dendrobium barbatulum grandiflorum.— This pretty white- flowered Dendrobe is now in flower in Mr. Bull's nursery, Chelsea. Grown on small, flat pieces of wood, its slender flower-spikes droop gracefully from the pseudo-bulbs, and its silky, white, transparent blossoms rank amongst those of the choicest of Orchids now in bloom. A New Dendrobe.— Under the name of D. d'Albertisi we find a pretty little Dendrobe in the Holloway Nurseries. It is a native of New Guinea, and is one of four species which form a rare and dis- tinct group of Orchids. The pseudo-bulba at the base are round, afterwards thickening, and becoming four-sided or square, and finally tapering to a sharp point. It is a profuse bloomer, the long slender flower-stalks being emitted all the way up well-ripened bulbs. The flowers, which are small, are interesting and distinct. The petals are pure white and waxy, and the lip is striped with claret and purple, forming a pleasing contrast to the pair of narrow horn-like, green sepals with which each flower is furnished. Though by no means a ahowy variety, it is well worth adding to good ooUectiona of Orchids. A Sky-blue Daisy.— Bellis rotundifolia coeculea, now iu flower, really deserves the above English name, the colour of the ray reminding one of the much almlred sky-blue variety of the Wood Anemone. This Daisy is a very delicate and pretty rock plant and grows freely from seed, which is offered, we believe, in aorae of the catalogues. Compass Plants.— One of these now in flower (Silpbium connatum) is a very showy, Sunflower-like plant with a stately and large habit of growth. No bordor of the mixed type could contain such a giant, which, however.is one of those plants which first suggested the idea of the "wild garden," in which it will be found at home among the most vigorous plants. It thrives and flowers freely on the worst clay aoila known to the writer. Spirsea callosa alba.— This is a white-flowered variety of thia the beat of all shrubby Spiraeas. Its flowers are larger than those of the type, and they last even longer in good condition. Like S. callosa, it can doubtless be readily raised from seed. It is a rapid grower, and plants of it from 3 ft. to 5 ft. through when laden with maaaes of white blossoms are very ornamental in shrubbery borders. We lately saw fine plants of it in Messra. Veitoh'a C:)ouibe Wood Nursery. The Wkite-flowered Oleander.— Thia ia largely grown by Mr. Wills for decorative purposes. The plants, which are chiefly im- ported ones, are grown in a moist, warm temperature near the glass, and thus treated they make handsome bushy plants loaded with large trusses of snowy blossoms. Thia white variety appears to flower more freely than the rose-coloured kind, and its blossoms in a out state are much more valuable. Pitcher-plants at Chelsea. — The house devoted to Pitcher, plants in Messrs. Veitch'a nursery will shortly be worth a visic.^ It contains hundreds of plants of such Nepenthes as N. Rifflesiaua, Hookeri, Sedeni, intermedia, and a few of the new kind called Courti. These are laden with pitchers, now increasing in aize rapidly. A Continuous-flowering Orchid. — i well-flowered apecimeu of the brilliant orange-scarlet-flowered Epidendrum vitellinum majua, in the Holloway Nurseries, serves to illustrate the great value and lasting qualities of this Orchid. The plant in question was iu bloom in May, and, after having been exhibited at Regent's Park, South Kensington, Manchester, Preston, and other ahows, it still remains ia good condition, and will, to all appearance, last for several weeks yet. Such plants as this can scarcely be too highly valued, Ceanothus Arnoldi. — This is just now remarkably ahowy on a wall in Messrs. Veitch'a nursery at Coombe Wood. It grows freely and yields iu abundance large trusses of delicate pink blossoms. Either as a wall plant or as a bush it is one of the finest of the Ceanothuses, and might be cultivated largely with advantage. Croton Prince of Wales. — Amongst new Crotous raised of late yeara few are so ornamental as thia one. Its leaves, which are prettily curled and from 1^ ft. to 2 ft. long, assume a gracefully drooping habit, and are marked with the richest golden, crimson, green, and rose colours; As a dinner-table plant this Croton will, no doubt, soon become popular. Carnations and Picotees. — A collection consisting of some of the best of these ia now in flower in a greenhouse in Messrs. Veitoh's nursery, Chelsea. It comprises many kinds not often seen, and all of them are of fine form and colour. A large bed out-of-doora, too, is very attractive, many of the newer aa well aa the older kinda being repreaented. The value of Carnationa for border decoration ia not so well understood as it ought to be, and there are now many kinds which succeed best in this way, and which, at this season of the year, produce a fine effect, as well as furnish choice flowers for catting. — S. Weigela amabilis aurea.— This beautiful golden-leaved form of a well-known flowering ahrub is destined to play an important part in ornamental ahrubberiea. Its flowers are similar to those of the type, and are aa freely produced, but in ita golden leafage liea ita chief value. For planting in large, rouo;h ahrubberiea it will not be found ao suitable as the golden-leaved Elder, but for introducing into small clumps of shrubs on lawns it is one of the best plants which we have seen for some time. It would also make a capital pot plant for the cool conservatory. Spiraea palmata iuMasses.— The fine effect produced by plant- ing this Spiraea in masses is fully realised in the form of large beds of it growing under trees in Messrs. Veitch's nursery at Coombe Wood. It is in full flower, and when seen from elevated parts of the grounds is very effective. Its branching plumes of deep roae-coloared blossoms are large and fine, owing to its being planted in deep, rich, moist aandy soil. S. venusta grows rather tailor than S. palmata. Ita blosaoms are, however, not nearly ao bright in colour, but they last longer than those of palmata. 56 THE GAEDEN. [July 20, 1878, NOTES FROM KEW. Hardy Herbaceous Plants. — Ttvo of the most diatinct and charming of the perennial Larkspurs are Delphiniatn cardinale and D. nudicaule ; the former grows 4- ft. or more in height, and the latter about half that size, while the flowera of both are scarlet, though brightest and deepest in D. cardinale. Cinaicifnga racemosa, a stately perennial from the United States, has white flowers, and attains a height of more than G ft. ; C. Serpentaria, with greenish. white flowers, has more finely.out leaves, and is nearly as tall as its congener. Hypericum Coris has Heath.like leaves and a profusion of yellow flowers, and is one of the prettiest of the smaller-growing St. John's-worts. Arenaria gypsophylioides viscosa — if we mistake not, one of the recent introductions from Central Asia, which we owe to the zeal and industry of the R-assian naturalists — is an elegant plant about 15 in. high ; the white flowers are borne in rather flat, branching panicles, and the long, pointed, narrow leaves are a greyish-green. Galega persica, an eastern member of the Pea family, is a fine plant with pinnate leaves, and grows 6 ft. or 7 ft. high ; the profusion of upright racemes of pure whit© blossoms renders it a very interesting kind. A Continental form of the com- mon purple Loosestrife of our river banks and marshes (Lythrum Salicaria grandiflorum) is very striking on account of the much longer spikes of larger and more deeply-coloured flowers than are possessed by any of our indigenous varieties. In L. virgatum is combined much elegance and beauty ; it grows between 2 ft. and 3 ft. high, and has narrow leaves and red flowers. One of the European Willow-herbs (Epilobium Dodoniae) is a neat, compact kind about 3 ft. high ; it has leaves much like those of Rosemary, and from that peculiarity its now generally accepted name, E. rosmarinifolium, has been given. With the Rosemary. like foliage are associated deep rose-coloured flowers. Pentstemon heterophyllus, 1 ft. high, produces abundantly its showy blossoms, which are purplish, with deep blue blotches on the outaide of the tube. P. spectabilia, double the height of last. named, has broad leaves and long, narrow.tabed, scarlet flowers. P. Eichardsonianua, with deeply.out leaves and purple blossoms, is a good, free-flowering kind growing from 2 ft. to 3 ft. high. Campanula maorostyla, for figure of which see The Garden of September 1, 1877, is not leas curious than beautiful ; its large, upright, bell-shaped, dark purplish-netted flowers are very attractive, and the whole plant differs much from any other member of the genus we have seen in cultivation. A Texas perennial (Echinacea angustifolia) has foliage much like that of the narrow.leaved Rib Grass, and large, handsome flower.heads, 3 in. in diameter, borne singly on stems rather more than 1 ft. high, the long ray florets being of a deep rose colour, and those of the disc a dark blood.red. One of the finest of the Hedysarums is H. Mackenzii, a fine American species, and a recent and charming addition to British gardens ; it grows about 18 in. high, and has pinnate leaves and long upright racemes of purple-pink flowers. This is a very desirable perennial worthy of a place in the most select collections of herbaceous plants. A prettier and more uncommon kind than its European relative is the American Gratiola quadridentata, a neat little plant about G in. high, with narrow leaves and an abundance of white flowers. Lysi. machia atropurpurea, with its dark purple blossoms, is a fine sort worth growing for itself, though scarcely ao beautiful as some of the other species of the genus which have already been noted. Stobaea purpurea, a handsome Composite from the Cape of Good Hope, has Thistle. like, spiny leaves, and winged, spiny stems 3 ft. in height; the flower-heads, 3 in. across, are light purple, changing to white. Stove Plants. — Cassia glauca, an East Indian shrub, with doubly pinnate. Fern. like leaves and stalked, globular heads of white flowers, IB a handsome kind and an easily-managed and useful one for the decoration of the atove or warm greenhouse. A South African bush, Bauhinia natalensis, has conspicuous flowers, pure white with the excftption of a crimson vein in the centre of each of the three npper petals ; this makes a pretty and compact pot plant, and does not at all resemble some of the other members of the genus, which are huge, large-leaved climbers that reach the tops of high trees in the Tropics.— t _____^_^^___^__ stone; all went well. Having a genial companion full of information, a dusty half-hour'a walk from the station only prepared ua for more fully enjoying what was to come — a hospitable reception at the house of a relative with one of those beautiful picturesque gardens of old days which are one by one disappearing before the advance of bricks and mortar. We were then taken to an amateur's collection of Orohida, which, by the size and health of the plants, reminded me of llr. Backer's collection in old daya — rare Orchids, not in aingle plants, bub by dozens. Some beautiful species were in bloom; in the full flowering season the sight must be splendid. We then went to Mr. Ware's, and, under the guidance of Mr. Perry, had a real treat. He certainly has, to say the least, no advantage of situation, but makes the plants under his charge grow beautifully. I was especially struck with the Cape and Californian plants. Many of the tall her- baceous plants were very fine, and one plant of Sparaxis pulcherrima was a picture. The Lilies were very good j L. pardaliuum, L. call- fornicum, L. longiflorum in its different varieties, and L. Szovitz- iauum were over, but the tall, stout atema and large seed-poda reminded me of thosu grown in Edinburgh. Altogether, the garden ia a moat interesting one. — G. F. Wilson, Reatherhankf Weyhridge, A GARDEN COVERED WAY. The illustration on the opposite page shows a very successful covered way in Mr. Noble's garden at Park Place, Henley-on- Thames. The gardener's house is placed betweea two ranges ot glass. The covered way connects the two, and leaves a space in front of the house protected. Beneath the glass roof of this and clustering round the pillars are various plants which thrive IS*.-.-.* -■.-,- «3 ^^^ffii ■^HMU^ IM thriVtuVv^ ^f^§^^ ^ T^^r^ m with such protection better than in the open garden. The effect from the garden is very good, and the plan is iu all ways so successful that it would seem worth adopting in other situations besides the one now illustrated. The above cut shows the covered way in relation to the glasshouses on each side. The whole is very tastefully garlanded with plants by Mr. Stanton. Hardy Plant Gardens. — You mast have felt great pleasure, as I have, when visiting the nnrseriea roand London where hardy plants are made a speciality, in finding how many beautiCal new species have been introduced and how many old treasures recovered. I occa. aionally get a hurried run through the Tooting Nurseries, Mr. Parker's, Mr. Barr's, and Messrs. Eollissons', and see interesting and beautiful plants new to me, and find that the freemasonry which happily exists among all classes of growers of hardy plants leads to an amount of attention which, as only a small customer, I could not otherwise expect. Last week, for the first time for some years, I found myself at Tottenham. It was a day to be marked with a white BegonisB Planted Out. — Taberous.rooted Begonias may with little protection be left in the ground all winter, and in that case they throw up shoots early in the season, and are effective sooner than those planted in the spring. By the latter method, however, if the soil be deep, moist, and rich, and in a warm, sunny spot, under a south wall or sheltered by trees and shrubs, a good display may be had from July to October. Mulching during hot weather greatly facilitates growth, and consequently bloom ; and if planted alternately with blue, white, or yellow Violas, the result ia most satisfactory. — S. Climbing Roses and H0II7. —A very pretty effect is prodaoed in a small garden near London by a large specimen Holly being over, run with Roses. The Holly still retains a profusion of berries, part of last year's crop, and the Roses, which consist of the common white-clustered Damask, form a striking contrast with the red and green of the fruit and leaves. Although the practice of overrunnino- trees and shrubs with olimbera may not in every case be advisable, yet, in this instance, neither Roses or Holly trees appear to be injured by the union. A silver. variegated Holly, near the one alluded to, overrun with striped York and Lancaster Rosea, is also an effective object. — C. S. Muhlenbeckias. — For covering trellis work or for isolated speci. mens on stamps, &c., these graceful and free. growing evergreen trailers are invaluable ; in fact, they present an appearance not obtainable in any other class of hardy plants. The kinds in onltiva. tion are all natives of New Zealand. The best known ia M. com. plexa, which is a very rapid grower, with long, wiry, and entangled branches bearing minute oval-shaped leaves. The flowers are rather inconspicuous, being white and of a waxy substance, abont i in. across. M. adpressa is larger iu all its parta than the preceding, bearing heart-shaped leaves and long racemes of whitish flowers. M. varia ia a small-growing kind, with fiddle-shaped leaves and very distinct from either of the above. They are very indifferent aa to quality of the soil, but grow best in a rich compost. — A. July 20, 1878.] THE GARDEN. 