An n> MnAJ ■ . mmm vn F f.l n i.\/5 m rs mmm. \ k «v \ AfU £§s3m ^ fc£2 mwfr mm ■ \ ^]*A,1 Mm v^ry. ry -^H^f^f^^^^^ \ ^JA ;&$*&y$m - ^ *$^»£0 j^^m V <4&? ^%KO*n<*p |©^'fi I'nH 1 V 'Nca Ka ■J0, WsSsss^k ^- ■ ~; .- \ ^ KSr 'Mr\/i^ n~ »tf ,iMr'r THE JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE. COTTAGE GABDENER, Jt5T> COUNTRY GENTLEMAN. A MAGAZINE OF GARDENING, RURAL AND DOMESTIC ECONOMY, BOTANY, A\'l» NATURAL HISTORY. COXDrCTED ET GEORGE W. JOHNSON. F.R.H.S.. and EGBERT HOGG, LL.D. THE VSOJIX AND KITCHEN GARDENS, bj Mr. J. B - Gardener to Viscount Hobnesdale, M.P.. Linton Park ; and Mr. X. Wexrcr, Gardener to the Warden of Winchester College. THE FLOWER GARDEN", l.y Mr. G. Abtey. StanstT Hall; and Xr. J. Willi, Gardener at Hoatroyde Park, Burnley.* STOTE. GBEENHOrSE. mi 7TTND0W GARDEN, ly Mr. R. Fish, Cartas, Pntterid^o Bory, near Laton. FIORISTS- FLOWERS AND FLOEICCLTrEE. by the Rev. H. H. GARDENING CALENDAR, bj Mr. TCTMzxs POULTRY-KEEPING, by Hr. f._ BaPy. Ere. JW. •«. 1 E. Hewitt, Esq., and other 1 BEE-KEEPING. Ir? H. Taylnr, Kaq-r T. W_ Seair, -I.tW.;" and Mr. S. Reran Foa- HOUSEHOLD ARTS, bj the Anffccress off *-:St 3-&WT5, - &fL others. I LIBRARY NEW YORK BOTANiCAL (jaKUl TOLUME XI., NEW SERIES. VOL. XXXVI.. OLD SERIES. LONDON: PUBLISHED FOR THE PROPRIETORS, 171, FLEET STREET. LONDON : PRINTED AT THE JOURNAL OF HORTICULTVRE OFFICE, 171, FLEET STREET. TO OUR READERS. A letter was delivered at our office some few days since, beginning with an inquiry, but with no other signature than our monogram, " What an appropriate monogram of Horticulture, Journalists of Hives, to support the H, and the H holds up that sister of mine, whose scribble H always remind her of a broken gate and concluding with this postscript : — that is ! It may be taken to mean Journalists and Journalists of Hens. The J, too, seems the J, just as co-Editors ought to do ; though you sometimes insert, declares that that J and fastened to a post." Now, it so happened that the J was reading aloud the letter to the H, and when he had con- cluded that sentence he stopped and said, " 'Maud's' sister wrote that. These ladies are both York- shire — here 's the Leeds postmark." But H, no doubt better satisfied with being compared to a gate than J was with his likeness to a post, made a response neither negative nor affirmative, but evasive, for he said, "Read on." So J read on as follows : — " Our cattle-yard has suffered dreadfully from the rinderpest ; but that has nothing to do with the Journal writers, unless " Wiltshire Rector" takes his tithe in kind. And Cousin Anne, who married Phelim O'Donoghuc, of Ballygarth House, in Sligo, can't settle to anything for fear of the Fenians ; but I suppose they are no connections of the gentleman who writes about Potatoes and Wine, though he is a Fenn. And then those dreadful failures — I suppose that they wo'n't injure the Journal, unless J and H have shares in the Agra, the London Chatham & Dover, and the Overend things. My sister says that she dares say they have, for men who write much rarely have common sense ; and if J and H have had to do with those things, she thinks the Journal may fail too. It would be a thousand pities, for I really believe it does a little good. Our curate takes it, and I know laid out his flower garden from something drawn in it ; and we give our copy to Harry Martin, who married our cook and settled in Craven, and he sends it to his brother in New Zealand. Mrs. Martin wrote to her sister, our housemaid, the other day ; and I must make one extract, because I know it will please J and H, to whom I beg, in conclusion, to say, no longer jocularly, I wish many happy New Years. This is the extract : — ' Martin does what the Journal tells him, and has just said, " I really do not know what I should have done without it. I should have ' gone ail wrong,' for I do not know any one who could have given me a word of advice." And his brother's letter from New Zealand last month said, "The Journal does remind me of home so; and ,1 now Bay, as I often say when reading, God bless the Editors, and prosper their work." " That will do for a Preface," said H ; but he and J must add that neither rinderpest, nor Fenianisiu, nor ruined speculations have weakened the resources of the Journal. Its staff is unscathed and strengthened; its circulation increased; and they hope that the J will continue to "support the H," and the H to '•uphold the J," for many years to come. .zaaz i ■ ■idx-i ■ ■ ■ : i _ ■ ■ ■ ■ . a . ' ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ INDEX. ABERGAVENNY Pot'LTBY SlIOW, 323 Acacia— longiflora, scale on, 451 ; not flowering, 469 Acbimenes done blooming, 245 Acorns culamus, planting, 92 Adiautuui cuiu atum ill a sitting- room, 42 Agrostis Btolonifera angustifolia, 815 Air. giving, 4Ky, 491 Aldborough Poultry Show, 174 Aldcrshot soldiers' garlens, 815 Ale and beer, difference, 245 Alexandra Park, 185 Allerton Poultry Show, 154 Alocasia maerorhiza decaying, 299 Aloyaia citriodora propagating, 110 Alpines, 207 ; early-blooming, 283 Alternanthernspathulatu and Bcssilis III: ih-I. .(, 1, ;.' 'I AlyBStim CUttingS, 163 Amaryllises, 16 American blight. 71 Among the Scottish braes, lochs, and mountains. 118, 147, 159,219, 311 Anacharis alsinastrnm, clearing a pond of, llo Ancylogyne longiflora,27 Anemones, planting, 151 Anprwcum Chailluanuni, 27 Annuals tor spring blooming, 331 Anthoxanthum odoratum, 296 Ants, 187; destroying, 208; driving away, 319 ; on Peach shoots, 332 Aphelandra Leopoldi culture, 84 Aphis, of what use V 319 Apples— can the graft be longer-lived than the parent tree? 91; storing, 226; for dwarfs, 245 ; in Russia, 261 : fowls eftting) 288; pruning, 300 ; list of 354; for pigs, 360; propagating, 875; transparent, Ac. 393; for bashes and pyramids. 413 ; for espa- liers, 451 ; large old. 465 Apricot trees, culture in orchard- honseB, 87 : mising (rom seed, 102 ; pruning, 151 ; fruit late in ripening, 152; forming standard, 355; hardy 447 : for wall, 46;i Arabis, Golden, culture, 283 Aralia trifoliate, 283 Araucaria imbneata, 272 Areca Baueri culture, 413 Artichokes, 233, 298 Arundo conspicua, 299 Ash, grafting, 375 Asparague — beds, dressing. 207 ; transplanting old, 246; beds, 298; forcing, 382, 411 ; planting, 414 ; times. of tirsl cutting, 424 Aspho-1 I Asters, seeds, 226; seeding, 9.37; in pots. 300 Aucuba seed, 34; hermaphrodite, ill, 447 Azaleas— Charmer, Vivid, 127; lions- Sing, 215; thripu on, 451 Bantams — Postaks'S and Ratnor's Game. 193,212; Game, 281; improv- ing colour, 234 : breeding Duck- wing, 363; with Dorkings, 380; esti- mate of varii ties, 880 Barnslcy Poultry Show, 282 Basket plants for conservatory, 374 Battersea Park. 216 Baxter, Mr. W. 11.,.* Beauty in fowls, who shall dee'dc what is? 452 Bed, centre for ilowt r garden, 147 Bedding plants, white, 16 ; at the Slough Nursery, 63 ; in Now Jersey, 78; propagation of, 97, 143: annual, 254 ; wintering, 271 ; scarlet, '293 ; wintering in Irames, SOU; in win- dows, 837; in cold frames, 48J Bees— my apiary, 17 ; nadiring, regi- cide, forming stocks from ion- *^ demned, 18; swarm reeo%"ered. in a chimney, sparroAs eating, driving, ^T swarms returning, 3G; superiority "JJ of Ligurian, e cond twarcoe, '.aking Bees— Continued. honey from supers, S7 : diacrting hives, artificial swarms, strengthen- ing Ligurian Btock, preventing swarming, value of second swarniF, transferring. 38; d}ing of dysen- terj*. Ligurians in Staffordshire, re- gicides, 54 ; warning, unit ing, super- stitions about. 55; ferocity of In- dian, 56; size of hives, block, 75; nniting weak stocks, removing a su- per, green honcv, notes and queries, 76; the Egyptian, 75, 94,114,155,251. 305,438,841,358,416.458; painless ex- tinction of drones, hiving a swarm m a chimney, is the Ligurian more pro- lific than the common? 95 ; uniting, 96; taking honey from frame hives, larva? on hive-board, driving and uniting, attaching combs to bars, stupefying, keeping in Warwick- shire, 113; removing snpers, driving, Woodbury hives, putting in guide- combs, sparrows eating, longevity of, 115: LigTirian, prolificacy of, &c, 134, 135; longevity. 135: n de- throned queen, transferring, honey harvest in Oxfordshire," hiving Bwarm in a flue, proposed hive, 136 ; price of Ligurian, 155: tnking honey from side boxes and supi-rs, B. & W.'s apiary in 1866. uniting, 156: appearance of Ligurians in an apiary, winter protection for hives, straightening combs, taking honey, 176; writing extraordinary, 192; uniting and feeding, Ligunauised, plurality of eggs, 193; a sorrowful tale of, unproductive, 194 : cheap supers, as regicides, in Huntingdon- shire, fertile workers. 213: manage- ment, unwelcome visitors, 233 ; righting, preventing swarming, space between hive and cover, ants, feeding, covering, 2:14; honey har- vest, wooden-topped straw 'hives, 250: at the Crystal Palace, saving condemned, 251; house for, 252; keeping in Yorkshire. 269; saving condemned. 270; cheap Ligurian queens, empty black comb, 270; w. igbt for stocks, storifled hives, •1^1 : unwelcome visitors, loss of swarms, in Stewarton hives, 288; "P. A: W.'s" apinry in 1866,353; difficulties of adding a Ligurian queen, 3'J3 : invading-wasps, late feeding, taming, 324 ; exchanging queens, 342: "B. &W.'s" apiary in IS S6; vagrant notes, S59; taking comb from bar hive, a late swarm, hybridisation, 380, 437, 496; hybri- disation versus drones, in a small apiary, 399: chilled brood, 400; Stewarton hives, early breeding, 117 ; warmth needed, destroying droncB,418; taking honey from bar hives, 458; in North Lincolnshire. 457; winter of 1865-6, feeding. Egyp- tian v. Italian, 458: Btingh I serting a Hi ighbour's hive, regicide, 476; Stewarton hives, 496 Begonia fuchsioides, resting, 354 Belladonna Lilies notrloweriug, S94 "Benedicite," 4.84 Birds of prey in Essex, 54, 94, 113; netting to exclude, 110 Birmingha u Columbarian Societr. S57 Birmingham Poultry Show, 404, 453, 471 : schedule, 2:if>."26.s: entrii prlre list, 209; prize list defended, Bitter Bash, 2~:> [337 Blandy, Mr. J. J., death of, 204 Bloomsbury Flower Show, 62 Blue Gum tree, 207 Boilers, lss, 374,451 Bolbophyllum reticnlatum, 276 Bones, dissolving, 186 Borders— note on heating, 144 ; manur- ing fruit tree and Vine, 151 ; plants for a north, 433 ; inside, 45'.» ; near a flue, Xrl Borecole, sowing, 149 Botanic (Royal) Society's Show, 25 Bottom heat, pipes for, 491 Bougainvillaea tplenuens, wintering, 815 Bouquets— Princess Hdcna's Iridal, i2 ; Covent Garden, 41U Itowlinp-green, rtnovoting, 314 BrachyBtelma Barheria?, 369 Brahma Pontras, 357 ; vnltore-hoekcd, 79, 131, 152, 173, 209, */66, 284 ; weak- kneed, 96; Light, at the Birming- ham Show, 232. 922 ; with powerless legs, 322: 1 arly layers, 824: laying, S60; cockerels, 880 ; breeding from young, 4(0; as egg-producers, 455; cocks at Biiniinghani, 476; Dark, 476 Breeding-in-ond-in. 458 Brighton Poultry- Show. 454. 458 l-,-i : ■ : : ... SUaVeOtCLB it ;, \ i , fall ing, 16 Budding in spring, S;9 Bude Haven Poultry Show, 73 Bulbs— culture of early-blooming, 243; planting, B86; done blooming. 354; to bloom simultiiutouslv, 374 Bullfinch-ubthii.atif, 116; sick, 360, 400 Bury St. Edmunds Poultry Show,35 Cabbage— main eafly sowing, 109 ; sowing Drumhead. 130 Cacti propagat'ng, 227 Caladiums— Bhading, 16; for exhibi- tion, 52 Calceolarias— culture of herbaceous, 21,46,469; sowing, 91: propagating by cuttings, ill; wintering, 228,854 ; cuttings. 271 Caledonian (Foval) Horticultural Society's Show, 200 Calycanthus oceidentalia fruiting, 315 Cambridge Poultry Show, 232 Camellias — repotting, 51 ; housing. 245; Bix Belf-coloured, 300: buds fall- N ■. : pruning, S98 Campanula carpaiica as a bedder, 257 Canada— horticultural enterprise in, 85 ; East, garden ng in. 407 Canaries — treatment of young, 96: mules breeding, 116; bald-headed, 476 Cannas, 230: nigricans withering, 111 ; roots, wintering, 300 Canker in Apple trees, 4:-;3 Cardoons, blanching, 151 l : ons, defined, 83; self-coloured, 71 Carrots failing, 319 < lart, a useful garden, 146 1 or-oil Plant culture, 427 Catai in Hamburgh s, 400 Cauliflower culture, 262 Cedar seedlings, 374 Celery— culture, 32, 129, 14:, 2C2 ; earth- ing up, 224 .1 ragusina culture, 130; can- didissima cuttings, 283 Cerastium t omen to sum weedy, 171 Ci strum aurantiacum flowerh ss. 227 Chelmsford Poultry Show, 'JIM. S22 Cherries— Bohemian lilac:, Bigarreau, 27; guarding, 70: winter-pruning Morello, lift: preserving on the trees, 187 : for N.W. aspi it. 189; <»c- i ber, 827; unfruitful, 354 ; Ludwig's Bigarreau, 464 Chickens— dying. 38, 288: inflamed vents in. 88: drooping, 56; blind, 56; rattling in throat, 56; cramped, 96: unable to Stand, 116; feeding, 136: cost of rearing for tabic, 156; d< dining, 194: double-bodiwl, 28s ; rearing artificially, 857 Chilopsis saligna, S15 aam Poultry Show, 464 Christa as carol, a prose, 477 Chrysanthemums — Sensation, 257; buds, thinn ng, 283; and their stakt s, 290 ; Stoke Newington Show, 367; propagating, 874; Salter'B, 387 ; Korsvth'p, 888; reflexed, lor exhi- bition, 438 Cider-making, 270 Cinerarias— culture, 88; bedding out. 92; winieiing, t54; flowering un- seasonably, 469 Cirencester Poultry Shew, 73 Cistus seed Bowing, 413 CiesuB discolor, wintering, 469 Clay burned too hurd, 469 Cleansing operations, 853 Clematis dackmrmni culture, 130; Bubella and Lanuginosa Candida. 276; manuring, 284 Clerodendrons, Thomsona? and T. Balfourianun),318: pruning,469 Cleveland Poultry Show, 268 Climlerp for gieenhonse, 16; for a fence, 228 Clitheruc Poultry Show, 133 Club, remedy for, ISO Cochins, 252 ; hen injured, IP; white, 52,285: head swolltn, 56, 324: cross- bred, 136; vulture hock in, 152, 173: faces swolltn, tail and flight fea- thers, 176; extra prizes for Buff, 209; dark producing white chickens, 214; extra prize for dark, 234: cock's plumage, 342; cock's comb lopping, 418; Buff. 455; combB of, 476 Cockscombs, Fowing, 227 Cocoa-nut fibre reiuBe, 158, 337; uses. 215,237 CcelogT.ne eoirugato, 276 Coitus Vcrschanclti as a bedder, 825: sowing, 470 Colaml sxian Society's Slow, 475 " Columbarium, The," 286 Combrelum micropetalun, 464 Concrete for Vine 1 order. 208 Conifers, 366: at Woodlands, 160; at Linton Park, 291,308,330; planting. 355; from cuttings and seed, 3:5; at Lill. t-d.n, 407 Conservatories —climbers for. 51, ISO : plants for, 283; plants lor beds in, 319; temperatures, 337; warming ;i Binall, 491 Continent, horticulture en, 121, 163, 259, 443 Convolvulus arvensis and scpium. destroying, 150 Cordylino rubra culture, 413 Cossignia bcrbonica, 245 Cottage Garden Societies, hints to. 103 < ottingham Poultry Show, 1S1 Cotyledi n fascicularis, 276 Countrv scraps, 7, 64 Covent Garden Market, 16, 33, 51, 72, SI. 109. 129, 150, 170, 188, 206, 236, 24 4. 264, 282, 21 9, 818,886, ::. r .3, 373, 392, 412. iZl, 450, •!''■■-, 191 : prices, 227 Coverings ol straw, 448 Cows, Bretagne, 76; long dry, 418 Cramming rowls, 458 Cranberry culture. 394 < Iratsgus ] yracantha, 369, 404 Craven v\gricultural Society's Poultry Show, 153 Creve Cosur fowls, 400: white, 5G Crickets, destroying, 245 Crook Poultry Show, 282 Crops, swollen, 56 Croton hnmile, 279 ( rystal Palace Show, 196 Cucumbers— culture. 69; thin-ended. 188; house, 26.".: seeding <umare*'i, 417, (83,. Bedding, 16, 57, 71 ; new, 83; propagation and management, 97, 3U; old plants v. cuttings, 864 ; time fur planting out, 364 ; soil for, 376. Nosegay, 119, 157. Variegated, 59; sporting, 84: not blooming, 171: losing variegation, 305: culture of, 404: list of, 462. Zonale, 157: wanted. 8; select 119: new, 261: culture, 343,381: soil for, 367 : list of, 462 Pentsu mon JaiFravanus, 363 Perches, 118; size, &<■..::■ 1 Perennials, a few select, 16 Peristeria elata culture, 336 Pemettyamucronata, propagating, 39 Peterborough Poultry Show, 304 243 Pharmaceutical uses of British plants, Pheasant cock. Silver, sitting, 134 Picea Niirdmanniana, large, ^11 Picotee defined. 33 Pigeons— weight of Runts ; points of Barbs and Fan tails, ,96 J apoplectic, 116; preventing disease in, 136; showing Turbits and Carriers, Dra- gon rotten-feathered. 176; Belting class at Halifax, 192; wry-beaked, 194 ; diarrhoea in, 2ai : dying, 324; notes on fancy, 678 Pitra.Appbs for,29i Pine Apples, bottom Heat for, 92 Finks— defined, 33; striking. 9J) Pipes, hot-water, joints of, 133 ; paint- ing, 499 Pippins and Apples, 4CG Pit— flue-healing. 138 j bottom of, 266 : floor ot, 375; heating from kitchen lire, 87") ; not succeeding, 133 I'luislcr for trees, 412 Plantation, treea for, 320 Planting trees, 891 ; an 1 shrubs, 28 Plants, .Irving specimen, 117 I'lum frees— leaves blighted, 16; form ing, 161 ; stopping shoots, 171 ; for N.W. aspect, 169; for dwarfs, 215; orchard, 648, B68 I'.un ..■uiuH, dwarf, 463 Poisoni d seeds, 12, 70 Polands, on b1 at blaok,88 r.-lvLinilins— seed sowing, 71; raising from seed, 99 Polystachya pabflsoexiB,'fif7 Pond, stagnant. 245 Portugal Laurel, transplanting, 451 Potatoes, 186; dfeeaee, Its ottnse, B2J culture of, 138: propagating varie- gated, inn; boiling, 270; at Gar- grave, 272j disease, 266) 291; for Btpring in Julv, BOO-J growing i-:irh kinds, 851; prolific, 88H, 423; lint of good, 386; culture, experiments in, J09: manuring for, 414: for light Moil, ill ; descriptive notes on, 462: planting early whole. 480; Hogg's Coldstream, 463; Koval Ash-leaved, 481; Premier^ 483 Poultry— feeding, 38; medical report on a vard for, 03 : results of keeping, 116; treatment for exhibition, 172: fanciers, awake! 210; shows with- out protection, 20m, 232: Protection Society, 231; commencing, keeping, 234; arrangementB, 270; supply, 80l, :r20 ; ornamental and non-orna- mental, 302; non-ornamental, 355, 895J house and yard, 800: keeping in London, 377; snow in the south, 376; profitable. 487; shows pro- tracted, 431; Club meeting. 470; notes on, 471 : keeping profitably, 475 : show neglects, 493 "Poultry-Yard, The,"' 268 Powters with diseased mouths, 116 Primula sinensis, fllicifolia rubra plena, 221 ; leaves yellow, 31S Propagating-houBe, constructing, 874V; utilising. I'd Protection Society wanted, 175 Pruning— fruit trees, 89 ; summer, 110, 111 ; philosophy of, 273, 295 Pterie s.-rrulata, 393 Pudsey Poultry Show, 111 Pumpkins, King of, 279 Rabbits, scaring, 406 Radcliffe Poultry Show, 263 Radishes— select, [28; forcing, 411 Railway charges for poultry, 72, 154, 285; companies'responsibilit v. 285; account, 302 : exorbitant on Pigeons, 302; misdoings, 322 Raphanus caudatus, 117, 238, 257; sowing, 92; culture, 451 Raspberries— unf mitral, 228 ; pruning, 281; in wet soil, 413 Rats, to exclude from chickens, 476 Redbreast, an albino, 18 Red spider, 43, 82 ; on "Vines, 20 Reigate Rose Association, 27 Retaina, 254 Retinospora obtusa in Yorkshire, 181 Rhododendrons— Fortunei, 221 : plant- in/ an -1 list ' if hardy, 855; manuring, 355; Nuttallii leggy, 413 Rhubarb, 15 ; forcing, 893, 411 Roofs, best angle for, 371 Room plants at St. Petersburg, 277 Rosarian's protest, 87 Rose water, to make, 96 Roses, 404 ; on their own roots, 1 : plaster for budding, 3 ; prize for fifty cut, 5, 34, 44, 60, 91 ; stocks for, 19; 92; leaves eaten, 34; culture, 60, 187,218,283.; for pots, 71 : sent out in 1865, 79 ; gardens of Lyons, 80 : graft- ing, 86,179; buds not opening for ex- hibition. 92; to bloom at Christmas, 110; pruning Blairii No. 2, 111; select, 125 ; pruning standards with large heads, ISO; forcing, 137, 393; of 1865, 139 ; at Seend. HI ; for cover- ing a wire fence, 151; of 18 6, 1 - to destroy mildew, 172: grafting, 170; manures for. lsi, 387,892; list of, 1x4 ; "Cultivation of in Pots]" 185: list of best, 202: new of 1866-6, 215; potting, not opening, 227: good varieties, 238) BIO; bedding, 244,283; white Hybrid Perpetual, 246 : in Scotland, 254 : at Vitry, 258; Maiden's Blush as a stock. 296 ; transplanting, 299 : cbntinUoufe- blooming, 800; the new. Sir., B45, 363; first pruning of budded. 936: iron support for, 336 : blood manure for, 337: stab lard, 375 -.mulching and manuring, 406; renovating trained, 445; covering the stem; 451 ; Alba tnutabilis,279: Austrian Briar; 483; Mar- dial NieL 257, 183, 441; Mi-s Margaret Dombrain, 127 : Mrs. "Ward, 221 ; Mrs. John Berners, 276 Rouen drake, 380 Rubbish heaps, 273 Ruasian Emperor's garden, 426 SACCOLAPIT M AMTTI.LACF.rM, 127 Salmon in garden ponds, 333 Salsifv, boiling, 400 Salt—for mossy lawn, 259; as a ir_a- nurc,393 Salt cat for Pigeons, 324 Salvia— argeiuea, 1 10 ; patina and doeninea doI uovcriaf»28S 1. 1 nobiUsi 1-7 Sand, for cultural purposes, 39; theory of Bllvor, 196; and iit* mas- ters, 314 ; sea, for bull. . D I SatyrfomavroBenm, 228-j [nanortad^C Saunders, W. W., E»a., his unuual in. 1 ting, 22 s.ivi.y. Bailor Dwarf Dim, 260 Bawduat t* >r plunging, 470 Scale— destroying brown, ISO; white, 413 Scaly substance on fowl's legs, 400 Schi/.oHtylis coccinea culture, 469 Scotland, among I in braes, lochw, and mountain* of, Us, 147. 159,219, 811 Sea coast, shrubs for. ill Seaforthia elegans culture. 418 s,M-k.ilr, forcing, B71, 693, 411,413,424, 469; roots, 433 Seeds— law as to poisr)ned, 82 ; for a garden, 266; supply of, 4K7 ; for an acre oclcftohen garden, c. 1 ! Selling-elasMH fur poultry, 231 Sempervivitm Paiv;e, 127 Sensitive Plant when touched with glass, 205 Shelter, trees for. 265 Sheltering tree-, Shrubs for wet plot, 246 si. bold, death of Dr. Von, 351 Silk of North China mountains, 214 Silkworm management, 116 Siphooampylos tulgens, 464 Sire ravencus, 24 Sislun diseased, 116 Slate powder paint, 409 Slugs, 50 Snotters in poultry, 306 Soeiety of Arts examinations, 892, 432 Southampton Poultry Show, 339 South of England Poultry Show, 249 Sow Thistle, destroying, 149 Spanish fowls — excrescences on face, ls : ehiekens. 194; inflated, B02; cock's face red, 234 ; sitting, 234 ; dropsy in. 267 Spergula pilifera for a church yard, 208 Sphierogyne latifolia cankered, 289 Spring-flowering, planting for, 265; lists of plants needed, 4SI "Standard of Excellence," 301 Stephanotis fioribunda pruning, 16; fruiting. 189 Stocks, sowing German and Interme- diate, 183 Stoves— Hays's patent, 350; forgarden structures, 390 Strawberries— estimate of kinds, 40: some described, 51; sport, 89; lo-j ; ground between plants, 92 ; for forc- ing, 109, 101. 2801 393,431: runners, 130; at Seend, 111: fresh planta- tions. 15o; collection to he made at Cnisrwtck, 167 ; late varieties, 171, 208; manuring and planting, 181; manuring, 208 ; large kinds, 226 ; for succession, 965; on Vine-border, 265; in ground vineries, 310: earlv, 337 ; growing for profit, 345, 420, 441 : market garden, 385; starting, 395; times of first picking, 424: for market, 443, 482 ; suecessiomtl bearing, 444: Alpines, for autumn, 300, 392 ; Capt. Cook. 420, 441 ; Comte de Zans. 119; Dn Hogg, 1^0; Lord Clyde. 59, 99; 120, 1H; St. Julien, 144; The Lady, 10G Succulents for plant case, 354 Sulphur and time wash, 189; vapo- rising, 318 Swansea Poultry Show. 190 Sweet Pea, Scarlet Invincible, 257 Swyunertun Park, 446 TACSOsrci Van-Volxemii, 127 ; ccl- TfitE. 227 Tagetes signata pumila. 406 T.i\ istock Poultry Shaw, 54, 112 Teleianthera ficoidea versicolor cul- ture, 1 Temperature observations, 22G Thatching corn stacks, 964 Thermometers for self-ventilation, 480 Thome Poultry Show, 234 Thrips,82; on Vines, 20; destroyim.', 394, 113 Thujopsis dolabrata in Yorkshire, 131 Thunbergia fragrans, 31 ETingrith Gardens, note on, 125 Tobacco— duty free for garden pur- poses, 7 ; drying, 151 ; gathering and drying. 245 Toduiorden JJotanieal Society, 426 Toes of fowls united, 458 Tomatoes, 186 Tracheliuni cteruleum culture, 144 Transplanting small trees and shrubs, 4111 Trees — encroaching, 141 ; shrubs under, 207; ot rapid growth, 337; transplanting small. 401 Tritoma uvaria and Burche-Ui culture, 34; dividing, 245 Tritonia aurea. leaves eaten, f'l ■BmiffleS and Truffle culture, lu Tuberoses, Italian, second year, 265 Tulipa sylvrMtris. 99-, 126 Tulips, arranging m bedi, 319 Turkey- poult, white, 18; cock para- lygod, 56 Turnips, 50; bid ting, 34; transplant- ing. 128; culture, 1-0 Tying v.ull trcun, 391 1 1 ■■ 1 j 1 ■ ■ . 1 i Show, 474 United States^ horticultural cntcr- prise in, BS I a pendula, 221 Urine, applying, 201 Uttoxeter Poultry Show, 134 Vanda Rensoni, 369 Vegetable UaiTOWS, 1-7 ■'V. [i table World, The," 428 Ventilation, 845 Verbenas select, 16; sporting. 85; seedlings in pots, 71; propa and managomeni for bedding, 14S; outtinga, 147 ; introductiou IntAme* rica, 221; wintering, 354 Veronicas, Ni w Zoalaud, 200 Victoria regia in the river Ut-rbice, 429 Vines— newly planted, 16 : borde-rsfor, 420, 421, 451, 400, top-dressing, 110, manuring, l."d. proteotlxu, 189, making, 208, 984, 2sj, 361, 375, 47«, 481, 491, renpvatingj 393, unboiled bones for, 485, covering outside, 20*3, 997. Leave* of, 51 ; leaves i atm and Bpeelcedj root cut, 99: mtidew on, 10, 92, lil, 245: for a pit, 172: removing bark frum, 207 ; ex- posing in winter, 227; cuttings struck in March, leaves diseased, inarched, cuttings for Cape of Good Hop--. 227; roots outside, 244; leaves crimsoned, 285 ; horse fleeh in border, S$66; for greenhouse, 284; analysis of, 319: culture, 319: plants in bouse, with, B65, Mi: culture and varieties, 374 ; in a room, 375; exposing to frost. 375; in pots, for a greenhpnse, 393; starting, forcing, 995, 491; the largest known, 409: house for with plants, 412; building house over, 41:!; planting, Cucumbers and Melons with, 451: planting, 469"; for ground vinery, 491 Vinery — destroying flies in, burning sulphur in, 02; heating, 130. is*, 394 ; constructing, 197, 236, 244, 265, 319; late and early, .'OS: wasps in, ■ ating, 2S3 : how best to spend £40 on, 336: planting,4hi : stove in- side, 4'^5 ; arrangement, 470; old, 470; fire heat in, 492 Vineyards — of Germany, 48; under glass, 261 Viola oornuta, 195, 226, 297, 277, 314, 327, 348, 381. 392, 405, 406,421; cul- ture, 118, 130; cuttings, 184; the true, 368; from Reed, 170; hit. a and montana, 195, 244 ; hihernica, 393 ; uniflora, 406 Violets— The Czar, 257; compost for Neapolitan, 351 ; for winter, 469 Vitry, an afternoon at, 258 Vulture hocks, 152, 131, 173, 189, 252 Wakf. field Poultry Snow, lid. 212 Walks, 225; clearing of weeds, 206; management of, 282 Wall-case, ventilating, 207 Walls— heightening garden, 151 : fruit, keeping wasps. &.c, from, 198; fruit trees for, 227, 260; trees, root-prun- ing old, 300; crowding, 354; prun- ing, 413 ; shoots, pinched in, 433 Walnut propagation, 337 Walsall Poultry Show.465 Walton's hurserXfes\349 Warning, 210, 396, 492 Wasps, 187 ; destroying, 225 ; in vinery, 266 Water— softening. 1G : from iron cis- terns for plants, 318 Watering in dry weather, 110 Waterproofing cloth, 374 "Wayside Flora," 81 Weather in north of Ireland. 23 Weedy, 433; destroying, 149, 189; on walks, 189 ; on a lawn. 819 Week, work for. 13, 31, 49, 68.88,107, 127. lis, It',-,, 1K5.205, 223, 242,201. 279, 297.:il5.333,351, 370,389,410, ISO, 447, (67, i*T ; Doings of the Last, 14, 32, 50, 69, 89, 108, 128, 149, 163, 1 I, » 6, 224, 243i 262, 280, 298,316,384,352,^71, 39Q, 411,431, 148, b B, 188 Weig. la rosea culture, 393 Wellingtonia gigantea, 33, 406; trans- planting, 42 : planting, 60; large, 180 William^'- nursery, 312 Window gardening, 316,490 Wintering plants, 4ll Winter garden, materials for, 433 Wir-worm in fowl's excrements, 476 Woburn Cottage durdenShow, 103 Wolverhampton Poultrv Show/339, 400 Woodbridge Poultrv hhow. 72. 176 is-,., ail, 321, 342,35&: evil doings of, 132 : m Cnaricery f "895 WoodhoTO P'-ultry Show, 53 Woodlice. 187 ; destroying. 110, 228 W i tocb Poultry Sho* 267 Working Men's Flower Show, 253 Work, untimely, 263 Workmen for two aeres, 374 Yorkshire Pq^lthx Show, 173, 494 WOODCUTS. PAGE Agro3tis stoloaifera angastifolia 315 Anthoxanthum odoratum 296 Apple Trie, old, at Linton Park 466 Be^-kives, attaching combs to bars 113 „ woo den- topped 250 Cart, a uieful garden 146 Cynosunu cristatus 167 Dinner-table decoration 408 Festuca duriuscula 106 „ ovina 126 Flower-garden plans 147, 222, 278 Forcing-house 166 Glazing, double 210 Gordius aqaaticas 266 PAGE Hoe, an adj ustable 86 Hyacinth-support 177 Incubator, Schroder's 453, 457 Littleeote 48f» Loliura percnne tenue 260 Melons, house for 166 Orchids, forms of flowers 429 Planting Trees, various modes and their effects 28, 29 Poa nemoralis angnstifolia 204 Rafter for double-glazing 240 P.ose-support 338 Stove, Hays's Constant 350 Victoria regia in the River Eerbice 428 Jnly 3, 1866. ] JOURNAL. OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. WEEKLY CALENDAR. Pnv of Month Week. TO W Tri F s SDH M JULY 3-9, 1866. Acmadcnia totragona. Acronychia Cunninghaml. Actinotus heUanthi. Adenandra foaffrana. Adosmia uspallatcusis. 6 Sunday afteii Tuinity. Adesniia viscosa. Avernpo Temperature Dear London. Day. 74.1 75.9 70.4 76.2 73.8 78.9 73.8 Nicht. 511.5 r.u.3 50.0 61.3 51.0 49.8 49.7 Mean. 62.3 63.1 63.0 68.8 |62.4 61.8 Gl.H Kain in last 39 years. Sun Rises. DayH. 17 13 16 17 20 19 17 h. 50 at 8 Sun Sets. m. h. 17af8 17 8 Moon. Bisi I Moon Sets. m. h. BlaflO 18 11 48 11 morn. 17 53 35 1 m. h. 4fi at 9 57 10 after. 27 1 40 2 68 8 10 5 Moon's Age. Days 21 22 ( 24 25 20 27 Clock before Snn. Day of Year. 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 From observations taken near London during tho last thirty-nino years, tho average day temperature of the week is 74.9° ; and its nigbt tem^m*™*' ThT£e*Zt heat was 97% on the 5th.l852 ; and the lowest eold 38°, on tbe 9th, 1863. The greatest fall oS rain was 0.82 inch. " N.B.— The Calendar contains tho namos of plants flowering in the greenhouse. LIHR, NEW ' 30TAP UARl ALTERNANTHERA SPATHULATA, ALTERNANTHERA SESSILIS AMCENA, AND TELEIANTHERA FICOIDEA VERSICOLOR. AVING exhibited the above plants at the International Horticultural Exhibition at South Kensington, I have received so many letters in- quiring as to their habit, size, height, hardiness, where plants can be procured, &c, that I fear all have not received the information sought ; and as I still receive letters respecting them, the following few remarks, I trust, will give the required information. In the first place I received one plant of each of the above last autumn from Mr. B. S. Williams, of the Victoria Nursery, Holloway, and I was so pleased with their ap- pearance that I determined at once to propagate a stock of them. This I did, and I have bedded out about two thousand. If I mistake not, these plants will prove one of the greatest boons to the flower garden that have been secured for some time, the Iresine excepted. My pre- dictions respecting the Iresine give me every confidence. I was the first to recommend it for flower-garden decora- tion ; and although I have had many hard battles to light in its favour, I believe I have come off a conqueror, and if further proof is required with regard to its usefulness and beauty, I may state that upwards of five thousand plants of it are here bedded out this season. Alternanthera SPATHULATA (Brazil). — This is of close compact growth, and will be found a beautiful plant for edgings or ribbon-borders. I have a plant of it 20 inches in diameter, and only 5 inches in height. It is a delight- ful little plant, and a free grower ; it has been bedded-out about three weeks, and has withstood 5° of frost without injury. Its colours vary with the situation in which it is placed, being pink and green, maroon, &c. ; full exposure to the sun will, I believe, be found most suitable to its colouring. Alternanthera sessilis amcsna (Brazil). — I have not so large a stock of this as of spathulata ; it is of much stiffer growth, and appears to spread close to the ground. This is likewise suitable for edgings. The foliage is much larger than that of spathulata, and the habit is entirely different ; the plant does not exceed, with me at present, 5 inches in height, and could be pegged down almost flat. It was planted out at the same time as the preceding, and sustained no injury from frost. Tei.eianthera ficoidea versicolor (India). — This is of much taller growth than either of the above. My largest plant is 2 feet in diameter and 1 foot in height. It differs from the Alternantheras in colour, and is a plant that attracts No. 275.— Vol. XI., New Sebies. the attention of every one. The foliage is much larger and rounder than that of the Alternantheras. and its habit strong and upright. Its colours are pink and maroon in some positions, but in this respect the plant varies much in different situations. I believe all the three plants named will hear the full sun, and grow freely either in a dry or moist situation. The Telcianthcra was bedded-out with the others, and received no injury from frost. I have two circular beds planted as follows— viz., Alter- nanthera spathulata in the first row, Alternanthera sessilis amcena in the second, and Teleianthera ficoidea versicolor in the centre, and if I am not mistaken these beds will here be the gems of the season, notwithstanding the tens of thousands of plants used in bedding and bordering at Osber- ton. They are already very attractive, and much admired. I trust that those who have a stock of tbe three plants will advertise, it b.ing just the time for planting without risk and to give them a fair trial, so that they may not, like the Iresine, be condemned in consequence of mere mismanagement and an unfavourable summer. All the above are easily propagated, and are of rapid growth. For the present I will not speculate upon which is the best, or speak more fully of them, but I shall content myself by merely introducing them to public notice, with a strong recommendation to try them. — Edward Bennett, Gardener tn /,'. S. Fuljiimlic, Esq., Usbrrtim Hatt. ROSES ON THEIR OWN ROOTS. The facts that the Dog Rose, or Briar, is very prolific in suckers on light soils, and that the Roses upon it are short-lived, have caused attention to be paid to those who advocated the growing of Roses upon their own roots, and we have such plants offered for sale by the dozen, hundred, and thousand ; and so great is the demand that very often when a person decides on having a group of Roses on their own roots tbe variety required is " sold out." Experience leads me to the conclusion that the days of tin- Briar as a stock on many soils, and particularly on those which are light, are numbered ; and though the Manetti will make a vigorous plant in a very short time, yet even it on light dry soils is not to live many days. I have had Roses, both dwarfs and standards, on the Briar doing ex- ceedingly well on cold. wet. heavy clay soil, where the Rose on its own roots could not, did 'not, live, and the Manetti on the same soil afforded a plant at first more vigorous than the Briar, but not after the third year, neither it nor the Briar trashing more than an occasional sucker. The Manetti does better in a greater variety of soils than either the Briar or Roses on their own roots, and for making a plant soon it is vastly superior to either; but I cannot say that it equals the Briar on heavy cold soils after the third year, whilst on Light soils it may and does make a vigorous plant, and affords a great show of bloom long before Roses on their roots become what we may term established. After the second year, however, it does not surpass them either in plant or bloom, and would then poem to require removal, as, after lifting, it makes a first-class growth, and no stock seems to impart such a degree of vigour and to be attended No. 927— Vol. XXXVI., Old Sebles. JOUKNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ Jalr 8, 1866. with such fine flowers as the Manetti in the second year alter planting. The Dog Eose is productive of a greater amount of , bloom than the Manetti, so much so on light soils that the Eoses worked on the former only make a few inches of growth and then bloom, the strength of the Briar being expended on the production of suckers, which come thicker and faster as the Kose becomes weaker and the stock older. The Manetti, on the other hand, gives larger blooms, owing to its being a better feeder. My object in making these remarks is to learn the experience of others. My own is, 1st, That Eoses on the Briar do well on strong cold soils, and are eligible for groups or otherwise ; but on poor and light soils the Koses on it do not do well either as standards or as dwarfs for groups, on account of their tendency to produce suckers and their shortness of existence. 2nd, That the Manetti stock succeeds on either strong or medium-textured soils, and makes a much better plant, and the Eoses worked on it produce finer trusses and blooms, than those either on the Briar or their own roots ; but on light soils it is as short-lived as the Briar, though it grows vigorously for a few years, and much more so than either the Briar or the Eose on its own roots. 3rd, That the Kose on its own roots, though it takes a longer time to make a plant than the Manetti, is more desirable for groups than either the Briar or Manetti on account of its compact growth, its freedom from suckers, and the durability of the plants ; but this applies only to rather light and warm soilst for on strong cold soils Eoses on their own roots do not do well. Now, Eoses on their own roots take some time to become established, and they do not grow so freely for a while as when worked on the Manetti stock, and they therefore require very Eberal treatment, particularly where the soil is light and hot, and this is the soil most suitable for most of the Tea-scented and China Eoses. These varieties, as everybody knows, are not so hardy as the Perpetuals, and are often destroyed or killed to the ground by frost, and if they happen to be grafted or budded on the Manetti or Briar very often the Eose is killed ; but if cut off to the ground when on their own roots, they push from the bottom. For groups, I find if Tea, China, and Bourbon varieties, and indeed all Eoses, are to succeed on light soils, it must be by growing them on their own roots, and for the three classes named, a dry soil is particularly suitable, because it does not induce strong late growths, and there is, consequently, less danger of injury from frost. It is a well-known fact, that plants on dry soils will withstand a greater amount of cold than when grown on strong soil. For groups, where the soil is not strong, all kinds of Eoses succeed best on their own roots, and where the soil is light and hot it is the only eligible mode of culture for the more tender classes, as Tea and China Eoses. The most suitable season for the propagation of the Eose by cuttings is now at hand, and this should be done when the blooming is past, and before the second growth takes place. Shoots that have bloomed have the wood sufficiently ripe for propagation, and so have those which have not done so, but have formed the terminal bud. The moderately strong shoots are best for cuttings. They should have three joints or buds, and be cut transversely below the lowest one, removing the leaf there, but leaving the others untouched. In taking a shoot for a cutting, cut it about three eyes from the point at which it has its rise on the shoot of last year, and avoid the two upper- most eyes beneath the place where bloom was, as the shoots from these joints or eyes are not generally so free in growth as those situated lower down. The cuttings having been taken off above the uppermost leaf by a slanting cut from the back towards the leaf, and three-quarters of an inch above it, they should be inserted singly in 60-sized pots. In preparing the cut- ting-pans, a piece of broken pot should be placed over the hole, and the pot half filled with crocks broken very small, and passed through a sieve with a quarter-inch mesh ; fill up to the rim with light loam, peat, and silver sand in equal parts, and in the centre of each pot make a hole down to the crocks with a dibble exceeding the cuttings in diameter as little as possible. Drop a little .silver sand into the hole, say from a quarter to half an inch, put in the cutting wish its base resting on the sand, and till up round the cutting with silver sand, then give the pot a sharp tap on the potting-bencb. For the reception of the pots a frame placed on a gentle hot- bed of 70°, and covered with from 4 to 6 inches of old tan or sawdust should be in readiness, and in this the pots are to be plunged to the rim. A gentle watering should next be given, and then the lights may be put on. The frame must be kept ' close, and shaded from the sun, and the cuttings should be gently sprinkled overhead every moin ug. In a fortnight they will have callused, and new shoots v ill be forming ; these may grow an inch or two, and then the cmtiugs should be transferred to another hotbed, gradually withdrawing the shade, and ad- mitting air daily, so as to have them well hardened off by the end of ten days or a fortnight. They may then be potted into 44 -inch pots with the ball entire (crocks and all) in a compost of rich turfy loam, and be again plunged in the bed, and kept rather close for a few days, after which plunge the pots in coal ashes in an open situation, and in September shift the plants into six-inch pots, and plunge these to the rim in coal ashes in a cold frame. If, however, the young plants have grown but little, and the pots are not full of roots, let them remain in 4,j-inch pots for the winter. I find that cuttings of Tea, China, and Bourbon Eoses struck in this manner early in summer, make very nice pot plants for blooming in the following year. This is the best of all modes of striking Eose cuttings that I have tried, and answers equally well for Moss Eoses, only they require more time to root, and must remain in the first hotbed fully a week longer than Perpetuals. Provence Eoses also re- quire more patience, so do the Damask Perpetuals. Another mode of propagation by cuttings is, when the bloom is just over, to prepaie and pot cuttings as above described, to place them in a cold frame, and keep close and shaded from blight sun, and sprinkled oveihead every morning. They must remain in the frame until they have made shoots 2 inches long, and should then be gradually hardened off, and shifted into larger pots ; those 4J inches in diameter will be large enough. If the varieties are Perpetuals, the plants will do plunged in coal ashes in a dry, open, but sheltered situation, and will be eligible for turning out in spring for groups in the flower garden ; but if they belong to the Tea or China section, it will be well to winter them in a frame, and afford protection during severe weather. By this method the Moss Eoses do not strike with such certainty as the Perpetuals, but root fairly, and so will most of the Tea varieties. I have tried placing the cuttings in a bed both with aDd without heat, and covering them with a fiame kept close and shaded, sprinkling them every day ; but, though the cuttings rooted freely, the loss in potting consequent on the injury done to the roots was a greater drawback than the labour saved by not placing them in pots in the first instance. I lost a great many after potting, but scarcely one when they were placed in pots in the cutting state. I can only state my ex- perience, and that is, do not pot them until the following spring if you put the cuttings in a bed without pots, for the roots are so very tender that the least touch will break them, and they turn black and die off at the stem as if from some un- known cause. I am certain that the cuttings do not like to be disturbed so soon after the callosity is formed and the delicate fibrils emitted. Another method which I have tried, and shall now describe, is to take cuttings of the well-ripened freth wood by the middle or end of September, and plant them under a hand- glass or in a frame with lights in a warm situation. The cut- tings must have a sprinkling of water occasionally, also shade from bright sun, but when the callosity is foimed, as it will be in a month, give air, and continue to do so in mild humid weather during the winter. In the following April, after having been exposed to the atmosphere, they may be taken up and potted, or planted out finally in the beds. The essentials to success are to put in those cuttings only that are taken from shoots which have flowered or foimed the terminal bud or leaf, and this before the shoots have com- menced a second growth ; to avoid deluging them with water, and yet to keep the atmosphere moist and shaded, so as to pre- serve the foliage fresh until the cuttings have rooted, or at least until a callus has been formed ; to be very careful in pot- ting so as not to injure the tender roots ; not to pot or disturb the cuttings until they have rooted and are well hardened off; and, lastly, not to keep the soil very wet after potting. Above all, avoid putting in any spare shoots, sappy, gross, and but partially ripened, for though these root freely, and seem to nourish, their stems turn black and they perish at a time when rapid growth is expected. — G. Abbey. Testimonial to the Eev. S. Reynolds Hole. — At a dinner held at Anderton's Hotel, Fleet Street, on Thuisday evening, this gentleman was presented with a handsome silver urn in Jnly 8, 1866. ] JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. .acknowledgment of his exertions in connection with the National Rose Show, which owes its origin to him. The Rov. H. H. Donibrain occupied the chair. ZONALE GERANIUMS WANTED. NOTWITHSTANDING the many attacks that are made on the reigninc fashion, it is seldom that they have any further effect than that of encouraging what was intended to bo put down ; and perhaps in some cases it is as well that it is so, for it is not always that those who assume to be leaders of public taste are oorrect in the views they take. As an instance of the inutility of opposing public opinion, let us only look at bedding plants, which from very small beginnings have assumed an im- portance which no one ever dreamed of, and it is not too much to affirm that their cultivation is still increasing, and probably may do so for some time yet. This increase in their use has not been effected without bringing certain classes of plants more prominently forward than others ; and although some have been driven from the field, or nearly so, others have succeeded them. Thus the list, in spite of weedings and (as our worthy coadjutor, " D." of Deal, says), hanging-days, is as numerous as ever, more so, certainly, in the bewildering catalogues of varieties, while the number of species adapted for bedding purposes is fully equal to what it was a dozen years ago. There is, however, a difference in the estimation in which certain plants were held at that time and now ; some have fallen into oblivion, or nearly so, while others are more patronised every year. Of the latter class is that to which I would now more particularly call the attention of the skilful hybridiser, as something more is wanted than we now possess, and with that I think it is in his power to furnish us. Taking, therefore, Zonale Geraniums as a class of plants which is every day more and more cultivated, the question to be asked is, What further improvement is wanted ? Several varieties seem to possess all that is really needed in their respective tints as flowers, and the truss and foliage are alike good, and, besides, every year dozens of otler kinds are added to the list. Some of them are doubtless some little improve- ment on others of a like kind before them, while many are not so good. Now, would it be called a restrictive and unconsti- tutional policy to shut up the present lists from further addi- tions or. innovations within the circle that is well represented, and only allow addition at such points a3 are of real value in carrying out the object aimed at? To make this more plain let us glance at what we now possess, and see where additions can be well made ; and taking the class of Zonale bedding Geraniums which are cultivated for their flowering qualities, we have already almost every conceivable tint, from white up to dark crimson, embracing many shades of flesh colour, pink, salmon, rosy salmon, scarlet, and crimson. Many other in- tervening colours or tints might be enumerated, but enough have been named to show that our existing list is a tolerably extensive one. Thus, those who keep pace with the fashion in trying all or a great portion of the varieties sent out each year by different cultivators will have accumulated a mass of varie- ties pei'plexing by their names, and equally so by the resem- blance which many of them bear to those grown before. Now, good as many of the bedding Geraniums of the present day undoubtedly are, I by no means affirm that further im- provement is not wanted, and this, doubtless, is now and then exhibited by some of the new varieties sent out ; still I cannot but think that if unexplored channels were more sought after, additions of more importance would be made to our lists. Assuming that growers should pronounce themselves satisfied with the flesh-coloured, pink, salmon, and scarlet sections, and their intermediate tints, cannot a better representation of the deep crimson or magenta class be furnished ? I do not pretend to be well versed in the varieties said to possess these colours, but the best in my own collection fall short of what I think is wanted here, Magenta, Imperial Crimson, and Pink Pearl being the nearest approach I have, and these evidently capable of great improvement in habit, colour of bloom, and other quali- ties. My object, therefore, now is to ask those who take so much trouble year after year in producing new kinds to try to obtain improvements in the deep crimson and magenta varie- ties. Those of other col rare are plentiful enough, and indeed there are many to spare, bat there seems no reason to doubt but that the Zouale Geranium may be coaxed to produce flowers of as bright a purple as the Dahlia ; and many other fancy colours might also be obtained. Now, the above advice to raisers of new varieties to pro- secute their labours in the way directed, docs not ; In. I. novelties being sought for in other directions, Amongst tin; many valuable acquisitions bequeathed to the world by the late Mr. Beaton, there is one scarcely verifying its name,'" Indian Yellow." Might I ask fcose who push their improvements to the greatest extent that such can be carried, to try if by degrees they cannot bring out in this Geranium a colour more resem- bling that of a yellow Calceolaria? This I hardly expect will be accomplished, but an approach to such a result may be effected. A yellow Geranium would be something extraordinary, and it deserves the notice of those intere ited in striking out net! paths, and as the existing kinds, as stated above, may do pretty well now without further amendment, I trust tin so hints may in- duce some to direct their attention in the direction indicated; improvements may likewise bo effected in other channels on which but little attention has been bestowed, and the 16 being equally important may be sought for at the same time. I allude more especially to the Ivy-leaved kind?, which have not by any means reached the position I expect they will hold some day as ornaments of the parterre. A very indifferent gold- edged one, with the old crimson, white, and pink-flowered varieties, are all that I am acquainted with, and each is capable of improvement. I hope some one will try his skill at hybrid- ising this section with the Zonale, so as to give a more up- right flower-stem, and a more robust habit. Could not Mr. Wills, who has done so much with the "Verbena by hybridising the hardy herbaceous one with the finer-flowered class, do something with these Geraniums also ? They seem to deserve notice ; and their adaptability to hot sunny situations where there is scarcely soil enough for other plants to live, as in vases, baskets, &-c, give them claims on our attention hitherto not sufficiently recognised. It would bo extending this paper too far were I to enu- merate what is wanted in the variegated line. This, however, seems likely to be pursued pretty well, and there promises to be no lack of gold and silver-edged varieties, with the addi- tion of zones of various colours. Of them it is not my purpose here to speak, neither would I restrict those who aim at the obtaining the colours required to be too particular as regards the habit of the plant. Once supply the tint wanted, and other qualities will follow. The task, however, is I expect only one of time, its accomplishment will assuredly come, and as bed- ding Geraniums form, unquestionably, the most important feature in all gardens, it follows that any additional colour in which this plant can array itself will make it the more ac- ceptable. I trust the hints above given may not have been in vain. I might have pursued the subject further, and might even have asked if such classes of Geraniums as the old Shrub- land Pet, a small Oak-leaved variety, could not be improved ; but I find I am trespassing on other ground, and therefore beat a retreat, trusting some one will endeavour to supply the wants indicated. — J. Robson. PLASTER FOR BUDDING ROSES Pemups the following remarks on budding Roses may be of use to some of your readers. I have adopted, with complete success, a plan which has been new to all those to whom I mentioned it, and by which much expenditure of time and trouble is saved, and I think a great amount of certainty obtained. Instead of either bast or worsted I use some common ad- hesive plaster. With this I can bud three Roses in the same time that I can bud one with bast. The plaster adheres at once exactly where it is required ; no tying is necessary, and the operation can bs performed with great neatness and exact- ness, as well as rapidity. The plaster I used was some com- mon white adhesive plaster, bought at the chemist's (called diachylon), and cut into narrow strips. I do not know whether my plan is absolutely new, but it has been so to all those to whom I have mentioned it, and I feel sure that your readers who try it will find it thoroughly successful. Another plan, which was shown to me by a lady, has proved so useful to me, and is so little practised, that I think it worth while to mention it also. It is that of budding any conve- nient branch of a Briar, either in a hedge or elsewhere, and when the bud has taken, cutting off the branch, and planting it, with the bud on, like any ordinary Rose cutting. In this way shapely plants, especially suited for pots, may be ob- tained ; and the plan is very useful if you happen not to have JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. C July 3, 1666, sufficient stocks ready for your buds. I now seldom bud a stock without inserting some additional buds higher up on the branches, which I can afterwards cut off, and plant as cuttings. I shall be glad to learn your opinion whether the plans which I have thus suggested recommend themselves to professional gardeners. — Amateur, Harrow-on-the-Hill. ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. NATIONAL ROSE SHOW.— June 28th. The very hot weather of the last few days had acted in two ways on Roses. It had certainly hrought a vast number of flowers into bloom which, but for it, would have been kept back, and so increased the amount of stands exhibited ; but I am not sure that it tended to in- crease the quality of the blooms, for cloudy weather with occasional glimpses of sunshine is, I conceive, the best for Roses ; and it is because this is the character of our weather generally that we possess so much advantage over the French growers, A few days of their tropical weather forces the Roses into bloom, and thus they rarely attain the size and quality that we are in the habit of seeing. Now, the flowers looked blase, like some fair maiden who, although very charming indeed, shows the effect of the last night's dissipation, and whom, while you cannot help admiring with the homage that beauty always demands and obtains, yet you cannot but wish yon saw fresher and more natural. The day, too, was very, very hot ; and Roses which I saw put np well very soon began to show their eyes, and those not of the most brilliant character. While saying this I must at the same time add there were some really grand blooms, and I think the amateurs, especially, were in great force. There were some stands, indeed, which were the perfection of growth ; there were Others which ought to have been put under the table. The Class for eighteen new Hoses of 1864 and 1SG5 brought five competitors — Messrs. Paul Ss Son, Fraser, Cant, Francis, and Keynes. In Messrs. Paul & Son's collection were Alpaide de Rotalier, in good, condition ; Centifolia rosea, too thin ; Rushton Radclyffe, fine, but colour a little gone ; Alfred Colomb, magnificent flower, one of the best, but here again the colour was a littie faded by the heat ; Duke of Wellington, very bright scarlet, good shape, and excellent ; Mare- chal Niel, very good ; Madame Victor Verdier, very fine ; Madame Fillion, a beautiful flesh-coloured flower ; Madame Charles Verdier, too flat; Princess Mary of Cambridge, good; Belle Normande, too washy in colour ; Eugene Verdier, dark, inclined to show the eye. In Mr. Fraser's stand were Marguerite Dombrain, a fine full Rose ; Marechal Souchet, good ; King's Acre, too coarse ; Prince de Porcia, very bright and good ; Pline, rough and thin ; Gabriel de Peyronny, somewhat rough ; Alfred Colomb, very fine. In Mr. Cant's stand were Josephine Beauharnais, a fine light- coloured flower ; Marguerite Dombrain, good, and somewhat similar to the preceding ; Duke of Wel- lington, very good ; Charles Rouillard, very fine ; and Marechal Niel. Mr. Keynes's collection contained large flowers, but wanting a little in refinement. There was a fine bloom of Xavier Olibo, which has, however, an awkward way of twisting itself about, and not opening freely ; General Jacqueminot does the same, but, Xavier Olibo bein" stiffer in petal than the General, this cause prevents it from opening at all sometimes, otherwise it would be a magnificent dark flower. Mr. Francis had amongst others Xavier Olibo, Souvenir de William Wood, &c. In the Class for twelve trusses of any new land Messrs. Paul it Son had a stand of Marguerite de St. Amand, a splendid Rose, of a bright flesh colour, and a decided acquisition. Mr. Keynes had Madame Moreau, very large and bright, but too saueer-like to suit my taste, especially for showing in this way. It will take a good place as a back row flower, but it is not the style we want. Pierre Notting from Paul and Son was good, but it had a tendency to show the eye, which detracted from its merits. Mr. Cant had Marguerite de St. Amand, very good. Awards — For eighteen new Roses of 1S6-1 and 1S65 : first, Messrs. Paul & Son ; second, Mr. Fraser ; third, Mr. Keynes ; fourth, Mr. Cant. For twelve of 1864 : first, withheld ; second, Messrs. Paul and Son. For twelve trusses of any other new kind : first, Mr. Cant ; second, Mr. Keynes ; third, Messrs. Paul & Son. The stands for decoration were decidedly pretty, and most of them in good taste. Mr. Soder, gardener to Osgood Haubury, Esq., Brent- wood, bad an oval stand with Fern leaves ; springing from it was an oval frame with a glass vase at the base, and surmounted with another glass vase, all containing nice blooms of Roses. Miss Wint, of Brighton, had a stand composed of five tapering glasses, the centre one being tall, and glass stems coming from it to each of the smaller ones. Mr. Hedge had a very pretty stand with some fine flowers, and a beautiful Moss Rose bud on the top. Another stand, one of Mr. March's pattern, was very handsomely set up with abundance of Maiden-hair Fem interspersed through it. It will thus bo seen there is a little deviation from Mr. March's original pattern, although there is hardly one, I think, even now prettier than it, especially when, tastefully set up. Awards — For decorated baskets or vases of Roses : first, Mr. Marlow, gardener to J. Wigan, Esq., Mm-tlake; second, Mr. Hedge ; third, Mr. Soder. For bouquets : first, Mr. Chard; second, Messrs. Francis ; third, Mr. Hedge. I should have added that the Show generally was held in the large conservatory, with a canvas awning stretched over it. It was, how- ever, far too warm, and the Roses very soon felt the effect of the heat. The stands for decoration were in the side arcade, where also were some nice plants from Mr. Bull, and Pinks from Mr. Charles Turner, of Slough. On the whole the Show was very successful, and some of the best-known friends of the Rose were amongst the Judges. — D., Veal, The general features of the Exhibition held at South Kensington, on Thursday last, with which was incorporated the National Rose Show, having been stated above, it remains for us to give the names of the prizetakers and of the varieties which they exhibited. In Class I., single trusses of seventy-two kinds, Messrs. Paul and Son, and Mr. Cant, of Colchester, had each very fine exhibitions. From the former came fine blooms of Xavier Olibo, Madame Boutin, Olivier Delhomme, Marechal Niel, Gloire de Dijon, Devoniensis, Madame Vidot, Mrs. William Paul, fine violet crimson with a fiery centre ; John Hopper, Comtesse dc Chabrillant, Beauty of Walthani, Princess Mary of Cambridge, Madame Boll, Alba rosea, Baron Adolphe de Rothschild, Louise Magnan, Souvenir d'Elise, very large and beautiful ; Rushton Radclyffe, Centifolia rosea, Louise de Savoie, Prince do Porcia, fine scarlet; Comte de Nanteuil, La?lia, Baron Gouella, and Louise de Savoie. Mr. Cant had Marie Baumann, very large, rosy crimson ; Madame Charles Wood, a fine crimson; Dae de Rohan, Xavier Olibo, Com- tesse de Chabrillant, Madame Victor Verdier, Devoniensis, Niphetoa, Marguerite de St. Amand, Victor Verdier, fine ; and with few exceptions the whole of his blooms were remarkable for size. It may also be remarked, that in these and some other stands the trusses were set np with buds. Mr. Keynes had fine blooms of Madame Sertot, white; Francois Lacharme, John Hopper, Pierre Notting, Triomphe de Rennes, Gloire de Dijon, Mdlle. Bonnaire, very prettily tinged with rose in the centre ; Moiret, Duchesse de Caylus, and Marechal Niel. Awards — Equal first, Messrs. Paul &■ Son, and Mr. Cant; second, Mr. Keynes ; third, Messrs. Francis. In Class II., forty-eight kinds, three trusses, there was a very fine display, particularly in the stands of Mr. Turner, of Slough, and Mr. Keynes. The varieties seen to best advantage were Olivier Delhomme, Virginal, beautiful in colour; Coupe d'Hebe, Mrs. Rivers, John Hopper, Gloire de Dijon, Souvenir d'un Ami, Charles Lefebvre, Xavier Olibo, Le Rhone, rich crimson scarlet, Francois Lacharme, Baron Gonella, Marguerite de St. Amand, Eugene Verdier, dark violet purple ; Beauty of Waltham, Joseph Fiala, violet shaded crim- son scarlet ; Duchesse de Caylus, bright rosy crimson, and very full ; Denis Helye, Alba rosea, Madame Victor Verdier, Comtesse de Cha- brillant, Dr. Andry, Madame Boll, Prince of Wales, rosy crimson ; Maurice Bernardin, La Brillante, Madame Vidot, General Castillane, Laurent Descourt, purplish scarlet, brighter in the centre, and many others which it would be tedious to enumerate. Awards — First, Mr. Turner ; second, Mr. Keynes ; third, Messrs. Francis ; fourth, Messrs. Paul & Son. Class III., was for twenty-four kinds, three trusses. Here Mr. Cant took the lead with, among others, remarkably fine trusses of La Brillante, very bright in colour ; John Hopper, Francois Lacharme, Marie Baumann, very large and full ; Prince Camille de Rohan, Mdlle. Bonnaire, and Madame Charles Wood. Messrs. Paul & Son, who were second, had Princess Mary of Cambridge. La Ville de St. Denis, and Queen Victoria, large, white, shaded with delicate rose ; Mr. Turner, fine trusses of Maurice Bernardin, Senateur Vaisse, Jules Margottin, Comtesse de Chabrillant, La Reine, Madame Knorr, Mar- guerite de St. Amand, and La Tour de Crony, very large ; and Mr. Keynes, Madame Charles Wood, Due de Rohan "pretty buds of Madame Furtado, Victor Verdier, Madame Clemence Joigneaux, lilac rose ; and Le Baron de Rothschild, deep crimson scarlet. Alfred Colomb, bright rosy red, came from Messrs. J. & C. Lee. Awards — First, Mr. Cant ; second, Messrs. Paul & Son ; third, Mr. Turner ; fourth, Mr. Keynes. Commended, Messrs. Francis. In Class IV., single trusses of twenty-four kinds, Mr. Turner bad a fine bud of Devoniensis, Duchesse de Caylus, very fine ; Madame Josephine Guyet, Madame Victor Verdier, Madame Furtado, Gloire de Dijon, Devoniensis, Jules Margottin, and La Reine; and in other stands were fine examples of several of the above, Senateur Vaisse, William Griffiths, Marechal Niel, Madame Charles Wood, Charlea Lefebvre, Victor Verdier, Le Rhone, Marguerite de St. Amand, Rubens, Laelia, Marie Baumann, and Alphonse Damaizin. Awards — First, Mr. Turner ; second, Mr. Cant ; third, Messrs. Paul & Son ; fourth, Mr. Keynes. In the Amateurs' classes, all for single trusses, there were many ex- cellent stands, and but few that conld not be considered fair. In Class V., forty-eight kinds, Mr. Hedge, Reed Hall, Colchester, took the first honours with a set in which we remarked fine blooms of Madame Charles Wood, a fine bud of La Boule d'Or, Francois La- charme, Pierre Notting, Marie Baumann, Madame Villermoz, Souve- nir d'Elise Vardou, William Griffiths, La Ville de St. Denis, Mathurin Regnier, and Anna de Diesbach. He had also a fine truss of Cloth of Gold, a variety which this year seems to be unusually fine, consisting of five blooms. Mr. Ingle, gardenerto C. G. Round, Esq., Colchester, had Eugene Desgaches, cream, tinged with rose ; Mrs. Rivers, Souve- nir d'Elise, Devoniensis, George Paul, Lord Macaulay, very dark crimson ; Madame Victor Verdier, Caroline de Sansal, and Maurice Joly S, 18C6. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. Bernardm. From Mr. Moffat, gardener to tho Hon. Mrs. Maynard, Easton Lodge, Dnuniow, came Enipereur do Maroc, Devoniensis, Beauty of Waltham, Gloire do Dijon, Madamo Boll, and Iinpcratrico Eugenie, Email, white, tinged with blush. In the stands of other ex- hibitors in the same class we noticed Joseph Fiala, Spotted Queen, carnation-striped; Gloire de Santenay, L'Enfant Trouve, and Juno. Awards— First, Mr. Hedge ; equal second, Mr. Moffat and Mr. Ingle ; third, J. Hollingworth, Esq. ; fourth, Mr. Chard. Class VI. was for thirty-six kinds. Hero wo noted Madame Bravy, Prince Leon, Madame Masson, violet, to which colour it changes from srimson ; Mrs. Rivers, and Beauty of Waltham from Mr. Inglo ; and from Mr. Hedge and others, Souvenir d'Eliso Vardon, some 5 or C inches across ; Cloth of Gold, Louise Magnan, Oriilamme de St. Louis, bright crimson ; Anna de Diesbach, Charles Lawson, and Gene- ral Jacqueminot. Andre Leroy, a fine-coloured flower, was Bhown by Mr. "Wright, gardener to Mrs. Ramsden. Awards — First, Mr. Ingle ; second, Mr. Hedgo ; equal third, Mr. Chard and Mr. Marcharn ; fourth, Dr. Cooper. ' In Class VII., twenty-four kinds, the best exhibition was that of Mr. R. B. Fostans, of Brentwood, who had fine blooms of Triomphe de Caen, violet crimson, with a scarlet centre ; Francois Lacharme, Charles Lefebvre, John Hopper, L'Esmeralda, Frince Camillo do Rohan, Enipereur de Maroc, Olivier Delhomme, and Madame Boll. Mr. May, gardener to C. Worthington, Esq., Caversham Priory, also exhibited Prince Camille de Rohan, Lord Macaulay, and others, in very good condition ; and Mr. Dennis, Folkington, Madame Maurin, and Bougere Tea Roses, the one white, the other fawn. There were several other good exhibitions in the same class. Awards — First, R. B. Postans, Esq. ; equal second, Mr. May and Mr. Dennis ; equal third, Mr. Flester and the Rev. Canon Fisher ; fourth, Rev. V. Knox Child. In Class VII ., twelve kinds, the following were in fine condition — viz., Gloire de Dijon, John Hopper, Mario Baumanu, Charles Le- febvre, Cloth of Gold, Madame Bravy, Scnateur Vaisse, Auguste Mie, and Millie. Emain, a pretty white Perpetual. Awards — First, Rev. V. Knox Child ; second, R. B. Postans, Esq. ; third, Mr. Dennis ; fourth, Mr. Flester. Class XII. was for the best twelve trusses of yellow Roses, consisting of not less than six kinds ; and the only exhibitor was Mr. Hedge, to whom was awarded a first prize for Narcisse, La Boule d'Or, poor ; Tri- omphe de Rennes, Celine Forestier, and L'Enfant Trouve, a strong sport of Elise Sanvage ; and Cloth of Gold. In Class XIII., for the best collection of yellow Roses, Mr. Hedge was again first with Cloth of Gold, L'Enfant Trouve, fine; Melanio Oger, Narcisse, and Smith's Yellow. Messrs. Paul & Son were Becond with Gloire de Dijon, Vicomtesse De Cazes, Lamarqae, Madame Falcot, Madame William, Louise de Savoie, Marquise de Foucault, and Auguste Vacher. Tea-scented and Noisette Roses, though not snfficiently varied in colour to make an effective display, are always welcome on account of their fragrance. They chiefly consisted of La Boule d'Or, Triomphe de Rennes, Gloire de Dijon, Gloire de Bordeaux, Madame Bravy, Sou- venir d'Elise, Josephine Malton, Eugene Desgaches, Souvenir d'un Ami, some fine examples of L'Enfant Trouve, Louise do Savoie, Homer. Alba rosea, America, Niphetos, and Celine Forestier. Awards — For twelve trusses (Amateurs) : first, Mr. Ingle ; second, Mr. May ; third, Mr. Hedge. For twelve trusses (Nurserymen) ; first, Messrs. Paul & Son ; second, Mr. Cant ; third, Mr. Keynes. For twelve single blooms ; first, Mr. Cant ; second, Mr. Hedge ; third, Mr. Keynes. Of Moss Roses only one stand was shown, that being from Messrs. Paul it Son, who were awarded a first prize. It contained Salet, the Crested Moss, Bath White, Comtesso Murinais, and one or two others. Pot Roses formed a very effective bank, the plants being in profuse •bloom, though the flowers were not individually so attractive as earlier in the season. President from Mr. Turner, and Marechal Niel from Mr. Wm. Paul, were especially fine ; and Rushton Radclyffe, Pierre Notting, and other recent varieties, were also well represented. Awards — For twenty-four : first, Mr. Turner ; equul second, Messrs. Paul & Sou and Mr. William Paul. For tweuty new Roses ; first, Messrs. Paul & Son, second, Mr. W. Paul. Miscellaneous subjects consisted of new Marantas, Bertolonia mar- garitacea, Lilium auratum, Eranthemum argyroneurum, having the foliage veined with white, and some other plants from Mr. Bull ; and of fine Pinks from Mr. Turner and Mr. Bragg, of Slough, and Mr. Hooper, Bath, who also exhibited Carnations, Pansies, and Phloxes. Mr. Bird, gardener to the Hon. A. F. Ashley, Epping, exhibited thirty-six varieties of Hunt's Sweet Williams ; and, as usual, from Messrs. Barr & Sngden and Carter & Co., came Fern-cases, plant- baskets, &c. The latter firm also exhibited variegated Maize, tricolor- leaved Pelargoniums, and very large pods of Laxtou's Perfection Pea. The handsome silver tea-urn, presented on the evening of the Show to the Rev. S. Reynolds Hole, stood in the conservatory in the midst of that exhibition of which he was the originator, and which, by his influence and example, he has so largely contributed to raise to a position worthy of England's national emblem — the Rose. of the University New Park. We understand that he hopes to bo able to form an arboretum thero, which will be a desirable and useful addition to the Botanic Garden, whero there is not sufficient space for one calculated to be of real use. PRIZE FOR FIFTY CUT ROSES. At a Rose show held here on Wednesday last, June 20th, an objection was made to the first-prize collection of fifty cut Roses, on the ground that fifty-one were shown for fifty. Two fully open Roses were shown in the same truss, and this was held by the objector to disqualify the collection. The Judges: affirmed their decision, at least a majority of them ; but as this is the first Rose show in Jersey, they would be glad to have your opinion in the next issue of your valuable paper. — One op the Judges. [The additional Rose was a disqualification, for it is a sound rule to insist upon the printed schedule being strictly com- plied with. There is a reason here for such strictness, because) when the competition is close tho award has to be decided by points, and every bloom may add to the number. — Eds.] Mr. W. H. Baxter, Curator of the Oxford Botanic Garden, has, we are happy to learn, been appointed to the Curatorship THE GARDENERS' ROYAE BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION. The twenty-third Anniversary Meeting was held at the London Tavern on Wednesday last, the" 27th ult., Sir C. Wentworth Dilke, Bart., in the chair. Among those present were Alderman Mechi, Professor Bentley, the Rev. Joshua Dix, Dr. Hogg, Messrs. T. Bran- dreth Gibbs, R. Wrench, G. Child, Bull, Edmonds, Gibson, J. & C. Lee, W. Paul, Turner, Veitch, Williams, Cutbnsh, ic. After the) usual loyal toasts had been given and enthusiastically responded to, the Chairman in proposing the toast of the evening, " Success to the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institution," said that it was an Insti- tution which ought to be supported by the public at large, as well as by gardeners, but by neither was it supported as it should be. He was one of those who thought that the occupation of a gardener was that in which the most mind is required, and the least is obtained from the master. He would like to see the working gardener on an equality with the intelligent artisan, hut that was not the case now. Take a bricklayer or a carpenter, the education required by either is small, and bo, too, was their responsibility ; but the labour of a gar- dener is great, his responsibility often heavy, and to properly carry out his duties a considerable amount of education is required ; and yet gentlemen having gardens, and good gardens too, want a perfect man, and are prepared to pay him 20s. a-week ! Thus it was that gardeners could not lay up much for their old age ; and thus, too, it was that the Institution must also be dependant, to a considerable extent, on the more wealthy classes for support. There was a rule of the Institution — an extremely wise, extremely good, and extremely prudent rule — that a man who had subscribed for fifteen years might be admitted without an election ; but that period was a long time to look forward to, and he hoped that increased funds would enable them to reduce the time to twelve years, to ten years, or even less. Some papers by Mr. D. Fish on gardeners' wages had lately appeared, and though in these the disadvantages under which gardeners labour were well stated, he diffe.ed from the writer in toto. The whole question of wages was simply one of supply and demand, and in this case the supply exceeded the demand. He donbted whether gardeners' wages would ever materially rise, because a number of day labourers are employed at 12s. per week, and these are continually forcing them- selves upwards. Such men at 18s. per week are preferred to those at 30s. a-week, and so long as this continues to be the case wages must be low. More especially at the present crisis did he think that much advance was hopeless, for the expenses of many an establishment would be cut down to the lowest figure. What was the effect of the railway panic of 1847 ? Why, the amount of donations to the Insti- tution fell to one-third of that subscribed in any previous year. The Chairman then referring to tho International Horticultural Exhibi- tion, said that about a year ago some of those present attended a meeting for the purpose of inaugurating it, and he was asked to take his part ; others had been asked to take the undertaking under their wing, but the one had not the funds, and the other had not the pluck ; but, said Sir Wentworth, " We (the Executive Committee), found the funds, and we found the pluck." Besides that, they had entertained their foreign visitors at the Guildhall, which the Corpo- ration had lent for the purpose ; but mind, the Executive found the dinner, and he believed their visitors had expressed their satisfaction at the reception which had been given them. The undertaking, how- ever, was not a light one. His friend on the left (Mr. C. Lee), said that £9000 would pay the expenses; but he (the Chairman), said £12,000 would not do it. The Exhibition was, therefore, a specula- tion, and they entered into it, knowing that whatever might be the loss the gain would not bo theirs ; but they had resolved from tho first, that if they did meet with success tho Institution should profit by it. The Exhibition had proved an entire success, £3000 profit having 6 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ July 3, 18U6. beeii netted, and of that sum the Committee had decided to give one- third to the Institution. The Royal Horticultural Society had teen asked to take one-third of the profits for their assistance and the use of their garden, hut the offer was refused, and nothing but £300 down in hard cash would do ; otherwise that Society would have had £1000 also. The Chairman then read a letter from Sir Daniel Cooper, Bart., enclosing a cheque for £1000, and concluded by urging the claims of the charity, and expressing a hope that those present would raise the amount to £2000. Mr. Brandreth T. Gibbs then proposed the health of the Chair- man, and alluded to the services which he had rendered to the Insti- tution, and his endeavours to forward the interests of horticulture. The Chairman, in returning thanks, said that he did not know whether they would look upon him as a public nuisance for troubling them so often, but still he felt he must trouble them again, and tell those present that they who gave so largely, as some had done that night, even to the extent of £30, were real friends to this Society. But there were other real friends, and these were those who subscribed large sums from year to year (and no man contributes more than twice to a charity in which he does not take an interest) — thesi j weie the great friends to whom the Society wonld have to look for its principal support. If all would only put their shoulders to the wheel they could make it a powerful institution in a short time, and some there were who had determined to do so. As far as he was concerned, he could only say that whenever he could asbist them, they might com- mand his services. This year they had had for their Chairman one who had a windfall to announce ; but next year they wonld have Sir Robert Peel, and he hoped that they would give him the reception which he deserved. He then proposed the health of the Treasurer, Mr. Wrench. Mr. Wrench, in returning thanks, remarked that on such occasions it was customary to have only three figures to the subscription total, but he was glad to see that on this occasion it had increased to four. The Institution had since the last anniversary experienced the loss of two of its Vice-Presidents, Sir Joseph Paxton and Dr. Lindley. who had taken a warm interest in it, and if all would do the same its benefits would be very much increased. Mr. G. Godwin then proposed " Success to the Royal Horticul- tural and Botanic Societies," coupled with the names of Dr. Hogg, the Rev. Joshua Dix, and Professor Bentlcy. Dr. Hogg, in returning thanks, said that he had lately been so much accustomed to return thanks for the Secretaries of the Inter- national Horticultural Exhibition, that he was afraid he should have to do what history is said never to do — repeat himself. He re- collected the first meeting of the originators of that Exhibition, and he thought he might safely say that they were the half dozen " men of pluck " who put down their £10 a-piece to start the undertaking ; but that sum was a long way off £13,000 ; still, they persevered, and though at times the Committee had had their misgivings, they had borne on by a fixed resolution safely to the end. The Rev. Joshua Drx, in responding, defended the Royal Horti- cultural Society in regard to their having required £300 to be paid for the use of "their grounds and other facilities, for, said he, had the Council entered into any arrangement for contingent profits, they would have been playing with money that did not belong to them. It should be remembered that on the opening of the Exhibition, when its financial success appeared somewhat doubtfnl, an appeal was made to them for an extension of time in the use of the grounds, etc., and what did the Council do ? They said, " We will waive all claims for an additional sum of money; we will not accept it ; we grant you the extension of privilege for nothing." Professor Bentley said he very fully appreciated the very kind manner in which the toast had been received. He had been connected with the Royal Botanic Society for eighteen years, and all his life with plants, but till last year he never knew the men personally who were the great plant-growers of this country, and he had formed a high estimation of their sterling qualities. Mr. Cutler (the Secretary), then read a list of subscriptions put down at the dinner to the amount of £260, after which his health was proposed by the Chairman. Mr. Alderman Mechi said he considered himself an old friend of theirs, having occupied the chair in 1857. He might be accused of having been a truant since then, but the truth was he had been taken aip with the Agricultural Benevolent Society, and he was sure that they would be glad to hear that it had £5000 a-year, and that there •were at the present time one hundred recipients of its benefits. They had all heard Sir C. W. Dilke, and they, as well as he, knew that he •was a great advocate of horticulture. At the late Show there had fceen £3000 profits, and £1000 had been given to the Gardeners' Bene- volent Institution, but he did not see the reason why the whole £3000 should not have been given. He then proposed the " Nursery and Seed Trade." coupled with the names of Mr. Veitch and Mr. Child. Mr. Veitch returned thanks in a very effective speech, remarking that the Committee of the International Horticultural Exhibition had shown what England could do, and what its gardeners could do. He loved horticulture because it was an intellectual pursuit, although not such a money-making business as some in the city of London, and he loved it for its own sake. With regard to the question of wages, it was a thing to be bewailed that the carpenter and other mechanics shonld he in a far better position than the generality of gardeners. Labourers, it was true, helped to keep down wages, by trying to do everything and often doing nothing well ; and he considered the best remedy for this state of things, the best way to secure an increase of the gardener's wages, would be to educate him, and then employers would find it to their profit to employ the educated man. He, therefore, said, Let us lovers of horticulture do all that we can, not only to increase our numbers, but to raise the standard of education as well. Mr. Child briefly returned thanks for himself and the seed trade. " The Stewards," coupled with the name of Mr. Shaw, and " The Ladies," weie then given. Mr. John Gould VErrcu having returned thanks for the ladies, the company broke up. The room was decorated with a profusion of flowers contributed by Messrs. Lee, Turner, Fraser, Williams, and others, and there was an excellent dessert. The dinner-table ornaments were kindly lent gra- tuitously by Messrs. Howell & James, of Regent Street. A WORD ON BEHALF OF SMALL ORCHAED HOUSES. These useful structures have hardly met with a just criticism at the hands of writers on the subject. Whilst admitting their general inferiority to the larger houses, now so common, and for which it is safe to predict a still greater development, it would also be fair to state that in proper hands small orchard- houses may be rendered eminently useful. From the very fact of 'their small size they present considerations of value to that numerous class whose means are limited, and who also cannot devote much time to them. Space, too, in small gardens is difficult to spare. We have here, then, three very serious considerations — viz., time, space, and money, and these leave us much to say in favour of small structures. Let us, then, allow them their proper place in the public estimation. One thing is certain — that by the amateur doubtful of his re- sources they will always be selected. In large gardens they are obviously out of place, except as Orangeries, or for re- tarding a portion of the crop by placing them with a colder exposure, which, by the way, is the right manner of retarding any fruit. If the small number of entries for the orchard- house trees in pots, which were submitted to Messrs. Errors, Ewing, and myself at the Great Show was a true indication that public taste in this matter had endorsed that of some critics, all question of large versus small houses would be needless ; but a round of subsequent visits to friends and others possessing them of all sizes enables me to state that orchard-houses never were so nourishing. In one case an amateur, with the aid of a rough workman or two, manages alone an immense house 250 feet long, and can show as good fruit as need be expected, and pruning so equal as to be unsurpassed. He is about to lengthen this house to 500 feet, and there is no reason why he should fail with this lordly house, but, rather, there is every chance of greater results. This case establishes what amateurs, really in earnest, trusting to their common-sense principles, and employing only the same amount of skill as is shown by so many lady florists, can do with large orchard-houses. In the second instance I was shown by an amateur of very limited mi aus what can be effected by careful attention with extremely small structures for growing fruit. In his small garden, where every available space was carefully economised, were two small span-roofed houses. The oldest of these, some ten years old, was only 18 feet by 9. To the ridge was only 7 feet ; the sides were 4J feet high. This stood east and west. The other house was 10 feet by 12, and had ventilating shutters 1 foot wide, all round, and others at the top, at each end. This house stood north and south. The whole number of trees was no less than eighty (chiefly pyramids in 13-inch pots), and con- sisted of Peaches, Nectarines, Plums, Pears, and choice Apple trees. By the different position of these houses, and by plung- ing a portion of the Plums in the open ground during the last week of June, a succession of fruit was secured, and more room given to the Peaches to ripen. The crop looked fine, and the foliage was without a stain, so that this amateur will probably have more Peaches than can be found on many an extensive wall, this evil year of blight, and bloodshed. Without these houses what chance would he have had of choice fruit in a small, unwalled garden ? At Sawbridgeworth, also, where I stayed two days, were houses 100 feet long, and but 7 feet high to the ridge, yet they were full of fine pyramidal Apricot trees, well loaded. My first house was but 30 feet long, and is still very early. It has de- fects enough, no doubt, but it is always full of Peaches. The Jul; 3, 1866. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. truth then seems to bo, that amateurs, by ordinary attention to well-known rules, ought to manage small as well as large orchard-houses, without much difference in trouble. Peaches on tho open wall can this year be counted without any difficulty, but in all tho orchard-houses I have seen there is a good crop. This is a fact worth many words. — T. C. Bb£haut, Richmond Llousc, Cucrwcy. COUNTRY SCRAPS— No. 1. It was in the little village of Boxted, Essex, that I first found a fungus which I have never since met with. It was a damp day in autumn that I was wending my way through a short lane which ran near our own quiet church — certainly posses- sing various characteristics of architecture, but neat and cleanly within ; and I was pondering upon the still resting-place of my young mother, who with her baby boy lay in that small portion of ground known as " God's acre," awaiting the sum- mons of the Master of the flowers there cut down and withered, to awake to renewed life under the resuscitating beams of the Sun of Righteousness. Thinking, too, I was of the glory and happiness of those two souls who walked in holy communion through those fields of light and love above ; and from the contemplation of this heavenly region I came back to the reali- sation of the fact that I must put aside my day dreams, and olose my eyes to the magic mirror that was in the soul within me and grapple again with the world, all motherless as I was; and it is a hard world for a woman to fight her way in, and sometimes the case is even harder where ° Men must work, but women must weep.** To sit still and weep is destructive to mind aud body : there- fore if it be but to sweep the house, rather work ; it will keep the brain from wearing itself out before the body, which is the most pitiable case in nature. But, as I was saying, I gave up useless regrets, and being but a maiden in my teens, I was not very likely to let " grief prey on my damask cheeks." No, I rather held the motto that care killed a cat, and so betook myself to the amusement of seeking in the dripping bank close by for what I was always expecting and hoping to find — some- thing unknown to the botanical world. What a grand day this would have been for me to come upon the " philosopher's stone." Had I been a man I should have attached myself to some exploring expedition ; but Nature not favouring me in this line, I more humbly enjoy my own quiet depredations in our own English hedgerows. That day, however, I did find something, and something which a subsequent letter from Professor Henslow led me to believe was not so very common. How my young heart bounded for joy when he requested that " the young lady would kindly procure more specimens if any were to be found, and send them to him packed carefully in a box, as the Curator of the Ipswich Museum only possessed two of these fungi, and possibly another year they might alto- gether disappear from the spot where they were gathered." He described the specimens as those of the Starry Puff-ball. The part which contained the " puff," as we children called it, he, I remember, designated as " the furnace." Of course my hat was soon donned, and off I went with a small basket. I found a few more plants in the same locality, but no more in that lane, although I searched both sides of it. This fungus is entirely concealed by the vegetation around, and therefore, perhaps, is it found so rarely. Finding its haunt was amongst rotten sticks and decayed leaves, I thought I would search a bank beneath a large Hawthorn tree which stood near our house, and which answered that description, and there, to my infinite delight, I found quite a nest of my treasures. My basket was soon filled. Perhaps I sent the Professor a dozen and half of these fungi, keeping also some for ourselves. I remember the peculiar appearance of these strange plants very well : some of them had five and some four segments, like legs descending from " the furnace," and meeting five or four (as the case might be), other divisions ascending from the earthy- looking foundation from which they rose. We kept some of the specimens in a china saucer upon the cLi£foci';re in the drawing-room, and they awoke the curiosity of all who saw them, whether botanists or not. I dare say the Curator of the Ipswich Museum no longer complains of a paucity of speci- mens. I have somewhere read that there is a peculiar narcotic pro- perty in the fumes of the common Puff-ball when burnt, and that it has been used on this account to take the honey from hives without destroying the bees ; but whethor it is still so used I am unablo to say. I havo seen farmers stooping to secure some of the powder from theso fungi, using it as a styptic to prevent the bleeding from a recent cut ; and I knew a country gentleman who always kept a small stock in reserre in the neighbourhood of his shaving chattels, to resort to in that unlucky moment which comes alike to the strongest and weakest-minded of our " lords," when putting that last dainty touch in the matutinal beautifications which would havo been "all well had it ended well," as old Shakspearo hath it, but which, on the contrary, was productive of the keenest cut o£ all — a cut which wounded physiognomy and vanity at the same time. Maternal Nature, however, comes to the aid of all her suffering children ; and from the simple bosom of the earth we may on all sides possess ourselves of the necessary curatives if we only know where to seek them, and will not, as wo so often do, " despise the day of small things." The humbla cottager frequently knows more of the uses of the plants and herbs around her than we who consider ourselves the more enlightened portion of the community over dream of. They may be called old wives' nostrums, but after all there is often a medical virtue which would warrant further research. In the wilder parts of Yorkshire tho gude dame seems often in requisition with her homely medicaments, and marvellous tales are told in the peculiar northern dialect of miraculous cures thereby effected. The narratives, however, lose so much o£ their pith from the recapitulation in our southern tongue, that I will not pretend to detail them. Speaking of Yorkshire, although my visit there has been too late in the season to aid me in making any fresh additions, to my hortus siccus, still from friends living m the county I haya gathered details of several plants which are, perhaps, rather local, but which abound in some parts of that rich botanical shire. The Narcissus biflorus, Pale Narcissus, is mentioned by Henry Baines, Sub-Curator to the Y'orkshire Philosophical Society (1810), as being found "in a field in which is a stona quarry, on the left of the high road to Aske from Richmond ; at Thornborough, near Thirsk ; near Rotherham ; near Hornsey church ; near Ripon ; in meadows at Sowerby and Warley, near Halifax." Certain it is that in a meadow a short distance from York there are bulbs of this uncommon plant. In the spring it throws up its pale and delicate flowers. My brother's gardener was upon the point of removing the plants to his newly laid out garden ; fortunately, to prevent this desecration, the Rev. botanist appeared upon the spot, and forbade the unhallowed act. My brother had his doubts whether the bulbs might not have been thrown out with manure from soma garden ; but upon consideration he withdrew this idea, as the fields had for a long time been used only as pasture for cattle, and there was no garden in their immediate vicinity. Another plant which is not very common in the south of England, although it has been found in Norfolk and Suffolk, is the Giant Bellflower, Campanula latifolia. In Yorkshire it finds many habitats. Some very fine specimens are to ba found in a ditch in Clifton " ings." These " ings " are mea- dows lying close to the river which runs through the old city, and forms such a picturesque scene when viewed from one of the bridges which span it. Tho Campanula latifolia is also found near Fulford church, at Roche Abbey, and in many other parts of this county. A crop which is quite unfamiliar to my southern eye, and which was just beginning to cover some fields, in which it wan pointed out to me, was that of numerous healthy-looking Teazels. The appearance which they present is that of a field of young Thistles. Of course their well-doing is a matter of anxiety in the large cloth-making districts in the north. — A Surgeon's Wife. DUTY-FREE TOBACCO FOR GARDEN PURPOSES. The " Richmond Cavendish Company," to enable them to prepare a cheap composition for fumigation and other garden purposes, have applied to the trade and others interested in horticulture to sign petitions to the Lords of the Treasury and Commissioners of Customs, asking that Tobacco may be duty free for such purposes. Such remission of duty would, of course, promote the trade of the Company, but it would also be advantageous to the gardening community, therefore we re- commend the petitions to the support of our readers. The following is a copy : — " To the Lords of the Treasury. " We, the seedsmen, florists, nurserymen, market gardeners, 8 JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ July 3, 18CS. and others, interested in horticultural pursuits, respectfully submit to your Lordships, that we may be permitted to use Tobacco in the form of pastiles, free of duty, for the purpose of fumigation, in order to destroy the insect vermin which are so injurious to plants and trees. " Various preparations have been tried, but' it is well known, that Tobacco is, of all other things, the most efficacious ; and it would be extensively used if its high cost, owing to the duty levied upon it, did not make it too expensive an article for general application. "In praying that this petition be granted, your petitioners would most respectfully point out, that similar concessions have been made in other cases, the use of rum in methylated spirit, and of Tobacco, for sheepwash, having been granted tinder circumstances of a similar character. " The objection that the use of Tobacco, free of duty, for horticultural purposes might prove injurious to the revenue, could no doubt be met by imposing such restrictions on the mode of preparing the Tobacco in bond, for the pastiles, as would entirely prevent the possibility of its being employed for any other than the purpose for which your petitioners respect- fully ask permission to use it. The method we would propose is to grind a proportion of two-thirds of Tobacco together with one-third of common soot and fish oil ; or to add such other ingredients as the chemist to the Government might suggest for the more effectual destruction of the Tobacco. " In the event of your Lordships kindly granting the prayer of your petitioners, you will confer a favour of great value to a large class of persons connected with horticultural pursuits in this country, and a favour which will undoubtedly prove a general benefit to the public. " And your petitioners will over pray." HYDRANGEA LTORTENSIS FOR OUT-DOOR DECORATION. Perhaps no plant has been more generally cultivated than this variety of Hydrangea since its introduction by Sir J. Banks. It is a very imposing plant when seen in its smallest form m the Covent Garden style ; but when seen out of doors in au- tumn, 7 feet high, in the form of a large shrub, with thousands of monstrous flowers resting on fine broad green leaves, it pre- sents the grandest subject that can be seen in our climate in connection with the flower garden, or decorating the margin of ornamental water, where it is most at home. The propagation of this plant is so simple, and its culture in pots so well under- stood, that I will not intrude with remarks on anything save what relates to its out-door culture. It is frequently asserted that the Hydrangea will only suc- ceed in favourable localities near the sea. In the west of England and south of Ireland it may be seen with large shrubs, flowering freely without any protection ; but it may also be seen thirty miles inland quite as fine by some attention to culture. The Hydrangea hortensis is a wonderful plant to suit situation ; it may be seen in monstrous cymes on a wall facing south. On a north wall it will flower equally grand, although not so abundantly ; under the branches of trees, on the edge of a pond, or planted on a rock it will flower profusely. It must not be inferred from this that good culture is not necessary ; there is no common plant on which high culture will tell more Strikingly. In commencing with young plants, the practice here is to grow them on a bed of loam and peat in a rough state ; the plants are planted on the surface, and mulched with rotted dung and watered as frequently as circumstances will permit. The plants are removed and protected in winter until the wood assumes a shrubby character, when they are permanently planted out, or kept in borders, and regularly transplanted to suit requirements. In a climate where frost would destroy the annual shoots the plants may be taken up and put into any sort of shed with straw, or any other thatch, to keep out frost. In this sort of treatment it is important to maintain the vigour of the plants, and to this end it is necessary, when the plants are laid in, to pack firmly moist earth about the roots. No more trouble will be required until the latter end of May, when the plants may be put into summer quarters, when the weak shoots should be freely thinned out, and the bods well watered. The Hydrangea will flower but sparingly if planted deep. Surface-feeding will produce the best result in flower, and prevent the weakly shoots that are sure to come from deep planting. Our practice here is to top-dress heavily the large plants with rich pond mud about the end of May, and this treatment has lengthened the continuation of bloom. Water is the great element of success in cultivating the Hydrangea. In many places where flowers are cultivated that element is scarce, but in special cases deep pits may be dug and filled up with peaty sods or other spongy materials : this has been done hero with success. Some of the pits were dug out 6 feet deep, the hole filled in with rough sods, on top of which was put a layer of stiff clay, on which was put a layer of rotted dung, and Hydrangeas planted over the surface-level. The object of the pits is to secure uniform moisture. The plants are a large size, and flower to admiration. I have tried with various earths the changing of the flowers from pink to blue. I have found the same result in pure clay, pure peat, and in the simple bodies ; experience forbids me giving any decided opinion on this matter. Some of the American varieties of Hydrangea thrive well here, and are very beautiful hardy-flowering shrubs. The Hydrangea japonica is no use out of doors. — Charles M'Donald, Woodstock, Co. Kilkenny. — (Scottish Gardener.) [The late Mr. Donald Beaton told us that " Cuttings of the Hydrangea made in February may be made to flower blue or pink at will. If the mother plant produced blue flowers in the former seasons, and you force it in February, cut off your cuttings as soon as they make three joints, and when they are rooted place them in a rich, light compost, say one-half leaf mould or very rotten dung, and the rest of any good garden soil, they never fail to produce pink flowers ; whereas, if taken from a pink-flowering parent, and after rooting you grow them in strong yellow loam, with about a sixth part of iron filings mixed with it instead of sand, nine out of ten of them will produce blue flowers. I have proved this over and over again, and have seen it in other hands, but I never could get an August cutting to differ in colour from that of the parent plant. The reason seems to be that the juices of the parent plant have already, by a season's growth, formed the substance, or the organised matter, as the physiologists call it, out of which flowers are produced, so that no after-treatment is able to counteract the effect ; whereas cuttings separated from a plant at so early an age as when they only attain a few inches in length, and are then made to grow in iron rust and loam other- wise impregnated with iron, which is well known to favour the production of blue flowers in the Hydrangea, the organised! matter referred to is formed from juices impregnated with iron oxide, and so produces blue flowers. The intensity of the blue is, I believe, according to the perfect oxidation of the iron. Chalk water never fails to counteract this effect of the oxide on the flowers, as we have often proved here, so that, to give the fairest chance to the experiment of getting blue Hydrangeas, I would recommend the cuttings to be taken as early in the spring as possible, to strike or root them in red sand, to grow them in nothing but red loam and iron filings, according to the above proportions, and never to water them hut with rain water; but I am not sure whether rusty water from hot-water pipes would not add to the success of the experiment ; at any rate this rusty water is not injurious to these Hydrangeas. In some parts of the country the natural soil will produce blue Hydrangeas, and in such places it is difficult to meet with pink ones ; and, what is singular enough, the Rhododendrons will flourish in such soil, although apparently devoid of all traces of vegetable matter. There is also a kind of peat earth which invariably turns the pink to a blue Hydrangea, but all the peat that we have access to here (Suffolk), does just the contrary."] ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY'S MEETING. Tite Juno meeting of this Society was held on the 4th tilt., the President, Sir John Lnbbock, F.R.S., &c, being hi the chair. Count Mniszeck, of Paris, and Messrs. Salvin and Turner were elected mem- bers of the Society. Amongst the donations received since the last meeting were the "Transactions" of the Society of Natural Science of Philadelphia, the Smithsonian Institute, the Stettin Society of En- tomology, &c, including new Memoirs on the Coleoptera of North America, by Dr. J. Leconte ; the " Genera des Coleopteres " of Duval, and the work of the Rev. Hamlet Clark on the Phytophagous Beetles, Part I. Dr. Wallace, of Colchester, the author of the Society's prize essay on the cultivation of the new Ailanthns Silkworm, just published, communicated a note on the colours of the larvie of that species, and some observations on the new Oak Silkworm, Saturnia Yama-mai, from Japan. Professor Brayley forwarded some extracts from the Report of Consul Zohrah on the trade of Bordiansk for 1365, trans- July 3, 1S«G. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. znittcd to the Foreign Office, anil recently presented to Parliament, containing a notice of the ill effects produced by tho bite of a largo black venomons species of Spider which appeared amongst tho Wheat ut harvest time, and bad bitten more than three hundred persons, the into boing followed by a hard white Bpot, which, when cauterised, pro- duced a new wound ; ordinarily tho Spider fed upon Locusts. Mr. McLachlan communicated a noto on tho cocoon of a species of Cad- dice Fly (Limnephilus sp.), which, although originally formed by the larva beneath the surfaco of tho water, had gradually been raised to the height of 2 feet above it, causing the enclosed pupa to dry and shrivel up, thus exhibiting a fault in the instinct of the larva not often observed in the insoct tribes. Mr. I'ascoo exhibited a number of minnto Beetles collected by the Rov. G. Bostock, of Freemantle, in Western Australia, chiefly in Ants' nests, several of which are of very great interest, belonging to tho genera Articerns, Anthicns, PtinuB, and a new genus apparently allied to r.iussus, of which he read descriptions. Professor Westwood exhibited drawings and read descriptors of some new Goliath Beetles from tropical Africa, chiefly from the collec- tions of Count Muiszcck and J. Aspinall Turner, Esq. Mr. Staiuton exhibited a specimon of a minute Moth, Gelechia leucomelanella, which he had succeeded in rearing from galls found upon Gypsophila Baxifraga at Mentone in the spring. Mr. C. A. Wilson, of Adelaide, South Australia, communicated a further portion of his notes on tho Buprestidw, ice., of Now South Wales. RAIDS AFTER FERNS.— No. 5. HAMPSHIRE. " We go to town every year." Yes, in these days one can- not aspire to anything like gentility without the above warranty. One must go to town every year ; one must risk one's life in the streets, be stifled in academies, buy " best bonnets " for flower shows and fashionable churches, even supposing one be suffi- ciently strong-minded to resist opera and ball. Yes, the sacri- fice must be made, and the time to offer it on the world's altar is just the very time when nightingales are making the woods vocal with their song, when the trees are robing themselves in fresh young leaves, and flower after flower peeps up in meadow and copse from its wintry hiding-place. When Nature, in obe- dience to her Maker, is busiest in decking out her pleasant places for our gratification, we run away from her in thankless indifference, and will not watch her movements or listen to her pure voice. I usually take my London life very much as I take a tonic — an occasional tea-spoonful in a very large dose of country ; and how glad I am to turn away from the dreary round of noise, and bustle, and sin that those great streets disclose none can tell. Each station that places a barrier of so many miles be- tween us is hailed with delight. I look out of the carriage window and nod my head at my old companions of forest and field, as if years instead of days had separated us. From London, at her busiest and noisiest. I escaped into the bright pure air of Hampshire, the noise of the roll of carriages giving place to the gentle whisperings of the wind amongst Beech and Fir, to which I listen in lazy enjoyment from a hammock slung Indian fashion between trees. Presently I hear the tramp of little feet and the sound of merry voices, to- gether with sundry discordant bells and clappers, and a general shout of " The bees ! the bees ! " A knowing twist of the ham- mock, and I, too, armed with a watering-pot and a stick, am serenading a fine swarm, till from a splendid Rose bush they are safely hived in their straw dwelling-place, beneath the friendly shade of a fine Ailanthus glandulosa. What flower shows and morning concerts are to the town, that are bees to a bee-keeping country. No other excitement is needed. Always swarming, or going to swarm, always being hived, or being lost and skirmished after, they are the one thought uppermost in men's minds. Even places of worship are not exempt from the prevailing epidemic, for hatless heads and smock frocks peep mysteriously in at half-open doors, beckon- ing to other smock frocks that rise and disappear with that pe- culiar noise of clumsy stealthiness that is so dear to Hamp- shire-loving ears ; and after church, mayhap, it is only " the parson's bees as were a-swarming " — an event in which all the community most heartily sympathise. Yet in the very teeth of the bees I had my raid. A few minutes' walk, and I was in Havant " Thicket," sacred at present to Ferns, wild flowers, and adders. There are a hundred paths leading into the mysterious fast- nesses of Havant Thicket, each diverging into the other, till the unwary traveller gets involved in a mesh of thread-like ways that lead him into quags, and bogs, and adders' homes in most uncomfortable fashion. A good hunt in the thicket, how- ever, is worth all tho peril, for it is full of treasures. Here and there I found a space covered with a very Hmall Myrtle- like Willow, with dark shining leaf and woolly catkins, which looked like a bog Myrtle, on which innumerable caterpillars had spun their nests, trailing over the ground. In tho neigh- bourhood this plant is called tho " Flowering Willow," and is supposed to bo rare : I should (perhaps ignorantly) set it down as tho Salix arbuscula. Near to tho Willow, growing in great profusion, was the GeniBta anglica, its sharp thorns painfully reminding one that it was anglica and not tinctoria, for which I searched in vain. Parasitical upon the shrubs wo found, but not frequently, Orobanche rapum, while growing on every side were Listera ovata, Orchis maculata, and Habenariabifolia, the latter scent- ing my Fern-bag with its rich perfume. But not alone did H. bifolia scent the bag, for wandering further into the thicket one came on a large bed of Lilies of the Valley ! — must I call them Convallaria majalis ? Yes, I will, for I hold that if none but. Latin names were in use for all plants the science of botany would be greatly simplified, and bad memories would not be hampered with two exertions instead of one. At any rate, lying in their greenwood bed there the pure white flowerets were ringing their bells to the wild bees' song, and looking to my mind's eye so like a hundred things they most surely were not, that I could but sit down on the branch of an old tree and hold short speech with them before I dragged them from their lurking-place into the rude gaze of the world. Not far from the Lily-bed there was a pool bordered with My- osotis palustris, while trailing over the Briars was the little Lysimachia nemorum, the L. nummularia completely covering the ground, though the blossoms were not yet opened. Of the commoner wild flowers, every little nook, every sunny glade, bore bright evidence. In some places the earth was rose colour with Pedicularis ; in another blue with Polygala, while every now and then our crushing feet caused the Mentha syl- vestris and Thymus serpyllum to emit a strong and pleasant odour. And at last tho Ferns ! In days gone by I have often said, " Oh, nothing grows in Havant Thicket but Pteris (only in disdain I called it Bracken) ; but now I know better, and I look forward to many a successful raid amongst the adders. First, there was Lastrea montana, but as I only saw two plants of it during several walks, I conclude that the soil or air of the Thicket is not congenial to it. I wonder if I might here be allowed to enter a trembling protest against this Fern being placed amongst the Lastreas, with which it appears to me to have little affinity, its usually naked clusters of round sori pointing rather to Polypodium. Abounding in the Thicket was Lastrea cristata var. spinu- losa, while of Lastrea dilatata I saw but very little. L. cristata spinulosa is always a trouble to me, and that in many ways. If it be a simple'variety of L. cristata, having no pretensions to rank amongst species, how is it that it is found growing in profusion where its original parent has never been heard of ? If I understand species aright, I shall not be satisfied till the wandering habit of L. spinulosa can be explained. Perhaps I may yet find L. cristata in Hampshire, or, perhaps, I may live to see spinulosa in the family of L. dilatata. In this particular raid I was charmed with the different forms assumed by the Pteris aquilina. I found it in its variety vera, and in many cases it was also considerably forked, assum- ing the appearance of multifida. Of Filix-mas there were several plants of a supposed variety, for which Mr. Wollaston is claim- ing the honour of a separate place amongst species, under the name of Lastrea propinqua. It differs considerably from the normal form of Filix-mas, and has many varieties or sub- varieties of its own. Not far from the Thicket there is a beautiful hunting-ground called the Holt, where noble Beech trees tower towards the heavens, and the earth at their feet is covered with the white blossoms of Asperula odorata ; where Digitalis of the tallest, and Prim— (I must say)— roses, of the loveliest abound, and there I found a very curious variety of Filix-mas, lax in growth, pale.in colouring, and irregular in form of pinnule. I have not yet had it named, for I have yet to prove that I am the first who has noticed it. Besides the Lastrea Filix-mas there are several good varieties of Athyrium Filix-foemina growing in the Holt, and many a beautiful wild plant, I may not stay to enumerate. Even during the time bestowed on the Filices, the bees have swarmed for the third time, kettledrums have sounded a retreat, and the scattered forces are dispersed for ever. 10 JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. [ July 8, 1866. From Havant Thicket I passed on to Stoke's Bay, and as I sat upon the beach watching the " Pearl " steaming up and down the Bay, in sight of the fair Isle of Wight, I gathered close by my side the handsome yellow Glaucium flavum, Sedum angli- oum, Statice armeria, Hieracium pilosella, the silvery Poten- tilla anserina, and many another little flower which gladdened the sandy waste by its bright presence, while the neighbouring eorn fields were brilliant with the deep blue of Centaurea qyanus, and the fiery Papaver rhajas. I noticed in the hedges Polystichum angulare, but I did not make any particular search till I arrived in the neighbourhood of the New Forest, where, in many a grassy lane and sheltered hedge, I knew that I should be rewarded by finding Ferns of many species, and, as I hoped, of many varieties. I remem- bered how in days gone by, the adders and I had glided in and out amongst Bracken and silvery Birch and Hornbeam, at- tracted by the same sunbeams playing on our path, and each darting away scared at the other's presence. I remembered the tall Lastreas in the Embley Wood, and how I had sat down there on a stile, puzzling with rueful face over different aperies which to my untutored eyes would not seem distinct. I remembered the deep blue of the undulating distance trans- formed into liquid light as the rich gleams of tho setting sun fell upon it ; the sheltered nooks, with the pretty cottage, and the gleeful children playing about the doors ; the white bloom of the " merry » trees. I called to mind the tall Osmundas of the forest ; the green banks of Asplenium adiantum-ni- grurn; the ditches of Blechnum spicant, together with the fair waters of the Ehododendron-bordered lake, where for the first time I had found the bright Narthecium ossifragum, and over whose surface, when frozen, I had been many times ignommiously skated in a chair. I knew the home of 'Lastrea montana, and the lanes where Polystichum aculeatum would leave no room for angulare. I had heard how Asplenium tri- chomanes had gradually retreated from its old haunts to more out-of-the way localities; so, armed with my trowel and my bag, I had little else to do than to rush off to the different spots, collect what I required, searching as I went for anything new. I found no Lastrea cristata var. spinulosa, but I did find a handsome form of Lastrea, of which one of our best Fern authorities writes—" This Lastrea is one that has puzzled me a great deal, and I have often in the lake district gone up to it believing it to be an Atlryrium, and then found out my mis- take. Whether it is a species or a variety of propinqua (I think certainly not of Filix-mas), I cannot yet determine. It is de- lieiously hay-scented, which is different to the other forms." Of Athyrium Filix-fcemina I found a beautiful varietv, in form like odontomanes, but more delicately chiselled. I have long cherished a hope that eventually what is now called the Tariety odontomanes may be recognised as a species, and a separate place in Ferndom be assigned to it. Should my Athyrium prove worthy, I shall dedicnte it to Miss Florence Nightingale, for it grew where her footsteps must have often fallen as she walked to and fro on her errands of mercy. — Febn-Hunthess. NOTES on TRUFFLES and TRUFFLE CULTURE. BY C. E. BROOME, ESQ. The numerous varieties of Fungi that are exposed for sale in the markets of France and Italy must induce a feeling of surprise that so little attention has been paid to their culture by the horticulturists both of Great Britain and the Continent. The Mushroom is the only species at all commonly made use of in this country ; the Blewitt may sometimes, indeed, be seen in Covent Garden, hut it is a species far inferior in flavour to many others of our Fungi, and it is certainly not the pro- duce of our gardens. Truffles, which are frequently seen, and so highly esteemed in continental markets as to command a high price, are comparatively rarely to be met with in our own, and even Covent Garden can boast but of one native kind, and that an inferior one— viz., Tuber ;r;stivum. There are, how- ever, various reasons for this neglect of Nature's benefits that operate with us, that do not apply with equal force to our con- tinental neighbours, such as distressing cases of poisoning from the indiscriminate use of Fungi gathered by persons ignorant of the qualities of the various species, a danger in great measure guarded against abroad by the appointment of an official person capable of determining the noxious or innocent nature of the species brought for sale. What tends, however, still more, I perhaps, to increase our objection to their use, is the natural inaptitude of our countrymen to acquire the art of cookery, which is a very important element in suiting these plants to human digestion ; added to which, there is the difficulty of adopting new customs, or changes of diet. Were a taste for these productions, however, once established, we should soon find numerous species brought forward as valuable additions to our means of sustenance. Notwithstanding that Truffles have been considered articles of luxury, and have commanded a high price from the time of the Romans down to the present, and that it has ever been the aim of horticulturists to bring them into the number of re- gular garden crops, they seem hitherto to have defied all efforts to reclaim them, and to resemble, in their intractable disposi- tion, the wild ass, ' ' whose house has been made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings, who scorueth the multitude of the city, and the range of the mountains is his pasture." If this, then, be a correct representation of their character, it is a question whether it would not be easier to cultivate them by assisting Nature in her own way, than to restrict her within our limits by forcing these denizens of the forest to occupy a place in our kitchen gardens. It would seem, indeed, that the amount of shade they demand is such as to be incompatible with the requirements of a garden. But let us see what has been done hitherto in the various endeavours made to grow Truffles by the assistance of art. And here we cannot do better than give the information with which the Messrs. Tu- lasne present us in their beautiful work on Hypogasous Fungi. They mention four species of Truffles exclusively in use in France — viz., T. melanosporum, T. brumale, T. restivum, and T. mesentericum, of which two, or perhaps three, occur in Great Britain. Tuber icstivum is apparently the only species to be met with in a recent state in our shops ; T. mesentericum may at times occur, but it has not yet been noticed there. T. brumale, if our plant is identical with Tulasne's, has hitherto been found in England of too small a size to be worth sending to market. In Italy there are other kinds, one of which, T. maguatum, commands a higher price than any other; and in the southern parts of Italy, Sicily, Syria, and Africa, another species, Terfezia leonis, is of common use as an article of food. The true Truffles have rough seeds, which, seen under the older and imperfect microscopes, resembled somewhat a Truffle in miniature, and early writers concluded that the mature plant was merely one of these seeds largely developed in all directions. The Tulasnes have proved, however, by careful observations that they germinate in the same way as do those of most other Fungi — viz., by giving origin to delicate threads, which spread in the surrounding soil, and that from such threads the young Truffles arise, probably after some kind of impregnation, which is as yet, notwithstanding the researches of recent observers, involved in obscurity. The fact of the existence of a mycelium in Truffles, resembling that of Mush- rooms, must be taken into consideration in any attempt that may be made to cultivate them. The soils in which edible Truffles are found in France are always calcareous or calcareous clays, which accords generally with my own experience. Tuber mesentericum occurs, how- ever, in ferruginous sands, as is also the case with another species, Hydnotrya Tulasnei, which, or a closely allied kind, is largely eaten in Bohemia, under the name of Czerwena Tar- toffle. Messrs. Tulasne describe the soil of a Truffle district near Loudun, Vienne, as composed of rolled fragments of cal- careous matter, mixed with fine quartzose sauds, lying on a thick bed of compact marly clay, which easily splits up into thin layers. It contains, in 1000 parts, 500 of calcareous matter, 325 of clay and iron, 150 of quartzose sand, and 25 parts, more or less, of vegetable mould. But they attribute a still great influence in the production of these plants to the presence of trees — a condition necessary perhaps to their growth, in order to keep off the heat of the direct sun-rays. Our authors testify, indeed, that this is not always indispens- able ; and I have seen Truffles dug up on the bare sloping sides of the Italian mountains. Some persons have supposed that these Fungi are parasitia ou the roots of trees. This the Tulasnes expressly deny, on the strength of observations and inquiries instituted to that end, and I can confirm them in this matter, and would remark that the frequent presence of certain galls attached to the small roots of Oaks, resembling young Truffles so strongly as often to deceive me for a time, may have given origin to this error. July 3, 18SG. ] JOUKNAL OF HOItTICULTUUE AND COTTAGE GA.UDENEK. " Some trees appear to be moro favourable to the production of Truffles than others. Oak and Hornbeam are especially mentioned; but, besides these, Chestnut, Birch, Box, and Hazel are alluded to. I bavc generally found Tuber icstivum under Beech trees, but also under Hazel ; Tuber maciosporum under Oaks ; ami T. brumale under Oaks and Abele. Tbe men who collect Truffles for Covent Garden obtain tbem chiefly under Beeoh, and in mixed plantations of Fir and Beech. The (Truffle-grounds of Franco are remarkable for the sterility of the surfaoe, the cause of which has given rise to many conjec- tures —viz., that Trullles exercise a pn judicial inlluence on all plants in contact with or proximity to themselves, by appro- priating their nutriment in a manner similar to the llhizoc- tonia? ; but a more probable reason of this sterility is the fre- quent digging to which the Truffle-grounds are subjected by the collectors ; for, as Truffles are not truly parasitic, it would attribute an inconceivable amount of influence to their myce- lium to suppose them capable by its means of destroying all the surrounding vegetation. And we may remark, that some species occur in grassy places, as in the forest of Vincennes, according to Tulasne ; and so with T. macrosporum and T. brumale, as I find them. It seems to be a better explana- tion of this sterility, so generally accompanying Truffles, that they can only succeed well where they find a comparative free- dom from other vegetable growth, arising from causes inde- pendent of themselves, and that they are the result, and not the cause, of this sterility. In common with many other Fungi, Truffles do not bear to be disturbed in their early stages ; so that the collectors are careful in their researches after the summer species, as T. aosti- vum and T. mesentericum, not to stir the ground more deeply than is absolutely necessary, as by so doing they would destroy the winter crop of the more valuable kinds, T. melanosporum and T. brumale. Any disturbance of the soil in winter, when the latter are mature, does no harm, but rather aids in their culture, by rendering the mould more suitable for the germi- nation of their spores and the growth of their mycelium. From Messrs. Tulasne's observations it would seem that three or four months suffice for the development of these plants ; they state that they have met with Tuber mesentericum about as large as grains of Millet in the beginning of October, which must acquire their full size before the end of December ; for about that time they find this species in its mature condition alone. And it is supposed that the warm rains of August are highly conducive to the fertility of the Truffle-ground, and that the abundance or scantiness of the crop depends very much on the nature of that period. These plants grow with- out any special care or tendance ; but as they are not unfre- quently found, both in France and Italy, on the borders of corn fields, where they are ploughed up in the cultivation of the land, it would seem that they succeed as well in ground that has been stirred and manured as in that which has been left to its natural condition. Some notion may be obtained of the extent to which the trade in Truffles is carried in France, when we read that in the market of Apt alone 1600 kilogrammes (about 3500 lbs.), are exposed for sale every week in the height of tho season, and that the lowest estimate of the quantity sold during the winter amounts to 15,000 kilogrammes (nearly 33.000 lbs, weight). According to another account, the Department of Vaucluse yields from 125,900 to 30,009 kilogrammes annuallv. The vast quantity that must, therefore, be procured and sold in all the French provinces where they grow, and the large revenue arising theiefrom, should be a great inducement to the pro- prietors of suitable localities to attempt their cultivation in England. Many trials have been made to subject these vegetables to a regular system of culture, but hitherto without success. We owe to the Count de Borch and to M. de Bornholz the chief accounts of these attempts. They inform us that a compost was prepared of pure m< ul I and vegetable soil, mixed with dry leaves and Bawdust, in which, when properly moistened, mature Truffles were placed in winter, either whole or in fragments, and that after the lapse of some time small Truffles were found in the compost. But the result was discouraging rather than otherwise. The most successful plan consisted in sowing acorns over a considerable extent of land of a calcareous nature ; and when the young Oaks had attained the age of ten or twelve years, Truffles were found in the intervals between the trees. This process was carried on in the neighbourhood of Loudun, where Truffle-beds had formerly existed, but where they had loag ceased to be productive— a fact indicating the aptitude of tho soil for tho purpose. In this case no attempt was made to produce Truffles by placing ripe specimens in the earth ; but they Sprang up of themselves, from spores probably contained in tho soil. The young trees were left rather wide apart, and were cut for tho first time about tho twelfth year from the sowing, and afterwards at intervals of from seven to nine years. Truffles were thus obtained for a poriod of from twenty-five to thirty years, after which the plantations ceaBed to be productive, owing, it was said, to tho ground being too much shaded by the branches of tho young trees, a remedy for which might have been found by thinning out the treos ; but this would not be adopted till all the barren tracts culled " galluches," had been planted. Tho brushwood, by being thus thinned-out, would be converted into timber trees, and the Truffle-grounds rendered permanent, like those of Toitou, which are commonly situated under the shade of lofty trees. It is the opinion of the Messrs. Tulasne that the regular culti- vation of Truffles in gardens can never be so successful as this so-called indirect culture at Loudun, &c. ; hut they think that a satisfactory result might be obtained in suitable soils by planting fragments of mature Truffles in wooded localities, taking care that the other conditions of the spots selected should be analogous to those of the regular Truffle-grounds ; and they recommend a judicious thinning of the trees, and clearing the surface from brushwood, &c, which prevents at once tho beneficial effects of rain and of the direct sun-rays. It is added that this species of industry has added much to the value of certain districts of Loudun and Civray, which were previously comparatively worthless, and has enriched many of the proprietors, who now make periodical sowings of acorns, thus bringing in a certain portion of wood as Truffle-grounds each year. At Bonardeline, for instance, the annual return from Truffles iu a plantation of less than half an acre, was from £4 to £5. Another case is adduced in the arrondisse- ment of Apt, where several proprietors have made plantations : the trees are left about 5 or C yards apart ; and so soon as their branches meet and shade the ground too much, they are thinned-out. The districts of England especially suited to produce Truffles would thus appear to be situated on the great band of calcare- ous beds which run diagonally across the island from the south- eastern corner of Devonshire to the mouth of the Wash in Norfolk, occupying all the country that lies to the south-east of such a line, including the counties of Somerset, Dorset, Wilts, Gloucester, Hampshire, Berkshire, Kent, Hertfordshire, and parts of Northampton, Norfolk, and Lincoln ; and it is to the proprietors of land in those districts that we must look for any successful attempts to cultivate these Fungi. A great proportion of the Truffles exposed for sale in Covent Garden comes from Wiltshire and Hampshire, and the opinions of those who make it their business to collect them coincide completely with those of Messrs. Tulasne cited above. I have been informed by one of these men, that whenever a plantation of Beech, or Beech and Fir, is made on the chalk districts of Salisbury Plain, after the lapse of a few years Truffles are pro- duced ; and that these plantations continue productive for a period of from ten to fifteen years, after which they cease to be so. It has been observed that the species most available for culinary purposes with us is Tuber a>stivum, a species con- sidered in France as of far less value than T. melanosporum and T. brumale ; and it might be worth while to obtain well- matured specimens of these species from France, and dis- tribute them while quite fresh in some locality producing our indigenous kinds, to ascertain if we could not thus obtain a superior race of Truffles. Tuber astivum is commonly worth about 2s. Gd, per 1 lb. in Covent Garden, whilst in Italy Tuber magnatum fetches from fifteen to seventeen francs, and T. melanosporum almost as much. Should horticulturists be tempted to try their skill in the artificial production of these Fungi, they should bear in mind the conditions most suitable to their nature as above recorded. They might succeed, for instance, in producing them in Filbert-plantations or in gar- dens thickly set with fruit trees ; and they should plant mature specimens in well-trenched ground on a calcareous substratum, and be careful not to stir the soil to any depth till the autumn or winter of the following year, in order not to disturb th mycelium ; and it would be well perhaps, in case they find a successful result, not to take too largely of the crop the first year or two, but to give them timo to establish themselves thoroughly in the locality. It would seem, however, that, when once established, deep stirrings of the soil would tend rather to encourage than to check their increa-o, as giving the 12 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ July 3, 1866. mycelium a lighter soil in which to vegetate, and preventing the growth of roots of surrounding trees, &c, which might deprive the Truffles of the requisite nutriment. It might be as well to try the growth of Tuber macrosporum, as it is an indigenous species, aDd might become a source of profit, notwithstanding its garlic odour. Those who possess woods or plantations of Beech in calcareous soils, which are not already productive of Truffles, might succeed perhaps in rendering them so by trenching patches of ground beneath the trees, so as to clear away the brushwood, grass, and roots for a considerable space, and planting ripe Truffles in the trenched spaces, and then allowing time for them to produce their my- celium. And when the roots of surrounding trees again en- croach on the selected spots, they might be checked by deep digging around their margins. — (Journal of the Royal Horti- cultural •Society.) DEJEUNER AT MR. WM. PAUL'S NURSERIES AT WALTHAM CROSS. On Tuesday last the Executive Committee of the International Horticultural Exhibition recently held at South Kensington, paid a complimentary and friendly visit of inspection to Mr. Wm. Paul's nnrsery grounds at Waltham Cross. The gentlemen arrived per train at 11.30— the down mail stopping specially at Waltham station for the occasion. They walked direct from the platform to the nurseries, by a private pathway adjoining the line, bordered with Roses ; and were soon admiring the extensive and beautiful collection of flowers and shrubs, which are to be found in vast profusion there. The Roses first attracted attention, the entrance being lined with them, also the edge of the grounds nearest to the radway. These are not only culti- vated, but bred by Mr. TV. Paul. The Geraniums were next examined with much interest : of these favourite flowers Mr. W. Paul has a new race in Mr. Beaton's stock. While walking np the principal broadway of greensward, the varieties of hardy ornnmental-foliaged trees with their purple, silver, and gold leaves commanded much admiration. These in gentlemen's gardens would pleasingly vary the monotony of uniform green foliage : of such Mr. W. Paul has a large collection, we were told the best in Europe. There are Oak leaves almost black, Maple leaves almost white, Spanish Chestnuts of golden hue, and almost every intervening shade of foliage. The fruit trees, espe- cially some fine kinds of Pears, were also particularly noticed ; and the visitors were busily engaged examining trees, shrubs, and flowers, until they were called in to partake of a sumptuous breakfast, set out in a conservatory in excellent style by Messrs. Ring & Brjmer, of Corn- hill. Mr. Wm. Paul presided : there were also present, Sir C. Wentworth Dilke, Bart., M.P ; Professor Bentley (King's College) ; Sir D. Cooper, Bart., (late Speaker of the Hous6 of Assembly, Sydney) ; R. Fortune, Esq. (the Chinese and Japanese traveller) ; the Rev. Joshua Dix, M.A. (Rector of Allhallows, London) ; the Rev. K. N. Brandon (In- cumbent of Waltham Cross) ; the Rev. J. Paxton Hood ; Robert Hogg, LL.D. ; Messrs. Thomas Moore, F.L.S., J. Smith, G. Gibson, Wm. Bull, C. Edmonds, R. B. Knight, W. F. Siddall, W. A. Sadler, H. Stormont, T. Rivers, J. Harding, G. Eyles, C. Lee, C. Turner, W. Wakefield, Osborn, Williams, and others. After the repast, thanks were returned, and Sir C. Wentworth Dilke said, they onght not to separate without drinking the health of their worthy host, Mr. Wm. Paul (hear, hear). They were all deeply indebted to him for bis kindness in allowing them to come and have the opportunity of looking over his extensive establishment, and after the kindness with which they had been re- ceived be was sure they would all heartily drink to " The health and prosperity of their host and all connected with him " (cheers). Mr. W. Paul briefly said he appreciated the honour Sir Wentworth Dilke had done him, and he scarcely could find words to express his gratification to those gentlemen who had done him the honour of coming to Waltham Cross to see his establishment. He knew they set a great value on time, and, therefore, would not say more than to thank them for the kindness with which they had received Sir Went- worth Dilke's proposition. Mr. W. Paul soon after rose again and said, he had the honour of proposing a toast which he was sure would be received with acclama- tion. The International Horticultural Exhibition has been a grand and complete success. If they looked for the causes which had con- tributed to that success, they would find them many and various, but those most vividly before him were the energy, judgment, and adminis- trative skill displayed by the Chairman of the Executive Council (bear). There were already written on his escutcheon the symbolic figures of 1851 and 1862 ; and to these must now be added a symbol of lessmagni- tnde, but not of less beauty, the Horticultural symbol, 1866. He had never worked on a committee where such courtesy was shown by the Chairman to the suggestions of every individual member, and where there was such unanimity of purpose and such a spirit of fairness mani- fest. Members of the Committee had no difficulty in having their remarks listened to ; and the most abstruse suggestions were care- fully canvassed to see if there was anything in them. He proposed they should drink the health of the Chairman of tbo Executive Com- mittee (cheers). Sir C. W. Dilke returned thanks, and said the terms in which the toast had been proposed, and the manner in which it had been received were together far greater than were warranted by the small services he had rendered. Had he been awaro of what Mr. Paul was about to propose he would have suggested a removal into the gardens ; but with reference to tbo recent Exhibition he bad done his best, and he thought that was all any one could do. The Exhibition had been produced by the gardening interests of the country, and all the Com- mittee had to do was to keep it moving, and in a straightforward di- rection. So many gentlemen had put their entire heart and soul in the Exhibition that it could not help going on — it only required a little guiding now and then. He felt pleased and prond at its success, and as a Horticultural Exhibition it had never been surpassed. He thought it possible that France might profit by what had been seen there, and might, perhaps, equal them in future years. He thanked them for the kind manner in which they had received the toast (cheers). Mr. W. Paul proposed " the health of the Treasurer of the Exhi- bition, Sir Daniel Cooper," and paid a high compliment to him for the financial skill be had displayed. Success in finance, he said, was only estimated by results. The original estimate of tbo Exhibition was £13,000, but they did not shrink from the risk : they went on, and now they had paid all their bills, and bad £3000 still in hand (cheers). Sir D. Cooper, in acknowledging the toast, remarked that the suc- cess of tbo Show bad fully verified the anticipations of those who knew the interest folt in floral exhibitions. He bad been accustomed to money affairs for many years : he had done the best he could for the Exhibition, and was amply rewarded for all his exertions by the kind thanks they had given him. He believed the Buccess of the International Exhibition would do a great deal towards the promotion of horticulture in this country (cheers). Mr. W. Paul proposed "The health of the Secretaries of the Ex- hibition, Dr. Hogg, Mr. Moore, and Dr. Masters." Their tasks had not been light ; but their aid had been readily, cheerfully, and most ably given. Dr. Hogg said ho had not intended to rise, but Mr. Moore kept making such signals to him, ho was obliged to get np and return thanks. If he were to say tho duties had been light, he should only mislead them ; but no one could tell them better than Mr. Moore how onerous they were, for he had home the brunt of them all. It was a great gratification to them to know the Exhibition had been successfnl ; and he was sure that tho services the Secretaries had rendered had been cheerfully given (cheers). Mr. Moore also briefly returned thanks. Mr. Paul proposed " The Healths of the Councils of the Royal Horticultural and Botanic Societies." A member of the Council of each Society was present, and they all knew the value of the efforts made by these Societies for the promotion of horticulture. With the toast he coupled the names of Professor Bentley and the Rev. Joshua Dix. The Rev. Joshua Drx returned thanks, and said, as a member of the Council of tho Royal Horticultural Society, he felt ho was only doing his duty in trying to promote the success of the Exhibition all he possibly could. He hoped a better day was dawning upon the Hor- ticultural Society, and that before long it would attain that proud position in which it ought to be ; and if the representatives of the Society wonld only be kind, gentle, and unanimous in their require- ments, he saw no reason why it should not be one of the finest horti- cultural societies in the world. Professor Bentlet returned thanks on behalf of the Royal Botanic Society. Mr." Paul proposed " The Provincial Press," and the health of a gentleman present connected with one of their papers — Mr. Pollard, of the Herts Guardian. Mr. Pollard returned thanks. Sir D. Cooper said they had drunk the healths of the Chairman, of the Treasurer, Secretaries, and others ; but there was one without drinking which they ought not to separate. It was those who had made the Exhibition successful — " The Visitors." It was clear that this Exhibition of flowers had reached the hearts of the people, and it was a fact that the Horticultural and Botanic Societies would not fail to remember. It showed that the people could appreciate the beau- tiful collections lately exhibited, and with the toast ho bogged to give the name of Mr. Wakefield. Mr. Wakefield, in reply, said the public were really tho parties who had most gratification in the matter. The poor had paid their shillings, the rich their higher entrance fees, and all had been amply rewarded by viewing the beautiful and splendid collection gathered together (cheers). Sir C. W. Dilke said the gentleman who spoke last was a very valu- able person — he represented the £15,000. When the project first started some said they would all be ruined. But he knew something of the class of persons who would come, and was not in tho least alarmed, though he did not expect it would turn ont quite so successful as far as £ s. d. was concerned : and there again he had to thank Mr. Wake- field and the fifteen-thousand pounders (laughter). But they ought not to forget after all a class to whose efforts they might chiefly attri- bute tho success — he meant the Exhibitors. He therefore proposed their healths, and coupled with the toast the name of Mr. Turner. July 3, 1806. ] JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 13 Mr. Turner said lio thought Mr. Lee ought to return thanks. Mr. Lee had done very much for the Exhibition, and deserved their thanks ; for what ho himself had done ho had already been rewarded, in obtain- ing a considerable number of prizes. The exhibitors had worked Laud and hand together, and there had heen no jealousy, and that was the chief reason of their great success (cheers). Dr. Hoc.Cr said ho was sorry to trespass on their time, but there was one other toast to propose. They had drunk the healths of the Com- mittee, Treasurer, the ,£15,000 men, and others, but there was still one to name, whose efforts would boar comparison with those of any other; he meant Mr. Gibson, architect of the Exhibition (cheers). He had brought an amount of talent and genius to bear on the design for the Exhibition, such as he never knew brought to bear in any similar manner before (cheers). But it was not merely the labour, and skill, and genius which Mr. Gibson had given towards the work, the time and trouble he had bestowed on it were such as he could not express, and they could not imagine. He was there at all times and in all weathers ; to him they were mainly indebted for its grand suc- cess, and he felt it equally an honour as a pleasure to propose his health (cheers). Mr. Gibson was loudly cheered on rising. He said they had done him too much honour, and he felt he was not deserving of it. It had been a labour of love to him, and if ho had really contributed towards the success of the Exhibition, the knowledge of that fact was a suffi- cient reward (cheers). But he had valuable assistance in his son and Mr. Eyles, and it was a happy hit the adapting their plan to the requirements of the Show. The Rev. J. Dix proposed " The health of Mrs. Paul " (loud cheer- ing, amidst which Professor Bentley proposed to include Mr. Paul's juvenile family). Mr. Paul briefly returned thanks. Mr. Fortune proposed " The health of the Building Committee and Mr. Lee " (of Hammersmith). Mr. Lee acknowledged the toast. Sir C.W. Dilke at some length eloquently expressed his sense of the obligations owing to Dr. Hooker for the very kind and valuable aid he had rendered. Mr. Smith, Curator of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, returned thanks for Dr. Hooker, and said his humble efforts would always be at their service in case of a similar exhibition. W. A. Sadler, Esq., proposed " The Ladies," who had brought the beauties of nature to vie with those of art at their recent exhibition (cheers). After a few humourous speeches the party broke up. — (Herts Guardian.) - LIBERALITY IN GARDENING. In this art " it is the liberal hand which maketh rich." Liberality in providing implements is the saving both of time and labour. The more perfect his instruments, the more profitable are they. Liberality to the earth, in seed, culture, and compost, is the source of its bounty. Thus it is in horticulture, as in every part of creation, a wise and paternal Providence has insepa- rably connected our duty and our happiness. In raising domestic animals, the condition of man's success is kindness and benevolence to them. In cultivating the earth, the condition of man's success is his industry upon it. — Josiah Quincy. "WORK FOR THE WEEK. KITCHEN GARDEN. Persevere in hoeing and forking up the surface of the soil in every department, it is the groundwork of success. Broccoli, let there be no delay in planting out a good breadth of White and Purple Cape, also Cauliflowers and Grange's Early White Broccoli, which if true is invaluable late in autumn. Trench up and fill with these kinds of crops every space as the early crops go off, not one vacant spot or corner should now be left uncropped. Cauliflowers, break down the leaves over the most forward, and afford a good supply of liquid manure. Cucum- bers, see that these and Vegetable Marrows do not want for liquid manure and water ; peg down the bines as they advance, and attend to stopping. Endive, a full sowing may now be made for the main crop, and any beds already sown had better be thinned out, and the thinnings transplanted. For our own part we do not recommend early sowing, because we consider Lettuces much superior for every purpose for which Endive can be required at this season, and, therefore, never sow until all danger of its running to seed is over. The Small Green Curled is the hardiest for winter use, but for the autumn crop the Large Green Curled is a splendid sort, planted in very rich soil at 2 feet apart each way. This sort will not bear severe frost, nor does it keep in store so well as tho Small Green Curled, and, therefore, for all late purposes the latter should only be sown. The Large-leaved Batavian is also a useful variety. Where Chicory is in request for salads, now is the proper timo to sow it. Herbs, take tho first opportunity as soon as the various kinds are sufficiently advanced to cut a portion for drying ; the best time is as soon as the blossoms are expanded, because they are then the most aromatic. It is hardly necessary to add that they must be cut when perfectly dry and dried quickly in the shade. Lettuces, tie up for blanching, and make successional sowings. Sow BadUhes and other salad- ing for succession. Scarlet Runners, make the last sowing, and give those advancing a little assistance in training them up tho stakes. Thin, earth up, and stop advancing crops of Dwarf Kidney Beam, and sow the latest successional crop. Spinacli, keep up the sowings. Tomatoes, nail those that are planted against walls, and stop their shoots where they are growing strong. FRUIT GARDEN. The season being what is called a very growing one, increased diligence must be exercised in keeping all young wood properly nailed to the walls, to guard against the effect of high winds. Gooseberries and Currants trained against north walls should have the leaders nailed in, and ail side offshoots spurred down to within a few joints of the base. Peaches, Nectarines, and, indeed, wall trees in general, will be greatly benefited by occa- sional strong syringings, whether infested with aphides or not, because independently of washing away all filth, which of itself is beneficial, it disturbs and routs out woodlice, earwigs, and other vermin, which are sure to congregate amongst the shreds, and at the back of the shoots, and which, if left undisturbed, will tell a tale by-and-by. Strawberries are now abundantly repaying those who have bestowed a reasonable amount of care in their cultivation, without which no good results can ever accrue. Let them be kept well gathered as they become ripe, as