RIVERS' NURSERIES. 



183 



extensive trial in America. The vine is very 

 luxuriant and very hardy — much more so than 

 any foreign grape yet tried in England. The 

 leaves and wood are smooth — the foliage 

 large and of a rich deep green. The branches 

 are large,well formed and shouldered, and are 

 produced in great abundance — even when the 

 vine is simply trained to an upright pole. The 

 berries are between the size of the Burgundy 

 grape* and the Sweet-Water, — oval, dark pur- 

 ple or black, without pulp, sweet and excel- 

 lent flavor. Though tlils variety is undoubt- 

 edly of French origin, Mr. Rivers has not 

 been able to find it, at the present time, in 

 France, — the original root from which he has 

 propagated his stock of it existing in an old 

 garden in England into which it was brought 

 from France many years ago, and has remain- 

 ed comparatively unknown. Mr. Rivers 

 with his characteristic feeling, is propagating it 

 very extensively in the hope of being able to 

 offer it as a perfectly hardy and productive 

 grape for the cottage or gardens of all England. 

 We hope our nurserymen will also introduce 

 and propagate the Purple Fontainbleau, so 

 that it may be fairly tried at home. If it does 

 not prove all that we could wish, in itself, it 

 can scarcely fail to be the best variety to grow 

 along with the Isabella and Catawaba, in order 

 to produce new hybrid sorts entirdy adapted 

 to hardy culture, a desideratum at present so 

 gi-eatly sought after in the United States. 



Rivers^ Early Prolific Plum — a seedling, 

 which originated here, was in full bearing. 1 1 

 is a roundish-oval, purple plum, nearly as large 

 as the Orleans, and is so great and constant a 

 bearer, and ripens so early, that it proves an 

 exceedingly profitable variety. This fruit is 

 just coming into bearing in America, and will 

 no doubt prove equally valuable there. In 

 flavor it is equal to the Early Morocco, while 

 it is far superior to it in productiveness, in 

 the hardiness of the tree, as well as in 



* It is evidently one oftlie Burguiuly das5. 



ripening its fruit earlier in the season. Reine 

 Claude de Bavay is considered here one of 

 the most valuable of all the new plums — being 

 not only excellent but very productive. Our 

 best plum — the Jefferson — maintains its high 

 character in England. The most valuable of 

 all the new varieties of grapes for the vinery, 

 according to Mr. R. , is a white grape, known 

 as the Gros Coulard, or new Sweet- Water. 

 It resembles the Sweet- Water in flavor and 

 color, but is much superior in the size of both 

 the bunches and the berries — so much so that 

 it will probably quite supplant the old sort. 



A large plantation of the monthly ever- 

 bearing Raspberry attracted our attention. 

 The 3'oung canes were loaded with fruit. The 

 best of all currants Mr. R. holds to be the large 

 bunched Dutch. 



A singular mode of growing stawberries in 

 pots for forcing is practiced here with great 

 success, and is the same as that pursued by 

 one of the most celebrated English market 

 gardeners. It consists in growing the plants 

 in pots filled with good soil (say | loam ^ rotten 

 dung pounded doimi'xn the pot quite hard with 

 a mallet.) After the pots of soil are thus made 

 ready, they are placed along side of the beds, 

 when they are just beginning to throw out 

 runners — for example at the commencement 

 of June. The ends of the young runners are fixed 

 on the soil in the pot, where the plants soon 

 strike root and fill the pot with an abundance 

 of roots. It is then removed to the frame or 

 forcing pit and treated as usual. The increas- 

 ed size, vigor and productiveness of the plants 

 and fruit grown in these closely rammed pots, 

 are, we were assured, undeniable. This meth- 

 od is opposed to all the ordinary theory and 

 practice,which depend upon making and keep- 

 ing the soil loose and mellow. Will our read- 

 ers speculate upon and explain the new prob- 

 lem in horticulture which it presents ? 



The Dwarf Prolific Walnut, (Noyer fertile,) 

 a shrub, rather than a tree, bearing good crops 