57 ROSES HAPPY HOURS. Thet who love the beautiful, and who live in London or near it, may have a large happiness at a small cost if they will betake themselves to the station in Liverpool Street, and pur- chase a return ticket (price, for second class carriages, half-a- crown) to Waltham. Arriving, they will pass at once from the platform into the very interesting and extensive grounds belonging to Mr. William Paul, and will find themselves suddenly surrounded by a manifold and delightful variety of " things pleasant to the eye." Walking up a broad way of level, close-cut sward, they will see to the right and left not only Roses in abundance, old and new (from tlie Madame Plautier, before which Sir Joseph Paxton sat himself down that he might admire her beauty in a long and leisurely enjoyment, to the last belle of the season), but also the "pictorial trees," trees grown for the purpose of diversifying and lighting up our sombre shrubberies — golden Oaks, Chestnuts, Sycamores, Elders, Ashes, Acacias, Yews ; silvery Maples, Poplars, Osman- thus. Hollies ; trees beautiful for their foliage, and trees beau- tiful for their flowers ; ever- green and de- ciduous, high and low. There you may learn, if you please, for Mr. Paul, or bis son, or one of his staff, will tell and show you all ; how old favourites among the Roses are mul- tiplied out-of- doors by the acre in the bud- ding grounds, and indoors.that is, under glass, by the thousand (you may see that number of Niphetos and Marechal Kiel together, and in the perfection of cleanly health), and also how new favourites are obtained ; and of the latter I would advise you not to forget May Qaeunel, a grand acquisi- tion (the best seedling Rose I have seen this year), and the Countess of Rosebery. And then you must go on, some mile and a half, on wheels or feet, as you prefer, to Gheshunt, and there Mr. George Paul will dazzle your eyes and bewilder your brain with beauty. He will show you that which has been your ideal and dream, but which, in all probability, you have never seen, the Rose in her complete, unblemished prime. You may have met with her very lovely at the shows, but there something of the freshness is always wanting. Here, in her first home and beauty, you see the Rose. And why ? I know the answer which the inexperienced make. " Oh ! " they say, " on this fertile plain of rich alluvial soil, sheltered but not overshadowed, you must have Roses. Dip a walking- stick in Rose-water, and plant it here, and it will produce you beautiful flowers." No doubt the soil is genial, no doubt the position is propitious, but you must have something more. The walking-stick reminds me of a story, how a clergyman borrowed a sermon which had much impressed him and the congregation to whom it was addressed, preached it, and returned it to the author with the remark that it had not interested his people more than one of his own discourses. To which the reply was sent — " Dear Sir, I lent you my fiddle, but I could not send you the stick." You must have the mind, the man, to do anything excellent; and whoever hears George Paul speak about Roses, or sees the reverent love with which he handles them, knows at once the source of the success. And this success is, perhaps, most strikingly demon- strated in the glorious Roses born and bred at Cheshunfc. Nothing can exceed in rich, glowing brilliancy the Duke of Edinburgh, Reynolds Hole, Sultan of Zanzibar, and others as seen in the Rose fields of Cheshiint when the sun is westering to its close, or when morn in the bright wake of the morning star comes furrowing all the Orient into gold. I thought, aa I came back to London with a brother rosarian well pleased as I, how much more happily and healthfully to body and spirit an evening might be spent (as ours had been) than in hot dining-rooms or gas -tainted theatres, and carrying away bright Roses and yet brighter, because more lasting, memories. I pitied the poor folks who were fuming and fan- ning in the crowded tents of Vanity Fair, vainly striving to suppress those persistent yawns, which say, as plainly as Mariana's words, " I am a- weary, a-weary ; I wish I was in bed." S. Reynolds Hole. A Garden Covered Way (see p. 56). CUTTINGS OF ROSES. There can be but little ques- tion that for most purposes, and with far the greater number of the varieties of Roses in cul- tivation, they are much better grown on their own roots than either budded or grafted. The fact that com- paratively so few Roses are met with on their own roots may be attri- buted to two causes, the first of which is that by budding and grafting many more plants maybe made of a scarce new variety than can be done by cuttings, and also that the plants when on suitable stocks can be sooner had, not only in a condition to bloom, but in a shorter time attain a size to produce flowers freely. In the cutting-striking of Roses, in the manner often pruotisid at this time of the year from half-ripened shoots, there is a good deal of uncertainty, a considerable portion turning brown and dying off instead of forming roots. The method frequently pursued is to take a number of the half-matured shoots reduce them to a couple of eyes, insert them in cutting pots, and at once place them in bottom-heat. To the latter cause is attri- butable many of the cuttings failing to grow, as, unlike plants of a softer nature, in this way they are too much hurried. If, instead of at once putting them in bottom-heat, the pots con- taining the cuttings were placed for about three weeks in a cold frame on a bed of ashes, so as to exclude worms, and kept closely shut up, they would do better. When the sun is very powerful the frame should be shaded with a mat and a little air should be given, but not so much as to make the leaves flag. As a further preventive of this, too, the soil in the pots should be kept moist by syringing overhead daily in hot weather, and the surface on which they stand should also be well moistened. Treated in this way, in the course of the 68 THE GARDEN. [JcLY 20. 1878. tinfie stated almost every oattiag will be toand to have fovmed a callus at the base ; and when this exists they may be at once put in a moderate heat, when very few will fail to strike directly. When fairly rooted give more air, gradually dispense with the shading, and pot them off singly, but they must be kept for some time sufficiently warm to further the development of as great an amount of roots as possible before winter, for on this, in a great measure, depends the size and strength which the plants will be able to attain the ensuing summer. For propagating in this manner, cuttings should be put in without delay, otherwise the season gets so far advanced that there is not enough time for them to become established singly in pots, and that necessitates their being kept in cutting pans through the winter ; consequently, their being potted singly is de- ferred until spring, when the disturbance of the roots inter- feres with their progress. Another matter that has a great deal to do with the plants attaining a useful size in the least possible time, and which, with many, is a matter of the greatest importance, is that the cuttings be bad as large as they can be got consistent with the requisite condition of the wood. As I have said, it should consist of shoots in a half-ripened state, but instead of reducing them to small bits with a couple of eyes each, if they cau be had 6 in. or 7 in. long all the better. Insert them at least vi in. deep in the pots, in which way they are less likely to get disturbed than when they have not so much hold of the soil. Stout Rose cuttings such as these will make plants in half the time that small weakly bits will, just in the same way that the strong mature shoots taken off plants late in obe autumn and made into cuttings 8 in. or 10 in. long, and inserted well in the ground in cold frames or other Blight protection, make plants so much sooner than cuttings not more than half the size. The pots must be sufHciently drained, and the soil should consist of about one-half finely- Bifted loam to an equal quantity of sand well incorporated. Before putting in the cuttings see that they are quite clear from mildew and aphides, as, should either of these exist, they attack the young growth as soon as it is formed, and prevent any satisfactory progress being made. A little Tobacco water, BuflSciently strong to kill the aphides, with Gishurst at the rate of 2 oz. to the gallon added, will exterminate the mildew. Dip the cuttings in clean water before placing them in the pots, as I have found that Tobacco water or any similar mixture in which cuttings are immersed sometimes affects their striking. Planting out Roses prom Pots — Where any alteration has to be made in the planting of Roses against walls, rustic fences, pillar.^, or in beds, by the substitution of better for inferior varieties, this may at once be effected where strong plants of the required kinds in pots are available, which they often are in private establishments where Roses for growing in pots are yearly propagated. When there is a surplus of such over the requirements for forcing, or in the case of any that are getting larger than wanted, they may with advantage be utilised in positions like the above; this applies more particularly to the best free-growing Tea varieties, which it is well to have on walls or other places where they will receive some protection. If planted on different aspects they will yield a regular supply of dowers through the summer and autumn, which is a matter well worth consideration where Roses are required largely for cutting; for although variety is desirable, yet Roses, if to be had in sufficient quantities, and in their various shades and colours, go far to satisfy most people. In fact, it is a question whether a vase or stand of any description tastefully filled with Roses, relieved by their own foliage, and perhaps a few Ferns, can be much improved by the addition of any other flowers. Plants such as described, by being turned out now, will commence rooting at once, and make better growth and yield more flowers, especially during the latter part of next summer, than they will if not planted until the autumn or winter. Where either Roses that have to be discarded, or any- thing else has been grown calculated to exhaust the soil, it will be better to remove part of it and replace it with good loam enriched with rotten manure. T. Baines. THE FLOWER GARDEN. Cntting Roses.— In ouLtinar RosftB many think thnt thev are injarintf the busb. a>*peciailv if a uood leoeth of wonrt be taken with the blooms ; hat r.hat IB not. go We cut huTjrtre is of blooms daring the season, and, although about 1 ft Or more of wood is removed wi h each bloom, we never had Rosea more numeroua or floer than tbey are this season. — Caubeian. OPEISr-AIR VEGErATIOX IN JUNE.* June has been mild aod agreeable, alfchoagh somewhat hot tow&rda the end of the minth, when a severe thunderatorna was experieaced, acoompanied by heavy rain and hail, the latter dami^iug the leivea of many herbaoeous plants, sooh a3 RTeatii oSiinale, Vegetable Marrows, aad other lart^e foliaged plants. Ei3terly winds were prevalent, with occasional ehowera, somewhat resemblia^ the Jiina months of old. Arboreacent vei^etation, although earlier than last year, is still aboat ten days behind, comparatively few trees being seen with their fall complement of leaves thoroao;hly developed. Perhaps at this time the mast copious display of foliage is to be observed on the Sycamore or Plane trees, Limes, Elms, Service trees, Horse Ohestnats, and Thorns, all being kinds already noticed as remarkable for their soaroity of flowers. Althongh Lime trees are not yet in bloom, and although there is little appearance of their flowering profaeely, owing to the points and leaves on that part of the trees being majh destroyed by caterpillars, the bulk of the leaves away from the points are all thoroughly developed and, as yet, free from caterpillars. The prevalence of easterly winds has been very- destructive to the blossoms of many frntt-bearing trees, and fruit ia ounseqaenoe is scarce in comparison with the mass of bl issom which each tree originally showed. Daring the early part of May the young leaves of many trees got scorched by lightning, and large portions of Beech, Elm. Oifc, and others seem very much broyvoed on one side in various parts of the coantry. In my notes on open-air vegetation for May I stated that certain tree-* and shrubs had produced few or no flowers. I have to add that the blossoms of many other later flowering kinds have also ueen exceedingly limited. &. large tree of the Flowering Ash (Fraxinua Orous) standing in the centre of the garden here, and which la generally observed to bloom freely, came into Bower on June 18, while the 28oh was the day on which the first flower opened last year. Instead, however, of 400 or 500 heads being expanded at one time, not more than SO could be oonnted altogether, and these unusually small and of short duration. Many Service trees which fruited last season have very few flowers on them now. A large Sorbus domestica, annually noticed for its systematic flowering, still exhibits the same pecnliarity, bat in a less degree. The top of the tree in question ia divided into two leading heads, which flower al ternately each saocessive year. Last summer the western half was loaded with flower and altimT,tely froit. This year, alth'iugh only three or four dozen heads were visible, they were on the eastern half. On Sorbus torminalis, which was remirkable darinsj 1877 for the abundance and brilliancy of its fruit, not a vestige of flower is to be seen. The foliage on all the Service trees is now in perfect health. Walnut treea look as if they would be barren. Their foliage in general ia p'lor; many of the young leaves fell off early, quite, black. The Elder, which is by no means overloaded with blossoms, opened its first flower-head on the 15th, although the first blossom on the same plant was not opened last ye ir till the 27th. The Portugal Laurel and the Bay, which are often in foil bloom at this time, have no flowers on them, and scarcely any bads. Holly, on which there was last winter such a show of fruit, and which ought to be in full flower now, has very few as yet visible, while numer- ous clusters of berries of last year's crop are atill adhering to many planta. Yew berries were also particularly abundant during the autumn of 1877, but very few are now to be seen, even in a young green condition. Ghent Azaleas have been very full of blossom, and so were the varieties of the beautiful Alpine Rosa (Rhododendron hirsutum and ferruginenm), which are, perhaps, finer than they have been for many years. Of the Kalmia latifolia, although not less than 150 planta are cultivated in the garden, not one is in flower, notwithstanding the specimens are all in the most perfect health, and vary from 2 ft. to 36 ft. in circumference. Some large plants of Wistaria sinensis, which are generally covered with flowers, are this year bloomlesa, although the planta are all in vigorous condition. The Bcaroity of bloom on the various examples alluded to is in a great measure due to the unripened state of the wood from want of BUtt daring the last two summers. As far as this season has yet gone, and judfi;ing from the more matured atate of the wood, we may fairly look for a copious display of bloom, and probably fruit, next