if left on they retard the swelling and ripening of those re- maining. Continue the thinning of Grapes, and keep the growth judiciously stopped. FLOWER GARDEN. Cuttings of Roses (where they can be obtained), may now be taken, and planted in a close, cold frame in a northern aspect. In about a month they will have shown a disposition to strike root, when they may be taken up carefully, potted, and plunged in a slight bottom heat. Treated thus they make nice plants in a short time, and if kept under slight protection during winter, will fill their pots with roots, and be ready for planting out next May. Now that the bedding-out stock is fairly cleared off, and growing freely in its summer quarters, there will be more space and time to attend to the propagation of favourite hardy plants ; and no time should be lost in putting in a good supply of cuttings of such as it may be thought desirable to increase, for the propagation of the bedding-out stock for next season will soon require attention. Sow Brompton and Queen Stocks for spring flowering, selecting for them a piece of light rich soil, and never letting the surface become dry until the plants are well above ground, for there is no time to be lost if these are to be had strong for blooming next May, and at that season we have nothing more beautiful or half so fra- grant as well-grown plants of the latter. Attend to the tying up of Hollyhocks and Dahlias. Reduce occasionally some of the blossoms in the bud state, on some of the very free-flower- ing Perpetual Roses. It will cause them to keep longer in bloom. Let gross shoots on fancy Roses be pinched when a few eyes long, after the manner of fruit trees. GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. Contributions from the stove should still assist the ordinary stock in maintaining the gaiety of the conservatory. The re- moval of some of the larger specimens from the stove will afford much useful space for the young and delicate portion of the stock, which should now be shifted and otherwise encou- raged. Where stove and greenhouse plants afford suitable cuttings, propagation may still be pursued, as, generally speak- ing, it can be practised with greater success in the early than in the latter part of the year. It should be remembered that the propagation of most plants is facilitated by the employment of bottom heat and bell-glasses. It will be necessary frequently to look over greenhouse plants plunged out of doors, to check the havoc of worms and the robbery of weeds, and attend to their security from the effects of high winds. The Camellias and Azaleas for early flowering will have set their buds, and should be removed to a sheltered shady situation out of doors ; for if 14 JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ July 8, 180C. kept in heat they will be apt to make a second growth, which mu6t be avoided, as it prevents their flowering so freely as would otherwise be the case. Give every possible attention to plants for autumn and early-winter flowering — as Lilium laneifolium, Chrysanthemums, Salvia splendens, Globe Amaranths, tree Carnations, Scarlet Geraniums, Cinerarias, Gesneras, Begonias, Euphorbias, &c. Let these have plenty of pot-room, good rich compost, a moist atmosphere, and plenty of space for the per- fect development of their foliage, regulating the temperature according to the nature of the plants, and they will make very rapid progress. Selago distans is an exceedingly useful winter- flowering plant, requiring merely a cold pit to grow it, and flowering through a long season ; but we have nothing that surpasses the Epacris, the winter-blooming Ericas, and the Cytisuses. Among comparatively modern plants Sericographis Ghiesbreghtiaua is really good for the decoration of the conser- vatory in winter, as also the blue Conoclinium. and the singular- looking Tbyrsacanthus rutilans is first-rate for a rather warm house, but it is not generally found to answer for winter use in the conservatory. The atmosphere of plant-houses can hardly be kept too moist at this season, but it is easy to err in the opposite direction : therefore sprinkle every available surface frequently, and syringe growing stock lightly twice a-day during bright weather. Avoid a too free use of shading, and ventilate freely in order to secure compact growth. Her- baceous Calceolarias which have done blocming should have their flower-stems removed forthwith, and the plants should afterwards be placed in a shady situation under the protection | of a frame. Take care that they are perfectly free from insects ; and to keep the thrips, which is a deadly enemy, at bay, fu- migate the frame about once a-lortnight with tobacco. STOVE. Many of the basket Orchids will soon he protruding their roots through the moss or soil, and a little additional fibrous peat or moss should he added in due time. Stove stock in general will gain some more room by the removal of large specimens into the conservatory or greenhouse. Let young growing things be stopped in due time, and keep up a moist yet free atmosphere. TLANT-rlTS 0K FRAMES. These will require abundance of air and the most careful watering daily. Some of the delicate stock will at times re- quire shading through the middle of the day, especially where unplunged. — W. Keane. DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. Vert hot drying weather, preparatory, we expect, to another thunder-storm ; but meantime, in the brightness of the sun very trying to newly planted things, and causing many plants pretty well established to hang their heads. KITCHEN* GARDEN". Delayed putting out Celery, but got the beds ready; and as the large fine plants are as yet doing no harm to each other, they will suffer little from transplanting with large balls. Pre- pared ground for Winter Greens and Coleworts. but will wait for duller weather before planting, more especially as there is so much besides to do, and we would rather lessen the labour of watering as much as possible. In fact, we are not so forward as we would wish a good many of our readers to be, and have been obliged to do mf.ny things by snatches, which it would have been truer economy to have finished at once. Here is one of the great differences between a gentleman's gardener and an artisan. The former must often do merely a portion of a job to serve its turn in the meantime, when the finishing it off and letting other things wait would be the most economical as respects labour ; but then in the jarring of in- terests, and each interest calling out to be first served, the wholly-finishing process would often interfere with the ques- tion of supply and demand. This, too, is often forgotten when comparisons are instituted between gentlemen's gardens and market gardens. In the former a great supply of any one thing at once is often tantamount to so much waste, and in- duces at least a feeling of satiety. In the other case so long as there is a market it signifies nothing, unless it be more ad- vantageous that a great supply should come in at once, and the ground be thus cleared for a future crop. The cultivating of 80 many acres, in acres of this and acres of that, and the culti- vating the same number of acres in merely poles of this and quarter rods of that, to come in in regular succession to each other, presupposes a very different affair as respects even the labour involved. In the first case, merely as abridging labour and clearing the ground, there can be no question as to the economy and profit when a suitable market is to be found. As little question can there be of the advantage of the gentle- man's-garden plan, where a constant supply, and not a glut at any one time, is required. Possessors of gardens are apt to say that they can purchase cheaper than they grow, and this is very likely, and on the simple principles alluded to above ; but they should recollect that in the country they could not so pur- chase at all without considerable additional expense in the way of carriage, and the further from the market the greater would he the uncertainty of getting served with what they want, and the greater certainty of being served with stale produce instead of fresh. Every possessor of a garden ought, besides, clearly to understand that it is very different as respects labour alone to grow only one crop on an acre of ground, and in a space of the same extent to grow a score or a hundred. The freshness of the produce and the regular succession do and ought to constitute the most valuable returns from a gentle- man's gafden. A correspondent tells us that some gentlemen far north, when they go to London, visit Covent Garden two or three times a-week, and send an account of all they see to their gar- dener, with his couple of men, and wonder why they cannot have such things, and as early. The articles referred to they give no means for forcing, and yet those they had seen had either been forced, or at a later period brought by steamer from the north of Africa, the south of France, the Channel Islands, or the south of Devonshire and Cornwall. It would be a good thing if such observers would do more than observe, that they would purchase at an early period, and the lesson might not be quite forgotten. We recollect a case in point. What seemed a basket of very early Cherries, was taken hold of, and was to be made much of in the way of jogging up the county folks, where the trees were scarcely out of bloom, and as there were ladies in the case, the price for once was not allowed to be a matter of moment. We were told in confidence afterwards, that instead of a little basketful there was only one layer, and that each Cherry cost nearly a shilling. The same person was " done for " with a basket of nice Strawberries, which he presented to a lady, but there was something like an appreciation of his gardener which he had never felt before, when the bill f.r the nice basket was handed in, and he paid 4s. M. per ounce for them. It ought to be clearly understood, that no single garden can ever equal Covent Garden, where are collected the produce of thou- sands of gardens, and from great varieties of climate at homo and abroad ; but a knowledge of Covent Garden prices, and especially for early productions, would often do much good, and make the country garden more valued, merely in an economical point of view. Had enough of ground trenched and dug to sow some more Peas, Dwarf Kidney Beans, and Turnip Radishes, and used the tops of Celery trenches for planting out Peas from semi- circular drain tiles, after they were sufficiently high for the pheasants not to meddle with them. These, when well watered and staked, had the ridge covered over with old stubble and short grass, to keep the heat and dryness out, for the groundis now quite hot enough for Peas. The last sowings will consist of such kinds as Dickson's Favourite, Maclean's Advancer, to be followed by a few of Sangster's, and probably Tom Thumb, under protection. Cauliflower stands the hot days rather badly, though all crisp and erect enough in the morning ; and to save watering placed some litter, long dung, and grass, all over the quarter, to keep the fierce sun off the ground. If we have a thunder shower by or before Sunday, the virtues of the mulch- ing will increase the vigour of the plants. This mulching alone enables the plants to stand well, even in the bright sun. When the leaves hang wetted for two or three days, the flower or head of young plants is apt to button prematurely, and either a small or a scattered head, instead of a large close one, is the consequence. If the bright weather continue we shall be obliged to shade Lettuces even on sloping north banks. This is a substitute for watering, and takes much less time. Took the chance to have a general hoeing of weeds, the late warm rains having caused them to grow with great rapidity. Thinned before the ground became hard most of the spring- sown Onions, and pricked out some as previously detailed. We could not find time and opportunity to transplant in spring the Onion's sown in autumn, and they are not so good in con- sequence. We have uniformly found that such Onions as were transplanted early in spring made better, larger, and firmer July 8, 1868. 1 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 15 bulbs than those left in the ground without moving them, partly owing, we beliovo, to the necka of tho bulbs getting too doep. Seo last week as to transplanting. TBDIT OAKDEN. In addition to thinning fruit, watering, syringing, AVc, tho obief work here has been gathering green Gooseberries for jam whieh some prefer to that from ripe fruit, and protecting by every moans in our power Cherries and Strawberries from birds. Will any one tell us of a sure, and simple, and ex- peditious mode for thinning by poison myriads of sparrows ? We have a great dislike to have anything to do with tasteless inodorous poisons — as arsenic, Ssc Wo tried a little mix vomica boiled, and steeped a littlo Wheat in it, but according to our preparation the sparrows only enjoyed tho feed. Of course, we would have placed it where no domestic animal, pheasants, &o., would be likely to get at it. We threw a handful of our stuff near some Peas, and there a score of sparrows were at it in two minutes. We should not like to use anything that would not be quick in its results. There is something horrible in the idea of keeping any living thing in torture. It is next to impossible to fix net in such a manner that they cannot get through it or under it. Pieces of white paper suspended from strings will keep them away for a littlo, but all thoso contri- vances only act until the birds become used to them. We once had a very alarming guy that put himself into all sorts of fierce positions, but though he awed for a short time as a deterrent to evil doers, ere many days elapsed the sparrows in their impudence used his head as a flirting rendezvous. After such warm days gave the orchard-houses an extra syring- ing of the cleanest water we could. We can scarcely obtain any water that does not leave a sediment on the foliage when very freely used. Threw a little whitening water over the glass of the Peach-house, and over pits and frames, to prevent the sun acting too powerfully. Thinned out shoots in Fig-pit, and shortened those showing the second crop. The early Figs have just the weather they like, if the fruit is protected by a thin layer of leaves from the fierceness of the sun. Proceeded with thinniug Grapes iu dull mornings, and here, too, left a good shade of leaves between the glass and the bunch. A dense shade would be prejudicial, but under a moderate shade the berries swell and colour better than when almost exposed, to the sun's rays. The finest shining blue-black we ever saw on a Hamburgh, was a bunch against a wall, and to see it you had to move aside the foliage iu front of it. On the open walls, and even in some of the quarters, owing, we presume, to the sudden heat, honeydew is appearing on fruit trees and bushes, and is almost sure to be followed by insects if let alone. Nothing is more effectual than a good slushing from the engine with clear water, or water clear after having a little quicklime dissolved iu it. The successions of heats and colds have been sudden. Within a space of a few hours we have had hoar frost and then a roasting heat, and these sudden changes are hurtful to vegetable as well as animal life. In a moderate degree, a considerable difference in temperature gives a robustness to vegetable life. For instance : night being the period of repose, provided the temperature changes either way gradually, and there is no close moist ail to do the mischief, many plants that require a high temperature to bring them to perfection, will do much better in a temperature from sunshine during the day of from 85° to 90', and allowed to drop to from 55 3 to C0° at night, than if kept up artificially to the exciting temperature of 70° in darkness. Here we find we had forgotten to put two littlo matters in their proper place. First, as respects the Riant and the different kinds of small Iihuharb. As we sent in large Rhubarb for pre- serving, and the weather, too, being hot, we thought we might as well have a stewing of Rhubarb, as with its general accom- paniments it is more palatable than the drupgist's rhubarb take it how you will. Well, somehow the huge Rhubarb, grand to look at, did not quite remind us of tho flavour of the Rhubarb of old times, so another day we had a dish of the small Rhubarb, the stalks about the size of our thumb, and there seemed no comparison, the smaller being so much richer in flavour, in colour, and so much firmer in texture. Long ago we used to grow Buck's Early Scarlet, or early something. Why, a pudding or a tart of that little old sort looked almost as tempting as a dish of finely coloured Nectarines stewed as a tart. This seemed to be one of the instances in which great in- crease in bulk is anything but all gain, and is a sort of corro- boration of the old proverb, whieh our six-foot men will be slow to believe, that what is very valuable is generally held in little room. The other matter referred to a letter from a correspondent, stating that his Mushroom-bed, bearing well, was sadly troubled with slugs, snails, and little worms ; that ho had resolved to stop them, and had waterod heavily with lime water, but that what Mushrooms he had in crop woro becoming like 60 many pieces of leather, and no more seemed to bo coming, and ho wants to know what to do. Well, we fear he must make a new bed as soon as he can. As a chance he might sweep the bed clean of all the Mushrooms up, and if the bed be not very wet waUr with clear water, to get the quicklime away from the spawn. If that has not been much hurt with tho lime water, the Mush- rooms will yet rise and come all right ; but if tho watering wag heavy enough to soak whilst at all acrid tho spawn, tho bed will do no more good. We do not think that calcareous soil, or mild lime or chalk in the soil, would have the least prejudicial effect, but quicklime is the bane of tho Mushroom, and all the fungus tribe to which we ever applied it. We have seen fairy rings that spread outwards and outwards for years, longer than the recollections of the oldest inhabitants, arrested in their course of taking fresh leases, by a plentiful dressing of quicklime. It quickly arrests the spreading of some troublesome conferva in pits and pots, and may be relied on as an antagonist, and not the friend of the whole fungus family. We have made a shallow bed for Mushrooms in a shed, which is now nearly fit for spawning. Just as last year, part of a bed that bore all last summer, and had been neglected in winter, has been bearing again for two months, and is even now covered, whilst the beds in tho house made of better stuff ia winter are quite exhausted. We believe that in most cases where failures occur, it is from mistaken kindness, or from too great anxiety in preparing the materials. The most of this bed in the shed was made of litter and stubble, with a casing of several inches of droppings on the surface. The richer the materials at this season, say nearly all droppings, the longer must you wait before it will be fit for spawning. Now is a good time to make spawn, the brick3 or cakes will dry so soon. ORNAMENTAL DEPARTMENT. See previous weeks as to syringing and watering. We hava merely syringed the last-planted beds as yet, and do not wish to water if we can help it, as there is plenty of routine to go through without that. It is well to have a reserve-bed of Asters, &c, which lift with nice balls. Even Chrysanthemums may yet be planted out. Now is a good true to bud Roses. Hollyhocks must be secured from the wind. Cuttings of Pinks may now be inserted under a hand-light, and of many other spring-flowering plants as previously alluded to. Many bedding plants not used may now be potted and kept in re- serve and for autumn blooming in-doors as wanted. Cinerarias planted out need plenty of water, to enable them to throw up strong suckers for potting ; seedlings need potting off and prick- ing off, and so do lots of Primulas, of which one can hardly have enough iu winter, as if kept in small pots they do so ad- mirably for filling inside little vases, never suffering from the moving. Cleaned Azaleas, potted Balsams, packed basket Orchids, &c, and kept all plant-houses with stages and floors sprinkled with water frequently to moderate the heat and dry- ness. — R. F. COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— Junk 30. Cuerries are now coming in from open standards, from all the chief fruit-growing districts, and wo have an excellent supply of Strawberries and Gooseberries. Hothouse fruit is also abuudant, and prices are re- ceding. The Potato trade is good for all first-class sorts. Arrivals from the Continent are heavy: comprising Cherries, Apricots, Melons, and two or three varieties of common Plums. VEGETABLES. Artichokes each Asparagus bundle Beans, Broftd.. bushel Kidney 100 Beet, Red doz. Broccoli bundle Bras. Sprouts % sieve C ibbage doz. Capsicums 100 Carrots bunch Cauliflower doz. Celery bundle Cucumbers each pickling doz. Endive doz. Fennel bnnch Garlic lb. Herbs bunch Horseradish . . bundle s. d. s. d 2 toO 4 6 4 4 2 3 2 (1 3 o 1 r, a II II s 6 a S 1 n ii 4 Leeks bunch Lettuce per score Mushrooms .... pottle Mustd.A' Cress, punnet Onions bushel Parsley H sieve Parsnips doz. Peas per quart Potatoes bushel Kidney do. Radishes . . doz. hands Rhubarb bundle Savovs doz. S.-n-kalo Shallots lb. Spinnch bnsbel Tniir'i.iOo per doz. Turnips bunch Vegetable Marrows dz. s. a. B. a 3 toO 1 1 6 3 4 9 2 7 HI ) o_ n I) il 9 1 G II 9 1 3 9 fi 7 3 10 fi 1 1 8 n ') 8 1) a s II ■: 4 n 6 9 9 1 16 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. [ July S, 1866. Apples % sieve to Apricots doz. 4 6 Cherries lb. 6 1 6 Chestnuts bash. Currants sieve 6 6 Black do. Figs doz. 8 15 Filberts lb. Cobs lOOlbs. Gooseberries . . quart 4 6 Grapes, Hothouse, .lh. 8 6 6 Lemons 100 6 10 s. d. s. Melons each 4 0to8 Nectarines doz. 10 20 Oranges 100 6 12 Peaches doz. 10 Pears (dessert) ..doz. kitchen doz. Pine Apples lb. Plums H Sieve Quinces .... J^ sieve Raspberries lb. Strawberries lb. Walnuts bush. 14 20 TO CORRESPONDENTS. •** We request that no one will write privately to the depart- mental writers of the "Journal of Horticulture, Cottage Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By so doing they are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All communications should therefore be addressed solely to The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture, <&c, 171, Fleet Street, London, E.G. "We also request that correspondents will not mix up on the same sheet questions relating to Gardening and those on Poultry and Bee subjects, if they expect to get them an- swered promptly and conveniently, but write them on separate communications. Also never to send more than two or three questions at once, Ctneraria Seedling {Bertha).— The flowers were dried up as if they had been put into an oven. Flowers should be sent in a box which can- not be destroyed by the post-office punch, an d between layers of damp moss. Peas Mildewed {Gregory). — The Peas are mildewed. Mulch over the roots, and water plentifully every evening whilst dry hot weather lasts. Work on Gardening {H. TF.).— "The Garden Manual" will suit you. You can have it free by post from our office if you enclose twenty postage stamps with your address. Variety of Beech {Lady Kina). — It is the crested variety of the common Beech, and is called by botanists Fagus sylvatica cristata. Lady Downe's Grape dago).— The berries are very severely spotted, •* the Spot " being the name by which gardeners distinguish the disease. It is an ulceration caused, we believe, by the roots not being able to supply sap sufficient to sustain the rapid development of the plant and its fruit. Keeping the roots warmer and moister by means of weak manure waterings, and the head of the plant cooler and drier, are the re- medies suggested. The Euphorbia was smashed. Amaryllises {J. S.).— The Amaryllis belladonna will only grow in au" tnmn and winter, and there should be no attempt to make it grow now. Formosi-ssima has a good deal of the same habit, but may be forced into growth when rested. The other kinds, we presume, belong to Hip- peastrum, and are more under control than A. belladonna. All that have gone to rest leave alone, keeping the soil neither moist nor dry until they begin to grow, then water and encourage. Those growing now encourage with all the light po-ible and plenty of water, and refrain from watering as the leaves get a little yellow. When they start after resting they will show bloom. The greenhouse one to which yon allude we presume is the Vallota purpurea ; that should never be quite dry. Mushrooms in Orchard-house Soil {Orchard). — A few Mushrooms would do no harm, but in such quantities as you mention they will injure the roots of the fruit trees. You introduced the spawn in "the manure from the brewery. The best plan is to strew the ground over with quick- lime and water, or you may use lime water by putting a bushel of quick- lime to a hogshead of water. Stepuanotis floribunda Pruning (C M. Major), — The long twining shoots ought not to be stopped but trained at their full length, and not too closely together, bo that the wood may have the full benefit of light. All pruning should be confined to cutting out the old weak shoots. The main point to be attended to is to secure a good growth and thorough exposure afterwards to light and air, with a diminished supply of water at the root, and corresponding dryness of the atmosphere. Orange Trees Unfruitful {Idem).— Your plan of stopping the Orange trees is wrong, as they flower from the uppermost eyes of the shoots. If you cease to stop them (for which there is no necessity unless the head is thin), keep the heads thin so that light and air may be admitted to every part, and grow the trees in a light airy house. We think that yours, like ours, will produce a profusion of blossom and too many fruit by one- half. Whilst growing keep the trees well watered and syringed, and in winter do not overwater, keeping them just sufficiently moist to preserve the foliage. Mignonette Culture (A. S. W.). — We shall shortly give particulars of its culture, both in pots and in the open ground. Red Spider (M. D.). — We regret having overlooked your communica- tion. We are making inquiries, and will publish an article on the subject shortly. Shading Caladiums and Fine-foliaged Plants (Dumbartonshire). — Caladiums and nil plants, whether requiring shade or not, are best grown near the glass, but not nearer than from 9 inches to 1 foot. On very bright days they require partial shade from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m, as their beauty is thus much prolonged ; but the more light a plant has the more bright will be. the colour of the foliage of whatever shade that may be 1 and to some plants it is absolutely necessary to bring out the colour of the leaves, as, for instance, in the case of Crotons, Dracasuas, Pandanus, Yuccas, &c. Exposure to the full sun is injurious in the case of other plants, for instance, variegated-leaved Begonias, Ferns, &c. Not knowing what plants you possess we can only generalise ; but if you send as par- ticulars we shall be happy to help you further. Climber for Greenhouse (E. H.).— It is difficult to say which is the best climber for a greenhouse. We give you the option of deciding, and name three : Lapageria rosea, Mandevilla suaveolens, and Habrotnam- nus elegans. Plum Tree Leaves Blighted (TT. J.).— The blight on the sprigs of the Plum tree is caused by a species of aphis, which you will find in the curled portion of the leaves. Your best remedy will be to shorten the. shoots to four leaves, and syringe the tree9 in the evening with water in which soft soap has been dissolved at the rate of 2 ozs. to the gallon. This, applied on alternate evenings with pure water, will soon clear the trees. Treat the Apple and Cherry trees in the samo way. Brugmansia suaveolens Leaves Falling {H.).— The old leaf sent is exhausted by red spider, and the young leaf is also attacked. Forcibly syringe the foliage on the under side with water twice a-day, morning and evening, and every other evening employ water in which soft soap has been dissolved at the rate of 1 oz. to the gallon, not stronger. Keep the plant well watered at the root. Use the soap solution twice or thrice, or until the spider disappears, then discontinue it, but still syringe morn* ing and evening with water only. Select Perennials {H. B.).— Agrostemma coronnria, rosy crimson, 2 feet; Lychnis Haageana superba, orange, 2 to 2{ feet; Tritoma uvaria glaucescens, orange scarlet and yellow, 3 feet ; Spiraea filipendula plena, white, and sweet, 2 feet; Tritonia aurea, orange yellow, 2J feet; Lythrum roseum superbum, rose, 2 feet; Phlox, herbaceous in variety; Lilium Brownii, white, 2$ to 3 feet; Geum coccineuni grandiflorum, 2\ feet, crimson ; and Delphinium belladonna, sky blue, 3 feet. If your soil is cold, then in place of Tritonia aurea have Oenothera Lamarckiana. All are summer and autumn blooming. Maeing Water Soft (Idem^.—We have found no plan better for soften- ing hard water than exposing it for a few days to the atmosphere. Tho water not only becomes less hard, but is aired and warmed, and is in every way better for watering plants than water from a well or spring. Avoiding Drip {Anti-drip).— We find this best prevented by double glazing, which, though rather more expensive at first, effects a great saving of fuel, so that it is a cheaper plan in the long run than or- dinary glazing. Vine Mildewed {Subscriber). — The leaf sent was severely infested with Oidium, or Vine mildew, in its worst form. Dust the mildewed leaves with flowers of sulphur, and in a few days syringe the sulphur off. If the mildew reappear, thoroughly dust the parts afiected immediately with flowers of Bulphur. Select Geraniums for Bedding (E. H.). — Christine, pink; Helen Lindsay, rosy pink; Stella, dark scarlet ; Spitfire, scarlet ; Tom Thumb, scarlet ; Cy bister, scarlet crimson ; Lord Palmerston, deep crimson ; Attraction, bright scarlet ; Paul L'Abbe, salmon ; Madame Vaucher, white; Woodwardiana, carmine ; and Scai-let Globe. Of variegated Gera- niums, Golden Chain and Gold Leaf of tho gold-edged; Bijou, Alma, and Shottesham Pet of the silver-edged sorts, Manglesi being one of the oldest and most useful of that section ; and Argus and Mrs. Pollock of the tricolor sorts. All are good bedders, but they are surpassed by others for pot culture, of which we give names of a few: Blackheath Beauty, salmon ; Rebecca, cherry ; Mrs. Wm. Paul, rosy pink ; Lord Chancellor, salmon pink ; Tintoretti, rose suffused with pink ; Eclipse, scarlet ; Herald of Spring, orange, tinted cerise ; and to these you may add the preceding, except the first, they being attractive in pots. Variegated for pots: all those named, and Burning Bush, Sunset, Culford Beauty, Italia Unita, Mrs. Benyon, Red Rover, Honeycomb, and Fontainbleau. If too many are named, select what is required according to the colour, one or more of each. Select Verbenas {Idem). — Purple King, purple ; Ariosto Improved, mulberry; Firefly, scarlet; Magnifique, crimson; Geant des Batailles, deep crimson; Melindres splendens, dazzling scarlet; Mrs. Holford, white ; Crimson King, crimson ; Beauty of England, white ; Isa Eckford, puce ; Celestial, blue ; and Garibaldi, purplish rose, white centre. Best White Edging Plant (Idem). — Cerastium tomentosum is usually prefered as a white edging plant, for it is so easy of manage- ment, may be cut into any form, and is so dwarf, compact, and neat. Old Exposed Guano (H. B.).~~ The guano which has been in an open box for two years would still do some good ; but it never was puro guano, but mixed with a large quantity of sand. White Bedding Plants {Idem).— There are no really good white-flowered bedding plants except Verbenas, and of these Beauty of England, MrB. Holford, and White Lady are the best. T© make up for this deficiency in white-flowering plants, we have for edgings Cerastium tomentosum and Biebersteini ; for rings of white in beds, or lines in borders, Centaurea candidissiraa and C. ragusina, also Cineraria maritima and Gnaphalium lanatum ; Salvia argentea for a back line or centre to a bed ; and Stachys lanata for a silvery carpet under trees, or where few things would grow. Newly-planted Vine iDelta). — We are inclined to think that your Royal Vineyard Vine is not doing well in consequence of the early plant- ing, and allowing four bunches upon it when, as we presume, it is a weak Vine. Then your allowing it to produce two canes weakens it still fur- ther, and yet we think it is doing fairly, and would have done well had you cut it in closely to two eyes, and not allowed it to carry any fruit this season. As a late Grape the Royal Vineyard, like many others, is rather impatient of early forcing, and then, though not a bad setter, the berries do not stone, and only attain about half their usual size. We have had no complaints of this, nor of its being a weak grower. Peach Leaves Perforated {Idem).— The Peach leaves sent are eaten by some grub, which you may find on looking under the foliage towards dusk. A good syringing on one evening with a solution of 2 ozs. of soft soap to a gallon of water, andiwith clear water on the next, will do much to keep the tree free of the grubs and other insect pests. Three syringings of soap solution will be sufficient, but the syringings of water cannot be too frequent so long as the days are hot. Seedling Geranium (C.D'aeth).— The petals were all shed.but judging from their colour and the horseshoe leaf, we do not think it differs from many others. Tumours on Leaves (B. P.)-— The swellings on the leaves forwarded do not appear to have been caused by the punctures of a gall fly, but are morbid growths arising from some derangement in the functions of the leaves. We do not remember any query about a bee hive. July 3, 1866. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 17 METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS in the Suburbs of London for the "Week ending Juno 30th. Date. THRRltOMETRR. Wind. Rain in inches. General Remarks. BAROMETER. Air. Earth. Mai. Min. Max. Min. 1 ft. dp. 2 ft. dp. Son. . . 24 Hon... 25 Tues. . 26 Wed. . 27 Thurs. 28 Fri. .. 29 Sat. .. 30 Mean 30.150 30.110 30.017 29.907 29.954 29.964 29.899 80.127 29.962 29.947 29.869 29.913 29.811 29.679 76 76 82 86 87 80 85 42 50 62 55 54 50 52 60 63 65 65 66 67 67 59) 59) 59) 60 61 61 62 E. N.E. E. N.E. K.W. N.E. S. .00 .00 .00 .02 .00 .00 .64 Very fine throughout ; cool at night. Slight haze ; overcast; very fine. Very fine ; hot sun ; masses of towering clouds ; warm at night. Cloudless and very fine; thunder and lightning; some hail and Very hot and dry ; exceedingly fine ; warm at night. [littlo ruin. Overcast ; very fine throughout. Dry slight haze, hot ; thunder storm commenced 1 p.m., continued [till night, with much purple lightning and heavy rain. 30.000 29.901 81.71 50.71 64.71 60.35 •• 0.68 POULTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. WHAT FOWLS SHALL I KEEP? No one will be intelligent who does not ask questions. My brother presided on Thursday last at a large horn sheep sale — 2465 sheep, late the property of James Davis, Esq., our old friend. I went to say " grace," and to support my brother. I met there a well-known poultry judge, George Andrews, Esq., of Dorchester. Determined to gain all the information I could, I asked him which were the best poultry to keep. He replied, " Bantams will give the most food, eggs, and flesh, for the least cost ; but the best to have are a cross between the Game cock and Malay, keeping both kinds pure." I told him that in all competitions there were tricks. He said, " Poultry tricks were worse than horse-racing." Irecei/ed his perm ssion to give his opinion. I gave my friend, Archdeacon Huxtable, Mr. Eeldon's second-prize Silver Dorkings, at York. I lately saw them, they are magnificent. I am much inclined to Dorkings. — W. P. Kadclyffe, Okeford Fitzpaine. [We shall be obliged by others giving their opinions, or rather the results of their experience. If a supply of both eggs at the time they are dearest, and good table fowls are required, we are in favour of dark Cochin China pullets, and a Dorking cock. — Ecs.] FAILURES LN HATCHING. January 19th, set nine eggs in hothouse : found, in twenty- four days, one egg addled, others eaten. February 1st, set thirteen eggs in hothouse : hen left them in a week. Feb- ruary 2Gth, set twelve eggs in hothouse : in three weeks all bad. March 21st, set thirteen eggs in hothouse : in three weeks all bad. May 12th, set fourteen eggs in hothouse : in three weeks one egg only left. May 14th, set fourteen eggs in hothouse : in three weeks two chicks dead and four eggs eaten, others addled. Lost seventy-five eggs ! The hens sat regularly, and only came off the nests once a-day for food and drink ; but you will perceive that three hens ate part of the eggs. Am I to kill every hen guilty of eating eggs ? My cocks are two to three years old, and the hens are about the same age. I had a Creve Cceur (pullet, said to be), from a first-rate establishment well known to you ; she never laid an egg, and cost, when ready for cooking, 10s. a-pound. What do you think will be the balance of my poultry account on the 30th of June? I do not overfeed, and look after them myself ! Have you a column for amateur poultry breeders who become bankrupt ? — A Two-years Amateur, rut not Daunted. [You have mismanagement somewhere, and if you appear in onr list of poultry bankrupts we shall be obliged, we fear, to suspend your certificate when we have made sufficient inquiry into your case. We cannot understand the prevalence of bad eggs. We do not believe they are naturally so, because some had chickens in them, and we believe they all hud. You have bad sitters and egg-eater3, and they will spoil all eggs entrusted to them. An uuimpregnated egg will not chaugo under a hen, because, having no germ, it has no life. An addled egg has had the principle of life more or less developed, and it has then been allowed to die; this renders decay possible, and it takes place. Hens are in a highly diseased or unnatural state when they eat the eggs on which they are sitting. We should not he surprised if the atmosphere of a hothouse was the cause of it. Pheasants and Partridges, or hens that steal a nest in a hedge or dry ditch, never do it. Take them out of the hot- house, let them run naturally, and sit on the ground, feed well, but moderately, and we believe you will find a different balance next year, or this year with late chickens.] Clitheroe Aoricultural Society.— We are glad to find that the Committee of this Association have set an example worthy of imitation in allotting the prize money usually given to horned cattle, which are this year excluded, to the poultry. On reference to our advertising columns it will be seen that the prizes are very liberal, and we trust that the increased patronage of poultry amateurs will justify the Association in repeating the experiment annually. Adequate protection from sun and rain will be provided. MY APIARY.— No. now i work it. Ha vino fixed upon the Swiss chalet as the most appropriate form of villa residence for my bees, it seemed only natural that the floors of the galleries running round it, externally, should serve as their settle-boards. This was accordingly done, and the inside ledges on which the hives rest, were made to correspond exactly with these, the lower ledge being 1 foot 7 inches from the" floor, the upper one, 3 feet 7 inches, for in- stead of shelves, I have a fixed ledge 1) inch thick, supporting the front of the bottom boards of my boxes, and a bar sup- ported by an upright in the centre for the backs to rest upon, which arrangement I find more convenient. The inside of my house is 7 feet square, which allows sufficient room for six hives in front (three in a tier), and four on each side, fourteen in all, the door being at the back or north side. There are two windows in the front, or south side, above the top tier of hives; but I find this arrangement inconvenient, and I should recommend only one window for a bee-house, and that, if pos- sible, at the back, where there are no hives, the whole of it being made to open easily, and, at the same time to admit of being easily darkened by a closely-fitting shutter. The sides of my house are 7 feet high to the plate, the roof having a pitch of 2 feet 8 inches from this to the centre, and overlapping 2 feet all round. The material used in the construction is three-inch deal, boarded inside and out with thin planks tongued and beaded. The tunnels, therefore, through which the bees have to enter from the galleries to the inside ledges, are nearly 4 inches long, and the floor-board of each hive has to be fitted closely and exactly to the mouth of this. The whole building is set upon three courses of brickwork. There is, as the engraving shows (see page 465), a wide shelf running along the outside front of the house, upon which I have some- times placed hives or boxes, but never, as yet, with bees in them, having found fourteen stocks, as many as I could keep with safety in this locality. I am not aware that there is anything peculiar in my system of management, as I have adopted L. L. Langstroth's plan of frame hives, and work them very much according to the di- rections given in his book, either making all my swarms ti- ficially, when I wish to increase the number of my stocks, or adopting the plan which he recommends, of making three out of two by driving and removing, and which he pronounces to be the best plan of all for increasing stocks, and keeping them strong. But it may be well, perhaps, to mention one peculiar feature in my arrangements this year, as likely to interest our M JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ July 3, 1866. apiarian friends, and that is, that I am trying the plan recom- mended by one of the correspondents of The Journal of Hor- ticulture of last year, and make half my stocks enter at the top instead of the bottom of the hive, and during the summer Season I find them work quite as well as before ; but I fancy that the bottom boards require more frequent cleaning in the Spring, and I have not as yet hit upon a plan of doing this with facility, as I am obliged to screw the front of the top of my hive on the ledge, and it is, therefore, not so easy to remove it Us before. My reason for trying this plan was, that I found my two tiers of hives inconveniently close for supering, but by putting my lower tier under instead of above the inside ledge, I have secured abundance of room between the two. In my next I may Bay something of Friendly Unions, of vhich there have been more than one instance in my apiary, and of Hunger Swarms. — Sibert-on-the-Wold. NADIRING. I have closely followed the directions given in your Number lor July 11th, 1865, respecting the management of Stewarton hives. The bees were wintered in two boxes. On May 18th they had taken possession of a super, and on May 26th had nearly filled it. I, therefore, added a third breeding-box as a nadir. This box they appear to me to have filled ; but it has been, I fear, at the cost of the super, as that remains in very much the same condition as on the 26th of May. Is there any objection under these circumstances to my appropriating the Stores of the nadir, or at all events Buch a portion of them as does not contain brood comb? I should be much obliged also by being informed whether the inactivity in the super is the result of any mistake in the management. I may add, that having read that the addition of a nadir tended to quicken the work in a super, I added one to a small Straw hive, and the result has been the same as with the Stew- arton — viz., that no further progress has been made in the Buper. — H. [We doubt whether yon will find much honey in the nadir, but see no objection to your appropriating what may be there, if you wish to do so. It does not follow that the bees ceased working in the super because you had added a nadir. We should be more disposed to attribute the suspension of their labours to the recent break in the honey harvest, and shall not be surprised if you find the present glorious weather set them as hard at work again as ever.] REGICIDE. On going into my apiary on the rooming of the 20th ult., I found two or three bees coming out of the cap of a royal cell. I thought it was so from (he size of it. I again went into my garden, and found (about 12 o'clock) the enclosed queen on the alighting-board dead, with about twenty or thirty bees around her. I muBt tell you that for two or three nights before this, I heard piping uoing on. The hive in question is one of Carr's bar-aud-frame hives, and I am working a super upon it. It has not swarmed, nor do I think it will, for they bave half filled it with comb, and Fhoulcl have had a considerable quan- tity of honey bad not the weather been 60 cold and wet here (Denton) during the previous ten days. I wish to know if you think her an old queen, and what will be the consequences. — w. w. c. [When the queen reached us we found her crushed perfectly flat by the manipulations of the post-office officials, so that we can do no more than hazard a guess as to her history. So far as we can judge from the colour and appearance of her re- mains, we are inclined to believe her to be the old queen which has been slaughtered by a juvenile rival. Although this oc- currence is somewhat unusual, it is by no means without pre- cedent, and we should think it likely to be followed by the issue of a swarm.] FORMING STOCKS IN" AUTUMN FROM CONDEMNED BEES. I wish to increase my stock of bees, and beg to know your opinion of the following method of doing so. I would buy from a cottager the bees which he would other- wise kill, and would myself superintend their being driven from the full hive into an empty one. When I had brought them home I would supply them with as much sugar and water as they would take. Is it possible for bees so late in the season, say August or September, to construct combs in which to store up an artificial supply for the winter ? I suppose it would be desirable to unite two stocks. A cottager should let me have these (useless to bim), for 2s. 6d., and the bees might take 10 lbs. of sugar, value 6s. If success- ful, would not this be the best, or rather the cheapest, method of obtaining stocks ? I fear there is some difficulty in uniting swarms. — One of your Constant Readers. [We never find it necessary to pay for condemned bees, the cottagers in our neighbourhood being only too glad to be spared the trouble of applying brimstone. Even with this advantage we estimate the cost of establishing a stock in the autumn from condemned bees as being about equal to that of a good swarm in spring. The inhabitants of at least two hives (three are better), should be driven into one domicile, and will require, say two dozen pounds of lump sugar con- verted into syrup by the addition of water in the proportion of two parts of the latter to three of the former by weight, and boiled a minute or two, to enable them to form and store a sufficient quantity of new comb to stand the winter. There is rarely any difficulty in uniting swarms.] An Albino Redbreast. —A few days ago I captured a pure white Robin. It is a young bird about seven or eight week old. It has pink eyes and beak, and feet of a delicate yellow colour. Will some one inform me whether it is likely to moult into its proper colour, and what is about the value of such a bird ? — A. B. Bailey, Shooter's Hills, Longlon, Staffordshire. OUR LETTER BOX. Moulting (A. J.).— As a rule, fowls moult a? soon as laying pd<1 sitting nre over— that is, about the end of July. The time to recommence laying varies, but adult fowls seldom lay till the end of January. S'-me breeds moult in less time than others; it lasts about two months. Spanish aro longer about it. Game Fowls (J. Maton).— The loss of one Bpnr by an accident is no de- triment to ft Game cock in exhibition. There arc two Duckwings, the old copper-saddled and the silver Duckwing. The hens of the former have the Robin or salmon breast, and penerally a littlo blush on the wing, but the latter must have none of it anywhere. Cochin-China Hen Injured (A Header).— Tour hen is injured in the back. It often happens at this time of year when the cocks are too nu- merous. As you say she is about to sit, she has. of course, censed to lay, or the same appearance would be presented if she were epp-hound. As it is always necessary in such cases that the patients should be separated from the others, you cannot do better than let her sit. White Tcrkey Poult (W).— A White Turkey is not a rara avi*. but it is very uncommon to breed them from coloured birds. You will have no difficulty in obtaining a proper mate, as there is a distinct breed of them. The present case may be a sport, or it may be Ihere has rt some time been some white blood in one of the birds, and she hnB thrown back to it. Excrescences on Spanish Fowls' Faces [A. W.).— Most of the excres- cences \ou name are the result of pecking. Hens pre very fond of peck- ins the cocks' faces, but cocks and hens are now alike petting shabby. It is an unnotimd hnbit, and often arises from diseased or disordered body. A free supply of lettuce will cure most of these disorders ; we hav* found it most advantageous. Fattening Brahma Pootras, Turkeys, and Geese lldc-m).— Brnhmas should be very well fed, but allowed liberty. Turkeys and Geeso should be shut up ; an outhouse or even a large pipstye is good for either, hut if Turkeys are put in it must be hurdled all round with hurdles lengthwise, and leaning inwards. They must also heve perches. Good ground onts m xed with new mi'k. and a little grease added, arevery good food for the Brahmas Turkeys require the same nr bailee me 1, with a little peamea! mixed, if with milk so much the better. They feed well out of a pig-trough. Geese want oats, bran, gravel, grass, and soma people give tallow chandler's greaves. POULTRY MARKET.— July 2. The excessive heat has caused very fresh poultry to make larger prices than it would have done in cooler weather, but much was spoiled. s. d. b. d s. d. b. d Lar^e Fowls 4 to 4 6 Guinea Fowls Oto Smaller do 3 0„S 6 Prrtridges p „ Fowls 0„0 Hnres 0„0 Chickens 2 0„2 G Rabbits 1 3„1 4 Green Geese 6 0„6 6 Wild do 8„0 9 Ducklings 2 6 „ 3 Pigeons b„0 .♦ July 10, 1866. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. WEEKLY CALENDAR. Day of Month Day of Week. JULY 10—16, 1866. Averape Temperature near London. Rain in last 89 years. Run Rises. San Sets. Moon. Rises Moon Sets. Moon's Age. Clock before Sun. Day of Year. 10 11 12 18 14 15 16 Tu W Tn F S Son M Ageratums. Aloe depressa. Aloe dichotoma. Aloe distans. Aloe latifolia. 7 Sunday after Trinity. Aloe saponaria. Dav. 74.6 75.0 75.7 76.5 76.5 76.3 75.7 Night. 60.5 50.8 50.5 51.2 50.7 50.3 49.6 Moan. 62.5 62.9 63.1 63.8 63.6 63.3 62.6 Days. 15 10 12 13 14 20 15 m. h. 56 af 3 57 8 58 8 4 1 4 2 4 8 4 m. h. Uaf 8 13 8 12 8 11 8 10 8 9 8 8 8 m. h. 26af2 25 8 31 4 41 5 65 6 6 8 15 9 m. h. 14 af 6 10 7 57 7 35 8 9 9 36 9 3 10 Dave 28 29 • 1 S 4 m. B. 5 5 8 5 16 5 24 5 31 5 37 5 43 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 From observations taken near London during the last thirty-nine years, the average day temperature of the wee k is '75.7°; a ml its night temperature 50.6°. The greatest heat was 98J\ on the 14th. 1B47 ; and the lowest cold 84-, on tho 16th, 1863. The greatest fall of ram was 1.60 inch. N.B.— The Calendar contains the names of plants flowering in the greenhouse. ROSE STOCKS. HERE has been so much written by our great rosa- rians on stocks for Roses, that it may almost appear presumptuous hi me to re- open a subject that has been, apparently, so thoroughly ventilated. I only do so for the purpose of calling attention to the following stocks, which I do not remember to have seen mentioned before, they are what is called the Shanghai Rose and Fortune's "White Banksian Rose. They are both of them most invaluable as stocks for the more delicate lands of Roses. Four years ago I received some cuttings of Fortune's White Banksian Rose from my friend Mr. Drewitt, of the Denbies, near Dorking, where it may be seen to great per- fection in the glass arcade. It, the beautiful Gloire de Dijon, and the other beauties of the Denbies, are worth travelling some hundreds of miles to see. About the same time Sir Philip Egerton obtained a plant of the Shanghai Rose in one of the Royal Horticultural Society's ballots for new plants. Two of the plants that had been raised from Mr. Drewitt's cuttings from the White Banksian were planted out in the large Camellia-house at OultonPark, and as the plants grew so rapidly, it struck me that they would make useful stocks for working the more delicate kinds of Tea Roses on. I accordingly inserted some buds on the plants in different places, and found that the union between the stock and bud was very soon complete, and the bud speedily commenced to push vigorously, going far to prove that Fortune's Wliite Banksian is the finest of all stocks on which to graft or bud the more delicate kinds of Tea Roses. One of the most important points in the favour of this stock is that the bark will at all times very readily part from the wood, even if the latter is two or more years old, provided the plant at the time is in a free-growing state. Another great advantage is that cuttings strike very readily, and as the plant soon furnishes itself with a large number of healthy roots, it takes but a short time to establish itself. Any kind of Tea Rose may, therefore, be worked on it, either by grafting or budding, very soon after it has been struck ; and after it has well established itself, the Rose worked on it will afford some extraordi- narily fine blooms, such as cannot be produced by any other stock, and there is no fear of the stock sending out any suckers below the surface of the soil. The cuttings which I put in are generally about 3 or 4 inches long, and if they have a heel attached so much the more rapidly will they strike ; but where this cannot be managed they will be found to strike very readily from cuttings made in the ordinary way. I invariably find that if the cuttings are cut slanting, instead of straight across, they always strike N,o. 276,-Vol. XI., New Series. more freely, and grow more rapidly after they have struck, because there is a greater surface from which roots can be emitted when the cut is made from 1 to 11 inch long. The cut should be commenced about the same distance above the eye as it comes out below it, leaving the bud about midway, and if the cutting is taken from the middle of the shoot two eyes will be sufficient. That at the base must be cut clean out to prevent its throwing up any shoots from below the soil, and that at the top must be carefully preserved to form the future plant. I generally use thumb pots, putting one cutting in each, and as soon as the cut- tings have struck they are shifted into 48-sized pots. When the roots have reached the sides of the pot the plants may be either grafted or budded, according to the state of tlie bud or graft and the stock : if it is found that the stock is not sufficiently strong for budding it may be grafted. In doing this, however, great care is necessary, for if too deep a cut is made the young free-growing stock will often break off. The top of the plant should be left intact for the purpose of drawing up the sap. A small clean cut is all that is necessary to be made, and it should be as near the base as possible, and the graft must be made to fit as nearly as possible the cut in the stock. If this is bound round with a small piece of matting just to keep the graft from slipping out of its place, finishing the operation with a covering of Thomson's styptic, the union between the graft and the stock will soon be complete. As soon as the operation of grafting has been finished the plants operated on should be plunged in a very gentle hotbed, and after the grafts have taken they must be gradually inured to a cooler temperature ; a sudden check caused by bringing the plants from a close and humid atmosphere, even after the union between the stock and graft is complete, will in most cases cause the graft to dwindle away, and if it do not die altogether it will be years before it gain sufficient strength to grow with any vigour. Plants of the Shanghai Rose were planted out against a south wall, and the first year after they were planted they grew at a most astonishing rate ; shoots 12 and even 15 feet long were produced in one season. Some of these I made into cuttings 2i inches long, and a piece of ground having been firmly trodden and afterwards nicely levelled off, shallow trenches, 2 inches deep, were then cut at 10 inches apart, and the cuttings were placed against the upright side, some road sand being sprinkled beneath them and around their bases. The soil was then firmly trodden about them. The cuttings were prepared just in the same way as recommended for the Banksian cuttings. Scarcely a cutting missed, and as soon as they were rooted they grew very rapidly, and in a short time afterwards many of them were budded. All kinds of Roses appear to take and grow with great vigour on the Shanghai Rose stock, and if the bud is cut clean out from the base of the cutting there is no fear of the plants sending up root suckers, which is one of the worst faults of the Manetti stock. The plant is perfectly hardy, even in a very cold and wet climate like that of Cheshire. I therefore venture to predict a brilliant future 8.— Vol. XXXVI., Old Series. 20 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ July 10, 1866. for the Roses worked on this stock for the open ground ; and the advantages will he equally great in the case of Tea Roses grown on the White Banksian Rose for pot-culture and in-door sultivation. — J. Wills. RED SPIDER AND THRIPS ON VINES. I could not discern a single insect on the Vine leaf sent hy ~R. H. B. ;" but there were traces of red spider, and two or three marks as if thrips had also been nibbling. He will easily know the red spider, whether it has obtained the red colour or not, by its quick movements and its rather round dimensions. The thrips, whether of a blackish, brownish, or whitish colour, according to its age, is two or three times the length of the red spider, but no thicker in the body, and he must have quick eyes to note the dimensions of the insect, as when he comes near it, it is almost sure to jump beyond reach. This jumping will at once enable him to guess what insect he has, or if he has both. "R. H. B.'s" Vines are quite forward enough, the berries being nearly swelled to their full size, to enable him to use strong measures ; but if the berries are not colouring I would not hesitate under the circumstances to give the whole plant, and especially the foliage, a good lashing with Gishurst, or with softsoap water at the rate of from 1 to 2 ozs. to the gallon, shading the house the day afterwards, keeping it rather close, and then following for a week afterwards with good syringings, about 4 o'clock r.M., with clear water at 120°. Moisture is the aversion of the red spider ; a dry heat its greatest enjoyment. Sulphur fumes are also a great annoyance, though I do not think they kill the intruder so much as make him uncomfortable, and cause him to be glad to shift his quarters. As for sulphur itself, he cares no more for it than he would do for any other dust, walking amongst it with the greatest seeming enjoyment when it is scattered over a leaf. When the active principles of the sulphur can be conveyed in water, or the fumes driven off at a temperature not above 160°, the red spider seems to be rendered very uncomfortable. The washing with Gishurst, as an antagonist to the red spider, depends very much for its efficacy on the sulphur sus- pended. In the case of Gishurst, or softsoap water, if either be boiled ten minutes and then allowed to settle, they mix better with the -water, and no marks are left on the foliage. Followed the day after with clean water, I do not think that the slightest marks would be left on the berry. As easily ob- tainable, no better remedy for many insects is to be found than softsoap water. I have found that it quickly settles red spiders which are alive, as well as other insects quite as difficult to master. The mischief is, that wherever they find a lodging they keep their place good for some time by successive genera- tions. For destroying insects softsoap is far superior to bar soap ; but I am not learned enough to know whether that is owing to the potash it contains, instead of the soda, which forms a part of the bar soap. The softsoap water seems to act, to a certain extent, like glue water; but at the strength stated, and referred to lately in " Doings of the Last Week," it leaves no traces behind it, and does no harm to Peach trees nor Vines. At that strength it would not be safe to syringe Cu- cumbers or Melons, unless they were much shaded, until they had had two or three syringings with clear water. I mention this by way of a caution. The mode of application is also of importance. People hear of a remedy and straightway resort to it ; but they are either too careless or fail to attend to some simple matters of detail, and then they blame the plan instead of themselves. This spring some shoots of Peaches, quite killed with Gis- hurst, were sent to me. It had not only been applied hot, but three times stronger than any directions of the inventor would have warranted. A short time ago, a few Peach leaves, spotted and disfigured, were sent with an angry note, the purport of which was — " See what your soap water has done." As for the water I can say nothing, nor of the strength, but from the few leaves I could have collected as much as a quarter of an c-unce of softsoap in its original state— how applied I know not. If the softsoap had been previously boiled, and then mixed with the warmed water, I make bold to say not a particle of the soap in its original form would have been found on the stems or leaves. Many of our best medicines are poisons when taken in quantity. While adverting to red spider, I may also allude to a case of killing some shoots with strong lime sulphur water, a wash which, as recommended by me, keeps down, if it does not destroy, the intruder, and leaves no trace of its application on the foliage of Peach or Vine, nor yet on the fruit when young ; but which is injurious to such fruit, and especially the fruit of Strawberries, after they begin to swell. The liquid had been used far too strong. The strength which I advised, and which never should be exceeded, and for all tender plants should be much reduced, is as follows : — Take 1 lb. of sulphur and 1 lb. of quicklime, mix together with a gallon of water, boil for ten or more minutes, allow to settle until cool, then pour off the bright liquid into a vessel that can be kept close ; earthenware is best. Add one quartern, or a quarter of an English pint, of this strong acrid liquor to six gallons of water, and stir and use, and even then the milky liquid will smell more than a bed of Onions when you walk through them. I know of no method superior to this for communicating the acrid properties of sulphur to water. At the above strength, though whitish in appearance, the liquid will leave no mark or residuum on the foliage ; it will also clear the leaves of Strawberry plants, but it will injure the fruit if the latter has come to its second swelling. A few quarts of such a powerful liquid will go a long way, but if people, disregarding minutiffi, will use a quart instead of a quartern, or gill, and do mischief, that is their affair. As involving a little more labour but making more certain in the end, there is another remedy for red spider, and that is to shorten and remove all laterals, and then sponge the leaves with softsoap water at about 2 ozs. to the gallon. The red spider chiefly congregates on the lower side of the leaves, and a handy man will soon go over a small house and thus sponge every leaf. Much may be done with the hands and fingers ; in fact, many insects might thus be destroyed in the time we are getting other means and appliances ready. For instance, early in the season green fly is apt to attack the buds of Straw- berry plants just coming into bloom in houses. A good smoking with tobacco will destroy all the insects that are alive, but as we go along, examining as to watering, I much prefer that all such should be squeezed between the thumb and fingers, the heads being afterwards well washed with the syringe. By at- tending to such matters at once, I have often passed through many seasons and never required to give any smokings to early Strawberries. Even when it would not be advisable to wash the leaves owing to the forwardness of the fruit, a damp atmosphere may be maintained by damping the walls, floors, stages, &c, and fumes of sulphur may be given off by daubing the walls with sulphur paint made of sulphur and water, and better still with sulphur and strong soap water. The heating pipes, or flues, may also be well smeared, but the heat of either in such a case should not exceed 100°. For thrips, all such means as the above will also be so far effectual in making the merry jumping fellow uncomfortable ; but to destroy him tobacco smoke must be resorted to, and that frequently, each time following within two or three days of 'the other, as, if ever allowed to establish themselves, fresh broods will be hatched for some time after the first colonies have been destroyed. For moveable plants much infested, I have found no plan better than immersing the head of the plant in soap water, glue water, or tobacco water, allowing the plant to stand in a shady place for a couple of days, and then syringing it well with water at about 120 c . After smoking a house and keeping it as close as safety will permit the follow- ing day, a good syringing with clean water would be advisable, but if the Grapes are colouring it is best dispensed with. Even with the hands a great deal may be done with this insect in a small way. If on Vines, the insects usually exhaust one leaf before they go to another, and most generally prefer old leaves to younger ones. A good deal may be done in the way of riddance by going over the vinery, and taking off quietly, but quickly, every leaf so affected, rolling it up, and placing it at once in a bag or the pocket, and then burning the proceeds. When I had less to do I used to keep Cucumbers and Melons clear of this destructive visitor by examining those grown on trellises in a small house, and, whenever one showed on a leaf, daubing him at once with thumb and finger wetted either with clean, or, better still, with soap water. In such a case the eye and the thumb must be quicker than the flea-like jump of the intruder, or the art must be obtained, which can only be learned by experience, of perceiving as it were by intuition which way the little fellow will jump. A very little time thus spent in a morning would go a good way towards keeping July 10,1860. J JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 21 insects down, and save much troublo and expense in fumi- gating, Ac. ; for in small places the oxpense of tobacco is a serious item, and if the smoking is too long delayed it is too ofton expense thrown away. Where the labour power is at all near the mark, a groat deal can be done in keeping down insects by moans of nimblo fingers, and the free use of the syringe with clear water. If " R. H. B.," however, has the thrips on his Vines, I would advise him to pocket or bag carefully some of the worst leaves ; to fumigato with shag tobacco the same evening ; to keep the house shaded and as close as he can next day to be safe ; to preserve a rather moist atmosphere by wetting the walls, stages, paths, &c. ; and on the afternoon of the second day to give a free lashing from the syringe all over the foliage. For red spider wash or syringe as above stated, shut up close, and on the next evening when the leaves are dry put on a fire, and keep the heat specified above on the smeared pipes or flue. Bear in mind this simple fact, that all smokings with tobacco and other fumigations are most safe and effectual when presented to a dry leaf. If damp the insects are 60 far sheltered ; and how, wo know not exactly, the wetter the leaf the greater the danger to vegetable vitality from such smokings. — B. F. CULTURE OF HERBACEOUS CALCEOLARIAS. In the first place, every endeavour should be made to secure a packet of first-class seed from a well-proven source, as the bad sorts require just the same space and attention as the good ; besides, the pleasure in the end of having a superior to an in- ferior quality of flowers will infinitely outbalance the extra trouble and expense. About the beginning of July, the seeds ought to be sown in pans well drained, on the following compost, after being tho- roughly incorporated — two-fourths rich fibry loam, one-fourth leaf mould and old mushroom-bed dung, one-fourth silver or river sand, the whole put through a fine riddle. 1" ill the pans about half up with crocks, putting a thin layer of the fibry portions of the riddlings over the crocks, the remaining half fill with the soil, when slightly press and smooth the surface, then scatter over the seeds, and finish with sifting a little soil over, and give a sprinkling of water through a fine rose. The pans may be placed in a shaded part of a pit or frame, near the glass, where they can get a little bottom heat, or, better, on the back shelf of a vinery, near the ventilators, where they may have the advantage of both heat and air. If the Vine-rods are insufficient to shade the pans with their leaves, pieces of glass whitewashed above will be found necessary to cover them until the plants have made some progress, and can stand ex- posure. Bemove daily the drops that will gather on the under surface of the glass, so that they do not fall among the young plants, and never permit the plants or soil to get dry or crusted, but keep both slightly moist with water. When the seedlings have made sufficient strength to be handled, prick them in lines into boxes, and give a good shower through a fine rose, that will lay the earth to their roots, and return them to their old quarters, shading as before, until they are on their feet again, when they may be removed to a cold frame or pit ; place them near the glass, shading in strong sun- shine, and giving sufficient air to harden them off by degrees to the full exposure of air and light. Continue to keep their foliage damp, and never allow them to flag for want of water at the root, or with the sun, through- out any stage of their growth, and in a short time they will be prepared for a shift into pots 3 inches in diameter ; cut out their balls carefully into squares, and place them individually into the pots, using soil the same as recommended for the pans, only more rough. The plants will not appear to suffer from the shift, but will continue growing, which growth ought not to have a check up to the time the flowers make their appearance. If green fly pay them a visit, take advantage of them when the foliage is dry, by giving a smart smoking with tobacco paper, and administer a good lashing with the syringe after the smoke has passed away. In a short time, if all prospers, the roots will be through the soil, when a larger shift will be requisite, which on no considera- tion ought to be neglected, or put off till to-morrow — procrasti- nation, or any other cause of prevention, will be found ruinous, as nothing can be worse than allowing them to get pot-bound, in which case the consequence will surely be stunted plants, that will send up flower-stalks weak and premature ; whereas a regular succession of shiftingsup to 10-inch pots, will produce really good plants. About the beginning of November, prepare a place in the greenhouse as near as possible to the glass without endangering them to frost. Place them there for the winter, after carefully washing and clearing the pots of weeds, being careful not to break the leaves in the operation, and con- tinue to treat, as regards watering, syringing overhead, and potting, when needful, as the winter passes. As soon as the plants are established in their last shift, give a good soaking of liquid manuro, at the rate of 40 gallons of rain water to 1 lb. gnano once a-week, up to the time the flowers begin to expand, when it may be discontinued. Turn the plants every timeyeu have occasion to water, that they may be well balanced with the foliage, and, as soon as the flower-stalks are of sufficient length, stake out, and finally stage to flower. — A. Keru (in Scottish Gardener), EUCHARIS GRANDIFLORA. The large plants exhibited at the International Horticultural Exhibition on the 22nd of May last are now throwing up a greater number of flower-spikes than when shown, and will be in full flower in the course of ten or twelve days. Their having been removed from the stove to retard for the Inter- national accounts for their not being in flower earlier. A small plant now in full flower has never been subjected to anything but stove temperature. I find one portion of the bulbs rest of their own accord, while the others are growing and flowering. They are supplied with a couple of large watering-potsful of clear liquid manure every alternate day. — W. Howard, Gardener to James Howard, Esq., Bedford Hill, Balliam. HEAT SAVED veivsi-s HEAT USED. In your Journal of June 12th I read a long article on fined walls, and as this and its kindred subjects have long occupied my attention, I hope Mr. G. Abbey will excuse my assuming that his article was not what is called an exhaustive one, and will permit me to assist him in his effort to ascertain why flued walls are not, as a rule, successful. To see clearly, we have all first to get rid of our prejudices ; in fact, try for a season to forget what we know, and I am quite sure for a gar- dener of the present day, who is expected to make either a south wall or a flued wall successful, this is especially needful. He must be able to forget and cease to sigh after the grand houses in the nobleman's garden where he went as an improver, before his mind will be open to believe that without all the costly appliances now considered necessary, good fruit can be grown at its usual season, and bring himself to take the pains required. Is it not written, " Man shall earn his bread by the sweat of his brow?" which means, I believe, by labour assisted by steady thoughtful care, nay, even anxious care, for who has not felt the cold moisture start on his forehead as he hurried, fearing his forgetfulness had ruined all his hopes ? Then why should it be considered, as it undoubtedly is, beneath a gar- dener to waste his time in growing fruit if his master does not supply him with a house so replete with appliances, that the fruit produced will cost a fabulous sum per pound ? This cost of production is quite lost sight of, and the simple means that enabled the last generation to produce good crops are neglected, in order that the time and attention may be devoted to what i.- properly out of season. I mean, that if gardeners understood the capabilities of the houses under their care they would by forcing have had these crops out of hand, and thus been able to devote their time and attention to the walls. Gardening should be looked upon as a business, and gardens worked for a profit, and then they will be carried on with economy and spirit, which bring with them a certain amount of anxiety, without which no business is healthy. From whence come the fine Pears ? The answer is ready — from France ; but this does not explain my meaning. To what system do we owe their production ? Those who have not travelled much, or resided for a time in France, have very little idea of the number of gentlemen with small in- comes, who think they would lose their claim to be considered gentlemen if they went into trade; but, fortunately for them, selling the produce of the farm and the garden is not con- sidered as being in trade ; and what better way of lengthening out a small income than by means of a good kitchen garden? So these educated men give their minds to the subject, and not only make it pay, but find in it a healthy, pleasurable occu- 22 JOUKNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ July 10, 1866. pation. Was it not Sir Joseph Paxton who said, " That gar- dening was the only hobby he knew which, if carried to ex- cess, did no harm ? " In this country gentlemen consider their own time of too much value to devote it to the study of gardening, and look upon it as something beneath a gentleman ; it is, therefore, left to the gardener, and he is often only intent on beating his neighbours at the autumn show, and never thinks that the summer is precious time, which should be economised by having previously done all that he could. He, poor fellow, has no hope that extra produce from the garden will improve his position, and as all things act and re-act, it ends in his being looked upon as one of the expenses of housekeeping that must be, and he finds, accordingly, that his trade is one of he worst paid. Let me, then, encourage those who think it is worth their while to say, "What man has done, man may do," for the Bun's rays are as warm as ever, and if its heat is " saved," or, here I may use a better term, economised — that is, made to last as long as possible, it will be found that in sunny districts as much heat can be obtained during the summer months as is now "used" in the best heated structures. In Speechly's day, which takes us back to a period when iron pipes were un- used, the best example of a forcing-house was the Dutch — a flued wall 10 feet high, with a glass front 5 feet from the wall at the bottom, and 3 feet from the wall at the top. The two important points here are the nearly-straight glass front to catch all the light, and the small area the flue was expected to heat. Such a house, he says, will enable you to ripen the fruit in May. As the season advances, he adds, your requirements diminish, for the sun will be higher, and therefore the pitch of the roof can be lower, enabling the house to be wider. He also says there is now no longer a necessity for a .glass front, and for walls ; oiled paper put on at night will do, and it will also replace the glass on frames, which can then be used for a better purpose. Miller goes over the same ground and gives the same reasons. When gas was introduced it is related of a shopman, that ho was so pleased as to say it was better than daylight, and would save all the trouble of having windows ; and now pipe heat is so convenient, that many gardeners act as if they thought it was better than sun heat. It cer- tainly is much more regular, and saves the constant care over the ventilators required when the sun heat is permitted to enter. We still find a heated glass wall is the best forcing structure ; it is not safe without heat, because it brings on the trees too fast, and is not able to keep the late frosts out ; therefore, after a heated glass wall, a sheeted-up wall is preferred. The Rev. W. F. P.adclyffe, of Okeford Fitzpaine, is very successful with his wall, he sheets the trees over every night, and leaves them so covered en very cold days. By this treatment he not only saves them from the late frosts, but how much radiation does he retain ? Then, will glass walls without heat fail if they have the same careful treatment to retain the heat otherwise lost by radiation ? I think not, and when trees have been for- warded by means of a flued wall, they should be protected by a good sheet, not a mere net, and the thermometer should be closely watched that this heat is not employed when it is not re- quired. The thermometer should be considered by each gar- dener as his best friend. Let those, then, who have such walls, read what Mr. Radclyffe wrote for your pages, give no more heat than is required, syringe with care, shut up early while the sun heat is still in the wall, and I shall be very much sur- prised if they do not find the thermometer indicate that a much higher temperature has been retained than is required, and I am sure they have no need to fear that the crop will end in being ruined with red spider. I will go further than this, and say I have a very strong belief that the attention of the garden- ing world has been so taken up and occupied with the ad- vantages cheap glass has conferred, that south walls have not received their proper notice, and it will be found if due care is taken to retard the trees as long as possible in the spring, so that the snn may have attained some power before what I may call the growth of the crop has commenced, that they will, if the care I have previously advised be taken of them, ripen their fruit as early as similar trees on the back wall of an unheated orchard-house, and quite two weeks before those in any other unheated glass structure. I some time since invited, through your valuable Journal, our orchard-house authorities to join me in trying experiments in this useful field of inquiry, and I hope before the summer is over we may hear some good reports from . some of them, meantime our thanks are duo to Mr. W. F. Rad- clyffe, he has preserved his faith in good old plans that have been called slow, and now serves to make mo, for one, wish I bad not run any faster. I send you what may interest some, the maxima and mi- nima temperatures for each week during the summer at Storn- oway, where Mr. Rivers says there is a successful unheated orohard-house. It will show how little heat is required. Mix Min April, May. Week Week ending I ending 15122 29 6 13 20 27 55 56 58 57 31 85 35 87 JUNE. July. Week ending 3 10 17124 6264 35 40 75 71 1144 Week ending 118 16 22 29 65 65 62 39 48 41 August. Week ending 5 1219 iv, i;; 47',42 September. Week ending 2 9 16 28 30 64 62 8845 54 45 The highest Maximum 75% and the lowest Minimum SO 3 . — G. H. ENTERTAINMENT GIVEN BY MR. W. WILSON SAUNDERS. On Friday last Mr. W. Wilson Saunders, of Highfleld, Reigate, gave his annual entertainment to the members of the Entomological Society and to several others of his scientific friends. The programme commenced with the mustering of the visitors on the arrival of the 9.10 a.m. train from Charing Cross, who, headed by Mr. Saunders, wended their way through the town and along the road which leads across Reigate Com- mon. Proceeding in that direction they passed Flanchford, and describing a semicircle round the town they reached Sidlow Bridge, where the party refreshed themselves by luncheon. The weather being unsettled and varied by alternate thunder- storms and sunshine, much of the pleasure that generally attends these pleasant excursions was marred. On returning to Reigate at 5 o'clock the party found a large addition to their numbers of those who, prevented by the threatening aspect of the weather, did not arrive till later in the day. But a very important part of the day's performance was yet to be gone through, for in the Town Hall Mr. Saunders had prepared a most sumptuous and elegant entertainment, to which his guests were all invited. Not fewer than 150 gentlemen sat down to this entertainment under the presidency of Mr. Saunders himself, supported on the right by Sir John Lubbock, Bart., Mr. Bennett, of the British Museum, and Mr. George Busk, Zoological Secretary of the Linnamn Society ; and on the left by the Mayor of Reigate, Lieut.-Col. Scott, R.E., Secretary of the Royal Horticultural Society, Professor Westwood, of Oxford, and Mr. Currey, Botanical Secretary to the Linnaan Society. After the loyal toasts, proposed by the Chairman, he gave " The President of the Entomological Society," to which Sir John Lubbock responded in a humorous and clever speech. Mr. Saunders then gave " The Treasurer and Secretary," which were duly responded to by those gentlemen. Then followed " The Royal Society," the parent of all the scientific societies of this country, to" which Mr. Busk replied ; " The Linnffian Society and Mr. Currey;" "The Royal Horticultural Society and Colonel Scott and Dr. Hogg," to which those gentlemen respectively responded ; " The Authorities of the British Museum and Mr. Bennett ; " " The Schools of Science and Professor Westwood," &c. All who were present united most cordially in doing justice to the toast of Mr. Wilson Saunders' health, proposed in earnest terms by Sir John Lubbock ; and with a warmth of feeling which every individual could not but feel found a responsive echo in his own breast. About half-past eight o'clock the party separated, thanking the generous and kind-hearted patron of all the sciences for a day of infinite pleasure. The BniDAi, Bouquet op the Princess Helena was by special permission presented by Messrs. Veitch & Sons, of the Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea. It was composed of Orange Blossom, Myrtle, choice Orchideous flowers, Gardenias, Stephanotis, &c, and elegantly trimmed with real Honiton lace to match the dress. The Myrtle was sent from Osborne by command of Her Majesty, and was taken from plants pro- pagated from that used in the bridal bouquet of H.R.H. the Crown Princess of Prussia. July 10, 1886. J JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. WEATHER IN NORTH OF IRELAND. TniNKiNn that the weather we have hail lately in this " far north" part of Her Majesty's dominions may be of somo interest, I send the following observations made during tho week ending Juno 29th. I'll' rm. during llyarom. at 24 hours in shade. 12 o'clock noon. Max. Min. Dry Bulb. Wot Bulb. Wind. Juno 22nd.... 67 J .. 47° 67° .. 62° S.W. Showery. „ 28rd.... 78° .. 66° .... 78° .. 70° . . . . S. Cloudy. 24th.... 83" .. 4D° .... 81° .. 70° .... S.W. and tt> N. Cloav. „ 25th.... 87° .. 49° .... 87° .. 75° .... N.E.E. Clear. „ 26th.... 91° .. ob° .... 88° .. 74' .... S.E. Clear. „ 27th.... 75° .. 54° .... 72° .. 66" .... N. Cloudy. „ 28th.... 76° .. 48° .... 72° .. 64° .... N. Clear. „ 29th 85° .. 61° 85° .. 72°.... S. Clear, but with [heavy rain at night. — Aldan Goodman, The Palace Gardens, Londonderry. CULTURE OF FERNS FROM THE SPORE. This is easily accomplished with most of the families both native and exotic. The following will be found a very effectual mode of treatment for natives : — At the beginning of March, select a warm corner of the side stage of the greenhouse ; place in a board 2 feet square, then break small a quantity of crocks, and cover the board to the depth of half an inch, chop up very tine a little sphagnum moss, and cover the crocks ; next sift through a fine sieve a quantity of sandy peat, with a small proportion of fresh loam, then mix np with a quantity of silver sand equal to both, press the moss level, and lay this compost on an inch deep, and when done, slightly smooth and press lightly over the surface, then give a slight watering out of a fine rose, and when the water has sub- sided, sprinkle on the spores pretty thick, and finish by putting a hand-glass over all, first painting or whitewashing the glass to cast off the sun's rays ; keep the glass close, excepting on days of strong sunshine, when the glass ought to be raised a little at one side up to the moment the plants make their appear- ance, giving a sprinkling of water when the surface shows signs of getting dry ; thus continue to keep the soil damp, but stag- nant water must be avoided. The plants, in the first stages of formation, will be recognised in the minute cups that make their appearance on the beds, and which will soon start up fronds. As soon as they can be handled, remove the board off the stage, and place another in its stead, which cover as recommended for the others, only making the bed of earth double the thickness. Take the plants singly out with a pointed stick, and prick into narrow rows on the new bed ; give a slight watering out of a fine rose, and re- turn the glass as before ; keep shaded for a few days until the plants have begun root-action. When air can be admitted by degrees, in a few weeks the plants will be fit for pots, when all danger is past. — A. Kerb (in Scottish Gardener). ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. July 3rd. Floral Committee. — At this meeting Messrs. Backhouse, of York, exhibited a very tine specimen of a new Dipladenia, D. amabilis, with very large bright rosy flowers, a very superb variety, which was awarded a first-class certificate ; also a good variety of Ladia purpurata. Mr. Bartleman, Leyboorn Grange, received a first-class certificate for a seedling hytrid Zonale Pelorgoninm, King of the Nosegays, with large trusses of bright orange-scarlet flowers, which promises to be a most nseful bedding plant. Mr. William Paul received a first-class certificate for Zonale hybrid Nosegay Ninirod, trasses of bright orange scarlet, very free flowering. Mr. W. Paul also exhibited several other seedlings, which have been noticed before, Rebecca, St. George, and Blue Bell, and a variegated form of Hibiscus syriacus. From Mr. R. Burcham came a small collection of British plants found on Hampstead Heath, two varieties of Drosera rotundifolia, and Maianthemum bifolium, considered rather a rare plant. Messrs. Osborn, Fulham, Bent six fine Heaths, which were awarded a special certificate ; and Mr. Watson, St. Albans, received first-class certificates for two seedling tricolor Zonale Pelargoniums — Miss Watson, a variety quite eqnal to Mrs. Pollock, the colours perhaps brighter, and Mrs. Dix, a compact-growing plant with medium foliage, with a dark almost black zone, encircling a bright red inner zone. Mr. Watson likewise exhibited Zonale tricolor Nosegay King of Nosegays, and Zonale En- chantress, with dark zonate foliage. Mr. Brewer, gardener to — Terry-, Esq., Fulliam, received a Bpecial certificate for a very handsome plant of Liham auratum, bearing twelve lovely flowers. Mr. James Keeler, gardener to John Todd, Ksq., sent two seedling Zonale Pelargoniums — Delicatum, and Sambo, a very dark scarlet ; and Mr. Anderson, gardener to T. Dawson, Ksq., Meadow Bank, exhibited some fine specimens of cut Orchids, which were awarded a Bpecial certificate. Mi..:- IS. I'l. ( i. II rin |i 1 si Hi in iivid II I'll I rhts:, ri I t itinitt' i '1 CabldiuiU Napoleon III., a line variety with bright green foliage, mottled with deep rosy markings and veins ; and they also exhibited cut specimens of Allainanda Sehotti Ileudcrsoni, with fine, large, deep yellow flowers ; doubts were expressed as to its being a distinct variety. From the same firm camo also Orchis maculata superbu, and three most magni- ficent spikes of seedling Zonale Pelargonium Duke of Edinburgh, with pale yellowish leaves, marked with a bronzy zone ; also fine specimens ol' Pelargoniums Italia Unita, Luey Grieve, Arc. Messrs. Stuart and Mi'in. Kelso, had a seedling hybrid Statice Duchess, very much like profusa ; and Messrs. Lee, Hammersmith, two seedling Kricas — viz., E. tricolor pulchella, a pale-coloured flower, but pretty, to which was awarded a second-class certificate, and E. ampullacea oblata, a white variety of no particular merit. W. Wentworth Buller, Esq., sent some beautiful specimens of cut Orchids, which were awarded a special certificate ; also, a plant of an old and well-known Orchid, Proinenam stapelioides. Messrs. Veiteh, as usual, contributed largely to the exhibition both novel and in- teresting plants. First-class certificates were awarded to the follow- ing: — Nepenthes lanata, a very curious Pitcher-plant; Nepenthes sp., from Borneo ; Lomaria dura, a valuable hardy greenhouse Fern ; Loraaria eiliata, very beautiful and distinct; Davallia alpina, Davallia, parvula ; Acalypha tricolor, a stove plant with dark yellow and red- mottled leaves ; Niercmbergia sp., quite hardy, with pale flowers like N. filicaulis ; and a cut specimen of Dipladenia arnabilis. A second- class certificate was awarded for Pescatorea, or Huntleya, cerina ; and a special certificate for a very handsome specimen of Blandfordia nobilis. In the general collection we noticed a new Spha'rogyne ; Lomaria Belli, which bad received a first-class certificate ; Lomaria zamuefolia, and Lomaria Moritziaua, which it was requested should be sent again. A collection of plants from the Society's gardens at South Kensington, contained Orchids and a very fine specimen of the late-flowering Rhododendron Jenkinsii, which was awarded a special certificate. A very interesting though small collection of plants was sent from the Chis- wick Gardens. Among them were a very tine Fern, Stenochlffina tenui- folia ; cut specimens of Liriodendron tulipiferum, the Tulip tree ; also two kinds of Horse-chestnut, ^Esculas indica and ,/Eseulus californica. Fruit Committee. — Mr. C. Oldham, Honorary Secretary of the Wrexham Floral and Horticultural Society, exhibited two seedling Strawberries, Sir Watkin and Denbigh Seedling ; and from Mr. Turner, Slough, came a fine large-fruited variety called Dr. Hogg, to which a first-class certificate was awarded. Further mention of these will be found beneath. From the Society's garden at Chiswick came fruit of Sir Charles Napier, Reeves's Eclipse, La CouBtante, and Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury ; also three early varieties of Cherries. The only other fruit shown consisted of British Queen Straw- berries from Mr. Keeler, Wood House. Dulwieh ; and Grosse Mignonne Peaches from Mr. Merett, Battersea Rise. Fortnightly Meeting. — Viscount Sandon, M.P., in the chair. The awards of the Floral Committee having been announced, Dr. Hogg made a few remarks on the subjects brought before the Fruit Committee. Denbigh Seedling Strawberry, be said, was a large coarse- looking variety with a peculiarly acid flavour, and Sir Watkin, a seedling from Sir Harry impregnated with Black Prince, had a long conical fruit, very similar to Williams's Black Roseberry. and black firm flesh with an insipid flavour. With regard to Strawberry Dr. Hogg, for which Mr. Turner had received a first-class certificate, it was raised by Mr. Bradley, the gardener at Elton Manor, who was also the raiser of Oscar, Sir- Joseph Paxton, and other varieties. The fruit was described as being wedge-shaped, somewhat corrugated longitudinally, of a pale red colour, with white flesh, aud a flavour similar to^ that of the British Queen. Unlike that kind, however, it was stated to colour regularly all over, and to be much more hardy and a better bearer. With reference to the varieties from Chiswick, Dr. Hogg said of Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury, that it is an abun- dant bearer, having a high flavour perhaps unsurpassed by any other kind. La Constante, raised by M. de Jonghe, of Brussels, bore carriage better than, perhaps, any other kind, the flesh being firm and solid, and the flavour was high. Eclipse, it was remarked, is of all the varieties used for forcing that which possesses, perhaps, the richest Pine flavour, but that this is not so good when the plants are grown out of doors. The Rev. M. J. Berkeley then offered some remarks on the subjects exhibited. The Eriogonum shown at the previous meeting by Mr. Thompson, of Ipswich, was first alluded to, and then the hardy trail- ing Niercmbergia, exhibited by Messrs. Veiteh. This was stated to have come from Tucuman, and its soft, lilac flowers were said to bear considerable resemblance to those of N. filicaulis. Acalypha tricolor, imported from the New Hebrides by the same firm, next came under notice, and though very unlike moot Euphorbiaceous plants, it never- theless belonged to the same natural order as these. Davallia alpina and parvula. as well as Lomaria eiliata, were then adverted to, and the latter, however unlike a Tree Fern as exhibited, was stated to be in reality such. Stenochlwna tenuifolia, from the Society's garden, was the next plant noticed, and it was mentioned that the pinna; have 24 JOUKNAL OF HORTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ July 10, 1866. a marginal gland, or nerve, near the base on the tipper edge, and that the veins form narrow costal areoles, from which parallel forked veins run oat to the margin. Concerning --Eseulus indica and jEsculus cali- forniea, both handsome Chestnuts, which come into bloom after all others are over, notes were read from the " Botanical Magazine," vols, lxxxiv. and lxxxv., in which both are fignred. They form, it was stated, hardy moderate-sized trees of considerable beauty ; but .ISsculns indica was said to be somewhat difficult to cultivate. Mr. Berkeley then made some remarks on a disease in some Grapes that had been sub- mitted to his inspection. In these the stalks were more or less withered, and the berries shrivelled like raisins, but without retaining their sweetness. They exhibited spots of decay, and with respect to these there was this peculiarity, that they had occurred at three diffe- rent times, and that there was 'always a clearly-defined line between the healthy and decomposed portions of the berry. The first spots of decay had dried np, others had formed, and these had been succeeded by a third set. This peculiar disease, as well as some others, is attri- buted by Mr. Berkeley to a low state of vitality. As nil instance of disease proceeding from a contrary condition of the plant, the gummy exudations frequeutly seen on the bunches were mentioned, and Dr. Hogg had drawn his attention to the fact that superabundant matter ia frequently thrown off by the stigma, where it forms a globule, and the pollen being thus prevented from acting on the stigma, the fmit fails to set — a common cause of complaint with some varieties. Mr. Batemau said that before he made any observations on the works sf Nature he would direct attention to those of art, as exemplified by specimens of the application of a process by which leaves, Feins, Sea- weeds, etc., may be impressed on porcelain, a clever invention, which we owe to Mr. Cox, of the Royal Polytechnic Institution, Regent Street. By Mr. Cox's " Ceramic Petalocaust Process " as it is called, the characteristic outlines and v< nation of Ferns, leaves, feathers. Sea- weeds, and other natural objects are reproduced and indelibly burnt iu upon the surface of every description of china, &c, at, it is said, much less cost than by mere pictorial agency. By this process. Mr. Bateman remarked, the inventor had done on imperishable porcelain what Mr. Henry Bradbury had some years ago effected on perishable paper in that grand work produced by Messrs. Bradbury & Evans — "Nature-printed Ferns." Here, then, we might have a fund of en- joyment, for ladies might have their Fern sets or their Seaweed sets, just as they now have their Fnchsia sets and their Rose sets. A coloured plate of the beautiful Camoensia, discovered by Dr. Wel- witsch in Africa, was next exhibited, and as it belongs to an order of plants whose seeds are easily imported, a hope was expressed that it might not be long before it was introduced into this country. Atten- tion was then directed to a cone of Gunnera scabra, perhaps the largest hardy herbaceous plant in our gardens. It was perfectly hardy in the miserable climate of North Staffordshire, and on account of the size and beauty of the leaves it was well worthy of cultivation by those fond of fine-foliaged plants. That it was not so extensively grown as it deserved, might be partly attributable to its being slow of increase. Those who were curious to see it would find a plant of it in the herbaceous garden at Kew. Blooms of the Tulip tree, together with others of a fine variety of it. called Liriodendron tnlipiferum ob- tnsilobuni, at present in great beauty in the Society's garden at Chis- wick, then came under notice. A tine avenue of Tulip trees at Dres- den having been mentioned, it was remarked that in its power of endur- ing the smoky atmosphere of towns, the tree would probably be found to be a rival to the Plane. Orchids were the next subject to which Mr. Bateman directed atten- tion. Among those from his own garden was Proinenrea citrina, one pseudo-bulb of which had produced two ilowers of different colours, one being bright yellow, the other pure white. He had never seen a similar case among Orchids ; but be recollected Mr. Clowes once showing him a Miltonia, from opposite sides of a pseudo-bulb of which issued flowers of different sizes. It was, indeed, difficult to say where the pranks of this curious race of plants might end. Cut specimens were shown by W. W. Buller, Esq., and it was stated that at the next meeting that gentleman would probably have something to say in re- ference to the cultivation of Orchids and double-glazing. Among cut flowers of Orchids from Mr. Anderson, gardener to T. Dawson, Esq.. Meadow Bank, Glasgow, was a beautiful variety of Dendrbbinm in the way of densiilorurn, bieolor, or Grillithii. With respect to Cattleyas, Mr. Anderson asked where C. Mossia^ ended and C. labiata began. That question had been answered a year or two ago. C. quadricolor, Wagneri, and Warneri, were all well-marked varieties of the one species, which went all through the Isthmus of Panama, till in the ■ form of C. labiata it ended in Brazil. Pescatorea cerina, shown by Messrs. Veitch. next occupied attention, and it was stated that though a woodcut of it had been published some years ago by Dr. Lindlty. no coloured plate of it had as yet appeared, but that one would shortly be given in the " Botanical Magazine." The plant had been named in compliment to M. Pescatore, one of the most enthusiastic lovers of Orchids which the French empire ever produced, and rivalled only by Consul Schiller among the Germans. In connection with Angraecum caudatum, a cut specimen of which was shown to the meeting, Mr, Bateman remarked that about this time lost year he had the honour of naming an Angrscum after Capt. Grant, one of the discoverers of the source of the Nile ; and he now had to direct attention to another, named after the distinguished traveller M. du Chaillu, in commemora- tion of his discoveries in West Africa, in the country of the hideous gorilla. This species, which is figured in the " Botanical Magazine ' of the present month, was said to rival the A. caudatum of Sierra Leone. After the last meeting, Professor Owen, said Mr. Bateman. had shown him a Cyrtanthus hearing umbels of glowing crimson scarlet flowers, and a plant of it now exhibited still gave indications of considerable beauty. This was said to have been sent to Professor Owen by Mr. Bain, the discoverer of the strange Dicynodonts, or two- fanned reptiles of South Africa, (fossils of the Trias period), and was stated to have been found in the Karroos, or ravines of a mountain range about 8110 miles north of Cape Town, and at an elevation of 10(t0 feet above the sea. Iu summer it succeeds out of doors in this country, but in winter it requires the protection of a greenhouse. The plant shown was presented to the Society, and Mr. Bateman moved that a vote of thanks be given to Professor Owen. Mr. Bateman next offered some remarks on Sirex juvencus, which has been comparatively unnoticed for many years, though its attacks are much more frequent than generally supposed, and a piece of a dead Larch was furnished by G. C. Antrobus, Esq., of Eaton Hall. Cheshire, as an example of the way in which this insect perforates timber All races of trees, said Mr. Bateman, have their peculiar insert pests, thus Larches. Pines, and Silver Firs are each attacked by different enemies. All know how destructive Scolytus destructor is to Elms, and that about this time of the year the Hylurgns pnuperda bores up the centre of the vonug shoots of Pine trees, causing them to snap off with the first gale of wind. These pests confine their depre- dations to live trees : but Sirex juvencus is even more to be dreaded. Curtis several years ago stated that the Sirices appear to be most de- structive to dead tie. s and timber, which is not surprising when it is atati d that the eggs are deposited by hundreds, and that the maggots when full grown are about 1J inch in length. S. juvencus made its appearance during July, August, and September m Fir groves in Nor- folk Suffolk, Hants, and Yorkshire, aud specimens of it were shown to Mr Curtis bv the Hon. Charles Harris, who detected it in Fir planta- tions at Heron Court, the seat of Lord Malmesbnry. " With us, said Mr Hams, " at the age of twenty the Fir trees die to a great ex- tent The summer of 18'2. r > and 1826 was peculiarly destructive to them, from its intense heat and drought, and I am certain that I never saw anv trace of a Sirex except on dead trees. The smell of the tur- i entine would fully account for this, and the only spot where we could detect the Sirex in a standing plantation of shorter trees was on some dead stumps that had evidently been overgrown." From this it appears that the mischief arises from allowing dead trees to remain standin" or lying about ; and timber ought to be well examined before it is employed in building, " for," said Mr. Curtis, " I understand that considerable numbers of the males have been taken flying about the tower of York Minster, no doubt seeking the females which were issu- in" from the timbers that supported the roof, and which would be of course greatlv weakened bv tlie continued operations of the larva;, as well as rendered more combustible by the multitude of passages and the quantity of dust which they create." Singularly enough, said Mr. Bateman Mr. Curtis's prediction as to fire was soon verified ; for in 18-29, vei-v shortly after the above was written, 1 oik Minster was the scene of "a conflagration. Mr. Batemau added that he had only be- come acquainted with Sirex juvencus about this time last year, and it was marvellous, he said, that after eluding exposure for nearly a quarter of a centnrv its evil deeds should now be proclaimed. It was also stated on the authority of Mr. A. Murray that the insect had made its appearance with Mr. Thomson, of Banchory House, Aber- deenshire. Mr. Buller said he had known this Sirex for years in Devonshire, where it appeared to confine its operations to wood either wholly dead or decaying. Palings and Larch posts were attacked by it lr.it he had not seen it on live' trees. Mr. Bateman here remarked that it seemed only to make its appearance after very hot summers, but wbeu detected every possible means should he used to extirpate it. Weekly Show, Juhi ltli.