THE FLOEAL WORLD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 327 



frosts of autumn overtake them. As a rule, plantations of trees 

 kept on the pinching system have become barren. But after being 

 left alone a tew years, they have again become abundantly fruitful. 

 Our own collection of choice apples and pears comprises some six 

 hundred bushes and pyramids. These have been subjected to 

 various experiments during ten years past, and the result is that we 

 find the pinching system occasions too much work, and is ill adapted 

 to the climate. It is impossible to form neat pyramids or neat trees 

 of any kind without summer pruning and pinching; but people 

 have been told to pinch, pinch, pinch, to such an extent that they 

 have simply^ laboured to make their ti-uit gardens unproductive, and 

 have succeeded perfectly. How rarely do we find big trees barren, 

 and how rarely are miniature trees fruitful. Simple methods of 

 procedure are, therefore, best to be relied upon, and there need be 

 no mysterious uncertainties in the production of good English 

 fruits. S. H. 



NOTES OX XEW BEDDING PLANTS. 



UEINGr the past season a number of new bedding plants 

 have been tried at Stoke Newington, and amongst them 

 a few have proved eminently useful. 



Nosegay Geeaniums. — Lady Constance Grosvenor 

 is a finer variety than even Stella or Cy bister. The 

 leaf is neat, with very dark zone, the flowers brilliant lively crimson, 

 in very large trusses. Crimson Noserjay is distinct and fine, and 

 must be in the possession of all who value such plants at the earliest 

 possible moment. In habit dwarf and compact, branching freely, 

 producing abundance of flowers, the colours intense deep shaded 

 crimson. This puts out of competition such varieties as Glowworm, 

 Magenta, and others of the shaded crimson class. One of its best 

 qualities is that it seldom produces a seed. Christine Nosegay and 

 Pink Stella are two beauties with huge nosegay trusses of bright 

 rose pink flowers. International, a bright scarlet, was not so good 

 as any of the foregoing, but it was good nevertheless, and as our 

 plants were very small when put out, we expect far better behaviour 

 next year, and so class this with the varieties we consider that 

 amateurs may purchase with safety. 



Variegated Geeaniums. — Great as is the favour for tricolor 

 varieties planted in beds, we believe the day is not far distant when 

 the tricolors will be thought little of for bedding. Looked down 

 upon, a bed of Mrs. Pollock is one of the most delightful spectacles 

 possible in the way of garden coloui'ing, but seen from a distance, it 

 has a grey^ sombre tone, by no means satisfactory. Eor distant 

 eff*ect, the most brilliant of all the yellow-leaved varieties is one in 

 the collection of Messrs. P. and A. Smith, of Dulwich, the name of 

 which is Aurenm, This is properly a bronze zonal, but the zone is 

 scarcely conspicuous, and the prevailing yellow hue of the leaf is so 

 brilliant, yet of so soft a tone of yellow, that we may search far and 