season. In those instances, in which the bloom has been stated aa very plentiful auch as in the case of Ghent Azaleas and Alpine Rho- dodendrons, the flowering growths were observed to be unusually abort. As this season has the appearance of being very favourable for the formation of leaf-wood growth, it may not be so advan. tageous in every instance for the formation of flowering wood. On the rook garden 360 species and varietiea of plants were • Read by Mr. James M'Nab before the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, July U, 1878. July 20, 1878.J THE GARx)EN, S<» counted id flower on Jaoe 30, Perhaps the moat striking were the varieties of Orchis folioea and 0- maoulata superba. These plants are nsually cultipated in dampish soils. Here they are flowerinor freely in comparatively dry stone compartments. M*ny of the plants originally paft in with single roots are now tufty, each with many heads of flowers, and annually innreasing. The Orchis maoulata anpprba has heads of flowers 5 in. lone and 5J in. in circumference. The van'pties of Alpine Poppies are also very beautiful, being crosses between Papaver alpioum, P. nuHicaule, and others. They are white, yellow, and orange, and vary also in size and depth of colouriog. The Orobanche rubra (Red Broom Rape) which flowered last year, producing eight spikes, has this year forty-two flwwering-heads coming forward on the same plant. It is growing on the roots of the White Thyme, on which it is a parasite. This tuft of Orobanche is about 16 in. square. Besides soil, a portion of the Thyme is growing on stone and a part on a walk made with ashes ; some flowers of Orobanche are to be seen on each place. Calculatine the night temperatures above the freezing point during the month of June, I find that the aggregate is 493"^, while the corresponding month of 1877 indicated 485®, showing a difference of 8° above last year. The six lowest night temperaturps were on the 4th, 5r,h, 6th, ilth, 13th, and 14th, when 36^ 38^ 42^ 41° 39^ and 4(f wpre indicated ; while the six bighR^t were on the 20th, 23rd, 26'.h. 27th, 28th. and 30th, when 54°, 55^ 57^ 56°, 58^ and 54° were indicated. The six lowest night temperatures above 32® amount to 236®. while the six lowest last year were 241'*. Tbe aggregate of the BIX highest this year was 334®, while 325® is the amount recorded last year. The following is a list of some of the moat conspioaous plants now in bloom on the rook garden (Jane 30) : — Allium McNahianum ,, oreiiphyllura Andiosace lanuginosa Art'ehia echioides Arenariq laricifolia Aster alpinus alhus Astragalus alpinus vaginalis Helonias asphodeloides Iris filifolia Linncea borealis (American) ., „ (Scotch) Meconopsis nppalensis WuUicbi Menzieeia polifolia versicolor Nierembergia rivularis Campanula turbinata and varieties Orchis folio.-a „ Van Houttei „ maculata soperba Cbrvsohactron Hookeri Osytropia cyaneus Cypripedium spectHbile Papaver alpinum aurantiacum Delphinium Belladonna Potentilla ulchcmilioides ,. ca?hmerianum Primula capitata Dianthus alpinua „ luteola ., neglectus „ eC' 'tica Dracocephalura grandiflorum ,, eikkimeusis ,, Fppciosum Ropa pyrenaica Epilobium obcordatum Saponaria casspitosa Eriogonnra aureum Sasifraga (many sorts) Eriophoruni alpinum Sedura „ Enidinm Miinescavi Sempervivums „ Fraeariii lucida Silene alpestris Galas aphylla V^-rouica rupestria Gentiana gelida Watsonia splendens Mr. McNab placed on the table about sixty species of hardy Alpine, and herbaceous plants in pots, including the following: — Aptra gains alpinus Campanula niacrostyla ,, Raiiieri Cyannnthus lobatus Dianthus alpinus „ ,. bybridus „ deltoides ,, dentosus „ neglectus Disa grandiOora Epilobium obcordatam Erpetion reniforme Gi^Dtianaornata Orobanche rubra Papaver alpinum album ,, ,, aurantiacum Primula capitata Saxjfraga aizoides „ mutata ,, flagellaris Sedum brevifolium _ „ _ „ Pottsi Sibthorpia europaea variegata Silene EHzabethse Spraguea umbellata Swertia perennis Triteleia Murrayana Half-hardy Salvias. — The finest of these in flower at the present time is undoubtedly the Mexican S porphyianthera. The brilliancy of colour and size of the flowers far exceed those of any of the cultivated scarlet-flowered kinds. It is also very floriferons. S. farinaoea, a beautiful kind, was figured in The Garden last year ; it apparently varies greatly in colour, as in the specimen under notice the blossoms are of a light lavender with a white lip, quite different from that of the figure just referred to. The flower.spike is covered with a very short, dense pubescence, which gives it a mealy appeararice. 8. interrnpia, a species introduced a few years ago from Morocco by Mr. Maw, is also very fine, with large light blue and white flowers, S. Grabami, another very old Mexican kind, haa a very distinct habit and blosso ua of a bright carmine colour. Although the above a'-e c'a-'^ed am -ngst h^lf-hardy kinds, yet they are quite hardy enough to survive an ordinary winter in a light, warn) soil in the southern counties. — W. HARDY CYPRIPEDIUMS, To lovers of flowers Orchids bave always a special interest ; the generality of them, however, are natives of tropical cli- naates ; bub, fortunately, during the last few years some hardy species of Cypripediums have been discovered and largely im- ported into this country, one at least of which will vie with any of those that are grown in hothouses. The most lovely of the hardy kinds is C. spectabile, which throws up stems from 12 in. to 18 in. high that bear during June or early in July from one to three flowers at their apices ; the sepals of this species are pure white, and the lip or slipper part suffused with bright rose, the two delicate colnura blending most beautifully together. This pretty Cypripedium is a native of the United States :ind North America, from whence large quantities are annually imported during; the winter; and as strong tufts of these can be purchased at from three to five shillings each, their price brings them within reach of most people who are fond of their gardens. 0, japonicum, a more recent introduction from Japan, is another charming variety that forms an admirable companion phinb to the above, and, like it, is perfectly hardy in any sheltered positions where it can have the protection of shrubs or rock, or receive a slight mulching of Moss or partly-decomposed leaves just over the crown. 0. Calceolus.as its specific name implies, somewhat rpsemhles the Calceolaria in the form and colnnr of the fiower. the lip being of a bright golden-yellow, which contrasts well with the d;irk sepjils, by whi<:h it is backed. Although this variety is aUMiive of Britain, it is very rare indeed that plants of it are now found, and those in commerce are from imporred p'ants, or are obtained by propagation, which is done by dividing the crowns, a rather slow process, as they do not spread very rapidly. There are several others of these hardy Cypripediums, all more or less interesting, but tl e threo jnst named are the most distinct and showy, and an HdHitional recomtnendation is that thny are the ea**iest to cultivate. Those who have seen the fresh imported tufts of C spectabile, will, on examining them, soon be able to arrive at a pretty safe conclusion as to the treatment they require, for the roots are found embedded in layers of flaky peat and Moss, intermixed with other decom- posing vegetable matter, such as is otdy found in shndy dnrnp places. To succeed with them, therefore, they must not only have similar material afforded them to grow in, but a position where they can enjny the same or similar conditions of root moisture they formerly had,and any one having such a spot, era coolsbady corner where they can keep them well watered and duly attended to, will find these Lady's Slippers among the most benii- tifui plants they ran liave. Although ihey may be grown in pots with tolerable success, they do net succeed near so well as when planted in a bed in a situation such as tl^at abo^e described, as there they are not so restricted for root room, or subjected to sudden transitions in regard to moisture, a uniform stale of which is essential to their welfare. If kept m p< i- (V pans they should be placed along the front wall of any damp, cold frame, where they ran receive the constant shade ot ihe brickwork and have the full benefit of the moist atmosphfre there generally is in such structures during the early s-pr ng months, a time when Cypripediums are making their grf^n ih. In order to get them to bloom freely, the principal tbing is to induce a free, healthy development of foliage, for without ibis it is impossible to get full, plnmp crowns by the autumn, und it is only such that have sufficient strength to produce flowers the following year. The leaves should, therefore, be preserved as long as possible in a fresh, green state, and allowed only to die away naturally when their functions are performed. It should be borne in mind that, although these Cypriped urns come from extreme northern Intitndes, they are protect" d by fallen leaves or other covering during the wiriter,ard to render them safe at that season it is necessary to afford them similar shelter and to plant where they will not be affected by co'd. cut- ting winds, which nip the tender growth in the spring, S. D. 60 THE GARDEN. FROM THE BIRTH TO THE DEATH OF THE LILY. In my paper of April 27 (Vol. XIII., p. 385) I endeavoured to explain as clearly as I could the existence ot the Lily from its birth until the seed-bud was sis months old, that is, the exist- ence of the germ until it had vegetated and was large enough to be seen by the naked eye, and then on, as the seed-bud, until, at the end of the six months, it was about to enter another phase of its growth, entitling it to be called a bulbule, or small undeveloped bulb. In order to bring up the history of the Lily in a connected form I must now turn back to the first step in life, but it will be on this occasion not in connec- tion with the hereditary succession or reproduction of the Lily by central seed-buds, but in connection with its propagation by offsets. Mr. J. G. Baker, of Kew Gardens, has laid Lily growers under a debt of gratitude by placing in their hands a new synopsis of all the known Lilies. Having done BO much, he can well afford to allow me, an amateur of some little experience, to make a few remarks in connection with the underground growth of the plants. In Vol. XI., p. 112, of The Garden, he is there represented as saying : " A new bulb, whether grown from seed or from bulblets deve- loped in the axils of the aboveground leaves of the floriferous stem, or produced in the axil of one of the bulb-scales, takes not less than three years, under the most favourable circum- stances, before it develops a flower-bearing stem." The same writer who quotes the above adds at p. 116 : " Raising seedling Lilies is a long process, as one must wait from three to ten years ere they bloom." All this may be admitted, but this is not the point. Mr. Baker is further represented as adding : " The first season we get an ovoid mass, perhaps i in. in thick- ness, composed of haU'-a-dozen tightly imbricated scales, which sends out three or four slender radicular fibres from its base. At the end of next summer we have a bulb as large as a Hazel nut, with a copious development of strong radicular fibres from its under side, and the half-dozen scales prolonged above the soil into a rosette of oblanceolate leaves. Next year, it circumstances be favourable, the flower-bearing stem is deve- loped, and then, if nothing untoward happen, the bulb goes on living for au indefinite period, sending out each year a flower- stem from its centre and shredding off old scales with buds in their axils — more copiously in some kinds, less in others — from the circumference all around." In this statement it will be seen that there is no allusion whatever to the interior action of the bulb. The very existence of a central seed-bud is ignored entirely, though facts prove that to it, and to it alone, we are indebted for the annual bloom. The above remarks have been quoted and requoted in this and other periodicals, with such variations as the fancies of the differeno writers have induced them to make, until at last the result is that there is not one in every fifty Lily growers who do not believe but that the same identical offset goes on year after year growing larger and larger until it becomes capable of developing a flower-bearing stem. Now, this is entirely erroneous, and clearly contrary to facts ; for experi- mental researches have proved beyond a doubt that there is no such thing as a two or a three-year-old offset, the existence ot an offset being comprised within the first season of its growth, after which it decays and diea, having thus fulfilled what Nature had destined to be its oflice. In the meanwhile, how- ever, a successor is growing up within the original offset in the same manner as the legitimate seed-bud or bulbule is growing up within a fully developed adult bulb, with this exception, that every season Nature clothes the successional offset bulbule with new and more numerous scales, the original offset not having had a covering ot more than some six or eight scales, according to the class of Lily to which it belonged. The first appearance from the offset above the ground is not a stem, but is generally one or two leaves attached to a long slender stalk or petiole. If lifted out of the ground, the off- set will be found to be possessed of slender rootlets, these having been protruded from the base of the offset before the leaf and its stalk began to rise, or, indeed, before there was the slightest appearance of their rising. The next season we see in a bed that has been originally planted with genuine offsets a very slight stem shooting up, furnished with a few leaves. This is a sign that a germ in the centre of the original offset has vegetated into a seed-bud ; for without the presence of a [Jdly 20, 1878. seed-bud there can be no real stem. The nest season the stems will appear larger and more fully developed, and the bulbules, if dug up, will be found to be also larger, with more scales, and with new and more numerous roots— the site of the decayed stems and roots ot the previous season being on all the bulbules distinctly visible. This process goes on year after year until the bulbule, which may now be called a fully developed bulb, produces a flower-bearing stem. AU this is, to the Lily grower, worthy of the most attentive study, as the first thing that must strike the reflecting mind is the harmony that exists in what we are permitted to contemplate in the Lily, namely, the singular similarity in the organisation ot all the kinds that are really true Lilies. Yet there are some writers who assert, without the vestige of a single experimen- tal fact to support themselves, " that the different ways of reproduction are so marked, that it affords subject-matter for endless control ersy." A distinguished Lily grower has also said in The Garden lately: "Lilies of various sorts form their bulbs very differently ; therefore, no general theory can be applied to every species." It is a fact, and I regret to say it, that visionary theories have created a great deal of confusion in the minds of amateurs and Lily growers in general, as it is impossible for them to reconcile the various and contradictory opinions that are floating about. For myself, I must say that I deal with facts, where no inconsistencies can arise, and I place it within the power