—ki this Meeting there was a good ex- hibition of vegetables, and some excellent trays of Carnations and Picoteos In the class for twelve Carnations, Mr. Hooper of Jme Nursery, Bath, took the first prize, and Mr. Shaekell, of Oldhelcl Nursery, Bath, the second ; thev were beautiful blooms, as were also the twelve Picotees exhibited by the same gentlemen, by whom the prizes were taken in the same e.rder. For the best basket of miscellaneous cut flowers, Mr. Mclndoe, gardener to Coles Child. Esq., of Bromlev. took the first prize, and Mr. Bartlett, of Hammersmith, the second. In the collection of vegetables, Mr. Mclndoe was again first Mr. Youn", gardener to R. Barclay, Esq.. of Highgate, second, and air. Plester, of Elsenham Hall Gardens, Essex, was thud. In the mis- cellaneous class, Mr. Butcher, gardener to A. Bond, Esq., took a first- class certificate for a very fine specimen of Fulham Cabbage, and Mr Youn" was similarly rewarded for a large specimen of the Enfield Market, which is a mere form of the former. Two mentonous de- signs of flower gardens were shown by Mr. Brown, of Sonthwood Lane, Highgate, and Mr, Hill. Angel Kow, Highgate. The former took his plan from that of the International Exhibition and both re- ceived extra prizes. Mr. Ward, gardener to F. N. Miller, Esq.. Bishop Stortford. received a second prize for three handsome Pines ; and Mr. Young, gardener to R. Barclay, Esq., extra prizes for a col- lection of Caladiums. and one of Agaves ; also a first-class certificate ' for Leptopteris suierta, and one of the second class for Erica Pai- ' mentieriana rosea. July 10, 1806. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. ROYAL BOTANIC SOCIETY'S SHOW. JCI.Y lilt. The last Show oi the season tool; place on Wednesday last, and though the weather was by do means favourable, there was a large attendance of visitors, among whoni the fairer sex as nBUal greatly predominated. Their pleasure, howover, in promenading the lawn was greatly marred by the frequent eohl showers whieh made the tnrf damp, and tho day throughout was vory nngeuial for that period of the year whieh is usually the warmest. The plants did not appear to be so numerous as at tho earlier exhibitions, nor did they on tho whole exhibit that freshness and profusion of bloom whieh rendered them so attractive in May; but fruit was shown in great abundance, variety, and excellence, constituting, in fact, tho most important featnre of the Show. Stove and Greenhouse Plants. — Of these Mr. Peed, gardener to Mis. Tredwell, Lower Norwood, exhibited a fine collection of ten, pro- minent among whieh was a magnificent specimen of Ixora salicifolia, a worked plant about 5 J feet high, and hearing in great profusion heads of orange dowers from 7 to 8 inches in diameter. This was certainly the finest plant of its hind that we remember ; and although somo two or three years ago, Mr. Whithread exhibited a romarkablo speci- men, we question whether it was equal to that shown by Mr. Peed. Allamauda grandiflora and Oracophyllnm gracile from the same ex- hibitor were also fine, and Rondeletia speciosa was likewise noticeable in his collection. In that of Mr. Rhodes, Azalea Apollo was still in very good bloom, and he had besides by far the finest Kalosanth in the Show, a round-headed plant of coceinea, about a yard across, and presenting a glowing mass of rich Bcarlet. Phrenocoma prolifera, a large plant, with its rosy crimson everlasting Mowers quite as large as a five-shilling piece ; a very good Ixora coceinea, and large plants of Hedaroma fuchsioides, and Pimelea mirubilis, also came from Mr. Rhodes ; and from Mr. Williams, a very fine specimen of Phamocoma prolifera, 6 feet across and in profuse bloom, together with Bou- gainvilliea glabra, Allamauda gramliliora, and Erythrina erista-galli, whose showy red flowers are not usually seen at exhibitions. Mrs. Glendinning & Sons sent Allamauda Aubletii in very good bloom, but not so showy as A. grandiflora ; and inferior plants of it also appeared in other collections ; also, a fine specimen of Yinca oculata ; Mr. Baxendine, Guildford, had Rhyneospermum jasminoides and Bignonia grandiflora, assorting well with an Allamauda near it, though differing in being reddish orange instead of yellow. Mr. Kaile, gardener to Earl Lovelace, had a vory good plant of Rhyneospermum jasminoides ; and Mr. A. Ingram, gardener to J. J. Blaudy, Esq., Reading, the beautiful purplish violet Pleroma elegans, in fine bloom ; Ralosanthes coceinea superba ; Clerodendron Thomsonie, full of flower; and Statice profusa. Mr. Ward,, gardener to F. G. Wilkins, Esq., Leyton, took, however, tho lead in the Amateurs' class for six, with, among others, Allamanda grandiflora, small but in excellent bloom ; Statice macrophylla, with a profusion of its purplish lilac flowers in dense corymbs ; Stepbanotis floribunda, and Phtenocoma prolifera Bamesii. Mr. Kemp had the showy scarlet Clerodendron Krempferi ; and Mr. Wilkie, gardener to I. McHeury, Esq., a very good specimen of Dracophyllum gracile. Awards — For ten ; first. Mr. Peed ; second, Mr. J. Wheeler, gar- dener to J. Philpott, • Esq. For eight (Nurserymen): first, Mr. Rhodes; se.-ond, Mr. Williams ; third, Mr. Baxendine ; fourth, Mrs. Glendinniug it Sous. For eight (Amateurs) : first, Mr. Kaile ; second, Mr. G. Wheeler, gardener to Sir F. Goldsmid, Bart. For six ; first, Mr. Ward ; second, Mr. A. Ingram ; third, Mr. Wilkie ; fourth, Mr. Kemp. Fine-foliaged Plants and Ferns were rather numerous, and being judiciously placed in the bays between the flowering plants, these were not overpowered, nor overpowering as they sometimes arc by too much colour being impressed on the eye. Mr. Williams, Hol- loway, had. in a set of ten, fino specimens of Cordyline indivisa, Cycas circinalis, Draca-na lineata, Chamierops humilis, Cyathea dealbata, and variegated Aloe-leaved Yucca, and in another collection Alocasia Lowii in splendid condition, Drac.xna marginata, with the leaves narrowly edged with red, a fine Latania borbonica, and Zaiuia pungens, very thick in the trunk. Mr. Burley, Albert Nursery, Bayswater, also sent various Palms and Alpinia nutans. Of Amateurs, Mr. Taylor, gardener to J. Yates, Esq., Highgate, had a very fine specimen of Sahal Blackburniana, Zarnia spiralis, Encephalartos latifrons, and other Cycads, and a good plant of Littasa juncea. From Messrs. Barnard, Gell, Glendinning, and Young, came the Date Palm, Rho- palas, Spha?rogyne latifolia, Alocasia macrorhiza variegata, Dracienas, Marantas, Pandanads, ono or two Caladiums ; Panicum sulcatum, a broad-leaved Grass ; and Anthnrium cordifolium. Awards — For ten (Nurserymen) : first, Mr. Williams ; second, Messrs. Glendinning ; third, Mr. Burley. For ten (Amateurs) : first, Mr. Taylor ; second, Mr. Gell ; third, Mr. Y'oung. For six : first, Mr. Taylor ; second, Mr. Barnard. Exotic Ferns from Messrs. Taylor, Williams, Barnard, and Young, comprised good specimens of Cyatheas, Cibotinms, Dicksonias, Wood- wardia radicans, Todea africana, Pteris cretica albo-lineata and argyrtea, Phlebodiuni aureum, Adiantum trapeziforrne and formosnm. Awards — For twelve (Nurserymen) : first, Mr. Williams. For twelve (Amateurs) : first, Mr. Taylor ; second, Mr. Barnard ; third, Mr. Young. Of British Ferns, tho best twelve came from Messrs. Ivory & Son, of Working, and consisted of Lastrea Filix-mas Ingramii. Athyrium Filix-fo:mina Granting tho crested variety of tho Royal Fern, Poly- stichnm aculeatum acrocladon, and angulare grandiccps, Trieli, annuel radicans, Asplcuium trichomnnes Moulei, very pretty; Scolopendriura vulgaro .-rispum latum, Lastrea montana Nowelliana, Pseuduthyrium flexile, Blechnum spicant crispum, and Adiantnm capillus-Veneris. Collections, including various forms of the above genera, also caino from Mr. Kaile and Mr. Kemp, gardi ner I.. Karl I'. B . Heaths comprised line specimens of tho brilliant Parmenticriana rosea, Savilleana, ventricosa Botlnvelliana and coceinea, lis, lor va- rieties ; Aitoniana, Eassoniana, and Tunibulli, white ; obbata, Massoni major, ampullacea major, eximia, nobilis, orange ; depressa, and Caveudishii, the last two, howover, rather past their best. Awards — For eight (Nurserymen) : first, Messrs. Jackson & Sons; sec, ,n,l, Mr. Rhodes; third, Messrs. F. ,1" A. Smith. For eight (Amateurs) : first, Mr. Peed ; second, Mr. Ward ; equal third, Mr. A. Ingram and Mr. J. Wheeler, gardener to J. Philpott, Esq. Orchids were not numerously shown, nor were they in the same, fine condition as at the first Show. Mr. Bulleu, gardener to A. Tumor, Esq., Leicester, had Trichopilia crispa with certainly not less than thirty fine blooms, a fino spocimen of Acrides odoratum majus, Saccolabium Blumei majus with five Bpikes, Cattlcya Acklandiffl with three blooms, C. superba, very brilliant in colour; Cypripediuni Veitchii with four fine blooms, and a good example of C. barbatum superbum ; Mr. Wiggins had Cattlcya Wagneri, Cypripediums Hookeri and Stonei, Odontoglossum hastilabium, Acrides, and a, Vanda ; and Mr. Williams scut, among others, a fine specimen of Acrides odoratum majus, also Acrides Lobhi, Phala nopsis grandiflora, and Cvpripedinm barbatum superbum. From other exhibitors camo Phalamopsis Lnddcmauuinna, Cattlcya Mossia?, the old Broughtonia Banguinea, Calanthe masuca, Ladia purpurata, Odontoglossum hasti- labium and cordatum, the pretty Miltonia spcctabilis, and Vanda Batemanni. Awards— For ten : first, Mr. Bnllen ; second, withheld ; third, Mr. Peed. For six: first. Mr. Williams; second, Mr. Parker; third. Mr. Rhodes. For six: first, Mr. Wiggins; second, G. Cooper, Esq;; Old Kent Road ; third, Mr. Hill, gardener to R. Hauhury, Esq. ; fourth, Mr. J. Wheeler ; fifth, Mr. Willcock, gardener to Dr. Pattison, St. John's Wood. Fuchsias. — Only three collections were shown, and of these the best came from Mr. Broclrwell, Edmonton, whose plants were from G to 7 feet high and well-grown and flowered. Among dark varieties were good examples of Sir Colin Campbell, Lord of the Isles, and Sensation ; among light sorts, Wiltshire Lass, Minnie Banks, Reino Blanche, and Schiller ; and among kinds with white corollas, tho best were Madame Comelissen and Conspicua. Awards— For six : first, Mr. Broclrwell ; second, Mr. Weston, gar- dener to D. Martineau, Esq., Clapham Park ; third, Mr. Filee, gar- dener to J. Shutter, Esq. Pelargoniums were inferior both in the size of the plants and bloom to those exhibited at the previous Show, when Mr. Bailey's and Mr. Turner's plants attracted such general admiration. Mr. Frascr, however, on this occasion had good plants of Favourite, Pericles, Beacon, Mdlle. Patti, Ilesdemona, Caractacns, Leander, and Maiden Fair. Mr. Nye, gardener to G. Foster, Esq., had fine specimens of Fairest of the Fair, Perdita, Mdlle. Patti, and International ; also Spotted Gem, Lord Clyde, and Pericles ; and Mr. Ward had Caracta- eus, Lilacinum, Royal Albert, Desdemona, and Pericles. In tho class for six varieties Mr. Wiggins, gardener to W. Beck, Esq., had good plants of John Hoyle, Eurydice, Diana. Album formosnm, Exhi- bition, and Isabel. Of Fancy varieties, Mr. Frascr had good examples of Zoe, Undine, Bridesmaid, Helen, Hebe, and Acme. Of Scarlets, the best came from Mr. Windsor, Walthamstow, who contributed Sir Robert Peel and Prime Minister, scarlet ; Virgo Marie, white ; Princess and Eugenie Mczard, salmon ; and Highgate Rival, salmon scarlet, all well grown. Awards— For nine : first, Mr. I'raser. For nine (Amateurs) : first, Mr. Nye ; second, Mr. Ward ; third. Mr. Wiggins. For six Fancy : first, Mr. Fraser. For six Scarlet: first, Mr. Windsor ; second, Mr. Catlin; third, Mr. Hawes ; fourth, Mr. Logan. For varieties of 18G3-4 : first, Mr. Fraser ; second, Mr. Wiggins. Roses. — Messrs. Paul & Sou exhibited some very good plants in pots, among which Dnc do Rohan, Comte de Nanteuil, Duchesse do Caylus, Leopold I., Comtesse de Chabrillant, and Madame Victor Verdier, were particularly fiue ; and of cut blooms, fine stands were shown by Messrs. Paul & Son, Ingle, Chard, J. Hollingworth, Turner, and Mailow, containing in addition to the above-named varieties fine examples of William Griffiths, Gloire de Santenay, Seuateur Vaisse, Gloire de Dijon, Maurice Bernardin, Madamo Bravy, Souvenir de Mal- maison, and others. Awards— For fifty : first, Mr. Turner ; second, Messrs. Paul & Son ; third, Mr. Fraser. For twenty-five: first, Mr. Ingle; second, Mr. Chard ; third, Mr. Hollingworth. For twenty-four : first, Mr. Turner ; second, Mr. Ingle ; third, Mr. Marlow. New Plants anb Seedlings were numerously shown. Messr3. Yeitch had first-class certificates for the true Peperomia arifolia. Davallia parvula very pretty, Drosera capensis, Nepenthes lanata, Maranta Lindenii, Lomaria Belli, recurva, and ciliata ; Davallia alpina ; a species of Adiantnm with copper-coloured young fronds ; a 26 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ July 10, 1866. pretty little Nierembergia, and Acalypha tricolor. To the same firm second-class certificates were awarded for a Bornean Nepenthes, and a handsome Sphasrogyne from Bolivia. Several of these are noticed in another column. Messrs. Veitch also exhibited Retinospora obtusa aurea, having foliage beautifully tinged with gold, Begonia Pearcei, and Alternanthera spathulata. From Mr. Bull came also a numerous collection, of which the following plants received first-class certificates — viz., Maranta Lindenii, Pandanus latissimus, with rather broad pale green leaves ; P. Porteanus, much more slender than the preceeding, Rogiera gratissima, with small pale rose-coloured flowers slightly scented ; Latania rubra, Adiantum velutinum, Peperomia argyraea, and Athyrium Goringianum pictum, variegated with white after the manner of Pteris argyrsa, but much more slightly marked. The same exhi- bitor had second-class certificates for Cinchona nobilis, with handsome leaves having a red midrib; a variegated Phajus grandifolius, Philo- dendron bipinnatifidum, and Echeveria atropurpurea, with brownish red leaves. First-class certificates were also awarded to Messrs. "Waterer & Godfrey for Cupressus Lawsoniana argentca, a glaucous variety of that fine species ; to Mr. R. Parker for Goodyera pubescens intermedia, and Statice floribunda with purplish violet flowers ; and to Messrs. Backhouse, York, for Dipladenia amabilis, noticed in our Floral Committee report. Similar awards were made to Messrs. Ivery & Son for Athyrium Filix-foeinina pnlcherrimum, to Messrs. Jackson for Peperomia arifolia, to Mr. "Williams, Holloway, for Lomaria rigida and an Adiantum, and to Messrs. E. G. Henderson for Caladium Napoleon III. Second-class certificates were given to Mr. Fraser, Lea Bridge, for Lilium anratum caudidum, of a purer white than the common variety, and not spotted ; to Messrs. Ivery for a Poly- stichnm ; and to Mr. Williams for Lindsnea cultrata. Among seedling florists' flowers Mr. Watson had first-class certificates for Geraniums Miss Watson and Mrs. Dix, both of which have been already noticed, and a similar award was made to Mr. G. Smith, Hornsey Road, for Nosegay Pelargonium La Grande, a fine scarlet ; also to Mr. Tirebuck, Luton, for Emily Morland, a scarlet zonal. Messrs. F. & A. Smith, who exhibited numerous zonal and tricolor-leaved varieties, received certificates of the first-class for Sunbeam, bright scarlet, large trusses ; Diadem and Charmer, orange scarlet ; and Glorious, deep scarlet ; also certificates of the second class for Vandyke, Mrs. Charles Barry, Conqueror, Magnificent, and Scarlet Dwarf. Mr. W. Paul again ex- hibited sevoral varieties of the zonal and Nosegay sections, and had certificates of the first-class for Nimrod, Waltham Gem, Rebecca, St. George, and Sir Joseph Paxton ; and of the second class for Scarlet Dwarf and Cardinal. Mr. Turner had a first-class certificate for In- ternational and Lady Constance Grosvenor, the former a crimson scarlet zonal variety, and the latter a fine scarlet. Verbenas Auricula and Harry Law exhibited by Mr. Perry, of Castle Bromwich, likewise received first-class certificates, and Messrs. Downie & Co's. fine bedding Pansy Imperial Blue, a second-class one. Several showy Clematises were shown by Mr. Townseud, Hornsey ; and a pretty white Lobelia, called Miss Murphy, likely to be useful for bedding, shown by Messrs. Dobson & Son, received a first-class certificate. Miscellaneous. — Mr. Parker, Tooting, exhibited Yucca canalicu- lata producing its creamy inflorescence, Acanthus montanus with rather ornamental foliage, Spha^rogyne cinnamomea, and a showy Amaryllis called marginata conspicua. Mrs. Glendinning & Sons had Gesueras and Anrectochils ; and good stands of Pinks, Carnations, and Picotees, came from Mr. Turner, Slough, Mr. Hooper, Bath, and others. Annuals were also shown by Messrs. Hooper & Co., of Co vent Garden. FRUIT. The display of fruit, as already stated, was large in quantity and excellent in quality. Nearly one hundred Pines were shown, and upwards of two hundred bunches of Grapes, most of these, too, being large and very well grown. The first prize for a collection was awarded to Mr. Rawbone, gardener to C. Campbell, Esq., Ashbourne, for a Queen Pine of 4£ lbs., three excellent bunches of Black Ham- burgh Grapes weighing in all 7£ lbs., Golden Hamburghs, Trentham Hybrid Melon, fine Royal George Peaches, Elruge Nectarines, and Keens' Seedling Strawberries. Mr. Robinson, gardener to R. Benyon, Esq., M.P., Reading, was second with a Queen Pine, Black and Golden Hamburgh Grapes, Golden Perfection Melon, Grosse Mig- nonne Peaches, Elruge Nectarines, Figs, Strawberries, and Cherries. Mr. Turner was third with a Queen Pine, Buckland Sweetwater and Black Hamburgh Grapes, a Melon, Violetto Hative Peaches, Elruge Nectarines, and Dr. Hogg Strawberry ; and Mr. Miller, gardener to Earl Cravan, Combe Abbey, was fourth with six fine Ripley Queen Pines, Muscat and Black Hamburgh Grapes, Melons, Peaches, Nec- tarines, and Strawberries. Mr. Turnbull, gardener to the Duke of Marlborough, was fifth ; and Mr. Sage, gardener to Earl Brownlow, Ashridge, sixth. Pine Apples. — In collections of four fruit, not less than two kinds, Mr. Hannan, gardenertoR. T. Crawshay, Esq., Cyfarthfa Castle, was first with two fine Providence, weighing respectively 8 and 9 lbs., and two good fruit of the Black Jamaica. Mr. Youug, gardener to Craw- shay Bailey, Esq., Aberaman, was third with Providence weighing 7 lbs. 2 ozs., and 7 lbs. 6 oza. each, and well-ripened Queens of 4 lbs. 2 ozs., and 4 lbs. 6 ozs. ; and equal third prizes were awarded to Mr. Miles, gardener to Lord Carrington, and Mr. Young, gardener to W. H. Stone, Esq., M. P., Leigh Park, the former having Smooth- leaved Cayennes weighing a little more than 5 lbs., a Prickly Cayenne of 4 lbs. 6 ozs., and an Enville of 4$ lbs. ; whilst Mr. Young had two excellent Queens, a Providence, and a Black Jamaica. Of Providence Pines several large and handsome fruit were shown. Mr. Hannan was first with a noble fruit of 10 lbs., and Mr. Young, Aberaman, second, with one which, though not so heavy by 1\ lb., was more handsome. Mr. Elstone, gardener to S. Lawrence, Esq., Clapham Park, was third with one of 8£ lbs. ; and extra prizes were awarded to Mr. Bailey, gardener to T. T. Drake, Esq., Shardeloes, for a fruit weighing 8\ lbs. ; to Mr. Doville, gardener to Major Martin, for one of 8 lbs. ; to Mr. Gell, gardener to Mrs. Beaufoy, South Lambeth ; to Mr. Jones, gardener to Lady Mill ; and to Mr. Speed, gardener to Sir E. Walker, Bart., Bury Hiil, Mansfield. Among Queens by far the best was a well-ripened fruit of the ex- traordinary weight of 7 lbs. 6 ozs., shown by Mr. Ward, gardener to F. N. Miller, Esq., Bishop Stortford, and to which, of course, the first prize was awarded. Mr. Brice, gardener to J. Lermitte, Esq., of Finchley, was second with a finely ripened fruit weighing 5 lbs. 4 ozs. ; and Mr. Young, Aberaman, third, with a fine fruit of 5 lbs. Mr. Perkins, Stanmore ; Mr. Holliday, gardener to H. Walmsley, Esq., Acton ; Mr. Kemp ; Mr. Hannan ; and Mr. Coles, gardener to R. H. Page, Esq., Beekenham ; and Mr. Drewitt, had also very good fruit of this variety, which in several cases was shown of a heavier weight than it has usually been seen of late years, when first prizes have frequently been taken by fruits under 4 lbs. in weight. Special mention must also be made of a dozen Queens weighing 63 lbs., ex- hibited by Mr. Ward, all of which were handsome fruit and in beauti- ful condition. In the class for any variety no first prize was awarded ; the second was given to Mr. R. Smith, gardener to H. Walker, Esq., Calderstone, for a well-ripened Black Jamaica ; and the third to Mr. Gardiner, gardener to E. P. Shirley, Esq., Eatiugton Park, Stratford-on-Avon, fur a fruit of the same variety weighing 3$ lbs. Mr. Kemp, gardener to E. Benthall, Esq., had a Black Antigua, for which an extra prize was awarded. Grapes made a splendid display, especially the Black Hamburghs. In the class for three kinds Mr. Meredith had a wonderfully fine ex- hibition, consisting of Black Hamburghs, remarkable both for size of bunch and berry, their fine colour, and their beautiful bloom; Black Prince, and Trentham Black also very fine. Mr. Meredith here walked over the course, all the other competitors being a long way behind. No second prize was awarded, but equal third prizes were given to Mr. Osborn, Finchley, for well-ripened Buckland Sweetwater, good Muscats but not ripe, and Black Hamburgh ; to Mr. Horwood, gardener to G. H. Turnbull, Esq., Rookery Down, Kent, for Black Prince, small Muscats, and Black Hamburghs ; to Mr. Tansley, gardener to A. Moss, Esq., Chadwell Heath, for Muscat of Alexandria, Black Hamburghs, and Canon Hall ; and to Mr. Sage, gardener to Earl Howe, Ather- stone, for good bunches of Black Hamburgh. Black Prince, and Buck- land Sweetwater. In the same class Mr. M. Henderson, gardener to Sir G. Beaumont, Bart., Coleorton Hall, exhibited very good Black Hamburgh and White Muscadine, and Mr. Turnbull, Blenheim, large bunches of Black Prince, but not sufficiently ripe. In the class for three bunches of Black Hamburghs, Mr. Meredith and Mr. Clement, East Barnet, were placed equal first with large and beautifully-coloured bunches, and in each case densely covered with a beautiful bloom. Those from Mr. Meredith weighed collectively 10? lbs., and were very even in size of berry. Mr. Squires, gardener toH. Ludlow, Esq., Heywood House, Westbury, was second with good large-berried bunches but a little deficient in colour ; Mr. Osborn, and Mr. Pople, West Moulsey, were equal third ; and Mr. Speed, Bury Hill, fourth, with small but well-coloured bunches. Good exhibitions in the same class also came from Mr. Wallis, gardener to J. Dixon, Esq., Astle Park, Mr. Rawbone, and Mr. M. Henderson. In baskets Mr. Meredith was again first with Black Hamburgh large and finely coloured, Mr. Tansley being second with very good Canon Hall ; and Mr. M. Henderson, Mr. Hannan, Mr. Pople, and Mr. Osborn, had equal third prizes, all for Black Hamburgh, except Mr. Osborn, who had Muscats. In the class for Black Prince, or West's St. Peter's, the former variety was almost exclusively shown. With it Mr. Turnbull, gardener to the Duke of Marlborough, was first with large bunches, but not so finely coloured as we have seen ; Mr. Sage, gardener to Earl Howe, was second with good bunches of the same kind ; and others came from Mr. Allen, gardener to E. Hopwood, Esq., Manchester, and Mr. Goldsmith, gardener to Sir W. Farquhar, Bart., one of those from the former being 16 inches in length, but it, as well as the two smaller bunches on each side of it, were deficient in colour. Mr. Allport. gardener to H. Aykroyd, Esq., had compact bunches of West's St. Peter's beautifully coloured. Muscats from "Mr. Turner, of Slough, were beautifully ripened, being of a rich golden-amber colour, in respect to ripeness far before all the other bunches. The second prize went to Mr. Pizzie, gardener to F. Edwards, Esq., Pickeridge ; and the third to Mr. Clement, for very good bunches, but not quite ripe. In the class for any kind, Mr. Record, gardener to Colonel Loyd, Hawkhurst, Kent, was first with Marchioness of Hastings, the threa bunches weighing collectively 8 lbs. 3 ozs. ; and Mr. Lynn, gardener to Lord Boston, Hedsor, second, with fine bunchos of Buckland Sweet- water, but not sufficiently ripe. Good White Muscadines, from Mr. M. Henderson, were third. The only other kinds which we noticed July 10, 1866. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 2T wore Rod F'rontignan ami Golden Hamburgh. In tho Miscollanoons Class a prizo was also awarded to Mr. Meredith, fnr a buuch, or rather series of bunches on a single stalk, weighing 7} lbs., and, not- withstanding its largo size, perfection in colour and bloom. Melons were shown to the numbor of about two score. In the Grocn fleshed olass, the best were a Hybrid Cashmere, from Mr. Weir, gardener to Mrs. Hodgson, Hampstuud ; and Combe Abbey Hybrid, from Mr. Miller, gardener to Lord Craven. Golden 1'crfoction and Conqneror of Europe, respectively from Mr. Ross, gardener to Col. Eyre, Wolford Park; and Mr. Kenird, gardener to Col. I.oyd, wore nlaced equal second. In the Scarlet- lb bed ehi ;, Mr. Weir was again hrst with Improved Windsor Prize; and Scarlet Gem from Mr. Beoch, gardener to T. Allcoek, Esq., Epsom, and Mr. Goldsmith, was second. Peaches and Nectarines. — Of Royal Charlotte and Violette Hativo Peaches, remarkably lino frnit were shown by Mr. Sawkins, gardener to A. Smith. Esq., Bramfield ; and Royal George and finely- coloured Galande Peaches came from Mr. Horwood. Mr. Miller, gardener to Earl Craven, had fine Violette Hative Peaches and Nec- tarines ; and Brugnon and Scarlet Noctarines from Mr. Allen, gardener to Capt. Glogg, Withington Hall, were also good ; so too were the Grossc Mignonne and Royal George Peaches from Mr. Beech. Royal George Peaches and Elruge Nectarines were also shown in good per- fection by Mr. Masters, gardener to the Earl of Macclesfield, and by Mr. Sage, gardener to Eail Brownlow. In the class for four dishes, Mr. Allen, gardener to Capt. Glegg, Withington Hall, had Bellegardc, and Noblesse Peaches, and Scarlet and Brugnon Nectarines, the whole of which were fine. Mr. Masters had good fruit of Royal George and Early Grosse Mignonne Peaches, and Elruge and Violette Hative Nec- tarines ; whilst Mr. Young, gardener to W. H. Stone, Esq., Messrs. Jackson, of Kingston, and Mr. Turnbull had also good exhibitions. Awards— For fonr dishes : first, Mr. Allen ; second. Mr. Masters ; third, Mr. Young ; equal fourth, Mr. Tnrnbull and Messrs. Jackson. For two dishes : first. Mr. Sawkius ; equal second, Mr. Miller and Mr. Horwood ; equal third. Mr. Allen and Mr. Beech ; fourth, Mr. Masters, Strawberries. — Mr. Widdowson, gardener to J. EC. Barnes, Esq.. Riekmansworth, furnished the best four dishes — viz.. Empress Eugenie, Sir Charles Napier, President, and Oscar, all large and fine. Mr. Turner, Slough, had Dr. Hogg, Leon de St. Lannier (a large corks- comb-shaped fruit), Sir C. Napier, and Sir Joseph Paxton ; and Mr. Mclndoe, gardener to Coles Child, Esq., Bromley, exhibited Comte de Paris, Marguerite, Empress Eugenie, and President. Mr. Lydiard, Batheastou, sent British Queen, Sir C. Napier, Sir J. Paxton, and Comte de Paris. From Mr. Horwood. Cudham, came two line baskets- ful of Kitley's Goliath ; and Mr. Bailey, Shardeloes, had a seedling named Princess Mary, said to be very prolific, and to possess a well- marked Pine flavour. Awards — First, Mr. Widdowson ; second, Mr. Turner ; third, Mr. Mclndoe ; fourth, Mr. Lydiard. Miscellaneous. — Although classes were assigned to several other fruits, the exhibitions in these were so few that they will be most con- veniently noticed under this head. For Plums, Mr. Mclndoe, gar- dener to Coles Child, Esq., Bromley, was first with a kind of Gage called De Galopin, and Mr. Ingram, gardener to J. J. Blandy, Esq., second with Victoria. Of Figs, fine fruit of the Brown Turkey from Mr. Miles, gardener to Lord Carrington, were first ; the same kind from Mr. Robinson, gardener to R. Benyon, Esq., second ; and what was called Bourjasotte blanche, from Mr. Blake, gardener to E. Green, Esq., Ware, third. In Black Cherries, Mr. Turner was first with Black Tartarian, large and beautifully ripened ; Mr. Hill, gardener to R. Hanburv, Esq.. The Poles, second with fine fruit of the same variety. Of White Cherries, the best were Bigarreau from Mr. Wid- dowson and Mr. Turner, who were first and second, and Elton from Mr. Hill, who took an equal second prize. Mr. Turner also exhibited fine fruit of Black Eagle, Welder's and Knight's Early Black, Black Tartarian, May Duke, Bigarrean, and Elton. From Mr. Henderson, Coleorton Hall, came a box of very good Elrnge and Violette Hative Nectarines ; and from Mr. Osborn, Finchley, Grosse Mignonne Peaches. French Crab Apples were shown in excellent preservation by Mr. Ross, Welford Park ; Raspberries by Mr. Marcham, Drayton House, Ealing ; and Apples, Pears, Peaches, and other orchard-house trees in pots by Mr. Fraser, Lea Bridge. TrrE Reigate Rose Association's Show was held in the Public Hall, Reigate, on June 30th. The centre of tho Hall was occupied by two parallel tables containing the stands of the members for com- petition, the sides by similar tables on which were placed many beautiful plants to be presently noticed with the boxes of Roses brought by nurserymen, not for competition, but kindly lent by them to assist in rendering the Show effective. They came from Messrs. Paul & Son, Cbeshnnt ; Mr. Mitchell, of Piltdown ; Messrs. Ivery and Son, Dorking ; and Mr. John Cattell, Westerham. The table along the end of the Hall was covered with bouquets, arranged chiefly with Fern and other foliage, and suitable for dinner-table decoration. These bouquets were exhibited by Mrs. Wilson Saunders and the ladies of Reigate, Redhill, and the immediate neighbourhood, and for taste and elegance fully merited the praise liberally bestowed upon them. A Rose was shown which may, or may not, according as future experiments shall prove, exercise some influence in Rose culture. It is a Briar Rose from the Himalaya Mountains, exhibited by Mr. W. W. Saunders, tho founder of the Association. A branch of it, about 4 feet in length, was one mass of white bloom, in bunches (corymbs), of eight or ten together. It is quite new to this country, of beautiful foliage and flowers, and of itself worthy of cultivation. It is also perfectly hardy and of vigorous growth, hence tho probability of itg being suitable for stocks. At six o'clock in the evening tho Show was opened free to tho working men of the town and their families, who availed thomselves of tho privilege in great numbers. The lively interest shown by them during their inspection, proved that this re- regulation of tho Committee was duly appreciated by them. The cut flowers woro afterwards distributed among thoso present. — A. H. K. PORTRAITS OF PLANTS, FLOWERS, AND FRUITS. Meoonopsis Nepalenbis (Nepalese Meconopsis). — Nat. ord., Papaveracea?. Linn., Polyandria Monogynia. Native of Nepaul and Sikkim Himalaya, at elevations of 10-11,000 feet. Flower* yellow, " stately, and beautiful." Introduced by Messrs. Back- house, of Tork. — (Bot. Mag., t. 5585.) Poltstachya pubescens (Hairy-stemmed Polystachya). — Nat. ord., Orchidacere. Linn., Gynandria Monandria. Native of Southern Africa. Flowers yellow, striped with crimson. — (Ibid., t. 5586.) Lobelia nicotian.>efolia (Tobacco-leaved Lobelia). — Nat. ord., Lobeliaceae. Linn., Peutandria Monogynia. Native of the mountains of peninsular India and Ceylon. Flowers white,, tinted with blue.— (Ibid., t. 5587.) Ancylogyne lonqiflora (Long-flowered Ancylogyne). — Nat. ord., Acanthaceie. Linn., Diandria Monogynia. Native of Guaya- quil. Introduced by Messrs. Veitch & Sons. Flowers crim- soned-purple. — (Ibid., t. 5588.) Angr.ecum Chailluanum (Du Chaillu's Angracurn). — Nat. ord., Orchidacese. Linn., Gynandria Monandria. Native of Western Africa, sent by the well-abused M. du Chaillu, from the Gaboon. Flowers white, tinged with green. — (Ibid., t. 5589.) Bohemian Black Bigarreau. — This is " one of the largest and finest of our Black Heart class of Cherries. It is a variety that was introduced by Mr. Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth, under the name of Bigarreau Radowesnitzer, a name the correct pronunciation of which must in no small degree prove a stumblingblock to English gardeners ; and we have there- fore rendered it into English by calling it Bohemian Black Bigarreau, in allusion to the country whence it is said to have its origin. Whether we regard this variety as to its size, flavour, or earliness, it is equally valuable. It ripens early in July, and is of the largest size, of a roundish heart-shape, very even aud regular in its outline ; skin shining, and jet black. The characteristically short stalk is very stout, and dark green. Flesh quite black, firm, but not so firm and crackling as Bigarreaux generally are, but juicy, richly flavoured, and delicious. We would recommend this to be grown in every collection." — (Florist and Pomologist, v., 137.) GARDENERS' BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION. When at the dinner of this excellent Institution the other evening one or two thoughts crossed my mind. First, a fifteen- years annual payment of one guinea to entitle a subscriber to be placed on the pension list without the expenses of an election seems rather much ; I would make this ten years. Then I would open a 10s. 6d. annual subscription for gardeners under thirty years of age, and rule a twenty-years subscription to entitle them to the same benefits. I believe this would produce a good revenue, and associate the young gardeners with the Institution, and secure their active influence and support. Let me, in support of this argument, bring into view the fact that the difference between an annual subscription of 10s. 6rf. and 21.?. is important to many young gardeners, whose remunera- tion, never high, is very low in early life. Further, when I compare thi3 with other benevolent institu- tions I think that, considering the numbers and influence of the gardening interest and its supporters, it does not receive all the support that might be expected. This does not, in my opinion, arise from any want of charitable feeling, but because its claims are not forcibly and often enough put before the public. Perhaps this has been left undone on the score of expense ; but I believe that a judicious expenditure under this head would pay. Why not map out the country, and have a committee in every town ten miles distant, so that each com- mittee might have a circle of ten miles diameter to work, can- vassing every gardener and lover of gardening within it ? This JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ July 10, 1806. would, of course, entail expenses of printing, posting, adver- tising, &c. ; but to guard against injudicious expenditure of the Society's funds a good commission might be allowed on the subscriptions actually obtained. I believe men would be found willing to undertake this small risk, and would in no case withhold from the general fund more than was required to cover expenses. — William Paul, Waltham Cross, N. PLANTING ORNAMENTAL TREES AND SHRUBS. Planting is an operation too often very indifferently per- formed, and the trees so frequently " stuck in " plainly testify mismanagement by the tardiness of their after-growth. Dig- ging a hole and putting a tree in it is one thing, planting a tree is quite another. Of the latter I will now speak. Trees of all kinds should be planted in prepared soil. The Boil should be dug out to a depth of 2 feet, and that at bottom ought to be loosened to a depth of at least 1 foot. The openings so made should be larger than the ball, or extent of the roots, and they should not be round nor square, but in the shape of a cross, or of two rectangles placed across each other. Two rectangles, each 12 feet by 6 feet, placed across each other a 1 , right angles will be sufficient for moderate-sized trees, but for larger trees three such, 16 feet long by 6 or 8 feet wide, placed across each other, will not be too much. The space, However, let it be what it may, should be such that the inner radius will contain the roots without cramping them, and not only that, but leave a foot clear of prepared earth for them to ramify through before they come in contact with the firm or poor soil. It is usual to make the pits or holes round, but this has the effect of introducing the growing fibres of the trees into the poor soil all at once, and thus a check is given, which causes many persons to inquire why the tree so planted should do well for a year or two after planting, and then all at once come to a standstill, and even retrograde. When a tree is planted in a round or square hole it is much in the same position as if it were planted in a pot or tub. The roots spread and take lip all or most of the food contained in the circular or square pit, and by this time the head shuts out the rain ; then the roots, not having extended further than the head, derive little benefit from rains, and, being introduced to the firm poor soil all at once, they feel the loss of the prepared or loose soil, and show that loss in the growths made. By planting, however, in cross-shaped pits the roots will extend rapidly through the pre- pared soil, and some of them coming in contact with the firm and poor soil almost immediately this will be penetrated by them ; and those in the arms of the cross being in good soil will keep up a free growth until the others become established in the firm soil. At the same time the roots being attracted by the loose soil in the arms of the cross will be at a greater distance from the stem, and, therefore, derive the benefit of rains ; whereas were the trees planted in round pits the head would exclude most of the rain, and the roots being deprived of that moisture to a great extent, the growths would be poor in con- sequence, and the necessity for artificial watering would be much increased. Fig. 1 will convey an idea of the advantages resulting from planting in cross-shaped instead of circular or square pits. Of these not the least is the dovetailing, so to speak, of the roots in the prepared soil ; another consists in the moisture re- tained gradually rendering penetrable to the roots a larger sur- face of the hard ground at the sides of the hole. Besides, the trees are more secure against winds, and the sides do not give so great a check to the roots as those of a circular pit. In preparing to plant, the earth taken out of the pits ought to be mixed with a quantity of good, loamy, rich soil. If the soil is poor, one-fourth of the worst should be taken from it, and double its bulk of fresh soil ought to be well mixed with the remaining portion, and the whole, or enough to fill the pit level with the surface, will have to be returned to the pit. If the soil taken out is good, all that is required will be to mix with it one-fourth of fresh soil. Whatever the quantity of bad soil, or stones separated from that taken out of the pits, the remainder should be mixed with one-fourth more fresh soil than the amount taken away. Compost suitable for mixing with the soil in planting may be obtained in most places by collecting ditch-cleanings, weeds, and rubbish of all kinds, and its quality will be improved by mixing with it parings from the sides of highways and road-scrapings, a large per-centage of which in country districts consists of tree leaveB. Such heaps turned over twice, and a cartload of fresh lime added to every ten of compost at the last turning, form excellent top-dressings for grass lands, besides being useful for giving trees a start at the time of planting. There ought to bo such heaps of com- post at hand, large or small, in every garden. From returning Fig. 1. the loosened soil taken out of the pit, together with that added to it, the trees will stand on a knoll, and such knolls or mounds should all be of the same height, as they will be if the fore- going directions be adhered to. Before planting the tree the soil in the cestre of the pit should be elevated about 9 inches above the surface, and the cone thus formed should have the top flattened to the extent of about 3 feet. If the root3 render it necessary, it should be hollowed out with the bottom convex rather than concave; for, when the bottom is concave the points of the roots are apt to be turned upwards, whereas they should incline from the stem of the plant downwards. In all cases the hole must be large enough to admit the roots without cramping or turning them from their natural position. Fig. 2 shows a tree planted in a convex-bottomed opening, with'the roots coming straight from the root-stem ; fig. 3, one placed in a hole with the bottom concave, the points of all the principal roots, from which the smaller roots take their rise, pointing upwards ; whilst in fig. i we have a tree planted in a raised mound, the top for about 2 feet from the stem of the tree being hollowed out, or concave, for watering the tree after planting. The opening so made, when the tree has heoome established, or before dry weather sets in, is mulched with stones or rough pieces of turf, either of which will lie open and permit of the basin holding water, and at the same time prevent rapid evaporation. The mode of staking the tree is also shown, for it is necessary after planting to main- tain the stem in an upright position, otherwise the wind may force it from the perpendicular when the roots are emitting fresh fibres, and thus destroy many of them ; besides, a tree liable to be moved by the wind is sure to have its roots dis- July 10, 18«6. ] JOUBNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 29 placed and injured, and trees blown over a few times for want of staking will soon be fit only for firewood. J*. The tree having been planted, watered, and the head ad- jnsted by staking, the hill or cone should be sloped down all round and turfed over, or sown with grass seeds, the turf taken from the ground in the first instance, it is presumed, being mixed with the soil as it was returned to the pit, where it will be very beneficial in promoting growth. In planting trees and shrubs they should not be placed lower in the soil than will be sufficient to cover the uppermost roots with from 3 to 6 inches of soil ; in fact, the base or setting-on of the roots should be nearly level with the surface, the roots radiating from it at that point being spread out at a slight angle into the soil. Fig. 4. By planting the trees on hills we seek to produce the same effect as if the trees had sprung out of the earth naturally, rising, as they invariably do, from an elevated base occasioned by the rising and swelling of the collar. Though the mounds may be rather high, they will sink down so as to be in a few years only about half their original height ; ultimately every tree so planted will rise out of a gently elevated base, and this adds to the dignity of expression, without which no tree can have a natural appearance, and that it must have to look well. Imagine the shaft of a tree rising abruptly out of a flat surface, and appearing no thicker at its base than it is higher up ! There is no such thing in nature, yet such trees are very common in pleasure-grounds in consequence of neglect in not keeping the roots considerably higher than the general surface at the time of planting. When a tree is planted in a pit 2 feet or more deep, and after planting the ground round it is trodden and watered, by the sinking of the soil the tree will stand in a hollow after the lapse of a few years. This hollow, especially in pleasure grounds, will be filled up from time to time by the gardener, and the collar of the tree, instead of being above the surface as it is naturally, will be buried in firm soil to the depth of from 6 inches to 1 foot. This ruins the effect of all trees, greatly retards their growth, causes or decreases the tendency to produce flowers and fruit, brings on discaso at the collar, and occasions the death of many kinds of Coniferrc. It is better to plunt high, so that after the ground in which the tree is planted has be- come consolidated the mound may requiro lowering by scrap- ing away some soil from the collar, so as to leavo a portion of the main roots bare, than to plant low and have to add soil there, producing the objectionable appearanco referred to. Fig. 5 represents the result of the proper mode of plant- ing ; fig. 6, the result of planting a tree in loose soil and level with the surrounding surface ; fig. 7, the result of the latter in dressed ground, showing the collar buried in the soil, retarding its growth, and bringing on premature decay. Fig. 7. When a clump of trees has to be planted it may be desirable to trench the whole of the ground 2 feet deep, and in that case they may be planted on the level, for the soil will settle equally, and cannot cause the collar to settle deeper in the earth than it was when first planted. The same remarks apply to trees planted to form belts, and in plantations, though it is desirable even then to plant on slightly elevated ridges, the trees, of course, being planted on the apex of the ridge, and the underwood in the furrows. When trees and shrubs are planted with balls of earth ad- hering to the roots it may not be desirable to plant them on a raised cone, but instead of digging out a hole, and planting them at such a depth as to permit of the ball being covered with from 3 to 6 inches of soil, it may be as well to consider whether doing so is not placing the collar lower than the general surface. In all poor, dry, shallow soils, and very strong, heavy, clay ground, it would be much the better to place the tree, with, the ball on or but a few inches below the general surface, and to place soil around, so as to form a cone, covering the ball with from 3 to 6 inches of soil, and dished out at the top so as to hold water. The sides of the cone so formed should be con- cave rather than convex, so that the fresh soil may unite kindly with the firm soil instead of cracking. Trees so planted will thrive much better than those planted on the level. They look much better, and grow more vigorously. As to the best time for planting differences of opinion may exist, but that, I think, is chiefly to be attributed to different soils. Where the soil is light and dry the best time to plant deciduous trees is in autumn, as early as the fall of the leaf will allow ; but where the soil is cold, wet, and tenacious, I have found that trees planted in March succeed better than when planted in autumn, especially if the winter is unusually wet. Spring, a little before they start into growth, is the most suitable time to plant evergreen shrubs and trees. Planting in their case may also be carried out in autumn, but not until growth has been perfected, and as early as possible, and then, if the soil is wet and cold, it is ten to one that they will not form a single fibre. 