THE FLORAL WOELD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 373 



operations should be done in proportion to the strength of the tree. But if the fruit 

 shoots produce fruit for one year only, as in almost all stone-fruit trees, and if of 

 course it is necessary to renew them every year, care should be taken that the 

 fruiting or fruit-giving shoot itself, or still better another (a reserve fruit-twig) left 

 on the same bearing branch, be destined to take the place of the former fruiting 

 shoot which is cut otf. Such are a few interesting points of the rational system fol- 

 lowed in Belgium. As far as I have seen, both in your authors and in some of your 

 gardens, this system is not much practised in England, except in the Horticultural 

 Gardens at Cbiswick, where at my last visit Mr. Thompsou had begun to form some 

 trees after the so-called new models. 



A VISIT TO MESSRS. LUCOMBE, PINCE, AND CO.'S 

 NURSERY, EXETER. 



BY JOHN BURLEY, F.R.H.S., ETC., 

 Albert Nursery, Pembridge Place, Bayswater, W. 



^p^^N the middle of August last, I spent a few days exploring the county of 

 Devon, and the southern parts in particular ;' from Exeter to Plymouth; 

 thence up the Tamar to Tavistock; back again to Mount Edgecumbe ; 

 and from there to Tamerton, and then np the Yealm River — calhng at 

 the principal places of interest in my way. Returned to Plymouth in 

 time for the flower show held there ; thence to Exeter, the streets of which I have 

 not walked in for the last twenty years. There was plenty to see and admire in the 

 old city, in the way of improvements. After wandering about the city, to the 

 cathedral, and other places, I paid a visit to the Exeter Nursery, where l' passed a 

 few hours very pleasantly in viewing the beautiful collection of plants, both under 

 glass and in the open ground, that are to be seen at this old-established place. I 

 first paid a visit to the plants under glass. The fiist house I entered was the show- 

 house, a long, handsome, span-roof structure, with a broad path down the centre, 

 and a raised flat stage on each side. Tljis contained a nice lot of Lilinm auratumy 

 and other lilies, capitally in flower; a few ericas, asters, veronicas, geraniums, also 

 in flower. These, mixed up with a few palms and other foliage plants, gave the 

 whole a fresh and gay appearance. I must not omit to meniiun tiiat the roof was 

 nicely covered with evergreen climbing plants, and most of them were in flower at 

 the time of my visit. Especially must I mention a plant of Tacsonia Van Volxemi, 

 covering a space not less than fifty or sixty square yards; and it had dozens of its 

 beautiful blooms suspended with silk-like stems to a length of nearly two feet. I 

 also noticed a new LajpageHa, with a scarlet flower, the same being quite as large 

 as the flower of Lapageria rosea. This will prove a very valuable acquisition to our 

 greenhouse climbers. 



On passing from this house to the stove and orchid-house, I noticed a beautiful 

 collection of Achimines and G:oxiuias; the latter were remarkably fine and distinct, 

 ■with rich, glowing colours, and tlie size of some of them enormous. I was told they 

 were seedlings; if so, they will do credit to the firm when distributed. I here also 

 saw that beautiful winter-blooming plant, Gesnera Exoniensis. It would be only 

 gilding refined gold for me to say more in its favour than has already been said 

 about it ; but this I can say, not one word that has been said in its praise is too 

 good for it, for nothing can be more beautiful than its flowers, nothing can be more 

 rich than its foliage. The coloured drawing of it (published by the firm) scarcely 

 does it justice ; for it would be impossible for any artist to give the deep shaded 

 velvet to its leaves in a drawing, and it would be equally impossible to mix the 

 glowing orange-scarlet of its blooms. It Avas, of course, nicely in bloom when I saw 

 it, and it promised to continue so for months. It will, no doubt, prove to be one of 

 the finest winter-flowering phmts in cultivation. I also noticed, in this house, a fine 

 lot oi Ehododemlron jasminiflorum,\n {MMAowar'y also fine plants of Allamanda 

 Hendersonii. This latter was in full flower, and had been so fur some thx-ee months 

 past ; the flowers were borne in profusion on short pointed footstalks ; the colour 

 was rather more golden than the variety known as A. Schottii. 



In the orchid-house the plants looked remarkably clean, and the growth well 

 maturing. I noticed a nice collection of Antettochilus, in admirable condition. 