of any one to prove, by facts, whether I am right or wrong With respect to the little bulbs, while only small offsets, they have by some been called side-buds by way of contradistinction, and have also been called the principal reproducers of their class. Now, some of them may be called side-buds, though more properly small offsets, but they all difiier wide'.y from the true legitimate reproducers — the central seed-buds. The central or legitimate seed-buds are growing up, not at the side, but in the very centre of the parent bulbs, and will, most certainly, n ithout changing their identity, flower the season after the parent bulbs have bloomed, unless something unforeseen should happen to them ; that is, they will germinate, grow up, bloom, decay, and die, all within two years ; while the side-buds or little offsets, which have no fixed place for their appearance at any time, will change their identity, by being transformed by a new creation every year, and will not take less than three or tour years before they can, through their transformed successors, develop flower-bearing stems. These side-buds or little offsets are the means which Nature has placed in our hands for the purpose of propagating and multiplying the species, but not for the purpose of repro- ducing that which is lost, namely, the parent bulb, or the bulb of the previous season. The reproduction of that bulb is due alone to the central seed-bud ; for this bud, the instant it has germinated, is provided with all the organs of vegetation that the full-grown Lily possesses, and is, in fact, a miniature re- semblance of an adult bulb. This should teach us that if we desire to ascertain whether a plant is a true Lily or not, we should carefully examine the organic interior structure of the bulb, as well as the flower itself. These side buds, though they have been made a great deal of by some writers, cannot be placed under any other category than that of " adventitious buds," for they present themselves without any order, and the exact spot where they may present themselves cannot be fore- seen. It will, therefore, be seen that those who deal with the propagation ot the Lily by seed, bulblets, or buds in the axils of the old scales entirely overlook the marvellous organ and its functions which Nature has provided for carrying on the hereditary reproduction ot the plant, for the central seed-bud alone is all-suSicieut to continue to reproduce annually the Lily and its bloom, if seeds, bulblets, and all sorts of adventi- tious buds were never to have any existence. In fact, we every year see this result in our gardens, though we never dream of searching or looking for the cause. As a practical, and almost tangible, illustration of the truth ot what I have said, I send herewith a photographic representa- tion ot the interior and reproductive organs of offsets, bulbules of one, two, and three years' growth and fully developed bulbs, collected during the first two weeks in May last from clumps ot a dozen or more distinct species of Lilium proper; I also send the originals, so that there can be no room for a doubt on a question of so much importance to Lily July 20, 1878.] THE GARDEI^. fil 31 33 REPBODUCTION OP LILY BULBS. 62 THE GAUDEN. [July 20, 1373. growers at the present time. There are three specimens of the offset in its first and only year ; eighteen specimuns of offset bulbules in their second, third, and fourth years; and twelve specimens of fully daveloped or flowering bulbs, it is im- possible to look at these thirty-three specimens without seeing that they have all been growing up from the base and close to the parent stem, the same organisation and structural formation being distinctly apparent in all. I would wish particularly to draw the attention of Mr. Harvey, Mr. Groom, and some others who are interested, to the specimen No. 31 low down on the right hand side. This Lilv was one of the same clump as that which is represented in Vol. XIII., p. 143. That bulb was lifted out of the ground on January 1 ; this one in the beginning of May. The difference in the seedbud of the former specimen (which was six months old when lifted) from the almost fully-developed bulb of the present specimen shows with what rapidity (according to an increasing rat'.o) the interior parts grow, witn the additional aid of their own roots and favourable weather during the second sis months of their existence, as noticed and calculated by me in a former paper. I have also to direct attention to the roots of this specimen. They are new, for 1 carefully removed the parent roots to make the new ones more apparent They were, as they are now seen in the drawing, nearly 2 in. long in the beginning of May. By the time the parent bulb would be in bloom, namely, about the end of June, tbey would be much longer if they had been left in the gri-pund, drawing a large and iudependen t amount of nouriah men t from the soil, as I e.xplairred in my reply to Mr. Groorn (Vol. Xllf., p. 451). Turning over now to p. 48>t, we find Mr Groom saying : " In reply to Mr. Hovey, ' Dunedin ' reiterates the advantage of early planting, and states that no harm resulted from lifting the bulbs in full bloom on June 30 and exposing them to the atmosphere during six of the hottest weeks of the year." Now, it Mr. Groom will kindly refer again to my reply to Mr. Hovey, he cannot but see that 1 have said no such thing ; in fact, in all my writings I have always spoken strongly against exposing Lily bulbs to the damaging intiuenoes of the air. As to the advantages of early transplanting, according to the class of Lily and time of flowering, to which Mr. Groom objects, it will yet be found that these cannot be overrated, for as soon as the parent plant has bloomed, the new bulb will be in the very best condition for the change, without the risk of any check to its progress ; and the warmth of the atmosphere at the time will also be much in its favour. It is a remarkable circamstance that the advocates of later transplanting cannot produce a single fact in support of their system. One gives one reason, another gives another, and when investigated, they turn out to be mere fancies; and those who talk about the propriety of Lily bulbs being permitted to remain some years in the ground without being disturbed, really do talk as if Lily bulbs were perennials, overlooking or not knowing the fact that the true Lily blooms only once and then dies. Dunedin. NOTES AND QUESTIONS ON THE FLOWER GARDEN. Spiraea palmata eleg'ans. — This has given as much disappoint- ineDt here as at Newry (seep. 2). It ia simply good for nuthiDg, atid the least ornametital of all SpirsQas. It bears rather a close resemblance to S. palmata in foliage, but in colour, boldness, and mass of flowers it in no way refiembles nor can be compared with palmata, which is one of its alleged parents. With its other alleged parent it has no affinity whatever. I quite agree with 51r. Smith that, we have been imposed npon in this matter, but think we baveiajpoaed on onr. selves iu the first instance by adopting and using the name Spirsea for Hoteia without any auth rity, ao far as I am aware. By doing ao we lift Hoteia japonica ont of the Natural Order SaxifragacefB and place it in Rueaceso, to which Spiisea belongs, but Wa do noG succeed thereby in establishing that identity of structure and natural affinity which is essential to the production of a hybrid. Practically, I presume, it would be as reasonable to expect to obtain hjbrid < ffepring from an attempt to cross a Peach and a Saxifrage as from Hoteia and Spirtea, even though mere snperficia! resemblance favours the notion that such a thing might be remotely possible in the case of the two latter. By adopting this erroneous name and nsiDg it in the universal way in which it has been used since the so. called Spirsea japonica became a popular forcing plant, it appears to me that if we do not invite impijsition we at least spread erroneoaa ideas, which are certain to return upon uq with one vexatioua result or another. — W. Sutherlaxd, Aigharth Nursery, Liverpool. Lilium excelsum. — Four years ago one bulb of this Lily was planter! in an ordinary border and baa since then remained perfectly undisturbed j it has bloomed well every year, and this year has pro- duced four spikes, the tallest of which is over 6 ft., and at the present moment there are just twenty-four fully expanded blooms on it. Szovitzianum has also done remarkably well under the same conditions , and every year increases in strength, yielding this year a profaaiou of its handsome flowers. The soil is a very heavy one, bat neither of these Lilies has had the slightest protection. Uader the same treat- ment L. auratum has entirely disappeared. — A. K., Eastcott Cottage, Pinner. Saxifraga nepalenais. — " A.. D." says (see Vol. XIII., p 536) that tdis Saxifrage is far from being a free bloomer, an aasertiun con. trary to ray experience. I have grown it by hundreds fur years, and so great was the demand for it that io was almost an impossibility to keep a stock of flowering plants of it on hand. My mode of treatment waa as follows : In the spring and anou-nn of each year I secured all the offsets possible and inserted them in sand under a banHlight, where they soon formed roots; I then potted them in 3-in. pots, and grew them on in a frame, taking care to keep them at all times free from offsets, which would have greatly impeded their progress. I alwaya found that cuttings inserted in spring could be made to flower in spring two years afterwards, that is to say, if they had been put in last spring they will flower in the spring in 1880. I have flowered plants of it in twelve months, but only in cases where strons? rospttes were obtainable. — E. Jenkins, 16, Canterbury Terrace, Maida Vale. Forget-me-nots in Marshes. — Beautiful as beds of Forget, me-nuts are iu the flower gurden in spring, I doubG if any of the cultivated kinds, including Myosotis dissitidora, certainly the finest for beds, can rival the masses of the corauaon M. p.ilnatiis, with which one meets at this season in water meadows and marsh ditches, where large breadths of lovely blue ure only broken here and ttiere into irregular outlines by some more stately form of vegetation, such as Reeds, K'.ishes, and other plants that delight in abundance of moisture. I may add, too, that at this period of the year, positioua in which Forget. me-nots abound are also very rich as regards other flowering British plants that flourish under semi-aquatic conditions, and to those who are interested in beauty of form, I know of no more interesting spots than the native haunts of the wild Forget, me-not. — J. G. Llbertia formosa. — Mr. Miles (see p. 12) has done good service by directing attention to this lovely plant. I myself pointed out the value of Libertias as hardy plants in The Garden some time ago, L. formosa is beautiful at all seasons, even in the depth of winter, owing to its persistent dark green foliage, which is as green as that of the Holly, and it produces spikes of flowers of snowy whiteness more like those of some delicate Orchid than of an outdoor plant. Amongst all the hardy plants which I grow it is, when in flower, the gem of the garden. There are about four species of these charming plants, amongst which there is some confusion as to nomenclature, formosa, pulchella, and ixioides often doing duty for each other. But formosa is iu every way the handsomest of the group, as far as I have seen them ; it is neat, dwarf, and compact, and has flowers twice the size of those of the others lying close together on the stem, and reminding one of the old, nearly extinct, double white Rocket. — Thos. Wii-liams, Ormskirk. (Eaothera Youngi.— This is t'ae best of the Evening Prioiroses for borders. Whether planted in masses and allowed to srow at will, or pegged down in front of low shrubs, it is equally effective; and in either case, if the soil be deep and moist, it will continue to Qower for months. — V. Alalia Sieboldi-— Fine plants of this Aralia have withstood the past wioter near London without the least injary, and, where a little shelt-er has been afforded ihem by neighbouring trees and shrubs ihey are now grjwing vi)joron&ly. Were such ornamental plants as this left in some of the beds and borders in the London parks, and sarroan ied oy spring flowers, they would not have sQch a desolate appearance daring the dull days as they now have.— R. Ferula glaaca and comnmnls. — Ttiese make charming fine-foliagod hardy plants, but need to get fully eatablished before their full beauty is apparent. Plants of them grown in pots under glass are frequently discarded, as when the loliage gets drawn in too much heit it droops, and soon becomes any- thing but ornamental. But planted oat of doors, with space in which to fully develop theoQ'ieives, they are truly noble objects. — J. G. The Pigmy Iris (I. ruthenica). — Ttiis ia one of the smallest as well as one of the rarest Irises in caltieatiun. Its flowers, which are about 2 in. across and of a oright lilac-purple colour with a whue lip, are borne on stem* about I in, above ihe surface, and nestle snugly among the bright green slender foliage. It is also the latest to dower amongst Irises. Siberia and adjacent countries is its native habitat.— W. Jdly 20, 1878.J THE GARDEN. 63 THE LIBRARY. FLOWERS: THEIR OKTGIK, SHAPES, PERFUMES, AND COLOURS.