30 JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ July 10, 1 It is desirable to plant young trees in preference to those which are large, though the latter are calculated to give effect at once. Removing large trees is waste of money. There is the preparing of the tree for removal, transporting it to its destination, staking or otherwise fixing it when planted, mulch- ing the ground around, watering afterwards, perhaps throughout the summer, and all this costs as much as would prepare the Boil, and plant twenty different species, including the purchase of the trees. I grant that the effect of large trees is striking and immediate; but even if they thrive, which is always a matter of doubt, they bear no comparison with young trees planted in prepared soil. Take the large tree, it lingers on from the first, producing year after year a still more sickly and feeble vegetation, until it finally decays ; but the young tree even from the first season makes strong and vigorous shoots, attaining yearly a still greater degree of perfection and beauty. Yearly the young tree makes ample and visible return for the care and trouble bestowed upon it, while a large tree often re- mains a constant reproach to the transplanter. Every prac- tical gardener knows that in almost all situations, if he be allowed to prepare the soil properly and select trees suitable, he can produce a tree in seven years fit for any purpose in landscape scenery, quite equal in bulk to any transplantable tree, and having the advantage of being firmly rooted in the soil, and in circumstances to increase rapidly every year. — — G. Abbey. ORCHARD-HOUSE TREES IN POTS. Many failures are owing to the wood growing too strong, and it, consequently, being imperfectly ripened, the fruit-buds are apt to fall off immaturely. The best remedy for this is to lessen water towards autumn, and to lift the pots out of the soil, breaking any roots that pass through into the ground, and then watering and syringing a little to prevent the leaves flagging. This, and the pinching-in during summer, will ensure well- ripened wood ; and strength for the swelling buds to neutral- ise the roots lost by lifting the pots, can be communicated by picking away with a stick some of the surface soil of the pots and adding rich surface compost in the autumn. Fresh fibres will form in that during the winter, and will much help the swelling buds in the spring. A correspondent, " Inquibeb," says the trees he has have weak shoots, and the fruit shrivels. In this case weakness, instead of strength of growth, has chiefly to be contended against. I think it very likely that the burnt appearance at the ends of the shoots is owing either to mildew or insects, or to a weak, unhealthy condition of the plants. This condition I have seen produced by giving the plants too much rank ma- nure, either in the solid or liquid state. A man may be in- jured as easily by eating too much rich food as by not having enough of plain nourishing food to sustain the wear and tear of life. Without knowing more of the treatment of your plants than you tell, it is impossible to say what is the cause of their present weakly condition ; but in default of that evi- dence I would be inclined to say that your trees are suffering from want of nourishment. Fruit trees in pots, it must be recollected, have such little space to root in, that they are almost wholly dependant on what you do for them. If the pots are set on shelves, or merely on the surface of the ground, they are still more de- pendant than when partially plunged in the soil. Independently of the roots that will find their way out of the pot in the latter case, and which help the swelling fruit, the protecting of the pot helps to keep the roots in a more equal state as respects temperature and moisture. Even then, however, in bright weather, they will want watering often, say once a-day, and in duller weather every other day during the growing season. Deficient watering is one cause of the trees in pots frequently failing. I have alluded to the ripening of the wood in the autumn. If the trees are lifted to help the ripening of wood, water must be given afterwards to prevent anything like shrivelling. Even in winter the roots, though they may be rather dry, should not be dry. I have known buds and young fruit fall in spring, because the roots had been too dry and in operative in winter. Frequent dryness in summer will not only cause the fruit to fall, but also render the trees unhealthy. One of the pleasures of the culture of fruit trees in pots is the almost constant demands they make on your attention. It is a wise provision in nature, that we become most attached to that which demands most of our care. When this somewhat nursing attachment between us and our fruit trees in pots ceases or languishes, it is about time to think of dissolving the connection. Watering, therefore, must be an element of pleasure to the amateur who wishes to succeed with fruit trees in pots. Not only so, but in such limited space the water must be richer than common pond or rain water. This rich- ness is easily given by mulching or top-dressing. I have alluded to top-dressing in autumn. By the time the trees are showing bloom, as much soot or superphosphate as can be held between the thumb and three fingers may be strewed over the surface of each pot of 16 inches, or as much guano as may be taken or held between the thumb and fore- finger, and this may be repeated in a week, the watering wash- ing it in gradually. As the season becomes warmer, however, a mulching of rotten dung an inch or two deep may be packed over the surface of the pot, and whilst some nourishment will be obtained, the mulching as long as it remains will lessen evaporation, and therefore save such frequent waterings. This mulching may need repeating again during the summer, for it soon wastes away in such circumstances. Even with this mulching, clear manure waterings, weak rather than strong, will be an advantage if given at every second or third water- ing. For instance, a bushel of horse-droppings may be steeped eight days in a thirty-sis-gallon barrel, half a bushel of sheep or deer droppings, a peck of soot, and a little lime for clearing, 2 lbs. of superphosphate, and 1 lb. of guano ; the two last to be used at once, the soot to stand twenty-four hours. About half the quantity will do for the next brewing, as some virtues will remain after the first watering. I am thus particular, because over-rich waterings are as bad as weak ones, but in an opposite way, Mulching the surface is one of the easiest ways for giving manure waterings, especially when the water- ing is done with a coarse rose, and when time can be spared, it is also better for the plants, as more air is taken down with the water from a rose to tha roots. Unless on fresh mulching, however, it is seldom I use the rose, just on account of the time it takes to let the water down. The spout is used instead, though not so good. Now, if, after reading this, you come to the conclusion that your trees are suffering from poverty, I would advise the scrap- ing off as much of the surface soil, and breaking the surface with a pointed stick of what was left as would not hurt any of the active fibres, then add a little, say an inch, of nice, fresh, rough, mellow loam, and then top-dress with half-rotten dung, say horse-droppings that had been thrown into a heap to heat and destroy all the com that might be in them. Afterwards water for a week with clear water, and then alternately with weak manure water, or scatter a pinch of strong manure on the mulching, to be washed through it, as previously stated. If, as suspected, poverty is the cause, the trees will improve under this regimen before the autumn, and lay the foundation for future success, and thus you will bo doing the best what- ever the ultimate destination of the trees. I have presupposed that the roots are sufficiently drained, for stagnant moisture will cause the appearances you describe, as well as want of wate#and poverty. I also presuppose that the tops of the trees are kept clean by frequent syringings after the fruit has fairly set. As you have such a nice house it would be a pity to take it down again ; and as for the trees, I fear, if your description is correct, that you will scarcely make a market of them " at almost any price ;" but I see no reason why you should not suc- ceed with them in pots if you give them the requisite, and that is very constant, attention. Even the watering alone takes a great deal of time and care. If the trees were planted out, they would be more independent of your care, but they would also be less under your control. If the trees have suffered from poverty the above treatment would be the best preparation for planting them out. The best time for doing it would be as soon as the fruit was gathered, and the best mode, if the trees were still to be grown as dwarf bushes and standards, would be merely to break the outside of the ball a little, so as to let the fibres out into the soil, and the fresher the soil the better. If, however, you have any reason to believe that the trees have suffered from stagnant moisture, and the soil from that cause has a sodden claggy appearance, or it has become of an unhealthy character from a superabundance of rich water- ings or dressings, it would be advisable to wait a little longer until the leaves began to change colour, and then in a large tub wash away all the old soil, and lay the roots out anew in fresh loam, and keep the house rather close and the trees syringed for a couple of weeks afterwards, and give a little July 10, l&X. ] JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 31 shade if the weather iH bright, so as to insure the wood being plump. Under such circumstances new roots will soon form, and if the plants are not so very far gone you may bo as much troubled next season with strong growth as you are now with weak growth. To keep the bushes, i-c, Bmall after planting-out, it will require a good deal of judicious root-pruning. To make the most of such a house for fruit with the least amount of labour and care, I would fix a trellis on each side of the span, 15 inches from tho glass. I would plant-out the best plants on each side, and train to the trellis, and keep the others in pots until the trellis was full. If there were still doubts as to your trees being quite suitable for that trellis, you could obtain from six to eight trained trees for tho trellis, three or four on each side, and keep thoso you have in pots until tho covered trellis left no room for them. Though I have lots of pots doing well, I am convinced that for profit nothing beats tho trellis under the glass. Even in lean-to's, with trees against tho back wall, and some sort of trellis for some three-quarters of the width in front, I am pretty certain that a trellis up the roof under the glass would be the most profitable. Planting-out and keeping as dwarfs in the house has also its advantages, and chiefly on the score of augmented interest, and being placed more under the control of a lady or gentleman amateur ; but on the score of economy every way I do not think anything will surpass a trellis at a uniform distance from the glass, which uniformity alone gives a better security for all the fruit being equally well flavoured. I shall be glad to hear further on the subject. — R. F. NEW BOOK. Wayside Flora ; or, Gleanings from Rock ami Field toica7-ds Borne. By Nona Bell.uks. London : Smith, Elder, & Co. We welcome this little volume, the contents of which we need not praise, for they have, for the most part, been pub- lished in our pages. They are worthy of a separate form, and it is wishing a good wish when we say that we would not that any civilised being could be found who did not enjoy what is there written. Pear Blooming on the Present Year's Wood. — I have a large Jargonelle Pear with several blooms on the present year's wood, some of which have set very freely. Some of the Apple trees aro also showing bloom, but unfertile. — H. S. WORK FOR THE WEEK. KITCHEN GARDEN. The weather is now very suitable for planting out good breadths of Brussels Sprouts, Savoys, Curled Kale, and Broc- colis of sorts. Where the ground is occupied by patches of early or second early Potatoes, to he used in the course of the month, it is a good plan to part the haulm between every second row, and plant Knight's Protecting Broccoli or other spring sorts to stand the winter. The increased space between the rows gives room to earth them up to the neck, they grow stiff and hardy, and are fit to withstand the frosts of our most severe winters. Beans, top these and the tall varieties of Peas, as they are growing very rampant this year from the wet weather. Celery, ridge out for the main crop, also a trench of Cardoons where they are looked for. Cauliflotcer, make sowings in the middle of the month, also of Walcheren, Snow's, and Grange's Broccoli for planting for late lifting, to be packed in beds in the open air. As soon as frosty nights are apprehended a spot is selected for laying them in, in beds 4 or 5 feet wide, with alleys about 2 or 3 feet in width, to retain the litter for covering in frosty nights. It is by far the best way of keeping up through the winter a good supply of fine white heads, devoid of the disagreeable smell and colour they acquire when kept in sheds or sand. Endive, sow the main crop, and plant out a few of the earliest Bowings. Leeks, transplant ; they are better of being earthed up like Celery to the depth of 6 inches. Cucumbers, peg down the shoots of the pickling sorts, to keep them from being blown about by the wind. Capsicums and Tomatoes, keep them nailed to the waUs or wooden fences ; thin also or stop their shoots fre- quently, as they require all the sun possible to produce good crops of fruit in our climate. Lettuces, continue to sow ; also Radishes and Salads of all sorts according to the consumption. Potatoes, earth up the late sorts. FRUIT OARDEN. See that Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots are nailed, if not already done, as the wind is sometimes very strong about this time, and makes sad havoc with the shoots. Vines on the open walls still requiro rubbing off the useless shoots, nailing in thoBo that are useful, and thinning the Grapes. Currants and Gooseberries requiro all the watery useless shoots to be thinned out. It is a good plan for keeping Red Currants till tho latest period for tarts, Ac, to select some of the best bushes on a dry day, thin all the shoots from the fruit, drive a strong stake in the middle of tho bush, and tio all the branches to it, then wrap one or two good g arden mats round it. From bushes treated in this way a supply may be kept up till No- vember. Trained fruit-tree espaliers should have useless shoots removed. Tho Elton and British Queen Strawberries are colouring badly and rotting in shaded situations, owing to the wet weather. The fruitstalks ought to be propped up with forked sticks, to expose the fruit to as much sun and light as possible. FLOWER GARDEN. Attend to the greenhouse plants now placed out of doors. See that worms do not effect an entry into the pots and close the drainage. Attend to the routine of tying, stopping, and other details. Carnations and Picotees may now be layered, and a stock of cuttings of Geraniums put in» Bulbs may be taken up and stored away until the autumn, and their places immediately occupied with flowers from the reserve stock. Perpetual Roses will be benefited by an application of manure water to insure a healthy second bloom. A better production of bloom will be obtained by picking off excessive buds. Rus- sian Violets may be separated, and fresh plantations made. Mow and roll grass. Attend to walks, the weather at present encouraging the growth of weeds. The present is a favourable time for putting in cuttings of all the more showy herbaceous plants, selecting for the purpose the small shoots not furnished with bloom. A north border is a suitable place to strike them, and a hand-glass will facilitate their rooting quickly. Go over the beds frequently, and keep the young shoots of Verbenas, Petunias, &c, nicely regulated and pegged down until the ground be fairly covered, after which greater freedom of growth may be permitted. On light dry soils two or three applica- tions of weak manure water, given at intervals of a few days and when the ground is moist, will greatly assist the plants to cover the beds without loss of time. GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. The beauty of the most of the softwooded plants in the con- servatory may be considerably prolonged by the use of weak manure water, which should be given occasionally. Indeed, such things as Achimenes, Clerodendrons, &c, may be had in full beauty for several months if they are supplied with manure water ; but care must be taken not to give it too strong, especially at first. Keep the atmosphere as moist as possible, but avoid damp at night by leaving sufficient air on to cause a gentle circulation, and spare no attention that will keep the plants clear of insects. Stock for autumn and winter flower- ing will now require some care to bring it sufficiently forward to be useful at the proper time. Chinese Primulas, especially the double varieties, if at all backward, may now bo placed ill a close frame and shaded from the sun, when they will be found to make satisfactory progress. Cinerarias for early flowering should also be potted and started at once, choosing the strongest suckers for the purpose, and placing them in a close shady frame until they have become rooted. They are sometimes attacked by thrips, but if they are kept cool and moist and smoked occasionally no danger need be apprehended from this or other pests, and they will grow vigorously. Whilst house-creepers are in an active growth, make it a rule to go over them frequently, in order that they may not grow into a confused state. The same may be said of creepers in pots, which require attention for the same reason every few days. Any shoots which have done flowering should be cut back, and a crowded growth avoided. A number of hardwooded plants which were cut back some weeks since, will now have recovered themselves and be commencing a fresh growth. This is the proper time to shift into larger pots any plants requiring it. Carefully loosen the outside roots. After potting keep the plants closer for a few days, and syringe them daily ; but avoid giving any more water to the roots than is sufficient to pre- serve the old ball moist. To prevent watering so quickly after potting, let the roots of the plants be well moistened before being potted. 32 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ July 10, 1866. As many of the principal plants will now be in the conser- vatory, advantage must be taken of their absence to encourage the plants for winter blooming, especially such as Justicias, Erantbemums, Begonias, Aphelandras, Euphorbias, &c, and a batch of Achimenes picta and Gesnera zebrina must be started for the same purpose. Rondeletia speciosa is an ex- cellent winter plant when sufficient heat can be afforded, and Torenia asiatica and Pentas carnea, especially the latter, are very useful plants. Luculia gratissirna and Pinceana must be placed in a sheltered corner in the open air to ripen the wood and set the bloom ; never mind the leaves turning brown, they will soon recover that when placed in heat again. Maintain a moist growing temperature with plenty of air, and guard against insects. So far as Orchids are concerned, those show- ing indications of matured growth may be removed to the cool end of the house for a few weeks, and afterwards placed in quarters where the temperature and atmospheric moisture will not interfere with the slow progress of the plant towards a state of rest. Dendrobiums and others of that class should be grown on till the shoots are of sufficient height. Remove the first appearance of every form of weed or insect, aud keep the sponge constantly at work, for much of the health and vigour of plants depend upon this. See that no plants are neglected in consequence of standing in corners or behind large plants. Arrange and re-arrange frequently, for doing so tends materially to promote the well-being of the plants, while it heightens in a high degree the interest of the house. — W. Keane. DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. KITCHEN GARDEN. The thunderstorms and the rains which we expected have come, and, if injurious to some things, have furnished a good opportunity for turning over and filling with Winter Greens every bit of unoccupied ground. Planted out a good piece of Coleworts between Peas that will soon be off. These we generally plant a foot apart in the rows, and the rows are a foot apart. Planted out also a border of the Early Ulm Savoy, a sweet little vegetable that comes in early, and which does well a foot apart. These are as useful in the autumn and early winter as the dwarf and larger Savoys are at Christmas. Our manure for these, Brussels Sprouts and Scotch Kale, has chiefly consisted of mowings, short and longer, allowed to lie iu a heap until in strong heat and incipient decomposition, and then trenched down in the bottom of the trench. This manure gives assistance to the plants long be- fore the roots reach it, and before that takes place it will have lost its raukness. When we used to pride ourselves on having large Celery fit for use in July, we took out deep trenches, say 2 feet in depth and 4 feet in width, put in 18 inches of this hot grass and litter, trod it firmly, covered it with G inches of soil, again trod it firmly, aud then put on 6 inches of rotten dung and soil. The heat from the decom- posing grass pushed the Celery along, and it was becoming sweet and mild and much reduced in bulk before the Celery roots took hold of it. Where there is labour at command there need be no standing still for bottom heat after such mowings come in. When mixed with rather dry litter such a mixture will afford heat a long time, until, in fact, the litter has become decomposed ; and if there is from 12 to 15 inches of sweet or more decomposed material above it, the rankness will not hurt anything ; but of course, if either the roots or leaves came in contact with that rankness directly it would be very prejudicial. We recollect when, from want of anything better, and wish- ing to have all the benefit of the heating short grass in the ground, we first used it as a heavy dressing for a piece |of Cauliflowers ; the Cauliflowers grew wonderfully fast, but owing to the trenching being carelessly performed — the ground left level, some shoved in hills and dales— there being great depressions over the trenches where an extra quantity of such manure had been placed, and in those places where the mow- ings had been left near the surface some plants suffered, looking in bright sun as if the roots had been nibbled by wireworm. We knew well enough what was the matter, and kept our own council. Such fresh material should, for all fresh plant- ations, be from 12 to 18 inches from the surface. When people shall be less frightened to use such rank stuff the mowings and sweepings might often be taken to a quarter in the kitchen garden, and two wheelings instead of one might be avoided. Those who would be afraid to use such rich manures as these grass mowings and sweepings make when in this rank state, instead of allowing them to lie aud rot (and most of their best properties thus escape into the atmosphere), should have them covered over with earth or with part of the general rubbish-heap, and then the latter will be greatly enriched in its manurial properties. Even when used fresh, as manure, or for giving heat to plants in frames, danger will be averted if the materials do not come near the roots, and no steam or vapour escape into the atmosphere of the space occu- pied by the leaves. When used, therefore, for bottom or for top heat, no crevice should be left to allow the sSrong steam to pass upwards, for it will assuredly kill all that it can reach in a close atmosphere. Celery. — Took the opportunity to plant out several large beds. We use the beds of any convenient size, as the width is of but little importance where the earthing-up is done well. This season our beds are i feet wide, with 3. J -feet- wide spaces between them, these ridges being cropped alternately with Peas, staked, and with dwarf crops of Kidney Beans, &c, so that there may be no difficulty in passing along the dwarf- cropped ridge to water the two beds of Celery ; and then the rows of Peas, with the stakes, give a shade to a certain extent. When we used each ridge for Peas we had them wider, and the beds also wider. These beds were taken out about 15 inches deep, and the soil laid on the ridges on each side. Then in the bed was placed about inches deep of half-rotten dung from old hotbeds, aud that was dug-in and incorporated with the soil, and then was added about 6 inches more of rotten leaf mould aud hotbed dung, with a little soil chopped from the sides mixed with it. In such beds we have often put four rows, but this season we have only put three rows, the plants standing a foot apart each way, and the outside rows being nearly a foot from the side of the trench. Even such kinds as the Dwarf Incom- parable require that space to form nice stubby plants, and strong-growing kinds need more room. Where room is scarce the beds may be from 6 to 8 feet wide, and then a bed will give a large number of plants. When the plants are tied before earthing-up, the mere width of tho bed does not interfere in the least with their easy management. So far as our experience goes, plants in wide beds are not so apt to bolt, even when planted early, as those in trenches from 9 to 12 inches wide, as the roots do not come so readily against the firm sides of the trench. When merely some 3 or 4 inches of rotten manure are given to a trench a foot wide or so, strong Celery plants would soon begin to feel like a plant in a pot, which will ever have a tendency to throw up a flower-stem as the roots become firm round the sides of the pot. Plenty of water and doing away with the bit-by-bit earthing-up of early Celery, are, however, the great preventives against running-up flower-stalks. The whole theory of this has already been explained. We must not say what the Celery will be this season, but this we can say, that where such simple details can be attended to, there need not be a single run head of early Celery. The planting, too, though trifling, is also of some importance. A farmer friend used often to speak of a row which be once had, and the perspiration into which he was thrown in carry- ing the plants home. He had the plants with large balls of roots, and in his rotten muck they did grow, and never suffered from the moving. We noticed in some of our beds a few plants flagging, which they had no business to do with the balls with which they ought to have been lifted from the pricked-out bed. The man had been planting with a hand trowel, a very nice implement for ordinary purposes, but not at all calculated for such fine plants with large masses of fibrous roots in the rotten leaf mould. It could only be done properly by making good trenches with the spade ; for then the ball could be laid in at the proper depth, and the fibres would not be crushed by the ball being squeezed into a hole too small for it. This little matter is often neglected when planting with a trowel. The hole should always be large enough to permit of the fibres going out freely into the loose fresh- turned soil. Even when plunging plants in pots in a bed, where nicety as to appearance and the welfare of the plants are considered, the hole made should always be large enough ; it is in every way better to throw a little material into the bottom of the hole iu order to keep the pot to the right level, instead of at- tempting to squeeze the pot down, for then it will not long July 10, 186C. ] JOUHNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. aa maintain the samo level with tho others, and free drainage will to a great extent bo prevonted. Of course in this trowel or spado planting tho wholo process is intended to bo quite dif- ferent from dibble planting. In the latter caso tho roots aro generally few, and with but littlo earth about them. In thoir case the firming of the earth about tho roots is the chief point, and, as previously explained, this can only be well done with one strolco of tho dibble inserted in an oblique direction to the plant, and then brought sharply up to tho perpendicular. So put in a plant will be more firm than if it had received half a dii7.cn pottering strokes from tho dibble. Wo are always sus- picious of the plants being hung — that is, the roots suspended in an open space, when tho planter uses more than three strokes of the dibble — one to make the hole, one to fasten the plant, and a back stroke with the point to partially fill the hole made by tho second stroke. FRUIT DEPARTMENT. Very much as described in previous weeks' notices. Pro- tecting and gathering fruit, syringing orchard-houses, thinning Grapes, lessening shade in earlier houses, and nipping out a few bad berries inclined to damp from drip, and watering as required. Peaches and Figs swelling to ripening want plenty of water and plenty of air, as dryness at the root will arrest free swelling, and a close atmosphere will cause Figs to damp at the points, and Peaches to be deficient in flavour. ORNAMENTAL DEPARTMENT. Here we havo had much to do in mowing, clearing, etc., tho rains making the grass grow too fast for the mowing machine. Potting Cinerarias, Primulas, &c. ; giving Epacrises a good open placo in a pit to harden growth, regulating conservatory, making up any faults in flower-beds, &c, but we have time to allude to two things only this week. First, placing greenliouse plants out of doors. "We do not think there is any advantage in this if it could bo avoided. A place a little shaded, but commanding either the morning or afternoon sun for few hours, is generally best ; but if the plants are inured to it by degrees, even Heaths, Epacris, Cy- tisus, etc., will suffer little from a south exposure if the pots are protected from tho sun's rays. A piece of mat or a turf on the south side of tho pot would often be sufficient. Under such circumstances, and as avoiding much extra attention in summer, plunging the pot to within an inch of the rim, either in ashes, or sand, or even earth, is a good plan, as there is no chance ot the fibres being scorched, and the firmness of the pot gives a security against high winds to the head of the plant ; but in plunging thus in summer all valuable plants, and es- pecially all those with hair-like fibres, the hole should be large enough to permit of two bricks, or two tiles, or stones, being set on their sides at the bottom of tho hole, with an open space between them. The pot will stand on the bricks, and the open free space will alike keep the worms away and secure drainage. A second matter to be borne in mind, both in-doors and out of doors, is that all supports for plants, sticks, &c, are neces- sary evils — evils, therefore to be hidden instead of exhibited. All necessary supports should therefore be kept out of sight as much- as possible. Young shoots of any shrub or tree with tho bark on are, therefore, better than all clean-shaved sticks ; and all plants grown to a stem in the pyramidal form may be se- cured with one stake only, the subsidiary branches being kept secure by a loop of small string, generally more inconspicu- ous than matting. Even rather large Geraniums and Calceo- larias may be made pretty secure by means of one stick in time, and the other shoots hasped to it with a loop. One would imagine at time3 that the stakes were the objects to be looked at, instead of the plant, and one step in the right direc- tion will be taken when even the one stake necessary for most plants shall cease to be an object of attraction — be, in fact, looked upon as a drawback, which it is necessary to conceal as much as possible. — R. F. Weixikgtonia. — In your Number for June 26th, Mr. Robson asked for memoranda touching Wellingtonias. At Shotover House, Oxon, there is a remarkably well-grown specimen. It wrs planted in 1859, and had then attained a height of G inches. In June, 18f>2, the circumference of the base (at ground) was 9 inches, the height 4 feet 3 inches. In June, 1866, the dimensions of the same tree were as follows : height, 12.J feet ; circumference of branches, 37£ feet ; circumference of trunk at 6 inches from the ground, 29 inches. — C. F. W., Forest Hill, Oxon. COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— Jci.y 7. Suppi.rES ot both home-grown nnd foreign fruit tiro well kept up, and us the London season is now drawing to a close, tho more choice produc- tions will rapidly decline in prieos. Pines arc in excess of tho demand, and there are heavy arrivals from the West Indies. Soft fruit generally, notwithstanding the rain of last week, has heeu food in hulk and appear- nine, hut deficient in quality, flood Regent Potatoes can now he ob- tained at prices ranging from 0». to On. per bushel. Artichokes each Asparagus bundle Boans, Broad. . bushel Kidney 100 Beet, lied doz. Broccoli bundle Brus. Sprouts l* sieve Cabbage doz. Capsicums 100 Carrots hunch Cauliflower doz. Celery bundle Cucumbers each pickling .... doz. Endive doz. Fennel bunch Garlic T lb. Herbs bunch Horseradish .. bundle Apples J£ sieve Apricots doz. Cherries lb. Chestnuts bush. Currants sieve Black do. Figs doz. Filberts lb. Cobs 100 lbs. Goose berries ..quart Grapes, Hothouse, .lb. Lemons 100 VEGETABLES B. d. s. d 2 too -1 I) II 4 2 2 4 2 8 2 8 1 6 2 6 8 1 4 s. d. s. OtoO 2 4 fi 8 15 4 8 6 6 6 6 10 Leeks bunch Lettuce per score Mushrooms .... pottle MustdA Cress, punnet Onions. . do/,, bunches Parsley ' ■ lieve Parsnips doz. Peas per quart Potatoes bushel Kidney do. Radishes . . doz. bands Rhubarb bundle Savoys doz. Sea-kale basket Shallots lb. Spinach bushel Tomatoes per doz. Turnips bunch Vegetable Marrows dz. Melons each Nectarines doz. 6 12 Oranges 100 fi 12 Peaches doz. 10 15 Pears I dessert) ..doz. kitchen doz. Pine Apples lb. 4 Plnms 2 j sieve Quinces .... J-i sieve Raspberries lb. Strawberries lb. B. d. H. 49 198 18 VV Alona obtusa. 74.8 5(1.2 62.6 18 5 4 6 8 27 11 60 10 6 r, 64 199 19 Tn Alona rostrata. 73.2 60.6 G1.9 21 7 4 6 8 after. 15 11 i) 5 OS 200 20 P Kalosanthes. 72.9 50.5 61.7 22 8 4 4 8 34 1 41 11 .s 6 2 201 21 s Sun's declination 20° 29' N. 78.4 50.6 62.0 18 9 4 3 8 85 2 morn. 9 6 r, •2112 22 Sen 8 Sunday aftf.k Tiunity. 73.2 51.5 62.3 22 11 4 2 8 83 8 12 111 6 8 808 23 M Amellus lychuitis. 74.0 51.9 63.0 19 12 4 8 80 4 48 11 C 10 201 From observations tuken near London during tho last thirty-nine years, tho average day temperature of the week is 73.9° ; aud its night temperature 50.9'\ The greatest heat was 94- 1 , jn the 17th, 1H34 ; and the lowest cold 82°, on the 23rd, 1863. Tho greatest fall of rain was 1.37 inch. N.B. — The Calendar contains the namos of plants flowering in the greenhouse. SAND FOR CULTURAL PURPOSES. LTHOUGH simple, and to be met with almost every- where, yet few tilings are either less understood or so disregarded as sand — that indispensable adjunct to the compost-ground and pottLng-bench. Sand, with scarcely an exception, is a necessary ingre- dient in every mixture, and whatever the class of plant operated with, and whether it is dissected for the purpose of obtaining an increased number of subjects, or it is only treated to a larger share of the good things of this world to enable it to expand itself into larger dimensions, sand seems as necessary a material to help out either of these works as mother earth herself ; and in giving directions as to the mixtures best adapted to the wants of each plant, sand is sure to be one of the ingredients. Let us, there- fore, see what is the action of sand on the soils we deal with, and reason from that whether much of the material called sand is not improperly used. At all events, let us determine what ought to be understood by the term sand as used in horticulture, the mode of employing tliis sub- stance, and other matters bearing on the subject. In the first place it will be generally admitted that sand forms a component part in all soils ; even the stiffest clays are not without a trace of it, but its presence in some other descriptions of soil is more apparent, and the term sand}' soil is applied, perhaps, to a soil that contains a large per- centage of that material, wliich soil nevertheless differs widely from another that contains quite as much sand, the difference in the sand constituting in fact the difference in the character of the two soils. Let the traveller take a stroll along the seashore on some of the coasts that are characterised as sandy, and he will see abundance of a material that has by the action of time and a little mixture of othpr ingredients formed itself into a sort of natural embankment, repelling the waves of the ocean, and becom- ing a fitting receptacle for the roots of maritime herbage. The sand has been so often steeped in salt water that, for a time at least, it seems to be so charged with salt as to be unfit for some of the purposes for wliich sand is used, as the making of mortar ; and in horticulture those for wliich it can be employed are few. It is " sand," however, and when that term is used an inexperienced person might possibly suppose that any kind would do. and that existing in some places in great abundance might be used when it would be hurtful. Sands of other lands are also to be had in more or less abundance, and some of these having a wide reputation are, perhaps, more likely to do harm than sea sand, whose saline qualities being known is received with caution by the great bulk of horticulturists. No. 277-Vol. XI., New Series. Sand from the banks of rivers has certainly many ad- vantages over that from the side of the ocean, if such I are not tidal ones, and the stream of water is free from all noxious qualities. I am rather disposed at all times to give the preference to river sand over all others, as being more free from mineral matters : audits exposure t>i the atmosphere, when it has been lying some time on the side, of the banks, sweetens it and tits it better fur vegetation. than sand taken from a pit or cutting. Possibly some very exact and expert propagator of Epacrises, Boronias, and other hardwooded plants may find fault with its being too coarse for his use, because his tiny little cuttings can- not be properly fixed in it, and a finer and closer-grained material has to be obtained ; but for mixing with the ordi- nary soils of the potting-bench river sand will generally be found preferable to any other, as well as for mixing more, largely still in the open ground when it can be had in sufficient abundance. Next in importance to sand obtained from the sides or channels of running streams is the kind not unusually called drift sand, which is to be had by the sides of roads, composed of stones grinding into an open sand, which, how- ever, all road stones do not. On the contrary, some of them furnish a kind of mud, which hardens into the con- sistency of cement, and is of course inadmissible for pur- poses where sand is wanted. By the sides of some roads, however, and in districts where sand forms an important ingredient in the composition of the soil, the heavy rains washing the more muddy and soluble parts away iuto the valleys or ditches, carry with them a portion of the sand,, and leave it not unusualty midway in their course, inter- mixing with it, perhaps, more or less gravel and other- refuse ; but in ordinary rural districts, free from the taint of factories or mines, such admixtures seldom unfit this kind of sand for cultural purposes, and drift sand may In- set down as being tolerably pure and suitable for horti- cultural use. We now come to the class of sand most difficult to dear with, and that certainly in which the greatest mistakes are made — pit sand, which is also more extensively used than any other. Being good in appearance, handy, and abun- dant, it has acquired a reputation which it is questionable if it deserves as a promoter of vegetation ; besides, it differs so widely in its character that it would not be prudent to pass other than a qualified opinion on its merits. Certain- kinds of sand, however, have fur many years had a reputa- tion for cultural purposes which it is almost treason to assail. Many years ago, when it was very common, as- indeed it still is, to admire things most that came from a- distance, Calais sand had the reputation of being the best, although it seems to be less plentiful there than at Bou- logne ; eventually, however, it was found out that there was plenty of good sand in England, and Reigate sand was in most request. This sand has all the properties likely to captivate buyers, being pure white in colour, and sufficiently open to render the soils with which it is intermixed more porous, while it is fine enough to close in around a cutting that can only be inserted from a quarter to half an inch deep. Reigate sand is, therefore, in great demand, and it No. 929.— Vol. XXXVI., Old Seiubs. 40 JOUENAL OF HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. [ July 17, 18G6. is, perhaps, deserving of all the praise that has been bestowed on it when used for the class of plants for which it is suitable ; but that its use can be recommended for all lands of plants is by no means clear ; on the contrary, there is every reason to believe that for some it is very improper. To make this ap- pear more plainly, let us look at the character of the sands ■which form the ingredients of the soils in which the various plants cultivated in gardens flourish, and in doing so I shall presuppose that all other pit sands are only suitable to the plants for which each is fitted by its chemical constituents. Without entering into detail as to the requirements of each class of plants, we may roughly divide these into the two classes most dissimilar in respect to the soil in which they thrive best, and preferring, the one a calcareous, the other a peaty soil. Both these classes of plants require an admixture of sand in the medium in which they grow, and in general both soils are furnished with it in greater or less amount. The sand, how- ever, is not alike in both, that in each soil partaking to a cer- tain extent of the other constituents of the mixture of which it forms a part ; and .supposing it were possible to separate the sand frorn the one soil and add it to the other, the result would in all probability be unsatisfactory in consequence of the an- tagonistic properties of the materials so mixed. Instances of this kind are sometimes met with in other branches of industry than horticulture. I remember once noticing a large heap of mortar that had lain some time, and which showed beyond the possibility of a doubt the indiscretion of mixing substances together that had no affinity. A bright yellow sand, sharp enough to entrap an unwary builder into' the belief that it would make good mortar, had been mixed with lime in the usual way, and not being all wanted, a large heap lay some months, when, on its being examined, it was found that the lime was all but gone. The sand had " eaten it up," as the labourer truly enough said, and the reason was plain enough. The sand was strongly impregnated with iron, and, instead of uniting with the lime, the result was the destruction of the latter as far as the mortar was concerned. Now, it is easy io perceive that something of the kind must occur when sand of an unsuitable [character forms a component part in a mix- ture for cultural purposes ; and although neutral sands may with propriety be mixed with either calcareous or peaty soil, all sands used at the potting-bench are not neutral, like the river sand previously alluded to, and the drift sand also, though less pure perhaps. Supposing any one were tempted to use the pure white sand, which is dug in such large quantities in some neigh- bourhoods for the manufacture of glass, as an ingredient in a compost for growing Heaths or Bhododendrons, assuredly the result could not be satisfactory ; rather let a soil containing iron be used, and the chances of a favour-able result will be greater. In advocating the use of sand charged with iron, where American plants are grown, I by no means recommend a too strong dose of it, for I have seen very fatal results follow the planting of this class of plants in a sort of bog peat, too much impregnated with that metal, but at the same time I have also seen the evil effects of a silicious sand used for the same pur- pose. A medium ought to be aimed at, and let the sand used for American plants be only impregnated with a little iron, but not at all so for other plants. The pleasing appearance of nice white sand is a strong inducement to use it whenever sand is wanted, and few people give themselves the trouble to find out whether it is likely to suit the purpose they put it to or not ; but at the same time grey or yellow sand is equally useful, and the latter is more likely to answer in the case of a peaty soil. I would advise those who have the opportunity of using the last two, to try them for growing Heaths, and for other purposes where they are brought in contact with peaty soil, while the fine white sand so extensively employed for domestic use, may be tried with good effect among plants not requiring peat. All sand charged with poisonous matters should be avoided ; a sort of greyish sandy material is found very extensively in some mining districts, and is so poisonous that it kills all plants on which it is laid, and is often used to throw on court- yards or walks for the purpose of killing the weeds there. Such a substance, of course, should never find its way into mixtures intended for the culture of plants, and a sand, even though containing a small proportion of anything deleterious, should also be avoided. Although sand generally serves to increase the fertility of the ground, yet where it exists in too great a proportion, it has the contrary effect. The reason of this appears to be its want of adhesion, and the consequent too free access of air to the roots, as well as the plants having to exist on such liquid food as can be derived from external sources, and failing these they suffer, just as plants cultivated in pots must in a great measure depend on periodical waterings. Sand here becomes an important agent, as it prevents the soil clogging, and allows the superfluous water to pass off easily. This branch of the subject, however, is only mentioned here to show the utility of sand as an agent in the hands of the cultivator, and it is one to which he has hitherto not paid so much attention as it deserves. —J. Bobsoh. STRAWBERRIES. Owing to M. Tan Houtte having facetiously dubbed me "the sole arbiter" of the fate of seedling Strawberries, of course you will expect that annually I shall say something on the subject. I must, however, though much gratified by his estimate, decline to be more than the expresser of an honest opinion. I cannot be answerable for what is put in my mouth. My Strawberries of all kinds were removed here late in the spring from Eushton ; and, considering this disadvantage, they have done well. I here found these sorts, youthful and esta- blished, and they have cropped finely — Bivers's Eliza, Trollope's Victoria, Eugenie, and Eleanor. The following sorts I brought with me : — Sir J. Paxton, Eciipse, Boyal Hautbois, Bivers's Eliza, Old Pine, Scarlet Pine, Dr. Hogg, Mr. Eadclyffe, John Powell, Bicton Pine, Eugfinie, Wonderful, Frogmore Late Pine, and Cockscomb — a famous lot of good-constitutioned and heavy cropping Strawberries, save one, the Old Pine. This has been erroneously said to be the same as the Scarlet Pine, which is more like the Bival Queen than any other. I fancy the latter is a seedling from the Scarlet Pine. The Scarlet Pine is a better setter than the Bival Queen, and is not subject, as the Bival Queen is, to deformed, abortive, and cancerous berries. The Scarlet Pine is the best flavoured Strawberry here, or that I have ever tasted. I obtained my Scarlet Pines from the late Mr. Nicholson, and the Old Pines from G. Sparkes, Esq., of Bromley. They are not the same Strawberry. Before I proceed to speak of tried Strawberries, I must mention, that, allured by a touching picture, I bought late in the spring twenty plants of " The Lady " (Underbill), which I deprived of their flowers. They are growing strongly, and are commencing to run. It is of no use to crop late spring-planted Strawberries. Deprive them of their flowers and the plants will gain strength at once, run quickly, and do much better the following year. You cannot judge accurately of them till they have a large volume of perpendicular and horizontal roots. I gave 30s. and 3s. carriage for " The Lady " — a very cheap lot. Before giving a list of Strawberries that can be recommended, let me notice new Strawberries that I have sufficiently tried. 