432 THE GARDENER. [Sept. 



The varieties best adapted for this purpose are the " self-incurved " 

 sorts, such as George Glenny, Mrs George Bundle, Mrs Dixon, Prince 

 Alfred, Little Pet, General Bainbridge, White Globe, Sir Stafford 

 Carey, Mr Gladstone, General Slade, St Patrick, and Blonde Beauty. 

 I may remark, in concluding, that flowers grown as I have described 

 are not to be supposed as being inferior in any way to those grown 

 upon large plants — their great beauty and attractiveness being in the 

 fine large flowers ; while the plants are so small that they can be used 

 either singly or in groups for almost any purpose. W. Hinds. 



PLUMS FROM THE PLUM-HOUSE AT CHATSWORTH. 



About the middle of July Mr Speed kindly forwarded us fifteen 

 varieties of Plums from the Plum-house at Chatsworth, his object 

 being to show which varieties are best suited for forcing. The fruits 

 were all from trees planted out and treated alike in the same house. 



Rivers's Early Plum had been fit for use since the end of June, and 

 the specimen of it was quite shrivelled. The next earliest was the 

 Czar, and it was just fit for gathering, but nothing more. Belgian 

 Purple, Goliath, Blue Prolific, and an unnamed variety, were just be- 

 ginning to get a little soft. Kirk's Seedling, Jefferson, Greengage, 

 Transparent Gage, Victoria, Angelina Burdett, Guthrie's Late, Belle 

 de Septembre, and Golden Drop, were all hard and green. This col- 

 lection made it very manifest that Rivers's Early is by far the most 

 useful of the lot for early forcing, and the Czar succeeds it closely. It 

 will also be very apparent how useful a Plum-house must be when 

 planted with such a collection as the above ; for from the period 

 Early Rivers is in season, to the time when such as Coe's Golden Drop 

 comes into use, is a very long one. Considering how very useful a 

 fruit the Plum is, and how much it is improved by being grown under 

 glass, it is rather surprising that Plum-houses are not more plenti- 

 ful, especially in localities where the crop of fine Plums is a pre- 

 carious one. 



We received at the same time a sample of a seedling Tomato raised 

 by Mr Speed, which for size and flavour surpassed anything we had 

 previously seen. It was nearly a pound weight, and Mr Speed says 

 it is as remarkable for its free bearing, and suitability for early forcing, 

 as for its size and quality. It cannot fail to be an esteemed variety, 

 now that Tomatoes have so well-deservedly become a popular vege- 

 table. 