* The critic of any work must regard it from two points of view : its aim and its execntion. Readable as are the works of Dr. Darwin and Sir John Lubbock, even for the nnbotanioal, there was undoubtedly room for some one handy volume which should sketch the whole of the new philosophy of flowers in the manner of the indefatigable and apparently omniscient Dr. Taylor. Any fears suggested by a proverb about numerous avocations were soon put at rest by evidence of knowledge of a most thorough order, and we were agreeably snrpri-ed to 6nd, in lieu of a second-hand compilation, a work often highly snegestive to the working botanist. Nevertheless, aa might be expected. Dr. Taylor appears to the greatest advantage in his chapters on the geological antiquity and geographical distribution of flowers where he competes least directly with the Master. Two nf the concluding sentences of the first of these are noticeable ; " We have seen that ths appparance in geological time of the most beautiful or sweetly perfumed flowers is also that of the insects which now habitually frequent flowers Wo have, therefore, a peculiar aspect of evolution here presented, not necessarily towards higher organisation (as some people think is imperative in evolution), but in the direction of special adaptation to each other's necessities and well-being, on the part of two groups of organisms having no other connection with each other." No doubt, as the author says The Chicory, or Succory (Cichorium Intybus). BOoie excuse must be made for naturalists feeling irritated at the dogmatism of half. educated theologians ; but, perhaps, it would have been better to leave the Church of Rome, Cnpernicus. and Dr. McCosh out of a work of this character. The book is fortunately well bound and on excellent paper. Its numerous woodcuts are mostly good old friends, and far better than the coloured plates. For whom do publishers insert these latter expensive atrocities ? We have little doubt we shall speedily hearof a second edition, and hope then to see numerous "misprints" corrected. For instance, what does the following sentence mean : " Thpre are more tban 300 species of plants ooramon to tho Southern States of America and Japan than to Europe ? " Fig. 91 is described as '" Wood Sorrel (Anemone nemoralis) with ' monstrous ' petal formed instead of true leaf." whilst it represents a Wood Anemone with such a petal in addition to the normal three leafy bracts on the flower-stalk. Suoh slips, however, are small matters, and we welcome the appearance of the work with all its imperfeotirne on its head ; for has it not a good index — that sop to the critical Cerberus— and would it not be valuable if only for teaching the dilettante that the inflorescence of Chicory and such Composites {eg., Daisy, Dandelion, Thistle, Dahlia, Chrysanthemum, and Cineraria) is not one flower, but a " social " colony, recogcising even the great principles of self-sacri- fiee and the division of labour P G. S Boulger. • '^Flowers: Tbeir Origin, Shape?, Peifume?, und Coluais." Ey J. E. Taylor, Ph.D., F.L.S, F.G.3., &c. Hardmcke A Boguo. STREET PAVING IN PARIS. The following statement was prepared by the Chief Engineer of Roada and Bridges, Paris, for the information of the Paddington Vestry : — Granite paving does not exist in Paris, and that in porphyry is being abolished. The stone almost exclusively adopted is a hard sandstone, which is used in the form of aiectangular parallflopipeda (cubes) of G{ in. long, 6i in. deep, and 4 in. brnad, the depth of the sand on which the stones are placed being 7f in. below the level of the street. The materials which compose a macadamised road vary according to traffic. The founda- tions of streets subjected to excessive traffic, such as the BoulevarHs, are formed of two beds of stone of small (dimensions (2^- in. at the most on the surface of each stone) ; th« first or upper bed is in porphjry of a thickness of 6 in., and the lower bed consists of a kind of gravel of the same thickness. Thewe rest directly on the ground, and are bordered by the channelling. In order to facditate foot traffic, crossings are constructed at certain points, especially where streets intersect each other. These crossings are made generally of asphalte. For a long time past mastic asphalte, or pitch, or bitampn has been discontinued. Natural rofk asphalte, compressed by heat, is the only material now used. With some exceptions the asphalte has been laid upon a bed of mortar of hydraulic lime of 4 in. in thickness, but it has been found that Portland cement is far preferable. The thickness of the asphalte after being compressed is 2 in., but in the less frequented streets a thickness of Ife in. is sufficient. Of wood pavements, of which tria's have bweu made on a large scale, that of Non is or the Improved Wood Compuny has answered the best. The blocks are composed of Pitch Pine, and are placed on a double flooring of tha same material. Confeqaently in this statement, the following four modes of paving will be dealt with, viz. : — 1. Paving in hard sandstone of small pieces. 2. Macadam, composed of porphyry and gravelly pebbles. 3. Couipressed natural asphalte. 4. Improved wood paving. Observations Relating to Street Paving. The cost of constrnoting a square yard of paving is as follows, viz. : — For sandstone procured from I'Yetta . For porphyry and pebble gravel For compressed asphalte of 2 in. in thickness. For the improved wood paving s. d. 14 0 G 0 13 0 20 0 It is impossible to state accurately the cost of cleansing, but in general asphalte coats less than wood, and wood less than the ordinary- pavement, and the latter is cheaper aa regards cleansing than porphyry and pebble gravel. The yearly cost of maintenance, including payment of first coat by instalments, is as follows :^ s. d. For ordinary pavements . . . . 0 10 For porphyry and pebbles . . . .60 For asphalte 1 0 for streets. For wood 2 crossings. As regards the last.mentioned pavement, it must be observed that Mr. Norria ([mproved Wood Paving Company), in entering into the l-ast contracts with the city of Paris, has undertaken to maintain such paving at the rate of Is. 3d., tbat is to say, at much below half the actual cost, as proved by experience. The wear depends upon the nature of the traffic, state of the weather, the gradient of the street, &c. In a level road the resisting power or traction averages: — 40 lb. per ton on ordinary paving. 60 „ „ on porphyry pebbles. 20 ,, „ on a^phalte. 13 5, ,, on wood. If the road be not level, a kilogramme or 2 lb. must be added or deducted for each miliiuietre of inclination. The ordinary pavement lasts about twenty years. In each arron- dissement one or two gangs of workmen are always occupied in keeping the same in repair. Important repairs, such as re-laying and re-dressing, are done by the contractors to the city of Paiis. The roada much frequ»-nted require repairintr nearly every six jears. Tbe paving in porphyry reqnirea constant supervision, and the workmen belonging to the administration take care twice in each year to have all holes properly filled inj by the adoption of this plan u THE GARDEN. [July 20, 1878. great durability is seoored. For the price whioh is paid to the ooDiraotors for sspbalte paving they must make good all defects; in other words, they have to renew once in each year aboat two- fifteenths of the whole paving. The greater number of streets do not require repairing to the extent of one-fifteenth and a-halt, or a tenth ; in the much frequented thoroughfares, repairs to the extent of two. fifteenths and a.half are scarcely sufficient. Wood paviog does not last more than five years. The enow and frozen rain tend to make the sandstone and the Macadam pavements almost equally slippery, but the asphalte is rendered more so. In dry weather the Macadam is much less slippery than asphalte, and the latter a little less slippery than the Bandstooe. Wuod paving seldom becomes slippery, not even during wet, weather, as theu the moistuie yenetra''jes into the wood, but does not reader the surface thereof slippery. Accidents arise solely from slipperynesB, but they are generally not so serious on wood pavement. Ou asphalte they are more serious, and on porphyry, pebble gravel, and sandstone pavement still more so. There is less mud on asphalte than on wood, and less on the latter than on ordinary sandstone pavement; porphyry and gravel produce the most mud of all. Wood produces less dust than asphalte, and asphalte less than ordinary pavement ; porphyry and pebble gravel produce the most. Asphalte is impermeable, and the ordinary pavement absorbs less than the porphyry; as to wood pavement, notwithstanding any defects therein, no complaint has ever been addressed to the administration touching its insanitary condition. Porphyry pavement never decomposes, neither does the sandstone. Gas escaping from underground pipes renders asphalte soft and eporgy, and moisture under its surface injures it. Wood suffers to a greater extent from these causes, and is also liable to rot away, especially in small by-streets where there is but little current of air. Water evaporates pretty quickly on asphalte, not so much on sand- stone, and still less on porphyry. Wood absorbs moisture readily, and is preserved thereby. Wood deadens the sound most. Macadam and asphalte are both noiseless to an extent. Sandstone pavement produces more noise than any other kind of pavement. From the foregoing remarks, it must be obvious that the noisiest pavement is the most injurious to health. Wood and asphalte produce but little vibration ; granite causes vibration, especially during the winter months, when under the in. fluence of moisture, the mud accumulation being soft, the stones rub against each other and pulverise. The vibration of ordinary pavement is such as to shake the houses abutting upon the road, and it is only owing to the inoompressibility of the sand that the stones disturbed by passing vehicles are not shaken out of position. There is but little wear and tear on asphalte ; very little on granite ; a great deal oo ordinary pavement, owing to the jolting it causes to the cariiages ; there is very little wear and tear on wood. Horses are subjected to most strain on asphalte, on account of there being no footho'd. They are subjected to much less strain on the ordinary pavement than they are on the granite; the dust on the latter pave- ment is prejudicial to health; there is very little wear and tear on the wood. Persons travel with more comfort on asphalte than on wood, and with more comfort on wood than on granite, and much easier on granite than on ordinary cube pavement. Under the head of safety, the granite occupies the first place, then the ordinary cube pavement, then the wood, and lastly the asphalte. In order to prevent accidents on the last-named pavements, sand should be spread over them ; in cases of steep inclination, the ordinary cube pavement and the granite require sand to be spread over the surface. A good paving should possess the following advantages : It should be impermeable; strong, but elastic; easy to repair and cleanse ; smooth, without beincr slippery ; exempt from dust and mud ; noise- less. The most efficient and economical system of cleansing is by water ; hand-sweeping is dearer than machine-sweeping ; scraping by india-rubber apparatus is very advantageous as far as asphalte is concerned. Watering by hose is the most economical; it can be done at half the cost of cart watering. By the hose system, the men in charge of the same can see exactly what portions of the roads require watering. Watering by hose is adopted in Paris in all the important thoroughfares. Thfre are no tramways in Paris on wood pavement. Where tram- ways are laid on the granite pavement, the macadam is removed, and between the rails cubes are substituted for Macadam. If tramways be laid on asphalte the cubes are laid down on either side of the rails, and a strip cf asphalte is left between the rails ; the band of asphalte in question keeps the atones in a firm position. I'Xi.A.TE CXXIXIVII. FANCY PELARGONIUMS. Drawn by MARIAN CHASE. These constitute the prettiest and freest flowering section of Pelargoniums ; and, although they are not so showy as the large-flowered section usually called show Pelargoniums, they are, nevertheless, very useful decorative subjects for the green- house or conservatory, and as out flowers for small glasses they are charming. Small plants of them in 6-in. or 6-iD. pots are the most useful for ordinary purposes, but plants of very large size may be grown in pots 8| in. across, and these are usually trained purposely for public exhibition. It has been found best to graft the fancy varieties on stocks of the more robust large-flowered sorts, and the strongest-growing kinds of these, such as lilacinum, Charles Turner, Admiration, and others should be selected for the purpose. For ordinary pur- poses, however, it is easiest to raise plants from cuttings, which are usually put in when the plants are cut down in July or August, but I have found the month of May a good time to take cuttings. When the plants are raised at this time they make good specimens by the end of the year, and produce abundance of fine flowers the following season. My plan is this : I take the cuttings from a part of the plant where they are not missed, then cut across the stem just under a leaf ; the leaf is then removed close to the stem; 1 then insert each out- ting singly in the centre of a thumb-pot, using a soil composed of equal parts loam, leaf-mould, and sand. I plunge the pots in a hotbed with very little bottom-heat, just enough to afford a little warmth. When the roots have grown a little round the sides of the pots, I re-pot into 3-in. pots, using more loam in the compost than hitherto. The best place for the plants when potted is on a shelf near the glass in a greenhouse. Before potting the plants, see that they are quite moist at the roots, and then it will not be necessary to water them for three or four days after potting, and when water is applied it ought to be in suSicient quantity to thoroughly saturate all the soil in the pots. As fancy Pelargoniums grow at a rapid rate, they soon require to be potted a second time. The pots used must bear some proportion to the size and vigour of the plants ; 5-in. or 6-in. pots will be found the most suitable. The soil for this and all other pottings for established plants should consist of six parts loam, two parts leaf-mould, and one of rotten cow manure, and to each barrow-load of this compost use three pints of crushed bones, a little pounded charcoal, and sufficient silver sand to keep the compost open. Drain the pots well, and over the drainage place the fibrous portion of the turf from which the earthy particles have been sifted. The compost should be pressed in firmly by the hand, but not with wooden or other rammers, as is sometimes done. During all stages of growth the plants ought to be kept rather close to the glass, and they require considerable atten- tion in order to keep them in a healthy condition. Green fly should be destroyed by fumigation on its flrst appearance, and if the plants suffer from lack of suSicient moisture at the roots at any time, the result will be a number of yellow leaves a few days after. The leaves are sometimes affected with a disease called spot, which sadly disfigures them. I fancy this is caused by chilling the roots with cold, hard water applied in winter and in too large quantities. Fancy Pelargoniums are not nearly so hardy as the large-flowered sorts ; they require a lighter compost, and should be kept rather warmer during winter. Their most desperate enemy is green fly, and this must be destroyed on its first appearance. Should any of this pest remain on the plants Just before the flowers open, the house should be fumigated until every one is destroyed. Tobacco smoke applied after the flowers open causes the petals to drop. In order to retain the flowers as long as possible some shading should be placed over the glass during sunshine. A few of the finest varieties are Miss Goddard, Mrs. Pope, Mrs. Phipps, and Thomas King ; these are new varieties sent out by Mr. Charles Turner, Slough; all of them have received first- class certificates ; indeed, we are indebted to Mr. Turner for most of the improvements that have been made in regard to this class of plants. Of older sorts may be named Ann FANCY PELARGONIUMS. (TURNER.) July 20, 1878.] THE GAEDEN. 