1. Dr. Hogg (Bradley). — This is Al in every respect. A noble dish of it was furnished by Mr. Turner, of the Boyal Nurseries, Slough, for the Hole testimonial dinner.* It is in constitution a Queen, more regularly coloured. It is hardy, fine-foliaged, a heavy cropper, and has grown well in my chalky land at Eushton, and still better in my fine, sandy, deep loam here. I beg to universally recommend it. 2. Mr. Eadclyffe. — Sent to me as Mr. Ingram's No. 10. This is a splendid production from the Boyal Gardens, Frogmore. I must hasten to acknowledge the high compliment paid to me. I wrote to Mr. Ingram to ask what name he had determined upon. I received a kind answer saying, that by my permission he would call it Mr. Eadclyffe. I beg publicly to thank him for the honour done to me. It is also in constitution a Queen, hardy, fine Queen-foliaged, a good cropper, large, and Queen- flavoured. Mr. Ingram's opinion of it is — " It is equal to the Queen in all respects, but has a better constitution." I beg to endorse this. 3. Cockscomb (Mr. Ingram). — This is a very valuable Straw- berry. It is suitable for all classes. It is hardy, a fine grower, an immense cropper, of huge size, and of excellent flavour in the Queen line. No Strawberry removed here from Eushton has borne more heavily than this, and the Boyal Hautbois, which is a jewel ! These three are all late Strawberries. They are sure to * I attended the Hole testimonial dinner at Anderton's. The " tea- urn " (by Garrard & Co.), presented by the Rose growers of England, to the Rev. S. R. Hole, originator of the National Rose Show, was elegant. I can hardly soy how much pleasure I felt on the occasion. Long may this, in every respect noble specimen of the human race, live to enjoy with his wife and family this graceful and weil-descrved tribute. Jnly 17, 1808. ] JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 41 retain their place in a good catalogue for many years, perhaps for ever. I now givo a list of honest, hardy, sure, and heavy-cropping Strawberries, from which a person may select without fear. Kuril/. — Sir J. Paxton and Eclipse. Second Early. — Rivers's Eliza; Trollope's Victoria, a great favourite at dessert; Empress Eugenie, a good friend, but coarse aud not highly flavoured. Later. — Scarlet Pino and John Powell, both first-rate; Wonderful, and Bicton Pine, peculiar and valuable. Very Late. — Frogmore Late Pine, a most noble sort; Dr. Hogg," Mr. Radclyffe, and Cockscomb. These are a noble lot, you cannot burn your fingers. In tho celestial bodies there are different glories, so it is here. I have now only to recommend the Royal Hautbois and the old Red and White Alpines, which I began the season with, and they are cropping heavily now. I am fond of them with- out sugar, but with sugar and cream and a glass of sauterne or sherry, they are the best of all. Hautbois and Alpine Strawberries should be dead-ripe before picked. If more mid-season Strawberries are wanted, perhaps Oscar and President, which I have lately tasted in my clergyman's garden (tho Rev. R. Price), aud thought excellent, would be good further selections. — W. F. Radciatfe, Okeford l<'it:i>aine. THE ROSE GARDENS OF LYONS. I think there are very few persons who, looking at Lyons for the first, or indeed for the twentieth time, would ever think of it as a place celebrated for Roses. Its rivers are broad and muddy ; its new part a poor imitation of Paris ; its older por- tion full of the most abominable stenches that ever offended the nose of a poor mortal ; and to one fresh from the lovely scenes of Switzerland, its glare and its treeless appearance detracted vastly from what I had heard and remembered of its greatness. It was nearly thirty years since I had visited it — when not a railway was constructed in France, when the journey to Marseilles took up the best part of a week, and when the pleasures of travelling were considerably lessened by the confinement, dirt, and dust of a diligence. I remember then it took forty-eight hours of continuous travelling to get from Paris to Chalons-sur-Saone. We did it in five. But even then I recollect Lyons did not strike me very much, yet in size and importance it is the second city in France. Although so celebrated for its silk and velvet, it does not give you the idea of a great manufacturing place. The tall smoke-emitting chimnies that are so plentiful at Manchester and in our manu- facturing districts generally are not to be seen here, from the fact that the weavers work in their own houses, and that hand- looms and not machinery are employed. Where, one would ask, can the Rose gardens be? Where are the lovely spots where Senateur Vaisse, Charles Lefebvre, Madame Falcot, and a host of the (Bose) world's most cele- brated characters saw the light ? Where are the lovely nymphs that watched these nascent beauties, where the chivalrous tnights who proclaimed their peerlessness against all comers, in what shady vale was their education carried out, I could not for the life of me imagine. There is a wonderful deal of "bosh" talked about the sunny south, and persons imagine that the south of France must be the most charming place imaginable. When that "vile north-easter" blows right through one — when catarrhs are the rage, and gruel and hot water in request — then one may draw a deep sigh, and wish he were in the " sunny south." But there is a reverse to the medal. Go there now, and what a different tale you would have to tell. It is warm enough here, even though there is a gentle breeze coming in from the Downs ; but there they have perhaps the "mistral" blowing hot and scorching from the south. Not a Rose is to be seen; they are all abime with the fierce heat of a few days. You must try and sit with every window and door closed, for the admission of air is only letting in the atmosphere of a furnace. All this is unfavourable, one would say, to Rose-growing ; but what about the soil ? — this must be cool and deep. No such thing. What I saw was hot and scorching enough, full of stones, and very unsuitable for the growth of the queen of flowers ; and yet we do know that from this place have come some of the very best of our Roses ; and the names of Lacharme, Guillot pere et fils, Ducher, Lia- baud, Damaizin, Gonod, &c, who are inhabitants of Lyons, testify to the truth of this. In fact, those very conditions which are adverse to the growth of the Rose ere favourable to the pro- duction of new varieties. They have not to complain, as wo too often have, of cold and wet summers, of seeds rutting in their heps, and of expectations doomed to disappointment. Tho seed sets early and ripens rapidly, and this is more e pe- cially the case when the Roses are planted against a wall with a south aspect. Ifenco they are able to excel us in the raising of seedlings, especially amongst the Teas and Noisettes ; al- though I have no hesitation in saying that we excel them in the growth of our trees, and in the size and quality of our blooms. The chief object that I had in visiting Lyons was to find ont the truthfulness of the statement made to me last autumn by Lacharme— that he had a Perpetual Rose of a " true yellow" colour. I felt quite confident, that if it were true it was such a step as we had not of late years seen, and that, as I had been appealed to about it, it would bo most desirable to obtain correct information. While I was hesitating about extending my journey from Paris to Lyons, I was solicited by one of our most eminent introducers of novelties, Mr. Bull, of Chelsea, to report on it, and whatever information I am able to give on the point rosarians are indebted to him for it. Despairing of finding my way to Lacharme's, which I knew to be some distance off, and knowing from experience that names well known to us may be little known even in their immedi- ate localities, I secured the services of a "cocher," and, after various inquiries, found far down on tho banks of the river, and hard by ono of the numerous forts with which Lyons is encircled, the place I was in quest of. It was an unpretending- looking house, and the garden gave no indication of the great- ness that was due to it ; neatness certainly was not its charac- teristic. Lacharme was in one of his other gardens, and I had to wait some little time before he made his appearance ; when he did he struck me at once as an honest and sensible man. We sat down and had a little chat together ; I found there was some kind of embarrassment about him when I told him that I had come to Lyons on purpose to see his yellow Hybrid Per- petual, «,nd I began to fear there was some screw loose. _ I would here remark that the French Eose-growers do not quite understand our taste for yellow Roses, they do not themselves seem to think much about them, and also do not see why we do not admire their " ardoise" flowers, that indescribable slaty colour appearing to have great charms for them ; and hence the advent of a genuine yellow Perpetual would not see-in to them so great a feat, but that there is connected with it the commercial gain of a flower that would be sure to sell well in England, England being their chief market at all times, and now more especially, when this awful and wretched war is desolating Germany, where they have been in the habit of supplying many orders every year. We walked on through his grounds, which were singularly untidy, across to another garden, where, on a wall facing the south, he has a large quantity of Teas and Noisettes planted, and where he has matured most of the seed from whence he has raised the Roses which have made his name famous. We talked of and saw many of these Roses as we walked along, but still I did not see the yellow Perpetual. I saw Alfred Colomb, which I did not hesitate last year to pronounce, from the blooms I saw of it, to be a fine Rose, and which both here and in my own garden has merited the praise I gave it. Souvenir de Dr. Jamain is also dark and rich in colour, but I am afraid too small to suit our taste ; the petals are thick and firm, but there are too few of them ; while Prudence Bresson, a great flaunting flower, with petals of immense size and brilliancy of colour, is more like a semi-double Preony than a Rose. Its effect seen at a distance is very striking, but it will not do for us. Charles Lefebvre and Souvenir de la Malmaison were there in quantities, but the blooms were certainly not so fine as I have seen them in England. At last we came to where the yellow Rose was said to be, and great was my disappointment, and, I believe, honestly that of Lacharme himself. The truth is, he has been the raiser of many Hybrid Noisettes, such as Louise Darzens, Charles Maynard, Madame Gustave Bonnet, &c, and that it is in this class, which are not really Hybrid Perpetuals, that he believed he had obtained what he announced. I saw the plant not absolutely in flower, but with the buds partly open, and it has no pretensions to being a yellow Rose. It came last year with a good deal of yellow in it, and Lacharmo was in hopes that this would be permanent. But alas ! this year it has only shown a very faint tinge of yellow in the centre of the flower— m peujaimatre, and it win not be sent out as a yellow Rose. I am not at all sure that it may not be the avant-coweur of a yellow Rose ; but even then, if of tins class, -12 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. t July 17, 1866. .'t would hardly be worth much, as they all partake too closely of the Noisette character to be really valuable to us. White Roses are scarce ; but we want something larger, of better form, and hardier constitution than those which I have already mentioned. I believe Lacharme has had to stand a good deal of chaffing about his yellow Rose, but I for one acquit him of all desire ■to " do " us, and believe it is one of those disappointments to which the raiser of seedlings is subjected. How often have I ceen at my neighbour and friend, Mr. Banks's, seedling Fuchsias of the most promising character, but of which, when I asked the following year, I was told they turned out valueless ; and so it is with the Rose. One and all, however, gave the credit to Charles Lefebvre, as being the finest Rose out ; while of yellow Roses I was asked, " What do you desire more than Mareehal Niel ?" We had, after our tour round the gardens, a quiet chat together about Roses and Rose-lovers, and I con- fess I could not but regard with respect the man who has been so good a raiser of Roses, and has contributed so much to our enjoyment, as Francois Lacharme. — D., Deal. POISONED SEEDS. In your impression of the 3rd inst. Mr. Fish wishes to know 3f any tasteless poison can be procured for the purpose of thinning the feathered depredators of his fruit, &c. As he .has for years given me many valuable hints, may I offer him one in return ? The Act of 16th & 17th Tict., c. 113 (18G3), enacts (inter alia), that any person who shall knowingly or wilfully sow, east, set, lay, put, or place, or cause to he sown, Sec, any .poisoned grain, seed, or meal (by 17th & 18th Vict., c. 115, .extended to meat also), shall forfeit on summary conviction £10; but this prohibition is not to extend to seed so J1 dressed " for agricultural purposes only. Mr. Fish may therefore steep in poison the seeds he actually sows, but he must not scatter poisoned seed, See., about. I shall conclude by merely stating that half the penalty .goes to an informer, and that accessories informing are freed from penalty. — Lex. THE CULTURE OF ADIANTUM CUNEATUM IN A SITTLNG-ROOM. I have been asked to state what has been the treatment of the Fern which gained the Gardeners' Chronicle, first prize at the Horticultural Society's Show last June. It has been very simple, my great aim having been to bear in mind what was most natural to the plant. It has been usually grown from June to December, in a Paxtonian basket suspended in a .south-east window ; the soil being a compost of peat, fine sand, .and cocoa-nut fibre. While in full growth (from about April to the end of October), I have watered it very freely with a very fine rose, completely deluging the plant, but always being -careful afterwards to draw off the water from beneath, so as not to rot the roots. When the fructification is over and the old .■fronds begin to die off, I remove them gradually until about December, when I usually strip the plant of all old fronds, this giving me room to train the young fronds as they come up ; these I always train to hang over the basket — it is easier to do it when the plant is clear, and plenty more fronds come -on to fill up the middle. During the winter months, from November to April, twice a-week is usually sufficient for watering. This year when I .found the plant was to be exhibited, I removed it from the south-east aspect to a north-west one in the same room, and 'lowered the basket on a level with the window, for I found the Jieight drew the fronds. About the beginning of May I again put it in the south-east aspect, and on the 18th of June it had attained the perfection in which it was exhibited ; but I must add that the plant is much finer now than when it was shown, And will be still finer in August, and that I believe the chief element of success is the perfect drainage secured by the struc- ture of the Paxtonian basket, which was provided for me by Messrs. Barr & Sugden, King Street, Covent Garden.— C. D., Deal. Obobanciie minor. — On the root of a scarlet Geranium in -one of the beds in my garden is growing a plant of Orobanche minor. Is not this rather an unusual position for it ? It usually grows on Clover. — A. R., Bromley. [It is a very unusual growth-place for the O. minor ; but it is known to victimise other plants than Clover. Loefling found it in Spain growing on the roots of Elms.] TRANSPLANTING THE WELLLNGTONIA GIGANTEA. I read with much interest Mr. Robson's article in the Num- ber of June 26th, on transplanting this Conifer. It interested me more especially, because I had recently removed a good- sized specimen, and I am sorry to say that I fear I shall lose it. I purchased it from a nurseryman about four miles distant from my own house. This was, I think, in March last, and being an expensive tree, and about 7 or 8 feet high, I gave directions to have it very carefully taken up. This was done, and when it arrived at my garden it was immediately planted on one side of the lawn, in the place prepared for its reception. It was carefully watered daily by my gardener, and for a month appeared to suffer little or nothing from the change, but soon afterwards it showed symptoms of turning brown, and to-day it looks like rusty old iron. It is living, but I am afraid it will he a long time in recovering, even if it ultimately do so. If Mr. Robson would give me any suggestions as to tho proper mode of treating it now, he would confer a great favour upon me. Mine is a very good specimen, and I should not like to lose it without some effort to save it. Probably, if I have eventually to replace it, the same result will follow. — T. M. Shuttleworth, Lancashire. [This case so closely resembles others which have occurred here, that the result may be attributed to the same cause. Most likely the ti ee had stood two years or more in the place it came from. This I believe to be the cause of most of the failures in transplanting the Wellingtonia, for the season, in this part of England at least, has been favourable for trans- planted shrubs and trees, there having been no long periods of drought. Perhaps if the tree had been screened in some way from the sun and drying winds, and its top frequently syringed, the juices might have been retained in the stem and branches ; but I do not think watering at the root called for at any time when there is moisture there. Most likely if the tree be ex- amined a few green twigs will be found near the bottom, but with their tips mostly dead ; and such, too, will be the case with the whole of the top for a great part of its length. If this be so, the tree will be disfigured for some years, but it may recover in time, not by the present leader being restored to life, but by one of the lower branches being converted into a leader. If appearance for the time is of no moment, I would recommend that one of these branches be tied up to the existing leader, not cutting the latter out, kut simply tying up one of the most likely branches to it — not rigidly tight at first, but, assuming the branch to be horizontal, or, perhaps, slightly pendant, I would raise it a little way at first, and a week or so afterwards raise it somewhat further, until by degrees it had attained the proper upright position. The 'Wellingtonia appears to furnish itself with a fresh leader with as great ease as a deciduous tree, and it would, doubtless, do this without coaxing, but if a little management can accomplish the object sooner, it is worth trying. I am by no means an advocate for much knife work, and if the appearance of the dead part of the tree be not thought too unsightly, I would let most of it remain for a time ; at all events do not cut it back to the live wood, other- wise this will die away in a great measure. With regard to replacing the tree by another, that must remain a question with yourself. If its unsightliness cannot be endured, then remove it and plant another in September, taking especial care that it shall be one that was transplanted the autumn before. Most probably such plants will not appear so fine as that which is now the subject of complaint, but there is more likelihood of their affording a successful result. I may observe, that in September, when the tree is transplanted, if the weather be dry it will be advisable to afford shade for a time, and to water over the top as well as at the root, and then I have no doubt that the result will be satisfactory. If it be any consolation to Mr. Shuttleworth to know that others have suf- fered from transplanting the Wellingtonia, I may repeat what was stated in the former article, that several fine trees of it planted here last January have failed in a similar manner. Some of these will be treated as described above, while half July 17, 186G. } JOURNAL OK HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 43 a dozen have been replaood by trees of leas sizo roraovod in June, and these, though not in pots, havo not appeared to suffer in tho least. However, being small they afford no parallel to largo specimens, although they confirm in a cortain degree tho view taken in my former article, that March is, perhaps, the worst time for transplanting tho Welliugtonia. —J. R.] RED SPEDER. Red sriDEn is, perhaps, the most destructive at all the in- sects which tho horticulturist has to combat. TJeing small, and confining its first attacks to the under side of the leaves, it is not easy of recognition in its early stages of development ; but in a very short time foliage attacked by it assumes a sickly, yollowish appearanco on tho upper surfnco, and the parts im- mediately over the spots where the insect is at work become dotted with a number of minute whitish specks if tho leaves aro those of the Peach or Fig tree, but if they are those of the Vine the specks are of a yellowish hue. These specks or dots increase ill size until the whole leaf acquires a yellow and mature appearance, and its powers of exhalation and inhala- tion being destroyed it falls off. The small specks or dots on the upper surface of the leaves are the best evidence of the presence of red spider, and if the under side of such leaves he examined there will be observed between the principal nerves a number of minute specks or dots. These, on being touched with the point of a pin, will be seen to move about at a rapid rate, and if observed with the aid of a lens they will be found to be in constant motion, busy on that part of the leaf which they have for greater security enveloped in a net- work of the finest threads conceivable. If measures be not taken to check the spread of the insect on its first appearance it will rapidly wrap the leaf in a fine network, and will not cease its work of destruction until the juices of the leaf have been so completely exhausted that it becomes totally incapable ol performing any of its functions, and falls off. It is well to remember that the leaf of a Vine or other plant may have every appearance of being attacked by red spider, and yet that the insect may not be present ; for the upper sur- face of a partly scorched leaf has much the same aspect as ■one suffering from red spider, but instead of specks or dots, scorched leaves usually exhibit blotches ; besides, in addition to the dots on the upper surface, there are others correspond- ing to them on the under surface, and when there are both, and those on the under side move when touched, it is certain that the leaves are not scorched, but infested with red spider. Though the insect is termed the red spider, scarcely one npon a leaf will be found of that colour, most of them being of a grey, inclining to a reddish brown, and having whitish heads and legs. The colour and size of the insects vary in the case of different plants, for on some they are much brighter in colour and larger than on others. The red spider attacks a great variety of plants, but chiefly those which have large glossy leaves and require a largo supply of water ; and yet it does not exclusively confine itself to the smooth-leaved plants, but is as partial to the Egg-plaut as to the Violet or Strawberry. It appears to be constant in nothing but in showing the same tokens of its presence, and in this respect it varies but slightly, if at all. Not being an entomo- logist, I must leave a full description of the insect to those more qualified for the task ; and here I may observe that a text- book on insects injurious to garden crops, published at a mode- rate price, would be a boou to many, who, like myself, are willing to learn and yet cannot obtain a work on the subject, ■except at a cost totally disproportionate to their means. Of red spider I am only acquainted with two kinds, or species. 1st, The small and very active one that attacks Vines, Melons, and most cultivated plants grown under glass or in warm situ- ations out-doors. 2nd, A comparatively large one, which I have only found on the Gooseberry and Ivy. I have known .the latter attack Gooseberry bushes with such severity as to make them look as if they had been scorched. This is very commonly the case on light gravelly soils. Red spider destroys the vitality of the leaves, checks growth, and when its attacks are severe altogether arrests it. It pre- vents the flowers expanding or attaining their perfection, as well as the swelling and maturation of the fruit, and impairs the well-doing of the plant. It likewise, by stopping growth, limits the action of the roots, converting a vigorous plant into one which is sickly. Tredisposing causes innumerable have been assigned for it3 attacks, but tho principal appear to be a dry atmosphero and a high temperuturo, with too little air at night. Some enter- tain tho opinion that no plant would bo attacked by insects if it were healthy ; but I have not yet seen a plant, however healthy to all appearance, that did not become infested with some insect. The green aphis is equally partial to a strong shoot of the Rose as to a weak, drawn shoot of the Pelargo- nium, and it is tho samo with most insects ; come they do, and whatever they attack is checked in growth, and more or less reduced in health, vigour, and fertility. In whatever state a plant may be attacked, whether weak or strong, the effects are the same; it becomes impaired in health and vigour, and when freed from insects it regains both. Surely this does not show that constitutional ill health and impaired vigour are essentials to insect attacks. I believe that they are not induced so much by any peculiar condition of the plant as by the at- mosphere being favourable to the development and increase of the insects. Mako a plant as unhealthy as we may, it will not be attacked by the insect peculiar to it until we also pro- duce an atmosphere favourable to that insect. That the red spider delights in and is encouraged by a dry atmosphere none having experience of it will doubt, and it is most abundant where the heat in houses is artificially derived from flues Qr hot-water pipes. I can also affirm, from many years' daily observations, that where there is a plentiful supply of atmospheric moisture, a temperature from fire or natural heat no more than tho plant requires, and thorough ventilation, that the attacks of red spider are not grievous. Any one- having experience in forcing Vines, Melons, &c, knows how much more liable to the attacks of red spider are the crops obtained by employing great artificial heat than those to which less artificial heat and more air are given ; nor can those who wash or syringe their Peach trees have failed to find how free of red spider such trees are, whilst others not syringed are literally eaten up if dry weather prevail. A dry atmosphere, too high a temperature, especially at night, and insufficient ventilation, are the conditions under which red spider presents itself; but there are cases in which it will appear when none of the conditions favourable to its existence are present. Still, the fact of the insect existing may be taken as evidence that the air is too dry, too hot, or imperfectly ventilated. The great agent in the destruction of red spider is water, which may not inaptly be termed its natural enemy. TVater forcibly driven against foliage infested with red spider will free it of the pest, and that is the best means to adopt in the case of plants which will not be injured by its application ; syring- ing with soft water is the best remedy as well as preventive which I have tried. Whenever a plant shows unmistakeable signs of the presence of red spider, it is well to syringe it forcibly, directing the water against the under side of the leaves, and this is best done in the evening at the time o£ shutting up the house, or, if the house is not closed, or the plants are exposed, after the sun has declined in power. Bear in mind that syringing once or twice is not of any great avail, but it must be persisted in until the trees are cleared. The only cases in which the use of water for the destruction of red spider cannot be recommended, are when the trees or plants are in flower, for then a dry atmosphere may be desirable for the setting of the fruit, and when a tree is ripening its fruit or wood then a free use of the syringe may not be advisable. When syringing can be adopted it will be found the very best means for the prevention and destruction of insect enemies. It is conducive to health and vigour, frees the leaves of dust, and lessens the evils of an artificial or dry atmosphere. It is objected to syringing that it is not natural, and cannot be otherwise than injurious, it being sufficient if the atmosphere be kept moist by sprinkling the floors, walls, &c, and by the evaporation of water from troughs upon the hot-water pipes. Such may be the case, but I have failed to experience it, having seen tho foliage of the Vine brown and ready to fall off by the time the fruit was ripe, and Peaches shedding their leaves before the wood was mature. When the syringe cannot be used, then we must look else- where for the means of destroying the red spider; and here I would discriminate between plants which can, and others which cannot, bear an application destructive to the insect. I may instance the Vine and Melon as plants to which a solution of soft soap at tho rate of 2 ozs. to the gallon cannot be safely applied, and yet soft-soap water of this strength is effectual, and not injurious to the foliage of most trees and plants, when applied with a syringe so as to thoroughly wet every leaf on both sjdes. Three applications on alternate evenings will be u JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ July 17, 186S. sufficient to destroy a whole generation of red spider. The Vine, Melon, and Cucumber are the only plants which I have found injured by it, for it stains the fruit of the first, and dis- figures the foliage of the other two. Should it not be desirable to syringe, or if plants are attacked to which the soap solution wouid be injurious, a good remedy is to make the floors, walls, &c, wet by syringing them with- out wetting the foliage of the plants or trees— this should be done on shutting up the house— half filling pots that will hold 1} peck with fresh unslacked lime, and then filling up with water, and scattering on this 1 oz. of sulphur vivum. Two pots will be sufficient for a house 30 feet long, 18 feet wide, and of an average height, but if high three will be necessary. The heat of the lime will cause rapid evaporation, and the fumes of the sulphur are carried along with the water, and, un- less sulphur be volatilised, it is worse than useless as a de- stroyer of red spider. The plants should be syringed in the morning, but in the case of Grapes colouring, fruit ripening, or plants being in flower, doing so would prove disastrous. An application of this kind should be made once a-week, or twice if the attack is severe. This remedy, it should be remembered, must not be used until the leaves have attained their full size and become somewhat firm, otherwise they will be disfigured. It is more effectual when a good S3'ringing follows, as the insects, if not stifled, are so sick as to be easily washed off. Another method, in which it is not absolutely necessary to syringe the plants, consists in making the hot-water pipes so'hot that the hand when placed on them cannot bear the heat more than a minute, and, after closing the house, to coat them with sulphur brought to the consistency of paint with water in which soft soap has been dissolved at the rate of 4 ozs. to the gallon. The paint thus formed should bo applied from end to end of the pipes or flues, and be lightly syringed until the house is full of steam, and unless the fumes" of the sulphur are strong enough to drive the operator out of the house they will not de- stroy red spider. This remedy, like the preceding, must not be employed unless the foliage is somewhat mature, as in the case of the fruit approaching maturity or becoming ripe. Two applications will in most cases prove effectual. The last remedy which I have to note is sprinkling the floors, walls, Arc, morning and evening, with 4 ozs. of Peruvian guano dissolved in a gallon of water, and especially at the time of shutting up the house. The atmosphere is thus largely im- pregnated with ammonia, and in such red spider cannot live. Prevention is in all cases better than cure, and to this end a dressing applied in winter to trees that are liable to be attacked ■will be found effectual, coating not only the stems and branches but the walls. This dressing may be made of soft soap at the late of 4 ozs. to every gallon of water, with enough of this to equal parts of flowers of sulphur and fresh lime to bring them to the consistency of paint for the trees, and of whitewash for the walls. The application should be repeated on the walls and heated surface when the leaves attain their full size, and again when the fruit commences to ripen. Its action depends on the fumes of the sulphur being generated by artificial or sun heat, and the soft soap causes the mixture to adhere ; the lime, too, is a powerful remedy against spider, and its more formidable rival mildew. By thus dressing the stems and branches the eggs are destroyed. Lastly, daily sprinkling the floors and every available surface, from the time that growth commences, with soot water, made by placing in a cask a peck of dry soot, and pouring over it thirty gallons of water, will produce an atmosphere in which red spider will rarely appear. Soot water, with the addition of a peck of sheep's dung to thirty gallons of water, is ex- cellent for filling evaporation-troughs, and so, too, is guano, at the rate of 4 ozs. to the gallon of water. For syringing, the soot water should be clear, and it will not injure the most delicate foliage ; but guano water for syringing, should not only be clear but strained, and not stronger than 1 oz. to the gallon. Dressing with soot borders in which are trees or plants liable to be attacked, is a very good preventive ; also watering overhead with guano water in the evening ; but the best of all preventives and remedies is to keep the plants moist, to give plenty of air, and to maintain as cool an atmosphere as is con- sistent with their healthy development. — G. Abbey. Potato Onion.- — I have just dug up my crop of this variety. The sets were small bulbs. These have now become large bulbs, but, singular to say, there is but one Onion in the whole crop which has divided itself, and that has separated only into two. _ The crop, therefore, differs from the common Onion only in dying down earlier, and in not showing any flowers. The soil was light and rich, the situation sheltered. I should be glad to learn if any of your readers have ever found their Potato Onions refuse to increase by the root. — G. S. ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. At the SMurday Show of the 14th instant prizes were offered for the best ccMction of six Carnations, and also for sis Picotees. In the former Mr. Britton, of Corston, near Bath, was first ; Mr. E. F. Kingston, Militia Barracks, Bath, second ; and Mr. Henry Grant, Midford, near Bath, third. For Picotees, Mr. Britton was again first ; Mr. Grant, second ; and Mr. Kingston, third. For the miscellaneous collection of fruit, Mr. Richard Marchanj, gardener to E. Oates, Esq., of Hanwell, was first, and Mr. Young, gardener to R. Barclay, Esq., Highgate, second. There was a considerable variety of miscellaneous subjects exhibited. Mr. Hooper, of Vine Nursery, Widconibe Hill, Bath, obtained extra prizes for a beautiful collection of twenty-four Carnations, twenty-four Picotees. twenty-four Cloves, twenty-four Pinks, and twenty-four yellow Picotees. Mrs. Hooke, of Morville Lodge, Fulham. obtained a second-class certificate for cut blooms of Verbenas, and Mr. R. Marcham a first-class certificate for twenty-four cut Roses. Mrs. Hooke also received a first-class certificate for a fine plant of Lilium auratum, and Mr. Young was awarded an extra prize for a collection of miscellaneous plants. GNAPHALIUM lanatum. I ForND this last season to be one of the most useful white- foliaged plants we possess, more especially ;for groundwork, where a distinct colour is required ; and it is furthermore most manageable in all respects. The way I employed it was as follows : — With some circular beds at this place I formed a star pattern ; this I filled with Frogmore Scarlet ; for the rest of the circle I used the Gnaphalium ; at the same time I had a band all round. The arrangement, simple though it is, had a charming effect. Much of this effect depends upon pinching and pegging down, until a dense carpet is formed ; if allowed to ramble naturally it presents an untidy appearance in such a position and for such a purpose as I planted it. It may not be quite hardy in some'localities, but with slight protection I am inclined to believe it will withstand the cold of our ordinary winters. Up to this date, January 14th, it remains out-doors here, and is not much injured ; but to be safe, a few store pots may be struck in autumn, and wintered under glass, which, with a shift in spring, and placed in moderate heat, will pro- duce cuttings enough in a short time, as it strikes freely. — J. E. (in Scottish Gardener). FIFTY CUT ROSES. I ah sorry to trouble you again with regard to the first-prize collection of fifty cut Roses at the late Jersey Show. From your answer I suspected that the point sent for your decision had been misunderstood ; and my suspicion is now quite con- firmed by the letter of the Rev. W. F. Radclyffo in your Number of the 10th inst., which I have only just received. This mis- apprehension seems to have arisen from my anxiety to be concise and yet give the exact words of the objection. The objector said, " There were fifty-one Roses." He should have said, " There were fifty-one blooms." The collection in ques- tion consisted of only fifty trusses, one of which had two fully open blooms (he did not object to buds), and he meant to say that one of these blooms should have been cut off, or, in other words, that the prize was offered for single flowers, and not for single trusses. Now, as the prize schedule did not specify single flowers, the Judges decided that the class was open to single trusses also, and therefore refused to disqualify the stand in question. This, then, is the question for your decision : If a prize were offered for "fifty cut Roses, distinct kinds," would you dis- qualify a stand of fifty trusses ? One is almost tempted to be severe, and ask why the splendid truss of Cloth of Gold (noticed in the same Number, page 4), did not obtain a disqualification for Mr. Hedge instead of contributing towards his victory. Of course the schedule in our case was in fault ; hut the Judges were called upon to award the prizes as the schedule stood,- au.l riot to amend it. July 17, 1S0G. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 45 I need hardly Bay that I am much obliged to Mr. Radclyilo (or noticing my communication, though he is rathorhard upon the Jersey rosarians ; and I cannot neglect the opportunity of thanking him for tho very great pleasure and profit I have derived from his excollont articles on the queen of flowers. " Our Journal " is certainly never moro welcomo at our firosido than when "Rushton RadclylTe" is to the foro in a raid among tho Roses.— One of the Jddges. [Thero was no misapprehension on our part, nor do wo think thero was on the part of Mr. Radclyffe. As you put the case now, wo could not suppose that any one fo# an instant would havo a doubt. " Fifty trusses " ought not to be allowed oven to bo exhibited for a prize offered for " fifty cut Roses." What was intended by those who worded the schedulo is im- material. " Cut Roses " mean single opened flowers, flower- buds with them aro unobjectionable. The fifty-first Rose, in the case, as it occurred, disqualified tho collection. — Eos.] DRIP AND DOUBLE-GLAZING. In answer to " D. Y. S." and other inquirers : — 1st, There is no difficulty in explaining how a span-roofed iiouse, 27 feet wide and 23 feet high, with the one end to the prevailing wind, is, independently of heating, wanner than a low house chiefly a lean-to, 12 feet wide and 12 feet high, as the prevailing south wind would strike along the whole front instead of partially on the sides, as in the other case. Again, the great body of the air enclosed in the larger house renders all sudden changes in the external atmosphere less perceptible. This is a matter that has never received a sufficient amount of attention. Without any heating, such buildings as tho large conservatory at Kew, at Chatsworth, and even the huge Crystal Palace, are less quickly heated and less quickly cooled than smaller houses. Much has been done in maintaining a high temperature in forcing-pits ; but even that was effected by keeping in the heated air by covering the glass with some non- conducting material at night, whenever the expense of fuel was on object. Without that covering there was always danger in cold nights whenever the fire went out, and that danger would have been much diminished if the quantity of air en- closed had been three or four times as great. The more air that is enclosed under a similar plane of glass surface the more regular and easily managed, as respects temperature, will be the enclosed atmosphere. We can imagine that in a continued frost a house 23 feet in height would come to he as cold as one merely 12 feet in height, but it would be a considerable time in falling so low in temperature ; and just because it is ionger in cooling, so the larger building will be longer in heat- ing. A large house, therefore, holds out greater inducements to carelessness in air-giving and furnace-regulating than a small one — a matter that should not be lost sight of by those ama- teurs who must have their house for plants, and yet must he away for the greater part of the day. A house containing only a few feet of atmospheric air might have everything burned up in it, whilst a house containing a double quantity of enclosed air would suffer but little. In a house somewhat lofty, and a little air given at the back early, a man may go to his business in the changeable spring months with the certainty of finding aU right when he returns in the afternoon. 2nd, Protecting low houses and pits, whilst securing an equable temperature, also prevents the plants suffering from drip. Drip is the result of the condensation of the moisture, existing in the atmosphere of the house in a state of vapour, coming in contact with the cold exposed glass as a condenser. The more moisture in the enclosed atmosphere, and the greater the difference between the inside and the outside temperature, the more will this condensation of moisture take place. Every lap in the glass encourages this condensed moisture to fall all over the house. In single-glazing, the plane surface of Beard's plan prevents the drip falling; the moisture trickles down the plane of glass and gets outside the house. Other contri- vances have been adopted for taking the condensed moisture down the grooved sash-bars, and then returning it to tho house over the heating apparatus, so as to keep the atmosphore duly moist. Perhaps the most successful mode for keeping the moisturo in the atmosphere of the house and preventing alike ■condensation and the consequent drip, is double-glazing the roof. In all such cases the outer glazing should be moveable if the inner glass should be fixed. From i to 6 inches between the inner and outer planes of glass would be a suitable distance. We are not so sure of the plan answering thoroughly in some kinds of fruit-houses, but for plant-houses it answers admir- ably. Wo hope somo friends will tell where our correspondent will soo tho plan in operation. On a large scalo he will see it successfully practised by Mr. Bewloy, near Dublin, whoso place has boon described twice at least in these pages. The moro close — that is, freo from openings, the two planes of glass are, the moro thoroughly will they prevent condensation and drip. Tho double glass acta more perfectly in this respect than a mat or a sheet thrown over a pit or frame, becauso a closely enclosed body of air, whilst it does little to keep out light, is one of tho best non-conductors of heat. As alluded to above in tho case of forcing-houses, tho chief value of double-glazing is the regularity of the temperature thus easily secured. If the enclosed body of still air prevents tho lower or inside plane of glass becoming cold, there can he no condensation, and no consequent drip. 3rd, Much may be done in common houses with a high tem- perature and a moist atmosphere, in preventing drip even in cold nights, by leaving just a little air on, especially at the highest point in the roof ; tho moistest air would thus escape, and a little moro firing and evaporating-pans would be wanted. — R. F. PAMPAS GRASS— PROPAGATING GLOXINIAS BY THE LEAVES. The gardener did not cut tho Pampas Grass down early in spring, and about 18 inches of the flag seems dead. If tho dead part of tho flag were cut off, would the bottom green part grow? It is a large bush, but has never yet flowered. The gardener last winter tied it straight up a pole. Wonlo! that injure it ? Can Gloxinias he propagated by their leaves ? — A Subscriber. [After what the winter of 18G0 and 1861 did with Pampas Grass, we would cut none of it down in winter or spring. Every decayed part might be removed in spring, but the old leaves furnish a good protection. The tying-up of the leaves' would increase the protection. Give your plant plenty of water and rich top-dressings now, and we hope you will have plenty of flower-stems in the autumn. The Gloxinia propagates freely from the leaves. Tho easiest way is to cut off a leaf with a good piece of the leafstalk, and plant the latter in pots just as you would cuttings. The leaf if thus kept in a shady moist place will soon form a tuber at the base of the stalk. Another plan is to take the leaf, notch it at tho back where all the smaller nervures meet the midrib, fix the leaf by small pins flat on a damp surface, and small tubers will form at all the notched parts. Another simple plan is, to take a leaf, split it up at the midrib, and then cut outwards to tho outside in strips — say one-quarter of an inch wide, plant theso thickly in a pot, the part with the midrib being lowest, and almost every one of these slips of leaves will form a tuber at the base. It is thus easy to multiply any kind of Gloxinia, or of fine-leaved Begonia, which may be propagated in the same way. By these modes you do not obtain so large a tuber as when you use a leaf for a single tuber instead of a score or more. A moist, warm, shady place is necessary for success when the leaves are thus cut up into shreds.] DOUBLE-GLAZING. TrrE very important subject of double-glazing is claiming a good deal of attention just now, and deservedly so. It is not our purpose to say one word about the desirability of a second covering ; every gardener knows its value. To be able to main- tain the proper amount of heat and moisture, with moderate firing, is the point, as well as shielding us from the evils of sudden depressions, which sometimes overtake us unawares. Double-glazing is nothing new ; it has for many years been practised in all northern continental countries for window and other purposes. We aro not about to advocate tho applica- tion of this principle to all garden structures — only to such as are employed for early forcing, Cucumber and propagating- houses, Pine and plant-stoves, &c. — in short wherever strong heat is required. To these structures we think we can easily prove that double-glazing would be by far the best and cheapest mode. If we for a moment notice the many abortive attempts that have been made, and are still being made, by anxious men to cover the roofs of forcing-houses, whether by canvas, frigi domo, or even " horsecloth material," and knowing, as we do, that 4G JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ July 17, 1866. almost all these attempts end in failure, if not in mischief, we shall soon turn our thoughts to something else. Coverings may be useful on still frosty nights, hut these are not the nights when they are most needed. Only have one of those strong gales which have been rather frequent this year, and where is your covering ? most likely all in shreds, with perhaps not a little glass broken to boot ! Have any of your readers ever practised another plan, which may be called " covering-in ?" This is to be applied inside the glass ; have your frigi domo made the proper size of the roof to be covered, and fitted with curtain rings, top and bottom, to Blip along on wires fitted up on purpose — one along by the front plate, another at the top of the house ; or, if a span, just below the ridge. By means of lines and pulleys, this cloth could be drawn forwards or backwards to one or both ends of a house with a clear roof very easily, and being near the glass would no doubt prevent a large amount of heat escaping, or prevent the cooling action of the glass on the temperature of the house. In vineries the iron work for supporting the Vines would be in the way ; but if the practice were good, a piece could be made for each sash ; there is plenty of room between the Vines and glass, as Vines are generally trained up 16 or 18 inches below the glass. But supposing this plan to answer, it would be an expensive plan as all coverings are. Let us just look at the commercial point, for we must be prepared to prove that our project " will pay," or at all events to prove that one project is better and eheaper than another. Well, take frigi domo, which is perhaps the best and cheapest fabric we can employ for covering, either outside or in ; the first cost of this is at least KM. per yard, or something more than a penny a-foot, without binding, fitting, or anything else, which will bring it up to at least a shilling a-yard. How long will it last ? allowing for the sake of argument that it answers its purpose ; will one season wear it out ? if not, we will give two ; so here is a cost of Gd. per yard per year with a very doubtful advantage. Look now at glass— good sheet at 16s. per 100 feet— not quite 2d. per foot, or less than Is. 6