65 Page, Countess of Dudley, East Lynn, Ellen Beck, Fanny Gair, Henry Bailey, Leotard, Mrs. Baker, Mrs. Dorling, Mrs. Hart, Mrs. Mendel, Princess Teck, Roi des Fantaisies, The Shah, Undine, and Vivandiere. J. Dodglas. PROPAGATING. Gloxinias. — The best mode of increasing these is to take a pan with a hole in the bottom of it ; put one crock over the hole and a little coarse peat in the bottom ; then fill up with fine sandy peat soil, on which put i in. of clean silver sand ; take some of the largest and fleshiest leaves and cut them through juat below the ribs, as shown in the annexed woodcut ; make a small trench ia the sand across the pan with the handle of the propagating knife, and place the pieces, rib part downwards, in the sand ; drawthe latter up close and level ; then go on with the next row till the pan is full ; sprinkle them over with water, and place them in a close, moist, bottom-heat, opening the glasses or lights every morning. They will soon form little bulbs and throw up young growths, when they may be potted off and be kept growing in a warm place. If a large quantity be required, and if the leaves are large, they may be cut up into smaller pieces, always taking care to cut iust below the ribs or veins. H. H. PROPAGATING PRIMULAS. A KEMAUK recently made by Mr. Anderson-Henry respecting an apparent diiSoulty in propagating certain kinds of Primulas, by which P. denticulata was specially mentioned, might lead to the conclusion that this and similar kinds were doubtful propagators. Primula denticulata and its ally P. purpurea grow here in the open ground like weeds, and may be propa- gated freely. A single crown breaks into two, three, or four crowns the succeeding year, and these split up make from twelve to fifteen the next year, and so on ; whilst plants that remain in the ground untouched will produce from six to twelve crowns in a couple of years. These Primulas will sometimes seed freely, especially under glass. I have now probably 500 plants in a seed-pan, the produce of a single truss of bloom of Primula purpurea, so that propagation is found to be rapid enough. To get the full beauty of these grand Himalayan Primulas, the plants should be lifted into large pots in the autumn and be put into a cold frame until the flowers are showing, and then be taken into the greenhouse ; in this way they are glorious spring-flowering plants. Primula japonica can be propagated with great rapidity by seed, as this variety seeds freely, as also does the fine East Indian sikkimensis, which comes true in that way. I have endeavoured to secure a cross between these two kinds, using pollen of japonica, which is a thrum-eyed flower, on the styles of the flowers of P. sikkimensis, a pin-eyed variety. Seed-pods are set and ripening, but I cannot assert that the desired cross has been effected. Primula cortusoides amoena and its Tarieties seed but sparingly, as, although some of the pods make a great show of seeding, they are generally found barren, but then the plant makes amends by reason of its free root pro- pagation, as a seedling will in the second year produce several roots and crowns, and in the fourth year about 100 crowns, and in a few more years multitudes. The most indifferent propagators, perhaps, are of the nivalis or viscosa section ; these are allied to the Auricula group, and, like that popular florists' flower, can only be propagated by the slow process of division or the taking off of offshoots. These seed sparingly ; indeed, it is rare that seed is found, and, therefore, they can never be abundant, especially as being somewhat miffy during the hot weather they now and then collapse. Keep the plants cool during the summer, and when the offshoots are strong enough, take them off with a sharp knife, fix them in a pan of sandy soil, and place them in a cold frame. In the case of old plants it is well to shake them quite free of soil and cut away all the old stock roots, leaving only the newest ones ; then. potted up in fresh soil and in smaller pots, the plants will start afresh and with renewed health and vigour. Most of the farinosa section will seed freely, and it is well to keep a few seedlings always coming in, as the old plants will suddenly decay and disappear. Blooming, as most of the hardy Primulas do, early in the spring, it is more probable that seed will be got from plants flowering sheltered under glass than from those exposed to heavy rains and late frosts. If seed, there- fore, be needed, the precaution of growing some in pots should not be neglected. A. D. Cascades and Fountains in Pleasure Grounds. — Perhaps no feature in conneotion with the laying out of pleasure grounds and flower gardens requires nicer management than these. Everything depends npon the judgment of the operator and the choice of a situation whether the result will be a snccesa or a failure. The passion for fountains and cagcadea in flower gardens has in many instances led to their being found in situacions where they are nothing but an incongruity. A jet of water has itself a refreshing and pleasing effect almost anywhere on a warm summer day ; but the " fountains" which so frequently form the central figures of our geometrical flower gardens have usually a rather depressing effect. Built of solid masonry, and standing in the midst of a dreary waste of gravel walks, or at best in the centre of a group of geometrical- shaped flower beds — and in ninety.nine cases in a hundred unable to play for want of water — they are almost meaningless objects, wholly out of place. Naiads, n.ermaid8, dolphins, and other mythical figures and fishes, bleaching in the sun among a lot of scarlet Geraniums and Calceolarias, &c., is enrely as absurd an incongruity as could possibly be conceived. The first essential in a fountain or a oascade is water, and this is just what is usually wanting. We are acquainted with numbers of flower gardens containing fountains where there is hardly suflicient water to play them for one week in the year, and there the nude figures stand, blistering in the sun and blackened with soot, a melancholy testimony of the incompetency and stupidity of the designer. And quite aa often, when the fountain is playing, its noblest effort ia a disappointing squirt, which might be easily sur- passed by a garden engine or a common brass syringe. — J. S. Cool Treatment of Lobelias for Bedding. — Where any. thing like exactness of outline is necessary. Lobelias should always be raised from cuttings, as seedlings cannot be relied upon to produce a compact mass without pinching or cutting. Our annual stock ia from 4000 to 5000, and, except for keeping the stock plants through the winter, we do not now use either pots or boxes, but simply dibble the cuttings into very slight hotbeds made up a few days before the cuttings are ready. The hotbeds are generally com. posed of lawn mowings, mixed with a few leaves or other rubbish to keep down and steady the heat. As regards the stock plants, about six or eight dozen of the latest cuttings are potted in small pots in spring, plunged in the open ground, and have the flowers pinched off during summer. About August they are ahifted into 4i-in. pota and are wintered on a back shelf in a cool house juat under the ventilators, where in fine weather they have full exposure. In this position the growth made ia wonderfully robust, and when the cuttings are taken off in March and April, a very small amount of bottom- heat will suffice to root them quickly. It is always a good plan to have a stock to work from in proportion to the number of plants required ; as, although it is possible to work off a wonderful number from a few plants, it ia not wiae to do so, for over-propagation ia an evil, and leada to deterioration in vigour ; indeed, I have no doubt many of the cases of plants dying off in sammer, and leaving an unsightly blank in the beds, may be traced to this cause of forcing and over-production. We strike Alternantheraa, Coleus, &c., in the aame way, and produce far better planta, with less than one. tenth of the labour, than by potting ; and the plants, being close to the glass, assume a brighter colour, and are stronger, hardier, and better enabled to resist viciasitudes of weather and climate, Planta grown in thia way may be planted out ten daya earlier than when they have been grown in close, warm houses. — E. H, Smilax n^aculata. — For covering low walls in a warm position thia ia one of the beat of plants. It grows freely, its tendrils cling firmly to the wall, and its denae maaees of narrow, pointed, glistening bronze and white-apotted leaves have a pleasing effect. — V. Delphinium cardiuale. — Thia very distinct Larkapnr is, I conaider, even more tjeautiful than ite dwarf congener, D. nadicaule, as it is much more robust in habit, forming a pyramid from 4 ft. to 6 ft. in height. The flower^ are larger and of a more brilhant scarlet, and they laat a long while in good condition. A place ahould be found for it in even the most select collections of hardy planta, — A. THE GARDEN. [JuLT 20, 1878. GARDENING FOR THE WEEK. Flower Garden. The staking and tying up of climbers and tbe pegging down of dwarf- growing plants are operaticms wbich will require constant attention. Fiiiefoliaged, or wbat are known as sub-tropical, plants sboulJ, wben necessary, be supplied with abundance of water, and tbe curface of the beds should be well mulched with good rich manure to check evaporation and assist in tbe production of a hoe, healthy, luxuriant leafage, which constitutes the principal beauty and attraction of such plauts. The unsightliuess of the manure may be easily coucealed by tbe mowings of lawns, and tbe margins of the beds should be neatly covered with green Moss, which the occasional water'nas will keep in good condition. Wherever carpet bedding is practised this must also have constant atten- tion in tbe way of pinching in and regulating the growth of tbe various plants employed for that purpose so as to preserve tbe outlines and pat- terns of the beds. All flowering shrubs, as soon as they go out of bloom, should have dead and decaying flowers removed, aod when necessary the' plants should be cut back. Box edgings may also now be trimmed, and wherever divisional lines are formed by means of Sweet Brier or the common evergreen Privet they should also now be cut Few plants are better suited for forming low ornamental hedges than the Privet, but, being of free growth, it requires to be clipped several times during the season. The common Yew is also an excellent hedge plant, but it is of slow growth. There are, however, several other hardy Coniferous trees to which this objection does not apply, such as Cupressus Lawsoniana, Thu,ia Lobbi. Thujopsis borealis, &c , all of which are well suited for ornamental hedges or screens Where such already exist tbe present is the most suitable time for cutting or rather clipping them; but when such hedges or screens consist of large-leaved plauts, such as the com- mon or Portugal Laurel, it is then advisable to prune with the knife, in order to avoid, as much as possible, the mutilation of the leaves Dwarf Coniferous trees and ornamental shrubs of various sorts are frequently used in the embellishment of Italian and geometrical gardens, and, where that is the case, it is generally necessary to preserve a certain amount of uni- formity as regards shape and size ; and the present is a suitable time to attend to tbe cutting or trimming of such specimens. Among plants well suited for this purpose are the Sweet Bay, the Portugal Laurel, the Laurustinus, &c., trained in the form of standards or otherwise, together with various sorts of Cypresses and Junipers, and other plants of a dropp- ing habit of growth; also the Irish Yew (Taxus fastigiata), generally trained in the form of pyramids, and on which are sometimes grafted the gold and silver. striped varieties of the Taxus baocata or common Yew, a union wbich produces a very striking eS'ect, as do also trained specimens of tbe fine foliaged Acer Negundo variegatum, wbich, although deciduous, produces, nevertheless, during the summer months, a very pleasing con- trast when associated with sombre or dark-foliaged plants. Continue to extract Plantains and other broad-leaved plants from lawns, and occasion- ally take an opportunity, after a considerable rainfall, to well roll all dressed ground. This will, however, seldom be necessary where a heavy horse machine is used, and where that is employed avoid by all means a too close approach to fine specimen Coniferous or other trees upon the lawn. Whatever portion of surface the mowing machine may not have reached should be neatly cut with the scythe on tbe following morning; at tbe same time the margins of walks and clumps should be trimmed or clipped with the Grass-edging shears, an operation quite indispensable to neatness and high keeping. Phloxes. — These beautiful summer-flowering occupants of the her- baceous border, if grown in a situation where tbe roots of deciduous trees or evergreens can interfere with them, require plenty of water at and about tbe 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 sulfer from the attacks of black thrips, which get into and rpnil the flowers as soon as they open. 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. Gladioli 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, w! ich has a con-' siderable 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 n^at stick, such as a stout dry iVillow or Hazel, the thickness of one's finger ; and be careful, when inserting it, not to thrust it down so near the rootsastoin.jure them. There are few more handsomeand 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 the presence of poor flowers. No seed should be saved except from tbe best double blooms. If the strain is too dark, or does not possess a sufhcient number of the rich yellow. stiiped 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 ot weakness, through the ground not being rich enough, assist tbem inth manure water. There is no plant less able than Asters to bear the ellect of aphides, whose presence is easily detected hy the leaves curling up. A good washing with Tobacco water is the bst remedy, and this should be applied as soon as the insects are detected, or the plants will bo irreparably spoilt The tall-growing kinds if at all in an exposed situa. tion, will require a small stick and tie to each plant. Hardy Perner.v.— Ferns, unless well looked to and properly sup. pla-d with water, will soon present a shabby appearance, as thrips are sure to attack them. Moisture-loving kinds, such as the difl'erent varie- ties of Athyrmms and the majestic-looking Struthi.ipteris will be tbofirst to sutter, and therefore, where these have not a cool damp soil afl'orded them to grow in, frequent and copious waterings will be necessary to keep them in health. These should be applied ov.rbead, so as to thoroughly wet the fronds, or where that cannot conveniently be done the garden engine or syringe may be advantageously employed to give them a thorough wetting ; if this can be done every night it will considerably prolong their freshness and beauty. Where bulbous plants and others ot a semi-wild character are grown in suitiible portions of the hardv Ferm ry, as they always should be, the lees interference they receive in the way of tnmming or removal of leaves the greater will be their strength and capacity for blooming next year. It is a great mistake, for the sake of appearances, to denude such plants of their foliage, as is frequently the case long before it has died ofl' and ceased to be useful, the eS'ect being to stop the maturation of the bulb or crown of the plant, as tbe case may be, and prevent the formation of flowers. Indoor Plant Department. Conservatories.- The numerous choice stove plants available at this season for decorating both greenhouses and conservatories will afford riioro richness and variety, botli in foli.igo and flower, than is attainable in these comp iratively cool houses at any other season of the year ; and as It will not be safe to allow choice specimens of these to rema'in in such structures for any lengthened period, it will be well to use them as extensively as possible during the next month or two, in order that the pleasure to be derived from them may be enjoyed without having to go into tbe strong moist heat of the stove to view them. By means of frequent changes and occasional re arrangement much interest may be im. parted and fresh effects produced iu such houses ; and, in addition to all this, the plants will be benefited by being turned ,and changed about, so as to expose a fresh side to the light. Were this more attended to, less training and tying would be requisite, and the use of objectionable stakes puncturing the ball might then in a great measure be dispensed with. Before placing choice specimens of stove plants in the conservatory, however, see that they are properly hardened, and select for them the best positions for showing them ofi' to advantage, taking care at the same time that they are out of the way of cold draughts. To ensure their salcty, keep them as dry at the root as the plauts will bear without flagging or shedding their flowers ; thus treated, they will endure the change much better than if they were freely supplied with water, wet and cold, at the same time, having a paralvsing ett'ect on them. Keep root^climbers properly thinned and regulated, otherwise, owing to the rapid growth which they are now making, they will soon become entangled. It 13 rare that conservatory borders are of sufficient depth or extent to keep in health such fast-growing, free. flowering plauts as Begonias, lacsonias, &a. ; and where any of these plants are at all pinched for root-room, the deficiency in soil must be made up by giving an abundant supply of water, or red spider will soon make its appearance, and when once this pest becomes established, its removal is a work of some dithculty. Camellias.— Most Camellias have their wood and flower-buds by this time sutticiently developed to necessitate removal to cooler quarters, so as to get their wood well ripened Examine spring grafted and imarched plants, and unfasten all ligatures from such as have united and are growing, but still keep them in rather close quarters Do not entirely bead back the stocks to the scions until the latter have fairly started into growth, but shorten any too vigorous growth on tbe part of the stock. The end of this month, and for six weeks afterwards, is a good tim" for grafting Camellias ; therefore have good, healthy, and well-established stocks in readiness, also a close pit or frame inside a cool house for the reception of the ''worked" plants. They require dense shading for a time, and any that are too tall may be laid on their sides or in a sloping direction. Daphne indiea should, if possible, be kept on growing in a pit where a little closer atmosphere than that ot an ordinary greenhouse is maintained, or it may be placed on the front shelf of a late Vinery, as the warm, moist atmosphere produced by syringing and closing the house early in the afternoon will completely answer its requirements ; so treated it will make double the amount of growth that it would iu a greenhouse, which is so far an advantage that it admits of more of the flowers being cut than when the plant makes less progress, although, under no con- ditions should too ni.iny shoots be removed when in bloom. This plant ought never to be exposed to the open air, as it suR'ers if the soil becomes too wet by exposure to rains As generally seen, it is of medium growth, and even by those whose glass accommodation is limited halfa dozen plants will not be too many to grow, and by keeping a portion through the winter a little warmer than others a long succession of flowers may be secured. It is essential never to overpot or overwater it. JDLY 20, 1878.] THE GARDEN. 67 Pleroma elagana. — This easily. grown and showy plant strikes as freely aa a Verbeoa from the halt-ripened shoots put in about the present time. They are best struck singly in small pots, drained and tilled with a mixture of sifted loara, peat, and sand. Kept moist, covered with a bell-glass, shaded, and placed on an ordinary hotbed, they will root iu a few weeks ; after that they may be fully exposed, the points of the shoots pinched out to induce them to break, and subjected to greenhouse treat. ment for a couple of years. In the second summer they should be placed out-of-doors iu the open air at the shady side of a tree or wall that will prevent the sun in the middle of the day shining upon their leaves, which are somewhat impatient of its direct influence. As they require more room move them on into S-in. or 10 in. pots. So treated, they will bloom from almost every shoot, producing flowers which in colour are not equalled by anything in cultivation. Pita and Frames. — Where pot plants are grown iu pits they must be kept well np to the glass or they are apt to become drawn. Plants in such structui'es are more liable to get neglected as regards water than in house-', where they can be more readily examined. Under such circum- stances, 1 10. insects are more likely to escape observation than in more open quarters, and therefore must be looked after more closely. In additi)n to supplying pot plants with sufficient water at the roots, it is also requisite, whde active growth is progressing, to keep the floors of the pits or frames on which they stand well and regularly moistened, for if this be not attended to the atmosphere durmg hot sunny weather becomes so dry that healthy growth is out of the question. Hardy Fruit. Strawberries. — Old Strawberry beds that have become exhausted should be dug over as soon as the fruit is gathered. The best method is to cut them off with the spade just below the collar and bury them as the work goes on, opening a trench for the purpose sufficiently wide at the commencement The old tops thus dug under will beuetit the ground, especially if it be of a heavy character. There is no better crop to follow Strawberries, when dug up at this time of the year, than Turnips, which should be sown as soon as rain falls after the ground is prepared. Pears and Plums on walls should have their summer shoots re- moved as soon as they have ceased to grow, a state at which the trees will arrive sooner or later, according to the earliness or lateness of the locality in which they are grown The object in taking these summer shoots off is to give the ti*ee a better opportuuity to form fruit. buds for the ensuing year, and to expose these to the ripening influence of sun and air; but if such shoots be removed too soon, i.e., whilst there is a considerable flow of sap iu the trees, more harm than good will be done, as the trees will start again into growth. The usual way is to break the breast. wood (for that is tbe term usually applied to these summer shoots) off with the thumb laid across the blade of the pruning, knife, or a stout pair of ordinary nippers may be used for the purpose, severing the shoots at about h in. or i in. above the point from which they spring. Kitchen Qarden. Sowing Cabbages. — Those who have not had an opportunity of observing the marked influence which the difference of a few days in sowing the seeds of some vegetables exercises over the future crop are apt to smile at the fixed dates at which tbe last generation of gardeners used to have tor sowing in spling and autumn. A little reflection will convince any one that the difference 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 pre- ceded 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 afiects 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 present 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 direotinns are followed, the disappointment of seeding instead of hearting will not be experienced. Select au 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 Kunners.— 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. Where the ground was well enriched there will not have been any necessity for watering; but where there has been a deficiency of manure, weakly applicjtions of manure water will be required. Should Celery become at all affected with green fly, 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 UD 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, hke all other applications of a similar nature, it must reach every part of the plants above ground, tor, even upon such portions of the leaves as harbour no living insects, it is more than likely that there aro eggs which will quickly come to life. Should the fly not be killed by one dre-ssin<, give a secood 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. Extracts from my Diary. July 22. — Sowing black-seeded Brown Cos Lettuce for winter nso. Potting on small Cinerarias. Planting out Lettuces and Endive. Earth- ing up Cardoons. Lifting pickling Onions and spreading them out to dry. Sticking Peas and getting them earthed up, and topping those which are growing above the sticks. Picking Laxton's Unique and Wil- liam I. Peas for seed. Getting large rough trames ready for sowing late Peas and late dwarf French Beans so as to protect them froui the early autumn frosts. Nailing and tying in R ises on walls and picking off all dead flowers. Hoeing and weeding amougst Strawberries, and cutting away all runners that are not required for planting. July 23.— Sowing Laxton's Omega and Unique Peag. Budding Roses, and giving them a good mulching with rotten manure. Hmd- weeding herbaceous borders and giving them a general clean up. Water- ing Celery ; also Leeks, Parsley, Turnips, &c. Gathering Black Currants for preserving Clearing out Mushroom house and getting it white- washed. Giving the Peach trees in early house a good watering night an 1 morning with the garden engine to keep down red spider and other insects. Lifting early sorts of Potatoes and spreading them out in the sun to ripen them well for seed next season. July 24 —Putting in Pink and Carnation pipings under hand-lights. Gathering Apricots for preserving. Earthing up Celery when the soil is dry and in workable condition. Weedingand picking over carpet bedding borders. Making up new Mushroom bed in the open ground Looking over Marrows and Gherkins, and closely stopping them alt. Digging up, manuring, and watering borders previous to sowing with Wheeler's Imperial Cabbage, and stopping and nailing in the shoots of Tomatoes on walls. Nailing in all the leading shoots of Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots and Cherries. Looking over Cucumbers and Melons, watermg them and stopping them where required, and renovating the linings round all manure frames. July 25. — Potting on Celosias, Coleuses, and Begonias. Picking oB' early blooms and pegging down the branches of exhibition Balsams. Stopping t;he laterals through all Vineries and giving late houses a good soaking with guano water inside and out. Staking and tying in plants on borders. Training out and pegging down bedding plants and clearing away decaying leaves and flowers. Thinning out Turnips, Carrots, and Spinach. Cutting back Laurels in pleasure grounds where overgrowing walks. Watering Lettuce and Endive beds, and hoeing amongst all growing crops. July 26.— Putting in Phlox and Pelargonium cuttings. Tying out and picking the early blooms off exhibition Fuchsias. Weeding. hnein» and afterwards mulching Aster beds. Stopping and tying out Dahlias and thinning out the blooms where required for exhibition. Cutting back Ivy on walls where overgrowing windows. Clearing off Peas and manuring and digging the ground ready for autumn Cabbages. Getting new mould into cold pits and pricking them out with Parsley roots fo°r winter use. Cutting back the breastwood and nailing in the leaders of Plums and Pears. Gathering Raspberries and Red and White Currants for preserving. July 27-— Pricking off a late batch of Primulas and Cinerarias. Transplanting Silenes and Forget-me.nots from seed beds ; also seeding Violas. Watering the Pines all through and putting sticks to any that require it. Cleaning up mould yards. Planting out a large breadth of Savoys tor small heads ; also Coleworts. Mulching late Peas with rotten manure Getting^all Pine pots washed and getting in the soil ready for potting. Giving Scarlet Runner Beans a good soaking of manure water. Weeding and cleaning Box edgings in garden walks. Watering Celery, Cardoons, Cauliflowers, and Tomatoes. Mowing and cleaning up the pleasure grounds and rolling down all gravel and turf that require it. Fruit in use for dessert : Pines, Grapes, Melons, Figs, Peaches, Nectarines' Strawberries, Cherries, Raspberries, Gooseberries, and Currants — W. G. P., Dorset. Wild Flowers for Table Decoration.— At the Woodbridge Horticultural Society's show, held on July 11, amongst centre pieces for table decoration were some pretty arrangements of wild flowers. Of flowers and fruits combined I also noticed some good examples, but it is to the wild flowers I wish to direct attention. Amongst these Water Lilies, Corn. flowers, and Forget-me-nots are now abundant, and there is also an endless variety of foliage that almost possesses the fairy-like lightness of our native Grasses. With such materials one can scarcely avoid producing a graceful effect. Water bouquets were also largely represented, and for this purpose Water Lilies, Forget-me.nots, and other aquatic flowers looked far more at home than such subjects as Gloxinias and stove Ferns, which are frequently employed for that purpose. However beautiful exotic or even native flowers may be in themselves, their beauty may be greatly enhanced by having some regard to natural position and sur. rouudings. A Water Lily should evidently be in a situation where it can be looked down on, while a climbing plant— like a Tacsonia- can only be seen to advantage when viewed from belotr. — J. Geoom. 68 THE GARDEN. ■■July 20, 1879* GARDEN BOTANT. {Continued from p. 36. j Number of Sepals. — It has already been mentioned that the parts of the flower of dicotyledons are usually in fours or fives, or multiples of these numbers, and this, of course, would apply to the calyx as well as the corolla, and stamens and carpels. Perhaps as many as 80 per cent, or even 90 per cent, of dicoty- ledons have a pentamerous (five-parted) calyx. The number of sepals forming the gamosepalous calyx can usually be deter- mined by the number of lobes. The Fuchsia and most of the members of the same order have a tetramerous, or four-parted, calyx, but the Enchanter's Nightshade, also belonging to the same family, has only two sepals, two petals, &c. Then there FiR. 325.— Diagram of the flower of Circsea luteti- ana ; the two sepals lateral, and the two petals anterior and posterior. Fie. 326.— Diairram of the flower of Diclytra for- mosa ; one of the sepals anterior and the other posterior. Fig. 827.— Diajram of the flower of Planta- go major; neither of the fonr sepals with its median line an> terior or posterior. is the small family, the Portulacese (Portulaca and Calandrinia), which is characterised by having a calyx of only two sepals. The flowers of Calycanthus and Chimonanthus exhibit a gradual transition from bracts to sepals, and sepals to petals, so that it is impossible to know where one ceases and the other begins. Position ok the Sepals.— The accompanying floral diagrams illustrate some of the variations in the relative position of the sepals. When the calyx consists of only two sepals, they are either lateral, one on either side to the right and left, as in Circffla lutetiana (Enchanter's Nishtshade— fig. 325), or one posterior, that is, next the mother axis, aud the other anterior, as in Diclytra formosa (fig. 32(3). When there are four sepals, they are commonly arranged— one posterior, one anterior, and two lateral ; but in Plantago (fig. 327) the centre of neither of the petals is in the same vertical plane as the centre of the Ffg. 328.— Diagram of the flower of PhaseolaB, showing the odd sepal is anterior. Fig. 329.— Diagram of the flower of Linum, showing the odd sepal is posterior, or next to the axis. axis, two of them being to the right of it, and two to the left. When the calyx is composed of five sepals, the odd one is almost always posterior, or next to the axis, as in Linum (fig. 329), though in the LeguminosEe the odd one is anterior (fig. 328).' Tho Corolla. Almost all that has been said respecting the calyx applies equally to the corolla, that is to say, there are regular and irregular polypetalous and gamopetalous corollas, and the position of the petals with respect to the axis is equally vari- able, as well as their number. But the cohesion and absence of cohesion of the petals are characters of more importance in systematic botany, as dicotyledons, having a distinct calyx and corolla, are divided into two groups, the polypetalfe and gamo- petalse (monopetate of some botanists). The natural orders belonging to the former are characterised by having, with few exceptions, the petals free to the base, whilst those of the latter group are almost invariably more or less united. There is, moreover, a greater variety in the shape of the corolla than there is of the calyx, or at least the variations are more strik- ing. There are several leading types of polypetalous corollas which we will briefly describe. One of the most striking is the papilionaceous type (figs. 330 and 331), and it is charac- teristic of a larger number of species than any other poly- petalous corolla. It is irregular, and tho upper or posterior petal is usually larger than the others, which it overlaps in the Fig. 330.— Papilionaceous corolla. Fig. 331. — Irregular polypetalous (papilionaceous) corolla spread open ; the upper petal is termed the "standard," the lateral "wings," and the two lower more or less combined form the keel. bud, both of its edges being outside of the others. The upper petal of a papilionaceous corolla is the standard, the two lateral ones the wings, and the two lower, which cohere more or less, form the keel. It is important to remember this distinction of the petals, because it is from various modifications in the shape and the relative sizes of the petals that some of the Pig. 332,— Flower of Wallflower, Fig. 333.— Flower of Silene pendula. showing the cruciform type of corolla. generic characters are drawn. It is almost superfluous to give examples of this type, as they abound in the field and in the garden. The Furze, Broom, Pea, Bean, Wistaria, Clover, Lupin, &c,, are of this type. Another type of polypetalous corolla characteristic of a large number of familiar plants is the cruci- form (fig. 332). This has four petals, commonly consisting of Fig. 334.— Flower of Hypericum Pig. 335.— Flower of Geum, showing tho ffigyptiacum ; corolla polypetal- rosaceous type of corolla, ous and regular. an erect, stalk-like part (the claw) and a spreading limb. Cabbage, Candytuft, Stock, Wallflower, Arabis, &c., have a cruciform corolla. The polypetalous corolla of the Pink family (fig. 333) is similar to the cruciform, but it has five petals. All three of the types described have the petals more or less distinctly clawed. The Rosaceous type (fig. 335) has sessile petals, which spread from the base ; this type is represented in raanynat^'-al orders, and is not peculiar to members of the JniY 20, 1878.] THE GARDEN. 69 RosaceEB. The corolla of Aconite consists of two singularly shaped petals enclosed in the hood-shaped petaloid sepal (see fig. 336, where the sepal is removed to show the petals). In Polygala two of the sepals are much larger than the others and coloured like petals, and there are only three petals, and they adhere to the stamens. The two larger sepals are called the wings, just as the two lateral petals are of a papilionaceous Fip. 336. — A flower of Aconite, with the sepals aetactaed. Fiff. 337. — Flower of Salvia bicolor, with two-lipped corolla. corolla, and they persist and enclose the seed vessel. Gamo- petalous corollas offer a great diversity of shapes, but there are some very distinct types. The corolla of the Labiatje (Salvia family) is usually two-lipped (bilabiate) — fig. 337 — as it is also in many Acanthaceos (Justicia), ScrophulariaceEe (Pedicularis), Fig. 339.— LIgnlate corolla of the Composita?. Fi^. 339.— Flower of Tobacco, with an infandiboliform, or funnel-shaped corolla. and Verbenacese ; but there is every degree, from a nearly regular shape to the very decidedly two-lipped corolla of Salvia bicolor (fig. 337). When the two lips meet and enclose the stamens (Antirrhinum, for example), the corolla is personate. The ligulate corolla (fig. 338) is characteristic of the Com- Fig. 3J0.— Flower of Hyo^cyamns albus ; corolla ^amopetalona and regular. Fig. 341.— Flower of Sym- phytum officinale, with a tabular corolla. Fin. 312.— Flowers oE Ces. trum ; corolla sraraopetal- oaa and regular. poaitae (see paragraph on the capitulum) ; in the Dandelion all the flowers of the head are ligulate ; in the Daisy only the outer ones, the others being tubular. Honeysuckles have an irregular corolla something of the same shape. Among regular gamopetalous corollas are the campannlate (bell-shaped), as of many Campanulas, Convolvulus, &c. ; the infundibuliform (funnel-shaped), fig. 339; the tubular (fig. 341); the vase- shaped (fig. 3-12) ; the salver-shaped (fig. 343) ; the urceolate (fig. 34-t) ; and the rotate (fig. 345). There is no very precise meaning attached to these terms, and campanulate corollas are as variable in form, or perhaps more so than bells. ApPENDiGES OP Petals. — The petals of the Eagged Robin, Campion, and many of the same family (Caryophyllaceae) are furnished with a scale at the base of the limb ; and most of the Boraginaceas (Myosotis, Borago, Symphytum) have the throat of the tube of the corolla closed by scales. Cardio- spermum (fig. 346) has the petals provided with a crested scale ; the famous Coca tree has the petals furnished with two lateral crested scales (fig. 347) ; and the petals of the Buttercup (fig. 348) have a small glandular body at the base. Fig. 343.— Flower of Lilac, Fiir. 314.— Flower of Arbutus Pig. 345 — floweroE with hypocrateriform or tJnedo, with an urceolate Lysiraachia, with salver-shaped corolla. or urn-shaped corolla. a rota'e corolla. Insertion of Petals. — When the calyx is adherent to the top of the ovary, the petals appear to spring from the base of the limb of the calyx, and are what is termed epigynous ; when the petals are attached to a free calyx, or a calyx that is not adherent to the top of the ovary, they are perigynous ; and when they spring from the enlarged floral axis itself, free from the calyx and below the gyncecium, they are hypogynous. The same terms apply to the insertion of stamens, though in both cases it may be the result of adhesion commencing in a very early stage of development. Absence and Suppression of Petals. — When a species of a Pig. 316.— Petal of Oar- diospermum Halica- cabnm, furnished with a central crested scale. Fig. 317.— Petal of Erythroxy- lon coca, furnished with two lateral crested scales. Fig. 313. — Petal of Ranunculus, fur- nished with a gland at the base. genus normally having petals is destitute of them it is said to be apetalous. Most of the species of Fuchsia, for example, are provided with petals, but there are about six apetalous species. In Amorpha fruticosa, a shrub belonging to the Leguminosfe (sub-order, Papilionaoefe), only the upper petal or standard is developed, all the others being suppressed. Clematis and Anemone are referred to the Ranunoulaceaj, although they are apetalous, because in all other essential characters they agree with Ranunculus, &c. In these genera the sepals simulate petals. The Perianth. A general definition of the perianth, as the term is employed in descriptive botany, is given in a previous paragraph, and we need only repeat here that in practice it is applied to the floral envelope when it is in one whorl or series, or if in more than one whorl the parts of both whorls are similar in shape and 70 THE GARDEN. [July 20, 1878. colouring. The perianth is free and polyphyllous or gatno- phjllous, or it is adherent to the ovary, and it is either regular Fig. 349. — Female flower of Stinsuig Nettle, having a four-leaved perianth. Fip. 35'D —Female flower of Rhubarb, with a six-leaved perianth. or irregular in form. The perianth of the Cupulifer^ (sea also preceding paragraph on the involucre o£ this family) specially Fig. 3S1.— Fleehv rierianth of Mohlen- beckia Burruunding tLe fruit. Fi(r. 352 — Trreenlar eamiphyllous perianth of AiiBtoloohiaclematitis. deserves our notice, as its real nature is likely to be misunder- stood. In the Oak and Beech the perianth is adherent to the Fig 863.— Perianth cf ArlBtolochia tricaudata. ovary, but though this is not very apparent in the mature Acorn or Beech Mast, it can be traced by beginning at the flowering stage. Several dicotyledonous orders have a single perianth, as the Thymelaceffl (Daphne and Pimelea) ; ProtcaceaB (Bariksia and Grevillea), with the stamens superposed on {op- posite tol the leaves of the perianth; the Urticactae (J^tinging Nettle— fig. 349); and the Polygonacea! (Rhubarb— fig 360). The free perianth is either deciduous or persistent; in Muh- lenbeckia (fig. 351) it is persistent, and becomes fleshy. The Aristo1ocbiacta3 (Aristolochia, Asaruni) have an irregular eamophyllous adherent perianth of very variable shape (figs, 35i and 353). There arc two principal types of perianth in Fig. 354.— Perianth of an Orchid. monocotyledons : the petaloid (Tulip, Hyacinth, Crocus, &o.) and the glumaceous (Grasses and Sedges). The former is usually of some other colour than green, and often very bril- liantly coloured ; and one of the principal things to note is, whether it is free from the ovary, as in Lilies and Tulips, or adherent to it, as in Irises, Snowdrop, and Narcissus. The Perianth of Ofchids. The perianth of Orchids presents a most wonderful diversity of singular forms ; all belonging, however, to one type almost peculiar to the family. It is almost invariably irregular, and consists of six pieces in two series. The three outer ones are July 20, 1878.] THE GARDEN. 71 usually uniform ia size and shape, and are generally called \ sepals; a d ot the three inner parts, the tivo lateral (petals) i are alike, and the other oE a very different shape (S^. S5i). The latter is called the labellum or lip, and it is this that varies so much in size and shape and colour, being usually ot a different colour or differently marked from the others. Oftentimes it is proHnced below in the lorm of a spur, which attains a length of Ij ft. in Angrfflcum sesquipedale, of which fig. 35t is a re- duced representation. It is always adherent to the ovary, and almost always the posterior part becomes anterior through a half twist of the ovary. W. B. Hbjislev. THE FRUIT CROPS. SCOTLAND. Floors Castle, Kelso. — Apples are a complete failure here- ab»uta. Apricots are a pj-rcial crop oq most trees, Moorpark being the beat sort. Plums are pleutiful, and we never had bo many Green G-iges for these last eight years as we have this season. Cherries are a failure, and the Morel lo crop was never so bad ; but I attribute this to a severe north-east blast which smote the trees on May 20, while Apricots and Plums on an opposite aspect were more sheltered. In a case of this kind walls are invaluable. We have very few Pears, aud this I attribute to the occurrence of a cold north-west wind at the time of flowering, although they were protected by a 3-ply net. Our Pear wall has the disadvantage of not having a natural ~p^otBC- tion from a plantation, which ia not half established; but in a few years this plantation will give the desired protection. My opinion ia that cold winds do more harm than frost, for we can protect fiom frosts, bat we canuoti protect from cold winds. Strawberries are an excellent crop. Goospbeiries poor. Currants are good, and so are Raspberries. — Henry Knight. Tynninghame, East Lothian. — Apricots are a fair crop here and throui^hout the neighbjurhood. Applei poor, except some of the earlier sorts ; the blossoms wanted stamina. Pears on some trees good, on others only middling. Plums generally a heavy crop. Cherries a full crop. Strawberries, Black and Bed Currants, and Raspberries extra heavy throughout the district. Gooseberries in general next to or entirely a failure; incur own case a very heavy crop. The trees generally were damaged some two months ago, but they are now making clean healthy growths, and bid fair to euauie a good promise for next season, provided the weather proves at all propitious. The remarks as to varieties remain the same as in previous years. A new Strawberry, named Moffatt's Duke of Edinburgh, ia being largely grown for market purposes. It is a heavy cropper and very large, but deficient in flavour. Mr. Sinclair, of Preston- kirk, grows it largely for market, and it is certainly worthy of a trial in other districts. — R. P. BROTnERSrON. Culzean Castle, Ayrshire. — Fruit crops hereabouts this season are in general good. Strawberries have been very plentiful, espe. cially Keen's Seedling, which does best iu this district. Gooseberry bushes are quite loaded, but in some gardens near here they are scarce. Currants, both Red and Black, are a medium crop, although they promised well when in flower. Raspberries are a good crop, but the fruit is amall. Apples are very plentiful, and the same may be said of Pears, espooially those on walls. Cherriea, Figi, and Plums are alao good crops. Our most fruitful Apples here are Lord Suffield, Eoklinville, Roya! Russet. Eirly Margaret, Keswick Codlio, King of the Pippins, Wormaid'a Pippin, and Cambusnethan Pippin. Pears Williams' Bon Chretien, Knight's Monarch, Marie Louise, Passe Golmar, and Ne Plus Meuris. Plums Victoria, Kirke's, Jefferson, Ooe's Golden Drop, and Rivera* Early Prolific. Our kitchen garden is well sheltered from the north and east winds, and the soil is of a heavy, stiff character, resting on a hard red clay. — D. Murr.\y, Eglinton Castle, Ayrshire.— Fruit crops hereabouts this season are very variable, a circumstance attributable to last season beiug exceptionally wet and cold, so that neither wood nor buds were matured; hence, though the blossom was abundant and the spring -more favourable than that of the average of seasons, the blooms fell off without setting. There are, however, some exceptions, in which a fair average crop will be secured, arising from the situation being better sheltered and the soil more suitable than ours. Apples will be very scarce — generally speaking, very few, if any. Of Pears the blossom was leas abundant than that of Apples, but the crops are heavier. Plums are more abundant than they have been for some years. Cherries are a fair crop. Currants heavy, as far as I have seen aod heard. Gooseberries very partial ; in some gardens they are a heavy crop, but, on the whole, they are scarce. Raspberries are a fair average crop, and the same may be said of Strawberries. Our garden here lies very low and damp, being only a few feet above the bed of the river Lugton, and also a very few feet above the sea level. The soil is generally heavy, aud very unsuitable for good fruit returns. The following are the names of fruits that seem to do best with us, viz.. Apples— Lord Suffield, Eoklinville, and Stirling Cistle. Pears — Bearrc de Gapiaumout, Williams' Bjo Chretien, Hdssel, Jargonelle (on walls), and Marie Louise. Strawberries- President, Garibaldi, Keen's Seedling, and Elton. —J. Gray. Bothwell Castle, Lanark.— t may state generally that Strawberries, Raspberries, and Cherries, more especially Morellos, are fully average cropa ; otber sorts of fruit are rather below the avera{